Chapter 47: Danger—Zombies Are Evolving

The Bian family arrived at the new district on the seventh day of the apocalypse. Naturally, Bian Changxi didn’t want to travel with them, but compared to those annoying relatives with the same surname, staying away from Gu Xu was even more important. Now, she didn’t even dare to enter the farm or take anything from it, afraid he’d notice something. How long would this go on?

After chatting for a while, everyone dispersed to their rooms. Wu Dalang went downstairs alone—he was on duty for the first half of the night. He dragged a chair over and sat boldly near the door, closing his eyes. Ever since awakening his ability, his senses had become so sharp that he could clearly detect any movement within ten meters.

More than half an hour later, two figures came down from upstairs: Gu Xu and Qiu Feng. Qiu Feng wore night-vision goggles, but Gu Xu didn’t. Both were dressed in black, their backpacks stuffed with heavy gear. Their military boots made no sound on the stairs.

Wu Dalang wasn’t surprised at all. He opened the door for them, then quietly closed it after they left, gazing after them with a mix of worry and anticipation in his eyes.

The next morning, Bian Changxi woke up early. Hygiene wasn’t much of a priority in the apocalypse, but unless things were truly desperate, skipping brushing your teeth and washing your face was unbearable for most people. She poured a little water and squatted on the balcony to brush her teeth, wiped her face with a wet wipe, then had compressed biscuits and milk for breakfast. After that, she cleaned out her backpack and headed downstairs.

After a couple of steps, Lin Rongrong came out of her room too. “Morning, Changxi.”

“Morning.”

Yesterday, Lin Rongrong had volunteered to go out with Gu Xu and the others. With her spatial ability, they wouldn’t have to worry about finding supplies but not being able to bring them back.

When they got downstairs, they saw a black military Hummer parked at the door. Several well-dressed people with bodyguards were talking to Gu Xu’s group. Bian Changxi raised her eyebrows—what was going on?

Gu Pei stood at the stairwell, watching coldly. When he saw the two girls come down, he explained in a low voice, “These people just arrived. They say that’s the son of Public Security Bureau Chief Xiao. He came over because he noticed how impressive my brother’s group looked.” He pointed at the young man standing in front of Gu Xu, arms crossed and wearing a fake smile. “That’s Young Master Xiao Jing.”

Xiao Jing was saying, “Those construction workers didn’t know any better—treating Captain Gu’s group as ordinary people. I’ve brought people over to re-register you, and to prepare for evacuation in the future. People like Captain Gu are pillars of the community—how could we let you be overlooked?”

His words sounded nice, but his tone was frivolous and dismissive, clearly not taking Gu Xu and the others seriously. When he turned and saw the two girls, his eyes lit up. He left Gu Xu and walked over. “And these two are…?”

The way his eyes darted over the girls made it obvious to everyone—he was the type who couldn’t resist a pretty face. To be fair, both Bian Changxi and Lin Rongrong were beauties: one exquisitely cold, the other delicate and sweet, both in the prime of youth. After awakening their abilities, they had an indescribable aura that made them hard to ignore.

Bian Changxi frowned slightly. Gu Xu’s expression was unreadable. “Young Master Xiao, please leave. We have no intention of joining you at the train station, and we’re not sure when we’ll leave here. No need for you to worry.”

Xiao Jing was displeased and was about to retort when a middle-aged man stepped forward and pulled him aside, smiling obsequiously. “Young Master Xiao, don’t we have another place to visit? If we’re late, it’ll be a wasted trip.” Then he turned to Gu Xu with a smile. “We’re just here to take down names. Whether you go to the train station or not is entirely up to you.”

Only then did Gu Xu nod and let Qiu Feng write down everyone’s names and ages, but refused to give any more information.

The middle-aged man beamed as he dragged Xiao Jing away. Bian Changxi watched them drive off, her eyes flickering. “Who was that middle-aged man?”

Gu Xu’s eyes narrowed. “He claims to be the owner of a large internet café in the new district, surname Zhang. He implied he’s only hanging around Xiao Jing to curry favor.”

Qiu Yun snorted. “I don’t think it’s that simple. That man reeks of blood!” He frowned. “But it’s not the iron-blooded scent of a soldier—it’s something darker. We should be careful.”

