Chapter 95 Zuo Shi's Talent

"Then let's go, I'll take you there."

Zuo Shi had already turned around and was walking briskly away from the reef.

A corner of her denim skirt was lifted by the sea breeze.

She turned her head: "Keep close, everyone. The first time I took this path, I almost fell."

"This way!"

Zuo Shi pointed ahead.

Wang Mengmeng immediately leaned into Li Mengyao's ear: "Look at her, showing off again."

Li Mengyao ignored her.

Not giving up, Wang Mengmeng muttered from behind, "What kind of crappy path is this? It's way too hard to walk..."

At the very front.

Zuo Shi suddenly turned around: "Mengmeng, do you not want to take this path?"

Wang Mengmeng was taken aback: "Huh?"

"If you don't want to, you can take the main road."

Zuo Shi said very seriously: "Go through the main entrance of the plaza, turn left, pass the contact point, then..."

"Wait!"

Wang Mengmeng frowned: "How are you so familiar with this place?"

Zuo Shi just smiled slightly and rubbed her chin: "Maybe I'm just better at observing than most people?"

"..."

Wang Mengmeng fell silent.

She was clearly good at observing too; her 20/15 vision often proved useful to the team.

Now, someone was actually trying to replace her role.

Before long, the sand and reefs beneath their feet gradually turned into gravel, and then into cracked concrete.

This was a narrow alley sandwiched between two abandoned shops.

Deng Yuxin carefully bypassed a pile of broken glass: "It's so hot. Just a moment ago, we were riding in a blizzard!"

Yang Kexin pulled at the neckline of her camisole, revealing a sun-reddened collarbone: "Yeah, I've never missed a down jacket so much in my life..."

"That's not right. You were complaining yesterday that down jackets make you look fat."

Zhang Wanyue suddenly called her out.

"That's different!"

Yang Kexin immediately retorted, "Between looking fat and dying of heat, I choose looking fat!"

"That's not right..."

Shen Qingci also chuckled: "Who was it that said they'd rather freeze to death than dress like a bear?"

"(==) Uh... did I say that?"

"You did, just last night."

"Then it must have been... uh... temporary cognitive impairment caused by the low temperature!"

Zuo Shi, walking in front, suddenly gave a light laugh.

Yang Kexin was startled: "What's wrong?"

Zuo Shi didn't turn around, her tone serious: "Nothing, I just think you guys are quite energetic."

In the apocalypse, the word 'energy' was precious.

Yang Kexin wasn't from their Class, yet she fit in so well.

She guessed that they must have had plenty to eat and drink on the bus.

Being able to even complain about a down jacket was enough to make anyone green with envy.

Liu Ming, Zhang Yufeng, Miao Yin, and the others felt the same way when they saw this.

It was like this: everyone attended the same classes in school, but once they graduated and entered society, the Class divide became immediately and mercilessly apparent.

"Hey, Chen Yu, is it always like this on your bus?"

Zuo Shi suddenly asked with a smile.

Chen Yu nodded: "Pretty much."

Zuo Shi nodded and didn't press further.

Wang Mengmeng narrowed her eyes in the back and whispered to Li Mengyao, "Look, she's trying to get close again."

Li Mengyao said helplessly, "I say, Wang Mengmeng, can you give it a rest for a while?"

"I'm just worried for you!"

"Worried about what for me?"

"You know exactly what!"

Li Mengyao ignored her.

By now, everyone had already circled around to the side of the plaza; the efficiency of the shortcut was indeed remarkable.

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes and spoke calmly, "A normal person wouldn't take this path."

"What do you mean?"

Deng Yuxin and the other girls were taken aback.

Chen Yu continued, "Zuo Shi, your Talent is a reconnaissance type, right?"

Zuo Shi paused her steps, met Chen Yu's gaze, and nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much. My Talent allows me to see things."

Wang Mengmeng frowned: "See things?"

What kind of abstract answer was that?!

Who doesn't see things?!

Only blind people don't see things!!

Zuo Shi didn't explain immediately. Instead, she scanned the surroundings and saw a tilted bicycle at the base of a wall.

It was very old.

The basket was dented, and the seat had been slashed open, revealing the foam inside.

Zuo Shi squatted down and touched the handlebars with her palm.

"?"

Everyone looked at each other, not quite understanding what she was doing.

Wang Mengmeng couldn't help but want to speak, but a hand gently pressed down on her arm.

"Shh."

Liu Xiaoqian whispered, "Mengmeng, when Zuo Shi touches things, she's using her Talent. Don't disturb her yet."

Miao Yin also nodded, standing nearby with an expression that suggested she was used to this.

Wang Mengmeng blinked and swallowed her words.

So, everyone fell silent.

Only the sound of the wind and faint, distant noise remained in the alley.

Zuo Shi squatted there, her eyes lowered, not moving at all.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Until thirty seconds had passed.

Zuo Shi opened her eyes and pulled her hand back: "Oh? What a coincidence, there's another shortcut here!"

"Wait, you know there's a shortcut just by touching a bike?"

Wang Mengmeng stepped forward, staring at the bike: "Did this bike become a spirit or something?"

Zuo Shi nodded: "This is my Talent."

"Huh?"

Everyone looked over. Zuo Shi smiled slightly: "In those few minutes before the apocalypse arrived, I was in the library reading room helping a teacher organize books, and I accidentally touched a magnifying glass."

"It unexpectedly became the medium for my Talent."

A-rank Skill Talent: [Information Capture].

"I can see the basic information of items, as well as some additional information."

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes: "Additional information?"

Zuo Shi explained seriously: "For example, when I touched this bike just now, the basic information was probably its material, year, size, and weight capacity."

"But the additional information is where it came from—it even includes a map~"

Wang Mengmeng asked curiously: "Where's the map..."

Zuo Shi gave a mysterious smile and pointed to her head: "Right here!"

"Pfft~"

Wang Mengmeng waved her hand and grumbled crossly, "If you don't have it, just say so..."

Despite her words, she didn't stop and followed closely behind Zuo Shi.

Within a few steps, everyone noticed something was different.

Zuo Shi specifically chose to squeeze through gaps between buildings, as well as various alleys and diagonal streets.

"This path is way too hidden, isn't it?"

Deng Yuxin couldn't help but marvel, "Wait... I remember this place! When we came over earlier, we took a huge detour!"

Liu Ming shrugged: "Of course. She can even find which room in a building has the most supplies!"

Zuo Shi waved it off: "That's only occasionally, when I'm lucky. After all, the additional information is unstable. I can only activate my Talent once an hour, and many times the additional information is useless."

About twenty minutes later.

When everyone emerged from a narrow alley.

The view before them suddenly opened up.

The sunlight poured down, making everyone squint.

The noisy sounds, like floodwaters from an opened gate, instantly submerged everyone.

"Is this... the Central Plaza?!"

Li Mengyao exclaimed, "This was way too fast!"

Wang Mengmeng's mouth also fell open; it had taken a full half-hour to get from the Central Plaza to the seaside earlier!

Back then, she had even complained about what a crappy Living Area it was, saying the walking would be the death of her!

Now look at this... a shortcut that cut the travel time by two-thirds?!!