Chapter 147: Conflict, the Qiao Family’s Small Base.

Gu Xu added, “Just kidding. Things inside are more or less under control now. With Qiu Feng holding down the fort, that’s enough. I wanted to get out and stretch my legs anyway.”

Bian Changxi secretly let out a sigh of relief. The two of them then started talking about medical matters. At present, only about a third of the patients with necrotic and atrophic conditions had recovered. Last week, Gu Xu had officially separated Hu Aiquan from Jiangcheng’s medical team and taken over that responsibility himself. As a result, Bian Changxi’s authority in the hospital had increased, and her voice carried more weight. She was now leading some wood-type ability users loyal to Gu Xu, and secretly researching other types of strange diseases. After all the research, it always came down to one thing: “Let’s wait until we reach Tier 3 and see if there’s a solution.”

As they talked, the topic shifted to Li Bao. Gu Xu briefly recounted what had happened that day: “Li Bao’s actually not a bad guy. Don’t be fooled by his fierce and gloomy appearance—he’s quite pragmatic. He was introducing people into the base behind the scenes pretty early on. He’s also very adaptable; he always sides with whoever holds power. Being able to read the wind isn’t necessarily a bad quality.”

Bian Changxi lowered her head in silence. She remembered how Li Bao had once plotted against her with others in a sinister manner. But times had changed. Now that he was willing to flatter Gu Xu, it was almost certain he wouldn’t try anything underhanded again. Gu Xu was reminding her not to judge people too harshly—what happened yesterday is gone, and old judgments don’t always apply.

She nodded. “I understand.”

West Avenue was short. With Gu Xu flooring the accelerator, it only took five or six minutes to drive from one end to the other. Then they merged onto a dilapidated pre-apocalypse highway, slowing down a bit.

Along the way, they saw many survivors—most in cars, some on foot—all hurrying along, splitting off at various intersections or disappearing directly into the dense woods.

Bian Changxi pulled out the latest pre-apocalypse map, tracing a route with her finger. “Let’s take the suburban highway, skirt around the city and densely populated areas. It’ll be a bit longer, but there should be fewer zombies.” She estimated that, barring any major obstacles, it would take about an hour to reach the Hongri Wholesale Market—give or take. But there were always surprises on the road, so the trip would likely take longer. “It’s 7:30 now. Even if it takes us two hours, we’ll still have plenty of time…”

She shook her head, thinking of people like Daishan who planned to travel on foot. She really wondered where they’d spend the night.

Gu Xu glanced at the map. “Let’s not take the detour. We’ll go straight along the main route.”

“Huh? But that means going through the city.”

“No need.” The road was full of potholes, but Gu Xu drove smoothly, gliding over bumps like a speedboat, making it all seem effortless. Compared to other cars, whose passengers were being jostled and complaining non-stop, riding with Gu Xu was a real pleasure. He steered with one hand, pointing at the map with the other. “We’ll take the overpass before the city, head north for two kilometers, then take the mountain road up Jiujian Mountain. Once we’re down the other side, we’ll be at Hongri Wholesale. Should take about half an hour.”

“There’s a mountain road here?”

“Yeah. Before the apocalypse, it was used for race car training and competitions. It wasn’t open to the public, so not many people know about it.”

Bian Changxi thought for a moment. “If it’s for racing, it must be a tough drive. Plus, it’s in the mountains—mutated plants could be a problem.”

Gu Xu swerved around a deep pit, taking another road. The trees on both sides grew denser. Suddenly, a zombie appeared out of nowhere and lunged at the car. Gu Xu’s eyes narrowed, and he immediately reversed. The zombie, having leapt forward, fell and slammed into the car again.

The sudden impact nearly sent Bian Changxi flying forward. Gu Xu pressed a steadying hand on her shoulder. “When the base was being planned, they’d get an aerial view to understand the layout better. I’ve flown over Jiujian Mountain twice myself. The plants there are pretty tame, and there’s no sense of danger. By the way, your car’s performance is pretty good.”

In fact, he’d flown a fighter jet over Jiujian Mountain just last night to make sure there was nothing dangerous there.

Bian Changxi hurriedly sat upright, a little embarrassed. She couldn’t even stay steady at this level—when had she become so useless? She glanced at the zombie, now lying off the road with half its head smashed in. “If that’s the case, I’ll follow your lead.”

Gu Xu sped ahead. Once they hit the city’s main road, the ride was smooth and steady. Even with roadblocks everywhere, he weaved through them without slowing down, as if nothing could stop him.

Bian Changxi was secretly amazed. Sometimes the passage was so narrow that anyone else—including herself—would have gotten out to check if the car could fit. But Gu Xu seemed to calculate it at a glance, adjusting his path in advance and squeezing through with barely a scrape.

