Chapter 60: Falling into the Water, the Appearance of the Spatial Blade

Bian Changxi glanced at Lin Rongrong, her expression saying, “I saw this coming.”

“That’s what it’s like when you have connections in high places,” she sighed after Yue Li left.

Gu Xu and Qu Nan had established ties and contributed to the Jiangcheng military. Given their pre-apocalypse backgrounds and abilities, they were all rare talents. Now, Gu Xu, Qiu Feng, and Wu Dalang had all been given positions in the army. Although Qiu Yun and Shadow hadn’t officially joined, they’d performed brilliantly in yesterday’s defense battle and were now recognized as part of the team. The five of them had become key figures in the military, and since yesterday, they’d been so busy they barely had time to breathe. As a result, Bian Changxi, Lin Rongrong, and the four members of the Chen family were also receiving special treatment from the army.

With these connections, Bian Changxi and Lin Rongrong were basically set for food and shelter. But neither of them were the type to just rely on others—they didn’t want to live off anyone else. That’s why they signed up for today’s mission.

It wasn’t just the two girls; Chen Haitao and Uncle Chen had also signed up and were in the same squad, just a bit further back. No one had deliberately tried to meet up.

As for Gu Pei—well, it seemed his brother had other plans for his training.

While chatting with Lin Rongrong, Bian Changxi suddenly felt someone’s gaze sticking to her. She looked over and saw a group of people in a nearby squad eyeing her with unfriendly expressions. A skinny man was glancing at her while whispering to someone who looked like their leader. That leader forced a smile at Bian Changxi, pulling his face into a grin.

Bian Changxi was a bit puzzled—she didn’t know these people, though they seemed vaguely familiar. After thinking for a moment, she remembered: wasn’t that skinny guy Zhang Hu’s driver?

Back when Zhang Hu threatened her at gunpoint to work for him, she hadn’t just meekly complied. She pretended to obey, then lured zombies to attack Zhang Hu and escaped. Later, she found the corpses of Zhang Hu and his two other lackeys, but the driver and the SUV were missing. She’d guessed he’d gotten away.

If she remembered correctly, that guy didn’t have any special skills or abilities, so she hadn’t thought much of him. She hadn’t expected to run into him again—and judging by the looks, he remembered her and was here for revenge.

So, the leader he was reporting to must be Liu Meng—Zhang Hu’s boss and, in her previous life, the head of the Fierce Tiger Hunting Group. Bian Changxi had seen him several times before: an imposing, burly man with a certain shrewdness. Compared to Zhang Hu’s sly and vicious nature, Liu Meng was at least someone you could trust a bit more.

She glanced at Liu Meng again, but he’d already turned away to talk to someone else. She couldn’t read his intentions, but thought to herself: if he’s here for revenge, so be it—she’d deal with it.

After waiting a while, the other squads gradually assembled. The leader gave instructions, then the military commander, Colonel Yue Fushan, delivered a speech over the loudspeaker—mostly words to boost morale. When he finished, he announced the departure time: 8:00 sharp.

At the rough checkpoint built along the river, several gates were opened. Outside was an artificial river. To prevent zombies from crossing, the bridges had long since been blown up. Only two makeshift wooden plank bridges remained, which could be laid down to connect both banks when needed and pulled up when not in use.

The planks were quickly claimed by a few squads lining up.

Bian Changxi’s squad leader, Yue Li, was in no rush. With a wave of his hand, four strong men carried over two thick, long bamboo poles, tied them together at both ends, and laid them across the river as a temporary bridge.

Yue Li led by example, crossing first with agile, almost effortless movements—worthy of a leader. Next was Su Chensi. She might look like a young girl and a spatial ability user, but as soon as she stepped out, Bian Changxi could tell she was skilled—clearly professionally trained. Without using her ability or any weapons, Bian Changxi knew she was no match for her.

Of course, with the nurturing effect of her wood-type ability, her own physique would keep improving. Given time, she’d catch up.

She glanced at the neighboring squad just as Liu Meng was crossing. He ran quickly and steadily across the smooth, round bamboo, arms slightly outstretched, earning cheers from his men.

Not bad—his ability was earth-based, which emphasized stability. Maybe his power helped, too. He’d be a tough one to deal with.

When it was Bian Changxi’s turn, she crossed calmly. The bamboo was flexible and wobbly, and the river was five or six meters wide. The middle section sagged downward. The water below was filthy and stank, black and murky so you couldn’t see what was inside. Anyone with a weak mind could easily panic and slip.

Sure enough, halfway across, there was a splash—a girl had fallen into the river, flailing and calling for help, gulping down mouthfuls of black water. The rotting weeds and filth in the river were stirred up, making the stench even worse and causing people to cover their noses and back away.

Yue Li frowned and had a soldier reach out a bamboo pole to rescue her. The girl, still clear-headed, grabbed the pole, but suddenly began to struggle and scream, “Something’s biting me! Something’s biting me!”

Bian Changxi’s expression tightened. She raised her hand, sending a vine to wrap around the girl, then yanked her out of the water and onto the bank. Everyone could now see: a huge crab, covered in lumps and bumps, was clamped onto her calf. Its massive claw had sunk deep into her flesh, blood oozing out in streams.

The crowd erupted in shock.

Bian Changxi had already raised her fire axe, but a surge of supernatural power beat her to it. No one even saw what happened—suddenly, the crab’s body and claw were cleanly separated. The crab thrashed its legs wildly, spitting bubbles and letting out strange, shrill cries.

A fireball sent it flying, and then a group of brave souls rushed up to finish it off.

The fireball came from Yue Li, but Bian Changxi’s gaze snapped to Su Chensi, her eyes full of shock.

Spatial Blade!

Su Chensi’s face was pale. She glanced at Bian Changxi, her look cold and distant, like a shard of ice floating on the sea—serious and hard to approach.

Bian Changxi took a quiet breath, pushing down her thoughts and turning away. The girl was in so much pain she was about to faint. Yue Li quickly told her two companions to step aside, pulled out a small knife, and pried the claw from her flesh. Blood gushed out even more, streaked with black. Someone cried out, “Is she going to be infected?”

Everyone took two steps back—even the girl’s companions looked scared. Yue Li frowned and said, “We’ve already checked—no one bitten by mutated animals has turned into a zombie. The worst that happens is blood loss, poisoning, or a fatal fever. The black in her blood is just toxins. Take her back to the infirmary.”

Bian Changxi saw the girl’s lips turning purple and her whole body shivering. She couldn’t help but say, “She swallowed a lot of dirty water. Help her vomit, and she’ll need her stomach pumped later.”

The two companions hurried to help. The girl vomited up a puddle of black sludge, stinking to high heaven.

Yue Li glanced at Bian Changxi, then told them, “Hurry back—take the wooden plank bridge over there. Saving her is important, but once you leave, you can’t come back. The team won’t wait for you.”

The two hesitated only briefly before carrying the girl away. On the other bank, another male companion was waiting. The three of them supported each other and left without looking back. Bian Changxi’s lips curved slightly. Even in these hard times, there were still people willing to stick together and help each other.

**Author’s Note:**

Tomorrow the novel will be officially launched. To earn the 600-tier full attendance bonus, there’ll be a 12,000-word update tomorrow to make up for today. June will have double updates every day unless something unexpected happens. I won’t write a long launch message—just hope everyone supports the official version. Writing is a passion, but I’m still a regular person who hopes to earn a little extra. Love you all!

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