Apocalyptic Sequence

Chapter 11 Dating

An extraordinary being?!

Lu Fan was taken aback.

This was the first time he had encountered a special human whose panel rating was "Extraordinary".

Could the extraordinary beings be life forms that, like the advanced zombies, possess special abilities?

Thinking of this, Lu Fan couldn't help but scrutinize the other party, wanting to confirm the mysterious girl's identity.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

The mysterious girl covered her head, looking pitiful.

She was already very beautiful, and with her pitiful expression, she had a very endearing quality.

The two looked at each other and were both stunned for a moment.

The mysterious girl was also stunned by Lu Fan's good looks. The curse she was about to utter turned into an embarrassed apology: "Ah! I'm so sorry, handsome, I didn't mean to bump into you..."

"Are you alright? Is your head okay?"

Lu Fan asked with equal concern, filled with curiosity about the mysterious girl.

If the mysterious girl is an extraordinary being, then she must possess abilities that humans do not have. However, apart from her high appearance, the mysterious girl seems no different from an ordinary person.

Is she still an ordinary person and will only evolve into an extraordinary one after the apocalypse arrives?

Lu Fan hadn't forgotten the flaw in the "Idiot Panel," which was anchored to a timeline three days in advance. In other words, according to the "Idiot Panel," the mysterious girl three days later would be an extraordinary being.

But that doesn't mean the mysterious girl is already extraordinary at this moment.

This is a characteristic of the intellectual disability panel.

Therefore, there is a considerable possibility that the other party is still an ordinary human being.

I need to test the waters!

With this in mind, Lu Fan decided to approach the mysterious girl and see how she would react.

"My head is fine, it just hurts a little."

The mysterious girl gasped for breath, rubbing her forehead with both hands, looking adorably wronged.

"Then let me treat you to milk tea as an apology."

Lu Fan answered decisively that since the apocalypse was approaching and he had more money than he could spend, he wouldn't feel bad about it.

"Huh? You're buying me milk tea?" The mysterious girl paused for a moment, then her face lit up with joy, and she quickly said, "Yay! I want to drink the Overlord Tea Princess!"

"That place has a really long queue... Fine, consider it my apology."

Lu Fan, holding the mysterious girl's hand, turned and walked towards the long queue.

The mysterious girl blushed slightly at Lu Fan's overly familiar manner, but soon, when she saw Lu Fan's stunning profile, all her dissatisfaction vanished like smoke, replaced by a fluttering heart.

The two of them waited idly at the end of the long queue, watching the flow of people ahead of them.

Thus, casual conversation between the two inevitably ensued.

"Young man, you look quite young, are you still in university?"

"Yes, I'm an engineering student at Jinling University."

"Wow! A top student from Jinling University, unlike me, who's just a mediocre student from Jinling Normal University."

"That's good. Jinling Normal University is also a 211 university and belongs to the Double First-Class University program."

"Hehe, you have such a sweet voice, if she were your girlfriend, she would definitely be completely smitten..." the mysterious girl asked tentatively, only to be met with Lu Fan's helpless shrug: "I'm just a lifelong single dog, I haven't found a girlfriend yet."

"You're so good-looking, I don't believe it."

The mysterious girl shook her head, looking somewhat disbelieving. Then, she slapped her forehead, suddenly realizing, "I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jiang Huamei, Jiang as in river, Hua as in painter, and Mei as in eyebrow. What's your name, young man?"

"Lu Fan, the 'Lu' in 'land' and the 'Fan' in 'Buddhist sound'," Lu Fan replied.

"Brother Lu, your name is so poetic," Jiang Huamei exclaimed. Suddenly, she changed the subject: "There are so many people visiting the Ming Palace today, even more than during previous National Day holidays. Even the milk tea shops have such long lines. By the way, Brother Lu, are you also a tourist visiting the Ming Palace?"

"Yes, this is my first time visiting." Lu Fan nodded slightly, noticing the key point in the other person's words, and couldn't help but ask, "Judging from your tone, it seems you come to the Ming Palace often?"

Jiang Huamei nodded smugly and said proudly:

"Yes, this is a place I often visit; it feels like home."

"What places would you like to visit? I'll take you there!"

"Ming Palace is so much fun! Many of the attractions are historical sites, full of traces left by time."

The two chatted, and time flew by.

The line of customers in front of them quickly thinned out, and it was their turn to buy milk tea.

"I'd like a cup of Bo Ya's Broken Strings!"

Jiang Huamei excitedly ordered her favorite signature milk tea from the shop assistant.

