Chapter 165: Neglect—Xiao Wen’s Thoughts

(from *Restarting the Farm at the End of the World*)

Today, Villa 13 in the Market Base’s No. 1 Villa District was fully armed and tightly guarded.

Before dawn, a squad of about a hundred people jogged up to the villa, surrounding it inside and out. Don’t get the wrong idea—they weren’t here to raid the place. On the contrary, they were impeccably dressed, weapons concealed, faces stern and eyes sharp, every bit the image of elite bodyguards protecting the villa.

The neighboring villas were all abuzz with curiosity.

After all, the villa district was the second-highest residential area in the base. Since when were so many armed personnel allowed in? Normally, even a single car entering or leaving would be subject to strict inspection at the gate.

Everyone living here was someone of status, and they all knew exactly who lived in Villa 13—some even knew a fair bit of the inside story.

For example, today was the day that Captain Gu was to be re-granted the rank of major general. Once the ceremony was over, it would mean the base officially recognized him, acknowledging his special rights as a “colleague and peer” of the military’s top brass. From now on, no one could question Gu Xu’s legitimacy, and in these times where military and political power had solidified, that meant everything.

It was also common knowledge that the ceremony had come about rather suddenly. Negotiations had been dragging on, but as soon as the Qiao Base’s delegation arrived and expressed strong goodwill toward Gu Xu, Commander Zhuge—who had been wavering—immediately made the call to publicly recognize and announce Gu Xu’s rank and duties at the capital’s general staff.

No one was prepared for this, not even Deputy Commander Xu Chang.

Today’s ceremony was sure to be spectacular.

But Gu Xu’s decision to seal off his villa so tightly before leaving could only mean there was someone extremely important inside—someone who couldn’t leave, and perhaps even lacked the ability to protect herself.

Wen Mingli put down her binoculars. “Looks like the rumors were true. Something’s happened to Bian Changxi.”

Sun Buqun, sitting on the third-floor balcony of his own villa, took a sip of chilled liquor, swirling the glass. “A third-tier wood-type, tsk tsk. If it were me, I’d guard her like a treasure too.”

Their villa was in the No. 2 Villa District, separated from No. 1 by just a street. In the previous life, Gu Xu and his people had lived in No. 2 as well—this was where the base’s high-level staff resided. Wen Mingli had gone through a lot just to become Gu Xu’s neighbor, only for him to move across the street after she’d finally managed to secure the villa. All that effort, and her promising neighbor had run off.

It was infuriating.

Hearing Sun Buqun’s comment, Wen Mingli felt a flicker of annoyance, though her tone remained gentle. “Isn’t Xiao Anzi a third-tier too? I don’t see you making such a fuss about him.”

“You don’t get it,” Sun Buqun replied. “After today, no one will be able to touch Gu Xu. All those who are still unwilling to accept it will make their last stand today. He’s making a statement: ‘If you want to mess with my people, be ready to go all the way against me.’”

He stood and walked to the window, from where he could just make out the scene across the street. Even if the details were blurry, the formidable presence and the untouchable formation were unmistakable.

And then there was that group of uninvited guests, barging in aggressively but still stopped outside in the yard.

“With so many people on guard, even the smallest disturbance would cause a huge commotion. Anyone thinking of making trouble will have to think twice. Isn’t this much better than quietly suffering losses?”

“But this way, Gu Xu will be accused of being arrogant and overbearing,” Wen Mingli said. Letting armed squads into the villa district would offend plenty of people.

“When has our Captain Gu ever cared about keeping a low profile?” Sun Buqun shot back.

Wen Mingli was momentarily speechless.

Suddenly, Sun Buqun asked, “I heard all five of them are attending today. Are those two invalids fully recovered?”

“Mm.” Wen Mingli thought he was about to comment on Bian Changxi’s abilities again, but he changed the subject. “You once mentioned Gu Xu has some kind of effect?”

“The ‘strong gather the strong’ effect. Or you could call it the ‘strong create the strong’ effect.” Wen Mingli’s eyes flashed with a strange light. “Someone secretly crunched the numbers in the previous life. It’s not 100% certain, but it’s clear that people around him just keep getting stronger.”

“No kidding. Even his cook turned into a power-type,” Sun Buqun said with a mocking smile.

Wen Mingli’s face darkened.

She’d risked everything, braving the rain and nearly dying from illness, only to end up with a measly little spatial ability. Meanwhile, Qiu Feng had become a water-type, and even Gu Xu’s nanny was a power-type. It felt like a slap in the face.

She couldn’t help glancing at Sun Buqun, worried she’d see mockery in his eyes.

But there was none. The strong, domineering man didn’t even look at her, just stared ahead, muttering to himself, “Is there really such a thing as a protagonist in this world?”

