Chapter 118: Storms, the Spokesperson for Diplomacy

(from *Restarting the Farm at the End of the World*)

Bian Changxi tore the waterproof tarp into strips as wide as her palm, then began wrapping An Ran’s legs from the ankles upward. She kept the joints a bit loose so as not to hinder movement, and didn’t miss the waist or arms either. Who knew if those strange bugs might burrow through skin? This was all for insect protection.

Next, she cut and stitched foam blocks into a makeshift life vest, using thin vines for sewing. She worked quickly, getting An Ran ready, then put a safety helmet on her—she’d collected a lot of safety helmets and motorcycle helmets, since you could always use that sort of thing. She then swiftly geared herself up as well.

Chu Hao grabbed the door handle. “I’m opening the door!”

They’d already stowed everything away in their spatial storage. Chu Hao held a steel trident in one hand and carried An Ran with the other. Bian Changxi had Milk (the cat) perched on her shoulder and gripped her Tang sword. “Go ahead.”

As soon as the door opened, a torrent of water surged in. When they stepped out onto the ground, the water was already up to their waists—clearly, this spot was a catchment area. Chu Hao had no choice but to carry An Ran on his back. Bian Changxi pressed her hand to the car and put it away, then sent out a vine to collect the other four vehicles. The group waded through the water to regroup. Looking around, all they could see was a vast expanse of murky, yellowish water stretching to the horizon. Only a few higher spots poked out as muddy mounds; otherwise, it was all water or treetops, just like a flood disaster scene.

The road they were on wound down from a hillside, its surface full of potholes. Rainwater from upstream had merged into a rushing river. They’d parked near the edge, and now, clinging to the slope and looking up, Chai Zhong said, “Let’s climb up.”

He’d barely finished speaking when a large rock tumbled down. Bald Qiang, quick-eyed and quick-handed, raised his arm and the rock hit him with a clang, as if striking solid steel, before sliding into the water and splashing everyone’s faces.

Chai Zhong quickly thanked him. Bald Qiang just waved it off like it was nothing, glancing at his arm, which only had a faint scratch. He thought to himself, No wonder I’m a Tier 2 Enhanced Ability User now. If I run into one of those clawed mutant beasts again, I probably won’t get scratched anymore. Thinking about it, he felt grateful all over again for exchanging all his colored cores with Bian Changxi for white ones—real strength in your own hands is what matters most.

“This place looks like it could have a landslide. I think we should leave,” Chen Guanqing said, also noticing the barely-there scratch on Bald Qiang’s arm, his eyes lighting up. After much effort, he could now absorb energy from white cores, though not efficiently. Advancing to Tier 2 was still a distant goal, but he could sense that Tier 2 was a whole new realm, not just two Tier 1s added together.

What man doesn’t dream of being a hero? The thrill of advancing and the power that comes with it easily stirs the heart. He suppressed his excitement and looked up, speaking.

Bian Changxi nodded. It wasn’t just the mountain that was a problem—the bamboo up there looked off too. “We should go. Isn’t there an overpass over there? Let’s head for that.”

They waded through the water. The ground was littered with obstacles; in some depressions, even on tiptoe you couldn’t reach the surface. Sometimes, you just had to close your eyes and swim for it.

Once under the overpass, Bian Changxi fashioned a soft ladder from vines, and everyone climbed up one by one, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Looking out from their makeshift shelter, they saw that the spot they’d just left was the lowest point—nowhere else had water as deep.

Suddenly, Bian Changxi felt an itch on her neck. She reached up and pulled off something soft and squishy—it turned out to be a worm-like creature. Everyone immediately checked themselves and found all sorts of disgusting things: giant earthworms, leeches, even multi-headed bugs, enough to give anyone goosebumps. Cries of “Oh my god!” rang out. Thankfully, they’d taken precautions; otherwise, being bitten by these things would be more than just gross.

Chai Zhong’s buddy, Wu Xia—the one whose leg had been torn up and saved by Bian Changxi—gathered up the bugs and tossed them off the bridge back into the water. Bian Changxi brought out the vehicles again, and Chen Guanqing led everyone in setting up tarps between them. The glass windows they’d repaired earlier came in handy. The super-strong Chai Zhong moved things around, using tables, cabinets, and suitcases to block the wind and rain. Everyone huddled under the tarp for shelter.

They stripped off what wet clothes they could. Those with spare clothes changed; those without, or unwilling to use their last dry set, hung their wet clothes on ropes. George, the air ability user, conjured columns of air to act as blowers, trying to dry everything out.

“This damn weather!”

“When will this rain ever stop?”

“All our stuff got soaked—who knows if it’s still edible?” Everyone sighed.

“How far are we from the base?” Chu Hao asked the key question.

Bian Changxi pulled out the map and pointed at the highway. “Head north for another two kilometers—once we’re through that tunnel, we’ll be in Sucheng territory. See, that tunnel over there? You can just make it out from here. But we’re still not at the base yet.”

Everyone gazed at the faintly visible tunnel entrance, feeling a bit defeated. It was only two kilometers, but with the road in ruins and water everywhere, it would take ages to walk, let alone wade. Seven days had passed, and they hadn’t even glimpsed their destination—what a mess.

