Chapter 306 Supernatural Ability: Self-sacrifice
Chase didn't deny it; he just bowed his head slowly in front of Steven.
"Sorry, man. We couldn't protect the kid you left with us. I know you're pissed, but we did everything we could under the circumstances. If you need to take it out on someone, let it be me. Just leave everyone else out of it; they're innocent."
After saying that, Chase braced himself for the worst.
He hadn't planned on dying, but as the manager of Building 18, he knew that if he didn't step up, Steven's rage would be hard to contain.
But then, an old man's voice echoed from inside the building, "Chase, you can't die! If you go, we all lose hope!"
Steven glanced up at the sixth floor.
A group of people had gathered there, and the guy at the front looked familiar—probably the old man who had initially taken the grain seeds with Chase.
The old man's name was Joseph, a well-respected agronomy professor.
He led a group of neighbors, all looking determined.
"Steven, we messed up by not taking care of the kid you sent. But Chase is our hope; please spare him and take me instead!" Joseph said firmly, staring Steven down.
"If you want revenge, take my life! I've lived long enough anyway," an elderly woman with gray hair chimed in.
"Take me, kill me instead!"
"I'm single, got nothing to lose!"
The neighbors all stepped forward, ready to die for Chase.
Chase was moved to tears. "You guys..."
The scene touched Steven a bit, but he was also kind of annoyed.
He sneered, "Who said I wanted you all dead?"
Chase looked at Steven, shocked, bowing his head in guilt. "We couldn't keep the kid alive. You can't possibly forgive us, right?"
Steven took a deep breath, looking at Chase and his group like they were idiots.
So it was Cara's kid, Mia, who had died.
Yeah, there weren't many miracles in this world.
A baby was too fragile; even in peaceful times, they easily got sick, let alone in the extreme cold of an ice age.
Chase and the others were scared because they thought Mia was super important to Steven.
They had no idea Steven had left Mia with them out of a feeling that she was a burden.
If he hadn't feared feeling guilty, he would've killed Mia himself back then.
Now that she was dead, Steven felt nothing.
So Steven said, "I know there was nothing you could've done. Chase, get up!"
Steven told Chase to stand up straight and stop bowing.
Hearing Steven's words, Chase was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.
'I don't have to die?'
Chase was deeply moved, thinking Steven was truly a good person.
The neighbors of Building 18 also breathed a long sigh of relief.
"I want to know how you all have survived until now. What exactly have you relied on? Tell me in detail! I'm very curious," Steven said, getting straight to the point.
Chase naturally didn't dare to hide anything; he gestured for Steven to enter the apartment building.
"You'll understand everything once you come in and see for yourself. I'll explain it all to you," Chase said.
Steven looked at the dark hallway, patted Fluffy's head, and smiled, nodding. "Alright, I'll go take a look."
With this super bodyguard, he wasn't really afraid of any danger.
Chase led the way, and Steven followed him upstairs.
On the way, Chase talked about what had happened during this time.
"Since we got the seeds you gave us, we've tried various methods to get them to take root and grow. But the results weren't great; many seeds died. Even the ones that survived were very weak. At one point, we were desperate and even considered organizing a suicide squad to go out and find food. But then, a group of people claiming to be from the Snowfall Cult came."
Steven's eyes flashed with interest. "Snowfall Cult? You mean to say that you survived because of their help?"
Chase didn't dare to hide anything from Steven.
He said, "They came to me, saying they could help us survive and give me extraordinary abilities. At that time, we had no other options, so I agreed to their terms. Everyone was on the brink of death anyway, so we would accept any conditions."
Steven was also curious about what conditions the other party had proposed that were worth what they had given.
But Chase said, "They only asked us to believe in the Snow God, nothing else."
Steven's lips curled into a cold smile.
He never believed in free lunches. The free things were the most expensive!
Steven stared at Chase and asked, "So, what kind of powers do you have now?"
Chase answered honestly, "They planted a white seed right here in my forehead."
He pointed to the spot between his eyebrows. "It felt like my whole body was thrown into an icebox, then it was burning hot like fire. After that, I developed this weird power. Check it out."
Chase rolled up the sleeve of his right arm in front of Steven.
What Steven saw was bizarre, enough to make anyone with trypophobia feel their skin crawl.
Under the skin of Chase's skinny arm, there were countless bumps, and a dense network of root-like structures embedded deep in his flesh.
The whole arm didn't look human anymore; it looked more like a petri dish, covered in these bumpy nodules.
Steven swallowed, feeling a bit grossed out by the sight, but he still asked, "What is this?"
Chase said, "These are grain seeds."
He looked at Steven and gave a weak smile. "My ability is to cultivate plants with my own flesh. The seeds grown through my body not only have stronger vitality but also grow faster."
Steven stayed quiet.
He just took a long look at the gaunt Chase, finally getting why Chase looked the way he did.
Steven said calmly, "Using just your flesh to grow grain can't possibly provide all the nutrients needed, right?"
"That problem is easily solved; we have Mr. Franklin. He's an expert in agronomy!" Chase led Steven to a room door, and as he reached to turn the doorknob, he looked at Steven with a hint of apology. "The next scene might be a bit much, so brace yourself."
Steven laughed indifferently. "Do you think there's anything I haven't seen?"
"Fair point," Chase said, then opened the door.
A touch of green met Steven's eyes.
He felt warm, humid air, and the room was filled with lush greenery, but everything in the room was indeed bizarre.
It was a cultivation room, filled with various grains, all growing vigorously.
But they weren't rooted in soil—they were rooted in corpses.
The plants were growing out of the bodies, absorbing nutrients and thriving.
Chase said to Steven, "Due to the lack of nutrients, we had no choice but to use the bodies of deceased community residents."
Steven smirked, "Isn't that great? At least you know how to make use of waste. This way, you don't have to feel morally guilty about cannibalism, and you don't waste any resources."
He suddenly thought of something and asked, "So those graves outside were built to store bodies, right?"
Chase nodded somewhat embarrassedly. "That's right."
Steven looked around the room; the grains were growing very well.
The bodies had long been drained of nutrients, reduced to skeletons.
There was still some soil on the bodies, and the remaining nutrients and microorganisms were absorbed by the soil.
Nothing was wasted.
"How many cultivation rooms like this do you have in your apartment building?" Steven casually asked as he pinched a leaf of wheat.
"There are three in total," Chase replied.
"Not bad, self-sufficiency is good." Steven glanced at Chase. "But if you keep this up, you'll die, you know!"
Three cultivation rooms, each seed growing by absorbing Chase's flesh.
For Chase, it was a drain on his life force, essentially trading his life for the hope of grain growth.
Chase scratched his head and smiled. "In times like these, I'd die even if I did nothing! Might as well do something, and... let my wife and kid survive."
When Chase mentioned his wife and kid, his eyes were full of warmth.
It was something called love.
Steven couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for Chase.
Maybe one day, if he had kids, he would feel the same.
But that day would have to wait until after the apocalypse was over.
"Chase, let me see your ability!" Steven put away his sympathy and stared at Chase seriously.
So far, he had seen many artificial Psychics, or rather, modified humans.
And the abilities of modified humans were much weaker compared to naturally awakened Psychics.
Chase's ability was practical but hadn't shown enough strength.
Steven wanted to confirm to what extent the so-called Snowfall Cult's methods could stimulate human potential.
Chase was silent for a moment, then resolutely agreed.
Although this would greatly harm his body, he couldn't refuse Steven, or rather, he had no right to negotiate.
"I understand. I'll show you my ability now!" he replied.
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