Chapter 205: Clues—Where Does the Old Creep Live?

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

Bian Changxi stared into the man’s eyes, making sure he wasn’t going to speak, then turned to wake up Chen Yisha. Unexpectedly, the man’s gaze turned cold, and out of nowhere, he pulled a knife and lunged at Bian Changxi’s back.

Bian Changxi spun around, shifted her body slightly, and caught his attacking hand in a half-crouch. With a sharp twist, his wrist snapped with a crack, the knife clattering to the ground. She then kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him rolling into a pile of weeds, clutching his belly, unable to even cry out.

“What a pity. I was going to give you a chance,” she said slowly. With her level of vigilance, there was no way she’d ever turn her back on someone—she’d just wanted to test him.

Well, now she had her answer. This guy couldn’t be left alive.

She asked, “Where does that Liu guy live? I want a specific address.”

The man shook his head in terror. “I—I can… take you there, but you have to promise—promise to let me go.”

Bian Changxi raised one eyebrow and suddenly produced a blue syringe. “Know what this is? It’s an improved truth serum.”

Three minutes later, Bian Changxi had the information she needed—and the greenbelt had two more corpses.

Chen Yisha, still groggy from just being woken up, stared at the bodies in terror and stammered, “You—you just killed them, just like that, isn’t that…”

Bian Changxi removed the silencer, put away her pistol, and carefully erased any traces of wood-type abilities. She shook her head. “Do you know how many people they’ve hurt before you? Or what would’ve happened to you if I hadn’t been here today?”

Chen Yisha shivered.

Specializing in kidnapping and assaulting women from good families, perverted and vicious—death was too good for them.

Bian Changxi didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. After all, Chen Yisha had lived a sheltered life, and the Jiangcheng Group rarely had such evil incidents. But out here, the world had already gone mad. Having come back from seven years in the apocalypse, Bian Changxi felt no guilt about ending the lives of two scumbags. What was there to criticize?

She said, “I’m planning to check out that Liu guy’s place, follow the trail and see who’s really behind this. But I’m about seventy or eighty percent sure it’s that old creep.”

Chen Yisha looked at Bian Changxi’s calm face, feeling both uneasy and admiring. Then she realized Bian Changxi had done all this for her, yet she’d just had a fleeting thought that Bian was too ruthless—how ungrateful of her.

Startled by her own thoughts, she quickly said, “I’ll go with you.”

Bian Changxi finished dealing with the bodies, glanced at her, and nodded. “Then let’s hurry.”

The two of them headed toward the slums.

Gradually, the surroundings shifted from modern, clean, and comfortable buildings to increasingly dirty and dilapidated ones. Everywhere were sagging houses, makeshift shelters of wood, bricks, even rags and junked cars. The streets were full of garbage, and people in rags, with dull eyes and filthy faces, wandered aimlessly.

Of course, there were also groups of fierce-looking thugs, armed with all sorts of weapons, sporting bizarre hairstyles and outfits, their eyes gleaming with the bloodlust and cunning of killers—a living embodiment of the criminal underworld.

By now, dusk was falling. The whole place felt desolate. Moans of hunger, lewd laughter, and ambiguous, depraved sounds filled the air. They even saw a group of men dragging several women into a corner; soon after, the men’s excited whistles and shouts mingled with the women’s desperate pleas and screams.

Chen Yisha’s face turned pale with anger at the horrific scene. If Bian Changxi hadn’t grabbed her in time, she might have done something reckless.

“Don’t get involved. This is how people survive here. You think this only happens today, only in this place? Why do you think these weak people, these women, still stay here?” Bian Changxi said. “This is just the norm. You can help once, but you can’t save everyone. You’ll just bring trouble on yourself and others.”

Chen Yisha’s hastily disguised face looked even worse.

As a water-type, her skin was naturally smooth and radiant—even in the dim light, she seemed to glow. Now, her pale, frightened look made her seem even more delicate and pitiable.

Bian Changxi noticed people secretly eyeing her.

She whispered, “Maybe you should head back.”

Chen Yisha shook her head. “We’ve just been too well protected, that’s all. I’m just shocked, but I’ll be fine.”

Bian Changxi glanced at her, then led her through a maze of alleys until they reached an old, abandoned warehouse. Just like in the movies, broken-down cars—who knew if they still ran—were parked outside. Junk was piled everywhere, inside and out. There were guards at the door, patrolling back and forth, and the sounds of arguments drifted from within.

Bian Changxi caught a faintly familiar voice.

She and Chen Yisha crept closer.