Bian Changxi was helpless too. She’d hoped to get through the tunnel today, spend the night near Sucheng, and look for the base tomorrow. She didn’t remember the route to the base exactly, but finding it wouldn’t be hard—at most, two days. Who could have predicted this torrential rain?

The cold wind and rain, with wet clothes clinging to their skin, chilled them to the bone. An Ran, shivering, clung to Bian Changxi’s waist, her lips purple. Bian Changxi stroked her wet hair. “Are you very cold?” She asked Chu Hao to help lay a wooden board by the car, covered it with a straw mat and blanket, then took out a solar heater and aimed it at An Ran.

Chu Hao helpfully held up a cloth so Bian Changxi could help An Ran change into dry clothes.

Everyone watched with envy.

If anyone here had the most resources, it was undoubtedly Bian Changxi. Not only did she have plenty of crystal cores, but any cores that needed exchanging or distributing always went through her—no one knew how much she really had. She also had the most supplies. When the sun was out, she had sun hats, sunglasses, chiffon capes, bamboo mats, and ice pillows, all under a giant parasol. While the others rationed every drop of water, she washed up freely. While they ate plain biscuits, she could cook silver ear and lotus seed soup. The knives they used to kill zombies became her kitchen knives—she had cleavers, chef’s knives, meat knives, and even a full set of chopsticks, spoons, and forks, all neatly organized.

It wasn’t that she was spoiled—she never shirked hard work or hardship—but compared to everyone else’s desperate scramble, always lacking this or that, she seemed completely prepared. She always knew exactly what was needed and rarely found herself at a loss. Her quality of life was top-notch, making others so jealous they couldn’t even muster resentment.

Bian Changxi seemed born for this kind of migration, for this wild, adventurous life.

Just a little help from her was enough to benefit anyone, but unfortunately, she was only really kind to An Ran, and to a lesser extent, Chu Hao—but Chu Hao had his own spatial ability and never took advantage. He barely took anything from Bian Changxi, wasting such a valuable resource, which made others secretly gnash their teeth.

So when it came to things like changing clothes and using the heater, all the others could do was watch enviously. If you weren’t sick or injured, she wouldn’t bother with a bunch of grown men.

An Ran basked in the warmth of the heater, her cheeks flushed as Bian Changxi helped her smooth out the new thermal underwear. She glanced at Bian Changxi, then at Milk, who was sprawled on the blanket, happily letting the heater dry her fur. Even with the storm raging outside, An Ran felt blissfully happy. Once her hands and feet were warm and she could move again, she hurried to dress herself. Suddenly, she froze and said to Bian Changxi, “Sister Bian, someone’s coming.”

Someone?

“They’re on the water, coming by boat—four men and two women,” An Ran said, closing her eyes. “Three of the men are ability users, and one of the women too. The rest are ordinary people.”

An Ran’s ability was finally starting to show—not the danger-sensing Bian Changxi had hoped for, but the ability to sense humans. She could sketch out the scene in her mind, distinguish between ability users and ordinary people, living or dead, and even sense when someone was about to use their powers. She could do the same with mutant plants and animals, though less clearly.

Although this ability seemed a bit underwhelming, Bian Changxi always believed there were no useless powers—just people who didn’t know how to develop or use them. Like now: before anyone else noticed, An Ran had already warned them, better than any surveillance camera.

After saying this, An Ran was breathing heavily. Bian Changxi quickly told her to stop sensing—she was still too young and inexperienced with her power.

She helped An Ran into rain pants and boots, draped a raincoat over her, then walked to the edge of the bridge and looked around. After a while, she spotted a small hovercraft weaving through the treetops, carrying four men and two women. They were paddling frantically, glancing fearfully behind and below them, as if something was chasing them.

Bian Changxi had sharp eyes and thought one of the men looked familiar.

When the group on the boat saw people on the bridge, they shouted, “Look, there are people up there!”

“Hey, friends! Please help us—can we come up?”

The ten or so people on the bridge looked at each other, then all turned to Chu Hao. Chu Hao pulled a face. “Fine, I’ll go.”

He put on his helmet and trudged out from under the tarp, bracing himself against the wind and rain, muttering, “Great, I’m the spokesperson for diplomacy now.”

Over the past seven days, they’d run into other survivors—some in even worse shape. Chu Hao always felt compelled to help, though he wasn’t a bleeding heart. If the group objected, he wouldn’t bother. But the usually aloof Bian Changxi always backed him up, so no one else had grounds to refuse. With Bian Changxi’s support, resources weren’t an issue, and a friendly attitude avoided a lot of trouble—why not?

Chu Hao himself was happy to help, but lately, he was starting to feel something was off.

Thank you to “Dreamy Danube” for a pink ticket!

Thank you to “Happy Tomato” for a pink ticket!

Thank you to “Reed’s Smile” for a pink ticket!

Thank you to “Lotus with Willow” for a pink ticket!

Thank you to “Su Yanjin” for a safety charm!

Everyone’s so enthusiastic, I’m really touched! Changxi will reach the base soon. Also, don’t underestimate Wen Mingli’s combat power—she’s definitely not just a seductress! Please note, she’s not fighting alone—she’s not alone in this battle!"