Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 306: Superpowers, Sacrifice

Li Jian didn’t deny it. Instead, he slowly knelt in front of Zhang Yi.

“I’m sorry! We couldn’t protect the child you left with us.”

“I know you’re furious, and we’ve done everything we could under these conditions. If you must kill someone, kill me! But please, don’t harm the others. They’re innocent.”

After saying this, Li Jian calmly prepared for death.

He hadn’t intended to die, but as the leader of Building 18, he knew that unless he sacrificed himself, it would be hard to quell Zhang Yi’s anger.

At that moment, an elderly voice suddenly came from inside the building.

“Li Jian, you can’t die! If you die, none of us will have any hope of surviving!”

Zhang Yi looked up toward the room on the sixth floor.

A group of people stood there, led by a familiar-looking old man. He was the same elder who had taken seeds from Zhang Yi alongside Li Jian back then.

The old man’s name was Ge Chenghua, a highly respected agricultural professor.

He led the group of neighbors forward, their faces resolute.

“Zhang Yi, it’s our fault that we couldn’t keep the child alive. But Li Jian is our hope. Please, spare him. Let me die in his place!”

Ge Chenghua looked at Zhang Yi fearlessly, his voice firm.

“If you want revenge, take my life! I’ve lived long enough anyway.”

An elderly woman with gray hair spoke up. “Take me! Kill me instead!”

“I’m a lone man. I’m not afraid of death!”

…

The neighbors rushed forward, volunteering to die in Li Jian’s place.

Tears filled Li Jian’s eyes. “You all…”

The scene of everyone scrambling to die for him touched Zhang Yi slightly, though it also left him speechless.

With a cold laugh, Zhang Yi asked, “Who said I want any of you dead?”

Li Jian stared at Zhang Yi in shock, guilt overwhelming him. “We failed to keep the child you entrusted to us alive. How could you possibly forgive us?”

Zhang Yi took a deep breath, looking at Li Jian and his group as if they were fools.

So it was Xie Limei’s child who had died.

There were indeed no miracles in this world.

A child still in its infancy was too fragile. Even in peaceful times, they easily got sick, let alone in the extreme cold of this new Ice Age.

Li Jian and the others were terrified because they believed the child was important to Zhang Yi.

But what they didn’t know was that Zhang Yi had given them the child because he saw it as a burden.

If not for his fear of creating a mental block for himself, he would have killed the child with his own hands back then.

Now that the child was dead, Zhang Yi didn’t care at all.

“I understand there wasn’t much you could do in this situation. Li Jian, get up,” Zhang Yi said, signaling for him to stand.

Li Jian was stunned by Zhang Yi’s words, but soon, joy filled his heart.

He wasn’t going to die?

Li Jian was deeply moved, thinking that Zhang Yi was a truly compassionate person.

The neighbors of Building 18 also sighed in relief.

“I want to know how you’ve managed to survive until now. What have you been relying on? Tell me in detail, I’m curious.”

Zhang Yi finally revealed his reason for coming.

Li Jian, of course, didn’t dare hide anything. He gestured for Zhang Yi to follow him into the building.

“Come see for yourself. I’ll explain everything as we go.”

Zhang Yi glanced at the dark hallway, patted Hua Hua on the head, and smiled.

“Alright, let’s take a look.”

With this powerful bodyguard by his side, he wasn’t afraid of any danger.

Li Jian led the way, and Zhang Yi followed him upstairs.

As they walked, Li Jian began to recount what had happened during the past months.

“After you gave us those seeds, we tried all sorts of methods to make them grow and take root.”

“But despite our efforts, the results weren’t great. Many of the seeds died, and even the ones that survived were incredibly weak.”

“At one point, we were desperate and even considered sending a suicide squad out to search for food.”

“Then, a group of people calling themselves the followers of the Snow God arrived.”

Zhang Yi’s eyes gleamed. “The Snow God’s followers? Are you saying you’ve survived because of their help?”

Li Jian didn’t dare lie.

“They came to me and said they could help us survive, and that they could even give me extraordinary powers.”

“At that time, we had no other options, so I agreed to their terms.”

“We were on the verge of death anyway. At that point, we would’ve accepted any conditions.”

Zhang Yi was curious about what kind of conditions they had set in exchange for their help.

Li Jian, however, said, “They only asked that we believe in the Snow God. That’s all they wanted. Nothing else.”

