After thinking for a while about how to deal with the two giant pythons coiled sluggishly on the floor, Jing Shu decided to toss them into her Rubik's Cube Space. Honestly, they were kind of useless to her now. They were far too big to be practical in a sudden fight, and if she ever pulled a few massive snakes out of nowhere, even her own teammates would be shocked or suspicious. A few little snakes might pass as wild ones she had found, but giant ones falling from the sky? No way.
Besides, she already had her pit vipers stored away. They were great for brewing snake wine or making savory soup, and they bred much faster too.
These two pythons were just big, bulky, and took up too much room. What a waste. Maybe when she had some free time, she could kill them and eat the meat instead. The gallbladders could probably be used for medicine, at least.
She had come to America to collect valuable supplies, not drag along two heavy freeloaders. Still, Jing Shu couldn't quite bring herself to abandon them in this hellish hold, so she sighed and put them into the space anyway, watching their massive forms vanish into the void.
"Let's just keep them for now. Who knows, maybe they will come in handy someday."
She didn't expect that they actually would.
After cleaning up the area and ensuring no evidence of her presence remained, Jing Shu exited through another narrow passage. The livestock here weren't really useful to her, and there weren't nearly as many types as back in China. But as she walked, her nose led her until she somehow ended up in the seafood section, where she found several species she hadn't collected yet.
There were mantis shrimp clicking in their tanks, massive king crabs, slimy sea cucumbers, prickly sea urchins, orange-fleshed salmon, and snapping Boston lobsters. Every one of them was premium seafood. Without hesitation, she scooped them all into her space, water and all.
"I heard lobsters taste better the bigger they get. Once I'm back, I will raise them a bit more and have a big feast with my family."
Before the apocalypse, she had only ever seen lobsters this huge on TV. Now, in this resource-starved world, she could actually harvest so many rare foods through her Cube Space. It filled her with pure satisfaction. Sea urchins especially; she had never eaten those before but had always heard they were delicious.
By the time she finished checking out the live poultry section, nothing else caught her eye. She pulled out her room card and made her way toward the fourth deck of the cruise ship.
That's when the headache started, a dull throb behind her eyes. To reach the fourth deck, she had to scan her card at multiple checkpoints, and every corridor was guarded by men with heavy guns slung over their shoulders. Practically every suite had bodyguards stationed outside, their faces grim. Peggy's room, of course, would have her own private guards and servants posted at the door.
It wasn't exactly a fortress, but still, everyone was armed. If she got caught, it would be a real mess.
Now the question was: how could she sneak into Peggy's room without anyone noticing her?
Just as Jing Shu was hesitating at the entrance to the fourth deck, a patrol team of armed soldiers came marching past, their boots clicking on the floor. Her heart pounded hard against her ribs. Damn it, she didn't even speak the language fluently. This was the kind of moment when knowing a foreign tongue would have really helped. What should she do? Pretend? Run? Or just go all in, kill them, and loot everything they had?
While she was still debating, the soldiers walked right past her. They were expressionless, acting like she wasn't even there.
Jing Shu froze. Did they just treat her like a piece of furniture?
Wait a second.
A strange, tingly feeling surged through her body, the faint energy of a newly awakened ability she hadn't quite adapted to yet. Her traditional illusion skill had vanished completely, replaced by something new—something called Phantom Bypass.
She raised her hands and stared at them in the dim light. The more she focused, the more she realized she couldn't actually see them clearly. It was like her hands were fading from existence, turning into a blur of light and shadow.
Her new ability wasn't something she had to control consciously; it had become part of her. She now walked the world as something half-real, half-not.
"Phantom Bypass" sounded fancy, but in simpler terms, she had basically turned into a transparent person. She had gained invisibility.
It was the evolved form of her illusion—a perfect merge with her surroundings, going far beyond simple reflections or misdirection. To everyone else, it was like she didn't exist at all. Their eyes would just slide past her unconsciously, never registering her form. Her presence had become so faint that people instinctively ignored her.
America had those famous stealth jets that could go invisible by altering the way light reflected off their metal surfaces. Her ability worked on the same principle, except hers was way cooler.
