Chapter 119: Monsters, People from the Tunnel"":

Although he genuinely enjoyed helping others, why was it that every time someone new showed up, everyone would just look at him with an expression that said, “Go on, help them out”?

It was clearly Bian Changxi who wanted to help; he was just the messenger! Even the supplies that were given away were later reimbursed by Miss Bian. This was all a huge misunderstanding!

Well, Miss Bian was kind-hearted, but probably too shy to show her face, so he could act as her representative. After all, it was a good deed, but he had to subtly let people know that the real benefactor was Miss Bian. Yes, that’s how he’d always handled it before.

Bian Changxi had no idea that Chu Hao was quietly shifting the credit. She was just focused on restoring history, pushing Chu Hao further and further down the path of the “kind-hearted tycoon.” As for the others, their thoughts were simple: when they encountered someone weaker, they didn’t bother pretending to be enthusiastic; when they met someone stronger (which had happened before), they’d keep a low profile, hide their wealth, and act as humble as possible. So, this tough job of “playing the underdog” was left to Chu Hao—after all, he looked the most honest and approachable.

In short, no one was eager to take on the exhausting task of dealing with outsiders.

Seeing Chu Hao standing there all alone, only Wu Xia felt a bit sorry for him. After thinking for a moment, he dusted off his pants and followed. Bian Changxi nodded to herself—Wu Xia was always willing to work hard, did more than he said, and could be counted on to complete any task seriously. He was the kind of partner everyone liked, and the energy spent on him had been well worth it.

The two of them put on their hard hats and went over, shouting to communicate with the people below before lowering a rope. The six people in the boat suddenly found motivation and slowly paddled over to the bridge pier. But then they started fighting over who would go up first, everyone scrambling for the rope. In the end, a man in his forties grabbed it, pulled himself up, and, standing on the pier, moved so that no one else could reach the rope. Dangling from it like a ball, he shouted up, “Hey friends, could you give me a hand?”

Chu Hao had been in a good mood after convincing himself, but seeing them fight over the rope made him frown, and his face darkened even more at the man’s words. He didn’t reply for a while.

He was kind, but not a fool. He knew who was worth helping and who was like a venomous snake—helping them wouldn’t even earn a word of thanks, and you might end up like the poor farmer who got bitten in the end. He had his own standards. Bian Changxi had also stressed that while helping others was good, you had to keep your eyes open—one wrong move and you’d invite a wolf into the fold, putting the whole team at risk.

And this middle-aged man below, clearly an ability user (judging by his movements and strength), had two women among his companions. Yet he shamelessly pushed ahead and expected others to pull him up first. Clearly, he was the selfish type.

Chu Hao suddenly didn’t feel like helping him up.

But he didn’t know how to say it. Since he stayed silent, the taciturn Wu Xia next to him also kept quiet. Chen Guanqing walked over and sneered at the man, “The rope’s tied here. Come up if you want. Chu Hao, let’s go—I’m boiling water. Bring out some ginger and we’ll make ginger tea to keep out the chill.”

Seeing they were about to leave, the five people still in the boat panicked. One of the men shouted, “Please, help us! There’s something in the water—if we don’t get up soon, it’ll eat us!”

Chen Guanqing frowned and looked into the water, but saw nothing. He glanced at Bian Changxi, who looked at An Ran. An Ran nodded and whispered, “There’s something following them, but I can’t ‘see’ what it is.”

Bian Changxi stepped forward and peered down. She could also sense something in the water, and it didn’t feel good. Just in case, she sent out a vine, which whipped onto the boat. The massive vine split into five branches. She said, “Grab onto those.”

The five people stared in shock—they’d never seen a wood-type ability used so powerfully. And this vine—wasn’t it a bit too thick? It even seemed to have a layer of ice on it. Was this really a vine? Was this really a wood-type ability?

Whatever they thought, their hands didn’t hesitate. They grabbed the branches, which felt as cold as ice pops. Instinctively, they wanted to let go, but the cool, commanding voice sounded again: “Hold on tight.” They felt a sudden tightness in their hands and a lightness in their bodies, and the next moment, they were tossed up and landed hard on the solid bridge, their butts nearly splitting from the impact. Dizzy, they looked up to find themselves on the bridge, while the black-clad woman was rolling up her giant vine with a look of regret.

Bian Changxi was thinking that once energy was condensed into a vine, it couldn’t be taken back. Using it just once and discarding it was such a waste. She leaned on the railing and looked down, planning to see what was in the water. If necessary, she could use the vine to smack it a couple of times—at least it wouldn’t go to waste.

Now, only the middle-aged man was left dangling in midair. Mouth agape, he stared at Bian Changxi in disbelief, then at the now-empty boat, shivering and speechless. Hanging there in the wind and rain, he looked utterly ridiculous.