His instincts were always sharp.

Gu Xu said nothing. Last night, they had infiltrated the technology center in Zone B, trying to contact the chief in the capital, but as expected, they failed. However, they successfully hacked into the Su City military command system, which meant the military’s communication systems were still functioning.

There was no reason they couldn’t reach the chief.

The communications channels between them were highly privileged and heavily guarded. Even if the system went down, it should be the last to fail.

He recalled the secret conversation he’d had with the chief when he was assigned this mission. It was clear the chief had anticipated some major upheaval. Gu Xu had a vague sense of foreboding—something must have happened to the chief.

So he had Qiu Feng try hacking into both the Su City and Jiang City military districts. They didn’t find anything valuable, but their intrusion was detected. Within a day or two, someone would surely come looking for them.

They’d cast a stone to test the waters, but instead of drawing out the military, they’d attracted a spoiled brat from the Public Security Bureau. How odd.

Could he be a pawn sent to probe them?

Bian Changxi was deep in thought as well. She’d noticed that the middle-aged man named Zhang had looked at her twice—once when he came to pull Xiao Jing away, and once before leaving. Though it was subtle, she still caught it. His gaze was…strange, and felt very targeted.

With these thoughts, she said goodbye to the others and left alone, quickly disappearing into the street.

At that moment, Boss Zhang was still flattering Xiao Jing.

“What’s so special about them? Special forces? They’re just ordinary people. What a waste of my time,” Xiao Jing complained.

Boss Zhang smiled. “Better safe than sorry. People who came to the train station with them yesterday said they seemed pretty capable. The army will be here in a few days—if we can get on good terms with some military people, that’s a good thing.”

Xiao Jing waved dismissively. “So what if it’s the army? My armed police aren’t pushovers. Why should I be afraid?”

Boss Zhang bowed and watched him walk away, then straightened up, his face showing disdain. Back in his car, he pulled a photo from his pocket. It was a small student ID photo of a cute, bright-eyed girl smiling at the camera. Though a bit immature, it was clearly today’s Bian Changxi.

“Bian Changxi…hmm, the jade bracelet, right?”

At that moment, Bian Changxi was riding a Yamaha-style motorcycle down a tree-lined path outside the new district. Up ahead, a green Chery car sat by the roadside, already covered in fallen leaves. She glanced at its side mirror, about to ignore it, when suddenly she swerved, gunned the engine, and sped past the Chery. Just as she did, a furious roar erupted from inside, and a zombie that had been lying dormant smashed through the door and lunged out.

Seriously, is there anywhere in life you *don’t* run into zombies? Even like this, she still ran into one.

Bian Changxi’s eyes narrowed. She turned the bike around, stopped, and got off. Before the zombie could reach her, she grabbed her fire axe and strode forward. With a swing, she struck the zombie, but its long arms blocked the blow. Its huge, foul-smelling head lunged at her, tongue lolling, drool everywhere.

Timing her move, Bian Changxi stabbed her straight blade through its throat, then kicked it hard. Her kick was precise—the not-so-tall zombie toppled to the ground. She shook the gore from her hands, then swung the axe and chopped off its head.

Don’t be fooled into thinking killing a zombie is easy. First, you can’t afford to feel even a hint of fear. Second, you need both strength and technique.

When Bian Changxi swung her axe, it wasn’t random hacking. She’d timed it for the moment the zombie raised its arms to grab her, predicting its attack path and adjusting her angle so the axe blocked both arms at once. If she’d only hit one arm—or just the chest—her eyes might have been gouged out by those long, black nails the next second.

She also made use of her farm ability, summoning her straight blade instantly, saving the time it would take to draw it. The stab through the throat wasn’t for show—it targeted the cervical vertebrae. While she couldn’t sever the spine, the force of the blow could temporarily disrupt the zombie’s nervous control, making it much easier to kick it down in the next few seconds.

From the moment the zombie lunged, Bian Changxi was calculating—three moves, using the simplest and quickest method to kill it. All her strength and skill exploded in that instant. Without her experience, she could never have pulled it off.

Her shoulders relaxed, and she finally let out a slow breath, her face a little pale. She dug a white crystal core from the zombie’s skull, wiped it on her clothes, and tossed it into her farm warehouse."