The friend you mentioned, could it possibly be...

After a brief rain, the plants grew more wildly than ever. Especially the weeds atop Qin Xiaofan’s grave, which had now reached over two meters tall.

“It’s already the seventh day…”

Afternoon sunlight blazed overhead. Beneath a large tree, Xiaoyan stared anxiously at the spot where Qin Xiaofan was buried. His heart was restless.

“Hey! Xiaoyan, what are you looking at?” Someone patted Xiaoyan’s shoulder.

It was a young man. Bald. He had an air of swagger about him, dressed somewhat shabbily, reminiscent of the old gangsters from vintage films.

“Nothing… nothing at all,” Xiaoyan replied offhandedly.

The bald young man glanced lazily in that direction, but saw only a patch of wild grass. He watched the weeds for a moment.

“I’m off to take a dump,” he said, one hand on his waist and the other rubbing his belly, walking toward the weeds.

Xiaoyan was stunned. By his calculations, Qin Xiaofan should awaken soon. If Qin Xiaofan burst out of the ground just as the bald youth was relieving himself… surely it would be the end of him.

“The meat is roasted, come and eat!” A shout sounded from not far away.

The bald youth frowned. “Forget it, I’ll go after eating.”

Seeing the bald youth return, Xiaoyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The bald youth’s name was Li Qiang. Xiaoyan had used Qin Xiaofan’s blood to revive him.

Besides Li Qiang, Xiaoyan had revived four others over the past seven days: two short, chubby men; a cute, naïve girl; and a long-haired woman.

Xiaoyan faithfully remembered Qin Xiaofan’s instructions. He hadn’t told the group that the contents of the metal flask were Qin Xiaofan’s blood, but instead claimed it was some special liquid he happened to dig out of the soil, a remedy to revive humans.

As for his own revival, he could only concoct a muddled explanation to get by.

On the fire, a two-meter-long fish was roasting. It had been caught in another lake.

Li Qiang sliced off a piece with the butcher's knife and stuffed it in his mouth, only to spit it out at once. He looked at the two chubby men in displeasure.

“Damn! This tastes awful! Fat Grass, Fat Bubble, what on earth did you roast here? Can’t you do anything right?”

The bald youth had nicknamed the two chubby men Fat Grass and Fat Bubble. They were the lowest-ranked ability users.

One grew grass on his head; the other, whenever he spoke, bubbles emerged from his mouth—utterly useless abilities.

Under Li Qiang’s scolding, the two chubby men dared not speak, trembling miserably.

Nearby, the young girl spoke awkwardly, “Um… don’t be angry. Without any seasoning, this is the best it’ll taste.”

She was a beautiful girl, with two ten-centimeter antennae protruding from her forehead. Dressed in a pink-and-white outfit, she looked adorably naïve.

“Hmph.” The long-haired woman sneered suddenly.

She wore a tight black suit, her figure voluptuous, and her straight, glossy black hair was striking.

Looking at the bald youth, she mocked, “Baldie, don’t be so domineering. Be grateful there’s food at all, stop nitpicking.”

Xiaoyan felt speechless. The two had been at odds ever since they met, constantly bickering.

Li Qiang always wanted to be the leader of the group, but the long-haired woman opposed him, believing he wasn’t fit for the role.

To be fair, she was right—Li Qiang was indeed overbearing.

He was a C-class ability user. His ability was to harden his skin to steel-like toughness, vastly increasing his strength.

The butcher's knife Qin Xiaofan had given Xiaoyan for protection had been forcibly “borrowed” by Li Qiang and never returned.

He claimed, “This knife is too murderous; Xiaoyan isn’t strong enough to handle it…”

At this moment, Li Qiang was very dissatisfied.

“Stop eating!” he shouted.

He raised the butcher's knife and chopped the roasted fish in half. Then he pointed the knife at everyone, one after another.

“A team needs a leader! Here, I am the strongest. Trust me, I’ll lead you to glory. And I’ll find more metal flasks, revive more humans!”

The long-haired woman sneered, “You? Strongest? You lost your hair young; perhaps your kidneys are weak?”

Li Qiang was immediately incensed, pointing the butcher's knife at her. “Ghost Hair, you can insult my hairstyle, but never question my capabilities!”

Facing her, he shamelessly thrust his hips in a lewd display. “How about it? Want to give it a try?”

The long-haired woman’s expression turned cold, murderous intent flashing in her eyes.

Her straight black hair floated upwards, like arrows poised to strike, aiming at the bald youth, ready to shoot forth at any moment.

That was her ability—using her hair as formidable weapons, able to extend their length.

“Uh… stop fighting,” the antennaed girl interjected, “We need to stick together. If we must choose a leader, how about… a vote?”

“A vote?” Li Qiang looked at her, slowly putting away the butcher's knife, sneering, “Alright, let’s vote.”

He then stared coldly at Fat Grass and Fat Bubble.

The two chubby men cursed inwardly, but eventually shuffled silently behind Li Qiang.

The antennaed girl hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and went behind the long-haired woman.

Li Qiang grinned, his smile arrogant and wild. He looked at the long-haired woman with mockery.

“The situation is clear now, isn’t it?”

The long-haired woman sneered, “Why rush? Xiaoyan hasn’t chosen a side yet.”

Li Qiang’s gaze immediately fixed on Xiaoyan.

Standing between the two, Xiaoyan felt a headache coming on.

Truthfully, neither of them was fit to lead, in Xiaoyan’s mind. Only one person deserved that role—Qin Xiaofan.

He looked again at the spot where Qin Xiaofan was “buried.” All was still, but by his reckoning, the seventh day was almost up…

“Hey! Xiaoyan, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get behind me!” Li Qiang urged impatiently.

Xiaoyan gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and finally spoke, “I don’t think either of you is fit to be leader!”

Li Qiang and the long-haired woman were both stunned.

This was unexpected. The usually timid Xiaoyan, gentle as a girl, was suddenly so defiant.

“So? Who do you think is suitable?” Li Qiang asked, his tone unfriendly, one hand on his waist and the other gripping the butcher's knife, swaggering arrogantly.

Xiaoyan steeled himself, “None of us is suitable!”

The long-haired woman frowned, “Is there anyone else?”

Xiaoyan replied, “Do you remember the friend I mentioned?”

Everyone frowned, thinking back. Yes… Xiaoyan had mentioned it. Said the friend revived with him, but got separated when fleeing danger. His story had been vague, and everyone assumed the friend had died.

“My friend isn’t dead. He will return! He’s the only one truly qualified to lead!”

Xiaoyan’s voice was earnest. He looked at Li Qiang’s butcher's knife and said, biting his lip, “That knife belongs to my friend. When he returns, you must give it back…”

Everyone was stunned.

Li Qiang laughed, scratching his ear with a finger, looking at Xiaoyan as if he were a fool.

He walked up to Xiaoyan, resting an elbow on his shoulder, pressing him down until his whole body leaned.

His gaze was icy, his tone sharp as a blade.

“The friend you speak of… isn’t yourself, is it?”