Chapter 102: Snatching Supplies, Space Exposed Again

She had always thought her enemy was Zhu Yunhua. If there was a reborn person, it had to be him, or maybe one of the few people around him who knew the secret of the jade bracelet. Who would have thought, after all the twists and turns, that Sun Buqun would pop up instead?

That Sun guy hadn’t even met her face to face yet—he’d just sent some lackey who probably didn’t know anything about the inside story. What a big move! If he ever ran into her in person, would she even survive?

So, she figured she needed to make some preparations. Strengthening herself was the top priority, but building connections was also necessary. Gu Xu was already a sure thing—she decided she’d stop avoiding him from now on. If she needed to cling to a powerful ally, so be it. She’d help out whenever she could, rack up a thick stack of favors, and maybe one day he’d be her trump card for survival. Besides, she had a mental list of other impressive people, but for now, she was still stuck in this backwater, unable to reach them.

And then, as if heaven-sent, along came Chu Hao.

The number one rich guy in Sucheng, with who knows how much stuff stashed in his spatial ability. He was incredibly generous, and later even managed to befriend some powerful figures. If she didn’t seize this opportunity, wouldn’t she be struck by lightning for wasting it?

Don’t call her scheming—she wasn’t hurting anyone. She’d just run into a future rising star, one who was currently even more down-and-out than she was, and in need of help. Why not wave her hand and make a connection?

But before she could even start building that connection, she’d already gotten herself covered in dust. She realized that this kind of thing was like being a good Samaritan—if it went well, everyone was happy, but if it didn’t, well, it was like a bad smell wafting up from the river—embarrassing for everyone.

Sure enough, when people want something, they get frustrated. If she were still as carefree as before, treating everyone the same, it’d just be, “Hi, Chu Hao. Bye, Chu Hao.” No big deal.

Maybe she was just going about it the wrong way?

While she was still grumbling to herself, a voice called out from behind. Chu Hao came running over, panting, “Miss Bian, you sure walk… fast.”

Bian Changxi’s face immediately shifted to her most proper, serious expression. She asked, feigning surprise, “Why are you chasing after me? Is Chen Guanqing okay? Has Anran been calmed down?”

Chu Hao caught his breath and said helplessly, “Old Six is just like that. If he can’t work things out himself, nothing anyone says will help. Push him too hard and something bad will happen. Anran has Xiao Jin looking after her. Miss Bian, don’t take it to heart. What happened wasn’t your fault. I’ve suggested leaving here several times before, and it’s always the same reaction. I’m at my wit’s end.”

Seeing him like this, Bian Changxi felt a bit sorry for him. If it were someone more heartless, they’d have just left long ago. But he couldn’t bear to leave anyone behind.

It was the situation forcing his hand. If Chu Hao left, Chen Guanqing would completely fall apart, and Granny Gu would only last a few days without anyone to care for her.

She thought to herself that if she were in his shoes, she’d probably be just as conflicted. Hm, looks like she did have a bit of a conscience after all. So, helping Chu Hao find a win-win solution wasn’t entirely fake on her part.

“So, what do you plan to do?” she asked.

Chu Hao gave a bitter smile. “What else can I do? I’ll just prepare as best I can. Are you going to collect supplies first or hunt for crystal cores? Take me with you.” He gripped the long fruit knife in his hand, looking a bit sheepish. “I’m not completely useless. At least I have a spatial ability—I can help collect stuff.”

By the end, his face was red with embarrassment. Letting a girl fight at the front while he hid in the back collecting loot? Just thinking about it made him feel ashamed.

Bian Changxi thought he was pretty pitiful. In any team, support abilities like space, wood, or water were always the most protected, especially space users—if a space user died, all those supplies would go up in smoke. But here he was, having to charge ahead himself, scratching his head for solutions. She once again wondered how he’d managed to survive all the way to Sucheng.

“Let’s collect supplies first. Zombies are everywhere anyway—it’s not like they’re going to run away.”

“Okay. If we’re collecting supplies, I actually know a few places. They’re a bit dangerous, but better than the music plaza. Should we go for food or daily necessities first?”

…

Who said Chu Hao was just a big sucker? He knew about places easier to loot than the music plaza, but Chai Zhong didn’t. Clearly, he was keeping that to himself on purpose. So, he wasn’t just a bleeding heart with no principles after all.

With Chu Hao leading the way, they first went to a rice wholesale shop. Chu Hao said his construction company’s cafeteria bought rice from there, and he’d personally hauled two truckloads before. The shop was in a remote spot, without even a proper storefront, surrounded by low residential buildings—hardly anyone knew about it. Of course, the narrow alleys and zombie-filled houses made it tough to get in.

