He didn’t expect the young man to say such words. He protected the young man not because he wanted anything, but because it was in his heart. He didn’t want the young man to get hurt. He didn’t know where this feeling came from, but it didn’t cause him any disgust. It seemed that this was how it should be, he should protect the young man and not let him get hurt.
This belief was the same as his past convictions, except now, it was focused solely on the young man. This person was worth all his efforts and deserved to be treated well.
Not only Gu Lin but Xu Yanqiu, who stood not far from them, was also stunned. During this time, he hadn’t sensed any special feelings from the young man toward their boss, which was normal. The young man had just gone through a failed relationship and was in the healing phase. There was nothing wrong with him not accepting new emotions. Moreover, the boss had carefully hidden his own feelings, never revealing them. The young man probably didn’t even know.
They had all noticed the excessive protection Gu Lin gave to the young man. Though they didn’t say anything, it was hard not to feel a little unfair. People were always biased, and emotionally, they were, of course, more inclined toward their boss.
Li Shu’s meaning was clear. If Gu Lin died here and left him behind, he wouldn’t live on either. Xu Yanqiu hadn’t expected him to say such words. He thought the relationship between them was one-sided, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Li Shu didn’t seem completely indifferent to the boss.
Xu Yanqiu took a small step back. If the boss really wanted him to stay behind and protect Li Shu while going off to die, he wouldn’t agree. From the moment he had been saved, he had decided he would never allow the boss who gave him a second chance at life to die in front of him.
He didn’t care what would happen to the young man if the boss was gone.
Gu Lin didn’t know that the person he intended to entrust Li Shu to wasn’t planning to live on either. On one hand, he felt happy about what Li Shu said, but on the other hand, he thought the young man shouldn’t think like that.
“Shu Shu, don’t say such nonsense. This isn’t something you can joke about.”
He needed to dispel the young man’s thoughts, because he knew that Li Shu was serious. If something really did happen, the young man wouldn’t live on alone. In the apocalypse, survival was already incredibly difficult, but if one sought death, it was the easiest thing to achieve.
“You know I’m not joking.” Li Shu looked at Gu Lin. This man had sharp brows and eyes. When he wasn’t smiling, he carried an imposing aura. Only Li Shu, and only Li Shu, knew that beneath this cold and stern exterior was a heart so soft. The rare softness and warmth in Gu Lin’s heart were all reserved for Li Shu.
Li Shu stared straight into his eyes. “I know what you’re thinking. This tree is difficult to deal with, but I don’t think it’s worth your life. Gu Lin, I won’t allow you to get hurt.”
Gu Lin saw determination in Li Shu’s eyes. He knew that the young man had made up his mind—if something happened to him, he wouldn’t live on according to his arrangement. He looked at him for a while and then patted his hair. “I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to me.”
He was not at ease leaving the young man’s safety to other people. Only he could ensure that the young man could live freely in this world, without bending or compromising for anyone or anything.
Understanding this, Gu Lin’s attitude toward the tree blocking their way changed. His goal now was to kill this tree while ensuring his own survival.
They were still some distance from the main body of the tree. To kill it, they had to get closer—the closer, the better. They needed to find its weakness in the shortest time possible and then use all their strength to attack it.
The tree was too large, and without knowing its weak point, attacking it randomly would be a waste of time and energy with little effect. The tree clearly knew this too. So it fiercely protected its core and used its strongest roots to build layers of barriers, preventing any creature that could threaten its safety from approaching.
Except for Li Shu, everyone in the team had purification devices. To the tree, they were a delicious source of nourishment for its evolution, but at the same time, they were also a threat.
The stronger the prey, the higher the chance it would hurt the predator during a counterattack. If handled poorly, the predator could even die at the hands of its prey. The giant tree knew this, so when faced with Gu Lin and his team, it was exceedingly cautious.
It gave them no chance to approach its trunk. Its roots buried deep underground shot into the air and attacked the nearest twisted. These roots were thick and gnarled, and though they were supposed to stay quietly beneath the earth, it was as if they had been enchanted with magic and infused with vitality, moving with an unnatural agility.
The roots were a dark brown color and emitted a foul stench. The mixture of blood and the smell of rotting flesh hit Li Shu’s nose, and his face instantly turned grim.
Gu Lin wrapped one arm around him while using the other to channel his power, striking down the snake-like roots that kept closing in.
Though the roots were difficult to deal with, for those who had survived countless life-and-death ordeals, they were still somewhat manageable. Gu Lin exchanged a glance with Xu Yanqiu, who was also fending off the oncoming roots, and with a bit of extra force, he cut through the nearby roots and handed Li Shu over to Xu Yanqiu.
Then, using the momentum, he leaped forward and charged ahead.
Li Shu knew Gu Lin wanted to take on the tree alone.
Xu Yanqiu wasn’t Gu Lin. He gave a quick, “Apologies,” and tried to pull Li Shu into his arms.
