Chapter 125: Awkwardness, a Huge Misunderstanding

That wildly thrashing tendril was suddenly gripped by a slender hand. Even though only part of its thick diameter was held, it couldn’t break free no matter how it struggled. A cold, menacing growl rumbled from deep underground as the tendril whipped about furiously.

Gu Xu clamped down hard, shocked by the sheer strength of the thing. If it hit a person, it would easily cut them in half. His gaze grew cold and sharp as he turned and barked, “Go!”

Bian Changxi blinked, still in shock, but quickly turned around without hesitation. “Chu Hao, let’s—” She looked back. “Aren’t you going to let go?”

He was still tightly holding her hand.

Gu Xu hurriedly released her. Bian Changxi grabbed Chu Hao, nodded at Chen Guanqing, and led the way down the mountain.

Chen Guanqing glanced at Gu Xu, hesitated for a moment, then hoisted Cheng Haijun onto his back and followed.

On the way, they ran into many soldiers in camouflage combat uniforms. The leader was tall and striking, with a stubbled, serious face—Zhu Yiming, the same man who had mocked Gu Xu at the earlier meeting for not daring to confront the strange plant. No one expected Gu Xu to seize a vehicle, catch up with the squad, and charge up the mountain at the very front, brave and reckless as a wolf. His momentum was so fierce, no one even dared try to stop him.

He’s actually ahead of us! Zhu Yiming fumed inwardly, quickly issued orders, grabbed a megaphone, and rushed up the mountain. When he encountered Bian Changxi and the others, he asked, “Just the four of you?”

“In this area, yes. No idea where the others are.”

Zhu Yiming nodded. “Head down the mountain and rest. Don’t get any closer.” He noticed all four of them looked pale and exhausted, barely able to stand.

“Okay. Can I use the megaphone and spotlights to call my teammates?”

“As long as you don’t get in our way.”

As soon as Bian Changxi reached the bottom, she set up several searchlights by the military vehicles, their beams illuminating the sky. Chen Guanqing grabbed the megaphone and called out, “George, Chai Zhong, Bald Qiang! We’re safe—come to the lights!”

Nearby soldiers, seeing how battered and exhausted they were, came over to help. Chen Guanqing collapsed by a vehicle. He wasn’t injured, but digging the tunnel had drained him, leaving him on the verge of collapse. He quickly took a white core to replenish his energy.

Bian Changxi also replenished her energy while checking Chu Hao’s injuries. The flesh and fat on his leg had been sucked dry. There was nothing she could do except keep him conscious and hope her own energy recovery would help.

Cheng Haijun, on the other hand, had already passed out from some kind of illness. If Chu Hao’s leg was withered, Cheng Haijun’s whole body was shriveled, his limbs even starting to rot, bones twisted—a horrifying sight on closer inspection. All she could do was carefully channel wood-type energy into him to keep him alive.

Just then, fierce fighting broke out on the mountain. Flashes of various powers lit up the night, the ground trembling as if an earthquake was imminent.

One by one, people emerged from the forest at the foot of the mountain, helped along by soldiers. George, Chai Zhong, and the others had made it, but they were in bad shape—few in number, all bleeding and exhausted, collapsing to the ground, barely able to speak. The soldiers had no choice but to carry them to the vehicles, giving them water and food.

Within minutes, a loud explosion erupted from the mountain, flames shooting skyward. The people who had gone up came rushing down. From afar, Zhu Yiming shouted through his megaphone, “Retreat! Back to base!”

The convoy was already in formation, ready to move. At the order, the front vehicles carrying the wounded started up first, engines roaring as the rest followed. Bloodied but agile, the survivors leapt onto the moving trucks like tigers or leopards. Once full, the vehicles sped off like the wind.

Bian Changxi made sure everyone else was on board, but she lingered outside. In the crowd, she spotted Gu Xu, who saw her too. Without hesitation, he ran straight over, grabbed her hand, and headed for a vehicle. “Let’s talk back at base.”

Zhu Yiming followed close behind. “Take my car!”

A uniquely rugged off-road vehicle slid up like a ghost. Zhu Yiming opened the door and climbed in. Gu Xu, not standing on ceremony, brought Bian Changxi in as well. The door closed, and the car glided away, so smooth it barely felt like it was moving.

An awkward silence filled the car.

Gu Xu and Bian Changxi glanced at each other, neither knowing what to say. Zhu Yiming watched them with curiosity, especially Bian Changxi—a short-haired woman in her twenties. Was this the woman rumored to be dead, the one Gu Xu had spent two months searching for?

Gu Xu broke the silence first. “How did you end up here?”

“This is the only road to Sucheng Base. We didn’t know it was occupied. There was a conflict, and just as we were about to turn back, the tunnel entrance collapsed.”

