Chapter 128: The Villa, A Private Third Floor

The car slowly drove into the base. Bian Changxi leaned against the window, quietly watching the scenery outside. At night, only the streetlights illuminated the base, and the cold wind brushed her face. Because of the curfew, there were no ordinary pedestrians on the streets—only various official personnel, either patrolling or handling some business.

Looking at those dark, gloomy houses, she knew it was because electricity was scarce—very few people could afford to use it. It was like poor farming families in ancient times, too impoverished to light an oil lamp, going to bed early as soon as night fell, with no nightlife to speak of.

She couldn't help but recall the scene when she first entered the base in her previous life. Back then, she had waited outside the base gates for days, ending up filthy, smelly, hungry, and exhausted before finally completing the entry procedures. Clutching her thin ID card, she followed the last group of people inside. It was almost dark by then, and the streets were still lively. Facing this vast post-apocalyptic city, hope and anxiety for the future surged from the depths of her heart. Dragging a battered suitcase, she hurried along like a wandering beggar, not knowing where to go. The people on the street looked at her with either pity or disdain. That feeling...

For penniless, powerless newcomers, the base wouldn't arrange accommodation. She had eaten all her food, didn't have a single crystal core left, and had already gone without food for most of a day outside the base. She couldn't even get into the lowest-level temporary shelter, where a single steamed bun could earn you a straw mat for the night. All she could do was follow the crowd, searching for a place to sleep under bridges, in street corners, or in building alleys.

She still remembered it clearly: everywhere she went, she was either disliked by local residents, dispersed by the security team, or forcibly driven away by those who had already claimed the spot. She walked and walked, so much that she couldn't even tell north from south or east from west, let alone find someone to rely on. She was on the verge of tears when suddenly a man snatched her suitcase and ran.

There was nothing valuable in the suitcase—just two sets of dirty clothes she had changed into again and again, a few scraps of cloth picked up along the way to sleep on, a seat cushion soaked in vegetable soup thrown from a car entering the base, which she fought hard to get and which had kept her from freezing to death outside the base at night.

There were also two bowls, a pair of chopsticks, a pair of sneakers, a sun hat, a dry towel, two flashlights with dead batteries, and, most importantly, half a bottle of mineral water, though it already tasted off.

At that time, the jade bracelet space had already appeared, but she didn't know much about this ""ability."" She often couldn't take things out or sense the space, so she didn't dare put too much in it. She split her belongings into two parts: one in the suitcase, one in the space. So when the suitcase was stolen, she shouldn't have chased after it so recklessly.

But she panicked. There was a fire burning in her heart, and with red eyes, she chased for several blocks. Fortunately, the thief seemed to be starving too and couldn't run far. Neither of them had any stamina, and in the end, it was the suitcase that gave out first, falling apart in a stinking ditch, scattering everything.

The man frantically rummaged through her things, found nothing worth stealing, spat fiercely, and kicked her as she caught up. ""Poor beggar, dragging such a big suitcase. Made me waste all that effort!""

She never forgot those words. She pounced on him, scratching, biting, fighting desperately until he begged for mercy. Then she stared blankly at the broken, sewage-soaked suitcase and the mess of belongings, almost overwhelmed by the urge to burst into tears. If a kind passerby hadn't given her two white crystal cores, she really didn't know what she might have done.

She had been so wretched once.

Looking back, she always felt a mix of disbelief, amusement, and heartache.

Bian Changxi's emotions churned as she gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar buildings outside. It all felt like a distant, bitter, endless nightmare. Unknowingly, her eyes filled with tears, stung by the cold wind.

How melodramatic...

She raised her hand to cover her eyes, then after a few breaths, rolled up the window and sat upright, her face calm as if nothing had happened.

After about ten minutes, a cluster of apartment buildings appeared ahead. Qiu Feng said, ""These are the accommodations assigned by Jiangcheng. This is just part of it. For now, a few of us are staying together in that villa over there. There are still empty rooms. Why don't you stay there for the night?""

Bian Changxi nodded. ""Anything is fine with me.""

Qiu Feng made a few hand signals out the window, and the three cars following them dispersed. He turned back and smiled. ""They'll be so happy to see you.""

The car stopped in front of a standalone villa. Two lantern-style lights at the gate were still on, and voices could be faintly heard from the yard. Hearing the car, someone ran out. ""Deputy Qiu, you're back!"" he said, pulling open the iron gate.

The car drove straight in and parked in the courtyard. Bian Changxi got out, with Milk trotting at her feet.

