I was completely stunned.

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand."

"Where didn't you understand?" Ma Zao asked.

"Wait a second, wait a second..." I gestured with my hands as if signaling for a pause.

To be clear, I considered myself to have a strong capacity for accepting things, and I had already mentally prepared myself to unconditionally accept whatever strange identity or background she might reveal, no matter how unbelievable it might be.

Even if she claimed she had uncovered dark, top-secret government or corporate documents and was being hunted by countless assassins, or if she said she was an artificial super-powered being who escaped from some mysterious research facility—just like some scenes in fantasy stories—I wouldn't be unable to try to think from her perspective and believe her for now.

But time travel, the end of civilization, the apocalypse?

Isn't the scope of your narrative jumping a bit too far all of a sudden? Wasn't I holding a script for an urban legend or a crime thriller? This feels more like one of those sci-fi disaster blockbusters I used to watch... I mean, are we really not going to see some villain from the future show up, trying to kill her or assassinate some important person from this era, like a terrifying rogue robot?

Moreover, as someone who has supposedly traveled through time, shouldn't she be keeping her secrets, using the priceless future information to maximize her own benefits? Or maybe it's just that I've read too many web novels to think that way—perhaps someone who hasn't been steeped in web novel culture wouldn't think of that immediately?

I might as well let her continue with her story. Even if she's just making up a tale to amuse me, at least she'll have to come up with a story that can serve as some entertainment. I'll just treat it like I'm listening to a storyteller. As for the class today, I'll just text the school to ask for leave. Classes can be attended anytime, but this kind of magical conversation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"How many days ago did you travel here?" I asked first.

"If I only slept one night, then it was yesterday," she responded quickly, as if not making it up on the spot.

"You mentioned the 'apocalypse' earlier, so what exactly is it like?" I asked again. "Is it a virus that turns people into zombies and has spread worldwide? Or did a small asteroid fall from the sky, or has a nuclear war finally broken out?"

She must have picked up on my skepticism, but for some reason, she chose to continue with the topic.

Compared to when she first tried to ambush me by pretending to be asleep, her attitude had somehow softened.

"The cause of the apocalypse, and how human civilization fought against it... I don’t know any of that. Since I became aware, the world has already been in the age of the apocalypse. For a long time, I even thought the world was always supposed to be like that..." She briefly revealed a sense of nostalgia, but quickly concealed it, patiently continuing, "The biggest difference between the world now and the world of the apocalypse is the space-time—time and space in the apocalyptic world are distorted, and survivors are always at risk of encountering strange and bizarre phenomena.

"Moreover, there are numerous powerful monsters roaming around. Even though there are blessed monks among humans, they still can't reclaim lost territory, let alone revive human civilization. All they can do is slowly march toward decline, and the way of life becomes more twisted as they do."

I didn't expect it to be a magical post-apocalyptic story rather than a sci-fi disaster blockbuster... As I listened, my ears caught a certain term that I couldn't ignore.

"'Blessed monks'—what are those?"

"They would be something like 'superpowered individuals' in terms of this era?" She answered vaguely.

"So there are indeed superpowered individuals in this era?"

"Probably... I've heard there are some... but unlike the apocalyptic era, the superpowered individuals in this era seem to be low-profile."

"Does that mean their numbers are small in this era, but after the apocalypse, they increased rapidly due to some factor?" I connected it to many post-apocalyptic novels I’d seen online.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"No... although I can't be sure about the exact numbers, I've heard that they have a very large influence in this era..." It was clear that the topic had shifted to an area she wasn’t familiar with, and she could no longer respond as confidently as before. Her tone became hesitant. "As for why they are low-profile, I don’t know... maybe there are certain taboos or rules. When I arrived in this era yesterday, I tried to gather information about them, but I couldn't find anything right away."

If she could have found it right away, that would be strange. I've visited many famous mountains and scenic spots to meet immortals and spirits, and have even probed many fortune tellers and feng shui masters who like to play tricks with supernatural claims. I’ve investigated countless urban legends, only to return empty-handed each time.

Does such a large superpowered faction really exist in this era? Even if there are certain taboos or rules, I would have stumbled upon it at least once, right?

Was she really lying to me?

I swallowed my words, noticing that the topic had veered in another direction, so I decided to pull it back.

