Chapter 177: Bleak—The State of the Army

Bian Changxi was startled, but quickly regained her composure.

Researching how to turn zombies back into humans, or taming zombies to make them obedient—some bases had secretly attempted this in her previous life, but that was three or four years after the apocalypse began.

Now, it had only been four months since the world ended. Everyone was still reeling from disaster, struggling to secure food, clothing, and shelter. The new social order was still under frantic construction. Even Gu Xu could only focus on internal development for now—who had the time or energy to research zombies? People could barely figure themselves out. Compared to reverting zombies, turning ordinary people into ability users was far more practical.

Besides, even by the time she died in her previous life, she’d never heard of such research succeeding. It was a bottomless pit, draining time, effort, and resources.

The idea sounded great, but it wasn’t feasible or particularly valuable—especially since Gu Xu would be leaving in less than half a year, and Su City would fall anyway. She was planning to head to the capital with him. So what was the point of investing in research that wouldn’t yield results anytime soon?

So she said, “I’m just a wood-type ability user. I don’t really understand the pros and cons of this, and I can’t make the call. You’ll have to discuss it with Gu Xu.”

Zhu Yiming looked a bit disappointed. He’d thought Bian Changxi would be more excited—after all, if this succeeded, it would be a world-shaking, history-changing event.

Most importantly, Bian Changxi was truly the best candidate for this kind of research. Rumor had it she’d saved Song Annian, who had already turned into a zombie, right at the start of the apocalypse. Now that her powers had grown, she should be even more capable.

“You’re right. I’ll talk to Gu Xu about it.”

As he mentioned Gu Xu, Gu Xu had already walked over, probably noticing Bian Changxi hadn’t gotten out of the car yet. Bian Changxi quickly pushed open the door. “Sorry I’m late.”

Zhu Yiming got out too, slamming the door shut and laughing as he said to Gu Xu, “Gu Xu, I’ve brought your top doctor!” Then, lowering his voice as he stepped closer, he added, “Old Ge is fine now. I won’t say thank you—you’ve earned my gratitude for life.”

Gu Xu’s eyes flickered. By the time he’d heard about Ge Jianhua’s situation, the man was already in the hospital, and he’d been told just how dire things were—he’d been prepared for the worst. He wasn’t particularly close to Ge Jianhua; they’d only spoken a few times thanks to Zhu Yiming, and most of Ge’s faction didn’t like Gu Xu. That’s why he’d sent his people over, ready to bring Bian Changxi back at the first sign of trouble.

But less than an hour later, word came that Ge Jianhua was out of danger.

He glanced at Bian Changxi, whose expression was as calm as ever, and said, “I didn’t do anything. You’re thanking the wrong person.”

“Of course I’ll thank her too, but if it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have tried so hard.” The words were blunt, but true. Zhu Yiming was rough around the edges, but sharp-minded.

As they spoke, Bian Changxi led An Jibo to follow Gu Xu into the barracks.

This was essentially an infirmary. All the sick and wounded soldiers had been gathered here. The rooms on either side were full of people waiting—some already treated and hooked up to IVs, others just resting. The two large rooms in the middle were for treatment.

Bian Changxi glanced around. Most of these soldiers suffered from old injuries—missing limbs, blindness, deafness, and some strange illnesses. But these were the less severe cases; the serious ones had been sent to Jiangcheng for treatment. Some had hidden injuries—not visible on the surface, but as soldiers, they were already half-crippled.

There were also new injuries from the past few days. Most had been hastily treated, with wounds already festering, and some required drastic measures like cutting away flesh or scraping bone. Others had shrapnel or problems with bones, nerves, or muscles—surgeons performed makeshift operations while wood-type ability users did their best to stop bleeding and bandage wounds.

Bian Changxi had known conditions here would be bad, but seeing so many wounded left untreated, their clothes in tatters, and most looking malnourished—it was still a shock.

She noticed Gu Xu’s face was grim, his mood heavy, so she wisely took An Jibo and got to work.

Most of the medical staff here had been transferred from Jiangcheng and recognized Bian Changxi. She didn’t even need to introduce herself—calls for help rang out from all directions.

With her abundant energy, Bian Changxi treated patients generously, and the results were immediate. Praise and gratitude quickly followed, and she soon got a clear picture of the situation.

Conditions here had been poor from the start. Aside from the buildings, there was no furniture or supplies. They’d once had decent military resources, but Hu Aiquan had squandered them all trying to curry favor everywhere, even secretly transferring some away.

Though these soldiers still had leaders and some organization, without subsidies, their livelihoods were in jeopardy. Unlike ordinary people, they hadn’t brought along household essentials—everything was lacking. They had to organize themselves just to survive, with no real privileges or advantages. In fact, their lives were quite miserable.

When someone got hurt, they had to rely on their own people for help. There were few ability users among them, even fewer wood-types, and they lacked medicine and food. Over time, things only got worse. Hu Aiquan, worried about his reputation, forbade them from flooding the hospitals. Later, he lost control altogether, and internal conflicts only made things deteriorate further. These soldiers’ lives just kept getting harder.

Some had already defected to Gu Xu, and complaints had been raised, but whether it was because Gu Xu was too busy or his position was still uncertain, he hadn’t intervened. Now, seeing the situation firsthand, even he frowned deeply.

Hu Aiquan was here today too. Gu Xu had sidelined him, but since the troops were being inspected, he had to show up. He hadn’t expected Gu Xu to start with medical relief before even officially taking over the army, and now the problems were laid bare.

He’d been following Gu Xu around the barracks with a forced smile, but after the tour, Gu Xu’s cold, angry rebuke rang out: “This is unacceptable!”

With a wave of his hand, Gu Xu ordered those who could be moved to return to the Jiangcheng residential area for temporary accommodation. The barracks needed a thorough overhaul before anyone could live here. As for the sick and wounded—there were too many to send to the hospital, and it would cause too much disruption—so they would be treated and cared for right here.

Bian Changxi had just finished treating a soldier whose limp was caused by a neglected injury, and was considering how to help another whose neck had been twisted by a mutant bear—he’d barely escaped decapitation—when the rumble of construction equipment sounded outside. Gu Xu had ordered the immediate demolition and rebuilding of the barracks.

Otherwise, if tens of thousands of people flooded into the residential area, it would be impossible to absorb them all. A day or two might be fine, but over time, conflicts would inevitably arise.

Thanks to the seventh-ranked Peace Talisman!

Thanks to Xiao Xiao Heyuan for the pink ticket!

Thanks to Lan Caidie for the review ticket!

This chapter is a bit short and dry—sorry, everyone! I’ll make it up tomorrow. Good night, muah!"