Chapter 204: Tracking, a Kidnapping Incident

After handing over the supplies, Bian Changxi wandered off alone to Dongqing Street and arrived at a place called Jiangcheng Weapons Shop. As the name suggests, this shop was also run by Jiangcheng.

There were a few customers inside. She walked up to the counter and said, “I’m here to pick up my sword.”

The shop owner, who was busy serving other customers, immediately rushed over. “Miss Bian, why did you come in person? I was planning to deliver it to you later.” He signaled to a staff member to fetch the Tang sword from the back.

Bian Changxi drew the sword and examined it. The blade gleamed brilliantly, its edge elegant and razor-sharp, with a faint, noble golden sheen that evoked the legendary sharpness of “cutting iron like mud.”

The owner said, “As you requested, the blade has been tempered with a gold element, which greatly increased its hardness and sharpness. Next time you go zombie hunting, I guarantee the blade won’t chip.”

Bian Changxi nodded, sheathed the sword, stored it in her farm space, and, ignoring the owner’s attempts to stop her, paid for the weapon. After walking a few steps outside, she saw Yunhua Weapons Shop.

Yunhua Weapons Shop had already been struggling with supply issues, and after Jiangcheng Weapons Shop opened, business plummeted. They’d barely managed to hold on until today, but now, they finally had to close. Bian Changxi looked at the group of dejected people. Among them, the refined and scholarly Zhu Yunhua looked particularly downcast, watching as the new owners took over, removed the signboard, and started dismantling unnecessary counters and decorations to renovate the shop on the spot. His fists were clenched, jaw tight, but his face betrayed nothing.

Having worked together for six or seven years, Bian Changxi could immediately tell how much anger and disappointment Zhu Yunhua was suppressing at this moment.

He always appeared calm and collected, but in truth, he was extremely ambitious and competitive. Just look at his naming habits—Yunhua Weapons Shop, Yunhua Base, and before the apocalypse, his company was also called something Yunhua. It was clear he was narcissistic and arrogant. Now that his shop had ended in such a sorry state, his frustration was easy to imagine.

In this life, the junior who used to help him find treasures was dead. Wen Mingli had her own problems, Qu Yi had joined the base’s research institute and now looked down on him, and as for Bian Changxi, she would never be his stepping stone again. How far could Zhu Yunhua really go now?

Bian Changxi thought about it indifferently, as if watching an irrelevant play. The main character was someone she’d hated before her death and resented even after being reborn. She’d thought about revenge, but now, seeing him in person, she realized she felt nothing for him except mild dislike. At this moment, she didn’t care about the past at all.

This person wasn’t worth her time or energy. Seeking revenge would only be giving him too much credit. Seeing him reduced to just another face in the crowd was enough.

As she left, she overheard people discussing which hunting teams were recruiting, talking about finding a way to make a living, and praising Zhu Yunhua for being a dignified Tier 2 fire ability user—surely he could land a squad leader position.

Zhu Yunhua was quite irritated, though he tried to appear optimistic and open-minded. He couldn’t understand why nothing was going his way. He’d planned to build a new foundation, but now he was reduced to scrambling for a mere squad leader job?

Suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar figure, and for some reason, a strange sense of joy welled up inside him. But before he could get a good look, the figure disappeared into the crowd.

“Bian…” He stood there in a daze, unable to react for a long time. It felt as if he’d lost something, a deep sense of anger and regret washing over his heart…

Bian Changxi rode her motorcycle to the water plant on Auction Street. The plant had expanded, renting out all the neighboring storefronts and opening branches elsewhere. There were now five hundred water-ability employees, and over 1,500 people handling water collection, transport, management, and accounting. With over 2,000 employees, it had become a major enterprise and was doing very well.

But at that moment, Deputy Manager Chen Yisha sat at her desk, sighing heavily.

Bian Changxi parked her bike and walked in. “With that look on your face, people might think our water plant is about to go bankrupt.”

Chen Yisha jumped up in surprise and delight when she saw her. “You’re finally here! If you hadn’t come, I would’ve burst from holding it in.”

She pulled Bian Changxi into the break room, closed the door, and nervously said, “When I came to work this morning, that person was following me again. And it seemed like there was more than one. Luckily, I was smart enough to wait at a busy intersection until a few strong guys from the plant showed up, and we walked in together. Otherwise…”

Bian Changxi frowned. “That bold? Are you sure who they are?”

“Yeah, I snuck a look back. They’re not from my family. Besides, now that I’m making money and can get them water at a discount, my family wouldn’t bother me. From the looks of them, they seemed like a bunch of ex-military thugs.”

Chen Yisha had seen enough of the Jiangcheng military district’s people lately to recognize the mannerisms of real soldiers. Bian Changxi immediately decided to follow Chen Yisha after work to see who was behind this sneaky business.

