Chapter 148: Sneaking In—The Zombie’s Water Whip

The Toyota sat quietly at the corner. Amidst swirling trash, all that could be seen were broken walls and ruins, a heavy air of desolation hanging over everything. Human-shaped skeletons lay scattered near and far, hinting at the tragic stories that must have unfolded here.

Bian Changxi looked toward the standoff ahead. Both groups were sizable, tempers running high—one wrong word and a fight could break out at any moment. On Zhu Yunhua’s side, there were not only his own people and a regular squad from Bian Kuang, but also some others—all from the Su City base.

She couldn’t figure it out. These people must have set out early to be here already, which made sense. But why had they all gathered together like this? The steel mission had been posted for ages with no takers, suggesting few people came this way. Thinking of the other teams about to arrive, she felt an odd sense of unease she couldn’t quite explain.

Gu Xu glanced ahead and quietly explained, “The steel mission’s reward suddenly shot up yesterday afternoon.”

“Huh?” Bian Changxi had accepted the mission that morning, when the reward was still pitiful. She’d even been looked down on by the pretty clerk processing her paperwork.

“Why?”

“The Qiao Base is planning a full assault on Hongri Wholesale today.”

With that, Bian Changxi understood. Hongri Wholesale was right at Qiao Base’s doorstep. With its abundant resources, of course they’d long considered it theirs. But it was also a tough nut to crack—the devastation around them showed how many had come here never to return. Now, the timing must be right, or as that stern leader had said, after all their hard work clearing the area, they were ready to reap the rewards—only for word to leak to Su City Base.

Naturally, Su City Base wouldn’t just watch someone else snatch the prize. So they quickly encouraged people to take on the mission, with their own elite squad following close behind to stake their claim.

Why let ordinary people come? Probably so the military could claim they were acting for the good of their own base’s citizens, giving themselves a just cause.

“So I’ve muddled my way into this mess by accident?”

“Whether it’s a mess or a stroke of luck,” Gu Xu said with a soft, amused tone, “depends on what you choose to do.”

Bian Changxi’s eyes lit up. Right—after today, Hongri Wholesale would either be picked clean or split between the two bases, each taking control. She’d have no chance to profit then, but right now, even though the timing was tight, maybe she could fish in troubled waters. If she were alone, she might hesitate, but with Gu Xu here, the odds of success rose dramatically.

Having figured it out, she couldn’t help but grin, turning to Gu Xu with a fawning smile. “Captain Gu, I’m really broke these days. How about we do a job together? Split fifty-fifty!” She held out her hand, palm flat. Milk, the cat in her arms, rolled over and sat up, stretching out his right paw to match hers.

Four bright eyes stared at him. Gu Xu couldn’t help but laugh, his mood lifting. He said nothing, just turned and opened the car door.

Bian Changxi also opened her door with a smile. They slipped out silently, put the car away, and moved closer together to check the situation ahead.

Gu Xu had parked in a hidden spot—they could see the others, but not vice versa. The two groups were too busy arguing to notice anything else. Besides, both she and Gu Xu were strong, and their understanding of abilities far surpassed the average person. As long as they were careful, even at close range, others would have a hard time sensing their presence.

Standing beside Gu Xu, Bian Changxi realized that if not for the faint sound of his breathing and the subtle warmth radiating through his thin shirt, she might not even notice he was there—his aura was so well concealed.

She didn’t know what to say. Gu Xu was truly talented—he’d awakened his abilities just over three months ago, yet already wielded them as if born to it, and had reached Tier 3 with apparent ease. Meanwhile, she, a reborn, was still struggling at Tier 2. It was almost embarrassing.

Gu Xu made a hand gesture, and the two of them circled around in another direction. The roads, streets, and alleys were crisscrossed but piled with obstacles. Having studied the map in detail, Gu Xu led Bian Changxi through a winding route, drawing close to the wholesale market area.

The Qiao Base people hadn’t lied—the outer perimeter had indeed been cleared. But the closer they got to the core, the more zombies they saw. Battles raged everywhere, with the sounds of abilities and machine guns mingling, zombies roaring in fury, humans screaming in pain. Blood stained the ground wherever they went, fresh corpses of both zombies and humans lying everywhere, the air thick with the stench of blood and rot.

Gu Xu and Bian Changxi exchanged a glance—Qiao Base’s people clearly hadn’t gained control of the situation.

“Those bastards from Su City Base are almost here! How much have we loaded?”

“Boss can’t hold out! Maybe we should fall back and negotiate with them.”

