Chapter 50: Relying on Yourself Is the Most Reliable

When Bian Changxi heard the voice, she walked over. Outside the door stood an ordinary-looking man, his face anxious as he said to her, “Miss, have you seen the person in this photo? He’s my brother. I haven’t seen him since the apocalypse started.”

The person in the photo was also a man, about twenty years old, with thick, short eyebrows, a hooked nose, and skin so dark it looked like he’d just crawled out of a mine—his appearance was rather fierce.

Bian Changxi shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

“Are you sure? Can you think again?” the man pressed, desperate.

“I really haven’t. You should look elsewhere.” With that, Bian Changxi closed the door, greeted Mother Chen, and headed upstairs. The door on the second floor was half-closed, so she didn’t disturb anyone and went straight up to her own room on the fourth floor. She shut the door, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes to sense the energy within her.

Earlier, she’d been forced to tightly restrain a zombie, pushing her abilities to the limit. There’s a threshold to this kind of overexertion—crossing it can cause serious damage to one’s powers, but staying within it can sometimes unlock new potential. When she absorbed energy again, she felt the flow inside her become a little thicker, as if her meridians had widened.

She focused carefully. Yes, the change was real, though the increase was tiny—maybe only as thick as a few strands of hair. But now, when her energy flowed, there was a faint sluggishness, not as smooth and gentle as before.

She let out a sigh of relief. No one knows where their own limits lie. Once you start overdrawing your power, it’s like pulling the plug on a dam—it’s hard to control and can have terrifying consequences.

Luckily, with her extra lifetime of experience, she’d managed to cut off the flow at the last moment.

She held the second-tier green crystal core, quietly smoothing out her energy. She guided the green glow through her body several times until it was once again gentle and her fatigue faded. Then she opened her eyes and began practicing her wood spikes against the wall.

Wood spikes were her only offensive skill at this stage, but they were embarrassingly weak—even she felt awkward about it.

Short, stubby wooden spikes shot from her hand and stuck into the wall. At first, they only penetrated half a centimeter, then one centimeter, then she managed to make them stay put for more than a second. Bian Changxi practiced over and over, draining her energy, absorbing more from the crystal core, then draining it again. Finally, when she could drive a spike one and a half centimeters into the wall, she stopped.

Sigh. Those powerful metal or fire users could send a blade or a fire arrow straight through a zombie’s skull in an instant. But wood was inherently gentle—there was just no comparison.

She comforted herself: I’m only at the first tier, after all. With enough practice, I’ll develop a sharper edge.

Suddenly, the sound of a car horn blared urgently from below, followed by a jumble of voices. At first, she didn’t pay attention, but then the front door was pounded on so hard the whole building seemed to shake. After a moment, Mother Chen called out nervously, “Miss Bian! Miss Bian, someone’s here for you!”

What’s going on? Bian Changxi frowned, wiped her sweat, and went downstairs. The front doors were wide open. Several cars were parked outside, surrounded by people. A woman was sprawled over a stretcher, wailing in misery. When she saw Bian Changxi, she rushed at her, screaming, “You murderer! Give me back my husband! Give him back!”

Wu Dalang was downstairs too. He quickly blocked the woman. “If you have something to say, say it! If you try anything, I’ll throw you out!”

The woman sobbed, her companions holding her on either side, glaring at Wu Dalang and Bian Changxi with burning eyes. A man in a police uniform stepped forward, notebook in hand. “You’re Bian Changxi, right? Zhao Amin—this lady here—accuses you of murdering her husband and all eleven residents of the temporary village outside the new district. This is the body of Zhao’s husband, Tian Jiaxing. These two are witnesses. Please come with us.”

As he spoke, he lifted the white sheet on the stretcher, revealing a corpse. Everyone gasped.

The body was covered in burn marks, its jaw dislocated and hanging open in a grotesque way. A deep, long wound slashed across the neck, and the arms were twisted at unnatural angles. The face was contorted, as if the man had died in rage or terror.

The onlookers’ gazes toward Bian Changxi immediately changed. Even Grandpa Chen and Mother Chen looked at her in shock.

Bian Changxi frowned slightly, her face calm, but inside, waves of shock crashed through her.

Wasn’t this the young man who’d fought her to the brink of death not long ago, then accidentally killed himself with a fall?

The problem was, before she left, she’d piled all the bodies together and doused them with diesel to burn them. Tian Jiaxing’s corpse had been at the bottom, but she’d poured on two whole barrels of diesel to make sure they burned quickly. With that kind of fire, unless someone put it out immediately, the bodies should have been destroyed.

Judging by the burns, someone must have arrived right after she left and pulled the body out.

A chill crept down Bian Changxi’s back.

Who was it? What were they after? How much had they seen? And now, why were they coming after her?

She pressed her lips together, frozen in place. The policeman, as if expecting her to have no defense, said again, “Please come with us.”

With that, he and another officer moved to “escort” her.

Wu Dalang stepped in front, coldly saying, “You think you can just bring a body, find a few people to cry and shout, and take someone away? Do you have a detention warrant? Approval from your superiors? An official office? Have you ever seen suspects detained with witnesses and a corpse in tow?”

The other man replied, “These are extraordinary times. We don’t need to follow standard procedures.”

Wu Dalang snorted. “So you know these are ‘extraordinary times’?”

The man’s face darkened, his tone hardening. “Are you trying to obstruct justice? Don’t forget, even in a crisis, this is still a society governed by law!”

“If it’s a society of law, then show me the legal documents!” Wu Dalang said forcefully, then took the chance to whisper to Bian Changxi, “Stall them. Don’t go with them. I’ve already notified the captain—they’ll be here soon.”

Bian Changxi was surprised, and gave him a grateful look. “Thank you.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the policeman sneering. Suddenly, she realized—they weren’t afraid of a scene, or of being stalled. If they dared come like this, they must be confident they could take her away.

She glanced at the crowd outside. At a time like this, everyone should be busy scrambling for food and survival—who had time to watch a spectacle?

Only she and Wu Dalang had abilities here, but the other side had clearly come prepared.

A thought flashed through her mind, and she raised her voice: “I have indeed met Tian Jiaxing.”

Wu Dalang choked, and everyone looked at her in surprise.

She said to the policeman, “I did have a physical altercation with him. I admit that much.”

“Miss Bian…”

“But that doesn’t prove anything. Anyone with experience can see he didn’t die from human-inflicted injuries. As for the other eleven people—three of them were killed by the deceased himself. The rest,” she added with a touch of sarcasm, “were bitten to death by zombies, and then I cut off their heads. Killing zombies isn’t a crime, is it?”

The policeman and the two “witnesses” supporting the woman looked uncomfortable. The two officers whispered to each other, then one said, “No matter what, you’ll have to come with us and cooperate with the investigation.”

“Where to?”

“The train station. We’ve set up a temporary office there.” He paused, glanced at Wu Dalang, and added, “If you’re worried, someone can accompany you.”

Bian Changxi replied, “No need. Since this is a society of law, I trust the police won’t do anything reckless. I’ll go alone.”

She smiled at Wu Dalang and followed the officers to the police car outside.

“Wait!” Wu Dalang clenched his fist, pulled Bian Changxi aside, and, using his large frame to block the others’ view, slipped her a small handgun. “I can’t leave here, but as soon as the captain gets back, I’ll send him after you.”

His determined eyes were full of concern. Bian Changxi hesitated, then took the gun. “I understand. I’ll be careful.”

******

Um, Lu Guichen, I really can’t eat any more of your update votes—I need to save up chapters for the official release. Sorry! (?3?)"