"I'm just like her, like Bo Ya who broke his zither."

Lu Fan was too lazy to look at the menu, so he simply chose the Sharingan-like copy.

This action made Jiang Huamei's pretty face blush, giving her the illusion of being on a date.

"Brother Lu, the story of Bo Ya breaking his zither is a famous idiom." Jiang Huamei quietly turned her head and whispered in Lu Fan's ear, "The story of Bo Ya breaking his zither refers to the fact that after Zhong Ziqi died, Yu Boya stopped playing the zither. This story is often used to describe how difficult it is to find a true friend."

"Are you trying to say we're like close friends?" Lu Fan said with a smile, seemingly unconcerned.

"It looks a bit like it," Jiang Huamei replied timidly.

"How about we be confidants for a day?" Lu Fan pressed his advantage, raising his milk tea cup.

These blunt words made Jiang Huamei giggle, and she couldn't help but say:

"Brother Lu is really good at flirting. I'm starting to doubt that you're single."

"Really, I'm not lying to you."

Lu Fan shook his head. In fact, he had been receiving love letters since junior high school, but he was focused on his studies and rejected the girls who confessed their feelings to him.

However, after entering university, Lu Fan gradually opened up and was no longer so rigidly focused on studying.

Regarding interactions with girls, Lu Fan chose neither to refuse nor to take the initiative.

That's why the class monitor took the initiative to call him and ask why Lu Fan had skipped class.

Otherwise, given how common it is to skip classes in university, why would the other party pay special attention to Lu Fan?

Isn't it all because of her good looks that she's attracted so many romantic entanglements?

Of course, Lu Fan was well aware of this, but he adopted a passive defensive strategy and never responded directly to the class monitor, like a scumbag who was stringing the other person along and enjoying the feeling of being pursued.

In this respect, Lu Fan is actually quite a scumbag...

"Hmph, you must have a lot of guys chasing after you, right?"

Jiang Huamei stared intently at her opponent, and a shot came straight at her.

"No matter how many people there are, they definitely can't compare to the number of people pursuing you, Miss Jiang. You're quite charming." Lu Fan chose to respond in a evasive manner, but didn't forget to compliment her.

"Hey, I do have quite a few guys pursuing me on campus."

Jiang Huamei smiled proudly, as if showing off, and stopped pressing Lu Fan for answers.

The two seemed to have reached a tacit understanding; they didn't speak to each other again, but silently walked towards the gate of the Forbidden City.

After entering the crowded palace gates, Jiang Huamei took Lu Fan's arm.

The two walked through a side door and entered the Wuying Hall on the left. Jiang Huamei skillfully led him around in a small circle until they arrived at the main kitchen. Jiang Huamei introduced the kitchen to him:

"This is where you cut and prepare vegetables; you can think of it as an ancient central kitchen."

"They slaughter cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs here, and then send them to the royal kitchen to cook the ingredients."

"Just look at the bloodstains on the wall; you can tell this slaughterhouse has a long history..."

Jiang Huamei took a sip of milk tea, biting on the three thin straws, her gaze lingering on Lu Fan, and couldn't help but tease, "Brother Lu, you're so handsome, you would definitely have been a favored eunuch in ancient times."

"I'd never be a eunuch," Lu Fan laughed and shook his head, then retorted, "You're not bad-looking either; in ancient times, you'd be at least a Consort Zhen, right?"

"I won't be anyone's concubine, not even a Noble Consort!" Jiang Huamei laughed and scolded, then playfully patted Lu Fan's chest, asking in a slightly coquettish tone, "Little Lu, how about accompanying me for a stroll around the Qianqing Palace?"

"twitter!"

Lu Fan made a gesture that was quite appropriate for the occasion, which made Jiang Huamei giggle.

The two held hands and began to explore the sights of the Ming Palace.

Accompanied by Jiang Huamei, Lu Fan strolled from Qianqing Palace all the way to Xuanwu Gate, almost walking through the entire Ming Palace, which took several hours.

At this time, the sky gradually darkened, draping the Ming Palace in a veil of night.

Lu Fan's assigned task was to hold out for three hours, but since entering the Ming Palace, he and Jiang Huamei have been exploring for almost six or seven hours, far exceeding the task's time limit.

Thanks to this, when Lu Fan opened the panel, he found that his task progress had reached the limit.

[Hint: The current task progress is 200%, meeting the completion requirements. Submit the task/do not submit?]

