025 Elemental Stone discovered!

Fang Yuxin suggested going in to take a look, and Fang Yuyang naturally wouldn't refuse. In fact, he doted on his sister excessively, never having denied any of Fang Yuxin's requests since childhood, even more so than Fang Jintang and Qu Qianhe did.

They parked the car in a secluded but safe corner and got out. This shopping mall had several entrances and exits, some blocked, others still accessible. Fang Yuxin and Fang Yuyang found an entrance, only to encounter zombies just inside.

At first glance, there were seven or eight of them, lingering near the entrance. As soon as they entered, the previously aimlessly wandering zombies became excited as if injected with adrenaline, stiffly turning their heads, their gray-white eyes with the pallor of death fixed on them, like a hungry pack of wolves spotting their long-awaited prey.

Without prior agreement, both tightened their grip on the handles of their blades; Fang Yuyang, on guard, quietly cautioned Fang Yuxin, "Be careful, don't try to be a hero!"

Fang Yuxin nodded, equally soft, "I know, you be careful too."

Practically as she finished her sentence, they charged out together, cleanly and briskly dispatching the zombies. The entrance area they came into was an indoor shopping street, thankfully at the entrance where not many zombies were located.

It only took them three minutes to deal with the eight zombies at the entrance, even efficiently extracting five crystal cores. After washing them clean with water, Fang Yuxin stored them in her space. Monitors were installed on the walls, but since the electricity was out, they now served as mere decoration.

The indoor shopping street laid out before Fang Yuxin and Fang Yuyang wasn't short, with more zombies roaming in the distance. After exchanging a glance, Fang Yuxin gestured outside, and they retreated together.

After exiting, Fang Yuyang asked, "What's up? Didn't you want to go in and look?"

Fang Yuxin shook her head, "There are quite a few zombies inside; rushing in would be too dangerous. Moreover, if we're looking for Elemental Crystals, we should start from the outside." She had only realized after entering the entrance, Elemental Crystals came from meteorites, so they should follow the trail of destruction left by the meteorites. Furthermore, she vaguely sensed not just a small number of zombies inside, but even living humans!

Those people hadn't come out, either trapped inside or, like them, entering to search for supplies; either way, it was a hassle for them. If they wanted to find Elemental Crystals, they'd need to avoid these people first.

As for rescuing others... Fang Yuxin wasn't opposed, yet had no intention of playing the savior.

Fang Yuyang had no objections, basically agreeing to any request from Fang Yuxin, especially since what Fang Yuxin said wasn't wrong at all. Having decided, they no longer recklessly entered the mall, instead searching around the periphery of the plaza. Many of the buildings on the plaza had suffered damage, and the evidence was clear.

For safety, they didn't split up but chose to move together. Elemental Crystals were enveloped within Elemental Stones, which were extremely hard and able to insulate against energy fluctuations. Unless you cracked open the stone, you wouldn't know if there was an Elemental Crystal within, even if you were holding it in your hand or using instruments to scan it.

The siblings followed the trail searching, finding many scattered fragments, but alas, none were Elemental Stones. Zombies still prowled the area; they were soon noticed by the zombies, but thankfully, not many were attracted, and they were quickly taken care of, netting several more crystal cores.

As Fang Yuxin was tracking along the trail for Elemental Stones, Fang Yuyang suddenly tapped her shoulder, excitement poorly concealed, "Xinxin, look there! Is that an Elemental Stone?"

Fang Yuxin looked in the direction Fang Yuyang pointed and saw a crater about two meters in diameter on a wall; at the center was a very small protrusion, easily overlooked at a glance. If it weren't for careful examination, it would have been missed entirely. The crater was around three stories up from the ground, while the building was only four stories tall.

They walked over and cleared out the nearby zombies. Fang Yuxin measured the distance, took out a length of safety rope with a grappling hook at the end, swung it, and with a strong throw, the hook soared and firmly caught on the building's edge. After testing its strength, she quickly climbed up.

Fang Yuyang watched her from the ground, worried, while also keeping an eye out for approaching zombies. Fang Yuxin climbed quickly and adeptly, as though she had done it many times before. In no time, she reached the crater and approached the small protrusion. She wrapped her left arm around the rope and planted her feet on the wall to stabilize herself. With her right hand, she felt the protrusion, and after wiping away the dust around it, the original appearance of a black stone the size of an adult's fist was revealed.

She pulled out the dagger at her waist and gently tapped the stone, testing its hardness with the blade, and ascertained it to be an Elemental Stone before smiling in relief. However, the Elemental Stone was firmly embedded in the wall, presenting a challenge to be removed.

Fang Yuxin needed to stabilize herself and only had her right hand free; gripping the dagger tightly, she began to dig around the Elemental Stone. Thankfully, the impact had already cracked the wall, and without much effort, she managed to extract the entire Elemental Stone. It was very heavy in hand; she promptly stored it in her space. Although she was eager to find out if it contained an Elemental Crystal, it wasn't convenient outside; she had to wait until they returned.

Safely securing the Elemental Stone, Fang Yuxin slid down the rope. Only when she returned unharmed did Fang Yuyang fully relax, taking it upon himself to gather the rope while asking with concern, "Xinxin, are you okay? Let me handle this kind of thing next time. You're a girl; don't get hurt."

Fang Yuxin smiled, "The apocalypse is full of dangers; only by becoming stronger can you be safer. Brother, I can't expect you to protect me forever."

Fang Yuyang wore an expression of dissent, but he knew Fang Yuxin was right and could only say, "I don't care, from now on, let me do these dangerous things, I'm your brother, and you have to listen to me!"

Fang Yuxin didn't argue. They had just entered the apocalypse, and as they were in the suburbs with not many zombies, they could catch their breath for now. But in the future, when danger lurked everywhere, even if Fang Yuyang wished to protect her, it would be beyond his power, making it impossible for her to avoid all dangers.

Like in her dreams, Fang Yuyang had successfully awakened a superpower, but she remained an ordinary person without one. He had always wanted to protect her, even going to dangerous places looking for Elemental Crystals in hopes she would awaken a superpower. She didn't want to be a burden on Fang Yuyang, always diligently practicing saber technique and fighting zombies. Nonetheless, in the end, their good intentions were powerless, only leading to a tragic end!