Chapter 43: Gravity Control

Inside the Survival Space, Ethan forced himself to look away.

Only then did the system notification in his mind finally become clear.

[Gift detected: Fire Core given to a female with a Beauty Score of 94. First-time gift. Base Return unlocked.]

[Dr. Elena Vance, 34 years old. Beauty Score: 94. Rarity: 100.]

[Base Return: 80x.]

[Target emotional fluctuation detected: Gratitude + Hope + Shyness.]

[Super-High Bonus Return triggered!]

[Returned: SSS-Rank Ability "Gravity Control." Can manipulate gravity within a 5-meter radius, up to 5x gravity. Ability automatically fused.]

[Dr. Elena Vance awakened: SS-Rank Extreme Ice Flame Ability. Flame temperature can instantly drop to -50°C, possessing both burning and freezing properties.]

[Cooldown: 7 days.]

"Heh. Shyness?"

Ethan stared at the system panel and couldn’t help muttering, "So she acts completely calm, but she’s actually shy."

He had given Dr. Vance the Fire Core and received exactly what he wanted. An SSS-Rank Ability. Ethan was thrilled. Once he obtained another SSS-Rank Ability, he could begin working toward expanding the Survival Space. He wondered what the space would become after that.

But one problem immediately came to mind. Who was he supposed to deepen the fusion with?

Ethan frowned. That was an important question. The expansion of his Survival Space depended on it. Unfortunately, the system had never explained exactly how he was supposed to trigger the next stage. He could only figure it out himself.

After thinking about it for a while without getting anywhere, Ethan decided to put the problem aside. He looked at his hand.

"Gravity Control?"

A faint purple ripple appeared around his fingertips. His gaze fell on the sword lying beside him. With a thought, the sword slammed against the ground as though an invisible force had suddenly increased its weight. It sank nearly half an inch into the soil.

"Three times gravity."

Ethan raised his hand. The pressure disappeared. The sword immediately floated upward, almost weightless. A faint smile appeared on his face. The energy returned from the Core had completely restored his spatial energy. Spatial Cut could be used again. He also had two uses of One-Way Teleportation remaining for the day.

After spending several minutes familiarizing himself with Gravity Control, Ethan suddenly noticed something white moving in the corner of his vision.

He turned.

His breathing stopped for a moment.

Dr. Vance was standing beside the pool, using a wet towel to wipe herself down. The clothes he had given her were still lying nearby. The soft light from the generator panel traced the clean lines of her body~the full curve of her breasts, the narrow waist, the soft flare of her hips, and the round, heavy weight of her ass as she bent slightly to wipe along her thigh. Even covered in sweat and ash from the earlier flames, her figure was impossible to ignore.

Ethan stared for a second longer than he meant to before quickly looking away.

Does she seriously not see me as a man?

Or does she just not see me as a stranger anymore?

He wasn’t sure which possibility was more dangerous.

Dr. Vance noticed his gaze. Her hand paused. Then, as if nothing had happened, she continued wiping her neck. Her voice remained completely calm.

"Is there any clean water left in the Survival Space?"

Ethan could clearly see the slight tremble in her fingers. A faint blush had spread to the tips of her ears behind her glasses. Even her movements had become noticeably faster.

Interesting.

She’s pretending nothing happened.

Ethan almost smiled.

"This is the pool water I collected earlier. It’s already been filtered." He deliberately raised his voice while keeping his gaze away. "And if you don’t get dressed soon, you’ll catch a cold when we go back outside."

Dr. Vance gave a quiet hum. She picked up the clothes. But she didn’t put them on immediately. It wasn’t until Ethan turned his back completely that she quickly pulled them on and zipped up the jacket.

"Let’s go."

Ethan heard her voice behind him. "Don’t keep that thing waiting." There was a faint smile in his voice. "Once we deal with it, we’ll go back for Pete and the others."

The moment they stepped out of the Survival Space, the remaining macaw launched itself from the iron framework. It folded its wings and dived. This time, however, it had learned from its previous mistake. While appearing to target Ethan, it suddenly changed direction in midair. Its peripheral vision was fixed on Dr. Vance behind him.

A feint.

"Watch out!"

Ethan reacted immediately. He activated Gravity Control, attempting to double the gravity around the bird. But he had only just awakened the Ability. The purple energy around his hand shifted slightly off target. The macaw slowed for barely half a second. Then it continued diving toward Dr. Vance. Its hooked beak flashed coldly.

"Damn it!"

Ethan’s heart tightened. I messed up.