Actually, this wasn’t the first time Chen Yisha had been harassed by these people. At first, when the water plant’s business was slow, it wasn’t a problem. But in the past four or five days, as the temperature dropped sharply and business declined, these people started appearing. She hadn’t dared to tell anyone except Bian Changxi. After discussing it, they figured there were three possible suspects: her own family, a certain lightning-ability user who’d once pursued her, or the lecherous old man she’d almost been sent to serve.

Other than that, Chen Yisha had always kept a low profile and never offended anyone. If it was about the water plant, she’d asked around, but none of the other employees had experienced anything similar.

They waited in the shop until five o’clock. After work, Chen Yisha slung her shoulder bag and waved goodbye to everyone, walking slowly down the street. It was rush hour, and the streets were crowded. But after a while, she left the main road, and things grew quieter. Chen Yisha was heading back to the Chen family home, which was in a slightly more upscale area than ordinary residential zones—her family had spent a lot of money to secure a place there.

This area was almost entirely wealthy merchants with money but no power. The Bian family lived here too. Since few from these families worked as hunters, there were fewer people returning home at this hour. The narrow road lined with greenery was deserted.

Suddenly, a nimble figure leaped out from the greenery, startling Chen Yisha. She immediately lashed out with a water whip—after all, Bian Changxi’s training had paid off, and Chen Yisha had finally mastered this combat skill. But perhaps due to a lack of natural fighting instinct, her swings were only average.

Her water whip kept the attacker at bay for a few moments, but then a second person jumped out from the greenery, quickly circling behind her.

Chen Yisha panicked. She couldn’t fend off two people at once and was soon silenced with a handkerchief over her mouth, quickly losing consciousness.

It’s worth noting that there were still a few people on the street during the whole process—three or four, at least. But they all pretended not to see anything, even hurrying away to avoid trouble, as if they had no idea what kind of tragedy could befall a beautiful young woman being kidnapped in broad daylight.

Watching from the shadows, Bian Changxi frowned. If this had happened under Gu Xu’s rule, things would be very different. But she also understood that, five months into the apocalypse, all sorts of ugliness had been unleashed. Forget about someone being drugged on the street—even outright assault could happen in some especially lawless, filthy places.

After the two men succeeded, they quickly dragged Chen Yisha behind the greenery. One of them stroked her face, saying, “Water-ability users really are different—their skin is so nice, and she smells so good. This chick must bathe every day.”

The other said, “Enough, stop touching her. Go get the car.”

“Come on, can’t I at least have a taste? She’s got a great body. If I don’t cop a feel, it’s a waste. Who’s going to notice if I steal a kiss or two?”

He reached to unbutton Chen Yisha’s clothes.

But before he could touch her, a green vine shot out, wrapped around his hand, and yanked it back, twisting his arm around his neck and binding him tightly. In just a few blinks, the man was tied up like a spinning top. The other man tried to run, but a vine hooked his legs and yanked him face-first into the bushes, making him scream—who knows what he scraped.

Bian Changxi stepped out and quickly checked Chen Yisha’s breathing. Confirming she was only unconscious, she turned to glare coldly at the two men.

The more lecherous one immediately had two sharp wooden spikes driven into his wrist and groin. Before he could scream, she stuffed a rag into his mouth. He was so tightly bound he couldn’t even roll around in pain, just lay there convulsing and crying, banging his head on the ground, blood pouring from his wounds.

The other man, terrified, begged for his life. “Please, spare me! I was just paid to do a job—I don’t know anything else!”

Bian Changxi looked him over. He was sturdy enough, but filthy and skinny, his face sallow from hardship. His clothes were ordinary, but his shoes were military-issue canvas—maybe he really was a soldier.

Bian Changxi’s face grew even colder and more contemptuous. “Who paid you? Where were you supposed to take her?”

“I—I don’t know who he is, really! The guy who contacted me was Brother Liu from the slums. He just told me to bring her to him. But I think he’s just a middleman.”

The slums again.

“Who is this Brother Liu?”

The man hesitated. Bian Changxi glanced at the other, writhing in agony, and raised her hand threateningly. The man immediately blurted out, “I’ll talk! Brother Liu was a thug in Sucheng before the apocalypse. I heard he was pretty high up in some underground gang. After the apocalypse, he came to the base early and gathered a group of followers. He’s now one of the old bosses in the slums and usually does dirty work for people higher up.”

“Who are these ‘people higher up’?”

“I think they’re officials or something. Most of the jobs are about snatching or stealing women.”

What a promising career path.

Bian Changxi asked, “Anything else?” Her eyes held no murderous intent, just endless indifference. The man trembled all over. “Yes, there’s more… Among Brother Liu’s clients, there’s a perverted old man in his fifties or sixties who’s asked for water-ability women several times. I—I think it’s him.”

ps:

Thanks to Xiao Xiao Heyuan for the pink ticket!

Starting today, I’ll be back to double updates l3l4

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