Ger, So Proud

Chapter 1: Rescue

In the year 2020 AD, the Mayan prophecy of the end of the world, delayed by eight years, arrived without warning.

It was an exceptionally ordinary day when a loud “boom” was heard, and a planet collided with Earth, causing the world to tremble.

From that moment, humanity’s fate headed into the unknown.

In the following days, massive natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis erupted globally almost every minute, causing the deaths of billions and injuring countless others. Earth was left devastated, with ruins everywhere. The world plunged into chaos, laws became mere words on paper, and the scales of morality tipped towards survival.

At the same time, unbeknownst to anyone, a new type of virus silently spread among the injured. It wasn’t until the appearance of zombies — virus-carrying, rotting undead — that people realized the apocalypse had truly arrived.

Perhaps the heavens had left a sliver of hope for humanity, as a few days after the zombies appeared, some humans began to awaken various supernatural abilities.

He Ze was one of them.

…

In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

The sky was a hazy gray, like the moments before a storm. Since the apocalypse began, sunlight had become a luxury, rarely appearing despite humanity’s desperate calls.

At this moment, in a dense forest in J City of Hua Nation.

Tall trees with lush foliage blocked out the sky, making the forest appear even darker. A few minutes later, the sound of rustling could be heard as seven or eight similarly dressed men emerged from different directions, gathering under a large tree.

The leading man had a long scar running from his temple to his jaw, giving him a somewhat frightening appearance. His eyes were fierce, and when he spoke, the tender red flesh of his scar bunched together, “What’s going on? None of you found him?”

Before he finished speaking, a gentle breeze passed through the forest, slightly swaying the green leaves on the branches.

No one noticed.

“Brother Zhao, no, I even searched underground.” A short man was the first to respond. He had earth-based powers, surnamed Liu, and ranked seventh in this supernatural team, so everyone called him Liu Qi.

“I didn’t find him either. I searched this entire forest and didn’t even catch a glimpse of He Ze!” Another person immediately shook his head; he had wind-based powers.

Zhao Hai’s face showed clear disappointment as his gaze swept over the others, “What about you?”

Everyone looked at each other and then shook their heads, their gazes dropping.

“Damn! I refuse to believe that this cooked duck can fly away today!” Zhao Hai spat angrily on the ground and kicked the large tree beside him. The tree trunk shook, causing the branches and leaves to rustle, and a few leaves fell onto the heads of the group.

Feeling an itch, Liu Qi shook his head vigorously and grabbed the leaf off his head. Just as he was about to throw it on the ground, he paused, staring at the green leaf in his palm, and unconsciously squeezed out its juice with his fingers.

“Liu Qi, what’s wrong?” Noticing Liu Qi’s odd behavior, Zhao Hai squinted his eyes.

“Brother Zhao, do you…” Liu Qi suddenly looked up, his lips twitching as if in a spasm. “Do you guys feel something off? Isn’t this forest… too quiet?”

“What do you mean?”

As Liu Qi spoke, the expressions of the others changed.

The apocalypse not only led to the emergence of zombies and superpowered humans but also caused the surviving flora and fauna to undergo incredible mutations.

Although most mutated plants retained their gentle nature and generally did not attack humans, encountering those with a strong territorial sense was no laughing matter. However, they had been searching this forest for a long time today, and indeed… it was too quiet. What was going on?

Zhao Hai turned in place a few times, suddenly feeling a bad premonition.

“Brother Zhao, do you think He Ze’s powers have recovered?” The group drew closer together, crouching and adopting attack stances.

He Ze was a level-seven wood element superpower, and the forest was his domain. If his powers had recovered, this situation would make sense. But if that were truly the case… could they still leave here alive?

The highest level of supernatural power here belonged to their leader, Zhao Hai, who was a level six water element.

Their breathing grew heavier, and although the weather was gloomy, sweat beaded on their foreheads.

“No, it can’t be!” Zhao Hai’s pupils shrank, and his pounding heartbeat echoed clearly in the silent forest, whether from tension or fear, “That power-breaking potion took a lot of effort to obtain. He Ze was clearly powerless when he escaped before; there’s no way he could have recovered!”

“Brother Zhao…”

“Enough! We’ve been preparing for this opportunity for half a year. We’re so close to getting He Ze’s crystal core; retreating now is not an option! Listen to me, stay alert and—”

“Aaah—help! Ugh…”

Before Zhao Hai could finish, a scream pierced the air. A thick bramble vine suddenly shot up from the ground, wrapping around the neck of the outermost man and dragging him backward rapidly. Blood seeped out, quickly staining the vine dark.

“Third Brother!”

Someone called out urgently, sending a wind blade toward the vine. A small tree nearby bent, its branch perfectly blocking the wind blade, which fell to the ground with a snap. The person being dragged struggled to breathe as more vines shot out, wrapping around his limbs tighter and tighter, soon rendering him silent.

At that moment, all the plants in the forest seemed to come to life.

Thick vines emerged from nowhere, countless in number, forming a giant web that was impossible to escape once ensnared. Clumps of grass grew rapidly, hardening, with their leaves transforming into serrated blades, slicing toward the group from all directions. Tall trees twisted and hurled themselves at them…

Wind blades, fireballs, water swords, earth escapes… the seven or eight people scattered in panic, fleeing desperately while continuing to fight. The air suddenly filled with a sweet fragrance, a hazy mist rising in the forest. Their movements slowed as they became lethargic, and in a moment of inattention, another person was pierced through the chest by a serrated leaf.

Blood spattered everywhere.

“Hold your breath! That’s the scent of Shenluo Wood!” Zhao Hai was the first to react.

Shenluo Wood was a mutated plant whose fragrance could instantly incapacitate any superpowered individual below level five!