Sure enough, the task required them to stay for six or seven hours, and their footprints covered the entire Ming Palace... Lu Fan seemed to understand something, and was very grateful to Jiang Huamei for leading the way.

With her guidance, the mission progress was able to reach its maximum.

"Hand it over!"

Without hesitation, Lu Fan chose to submit the task as soon as he had a thought.

[Hint: You have completed the Battle of Ming Palace (Lv.7). You have received rewards based on your progress!]

[Hint: Under the onslaught of hordes of zombies, you successfully completed the Battle of Ming Palace, becoming one of the few survivors within the entire Forbidden City and halting the spread of the zombie horde!]

[Hint: You have gained 800 experience points!]

[Hint: You have obtained a Silver Treasure Chest!]

Sure enough, since the basic reward was 500 experience points and a bronze treasure chest, the completion reward changed to 800 experience points and the treasure chest reward was upgraded to silver level after the task progress reached the limit.

This is the benefit of reaching the cap; the rewards are incredibly high.

"What's wrong, Brother Lu?"

Seeing that Lu Fan was standing still, Jiang Huamei couldn't help but wave her hand in front of him a few times.

"It's nothing, I was just spacing out."

Lu Fan snapped out of his daze and immediately turned off the control panel.

Just as Jiang Huamei was about to say something more, suddenly, the sound of fireworks exploding came from the sky.

--boom!

Magnificent fireworks exploded in the sky, transforming into the most dazzling colors that shone on everyone's faces.

"Wow, look at the fireworks!"

Jiang Huamei excitedly took Lu Fan's arm, and the two looked at the fireworks in the night sky, feeling that time was beautiful, as if it had been frozen in time.

Lu Fan looked at Jiang Huamei's profile. Even though he had been in contact with her all day, she did not show any extraordinary abilities. She was just an ordinary beautiful girl, only her appearance was a bit better than average.

But for some reason, Lu Fan always felt that Jiang Huamei was different from others.

Just this moment.

Looking at the other person's stunning profile, Lu Fan even had the illusion that he was in love.

Around twenty years old is the prime of youth.

The two held hands like that, waiting for the fireworks to fade before Jiang Huamei reluctantly let go.

"The fireworks display is over, I have to go back."

Jiang Huamei took out her phone and saw several missed calls, all from the same person.

This time, Jiang Huamei did not refuse the call.

"Hello, Elder Ye?"

"Um......"

"I understand. I'm near Xuanwu Gate. Come pick me up in your car."

Jiang Huamei hung up the phone, exchanged WeChat contacts with Lu Fan, then turned and walked towards Xuanwu Gate. Finally, she stopped in the dim light, turned back, and waved to Lu Fan:

"Brother Lu, see you again sometime..."

"By the way, don't go to crowded places the day after tomorrow. Find a quiet dorm room to hide in!"

The last sentence made Lu Fan's pupils shrink suddenly. Just as he was about to ask a question, the other party had already walked out of Xuanwu Gate, got into a black car, and sped away under the cover of night.

"Tell me not to stay in crowded places..." Lu Fan came back to his senses. At this moment, he finally confirmed Jiang Huamei's extraordinary nature. Sure enough, she knew that the apocalypse was about to break out!

Jiang Huamei indeed harbors a great secret!

In the darkness, Lu Fan gazed at the retreating figure of the black sedan, silently speculating on various possibilities.

..........

At the same moment, inside a black sedan that was moving.

In the front row sat an elderly driver with a frail appearance, but his knuckles were prominent, clearly indicating that he was a trained martial artist.

"Young Miss, you shouldn't have stayed out so late..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huamei shook her head helplessly and said, "Disaster is coming soon. I just want to find a place to relax. Sigh, perhaps it's because of the impending natural disaster, but I'm increasingly wanting to fall in love with someone."

"I just met a really handsome guy, his features are so good-looking."

Upon hearing this, the elderly man sighed, "Young lady, the shelter's spots are full. Even if you like that person very much, you still have to follow the rules..."

"I understand, so I just reminded him of it."

"This doesn't break the rules."

Jiang Huamei's expression turned cold, no longer the gentle and charming one she once was:

"Natural calamities are imminent, ancient rulers are awakening from the earth, and the gates to the spirit world are about to open."

"The moment the gates to the spirit world open."

Jiang Huamei turned her head to look out the window, observing the diverse crowd, and said calmly:

"The revived spirit world merges with reality, and extraordinary power is no longer hidden in the world."

"That was the moment I took the secret medicine and advanced to the extraordinary realm!"