After having that thought in mind, Lan Jin could not stop mulling it over.
Whether to eat or not had become the biggest question.
After all, the reaction she had when she first ate that lotus seed grain was truly overwhelming, leaving an impression far deeper than even exterminating mutated pets. Of course, the effect it brought could not be compared to Spirit Spring water.
But last time, her body had expelled a large amount of toxins after eating it. This time, if she ate another, surely it would not be as uncomfortable as before.
With that reasoning, Lan Jin sat by the bed. After a long round of mental preparation, she summoned a single lotus seed grain, still glowing faintly gold, and swallowed it down.
The expected pain did not come. Instead, within seconds her mind went blank, and she collapsed onto the bed in deep slumber. She slept for a very long time, as if making up for every bit of rest she had been missing. She slept so deeply that even the alarm at shift-change time failed to wake her.
Ling Jiang, who lived next door, called out to her several times but got no response. She grew worried and hurried to get Captain Zhang to unlock the door. When that failed to wake Lan Jin, they also called over Zhou Zhi.
After a thorough check, Zhou Zhi concluded, "She's asleep. Just sleeping deeply."
Ling Jiang frowned. "Lan Jin rarely ever sleeps this soundly."
But if it was only sleep, there was nothing to fear.
Captain Zhang sighed in relief. "Looks like she's just exhausted. A good rest will do her good. There's more work ahead anyway. But how long will she sleep? She can't stay like this forever."
"Not long."
As soon as Zhou Zhi finished speaking, Lan Jin slowly blinked her eyes open. Seeing a crowd in her room, she looked puzzled. "What are you all doing here?"
Ling Jiang let out a breath. "Because of you! You were sleeping so deeply. I called you several times and you didn't wake up. I worried something happened, so I got Captain Zhang to open the door. I even stood beside you calling for ages but you still didn't wake. So we brought Doctor Zhou here too."
Though Zhou Zhi was a psychologist, in the base everyone was a jack-of-all-trades.
Lan Jin raised an eyebrow. "You just barged in like that? What if I wasn't wearing clothes?"
Ling Jiang choked. "You never sleep naked. And anyway, if it's an emergency, who cares about clothes? Life comes first."
But that was not the point. "Stop changing the subject. Did you really just fall asleep? Do you feel fine now? Any discomfort? We have time now, so let's check you properly."
No one had time to feel awkward about the exchange, and the topic immediately shifted. Lan Jin flexed her limbs and replied, "No discomfort. Just… this sleep was amazing."
It was as if every tense knot in her body had been loosened. Even the cluster of ability energy within her had noticeably grown larger.
So this meant her ability had really strengthened?
If one lotus seed grain could do this, what if she ate several…
Wait. Things could not be that simple. What if too much power caused her to explode? Otherwise, why would she have slept so long?
Other than that, her body felt normal.
It was already far past her shift time. Seeing that Lan Jin was indeed fine, Ling Jiang asked, "Can you still work? Want to rest more? One less person won't matter."
Before Lan Jin could answer, Captain Zhang said, "Forget it. You all should rest. We'll need the strong ones when we reach the mission site. Better rest now."
Because Lan Jin had "overslept," the ability users got an unexpected break, surprising everyone.
Lan Jin naturally accepted Captain Zhang's kindness, and after agreeing, Captain Zhang and Zhou Zhi left.
But Ling Jiang and the other two stayed. They could tell Lan Jin had done something to end up like this.
Lan Jin had to admit their instincts were sharp. After some hesitation, she told them about the lotus seed grain. After all, the upcoming mission was dangerous. Better to strengthen the whole team than survive alone. They had been through so much together already. Trust was something she felt they all deserved.
Once she finished, Lao Gao's eyes widened. "So… the Spirit Spring had a glowing lotus pod, and eating a lotus seed grain increased your ability? That's how you got stronger last time? But I thought it was from the injection?"
"I ate the lotus seed grain before the apocalypse even started. Abilities only awakened later, so I didn't notice. At first, I also thought it was the injection. But remember how others said that even after exhausting their energy and taking the same shot, their powers didn't rise?
I think draining my energy was just a trigger. The injection quickly replenished it, but the lotus seed grain also kicked in, directly boosting my ability. Last night I tested it again, and it confirmed my suspicion. I can feel it. My power has grown."
She added seriously, "I took it again mainly because of what was said a few days ago. Better to be stronger ourselves than risk being controlled by others. If we're strong enough to make people fear us, that'll save trouble. I haven't tested the new level of my power yet, so I don't know how much it's grown."
As for why she told them, Lan Jin said, "We've survived together all this way. I only hid this to protect myself. But the danger ahead is unknown. I won't just watch you die. So… I sincerely ask: do you want to try it?"
Joy flickered in their eyes. Who would not want something so precious? But would Lan Jin really give it up?
Huang Jinghe asked, "Sister Lan, you'd really give us something this rare?"
Lao Gao said, "Yeah. I'd love to, but honestly… even without this, thanks to the Spirit Spring we're already among the top ability users."
Ling Jiang was less reserved. "Eat it! Why be polite? We're not separating. We'll follow Lan Jin for life. Xiao Huang, no need to worry. Even when we go to the Capital city, we'll be one team. Any missions we take will be together. Honestly, I'm scared this mission will be too hard and I won't come back."