Chu Hao and Wu Xia struggled to hold back their laughter. They’d long since figured out Bian Changxi’s logic—she didn’t really care about anyone, good or bad, close or distant. Even her care for An Ran was more out of an adult’s duty to an innocent child. But if you rubbed her the wrong way, she wouldn’t say anything—after all, as she put it, offending people everywhere was a bad idea. But she’d definitely make sure you didn’t have an easy time. If you weren’t right under her nose, fine, but if she could do something about it, she wouldn’t hesitate.

Like just now—did she really need to send the vine down? Sure, it was partly to intimidate the others, but mostly to make that middle-aged man regret his actions.

Whether he regretted it or not, he was definitely conflicted—his face looked like he’d been constipated for a week.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Pull me up! I know you’re heading to Sucheng, and you’ll have to go through the Jiandai Tunnel. I’m in charge there—if you offend me, it won’t end well for you.”

Chen Guanqing looked at the five others in surprise. “You’re ‘in charge’ in the tunnel?”

One quickly replied, “There are thousands of us living in the tunnel. Boss Jiang is one of the leaders—his word carries a lot of weight.”

Another added, “Please pull Boss Jiang up. If something happens to him, we’ll be in big trouble when we go back.”

“Boss Jiang” shouted from below, “Yeah, yeah, I only went up first for their sake! If something happens to me, our boss won’t let them off the hook.”

Bian Changxi glanced back, her gaze lingering on a short young man. She seemed to recognize him, then turned back and leaned over the railing, squinting into the water. She said coolly, “I don’t know who you’re doing this for, but if you keep talking nonsense, you might be the first one in trouble.”

The middle-aged man looked down and saw a huge shadow moving in the water. The muddy yellow surface churned as if a monster was about to emerge. He panicked, “Help! Help!”

Chen Guanqing’s expression grew serious. “What is that?”

“No idea. Looks like octopus tentacles, but if the tentacles are that big, the body must be even bigger. The water isn’t even waist-deep—it shouldn’t be able to hide.”

Bian Changxi was puzzled too, but the water was too muddy to see through—she didn’t have X-ray vision.

George and the others came over, everyone discussing the situation, ignoring Boss Jiang. He cursed at his five companions, who finally went over to pull him up. But just as he was two meters from the bridge, something white shot out of the water and grabbed his leg.

“Ahhh!” He screamed like a pig being slaughtered. One of the five, startled, let go of the rope, and Boss Jiang dropped down. Chen Guanqing quickly threw a fist-sized black orb, dissolving the white thing. The water churned, and suddenly a thick, white-green, vine-like object as thick as an adult’s thigh shot out, wrapping around Boss Jiang. Bian Changxi reacted quickly, whipping out her vine to intercept it. The two collided in midair, twisting together like braided rope.

She sent her energy through, trying to see what kind of monster it was, but her energy vanished at the point of contact—as if it had seeped into sand or been ground up in a meat grinder, disappearing instantly.

Startled, she made the vine constrict violently, shredding the white-green thing to pieces. The fragments floated on the water, but nothing else stirred below.

Chen Guanqing asked quietly, “What was that?”

“No idea.” Bian Changxi pinched a bit of the white-green residue. “Look, it seems like some kind of plant.”

At this point, Boss Jiang finally made it up and immediately started berating his five companions: “...When we get back, I’m telling the boss—you’re all in trouble for leaving me behind!”

Bian Changxi noticed the five had different reactions—some flattering, some disdainful. The short young man she’d been watching looked blank and wooden. She shook her head.

He looked familiar. After thinking for a moment, she remembered—he was from the first group she’d met after the apocalypse. The team leader was called Cheng Haijun, and this guy was the only ability user at the time, apparently a strength type. His name was Zhou De or something like that.

But what was he doing here? And why did he look so lifeless? Had he been heartbroken like Chen Guanqing?

Bian Changxi couldn’t help but think so. She noticed all six of them were thin, haggard, with dry skin and slow reactions. Life in the tunnel must be tough.

She gathered with her own people. “What now? The only way through has been turned into someone’s lair.”

George was confused. “Isn’t that a good thing? If people are there, it means it’s not dangerous, right?”

Guangtou Qiang snorted, staring at the others. “Sometimes the greatest danger comes from your own kind.”

ps:

Thanks to zjj213 for the sachet—so generous! Big hug!

Thanks to Sleeping Dog 11 for the pink ticket!

June is over! I actually managed to keep up double updates all month—giving myself a thumbs up! July will still be double updates, but the schedule might be less stable. Partly because my brain is running slow, and partly because there’s a lot going on at home, so I can’t write in peace. Plus, there’s a little rascal at home who hogs the computer for games morning, noon, and night, so I have to give up my spot...

So everyone, feel free to check in a bit later each day. I’ll try to keep the schedule as steady as possible. Love you all!