A few bored guards were hanging around outside, glancing out occasionally. One said, “Why haven’t those two toads brought the goods yet? Old man Huang gave us a deadline—if we don’t deliver today, he won’t give us any more rice, and we’ll all go hungry.”

“Don’t worry, maybe they’re just delayed. After all, they work in the water plant’s office—they’re bound to be careful.”

“Water plant? Haven’t you heard? That place doesn’t make half as much as the new coal plant Qian Taizi just opened.”

Bian Changxi and Chen Yisha exchanged a glance. Chen Yisha said, “That old man’s surname is Huang.”

That settled it—Old Pervert Huang was obsessed with Chen Yisha and had hired people to kidnap her.

Their original goal was accomplished, so they should’ve left, but Bian Changxi couldn’t shake the feeling that she recognized that voice inside. She didn’t want to miss the chance to find out who it was.

She told Chen Yisha to wait nearby, then quietly crept up to the warehouse, crouching under a window behind a car for cover.

Inside, an angry voice shouted, “She’s really not here? Someone told me she’s always coming around here. Even if she didn’t find you, you should know where she’s been.”

Bian Changxi froze. That was Sun Buqun.

Another voice, more relaxed but tinged with impatience, replied, “Am I supposed to keep track of everything, Sun? There are tens of thousands of people coming and going in this slum every day. I only have so many men—how could I watch everyone? If you’re so obsessed with your little lover, maybe you should ask Lao Zhuang or Lao Yang. They’ve got more eyes and ears than I do.”

Bian Changxi frowned. Was Sun Buqun looking for someone—or for a woman?

Then she heard Sun Buqun press further: “Last time I asked you to take care of Bald Qiang, but you dragged your feet and didn’t finish the job. I haven’t even called you out on that yet. Don’t try to play tough with me. I know you’re cozying up to Old Huang now, which means you’re on the Zhuge family’s side. You think I’m no match for Zhuge? You’ll regret it. And don’t forget, the spatial device hasn’t even hit the market yet. Even if it does, anything my woman makes belongs to me. No matter how much you jump around, it’s useless.”

Bian Changxi was shocked. So Bald Qiang’s serious injuries were Sun Buqun’s doing? What grudge did those two have? Even with her treatment, Bald Qiang had been bedridden for days and then got caught up in a police investigation. Who knew how he was now?

But when she heard “spatial device” and “hasn’t hit the market yet,” she was stunned. Had they already developed and produced a spatial device? And was it made by Sun Buqun’s “lover”?

Could it be that reborn person? If not for foreknowledge, how could anyone make a spatial device at this point? The other side was still just experimenting.

Sun Buqun stormed out of the warehouse with his men, his face dark. Bian Changxi shrank further behind the car, debating whether to follow him or stay and eavesdrop some more.

Before she could decide, another group came out. The leader was tall and thin, with hawk-like eyes full of arrogance and danger. He shot a mocking, disdainful look at Sun Buqun’s back.

“Let’s go to Old Huang’s place. By the way, where’s the cargo?”

“Still waiting—the two toads haven’t come back yet.”

The man surnamed Liu said coldly, “Can’t even handle a simple job.”

Bian Changxi held her breath until they drove off, only then letting out a sigh of relief. That Liu guy was strong—she’d almost been spotted.

Old Huang—must be that old pervert.

She thought it over. Sun Buqun seemed to know something, but he clearly didn’t have the person or the latest info. He only came to make trouble after everything was settled. No point following him. But Liu and his group were heading straight to Old Huang’s place—there must be something there.

A spatial device—or the reborn person.

She hadn’t been in a rush to find the reborn person, but this clue was too important to let go. She had to grab this fox’s tail.

She found Chen Yisha, and the two of them quickly left the slum as night fell. Once outside, Bian Changxi asked, “Where does the old creep live?”

Chen Yisha hesitated, growing nervous. “You’re going to get revenge for me? No need, really. Now that I know it’s him, I’ll just be careful. He’s got a lot of power—if something goes wrong…”

Bian Changxi cut her off. “I have other business there. It’s got nothing to do with you. Just tell me.”

Chen Yisha was at a loss for words, but seeing Bian Changxi’s urgency, she said, “All I know is he lives in Area A. Regular people can’t get in there—my family even used that to try to force me to give in. But I don’t know the exact address.”

Bian Changxi frowned. “No other clues?”

Chen Yisha thought for a moment. “I think… it’s near the Zhuge family’s place. My aunt once said that if I married him, I’d even be able to visit the Commander’s house.”

She hesitated. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you’re going, maybe you should tell Major Gu?”