Chapter 112: Searching, In Front of the Base Gates

By the time everyone arrived at the town’s kindergarten, night had completely fallen. The kindergarten was pitch-dark and deserted. Bian Changxi switched on a solar camping lamp at the gatehouse, keeping an eye on An Ran as well, while the others spread out to search the area.

“No sign of trouble.”

“All clear.”

Once everyone regrouped, they chose two adjacent classrooms on the first floor. Bian Changxi, Chu Hao, Chen Guanqing, George, and An Ran took one room; Chai Zhong and his seven brothers took the other.

“Let’s make a fire and cook something.” They cleared out sleeping space, pushed the desks and chairs together, and Chu Hao took a small gas canister and single-burner stove from his storage space, planning to make some red bean porridge and boil water for tea, to go with some bread and crackers for a filling meal.

Before he could start, one of Chai Zhong’s brothers waved to him from outside. “Brother Chu, what about our stuff…?” All their gear was still in Chu Hao’s storage.

Chen Guanqing took over for him. “Go ahead, I’ll handle things here.”

He rolled up his sleeves, added water and beans, and got to work with practiced skill.

Bian Changxi, meanwhile, had somehow found some festive ribbons and tied two camping lanterns to the windows, placing two more on the tables, lighting up the room nicely. She watched as Chen Guanqing, after cooking the porridge, squatted down to wash the dishes. These were all new bowls she and Chu Hao had scavenged, but they were dusty. She noticed how carefully he used the water, going through the whole process with meticulous attention, and couldn’t help but comment, “You must have been great at housework before, huh?”

Chu Hao was used to roughing it—he could leave dirty bowls for three days and still use them without batting an eye. George was all thumbs in this area, so she’d assumed she’d have to handle most of the chores herself.

Chen Guanqing smiled. “When I was doing my master’s, I rented my own place. There weren’t many restaurants nearby, so I started cooking for myself, and after a while, I got the hang of it.” (Actually, it was mainly because Xiao Ai complained that outside food was terrible. They’d set up a kitchen, vowing to spoil their taste buds, but after three days, she lost interest, and he ended up doing all the cooking.)

Thinking back on those days, his gaunt face softened. George, who had always found this skinny, quiet guy a bit intimidating, couldn’t help but join in, “Wouldn’t have guessed! That’s great—now we don’t have to worry about meals anymore.”

Ever since the women in the group had either died or left, he’d been worried about food—he instinctively overlooked Bian Changxi, who was definitely not the type to play nanny for everyone.

Chen Guanqing didn’t mind. “Sure, but you’re in charge of ingredients?”

“No problem. I’ll go hunting tomorrow. Is there anything I can help with now…?”

Bian Changxi quietly watched them chat, smiling a little. She brought out a full bucket of water for them to use—by now, everyone knew she had water, but since she always brought it out in buckets and basins, they assumed she’d just stockpiled a lot early on. Bian Changxi didn’t correct them; compared to being someone with an endless supply of water (which would be too suspicious), it was safer to be seen as someone with a limited reserve. That way, people wouldn’t become too dependent and slack off.

She poured water into two basins and waved, “An Ran, come wash your face.” At the same time, she grabbed Milk (the cat) to clean the mud off its paws.

While the atmosphere here was harmonious, things next door were a bit tense. After a while, Chu Hao came back looking conflicted and said, “Guangtou Qiang is sitting all alone in one classroom. Chai Zhong probably felt sorry for him and invited him over to eat, but his brothers weren’t happy about it.” He paused. “Should we bring them something?”

“Oh?” Chen Guanqing asked, “Why are they upset?”

“Because there’s not enough food, of course.” Chu Hao, who was well aware of Chai Zhong’s supplies, explained, “What they have isn’t enough for eight people for three days, and now there’s another mouth to feed. No wonder some of them are unhappy.”

“So why should we give them anything?”

“Well, we have fewer people and more supplies…”

Chen Guanqing shook his head. “That logic doesn’t hold. Just because we’re better off, we have to help those who aren’t? If that were the case, there’d be no rich or poor in the world. Besides, you say we have a lot of supplies, but who knows how long this journey will take? Like Miss Bian said, when we get to Sucheng, we’ll need resources for connections and settling down. We have to budget carefully. Ah Hao, you should stop worrying about other people’s problems.”

His words were a bit harsh, but that was only because they were close; he wouldn’t have spoken so bluntly to anyone else.

Bian Changxi agreed with Chen Guanqing’s point, but his cold, matter-of-fact tone made her frown. She was about to speak when she suddenly realized something important: Chen Guanqing was no longer depressed—he was even thinking about the future. That meant he’d never let Chu Hao keep playing the good guy. But then, what about Sucheng’s number one rich guy?

If Chu Hao stopped being the “wealthy Chu,” where would his network come from? Wasn’t that the whole reason she’d teamed up with him in the first place?

