Apocalypse: I Have A Multiplier System-Chapter 498: Thirsty

[Energy exhausted. Would you like to transfer energy to your sister? Yes or No?]

What the heck was this?

Qiang Zhi did understand the meaning of each word, but when put together, he couldn’t understand a single word.

Energy transfer? His sister was running out of energy? Was she a machine or something?

Qiang Zhi didn’t know. However, his subconscious mind told him to choose yes.

"Maybe... it means... that I need to give power to my sister? Is she in some kind of danger?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Qiang Zhi’s heart tightened, and he immediately chose the yes option.

[Second host has selected yes. I would like to confirm that you chose yes, is that right?]

"Yes." Qiang Zhi nodded, though he was shaking because of how weird the notification was.

To the people living in the apocalypse, the term system was new. They didn’t have access to a novel like the normal people.

[Okay. Extracting the energy.]

Qiang Zhi gasped, eyes wide, as his legs gave out and he fell to his knees.

It hurt. It felt like his soul was being pulled out.

His hands trembled as he clutched his chest, trying to breathe, trying to stop the invisible force draining him.

But it didn’t stop.

[Energy transfer in progress. 10%... 23%... 46%...]

His vision blurred. His heartbeat slowed. Cold sweat covered his back.

"Sister.." he mumbled through gritted teeth, "Please be okay... Please hold on... I’m... trying... to save you..."

His body curled forward, shivering from the shock. But in his heart, there was only one thought.

If this pain could help her...

Then he’d gladly suffer more.

.............

Somewhere far away, Su Jiyai’s fingers twitched.

Her lips, pale and cracked, parted slightly as she drew a sharp, painful breath.

A faint glow wrapped around her body, soft and gold, like the gentle light of the sun on a winter morning.

The warmth seeped into her broken ribs, into the torn flesh and frayed nerves, patching what it could.

Her heart, which had been barely beating, stuttered once—and then began to beat again.

Slowly. Weakly. But steady.

[Energy received. Host has 1% vitality. Stabilizing system.]

[Emergency healing initiated.]

The system voice echoed faintly in her mind. She couldn’t open her eyes, but she could feel it. Something warm... something familiar...

"What is happening?"

[Your brother has transferred energy.]

Qiang Zhi?

"Zhi..." Her lips moved, though no sound came out.

Her little brother. That fool. What did he do?

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. Wasn’t she supposed to be the one protecting him?

..............

Qiang Zhi collapsed.

His eyes rolled back, and his body hit the cold, cracked ground with a dull thud. The last bit of strength left him like smoke vanishing into the air. His lips were pale, his breathing shallow.

Qin Feng rushed forward. "Qiang Zhi!"

He caught the boy just before his head smacked the floor completely. Qiang Zhi was ice-cold to the touch, and his limbs hung lifelessly.

The screen that had hovered in the air before had now faded, leaving only silence and worry behind.

"What just happened...?" Qin Feng muttered. "Why did he suddenly—"

Then, as if answering him, his communicator buzzed faintly. A notification blinked across the cracked device screen:

[Host Su Jiyai: Energy level stable at 1%. Emergency healing in progress.]

Qin Feng’s breath hitched.

She was alive.

Not completely safe—but alive.

He stared down at Qiang Zhi’s unconscious face. The boy’s expression was peaceful now, like someone who had fought a battle and was finally resting.

Qin Feng’s hand clenched into a fist.

He had returned because he had thought of a way to help Su Jiyai.

Xi Ping.

She was one of the few people left in the world who had a portal-opening superpower.

Qin Feng immediately grabbed his phone and searched for her contact.

"Come on... pick up... pick up!"

The line clicked.

A clear, confident voice came from the other side.

"Hello? Lin Hao?"

"No time to explain! I need your help," Qin Feng said, his voice urgent and sharp. "It’s Boss Su. She’s in grave danger. I need you to come to my location right now!"

"Send me the coordinates," Xi Ping replied without hesitation.

Qin Feng did, hands shaking, and he too set off for the place again.