Once she realized that, her confidence skyrocketed. She strolled through the fourth deck openly, her footsteps silent on the carpet. The guards chatting by the doors, the ones eating sandwiches—all of them completely ignored her.
She easily found Peggy's private suite, swiped the card, and walked in. Even the bodyguard at the door didn't stop her. In fact, one of them looked right at her. She nearly jumped out of her skin, only for him to casually step aside and let her pass as if he were simply clearing a path for the air.
That's when it hit her just how badass this new power was. Did this mean she could now do whatever she wanted?
Peggy's suite was huge, decorated with gold leaf and heavy velvet. The place was stacked with luggage from the black market—piles of designer clothes, glittering jewelry, expensive cosmetics, and luxury goods.
Half the room was stocked with expensive alcohol: rows of red wines, amber whiskies, and rare spirits. Jing Shu picked out a dozen crates and tossed them into her space, the wood of the boxes disappearing instantly. Grandpa Jing and her dad would love these. Oh, and she had heard that Niu Mou and Li Yutian liked to drink too.
She ignored all the stuff she didn't care about and picked out what caught her interest. Then she found something that really made her eyes light up: three massive boxes full of processed diamonds, sparkling under the chandeliers. Peggy must have been hoarding them as her personal stash.
Diamonds weren't just luxury items anymore; they were vital for creating artificial suns and other new energy sources. They would be an essential currency in the future. Without hesitation, Jing Shu took the whole lot. Combined with the uncut stones she had already collected from the mines, she now had several cubic meters of diamonds; plenty to set herself up when the new energy age began.
In the apocalypse's version of America, weapons ranked at the very top of the luxury list. Peggy's collection didn't disappoint; her study was practically an armory.
"High-precision sniper rifles used by Navy SEALs, panoramic night vision goggles, anti-tank missiles..." Jing Shu recognized some of them from her training, but not all. Either way, she didn't bother being picky. She swept everything into her Cube Space—every last bullet and magazine—until it was almost full. At least she wouldn't have to worry about running out of weapons for the next few years.
After making sure she hadn't missed anything valuable, she walked out of the room casually and even wandered around a few more spots on the deck to see if there was anything else worth stealing.
When she finally returned to her room on the first deck, though, she realized her teammates were gone.
===
The text mention about the ability is 2 times, one is "虚无", "缥缈" and the other is in one sentence 虚无缥缈.
So the first one is basically tell the concept and the other one is the 'name'.
虚无 (xūwú):
Literal Meaning: "Nothingness," "void," "nonexistence."
Philosophical Context: In Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, this refers to the fundamental, formless state from which all things arise. It's not just empty space, but the potential for all things.
I use Nullity (for 虚无): This is a powerful and absolute term for nothingness. It means the quality or state of being nothing, a non-entity. This perfectly captures the "being overlooked/erased" aspect of her ability. She achieves a state of nullity in others' perception.
缥缈 (piāomiǎo):
Literal Meaning: "Ethereal," "illusory," "misty and barely visible," "intangible."
Philosophical Context: It describes something so elusive and insubstantial that it seems to be an illusion, like a mirage or a dream. It's the quality of being real yet unreachable, present yet intangible.
I use Phantasm (for 缥缈): This means a deceptive or illusory appearance, a figment of the imagination. It captures the elusive, unreal, and ghostly quality of her presence.
As for the ability name, I use "Phantom Bypass" because:
Phantom: Captures the "缥缈" aspect of being an intangible, ghost-like, illusory presence.
Bypass: Captures the "虚无" aspect and the ultimate function. She doesn't just turn invisible; she causes the consciousness of others to bypass or skip over her existence entirely. She is "nullified" in their perception.
Natural in English: It sounds like a natural ability name in English.
Describes the Effect: It perfectly aligns with the description: "在别人眼里的世界却无意识的忽略了她" ("To everyone else, it was like she didn't exist at all. Their eyes would just slide past her unconsciously.").
Together, "Nullity" and "Phantasm" are the philosophical pillars that form the ability "Phantom Bypass." "Nullity" is the effect (becoming a non-entity), and "Phantasm" is the method (being perceived as an illusory figment).