"Host, is this an awakened ability? But the original host never awakened any abilities until death. If she could awaken abilities, she wouldn't have died so early."
The system didn't know how to react, but it was used to it; anything that happened to its host, no matter how bizarre, could be understood.
Since its host was already awakening abilities, this bottle of antidote would be useless. The system tucked the antidote into a corner of its system backpack.
It then continued to scan the surrounding environment. Its host was in a dangerous period, and it couldn't let her be disturbed.
Lin Yan, lying on the bed, was completely unconscious but still let out broken groans.
After an unknown period, the sky outside had completely darkened. There was not a trace of light in the room.
In modern society, even without lights, there would be other sources of illumination. But in this small town in the apocalypse, there was no light from the outside world at all; it was truly pitch black.
The system didn't rely on sight, so the presence or absence of light had no effect on it. Its scanner was always active, and this darkness made the zombies even more active.
However, the black substance covering Lin Yan's body masked her scent, so the zombies wandering outside couldn't detect her presence.
Lin Yan on the bed finally woke up. "Host, you're awake!"
The system's voice was filled with surprise. "It's been 8 hours since you were injured. You should have awakened an ability, but the original novel didn't mention the original host awakening any abilities. You'll have to explore everything yourself."
"Awakened an ability? It seems my guess was correct." Lin Yan sat up. The dried substance on her body began to crack and then fell off with a rustling sound.
Lin Yan looked at the black shell on her skin, feeling as if she were shedding her skin.
She raised her arm and clenched her fist. As black fragments fell from her arm, she felt that her current body seemed stronger than before.
Although still slender, the energy contained within was incomparable to what it was before.
"System, have the water and electricity been cut off here?" Lin Yan prepared to get out of bed.
"They have been cut off, but every household here has a well. Although they haven't been used in a long time, there is still water."
"Tell me the location of the well, and after I bathe, we can discuss the situation of this world."
"Alright, host. However, host, this house's well is in the courtyard. You'll need to go and close the courtyard gate first. There are about a dozen zombies lurking outside this house. If you appear in the courtyard, you're very likely to attract more zombies."
"I understand." Lin Yan got up, opened the door, and walked downstairs, taking the sword she had acquired in the martial arts world from her system backpack.
As Lin Yan walked, she practiced sword flourishes with her right hand, from slow to fast, gradually regaining the feeling of practicing martial arts back in the day.
Before she even opened the door to the ground floor hall, Lin Yan heard movement outside.
However, Lin Yan wasn't too afraid. After all, she had a sword in hand and was confident in herself.
She opened the door and walked out. Although it was very dark outside, Lin Yan had already adapted to the darkness. After consuming so much spiritual spring water, her five senses had become much sharper.
The system had pointed out the location of the courtyard gate to Lin Yan, but Lin Yan didn't rush to close it. Instead, she attracted a few zombies before circling around them to close the gate.
Those zombies, devoid of consciousness and driven only by instinct, lunged at her. Lin Yan raised her sword to meet them.
Her sword was a royal tribute, sharp enough to cut through metal. The zombies' reactions were not fast, and soon their arms and legs were severed by Lin Yan.
But even without limbs, the zombies still struggled to move towards Lin Yan.
"Host, the zombies' weakness is their head. As long as their head is destroyed, they will be completely dead."
"I know." Although Lin Yan said this, she still chopped off hands and legs as necessary.
After verifying all her assumptions, Lin Yan finally killed the few zombies she had let in.
Then she went to the well on the other side, preparing to find something to draw water with.
The system had been scanning for a long time, so it knew exactly what was in this house.
"There's a plastic bucket over there, host."
Lin Yan picked up the bucket and found it to be quite clean. She directly threw the bucket into the well.
Then, a thin metal chain extended from Lin Yan's left hand and bound the handle of the bucket in the well.
Lin Yan pulled, and the bucket was drawn up.
"Host, did you awaken a metal-element ability?"
"Yes, more or less." Lin Yan poured the water she had drawn onto her sword, then tore off a clean part of her clothes to wipe the sword clean before sheathing it.
She then drew a few more buckets of water and poured them directly onto herself.
After a simple rinse, Lin Yan carried the water to the bathroom of the house and poured it into the already wiped bathtub.
By the time Lin Yan finished bathing and came out of the bathroom, it was already half an hour later.
Her originally fair skin was now even more radiant and lustrous. A simply tailored dress clung to her well-proportioned body, accentuating her curves.
Lin Yan closed the doors downstairs and upstairs, then sat down at the vanity in the room.
"System, transmit the plot and the original host's memories to me." Lin Yan picked up a wet wipe from the side of the vanity and wiped the comb clean.
Then she began to slowly comb her long hair. The owner of this house should have been a very meticulous girl.
Both the room's decor and the furnishings were very warm. It was just unknown what this family had encountered that prevented the girl from even packing her belongings. The cosmetics on the vanity, the small jewelry, the clothes in the wardrobe – nothing was missing, yet a layer of dust had accumulated in the room.
This made Lin Yan feel that the owner of this house had likely met a terrible fate.
"Host."
"Hm?"
"The system from Mr. Liang's side has sent a message."
"What is it?" Lin Yan had a premonition.
"Mr. Liang said he accepted an emergency mission, so he won't be able to accompany you in this world anymore."
"Emergency mission?" Lin Yan frowned.
"Yes, he said there were some problems in a world he had experienced before, and he needed to go back to resolve them. He specifically instructed that he would not be in any danger, so please don't worry."
"Is it possible to go back to worlds that have already been experienced?"
"Yes, host. Some authors link characters from old books when writing new ones. In such cases, that world will restart, and the two books will merge into one world. Mr. Liang is likely encountering such a situation."
"I understand. Transmit the memories and plot now. I'm very curious about this apocalyptic world!"