If he started listening to Chen Guanqing in everything, he’d just be another ordinary spatial ability user—nothing special at all.

Ah, what a miscalculation!

She saw Chu Hao hesitate, wanting to say something but holding back. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “So how did Chai Zhong react?”

“He stuck to his guns and warmly invited Guangtou Qiang to join them.”

“There you go.” Bian Changxi lowered her voice as she dried Milk’s paws. “They’re putting on a show. Guangtou Qiang isn’t completely out of supplies—he can hold out for a while, but once he runs out, he’ll have to turn to others for help. Of the five of us, four have abilities, so he won’t mess with us; he’ll go for the softer target, Chai Zhong. Since they’re going to get taken advantage of anyway, Chai Zhong figures he might as well make the first move. But whether this gesture is genuine goodwill or a calculated move to win favor, there’s a big difference.”

Chu Hao was stunned for a moment, then relaxed. “So we really don’t need to get involved, right?”

“Of course not. What right do we have to meddle in other people’s business?” Bian Changxi glanced at Chen Guanqing. “But we did come to the kindergarten thanks to Guangtou Qiang’s tip. We should at least thank him.” She produced two cans of eight-treasure porridge. “Could you give these to Guangtou Qiang for me?”

You can’t be a pushover, but you can’t be cold and heartless either. She believed that as long as Chu Hao wasn’t brainwashed, he’d still be creative and resourceful.

Sure enough, Chu Hao happily went off to deliver the food. He’d wanted to help but was afraid his companions would accuse him of wasting supplies. As expected, Chen Guanqing objected immediately, but with Bian Changxi’s suggestion, he could help someone, avoid getting caught up in Guangtou Qiang and Chai Zhong’s drama, and still come across as grateful and friendly rather than soft and easy to bully. It was perfect.

He believed Miss Bian’s main intention was to help Guangtou Qiang—after all, the guy was injured, carrying only a small backpack, and looked pretty pitiful.

As soon as Chu Hao left, Chen Guanqing sighed. “Miss Bian, my old classmate is usually pretty sharp, but when he sees someone in trouble, he can’t help but think of himself back then and gets soft-hearted. We can’t let that get out of hand.”

Bian Changxi shook her head. “Being a pushover is bad, but I think Chu Hao has a good sense of boundaries. Don’t you think it’s good to keep a bit of that softness?”

Chen Guanqing thought for a moment. “You’re right.”

After dinner, they discussed plans for the next day and went to bed early. From tonight on, they’d take turns keeping watch. Bian Changxi volunteered for the first shift—she knew that tonight, most of the mutated plants, animals, and zombies would be resting up for tomorrow’s mass strengthening, so things would be unusually quiet. As long as nothing major happened, there wouldn’t be any real danger, so she could use the opportunity to enter her “space” (her ability), since there’d be no other time for it.

She took a chair and sat at the classroom door with Milk in her arms, facing the pitch-black courtyard. The playground equipment was just a blur in the darkness, and the wind made eerie noises as it blew through.

On Chai Zhong’s side, a skinny young guy whom Bian Changxi didn’t know was on watch. He wore two long-sleeved shirts and a hooded vest, shivering in the cold, but grinned at her.

Bian Changxi handed him a men’s cotton jacket. “Put this on. If you get too cold, the second half of the night will be miserable. I’m going to check the area—could you keep an eye on this classroom for me?”

The young man nodded gratefully. “Sure! Go ahead. If anything happens, I’ll shout right away.”

“Thanks.” Bian Changxi slipped into the darkness, looked around, and entered her space.

That same night, hundreds of miles away at the base, the city walls towered and the gates were tightly shut. But at the foot of the walls, tents and makeshift shelters crowded together, or survivors just huddled with their bundles in the open. The wind was colder and stronger than usual. Everyone wore every piece of clothing they had, faces weathered and anxious. Those who managed to sleep curled up into tight balls, sniffling even in their dreams. The sleepless ones stared at the faint stars, cursing, or gazed into the murky distance, praying to survive the night, hoping to get inside the city tomorrow—maybe rent a room, or at least find a corner to set up a little shelter, anything better than being stranded out here.

Suddenly, two figures appeared in the distance.

The one in front, wearing a long coat that billowed in the wind, stood tall and straight like a sword—even in the darkness, his presence was unmistakable: strong, composed, and resolute, with a will of iron. His sharp gaze swept over the survivors to his right, looking at each one as if searching for someone, unwilling to overlook anyone.

ps:

Little Gu was feeling lonely, so I brought him out for a stroll—throwing flowers~\/~lalala

Thanks to *Pirate Luffy* for a pink ticket!

Sorry for the late update tonight. This situation will last a few more days—I’m using a holiday broadband plan, and it’s not installed yet. Even after installation, it won’t be active until July 1st. Luckily, there’s an internet café near my house (thank you, internet café). Please bear with me, everyone. I’ll keep updating as best I can. Love you all!"