noveldrama
Chapter 581 - 244 He Jijun_3
Chapter 581 - 244 He Jijun_3
Wang Tao continued to ask:
"Did the old gentleman serve in the army before?"
"I was a regular soldier for a few years."
When he said this, He Jijun’s face showed a hint of pride.
Clearly, he was quite satisfied with his military career.
"I noticed the old gentleman is quite good with a gun!"
This was something Wang Tao made up, since He Jijun had only fired one shot at the ground, which didn’t reveal much about his shooting skills. But it never hurts to say nice things, especially when it comes to flattery, and particularly so with the elderly.
"Ordinary."
He Jijun didn’t go into specifics.
"Has the old gentleman ever seen an Ability User?"
Wang Tao was curious, wondering if He Jijun had never seen an Ability User before. Otherwise, if he had, he would definitely know that fusing with a Crystal Core could grant abilities, and he would not still be an ordinary person—at the very least, he should have some impurities. But there were no impurities in him, which meant he hadn’t fused with a single Crystal Core.
"Someone like you?" He Jijun glanced at Wang Tao. "I’ve seen them. Not only have I seen them, but I’ve also killed them!"
When he said this, He Jijun’s voice was filled with murderous intent.
Wang Tao briefly learned that He Jijun had encountered three Ability Users trying to rob him, and he ended up shooting all three dead!
"Impressive!"
Wang Tao gave a thumbs-up once again.
"But they weren’t as strong as you. Right now, I still don’t understand how you managed to get behind me..."
He Jijun was puzzled. He believed he had good vision, even with his age, he could still shoot with remarkable accuracy, but he didn’t see how Wang Tao had gotten behind him at all!
Seeing the confusion in He Jijun’s eyes, Wang Tao chuckled to himself.
It wasn’t that he was too fast, but Jiang Shixue had controlled He Jijun for a few seconds, erasing those seconds from his memory...
"Then hasn’t the old gentleman ever wanted to become an Ability User?"
Wang Tao asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Ability User? In my view, those are monsters! I don’t want to become a monster like that! Even if I’m not an Ability User, I can still kill zombies!"
He Jijun spoke as though he looked down on the notion.
"Monsters, huh..."
In some ways, Ability Users were very different from ordinary humans, so it was not wrong to call them monsters. Especially those whose fusion side effects were more evident, like those with Body Lignification, rigidity, or arms turned into Bone Knives—they really weren’t much different from monsters.
However, Wang Tao still shook his head:
"Whether or not they’re monsters is actually not important. After all, our goal is to survive. If we can survive, what does it matter if we become monsters? As long as we have great Strength, not only can we protect ourselves, we can also protect the people around us..."
"..."
He Jijun had no response to Wang Tao’s words. He knew Ability Users were powerful, and he wasn’t a stickler for tradition, but—
After a moment of silence, He Jijun took a bag out of his pocket and placed it in front of Wang Tao.
Clatter—
The bag emitted a set of crisp, pleasant clinking sounds.
He Jijun opened the bag, inside which were a bunch of shimmering Crystal Cores.
"Kid, do you know what abilities these things have? I heard that you need to consume these things to become an Ability User. But each Ability is different and may not suit one’s self. Also, each Ability comes with side effects... If you can make sense of them, pick a suitable one for me, and the rest I’ll give to you!"
He Jijun could sense that Wang Tao and his group were very strong.
Even the seemingly gentle and frail little girl who was always following behind Wang Tao was strong!
He did not have a Perception Ability, but this was the intuition of someone who had been on the battlefield and seen bloodshed!
Plus, after the brief interaction they’d just had, even though he kept a stern face, he could feel that Wang Tao’s character was probably quite good.
So he thought this might be an opportunity—the reason he hadn’t fused with a Crystal Core wasn’t because he was afraid of becoming a monster, but because he feared becoming a useless monster.
He had seen an Ability User before who did nothing but eat, ballooning up like a fat pig, useless for anything. He didn’t want to become someone like that!
When Wang Tao saw the Crystal Cores in He Jijun’s hands, he was somewhat dumbfounded.
Not only were there Level 1 cores, but also Level Two ones, and even a Level 3 Crystal Core!
Goodness, a mere 1000-HP ordinary person was able to kill a Level 3 zombie?
What shocked Wang Tao even more was not just the levels of the Crystal Cores, but the cores themselves—how could He Jijun have so many Crystal Cores on him and still resist the temptation to fuse with them?
The allure of Crystal Cores to humans was extremely powerful; many people, upon seeing a Crystal Core, would fuse with it without even thinking.
Even Wang Tao, who always thought his willpower was decent, lost control and fused with the shockwave crystal core the first time. By the time he came to his senses, the Crystal Core had already fused into his body.
And yet, He Jijun, carrying so many Crystal Cores, hadn’t fused with a single one!
Such willpower was impressive!
It reminded Wang Tao of someone, a former comrade at Shuize Base, the young member of the Security Army, Lu Gang. He was one of those with unwavering willpower; Wei Zhenguo and the others entrusted him with their Crystal Cores for safekeeping...
"It’s impressive, old gentleman, that you managed to resist fusing with the Crystal Cores!"
Wang Tao gave another thumbs-up.
People who could control their desires were indeed admirable.
He Jijun gave Wang Tao a look as though it wasn’t a big deal; just endure a little, and it would pass. Was it really that hard?
Wang Tao eyed the Crystal Cores, then pointed at the only Level 3 Crystal Core and asked:
"How did the old gentleman acquire this Crystal Core?"
"This Crystal Core, ah!"
The Level 3 Crystal Core was clearly distinct from the Level 1 and Level Two cores, and He Jijun seemed to recognize it. His tone carried somewhat of a reminiscence.
"That zombie was injured somehow, but it still took me seven days to kill it. It was the strongest zombie I’ve ever come across..."