If not, then Gu Xu was simply too favored by fate. If so, wasn’t that unfair to all the other struggling souls?

He glanced regretfully at the villa next door—supposedly the one Gu Xu had lived in during the previous life. Now it was occupied by a few good-for-nothing rich kids, partying every night and making a racket.

He’d always looked down on Gu Xu, the so-called strongest of the previous life. The resources and opportunities he himself controlled far outstripped Gu Xu’s. Here in Sucheng, he was a local powerhouse with deep roots, unshakable. Even in the capital, he had endless connections. What did this brash upstart Gu Xu have to compete with him?

But now, things were different.

Gu Xu’s military status, his privileges, the support of the Qiao Base, the ever-growing number of strong people around him, his rapid development, and now a third-tier wood-type who was almost certainly a reborn as well—he could no longer afford to ignore him.

He suddenly said, “See if you can free up a villa near there.”

A deferential attendant behind him nodded and quickly left.

Wen Mingli was surprised. Was he finally determined to build a relationship with Gu Xu?

As Sun Buqun prepared to leave, Wen Mingli hurried after him, taking his arm. “Sun-ge, where are you going?”

“To show support for our protagonist.” He paused, pulling his arm free. “Xiao Wen, stay put with Zhu Yunhua for now. Gu Xu has his eye on you. Be careful.”

Wen Mingli froze, disbelief flashing across her face. In the moment she was stunned, Sun Buqun had already strode away.

She clenched her fists in anger.

Ever since the Xuan Iron Tree plan had failed, Sun Buqun had grown cold toward her. He didn’t blame or scold her—he even comforted her—but there was always that look in his eyes, a sighing disappointment at her incompetence.

At that moment, Wen Mingli felt as if she’d been slapped in the face.

When she learned that the Xuan Iron Tree had been taken by Bian Changxi, when she saw how smoothly she and Gu Xu worked together to deal with the Black Dog, when Bian Changxi stole the spotlight by healing others, Wen Mingli’s hatred had never burned so fiercely.

When she was reborn, the first person she sought out was Sun Buqun, her former boss.

She’d been just one of thousands of employees at his old, well-established game software company. After Zhu Yunhua’s new company squeezed them out of business, Sun Buqun had wanted to get his hands on data from Zhu Yunhua’s in-development game to ruin him. She and a colleague were sent to carry out the mission—then the apocalypse broke out.

In her previous life, she’d never even known who her real boss was. With the company scattered and her family far away, she had nowhere to go but to stay with Zhu Yunhua. Only later did she learn the depth of Sun Buqun’s background, but by then, as a mere pre-apocalypse employee, she had no way to get close to him.

She could only hide behind Zhu Yunhua, watching Sun Buqun’s rise, imagining that if she’d just worked harder before the apocalypse, transferred to his direct department, or tried to get closer, maybe she could have become his trusted aide—or even just one of his women. Anything for a better life...

That obsession was so strong that, when given a second chance, she immediately sought out Sun Buqun.

He didn’t disappoint her. After some testing confirmed her story, he gave her great authority and resources, letting her take charge of major operations.

She became one of his women—his most important one—and lived a life better than she’d ever dreamed of in her previous life.

She even fantasized about becoming the most powerful, influential woman in the world.

But everything changed when Bian Changxi appeared.

She hadn’t even done anything, yet everything started going wrong for her.

Was it deliberate, or just fate?

Even Sun Buqun grew disappointed and impatient with her, while showing increasing interest in Bian Changxi.

Now he wanted her to stay away with Zhu Yunhua, not to come back. He was eager to cozy up to Gu Xu and thought she’d only get in the way?

Ha! This was worse than being cast aside after outliving her usefulness. Didn’t he know she still had plenty of secrets? Didn’t he realize how unfair this was to her?

If not for her, would Sun Buqun have achieved so much, no matter how capable he was? In the previous life, he’d been just another warlord among many.

Wen Mingli didn’t know whether to hate Bian Changxi for ruining her luck, or Sun Buqun for turning on her, or maybe she should be glad she’d never revealed the secrets of her spatial ability or the technology behind spatial devices. She understood now—some things were safest kept in her own hands.

Only she would never betray herself.

From now on, she could only rely on herself.

Her beautiful eyes flickered with jealousy and resentment as she glanced at the villa across the street. Bian Changxi, our battle has only just begun. Don’t think you’ll stay on top forever.

If Bian Changxi knew she’d somehow become the target of even deeper hatred, she’d probably feel helpless. Right now, she was also feeling helpless as she watched the aggressive visitors in the villa’s yard.

“Which one of you is Bian Changxi? Our Staff Officer Chen was injured in the field. On Commander Xu’s orders, I’m here to request Miss Bian’s assistance.”

PS:

Thanks to the No. 7-ranked Peace Talisman!"

"**Restarting the Apocalypse Farm**