“So how did you get out?” Zhu Yiming asked.

“We dug a tunnel—upwards.” Bian Changxi gave a wry smile. “But we still disturbed that thing. In the end, only a few dozen of us made it out.”

“It wasn’t because you disturbed it,” Zhu Yiming said gravely. “I’ve seen similar monsters on other mountains. Those ones had already drained people dry and matured. This one was just a step away from maturity. Even if you’d hidden quietly, it would’ve erupted sooner or later.”

“There are others on other mountains?” Bian Changxi frowned, searching her memory. In her previous life, she vaguely recalled something similar: after the Mid-Autumn rains, ‘Devourers’ appeared everywhere, and each base organized ability users to hunt them down. It took seven or eight campaigns, with countless casualties, before they were finally eradicated.

She hadn’t participated in those operations, didn’t even know what a Devourer was. Even those sent on the missions didn’t know at first—everyone assumed it was some kind of giant animal. After the dust settled, the rumors died down, and those not in the know remained clueless. No wonder she hadn’t connected the dots at first.

She only knew that these campaigns produced many heroes, and a new generation of young, outstanding leaders rose to power at the bases—Gu Xu among them. She wasn’t sure if Zhu Yiming was involved, but he was certainly a prominent figure at Sucheng Base.

She asked, “So, you guys?”

“We failed,” Gu Xu replied. “That thing isn’t something a handful of us can handle. We need to regroup and come up with a plan.”

In fact, the monster had only used a dozen tendrils against them. If it had gone all out, its power would have been unimaginable. Rescuing the people in the tunnel was a lost cause, so they’d decided to withdraw. Even so, they’d barely escaped with their lives.

Bian Changxi glanced at the bloodstains on both men and wisely didn’t press further.

Zhu Yiming laughed heartily. “So, Gu Xu, are you coming next time? Working with you is a blast. Everyone else either lacks guts or skill—there’s always something missing, makes the fight less satisfying.”

Especially that final explosive blast during the retreat—the timing and power were perfect, forcing all the tendrils to retreat underground.

That’s how powers should be used.

“I’m not sure that’s appropriate…”

“Oh, come on, drop the act. I know your reputation, Gu Xu. Always parachuting in for missions, stirring up waves, never following the rules. Didn’t you just risk everything for a woman this time? It’s not about what’s appropriate—it’s about having the right reason.”

He winked at Bian Changxi, who was caught off guard. Lounging lazily in his leather seat, he continued, “Those guys at base are all about pointless rules, but it’s not like they’ve made things any better. If we always did things their way, humanity would be left in the dust by those mutated monsters… Anyway, I get your situation. I’ll put in an application for you—join my field unit as an honorary advisor. You can train the team or lead missions, whatever you want—I’ll give you full authority.”

He added with a grin, “Honestly, I’ve always admired the way you capital special forces types train.”

With things laid out so plainly, Gu Xu stopped making excuses and smiled faintly. “I do plan to build up an armed force, and your field unit is interesting. But the time isn’t right yet.”

Zhu Yiming nodded. “True, you’ve only just attended your first regular meeting—and even ran out halfway.”

Bian Changxi had been quietly listening, but now Zhu Yiming turned a teasing gaze on her. “So this is the wood-type user you’ve been searching for, Captain Gu? You really went to great lengths.”

Bian Changxi looked at Gu Xu, whose expression suddenly turned a bit awkward, and said coolly, “Yeah, quite the effort. I heard you were behind me getting trapped in the tunnel this time?”

Gu Xu stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“The boss in the tunnel said so. He said he was working for you, that you told him to keep me there by any means necessary. Because of that, he hurt my teammates and got us all trapped.”

“I never did that,” Gu Xu said at once. “After Mid-Autumn, I gave up looking for—” For the first time, he felt the urge to bite his own tongue.

“Oh, I see.” Bian Changxi turned to look out the window. The car fell silent and awkward again. Zhu Yiming silently grimaced—wow, this girl’s got a temper.

Even more surprising, Gu Xu didn’t argue back. With his usual decisive style, he should’ve pressed for details to find out who was impersonating him.

The fact that this conversation was happening at all was strange.

Zhu Yiming, who had just started to see Gu Xu in a new light and was interested in befriending him, straightened up, his gossip senses tingling, ready to eavesdrop on whatever came next. Unfortunately, neither of them spoke again—the atmosphere froze.

In Bian Changxi’s arms, a little white animal poked its muddy paws onto her shoulder and peeked out, its big, black, grape-like eyes lighting up at Gu Xu. It let out a friendly “awoo,” bounced happily, and leapt into his lap.

ps:

Xiao Bian doesn’t really misunderstand Xiao Gu—she’s not stupid, and just thinking about it makes it obvious it wasn’t him. You can think of her as silently pondering…

Did I talk too much today…"