But it was already too late.

In just a few minutes, sharp screams echoed one after another. Liu Qi jumped out of the ground but fell again before he could stand up. His body was uncontrollably dragged back, his legs entwined by numerous tender white stems up to his knees, rooted deeply in the ground.

“Brother Zhao, help me!”

Zhao Hai instinctively looked toward the cry for help, but the thick white mist now obscured his vision entirely.

“Aaah—”

After another scream, the forest fell silent again. Zhao Hai clenched his fists, cold sweat breaking out on his back, suddenly filled with regret.

Just as he was lost in thought, a serrated leaf flew toward his neck. Zhao Hai jerked his head to the side, narrowly avoiding it, but in the next second, all the serrated leaves seemed to target him. Eyes wide, Zhao Hai swung his right hand, sending dozens of water swords crashing into the incoming serrated leaves, the faint sound of them hitting the ground echoing around him.

Zhao Hai couldn’t help but sigh in relief, but at that moment, a whizzing sound came from behind, “Puff—”

A serrated leaf spun past, slicing off his right arm.

“Hiss—”

Zhao Hai clutched his profusely bleeding wound, his face contorted with pain. His long scar, looking like a wriggling worm, bulged grotesquely, making him appear both terrifying and nauseating.

The scent of Shenluo Wood took effect, and he finally collapsed to his knees, unable to hold on. The white mist in the forest seemed to dissipate slightly, revealing a pair of black military boots in front of him. Zhao Hai looked up abruptly, his voice hoarse and rough as if someone were strangling him. His eyes were filled with endless malice. “He Ze, it’s you!”

“It’s me. Haven’t you been looking for me?” The man called He Ze spoke with an emotionless tone, his face unnaturally red.

“No… impossible. I saw you drink the power-breaking potion. How could you be fine?” Zhao Hai’s right shoulder continued to bleed, and his left hand unconsciously scratched at the ground, veins bulging on the back of his hand, dirt and grass filling his fingernails, his eyes nearly popping out in anger.

He Ze ignored Zhao Hai’s desperate outburst and stomped his neck hard. Zhao Hai tried to resist, but his body refused to muster any strength, and he collapsed to the ground.

He Ze ground his boot into Zhao Hai’s face, looking down at him with cold, dark eyes. “Zhao Hai, my old classmate, is this how you repay me for saving your life from the zombies? After scheming against me for so long, you’ve really put in the effort. What did you want my crystal core for? Hmm?”

“He Ze, let me go, and I’ll tell you!” Zhao Hai’s left hand clawed at He Ze’s boot, his voice raspy.

He didn’t want to die.

“Heh—” He Ze let out a mocking laugh and increased the pressure under his foot. Zhao Hai’s breathing became more labored. “Not talking? Let me guess. The survivor base in J City is buying up superpowered individuals’ crystal cores because the lab… has made a new discovery? Extracting power from similar superpowered individuals’ crystal cores can rapidly increase one’s power level?”

As a wood element superpower, He Ze could communicate with plants. After eavesdropping for so many days, he naturally knew everything he needed to know.

If this news got out, humanity would soon turn on itself.

More bloodshed and slaughter among humans. He Ze felt a bit weary of life. Death might not be such a bad thing after all.

As his words sank in, Zhao Hai’s face changed.

“Wood element superpowered individuals are rare. I heard that the second-in-command of that base, Zhou Qian, is also a wood element like me. You mentioned introducing us before? Trying one trick after another?”

He Ze wore a faint, mocking smile.

“…Everyone acts in their own interest. I made a deal with him. Your crystal core can be exchanged for a water element crystal core of the same level that I need! He Ze, today I lost, but you won’t escape! I’ve already informed Zhou Qian. Can you hear it? The sound of the helicopter’s rotors—they’re almost here!”

Zhao Hai’s voice carried a sickly excitement. He Ze also tilted his head, listening to the growing roar of the helicopter, but he merely snorted, a slight curve forming on his lips. “Finally, they’re here. It wasn’t in vain that I waited so long.”

He Ze removed his foot, his face growing redder. Seeing his abnormal complexion, Zhao Hai suddenly realized something. “You’re burning your crystal core! You’re going to self-destruct!”

No wonder the power-breaking potion had no effect!

The roaring sound finally ceased, and there were movements in the forest.

Half an hour later, with a loud explosion, a massive emerald-green mushroom cloud rose up, its glowing green particles merging into the surrounding plants’ leaves and branches, filling them with vitality.

…

In another world at the same time, in a quiet forest, warm sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling on the face of a man leaning against a tree trunk.

After an unknown amount of time, the man’s eyes blinked and finally opened. His head throbbed with pain, and He Ze instinctively shook his head, but his gaze suddenly froze, his mind going blank.

He held his breath, not daring to move.

In front of him, a black bear, standing half as tall as an adult man, was silently staring at him, its sharp claws scraping the ground, leaving deep gouges.

Locked in a standoff with the bear, He Ze realized how weak his body was, even lifting his hand was a struggle.

He frowned instinctively.

“Roar—”

Before he could react, the black bear let out a roar and lunged at him, its gleaming claws swiping at his face. Somehow, He Ze found the strength to grab the bear’s forepaws with both hands and braced his legs against its abdomen.

“Roar—”

The bear roared again, lowering its head to bite at He Ze’s neck. His arms felt weak and sore; he was about to give in! Was he going to die again so soon?

“Whoosh—”

In the blink of an eye, an arrow whistled through the air, striking the bear straight in the eye.

What incredible archery skills!

As He Ze’s consciousness faded, he glimpsed the graceful eyebrows of the person bathed in golden sunlight.