Chapter 151: Tripping Up, Disliking Zhu Yunhua

On the main road outside the Hongri Wholesale Market, two groups were locked in a standoff. On one side stood a well-disciplined military unit, even the civilians among them looking spirited; on the other side, a battered and anxious crowd, their numbers far fewer and their faces marked by resentment and worry.

Beside a military vehicle, a man in uniform with a colonel’s insignia was talking to a tall, badly injured man. The colonel was relaxed and unhurried, while the other man was agitated and angry, gesturing wildly with his arms.

After a while, the two emerged. The injured man’s group immediately crowded around him. “Well? How did it go?”

“What did they say?”

The man’s face was grim and silent, but the colonel laughed and said, “Our Sucheng Base is recognized as the big brother among all the bases in Sucheng, so naturally, we have to take responsibility and look after everyone. We won’t monopolize the Hongri Wholesale Market. In a bit, we’ll go in and clear it out. You can follow behind us and pick up some supplies too. Times are tough for you all.”

Everyone’s faces darkened. Was he really telling them to just follow behind and scavenge the leftovers?

They had suffered heavy casualties, but things hadn’t gotten this bad yet. They had hoped to negotiate for half the market, or at least a fair share, and clear out the zombies themselves so that everything inside would belong to them. Now, this colonel was acting like he was doing them a favor, as if they didn’t even need to fight—just pick up what was left. But in reality, he was putting them in a completely subordinate position—trailing behind, picking up scraps, with no say in what or how much they’d get.

The people from the Qiao Base were furious, their eyes red with anger. The Hongri Wholesale Market had been within their grasp, and now these bandits were not only stealing it but also acting like benevolent benefactors, as if they were granting them charity. It was infuriating.

Some wanted to rush forward, but Qiao Wei stopped them. Facing the colonel, he swallowed his humiliation and anger, forcing himself to say, “Thank you, Colonel Lin, for considering us. In that case, we won’t stand on ceremony. We do need to bring something back, after all.”

There was no other choice. Sucheng Base was wealthy and powerful, able to mobilize a whole regiment, all armed and imposing. Even if Qiao’s group had the numbers, they might not be able to defeat these soldiers, especially with Sucheng Base backing them.

This was a bitter pill to swallow, but they had no choice but to accept it.

Just then, the sound of vehicles came from the distance. Everyone turned to look—was someone else arriving?

A large truck came into view—no, not just one, but two. Seeing the military blockade ahead, the trucks slowed down. Two soldiers jogged over. “Who are you? Get out of the vehicle.”

“Wait, wait, we’re here on a mission!” Daishan and the villagers who’d come with him nervously got out, glancing anxiously at the soldiers, worried they’d stumbled into trouble. Daishan hurriedly pulled out the steel delivery mission certificate from his pocket.

Colonel Lin glanced at these country bumpkins and snorted, then looked over at Zhu Yunhua’s group.

He’d called these civilians over to create a show of force, but these people were only just arriving—what use were they now? Were they here to pick up leftovers too?

He waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing flies. “Let them through. This area’s already been cleared!”

Before the soldiers could act, a Toyota SUV pulled up behind the trucks. The window rolled down, and a man inside asked calmly, “What’s going on here?”

Colonel Lin straightened up immediately and hurried over, ingratiatingly. “Captain Gu, what brings you here? Did you receive new orders from above?”

Gu Xu and Bian Changxi had left the base later than the main force, so Colonel Lin wasn’t sure why Gu Xu had shown up.

Gu Xu looked puzzled. “Is there a big operation here?” He seemed to take something from the passenger seat and handed it to Colonel Lin. “We’re here on a mission, but it seems like now’s not a good time.”

Colonel Lin glanced at the mission certificate—it was dated yesterday morning, before the current operation had been planned. What a coincidence. The mission was registered under Bian Changxi’s name. He peeked into the car, wondering why the renowned doctor would be out on a mission. If it was Gu Xu’s idea, that made even less sense—someone as busy as him wouldn’t come all this way for a minor task.

After a moment’s thought, he figured it out: the two were probably out for a bit of relaxation, maybe even a date.

Regardless, as a mere colonel, he didn’t dare send Gu Xu away. He quickly said, “It’s no trouble at all! We’re just here to clear out zombies, same as your mission. In fact, we’d love your guidance, Captain Gu.”

He meant it. The operation would surely succeed, but who knew how many casualties there’d be? Just look at the state of Qiao Base’s people. The fewer men he lost, the greater his own credit. Having Gu Xu and Bian Changxi here was a stroke of luck—one was a powerful fighter, the other a top-notch healer, like two talismans for survival.

Of course, he had no intention of handing over command to Gu Xu—he was just being polite, and he was sure Gu Xu wouldn’t overstep.