Zhang Yi’s lips curled into a cold smile.

He never believed in free lunches.

A certain tech giant had taught an entire generation that the most expensive things are the ones that are free.

“And what powers did you gain?”

Zhang Yi stared at Li Jian, waiting for his answer.

Li Jian replied honestly, “They planted a white seed right here in my forehead.”

Li Jian pointed to the spot between his eyebrows.

“It felt like my whole body was plunged into an ice-cold chamber, followed by a burning heat.”

“Then, I felt a strange power within me. Look!”

Li Jian rolled up the sleeve of his right arm in front of Zhang Yi.

What Zhang Yi saw was disturbing. Anyone with trypophobia would have their skin crawling at the sight.

Beneath Li Jian’s withered skin, dozens of small lumps protruded, with web-like roots spreading deep into his flesh.

His arm no longer resembled a human arm but looked more like some kind of biological experiment, where every visible part was covered in these strange bumps.

“What the hell is this?”

Zhang Yi swallowed, feeling repelled by the eerie sight but still curious enough to ask.

Li Jian said, “These are seeds. My ability is to grow plants using my own body. The seeds I cultivate within myself have stronger life forces and grow faster.”

Zhang Yi fell silent.

He looked deeply at the now skeletal Li Jian and finally understood why the man had become this shadow of his former self.

“Just using your flesh to grow food isn’t enough to provide the necessary nutrients for the plants, is it?”

Zhang Yi said calmly.

“Ah! That’s where Professor Ge comes in. He’s an expert in agriculture!”

Li Jian led Zhang Yi to a room and reached for the door handle, giving Zhang Yi an apologetic look.

“What you’re about to see might be unsettling. Please bear with us.”

Zhang Yi laughed. “Do you think there’s anything I haven’t seen by now?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Li Jian opened the door.

A rush of green met Zhang Yi’s eyes.

He felt warm, moist air, and the room was filled with lush, vibrant plants. But the scene was undoubtedly strange.

It was a growing chamber, brimming with crops, all thriving.

But they weren’t rooted in soil—they were rooted in corpses.

The plants had grown by drawing nutrients from the bodies of the dead, flourishing as they fed.

Li Jian said to Zhang Yi, “Since we lacked nutrients, we had no choice but to use the bodies of the dead residents.”

Zhang Yi smirked. “Well, that’s smart. At least you’re putting the dead to good use. This way, you avoid the guilt of cannibalism and don’t waste any resources.”

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He turned to Li Jian and asked, “So those graves outside—are they for storing bodies for this purpose?”

Li Jian nodded sheepishly. “Yes, that’s right.”

Zhang Yi glanced around the room. The plants were thriving.

The corpses had long since been drained of nutrients, reduced to mere skeletons.

Even the soil they lay in had absorbed whatever nutrients remained, leaving nothing to waste.

“How many of these growing chambers do you have in your building?” Zhang Yi asked casually as he fingered a leaf of wheat.

“We have three,” Li Jian replied.

“Hmm, not bad. It’s good that you’re self-sufficient.”

Zhang Yi gave Li Jian a long look. “But if you keep this up, you’ll die.”

Three growing chambers, and each seed had absorbed Li Jian’s flesh and blood to grow.

He was using his life force to nurture the crops, effectively trading his own life for their survival.

Li Jian scratched his head and laughed. “Well, if we do nothing, we’re going to die anyway, right?”

“I’d rather try to do something, so my wife and child can survive.”

When Li Jian spoke of his wife and son, his eyes softened with affection.

It was love.

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but feel a trace of admiration for him.

Maybe one day, he’d feel the same way if he had children.

But that day would have to wait until after the apocalypse.

“Li Jian, show me your power!”

Zhang Yi shook off his sympathy, his gaze sharpening as he focused on Li Jian.

So far, he had encountered many man-made Superhumans—let’s call them modified humans.

And their abilities were far weaker than those of naturally awakened Superhumans.

Li Jian’s power was useful, but it hadn’t shown any particularly strong side yet.

Zhang Yi wanted to see just how far the so-called teachings of the Snow God cult could push someone’s potential.

Li Jian hesitated for a moment, then nodded resolutely.

Although using his power took a great toll on his body, he couldn’t refuse Zhang Yi’s request. He wasn’t in a position to negotiate.

“I understand. I’ll show you my power right now!”

Author's Note