Chapter 202: Changran, You Shouldn’t Go Either

With Gu Xu, the ultimate zombie-slaying weapon, around, it seemed like no matter how many zombies there were, it just wasn’t a problem.

He took care of the toughest and most troublesome zombies, while Chen Guanqing held the line, and the hundred-strong squad swarmed in, gnawing away at the rest one by one.

Later, Chen Guanqing even opened the wooden crate, revealing Xiao Ai inside. She looked vacant, but her skin and flesh appeared almost normal. At this point, Xiao Ai could breathe and metabolize—according to Bian Changxi, she was already a living being. Chu Hao’s storage space couldn’t take her, and Bian Changxi didn’t want to reveal that her farm could store living things, so Xiao Ai had to stay outside, hidden away.

This time, Gu Xu had Chen Guanqing bring her along. Chen found an opportunity to let her out of the crate, and by controlling her, had her summon nearby mutant beasts. The mutant beasts showed up to fight the zombies—though the effect wasn’t huge, it was a good start.

Of course, all this was just a side note. When the round of fighting ended, everyone stared in a daze at the sea of corpses at their feet. Did we really kill all these?

There must be at least three hundred, maybe even five hundred.

The most incredible thing was that not a single person had died. Even those who were injured only suffered physical wounds. To charge into a horde of zombies and have everyone survive—such a miraculous stroke of luck had actually happened to them. In fact, most of them had been prepared for the worst when they set out. They were fighting, gambling with their lives for a shot at a future.

But victory had come almost too easily.

Gu Xu walked over from a distance. He was a little dirty, but his spirit and composure were as good as ever. His steady stride and understated confidence made him seem different in everyone’s eyes.

Now, the respect and admiration in everyone’s gaze was obvious—supreme reverence for the strong, mixed with excitement and joy.

Gu Xu himself didn’t react much. He said steadily, “Deal with the bodies, extract the crystal cores, and rest and eat here.”

Although there hadn’t been any major casualties, everyone had been fighting hard, burning through their energy. Now that he mentioned it, they realized they were both physically and mentally exhausted—and hungry. Grateful and amazed, they rushed to dig out the crystal cores, handing them to their squad leaders, who then passed them to Gu Xu. After that, they found cover to sit and rest, while those who still had energy took the initiative to patrol the area.

Everyone was working even harder than before. Gu Xu raised an eyebrow and had Bian Changxi collect the crystal cores. She took batch after batch, and when she looked up and saw Gu Xu staring thoughtfully at the water, she tugged at him. “What do you want to eat, Boss Gu?”

What kind of nickname was that?

Gu Xu raised an eyebrow at her. “Just give me a bottle of water.”

Bian Changxi handed him a bottle of mineral water, then took out a container and opened it for him. “Have a rice ball.”

These rice balls were made by Aunt Zhao—shiny white rice wrapped in seaweed, stuffed with fresh cucumber, shrimp or salted egg yolk, a bit of pork floss and pickled vegetables, plus some fragrant crushed peanuts. Delicious and filling, and easy to carry. If anyone might have trouble eating on the go, Aunt Zhao always made sure they brought some.

So far, Bian Changxi had probably brought the most, and she loved them. The farm’s warehouse was stocked with plenty. She’d even made this batch herself while helping out.

Gu Xu looked at her smiling face, then at the rice ball, and immediately guessed, “You made this yourself? Why so attentive?”

Bian Changxi’s face fell. “You could tell? Does it look that bad?” Then she answered his second question, “It’s just because you’ve been working so hard. I’m in charge of logistics, so of course I have to take good care of the boss.”

Gu Xu stared at her for a moment, making sure she was fine, then sat on the chair she’d set out, poured some water to wash his hands, took a sip, and picked up a rice ball. “No other motive?”

Bian Changxi was momentarily stunned, then realized what he meant and rolled her eyes. “What motive could I have? Just eat, I’m just excited.”

“Excited about what?”

“Hmm, hard to say.” Bian Changxi handed him the rest of the container, cupping her cheeks in her hands as she rested her elbows on her knees, eyes shining as she gazed ahead. “I just feel excited. I haven’t felt like this in a long time—like my blood’s boiling, like there’s hope again, a goal to chase.” She turned to look at him. “One day, I’ll be as strong as you.”

Gu Xu was taken aback, then laughed. “If I’m your role model, I guess I’d better work even harder.”

But inside, he felt a bit odd.

He didn’t really understand women’s minds, but he’d heard and read plenty of stories about heroes and beauties—where the dashing hero wins the lady’s heart through his deeds. So why did it feel like he’d gained a pure fanboy instead?

He hadn’t meant for this to happen, but her reaction still left him both bewildered and a little disappointed.

Women really are hard to understand.

