Chapter 33: Sharing the Fruits

Ao Xin spent a full half-day in Meng Kui’s room, ensuring his body would not undergo zombification, before bringing him back upstairs.

"Boss, I’ll just stay downstairs; I can rest there."

Ao Xin replied, "You did well. Merit deserves a reward!"

Hearing the word "reward," a fiery glint appeared in Meng Kui’s eyes. Why had the boss been gone for so long if not to hunt for Devil Fruits? Could it be that he, too, was about to receive one? It seemed his hard work over these past few days had not been in vain!

Following Ao Xin upstairs, they found Ao Chen had already changed clothes and washed up with fresh water.

"Xiao Chen, bring out the Devil Fruits. Let’s identify them to see which ones are the best fit."

With Ao Xin’s approval, Ao Chen excitedly retrieved the fruits. Excluding the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, there were four in total! One from the provincial factory, one from the wild mountains, one gifted by Li Hui, and the final one from the orchard.

"Xiao Xin, the identification fee is one thousand per fruit. Four thousand for all four—isn't that too expensive?" Zhang Hong felt that spending money on identification was unnecessary. Doesn't everyone just eat them as soon as they find them? Over the past few days, she and her husband had gradually grown accustomed to life in the apocalypse and had developed a deep understanding of systems like Devil Fruits and Haki. Thanks to the points Ao Xin had provided, their physical health was excellent! Though they hadn't reached the level of awakening Haki, their spirits felt much younger.

Ao Xin did not find it expensive. "With Xiao Chen, we’ll surely find more fruits than this. Of course, we must eat only the best! Identification is absolutely necessary."

After identifying each of the four fruits, he was pleasantly surprised to find that they were all quite impressive! By "impressive," he meant there wasn't a single common Zoan type among them. There was one Paramecia and three Zoans:

Paramecia: Stitch-Stitch Fruit!
Zoan: Cow-Cow Fruit, Mythical Model: Ao-Hen!
Zoan: Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Model: Mao-Ri-Ji!
Zoan: Cow-Cow Fruit, Ancient Model: Elasmotherium!

Two Mythical Zoans! Ao Xin couldn't help but suspect that the Treasure-Hunting Mouse possessed a hidden attribute that increased luck.

The other Zoan was an Ancient model: Elasmotherium, a giant prehistoric rhinoceros known for its thick hide and a massive, singular horn. It was easy to imagine that this form would provide the user with immense strength and defensive capabilities. The Ao-Hen was a legendary beast—described as cow-like with four horns and long fur, said to be born in the netherworld, fond of eating humans, and incredibly ferocious! As for the Mao-Ri-Ji, that was an immortal entity—the Star Lord of the Mao Mansion among the Twenty-Eight Mansions, definitely extraordinary!

The family was overjoyed at the news. They had initially thought it a blessing just to find any Devil Fruit, let alone ones of such high quality.

"Mom, you pick first. Except for the Ancient Zoan, the other three are all excellent." Ao Xin explained, "The Paramecia Stitch-Stitch Fruit can sew anything together. While its direct offensive power isn't high, its ability to trap enemies is invincible. If developed well, it should be no weaker than the String-String Fruit. Of course, I hope you choose one of the Mythical Zoans; in the apocalypse, the body is the foundation, and fruit abilities are merely a bonus."

Zhang Hong did not refuse this time. She now understood that in the apocalypse, her own strength was the greatest help she could provide her son; frugality was meaningless.

"I’ll choose the Stitch-Stitch Fruit," Zhang Hong said, picking it up. "I’ve read quite a few introductions to Devil Fruits these past few days, and this ability is quite good. Since I used to work in the garment industry, I like this power. Your father has been wanting to capture a zombie for research; this fruit will allow him to trap one completely, which will be a great help. The Mythical types should be left for you young people."

Saying this, she swallowed the Paramecia fruit. Having seen Ao Chen and Ao Kang eat them, she knew they tasted terrible, but she was still shocked by just how foul they were! Yet, thinking of the immense effort her children had put into bringing them back, she gritted her teeth and forced it down.

Once the fruit hit her stomach, she felt the change immediately. She grabbed a steel needle from a drawer, and a thin, tiny thread instantly appeared in the eye of the needle. The thread looked short, but she knew its length depended on her stamina! As long as she didn't exhaust herself, the thread was infinitely long. She poked the needle into the tabletop; it pierced through with zero resistance. Then, she crouched down and pierced the floor; it went in just as easily. She had stitched the table to the floor. No matter how Ao Xin tried to move the table, it wouldn't budge. The toughness of the thread was beyond imagination!

However, when Ao Xin transformed into his human-beast form, he was still able to forcefully snap the thread—though the table itself shattered before the thread broke.

It was quite good. As long as his mother practiced her speed, she could easily stitch zombies to the ground and finish them off slowly, or, as she said, use it to assist his father’s research. With both parents now empowered, their combat strength had increased significantly.

Ao Xin then turned to Liu Xiyao and Meng Kui. "The two of you, choose from these remaining fruits. You’ve done well these past few days; this is the reward you deserve."

Liu Xiyao had been caring for his mother, shielding her in battle and tending to her afterward. When the Chen father and son had turned against them, it was she who remained vigilant and killed them. Although she had spoken lightly about it in the Divine Gift space chat, Ao Xin knew she had been injured. For a woman, that was no small feat. As for Meng Kui, it went without saying. To protect his mother, he had been bitten by a zombie; if not for his father’s Surgery-Surgery Fruit ability, he would have been infected.

Ao Xin knew they had their own motives for helping, but that was only natural. He wasn't some charismatic leader whose mere presence made people pledge their loyalty. Rewarding merit and punishing failure was the only way to ensure long-term stability. His only bottom line was that they must never betray him.

The two were stunned. They hadn't expected such a massive reward so soon; it proved their choice was the right one! They had been rescued from a horde of zombies, given a home stocked with food and water, and gifted points to purchase Haki techniques, weapons, and supplies. This was the only reason their strength had skyrocketed. Otherwise, they would likely have died on the highway or be hiding somewhere, struggling to survive.

They exchanged glances. Two Mythical Zoan fruits—the return was billions of times greater than their efforts!