Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 503: Li Jian’s Letter

Zhang Yi wasn’t in a hurry. He calmly laid out all the suspicious points he had noticed.

“From the beginning, I knew Yuan Kongye had multiple superhuman abilities.”

“And not just different applications of the same ability, but completely unrelated powers.”

“【Blessing】, 【Gift】, superhuman-level physical abilities, and that ice-based power that felt strangely familiar.”

Zhang Yi crossed his arms, his tone indifferent. “That’s definitely not normal.”

“If those powers were truly her own, there would be no reason for her to keep them hidden for so long during the battle against the zombie horde.”

“But she never reveals them. That means there’s something she doesn’t want people to know.”

“So, I’m certain—those abilities were taken from others! And the key lies in the Ice Soul that separated from her body.”

“If that’s true, then no one really knows how powerful Yuan Kongye is now.”

“Every superhuman ability has a weakness. But if one person possesses the abilities of many, she’s practically invincible!”

Zhang Yi nodded. “That’s why she wants Tianhai City to remain in constant warfare.”

“Because as long as those who received the Ice Soul are still alive, they’re useless to her. Only by dying can their abilities become hers.”

A sharp glint flickered in Zhang Yi’s eyes.

“Perhaps… the so-called purge wasn’t just aimed at outsiders.”

“It could also be targeting her own people.”

“After all, Bai Xue Jiao has plenty of superhumans.”

“Their deaths would only benefit Yuan Kongye.”

Yang Xinxin found herself nodding unconsciously.

Zhang Yi’s reasoning made perfect sense.

The only issue was the lack of direct evidence to prove it.

Yang Xinxin said, “Just this isn’t enough to convince the other factions, and more importantly, it won’t convince the investigation team.”

“If that’s the case, we can’t just confront Yuan Kongye head-on by ourselves.”

Zhang Yi lowered his gaze, his expression cold and contemplative.

“But this time, we can’t just bury our heads in the sand.”

“She used the zombie horde to cripple more than half of our forces in the West Hill Base.”

“And on top of that, she gave us the Ice Soul. That was a message—she’s getting ready to make her move against us!”

“The only thing keeping her in check is Jiangnan District. The moment Bian Junwu and his team leave, Bai Xue Jiao will act.”

At that, Zhang Yi reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of white cloth.

“And besides, I have this—proof that my suspicions are justified.”

Curious, Yang Xinxin took the cloth from him.

It was covered in densely written words.

“This is…?”

Zhang Yi explained, “It’s a letter from Li Jian. That old man slipped it into my hand the night before I left.”

Thinking of Li Jian’s face—hollow, like dead wood—Zhang Yi sighed.

“His son died. If not for that, I don’t think he would have risked telling me these things.”

Yang Xinxin carefully read the letter.

It wasn’t written in ink—but in blood.

The contents were summarized as follows:

Li Jian’s Letter:

28 days ago, my family and I, along with our neighbors, were taken in by the Great Decree and brought to Bai Xue Jiao.

Yuan Kongye knew of my ability, so she took me to an abandoned building next to the cathedral.

There, I saw a massive plant they called the Blood Vine.

Yuan Kongye told me my duty was to cultivate it using my ability.

My ability allows plants to grow rapidly, making them stronger and more resilient.

At first, I thought it was just a food source for Bai Xue Jiao, so I fed it my own blood every day.

But over time, I realized something was wrong.

No—something was wrong with Bai Xue Jiao itself.

First, after eating the red fruit produced by the Blood Vine, people would experience euphoria and hallucinations, similar to drug-induced trances.

Every distribution of the red fruit took place inside the cathedral—where followers were made to listen to Yuan Kongye’s sermons while eating it.

I suspect this is a form of hypnosis, making them fanatically loyal to her.

Many cults in history have used hallucinogenic substances to brainwash their followers.

Realizing this, my wife and I secretly agreed never to eat the fruit.

Luckily, as a priest, I was given other supplies, so food wasn’t an issue for us.

Zheng Yixian seemed to notice my resistance, but since they needed my abilities, he didn’t confront me directly—he only gave me a subtle warning once.

Second, the Blood Vine isn’t a food-producing plant at all.

Bai Xue Jiao’s people throw corpses into the abandoned building where it grows. The vine then wraps around the bodies, forming pods that absorb their nutrients.

But I noticed something strange—some of the pods were much larger than the others.

Unlike the normal pods that eventually shriveled up, these larger ones kept expanding, as if they were absorbing energy from the smaller ones.

It felt as though something was being nurtured inside them.

For a while, I suspected they were incubating some kind of creature.

But when I returned later, those pods were gone.

I can’t shake the fear that whatever emerged from them might be the source of the zombie virus.

I have no proof, just a terrible suspicion.

But if someone could study the Blood Vine, they might uncover the truth.

Third, Yuan Kongye is insane!

Any underage boys who join Bai Xue Jiao are subjected to a "purification ritual."

It’s not a ritual—it’s castration.

I never understood why.

Since we arrived here, I lived in constant fear that my son would be taken for this ritual.

We were always careful, but in the end, we couldn’t escape.

She’s a monster.

Fourth, I once accidentally witnessed Yuan Kongye murdering a female priest with her own hands.

That woman was someone I trusted. She had always been cautious and never did anything to anger Yuan Kongye.

But that day, I saw Yuan Kongye grip her by the throat and strangle her to death.

I don’t know if this information will be of any use to you.

My son is dead. And I am filled with grief.

As his father, I have no power to avenge him.

But if one day, the opportunity presents itself, I hope this information will help you.

After finishing the letter, Yang Xinxin slowly lifted her head to look at Zhang Yi.

Only now did she truly understand why he was so certain that something was deeply wrong with Yuan Kongye.

“If all this is true, then I can finally understand why she’s done everything she has.”

Zhang Yi crossed his arms and spoke calmly.

“Li Jian was closer to Yuan Kongye and Bai Xue Jiao than we ever were. What he sensed is invaluable to us.”

“Taken together, all of this makes it almost certain—Yuan Kongye and Bai Xue Jiao are hiding something massive.”

“The worst-case scenario is exactly as I feared.”

“The so-called Ice Soul is just part of a grand scheme. That ‘generous gift’ was only given to us so she could take something back in return.”

“That’s why she has every reason to plunge Tianhai City into chaos and fill the streets with corpses.”

“The more people die, the faster she can reclaim their abilities.”

“And it’s very possible that this massive zombie crisis was orchestrated by her from the start.”

“If the Jiangnan District forces hadn’t arrived when they did, forcing her to act cautiously, we might already be dead.”

Zhang Yi’s gaze was filled with deep wariness.

If Yuan Kongye truly possessed such terrifying power, then soon, there would be no one in Tianhai City capable of stopping her.

Not even Zhang Yi himself.

Author's Note