At the critical moment, Dr. Vance raised her hand. A flame roughly six inches high erupted from her palm. White frost coated its edges.

"Extreme Ice Flame!"

She thrust her hand forward. The flame struck the macaw’s wing.

Hiss!

A layer of ice instantly spread across its feathers. The macaw lost its balance and tumbled toward the ground.

"Spatial Cut!"

Ethan seized the opening. A white arc flashed through the air and struck the bird’s wing joint. This time, nothing blocked the attack. The spatial blade tore straight through the wing membrane. The macaw shrieked and struggled to get back onto its feet.

Ethan activated Gravity Control again. This time, the purple energy stabilized.

"Five times gravity."

An invisible force slammed down.

Crack!

The macaw’s body was crushed against the ground. Several bones snapped under the sudden increase in weight.

"It’s over."

Ethan stepped forward and raised his sword toward its eye. The macaw suddenly tilted its head. A strange, hoarse sound came from its throat.

"Don’t... kill... me..."

Ethan’s sword stopped in midair. He stared at the bird. Then he nearly laughed.

"Well, I’ll be damned. You can actually speak?"

The macaw flapped its broken wings weakly. Its eyes were filled with something resembling fear.

"Spare... me... I’ll... be... your... pet..."

"A pet?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "With your personality? I’m pretty sure you’d peck my eyes out the first chance you got."

Dr. Vance couldn’t help laughing softly. "Maybe someone kept it as a pet before the Apocalypse. It may have learned a few words."

The macaw seemed to understand. It nodded rapidly. "Good... won’t... bite..."

Ethan sneered. His sword plunged straight into its eye.

"Too late. You should’ve said that before you tried to kill me."

The macaw’s shriek stopped instantly. Even in its final moments, it struggled to force out a few words.

"Tricked... you..."

Ethan pulled his sword free and split open its skull. He dug out the dark purple Core. "A beast until the very end."

He weighed the Core in his palm. Then his expression became serious. If Dr. Vance hadn’t reacted quickly, things could have ended very differently.

My new Ability still needs practice.

And the Apocalypse isn’t a place where one person can handle everything alone.

Teamwork matters.

Ethan tucked the Core into his Survival Space. He planned to return to the underground casino after collecting enough Cores and use them to strengthen Debbie and Rose as well.

Dr. Vance slowly extinguished the flames around her hand. She was breathing heavily. "This Extreme Ice Flame is harder to control than I expected." She looked at her palm. "But the power is impressive." That attack had nearly drained her.

"You just awakened it." Ethan glanced at her. "Give it some time. You’ll get better at controlling it." He paused. "And thanks for what you did back there." His expression became more serious. "I’m still getting used to Gravity Control. I almost got you killed."

Dr. Vance looked at him for a moment. Then she shook her head. "We’re teammates now."

Ethan nodded. He crouched beside the Hardened Zombie he had killed earlier. His sword split open its skull. There was only brown brain matter inside. No Core.

"So not every Evolved Zombie produces a Core."

He wiped his sword clean. The two of them searched the medical equipment distribution center. Most of the shelves were empty. They found only broken glass, empty cardboard boxes, and scattered packaging. The place had clearly been looted by survivors a long time ago.

Ethan sighed. "Nothing useful." He stored the purple Core in the Survival Space. Then he looked at Dr. Vance. "Let’s go. We need to pick up Pete and the others."

On the way back, Ethan walked ahead while continuing to practice Gravity Control. He experimented with the weight of stones along the roadside, making them heavier and lighter. Every now and then, he deliberately reduced the gravity beneath Dr. Vance’s feet. She would stumble slightly before regaining her balance. Ethan couldn’t help smiling.

"Childish."

Dr. Vance gave him an annoyed look. But there was no real anger in her voice. A small flame occasionally appeared in her palm. White frost continued to shimmer along its edges. Each time she looked at it, a little more confidence appeared in her eyes. Having an Ability meant having a better chance of surviving the Apocalypse.

The two continued walking while becoming familiar with their new powers. Neither noticed what was following them.

A hundred meters behind them, a thick viper slowly raised its head from a bush. Its body was as thick as a man’s forearm. Dark-green scales blended almost perfectly with the fallen leaves. Its forked tongue flicked in and out. Scarlet eyes locked onto Ethan’s back.

After watching them for several seconds, the viper suddenly shot into the grass. Several more snakes of the same size followed. Rustling scales whispered through the vegetation, growing louder as the group disappeared deeper into the silent morning.