Rewriting My Fate in the Apocalypse

Mr. Flames didn't know what he wanted to do but he dropped a small flame into Vanish's hand.

Instead of burning him, the fire seemed to swirl around his fingers, dancing like a tamed beast.

Gasps filled the truck once again. How could the fire not burn him when he wasn't a fire superpower user?

"You… you can use other people's powers?" someone asked in shock.

Seeing how shocked everyone was, Su Yan suddenly felt a balance in her heart. She had been just as shocked when she saw him use Zai Zai's water element for the first time. Now she knew that she wasn't the only country bumpkin.

She felt that she should enlighten them a little, so she replied on his behalf.

"He doesn't wield or use other people's powers, he can just redirect them. He is like a conduit that is used to redirect attacks from other people's superpowers." Su Yan still found this novel because Vanish had his own superpower.

Vanish calmly tossed the flame out the window. It streaked backward like a blazing comet and exploded against the ground, forcing the pursuers to stop in their tracks.

The truck accelerated and soon they disappeared. For now, they were safe, but they knew for sure that Commander Qui would never forgive such humiliation.

And if the president truly was involved, as Vanish increasingly suspected, then tonight's events had set off ripples that would grow into waves.

The survivors thought they had escaped hell. They didn't yet realize they had just stepped into a bigger battlefield.

Vanish drove another half-hour in tense quiet before he pulled onto an abandoned highway leading back toward the city.

The escapees were pale, their nerves stretched thin, but the sight of faint and sporadic city lights ahead brought a flicker of relief to their eyes.

"Why are we heading back into the city?" the space-user girl asked in disbelief.

Wasn't the city the most dangerous place because of the large number of zombies?

Su Yan said evenly. "That's where the safe house is. Don't worry, it's protected."

The word protected was heavy for them, especially when some of them had been abducted in their homes or in places close to home while scavenging for supplies.

In this world, there was no true safe place, only stronger walls and stronger people standing behind them.

However, they said nothing.

Finally, the truck pulled into an underground parking garage of what looked like an ordinary, half-ruined apartment complex. The group exchanged uneasy glances, wondering if this could really be a "safe house."

The building was one of those that had been hit by meteorites, but didn't get too much damage. Therefore, it was habitable and most of the apartments were intact and clean.

That was why Ouyang Jin had chosen this place to be their meeting spot and living quarters. It was unassuming and many people won't suspect it.

But when the elevator doors slid open, revealing Ouyang Jin standing there with his usual calm composure, everyone felt a strange reassurance.

It looked like he had been watching from somewhere and came down as soon as he spotted the truck from a distance.

The building still had electricity when not being rationed, which was why they could still use the elevator sometimes.

"Welcome back," Ouyang Jin greeted, his sharp eyes sweeping over the battered group before resting on Vanish. "You took longer than expected."

"Had to clean up after myself," Vanish replied, handing him the flash drive with the data he had taken from the laboratory.

Ouyang Jin's lips curved slightly. "Good."

The escapees looked curiously at Ouyang Jin because even if he wasn't a celebrity, he was still a well-known figure in the military.

They had not expected that he was working against the military now. But that was good because if he wasn't, they would have perished in that underground laboratory.

The group followed them upstairs into an apartment that looked almost too normal compared to the hell they had just escaped.

The lights were warm, the air smelled faintly of food, and when they stepped inside, they saw people, eating, even laughing quietly in the living room.

It was like stepping into another world.

"You can rest here for tonight," Ouyang Jin said, motioning toward a room where blankets were neatly folded on the floor. "No one will harm you." Ouyang Jin didn't say much. He thought that springing more information on them now might not be something good.

They needed to clean up, eat, and rest before they made major decisions.

The escapees collapsed gratefully, but one of the men, his face hard, asked, "Why help us? What do you want in return?" He knew that there was no free lunch in this world. For such help as saving their lives, they must pay a price.

Ouyang Jin didn't look offended. He walked to the window, gazing down at the ruined city below, before speaking in a light tone.

"Clean up, eat, and rest for tonight. We will talk about anything else tomorrow when your minds are fresh."

The man thought for a moment and felt that Ouyang Jin was right. He was so tired that he wouldn't be thinking straight even if he got answers. So, it was better to really rest and only talk when his mind was clear.

"Alright, thank you sir." The man expressed his gratitude before walking in the direction Zai Zai pointed the bathroom.

Ouyang Jin watched as the group went to take a shower and sighed.

He hoped that he hadn't saved them for nothing. He hoped that they would agree to be part of their team to take care of those powers trying to destroy the world.

He looked at the people who were talking and laughing together and prayed that they will always be like this. He didn't want to experience what he had experienced in their previous lives.

As he thought this, he walked out of the living room and headed to his bedroom to rest.