Even the warm, fragrant rice ball in his hand seemed to lose its appeal.

At that moment, Milk trotted over—dirty, battered, and pitiful, clearly injured again. It ran to Bian Changxi’s feet, begging for attention. She cried out in surprise, snapping out of her heroic daydream, frowned, and scooped Milk up. “What happened? Did a zombie get you? Are you okay?” She treated its wounds, made sure it was still lively, then brushed its fur, washed its face and mouth, and fed it—a rice ball from the same container.

Gu Xu suddenly felt a deep, tragic sense that “even a cat gets better treatment than me.”

He shot a cold glare at the not-quite-a-cat, which had grown bigger and stronger but hadn’t lost its spoiled ways. Milk snuggled even closer to Bian Changxi’s feet, making Gu Xu’s irritation flare up.

Of course, all those extra feelings passed in a flash. He quickly finished off two rice balls and walked over to the dock to observe the water.

The water was thick, black, and filthy, reeking like a sewer, with strange weeds floating on top. There was no movement in the depths. He’d noticed earlier, during the fight with the zombies, that something had swum by in the water—something big.

He glanced around, then walked along the shore. When everyone had rested enough, he picked up a crate and tossed it far out into the water.

With a splash, the stench grew even stronger. In the spray, something huge and tentacle-like flashed into view, then vanished.

Gu Xu’s eyes sharpened. He whipped out his fire chain, lashing it into the water and catching something. Whatever it was struggled violently, and suddenly, a massive tentacle whipped out of the water, aiming straight for Gu Xu.

His left hand was wreathed in flames as he grabbed the monstrous thing, which was as strong as a steel cable. Though he had it under control, the tail swung around, threatening to hit him.

Gu Xu’s right hand, holding the fire chain, pulled back, blocking the attack. As the chain made contact, there was a flash of red and a sizzle—the smell of burning flesh filled the air. The fire chain seared the thing in two, its tail falling to the ground. He pinned it with his foot and kicked it toward the others, who scrambled to their feet. “See what this is!”

He didn’t have time to study it himself, because the main body in the water, furious at losing a part of itself, began to howl. Bubbles churned on the surface, the stench almost unbearable. A flat, gray-black thing with a slight bulge in the middle surfaced.

Its eyes and mouth were on the underside, so it tilted its body to show Gu Xu its furious, hideous face. He was holding one of its two tails, and as it roared, the other tail lashed out.

This time, the force was even greater. Faced with a whip thicker than his own arm, Gu Xu didn’t dare take it head-on. He let go and leapt aside, just as the tail slammed into the ground with a deafening crack.

Bian Changxi rushed over. “Its weak spot must be on its belly. I’ll flip it over, you hit it.”

With that, several vines shot out, sweeping over the creature’s back and plunging into the water. Two seconds later, they emerged in front of its body, shooting straight up and flipping the monster over.

Its belly and face were fully exposed—a grotesque face. Gu Xu immediately fired several flaming arrows, piercing it through. No matter how the creature struggled, the tough vines held fast. Its two tails thrashed wildly, but Gu Xu blocked them. Soon, it was dead, and Bian Changxi hauled it onto the shore.

Gu Xu circled it, digging into its belly until he found a third-tier water core.

Everyone started muttering, “What kind of monster is this? What was it before?”

“Who knows, maybe it’s a completely new species.”

“A third-tier water monster living so close to shore…”

Gu Xu stared at the dark water and the massive ship at least five or six kilometers away, fell silent for a moment, then asked Bian Changxi, “Can you store that yacht?”

She looked—it was a fishery patrol boat, about five or six meters long, with four seats, about the size of a regular car.

She nodded. Gu Xu said, “Store it, then put it in the water here.”

Bian Changxi asked, “You’re going to use that boat to go over there? It’s too small, too dangerous. Anything a bit bigger could flip it over. If you fall into the water…”

Gu Xu shook his head. “I know what I’m doing. Help me out.”

Bian Changxi had no choice but to bring the patrol boat over. Gu Xu had an earth-ability user toss some dirt into the water, waited a bit, and when nothing happened, figured there were no more mutant creatures in this area. He used his fire chain to pull the patrol boat closer and said to everyone, “Be careful on shore too. Zombies could show up at any time.”

“Major Gu, you’re going alone? That’s too dangerous,” someone said.

Bian Changxi grabbed the boat’s side. “I have to go too. If there’s anything good, I can store it right away.”

But Gu Xu said, “I’ll go check things out first. You wait here.”

Bian Changxi’s eyes widened. “How can you say that? Worried I’ll get hurt? Then you shouldn’t go either. Isn’t it just a couple boats full of fuel and coal? We don’t need them that badly.”

Thanks to Guomao cbe for the safety charm and the pink ticket! Love you! *muah*"