Chapter 150: The Reason, A Gradually Changing Relationship (First Update)

**Black Dogs, Trees That Eat Steel**

Bian Changxi was very candid about this issue: “Times have changed.”

Back then, Gu Xu didn’t know her well, and she was very guarded against him. Their relationship was tenuous at best—more like acquaintances who’d go their separate ways after meeting. There was no way she could have been as open as she was now. That would’ve been heartless.

“But honestly, you have a sharp eye,” Bian Changxi sighed.

Gu Xu glanced at her. The words “That’s because you had too many flaws” hovered on his lips, but he swallowed them back.

They made their way through the wholesale market, looting and pillaging as they went, following the principle of “take what you can, leave what you can’t.” Soon, they’d swept through the place, leaving only the steel wholesale center.

Staring at the dilapidated office building, Gu Xu said, “No rush for this one. Even if the base gets the steel, they’ll put some of it on the market. Let’s head back for now.”

Bian Changxi nodded and took a few steps away. Suddenly, the carton of milk in her hand tumbled to the ground. The chubby cat, with its round head and big eyes, was staring intently at something. The two of them looked over and saw a small black dog trotting down the street, its fur gleaming with a metallic sheen. It held its head high, strutting proudly, and every zombie it encountered seemed to shy away, slowly detouring around it.

The dog ran straight into the steel center’s retractable gate, where another similar-looking black dog came out to “greet” it. The two dogs nuzzled each other for a moment, then the second dog seemed to sense something and glanced over at them. Bian Changxi’s heart skipped a beat—this dog was sharp. Before she could react, Milk (the cat) crouched low, letting out a deep, fierce, and excited growl. The two dogs immediately flattened themselves to the ground in fear, whimpered, and tucked their tails as they fled inside.

Milk dug its claws into the ground and shot off after them with impressive speed and agility.

It all happened in a flash—one moment Milk was there, the next it was gone. Bian Changxi stared at her empty hands, a mix of surprise and resignation on her face. That’s just how Milk was: whenever it saw food it liked, it would dash off without a trace.

She explained to Gu Xu, “It’s just greedy again. If it dares to chase after them, it means it’s confident. No need to worry.”

But Gu Xu’s expression was grim. “Let’s go take a look.”

Bian Changxi froze, her heart tightening. Was there something dangerous inside? She hadn’t sensed anything, but now that she thought about it, there was something odd about the place. Her face tensed.

They walked through the retractable gate. Inside, the air was cold and empty. Gu Xu pointed to the roof and sent out a chain of fire, which latched onto the rooftop, allowing him to climb up. Despite its fearsome power, the fire chain was now as soft and gentle as an ordinary rope.

This was one of the things Bian Changxi admired about Gu Xu—he could manifest completely opposite qualities with the same power. Her own vines, for example, were just vines—sometimes hard, sometimes soft, but never hot or cold at will.

Bian Changxi half-climbed, half-let Gu Xu pull her up. Looking down from above, they saw a huge open area filled with piles of steel bars and coils under the open sky. Inside the warehouse were various finely crafted steel parts. In the sand on the left stood a steel structure. Unlike the other wholesale centers, there wasn’t a single zombie here—only black dogs. Some looked like German Shepherds, others like pet dogs, big and small, but all of them were black, their fur gleaming with a metallic sheen.

Strangely, all these black dogs were carrying pieces of steel in their mouths, or working together to drag steel bars, acting like the most diligent porters. They moved the steel to the base of some trees.

Most of the dogs were busy with this task, while a few particularly large ones patrolled the area like foremen, exuding authority.

If you saw this scene in normal times, you’d probably burst out laughing. But Gu Xu and Bian Changxi couldn’t even crack a smile, because they noticed the black trees actively reaching out with their branches, grabbing the steel and stuffing it into “mouths”—openings on their trunks that opened and closed—then the trunks would writhe, making chewing sounds like a human eating.

Sometimes, the roots would undulate, causing the ground to sink, and the steel would fall in, dragged underground by gnarled roots. The ground would then return to normal.

There was a whole row of these trees. Who knew if they’d originally been planted for landscaping or if they’d come from somewhere else, but now they all gleamed with an eerie black light, all “eating” in this bizarre way.

Looking at the whole row was enough to make your scalp tingle.

Gu Xu’s face was grave, while Bian Changxi, after her initial shock, quickly scanned the area for Milk.

Just then, the two black dogs that had fled earlier came running back in panic, barking frantically at their companions. Immediately, several huge, fierce black dogs responded, gathering a group of smaller ones and charging out as if to punish some intruder.

Bian Changxi soon spotted Milk crouched in a small corner, eyes fixed and ready to pounce, apparently waiting for an opening. She relaxed a little and whispered to Gu Xu, “What should we do?”

“There isn’t a single zombie here. Judging by the territorial instincts of mutant creatures, it means they don’t dare compete with these dogs—or maybe those trees. This could be tricky.”