If the road was truly blocked, he’d immediately find an alternate route. Bian Changxi grew curious and asked how he seemed to know the city’s roads so well. He replied casually, “I studied the map.”

Bian Changxi looked at her own map. Even if it showed every street, how could anyone remember them all?

There were plenty of zombies in the city, even on the outskirts. Like flies drawn to meat, they swarmed toward the car. After confirming that the Toyota was powerful and sturdy, Gu Xu would try to avoid them at first, but if he couldn’t, he’d just plow right through. This aggressive style meant they reached the foot of Jiujian Mountain and started up the winding road in just over ten minutes.

Seeing Bian Changxi’s pale face, Gu Xu said, “You can’t let those low-level zombies surround you. If this is too much, we can take a different route on the way back.”

Bian Changxi caught her breath and shot him a small glare. This wasn’t driving—this was risking your life! It was even scarier than escaping from the Jiangcheng supermarket.

But looking at the car’s condition, she realized it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. Okay, it wasn’t just his boldness, but his skill too.

She turned to look out the window.

The mountains were lush and green. There were some strange-looking plants, but she didn’t sense any real threat. The mountain road was steep and treacherous, with sharp turns, but Gu Xu drove calmly and at a steady pace.

As the car climbed higher, Bian Changxi suddenly spotted a large convoy moving across the land below.

At first, she thought it was just another group of survivors, but on closer inspection, they were marching in military formation—and heading…

She was stunned. “Are they going to the wholesale center too?”

Gu Xu nodded. “That’s the Su City base’s army. I heard they decided at the last minute to move on Hongri, and they’re determined to take it. If we want to get anything, we have to beat them there.”

Now she understood why he’d insisted on taking the shortcut.

“Then we’d better hurry!” She rolled down the window, eyes alert for any mutated plants by the roadside.

Gu Xu smiled slightly and picked up the pace.

Still, they weren’t the first to reach the Hongri Wholesale Center that day.

As the Toyota drove down a road with the market in sight, both of them suddenly tensed and said in unison, “Someone’s here.”

Gu Xu slowed down, and Bian Changxi gripped a pistol, sitting quietly behind the window as they turned onto another street. Ahead, two groups were facing off in the middle of the road.

One group was made up entirely of men, all well-equipped and armed, with sharp eyes and an air of menace—clearly not ordinary people. The other group, Gu Xu and Bian Changxi recognized: it was Bian Kuang, Zhu Yunhua, and their crew.

“If you say this is your turf, show us some proof! Why can’t we go in?”

“Yeah, if you’re the owner, are the zombies inside your servants? Why don’t you call them out to greet us?”

“Come on. Just because your base is nearby, you claim this area? Why don’t you just move in here, then?”

This was the people behind Bian Kuang and Zhu Yunhua shouting.

The other side was much more restrained—cold-faced, silent, the tension thick as a mountain.

“Proof? Hongri Wholesale has always been managed by our family. We cleared out the zombies from the perimeter, layer by layer,” said a cold, stern man who seemed to be the leader. “Now that we’re about to reap the rewards, you show up to snatch it. Don’t you think that’s shameless?”

“Yeah, get lost! I don’t care if you’re from the Su City base—mess with us and we won’t be polite.”

“What, you think the Qiao Family base is full of pushovers just because we’ve been quiet?”

Others chimed in in agreement.

Bian Changxi realized these people were from the Qiao Family base.

Before the apocalypse, Su City had a relatively mild flu outbreak. As a major economic, cultural, and military center, hardly anyone left after the disaster began. The military built several bases on top of existing garrisons, collectively known as the Su City base. Some powerful individuals also banded together to form several smaller bases.

The Qiao Family base was the strongest among these, as it included some government officials and absorbed nearly 20,000 police officers from Su City. With the Qiao family’s deep roots as an old, established clan, they’d built a proper base. Although their 200,000-strong population was just a fraction of the Su City base, the atmosphere was much better—there was far less backstabbing and infighting.

In terms of overall strength, the Qiao base was like a grain of rice compared to a pearl when measured against Su City’s main base. But in terms of average individual capability, the Qiao base was impressive—full of talented, driven people. Out of every ten, at least eight or nine were go-getters. It was a true elite base.

Another thing about this base: it was built around the Qiao family’s suburban businesses, radiating outward. The Hongri Wholesale Market was in the same general area, making the two very close.

PS:

Thanks to Yugong Gonglu for the Peach Blossom Fan! You’re spoiling me again!

Thanks to Dreamy Danube for a pink ticket!