Bian Changxi checked out the area, then used her old trick: she killed several mutant beasts, dragged their bloody bodies onto the roof, and tossed them down to lure most of the zombies away. Then she jumped down to block the few remaining ones, while Chu Hao dashed into the shop under her cover.

The process went smoothly, but the result was a bit sad.

The warehouse had already been almost completely emptied by people who’d left earlier, and a few fat rats had moved in. There were only two big bags of clean, edible rice left—about fifty kilos.

Bian Changxi comforted Chu Hao, “Fifty kilos isn’t bad. That’ll last a long time. Some people wouldn’t even be able to carry it away if they found it.”

Chu Hao thought about it and perked up. Next, they went to a meat processing plant—same story. In the end, they managed to dig up thirty or forty cans of unexpired, well-packaged meat.

Then they hit a bottled water company. Chu Hao hadn’t wanted to go, since they already had Ye Xiaojin, who could produce endless water. But Bian Changxi told him it was foolish to rely entirely on someone else—especially since she’d had people poached from her before. Who knew if Ye Xiaojin was trustworthy?

Chu Hao found this kind of conspiracy thinking hard to accept, but he still listened to her.

So, as they went along, Chu Hao’s pockets grew heavier and heavier, and Bian Changxi didn’t waste any time either—she kept collecting more and more crystal cores.

Look how nice she was—she only killed zombies and didn’t take any supplies, leaving all the good stuff for Chu Hao. She really was putting others first.

After a while, they finally reached the edge of the music plaza. It was already past three in the afternoon, and both of them were exhausted.

Bian Changxi squinted at the stiff, shuffling shadows and asked, “Are there any shops around here worth checking out?”

Chu Hao was like a living map—he knew every street and alley by heart. Bian Changxi was seriously impressed; by the end, she’d basically stopped paying attention to directions herself.

“There are plenty,” Chu Hao said, his voice dry as he took a sip of water. “But they’re dangerous. Let’s not go. We’ve already gotten plenty today.”

“Just tell me about them.”

Chu Hao gave a wry smile. “Okay. The east side is all clothing, bedding, bags—anything you can think of. There’s a snack street nearby, but everything there must have spoiled by now. The west side is mostly electronics, bikes, e-bikes, music and video stores. In the middle are department stores and big supermarkets, but the convoys probably cleared those out already.”

Bian Changxi nodded. “What about small supermarkets?”

“Small supermarkets? There are a few scattered around.”

Suddenly, Bian Changxi pointed. “Who are those people?”

Chu Hao squinted and saw a group of more than ten people in the distance, led by a guy with a very noticeable bald spot. “That’s Old Baldy!”

“The one Chai Zhong mentioned? Didn’t they say he’d already taken everything worth taking? Why risk coming back here?”

“No idea. Maybe their two space users haven’t filled up yet. But they have a bad habit,” Chu Hao said hesitantly. “Wherever they go, they take what they can, and destroy what they can’t—leave nothing for anyone else.”

Sure enough, Bian Changxi’s eyes widened. How awful!

All those things could have been her future belongings—how could she let them destroy them?

Chu Hao quickly tried to calm her down. “Don’t worry. I heard Old Baldy really wants some solar power equipment, so they’re probably heading to the new solar electronics store on the west side. We don’t need that stuff anyway.”

Solar electronics?!

God knew that was exactly what she wanted most. Not having electricity was such a pain—she could only cook with coal, couldn’t even have candied chestnuts. She’d gotten a washing machine ages ago, but it was just sitting there gathering dust. And once she had milk, she’d need equipment to process it, which also needed electricity. Later on, for threshing rice and making agricultural products, what didn’t need power?

Who knew how long it would be before someone invented machines powered by crystal cores? Solar was way more practical.

No way! She grabbed Chu Hao. “Lead the way—we have to beat them there!”

Chu Hao was inwardly groaning. Where did she get all this energy? “Even if we get there first, I don’t have the strength to pack it all up. I’m dizzy.” He’d used his ability too many times and was already feeling lightheaded and nauseous.

As they hurried along, Bian Changxi shot every zombie in their path with her silenced pistol. Soon, they found the store.

XX Solar Equipment Co., Ltd.

The “XX” was unreadable because the sign had fallen down. The front door had long been smashed open, and a lot of the equipment inside had been stolen or destroyed. But the huge store still had plenty of display samples: solar panels, solar water heaters, solar-powered fridges and air conditioners, solar camping lights, solar chargers, solar gadgets—you name it.

Bian Changxi’s eyes sparkled. Seeing Old Baldy’s group about to round the corner, she waved her left hand, and a dozen vines shot out, grabbing all the appliances—some still on their shelves, which she took whole. With a whoosh, all the appliances and vines vanished into thin air. In an instant, the shop was empty except for the junk on the floor. It was like magic.

Chu Hao stared at her, speechless, his finger pointing at her for a long time, unable to say a word."