Shouts came from ahead. Just then, at the intersection before Bian Changxi, a man was suddenly flung through the air, chased by a jet of water like a snake. It wrapped around his neck. The man, tough as nails, roared, grabbing the solid water whip with one hand while reaching for the grenade at his waist with the other.

Gu Xu flicked his finger—a tiny spark struck the man’s wrist, stopping him from blowing himself up. At the same time, a chain of fire locked onto the water jet, instantly vaporizing it. The remaining water whip tried to flee, but Gu Xu reversed his grip and caught it, then darted forward.

Bian Changxi rushed to the man’s side. He was a burly man in his thirties, half his face completely mangled, one eye ruined, the other bloodshot, nose and mouth full of blood, his body covered in whip marks—wounded all over.

Even Bian Changxi was shocked at first glance. She quickly placed her hand gently on his injured face, channeling energy. A shimmering green light enveloped his head, then spread downward.

The moment she touched him, she realized that despite his terrible injuries, the man was a near-Tier 3 powerhouse. With timely treatment, his life wasn’t in danger.

She looked over at Gu Xu, who was now facing a zombie. This zombie had water abilities and stood behind several wrecked cars, spewing out tough, flexible water jets from its mouth—more like water whips than jets. They lashed out viciously, and anyone struck would be sent flying, just like the injured man.

Because the water whips were long, flexible, and attacked in groups, they were hard to dodge—unless you could get out of range. But Bian Changxi noticed two water whips specifically blocking Gu Xu’s retreat, twisting menacingly in the air, ready to strike if he tried to back off.

Bian Changxi’s brow furrowed. This zombie’s control over its ability was impressive. Looking at its appearance—barely clothed, but with only minor muscle and skin decay—she thought, as expected, this was a zombie with great evolutionary potential. In other words, a real threat.

She glanced at Gu Xu. At first, he dodged passively, but soon seemed to figure out the pattern. Both hands moved, and four or five fire chains spiraled out, each meeting a water whip head-on.

Water and fire—according to the old theory of the five elements, water overcomes fire, but “enough fire dries up water.” That’s exactly what happened. Gu Xu’s fire chains met the water whips, and suddenly the flames surged, enveloping the whips. With a sizzling sound, steam billowed up. Gu Xu’s fire chains pressed forward, giving the zombie no time to react, wrapping it in a huge fireball.

The zombie struggled furiously inside the flames, but with its body locked down, it could only send out more water whips. They barely extended a meter or two before being burned away. In the end, the zombie could only spit out a few droplets, let out an unwilling roar, and collapse to the ground.

Gu Xu scanned the area warily, then ran over to Bian Changxi, crouching down. “How is he?”

“He’ll live, but he won’t wake up for a while.” Bian Changxi’s eyes sparkled as she glanced at Gu Xu, then down at the man, who had stopped groaning in pain and was now unconscious thanks to her wood energy. “But he’s lost too much blood and needs fluids fast. I can’t help with that. What should we do with him?”

If they left him here, he’d probably be zombie chow in minutes. But bringing him along would be inconvenient and risky for them both.

After all, in zombie territory, even Gu Xu couldn’t afford to be careless. Carrying this man wouldn’t be a problem for him, but if something happened, he might not be able to protect Bian Changxi.

That was unacceptable.

Saving people was good, but not at the cost of a teammate’s safety.

Gu Xu thought for a moment. “Let’s return him to his own people.” He checked with Bian Changxi, then gently hoisted the man onto his back. Suddenly, Milk let out a low meow and darted off, returning with something in its mouth. Bian Changxi laughed, bent down, and let Milk drop it into her hand—a Tier 3 blue crystal core, taken from the water zombie.

Milk meowed excitedly, circling Bian Changxi’s feet. She patted him. “Good boy, I’ll give you an extra treat later.”

On the way to the base, Bian Changxi had been obsessively collecting crystal cores. Sometimes, when she was busy, she’d send Milk to dig them up. The little guy was smart—after a couple of lessons, he’d become an expert, using his claws to dig quickly and cleanly, never making a mess like before.

It had been half a month since their last hunt, but Milk hadn’t forgotten his old job, which made Bian Changxi very happy.

Gu Xu shook his head helplessly, glancing at the playful, affectionate Milk. “You little money grubber. Let’s go—the voices are coming from up ahead. Let’s find them.”

Of course, they’d have to do it without revealing themselves—they were here to fish in troubled waters, after all.

Bian Changxi nodded, pocketed the crystal core, and Milk trotted ahead as their scout. The two of them followed close behind.

Thank you for the pink ticket!

Thank you pattyphx for another pink ticket!

Sorry for the delay, working on the second update now."

"**Rebirth of the Apocalypse Farm**