Sure enough, Gu Xu simply replied, “I wouldn’t presume to give advice. Since we’re not in the way, we’ll stay. If you need anything from me, I’ll do my best.”

He got out, followed by Bian Changxi. They put away their vehicle and looked around. The line of military vehicles and soldiers was impressive, making the Qiao Base group look small and fragile by comparison. Bian Changxi’s gaze fell on a small group gathered beside the soldiers.

That was Zhu Yunhua, Bian Kuang, and their companions. When they saw her, they nodded slightly. Bian Kuang looked a bit guilty, as if he wanted to come over, but was held back by Bian Wei, who looked up at him and asked something in a soft, sweet voice.

Bian Changxi looked away.

Why was Bian Kuang ashamed? It was simple. Colonel Lin was one of Vice Commander Xu Chang’s people from Sucheng Base, and today’s operation was entirely Xu Chang’s doing. Xu Chang and Gu Xu were known to be at odds. The Bian family had always been close to Xu Chang—in fact, they were considered his lackeys. Before this, Bian Kuang would never have participated in such an operation. Now, by being here, he’d made his allegiance clear.

She had advised him to leave the Bian family, but he’d only clung tighter. Naturally, Bian Changxi wasn’t happy about it.

Next, Colonel Lin began planning the attack on the wholesale market, needing intelligence from Qiao Wei’s side. Both groups started discussing strategy. Colonel Lin had chairs brought for Gu Xu and Bian Changxi, but they didn’t sit, instead wandering around to observe. Zhu Yunhua seized the opportunity to come over and greet them.

“Captain Gu, Miss Bian, I’ve heard so much about you both, but this is the first time I’ve had the chance to say hello. Miss Bian, you remember me, right? We met at the mercenary hall last time—Young Master Bian was there too.”

Bian Changxi nodded slightly. “Mr. Zhu.”

“Miss Bian, your medical skills are remarkable. I have a brother who fell ill with a strange disease. After your treatment, he’s stabilized. I haven’t had the chance to thank you properly.”

Bian Changxi thought for a moment. She regularly treated a few patients from outside Jiangcheng each week. Because of her growing reputation, if she only treated locals and ignored outsiders, it would become a point of attack against her, even blocking Jiangcheng’s medical services. In the end, she had to accept a few outside patients, but only for one or two treatments—enough to show results, but not to cure them completely. Gu Xu didn’t want her to become a public doctor, forced to treat anyone who showed up.

Most of those patients were important figures from various factions, coming to her as a last resort. It was rare for someone as insignificant as Zhu Yunhua’s brother to be among them, which surprised her.

Gu Xu, however, remembered right away. “You must mean the patient whose internal organs were already rotting—his surname was Wu, right?” He smiled faintly. “He had the strongest willpower of anyone I’ve seen. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lasted that long.”

Bian Changxi recalled the case as well. A couple of weeks ago, one of the first patients brought in was in terrible shape—his whole body was rotting, barely any healthy flesh left, and even his internal organs were deformed and decaying. He was barely alive, and she was amazed he’d survived at all.

She hadn’t wanted to take the case, suspecting it was a setup, especially since the patient’s companions were openly hostile and insulting. The commotion even drew in Qiu Feng and Gu Xu. She didn’t know what they discussed, but in the end, she couldn’t back down—if she did, her reputation would be ruined from day one. So she accepted the patient.

She managed to stabilize him, but it cost her an entire day’s effort, and she slept deeply that night.

She hadn’t followed up on what happened next, but she knew the troublemakers hadn’t gained anything and had only gotten themselves into hot water. Hu Aiquan was even expelled from Jiangcheng Medical because of it. Who would have thought that patient was one of Zhu Yunhua’s people?

Bian Changxi frowned.

Zhu Yunhua quickly explained, “Someone told us Wu Hao could be saved, so we rushed him over that night. We only learned the full story later. I’m truly sorry for the trouble we caused.”

Bian Changxi replied coldly, “It’s all in the past. Since I took on the responsibility, whether it was Wu Hao or Zhang Hao, whether he was your brother or anyone else’s, I would have treated him.” In other words, this had nothing to do with Zhu Yunhua—no thanks or apologies were needed. “By the way, how is the patient now?”

Before Zhu Yunhua could answer, Gu Xu spoke up, “He’s much better—no different from an ordinary patient now. If he could have a wood-type ability user treat him daily, I believe he’d make a full recovery soon.”

Thanks to user 513205014578 for a pink ticket!

Thanks to ""Happy Meow Meow"" for two pink tickets!

Thanks to sclife168 for a pink ticket!

My cold has gotten worse (thank you all for your concern). It took me all morning to finish this chapter, so there may be some inconsistencies—I’ll fix them later.

I’m not sure if I can get two more chapters out today, but I’ll try my best. Feel free to check back later—sorry for the delay!"