He thought for a moment, then said to Bian Changxi, “Stay here. Don’t move.”

He jumped down from the building and disappeared among the steel piles. After a while, a stone suddenly struck a lone black dog. The dog was stunned, then a second stone hit it. The dog immediately became enraged, its body trembling. With a series of cracking sounds, its glossy fur suddenly hardened and turned icy cold, as if covered in a layer of iron plates, sharp edges appearing all over its body—even its tail stood up like a spike. The black dog bared its teeth, searching for its attacker.

Bian Changxi was dumbfounded. This—this was like watching a mammal turn into a mechanical beast! She’d never heard of such a mutation. As the dog went on alert, several nearby dogs rushed over, barking and whining to each other, then all transformed into mechanical beasts, standing guard together.

Bian Changxi broke out in a cold sweat for Gu Xu. These mutant dogs were no joke—their bodies were covered in sharp edges, their claws and teeth as sharp as steel blades. They were like walking steel monsters. If you got hurt by one, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just as she was worrying, the dogs seemed to sense something and all moved in the same direction.

She pulled out her sniper rifle, but then thought better of it—even if she hit one, it probably wouldn’t do much against these steel beasts, and would only alert them. She switched to her left hand, ready to unleash her vines at any moment.

Suddenly, a white blur flashed by. The last dog in the small pack vanished. In the blink of an eye, something white—like a cat—was biting the black dog’s neck. No matter how the dog struggled and barked, it couldn’t break free. Within seconds, the black dog was dead. Milk didn’t pause for a second, darting away again.

The remaining black dogs froze for a moment, then realized what was happening and started barking wildly. All the other black dogs—whether they were carrying steel or patrolling—gathered together, chattering among themselves, then all transformed.

Before they could finish transforming, a blade of fire swept down from above, slicing off part of a black dog’s jaw. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the dog fell to the ground, writhing and howling in pain. The other dogs lunged at the source of the fire blade, but found nothing.

The huge foreman dog stomped the ground in frustration. The foreman dog that had gone out to deal with the intruder hurried back with its team. The foreman dogs seemed to confer for a moment, then each led a squad to guard the strange trees, their beastly eyes scanning the area with bloodthirsty cruelty, growling from time to time.

Bian Changxi’s attention shifted to the strange trees. These trees ate steel, digested steel, and from root to crown, they gleamed with a metallic luster, as if sculpted from some special material. Even as their lair was invaded, they kept eating, oblivious to everything else.

Something flickered in Bian Changxi’s mind. Did these trees have no offensive capabilities?

She thought it was worth testing, but Gu Xu beat her to it—a fireball shot at one of the trees.

No reaction. Instead, the black dogs on guard became agitated. The foreman dog let out a furious roar and charged at the source of the fireball like lightning.

In that instant, Bian Changxi’s vine lashed down from above, striking the dog with a heavy thud—it sounded just like hitting steel. The black dog crashed to the ground, then turned its cold, menacing gaze on Bian Changxi, sending chills down her spine.

The “underlings” that had been following the foreman dog were about to join in, but Milk suddenly leapt out with a howl. Instantly, not just those dogs, but nearly ninety percent of all the dogs in the yard dropped to the ground, trembling in terror. Milk took the opportunity to kill two more black dogs. The foreman dogs, however, weren’t intimidated—instead, they became enraged, barking furiously and lunging at Milk. With the pressure off, the smaller dogs regained their ferocity.

At the same time, a black figure darted to a tree with no dogs around it, chopped off a branch, and signaled to Bian Changxi—it was the sign to retreat.

She saw Milk about to be overwhelmed by the foreman dogs, but didn’t hesitate. She turned and jumped off the building, running out of the steel center first. Just a few breaths later, Gu Xu appeared with Milk, a pack of black dogs hot on their heels. Walls of fire sprang up between them, blocking the dogs from view, though their furious barking could still be heard.

The two of them and Milk ran for two blocks. Gu Xu looked around—zombies everywhere. He said, “Car!”

Bian Changxi quickly pulled the car out of storage, and Gu Xu sped away. In the car, he handed her a tree branch. “Take a look at this.”

It was less like a tree branch and more like a piece of special metal. When set down, it made a crisp, metallic sound. The thing was incredibly hard, gleaming coldly, and the broken end was so sharp it looked like it could cut your finger.

Bian Changxi took one look and was shocked. She examined it carefully, then said seriously to Gu Xu, “Those dogs—could the two of us, plus Milk, really take them on?”

Thanks to reader 080520171932266 for the safety charm!

Thanks to aquazl for a pink ticket!

Thanks to jane2007 for a pink ticket!

I woke up freezing this morning and caught a cold. I’m feeling really out of it—typing while my nose is running. Not feeling well at all, so this is all for today. I’ll make it up tomorrow. Sorry, everyone!"