But as he was cutting down one of the roots, Li Shu slipped out of his protective circle and chased after Gu Lin.
Before Gu Lin reached the core of the giant tree and enraged it, Xu Yanqiu and the others were still safe. These roots, which were difficult for most people to handle, were not as much of a challenge for them.
Seeing Li Shu dash into the most dangerous area, Xu Yanqiu cursed under his breath, swung his weapon to sever the roots in front of him, and followed.
If something happened to this little ancestor, the boss would go insane once he came back.
The rest of the team also began advancing toward the tree. Since their leader and Xu Yanqiu go in, they, of course, had to follow closely.
Most of the tree’s roots had surfaced to deal with the prey on the ground. The roots were tangled and chaotic, kicking up clouds of dust. Before the roots could even get close to Li Shu, he was already choking on the dust blown into his face.
Coughing twice while covering his mouth, he used his soul power to form a “dust shield” around himself.
This world was in the midst of an apocalypse, but at the same time, it was also undergoing a global evolution. Various powers were clashing, and the world’s consciousness had fallen into chaos. The restrictions on him were minimal here, and he could use his powers to their fullest extent.
His power was different from the power systems of this world. As long as he didn’t expose himself, to the people of this world, he appeared to be an ordinary person, not an evolver.
Li Shu didn’t plan on revealing this. Right now, Gu Lin’s situation could be described as perilous, with danger lurking at every turn. Too many people wanted him dead. In the original plot, the male protagonist had stumbled many times, and his journey back to the capital was fraught with danger, with countless injuries along the way.
Now that he was by Gu Lin’s side and had confirmed Gu Lin’s identity, he naturally wouldn’t allow him to suffer the same hardships as in the original plot. Anyone trying to bully Gu Lin under his watch would have to ask if he agrees.
Gu Lin’s speed was fast. Without having to worry about protecting someone by his side, he quickly fought his way to the giant tree. Li Shu released his spiritual sense, covering the entire area. After adjusting his direction, he leaped toward where Gu Lin was.
The closer he got to the tree, the stronger the attacks became. Not only were the roots a threat, but even the branches had become weapons. A faint black mist surrounded Gu Lin, and any branch that got close was silently corroded.
Evolvers had powers different from ordinary people. These powers were collectively known as abilities, and awakening an ability was the mark of an evolver. Generally, a person only had one ability, but Gu Lin was different. Besides the ability he showed in front of others, he had a second ability that he wouldn’t reveal unless absolutely necessary—the black mist surrounding him.
When he first awakened, he, like other evolvers, had only one ability: the control of lightning. He was also the first to advance to a Level 3 ability in the apocalypse. As for the second ability, it had awakened in the laboratory. It was this second ability that allowed him to successfully escape.
The black mist covered his hand and Gu Lin grabbed a branch within reach. With a “crack”, the once-flexible, evolved branch snapped. The black mist clung to it, and in no time, the life force inside the branch was completely drained.
Gu Lin stared coldly at the now lifeless branch. This was why he didn’t expose his second ability. His second ability could directly absorb the life force of any living being, including the infected. No other evolver could do this, and in this regard, he was quite similar to the infected. Sometimes, he wasn’t even sure if he still counted as “human”.
After surviving such experiments, maybe at some point on the operating table, he had already ceased to be human.
As he approached the main trunk of the giant tree, the roots and branches hovered around him, but threatened by the black mist, they didn’t dare to get closer.
Li Shu “saw” the scene clearly through his spiritual sense and couldn’t help but poke the system: [1314, did the male protagonist have this kind of ability in the original plot?]
1314 hesitated: [He did, I guess. In the original plot, the male protagonist also had two abilities, one of which was very mysterious. Everyone who saw it died.]
After being prompted by the host, 1314 realized that the original plot never explained the male protagonist’s second ability. It was only known that he had a second ability, which had awakened in the laboratory. The protagonist rarely used it, and everyone who had witnessed it was dead, so there were no further details.
1314 shared the confusion with the host. Li Shu narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and didn’t say anything. When he encountered this power in the last world, it had been sealed within Lu Xi’s body. In this world, the power had already become something the male protagonist could use freely. It seemed that the time to uncover the mystery wasn’t far off.
[1314, is there any prop that can hide my identity?]
[Ah? Yes, yes, yes, host, please wait a moment.] 1314 was startled for a second. The host rarely used points to exchange for props, so it had almost forgotten that there were such things as props.
After putting on the cloak 1314 had exchanged for, Li Shu moved closer to Gu Lin. Fortunately, it was the apocalypse, and people were wearing all sorts of strange outfits. Apart from being completely covered, his clothes didn’t stand out much.
He deliberately made a little noise, and Gu Lin, sharp as ever, turned his head: “Who’s there?”
Li Shu, who was wrapped in the pitch-black cloak, appeared. Gu Lin stared intently at the strange figure: “Who are you?”
This person gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