It was a very large villa—undoubtedly beautiful and expensive before the apocalypse. Unfortunately, most of the ornamental plants in the yard had been dug up, the decorative lights, fountains, and sculptures removed. Except for a rack in the corner, the whole place was bare, paved with blue bricks. Several cars were parked in the yard. Qiu Feng told the driver to park in the garage, then walked toward the people under the terrace. ""Old Wu, Apei, we're back. Miss Bian is back too.""

""Miss Bian?!"" Under the ceiling light, Wu Dalang, sitting in a wheelchair, stared at Bian Changxi in disbelief, looking her up and down twice before giving her a big thumbs up. ""I knew someone as capable as Miss Bian wouldn't go down so easily. It's so great that you're alive. Shadow will be thrilled too—he's been blaming himself these days.""

Gu Pei was also delighted, standing up. ""Changxi, wow, you finally made it!"" Maybe because he was about her age, he was less formal with her and called her by name. ""How did you... Well, never mind, now's not the time for questions. Let me show you to your room. Where's your luggage?""

Qiu Feng glanced at Bian Changxi. ""Right, Apei, take Miss Bian to rest first."" He paused. ""I remember Qiu Yun said he wanted to turn the remaining rooms on the second floor into a training room? Then Miss Bian can stay on the third floor.""

Gu Pei hesitated for a moment, then looked at Bian Changxi. ""Oh, okay.""

Bian Changxi glanced at Wu Dalang's legs. ""I don't have any luggage,"" she said, following Gu Pei inside.

The villa was huge, with all kinds of modern furniture. Only a small lamp was on in the living room, making the spacious hall seem even emptier in the dim light. To be honest, there was no sense of home—just a few documents on the coffee table, not even a fruit plate or water glass.

Gu Pei explained, ""The villa was like this when we moved in. Everyone's been busy, so we haven't really decorated. Wu-ge and Shadow-ge live on the first floor, along with Anan, who greeted you, and an auntie who works as a housekeeper. Shadow's already gone to bed, and Qiu Yun was just called away by Deputy Commander Hu for something. He should be back soon.""

Just then, a door on the first floor opened and a middle-aged woman came out, respectfully and a bit surprised. ""Young Master Gu, is there a guest? I'll go prepare a bedroom.""

""Aunt Zhao, she's not a guest—Miss Bian is one of us. She'll be staying in the empty room on the third floor.""

Bian Changxi saw a strange look flash across the housekeeper's face as she glanced at her twice before hurrying upstairs.

Gu Pei led Bian Changxi up. ""The second floor is where Qiu Feng-ge, Qiu Yun, and I live. There are two empty rooms in the hallway, but Qiu Yun likes to create a draft in the corridor for no reason. Qiu Feng-ge scolded him a few times, so he got mad and said he'd knock the two rooms together with his own to make a wind tunnel. He's already designing it today.""

Bian Changxi slowly walked up to the third floor and asked, ""What about Gu Xu?""

Gu Pei shrugged. ""Here, this is his room. He lives alone on the third floor because there's a big study next door. He spends almost every night in the study, so the bedroom is basically unused.""

Looking at the black door, Bian Changxi hesitated. It seemed like the third floor was Gu Xu's private territory—was it really okay for her to stay here?

Just then, Aunt Zhao came out of the adjacent bedroom. ""It's all ready, Miss Bian. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll bring up water for you to wash up.""

""I can do it myself...""

Aunt Zhao just smiled and waved her off, heading downstairs. Gu Pei said, ""Don't be fooled by Aunt Zhao's slim figure—she's actually a strength-type ability user. Carrying water is nothing for her.""

Bian Changxi was secretly amazed. Even the housekeeper here was an ability user.

Gu Pei added, ""The villa's great and we have electricity, but there's no running water. We get water from water-type ability users every day. It's not super convenient, but it's enough. And ever since Qiu Feng-ge awakened a water ability, it's been even easier.""

Bian Changxi turned at the door. ""Qiu Feng has an ability now too?""

""Yeah, he got caught in the rain during Mid-Autumn Festival, had a high fever for two days, and we were worried he'd end up like those sick people. But then he suddenly got better and awakened an ability.""

So now all five of Gu Xu's team were ability users? Bian Changxi thought to herself. It's not unusual for a squad to be all ability users, but that's usually because they recruit people who already have powers. For a pre-apocalypse team to all awaken abilities after the apocalypse—that's rare.

They must have incredible luck.

Bian Changxi paused. She vaguely remembered that, in her previous life, someone had joked that Gu Xu was a ""strong-person generator."" Whether it was him or the people around him, they all became strong. Even if they weren't before, after spending time with him, they'd inexplicably grow stronger and stronger.

Thanks to ""Daxinzhu"" for a pink ticket!

Thanks to ""jxy0124"" for a pink ticket!

Thanks to ""Yutianwangsan"" for a pink ticket!"