In fact, he wanted to find Xi Ping on his own and ask for help, and hence he had returned to base, but passing by Qiang Zhi’s room, he saw Qiang Zhi about to faint and helped him.

However, time was running out, hence he decided to use the phone.

For some reason, the phone connection was weak outside the base, so having no choice, he had returned.

Soon, Qin Feng and Xi Ping reached the coordinates where the black car was.

Xi Ping landed beside him with a soft crunch of gravel beneath her boots.

Qin Feng didn’t waste time. He pulled out a folded handkerchief from his pocket—carefully wrapped in it was a tiny silver hair clip, slightly bent at the edge. It belonged to Su Jiyai.

"She’s out there somewhere in the desolate zone," he said quickly, placing the item in Xi Ping’s hands. "I don’t know her exact coordinates. But I know you can open a portal using something that belongs to her, right?"

Xi Ping raised an eyebrow. "You remembered."

"Can you do it?" he asked, desperate. "Please. We might be the only ones who can save her right now."

Xi Ping held the handkerchief gently, her fingers brushing over the hair clip. Her expression softened slightly, and she nodded.

"I’ll try. But opening a portal without a fixed location... it’s dangerous. It could lead us somewhere close, or far, or even wrong."

"I’ll take that risk," Qin Feng said firmly. "I’ll go through it."

Xi Ping crouched, placing the hair clip on the ground.

She touched her palm to it, and a faint violet glow began to pulse from her fingertips. The ground beneath them started to shimmer.

"Focus on her," she murmured, closing her eyes.

"Her aura... her breath... her connection with this object..."

The glow expanded. A circle of runes formed beneath the clip, spreading outward like ripples in a pond.

Then—crack!—a loud snap tore through the air, and a glowing rift split open in front of them, swirling with purples, blues, and gold.

It wasn’t completely stable, but it was enough.

Xi Ping looked up. "It’s open. I don’t know what you’ll find on the other side. But it leads to her."

Qin Feng nodded, then he handed another object, which was a ring. It belonged to him.

"I want you to open a portal after 2 hours using this and come and find me. "

He wanted to take Xi Ping inside with him, but he knew that it was a dangerous plan, considering that the Devil might be inside too.

"I will." Xi Ping answered.

And without another word, Qin Feng stepped into the portal.

The light swallowed him whole, rushing winds, flashes of color, and a heavy sense of falling.

The moment Qin Feng stepped through the portal, the world spun around him. Wind howled past his ears, carrying echoes of voices—some familiar, some strange.

He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself as the colors twisted into a blur. It felt like being inside a storm of memories and power, all spinning out of control.

Then—suddenly—everything went still.

With a thump, his feet hit solid ground.

He stumbled a bit, catching himself on one knee. The air here was dry and thin, filled with the scent of scorched earth and ash.

The sky above was a dull grey, the sun hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds.

It was silent, eerily so, except for the soft, rhythmic hum coming from deeper within the land.

Qin Feng took a moment to catch his breath.

The place looked like a forgotten battlefield. Broken trees, shattered stones, and deep craters marked the landscape.

It didn’t take long for him to see something in the distance—a faint golden light, flickering like a dying candle.

He ran.

His boots kicked up dust as he sprinted across the cracked ground, dodging debris and holes. The light grew stronger as he approached, and finally, there she was.

Su Jiyai lay on the ground, her clothes torn and bloodstained. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises, and her lips were pale.

The golden glow wrapped around her like a fragile shield, barely holding on.

"Jiyai!" Qin Feng rushed to her side and dropped to his knees. "Hey! Hey, I’m here!"

She didn’t respond.

Her chest moved slightly. She was breathing. Barely.

"You idiot..." he muttered softly. "Always trying to do everything yourself."

Su Jiyai slowly opened her eyes and looked at Qin Feng once before blinking, and muttered,

"I am imagining him again... ah... I am thirsty."

"You are imagining me silly. Wait, I will get you water..." Qin Feng couldn’t finish his words because he suddenly felt a bit on his neck.

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