Chapter 42: The Reason for Keeping Her

Bian Changxi dangled in midair, suspended by her own vine, and could only watch as the zombie’s vines were burned away, not a trace left. The last flicker of flame vanished into the air. A few wisps of ash drifted down, and she quickly swung to the side to avoid getting any on her face.

Her heart, like her body, was swinging wildly—up and down, unsettled, pounding fiercely.

This was the most dangerous moment since her rebirth.

Her face still felt hot, as if the searing arc of fire had left its mark, the intensity almost piercing her heart…

“Changxi! Changxi, are you okay?”

The urgent shout in her earpiece snapped her back. She blinked. “Still alive.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Thanks to you, no.” She climbed up the vine, panting and giving a wry smile. “A vine that can turn corners—if that zombie wasn’t a genius, I don’t know what is.”

“No matter how smart, it’s finished now,” Gu Xu replied coldly. “Rest up there for a bit. Leave the rest to me.”

As Bian Changxi climbed, a deafening explosion shook the ground. She grabbed the half-meter-high rooftop wall, rolled over, lay on her back to catch her breath, then hurried to her sniper rifle.

The “genius” zombie was nowhere to be seen—only a pile of blackened debris remained. Even the large, dented truck beside where it had stood was now overturned and burning fiercely. The remaining water-type zombie and two other second-tier zombies that had arrived from elsewhere were trying to bite first-tier zombies, imitating the previous one. One had already been blasted to bits, and as Bian Changxi looked down, the other was struck by a ball of fire, sent flying into the horde, and began to burn.

Bian Changxi was amazed. “Your fire ability is that strong? Like a cannonball.”

Her voice, transmitted through the earpiece, could only be heard by Gu Xu, and vice versa.

“That wasn’t me—it was a rifle grenade.”

A rifle grenade? Bian Changxi was surprised. Rifle grenades are small explosive weapons for infantry—powerful, portable, with explosive force similar to grenades and mortars, but with a mid-range reach and excellent armor-piercing capabilities. Many post-apocalyptic weapons are modeled after old firearms. Yunhua Base even developed their own, but ran into technical difficulties with rifle grenades and had to give up. Zhu Yunhua was in a bad mood for days over it, so Bian Changxi remembered this weapon well.

But she hadn’t seen one just now. It must be one of Gu Xu’s secret treasures. She quickly said, “Don’t waste such good stuff here. Leave the last second-tier to me.”

“But—”

“You think all zombies can evolve just by biting a few of their own? That last one was a genius.”

She hefted her sniper rifle as she spoke. Gu Xu seemed to hesitate, then laughed. “Looks like I lost my head for a moment. Since it won’t evolve right away, let’s leave it for a bit longer.”

“Leave it?”

Bian Changxi paused, watching the zombie rally the first-tiers like a king. Just then, several vehicles appeared at both ends of the street. The windows rolled down, revealing the people who’d escaped from the supermarket. They fired into the zombie horde, taunting and provoking them, then sped away. When the cars were about thirty meters off, Gu Xu spoke again: “Kill!”

She instantly understood, took aim at the second-tier zombie, and blew its head off with one shot.

With their leader gone, the first-tier zombies lost all restraint and chased after the fleeing cars, splitting into several groups. The ones left in front of the supermarket were now a small minority.

If they’d killed the second-tier zombie earlier, the first-tiers would have lost control sooner, and this outcome wouldn’t have happened.

Bian Changxi knew this was part of the plan, but the earlier chaos had made her forget. Gu Xu too—both had nearly made a grave mistake.

Seeing the zombies scatter, Gu Xu said, “Let’s go too. Changxi, come down.”

Bian Changxi wiped her sweat, packed up, and climbed down, fanning herself with her sun hat. She saw Gu Xu waiting on the third floor with a suitcase.

“What are you doing up here again? Let’s go.”

“I already sent them to get a car. A little delay won’t matter.” Gu Xu took off his earpiece and, as she was about to walk past, suddenly grabbed her arm. “I have something to say to you.”

Bian Changxi froze, pulled her leg back, and stepped away, looking up at him.

“How strange, the boss is moving so slowly…”

On the outskirts, at a large gas station backed by forest, all sorts of vehicles were parked. Most of the zombies had already been cleared out. The survivors who’d escaped the supermarket were searching the fast food joint, convenience store, and staff dorms for anything useful. They’d been too busy saving their lives earlier to bring much—everyone was short on food and supplies.

There had been casualties, of course. Two died on the spot, and two more were scratched by zombies and were now tied up and locked away separately. Some people cried for the lost, others were just glad it wasn’t them.

There were still forty-four people alive and well—not counting Gu Xu, Bian Changxi, and the other ten who hadn’t returned yet.

Even though they’d left the supermarket at slightly different times and took different routes, everyone had been gathered here for over twenty minutes. Gu Xu’s group should have arrived by now.

Compared to the others’ worries, Gu Xu’s teammates were completely at ease—especially Qiu Yun, who was only concerned about one thing.

“Old Wu, why do you think the boss insisted on keeping Miss Bian with him? At first, we were worried he couldn’t handle things alone and needed someone to watch his back, but then he just sent her up to the rooftop. What kind of backup is that? Anyone could’ve done that job! You, me, my brother, even A’Pei. But the boss specifically picked Bian Changxi. Why do you think that is?”

He hooked his arm around Wu Dalang’s neck, muttering away. Wu Dalang just looked clueless, like a big, silly bear. “I’m not the team leader, how should I know?”

“Use your brain—can’t you guess?” Qiu Yun stroked his chin, putting on a serious face. “I think maybe there’s something off about Bian Changxi, and the boss noticed, so he kept her close to observe her?”

Qiu Feng, who was checking the cars, glanced at him, then turned away, muttering under his breath, “How can someone be so clueless…”

But he still called over Gu Pei. “A’Pei, you’re from the same university district as Miss Bian. Do you know her?”

Gu Pei’s eyes flickered. “Bian Changxi—well, Miss Bian was pretty famous, but not always in a good way. Her family situation was complicated, but maybe she did that on purpose.” He grinned. “After spending a day with her, I think she’s a great girl. She’s my age, but way more capable than me. You can’t believe rumors, Brother Qiu Feng. If you hear anyone badmouthing her, it’s probably just jealousy. Don’t take it seriously.”

Then, getting a bit gossipy, he leaned in. “Brother Qiu Feng, do you think my brother likes her? I’ve never seen him talk so much to a girl. When she was in danger, did you hear how worried he sounded? He even used the rifle grenade—he almost never loses his cool like that…”

See? That’s emotional intelligence.

Qiu Feng nodded calmly. “Hard to say. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Your brother knows what he’s doing.”

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