Chapter 15: Gu Xu, the Fallen King

Gu Xu? The Gu Xu she knew?

Bian Changxi was stunned. Suddenly, she understood what had just flashed through her mind.

Rumor had it that before the apocalypse, Gu Xu was a special forces soldier. When the apocalypse struck, he was on a mission with four teammates. Of course, the mission couldn’t be completed. He wasn’t the stubborn type—his first thought wasn’t to report back to the army, but to find his own family and his teammates’ families first. After all, the world had become far too terrifying.

It was said that the first place Gu Xu and his group went was a certain university, because his younger brother, Gu Pei, was there.

It was also said that Gu Xu initially had fire abilities, but for some unknown reason later evolved into a lightning-type ability user. This was unheard of in anyone else. So much had changed, and very few people knew the truth, even fewer believed it. Bian Changxi did know, but perhaps because his later image—striking like thunder—was so deeply ingrained, she hadn’t thought of it at first.

So, the fireball she saw before she lost consciousness…

She had actually run into Gu Xu, and he had saved her?

The shock was overwhelming. It was like a terminally ill welfare recipient suddenly being told, “Hey buddy, you’re in luck. The country’s top leader just happened to visit and paid your medical bills for you…”

It was a feeling she couldn’t put into words.

Or maybe, it was like searching for someone a thousand times in the crowd, only to suddenly find them when you least expect it.

Bian Changxi could only think: in her previous life, she had also received Gu Xu’s kindness. These debts kept piling up—how could she ever repay them all?

Her heart pounded faster and faster, but she kept her expression calm and asked the chubby girl, “What does this Gu Xu look like?”

The chubby girl’s eyes lit up at the mention, her round face flushing with excitement as she gestured animatedly: “He looks about twenty-five, over 1.8 meters tall, and extremely handsome—the kind of man with striking features, very serious and cold. If you told me he was a celebrity, I’d believe it. Turns out he’s a soldier—what a waste, we all said!”

She sighed. “He also asked us for directions to C University, and if we knew a guy named Gu Pei there. Unfortunately, none of us had heard of him, or we could’ve helped. He wanted to ask more, but then Captain Cheng recognized you and the topic changed.”

She looked regretful. C University was a prestigious university, and although it was in the same university town as theirs, it was far from A University, a second-tier school, and S University, which was full of rich kids. There was little communication between them.

For some reason, Bian Changxi’s eyes grew hot. Everything matched up!

This was the person she was looking for—the one she wanted to repay and make amends to.

Gu Xu’s early experiences were legendary for a reason. After finding his brother Gu Pei, it turned out Gu Pei had several friends with him, and those friends had family in the city center. Gu Pei begged his brother to help, so the group set out for the city center to look for them.

In the apocalypse, cities were hell for survivors. Especially after the fourth day, when toxic zombies appeared, the city center became a forbidden zone. Gu Xu’s group suffered at the hands of these toxic zombies—most of the ordinary people died, and even in his five-man team, two were lost. The cost was heavy. Of the two remaining teammates, one grew resentful and later betrayed Gu Xu. The other died in that betrayal. Gu Xu’s brother, wracked with guilt, died in a zombie horde within a year due to a mistake. In the end, Gu Xu, who became a peerless powerhouse, was left utterly alone.

Anyone who heard this story couldn’t help but sigh. Later, the capital’s editorial department called it “The Fallen King.” In truth, Gu Xu’s story was also the story of countless others. There was too much separation and loss in the apocalypse—so much that people became numb, so much that words failed. Often, people could only express their own grief and longing through Gu Xu’s story.

By her calculations, this “Fallen King” tragedy was about to unfold.

That was why Bian Changxi was so agitated. Fortunately, she’d made it in time.

After a moment’s thought, she made up her mind and turned to Cheng Haijun. “Captain Cheng, can this communicator reach Gu Xu? I’d like to thank him in person.”

Cheng Haijun replied quickly, “I’ve never used it, so I’m not sure.” He took out two watch-like devices. In her previous life, Bian Changxi had been too low-ranking to ever see such things, but she knew that two or three months into the apocalypse, all communication devices would fail. It wasn’t until the third year that the capital’s research institute developed a new device powered by the crystal cores found in toxic zombies’ brains—its structure was completely different.

She grabbed one and fiddled with it. The small LCD screen lit up, and as she scrolled through the contacts, the very first name was “Captain Gu.”

Her eyes tightened, her heart pounding. She turned to Cheng Haijun again. “Captain Cheng, could I have a word with you in private?”

Cheng Haijun was a little puzzled, but still obediently followed her aside.

Bian Changxi thought to herself: this man could gather a group, so he must have some ability, but the people he recruited were questionable. He didn’t seem able to control them well, which showed his inexperience. She couldn’t judge the matter of payment since she didn’t know the details, but if he’d genuinely offered her payment in public, perhaps he was sincere and worth befriending. If it was just a show…

She pressed her lips together and said quietly, “Captain Cheng, I’m grateful you took me in, but as you can see, I don’t get along with your team. It’s getting dark, and I’d like to head back. My car and a few weapons—what do you think…”

Cheng Haijun looked at her helplessly. “You really can’t stay? Tomorrow, we’re moving to the new development zone in the north of the city. If we go together, we can look out for each other…”

Bian Changxi frowned. “The new development zone?”

“That’s right, you just woke up so you don’t know,” Cheng Haijun said. “We heard it on the radio this morning. The government expects this flu can’t be contained, so they’re preparing for the worst. Everyone in Jiangcheng is to evacuate the city center and head to the new development zone in the north. If things get worse, the army will come pick us up there and take us to Sucheng—they say it’s safer there.”

Bian Changxi remembered hearing about this “evacuation” in her previous life. But back then, most of her team didn’t trust the government, and everyone wanted to find their own families. In the end, they were tormented by toxic zombies, and by the time they realized they couldn’t stay in Jiangcheng, the army had already left. They had to organize themselves and barely escaped to Sucheng, risking their lives.

The new development zone was at the northern edge of Jiangcheng—not far from here. It would take two or three hours by car on the highway. Further north was Sucheng, but even after entering Sucheng’s territory, it was still a long way to the Sucheng base.

Bian Changxi said, “It’s a bit far from here to the new development zone.”

Cheng Haijun gave a wry smile. “Yeah, we don’t know how many monsters there are, or what the roads are like, so we’re planning to set out early. Most of us aren’t from Jiangcheng—our families are elsewhere. We’d have to leave sooner or later, so we might as well plan ahead. Besides our warehouse, there are quite a few people in the area. We’ve agreed to travel together for safety.”"