"Since you're a time traveler, what method did you use to travel to this era?"

"You misunderstood... It wasn’t some special method that brought me to this era. I don’t even know why I ended up here. The last thing I did in my time was trying to escape from the clutches of the Great Demon with my friend..." At this point, a lonely expression appeared on her face. "But the power gap between me and the Great Demon was too vast. No matter where we ran, we would always be caught. In the end, I tried to use a spatial transfer, taking my friend along for one last struggle, but for some reason, I ended up here in this era, while my friend... I don’t know where they are... It must have been my fault..."

"—Hmm?" I caught a crucial point. "You? Power gap? Spatial transfer?"

"Right... I forgot to mention," she pointed to her chest, "I am the 'Blessed Monk' I mentioned earlier."

"So, you have superpowers?"

"Yes."

"To be honest, I can't believe a single word of what you just said. Suddenly talking about the end-of-the-world era, it just sounds like pure fantasy." I admitted.

"I figured as much." She nodded without surprise.

"But since you have superpowers, everything should be easier," I said, focusing intently on her. "If you can show me at least one instance of your power in front of me, I'll believe you. I'll believe whatever you say."

I was being sincere.

However, she fell into silence, seemingly hesitant about whether she should answer honestly.

After a moment, she finally replied with difficulty, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"When I was escaping the Great Demon, my soul was burned. After coming to this era, I forced myself to use the blessing—my superpower—and that worsened the damage to my soul," she said through gritted teeth. "Earlier, when you were talking to the police, I tried to use my power in the room, but I couldn't do it."

It seemed that admitting her weakness in front of me was something she felt very reluctant to do.

"If you're saying this, then I can't trust you," I said. "And after all, why would you tell me, an outsider, such an important thing?"

At the beginning, she was all sharp edges, her tone domineering and aggressive, showing me an intimidating posture.

But now, despite still maintaining an obvious wariness and distance toward me, she was willing to spend a lot of effort and words, answering each of my questions with what seemed like a lack of guile, as if she were sincerely trying to be forthcoming.

I couldn't figure out what kind of mental process she had gone through. Was it because I had sheltered her in front of the police? Or was it because my performance as a "good guy" and my lines had been so convincing that even her cold and suspicious heart had been touched?

She answered my question again.

"Actually, it's not that complicated. Although I don't know why I came to this era, I've thought it through. If my time travel holds any significant meaning, then perhaps it's to stop the apocalypse from happening in this era." She became serious. "As for the message of the impending apocalypse, I must warn more people about it, and you are just the first. I wanted to test how someone 'living before the apocalypse' would react to my prophecy, so I can gain the trust of more people in the future."

"Well, now you've tested the result. As long as you use your superpower, most people will at least believe half of it. Too bad you can't use it." I threw a small jab at her.

"Hmph..." Upon hearing that, her expression soured, and she immediately retorted, "Say whatever you want. Anyway, I've got nothing else to do with you. I'm leaving now, I don't have time to keep accompanying..."

While speaking, she tried to push herself up from the bed, but suddenly her body weakened, and she collapsed.

Many people with low blood pressure or low blood sugar experience dizziness when they stand up too quickly after squatting, and her symptoms were quite similar, if not worse. I quickly rushed over to support her soft and petite body, but she had already fainted again.

What a troublesome person.

I laid her down on the bed, then sat down at the desk, looking at her innocent and cute face while reflecting on the apocalyptic information she had shared earlier.

The apocalypse, time travel, blessed monks, and superpowered individuals...

In my view, Ma Zao didn’t quite fit the stereotypical image of a "cold-blooded, cruel, and selfish survivor of the apocalypse" that I had in mind. She was more like a mysterious and strong-willed young woman with unusual personality traits. "Apocalypse" and "time travel" sounded like pure fantasy, and I couldn’t immediately believe that such "settings" could exist in reality.

However, I did believe that "superpowered individuals" could exist in real life.

My friend's past words resurfaced in my mind.

— Since you've never seen true supernatural powers, why have you been investigating ghost stories and legends all this time?

— There has to be some positive feedback... some related evidence or clues to keep you going, right?

Yes, I do.

I have clues and evidence that supernatural powers really exist.

That evidence is myself.

I am a person with superpowers.