Chapter 66: Night Out – You Lead, I’ll Follow

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

Gu Xu said, “Before the apocalypse, we were carrying out a mission. I suspect that exhibition hall is a clue.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, it was completely empty inside—nothing to investigate.”

Bian Changxi narrowed her eyes, probing, “Well, it’s already the apocalypse. There’s no point in continuing with old missions, right?”

Gu Xu was silent for a moment. Bian Changxi thought she might have touched on classified matters and crossed a line, but then he replied quietly, “It’s not about continuing the mission. There are just some things I need to understand.”

His tone was calm, but Bian Changxi could hear the cold determination and sense of inevitability in his words. She lowered her head, hiding the emotion in her eyes.

Night fell. Two figures quietly slipped out from under the main gate, quickly vanishing into the darkness. Maybe because she’d slept too much during the day, Bian Changxi was wide awake and alert as she lay in bed. She suddenly sat up, went to the window, and peered outside. After a moment’s thought, she used vines to hook onto the drainpipe and silently climbed down.

If she wasn’t skilled enough, sneaking out this way would never fool the experts living in the building. Fortunately, with so many survivors nearby, there was always gossip and drama, and even in the middle of the night, things weren’t exactly peaceful.

Besides, Qiu Feng and Wu Dalang—both military men—hadn’t come back that night. Qiu Yun was out socializing and also hadn’t returned. Even Gu Pei seemed to have left and not come back. Judging by who had just left, she figured it was Gu Xu and Shadow, which meant there was no one in the building more skilled than her.

This was all thanks to the military’s arrival and the base camp being nearby, making things much safer than before. There was no need for anyone to stand night watch.

So, she landed on the ground without anyone noticing and set off after the two.

After following for a while, she realized they were indeed headed for Zone B—and if they were going there, there was only one possible destination. Both had abilities, with enhanced night vision and senses, so she didn’t dare get too close. Torn between advancing and retreating, she gritted her teeth and took a detour, circling around to approach from another direction.

Meanwhile, Gu Xu moved through the night, his eyes sharp as a hawk’s, scanning all around. His presence was so restrained it was almost undetectable. He skillfully avoided both people and zombies; even if he and Shadow ran into zombies head-on, they could dispatch them in an instant, working together seamlessly.

The two of them were like silent blades, cutting down obstacles as they advanced.

But Gu Xu’s mood was far from as calm as he appeared.

There was a new clue about the mission from before the apocalypse. While his four comrades had simply been surprised and then let it go, he couldn’t be so relaxed—he knew more, and what he knew weighed heavily on him.

Before they set out, the commander had called him in alone, dismissing everyone else and putting aside all his work, just staring at Gu Xu with a complicated expression. Gu Xu knew then that this was no ordinary matter.

“Be fully prepared and set out as soon as possible. Once the mission is complete, return immediately. If—if anything happens before then, I order you not to return to the capital for one year!”

Gu Xu was puzzled. But some missions always came with strange restrictions—he’d encountered that before. As a soldier, his job was to follow orders. He bowed slightly and asked just one question: “What kind of ‘incident’ do you mean?”

“You’ll know when it happens.” The commander waved his hand, his mountain-like figure suddenly seeming weary for the first time in decades. “Of course, I hope that day never comes.”

Maybe the commander had long known that such a catastrophe was coming.

The apocalypse, zombies, supernatural powers, the world being reshuffled and order rebuilt—things that only appeared in ancient prophecies or fiction, the commander had foreseen.

But that wasn’t the most pressing issue. Why had the commander forbidden him from returning to the capital for a year? What was going to happen there? And what was the connection between the mission’s target and all of this?

Gu Xu was always searching for answers. Qiu Feng and the others, unable to contact the commander, were anxious and restless. If he hadn’t held them back, they would’ve risked heading north already. Gu Xu himself was uneasy, but he trusted the commander. Since the commander had foreseen this situation, he must have a plan. But Gu Xu couldn’t just sit and wait for a year—hence, he’d found a way into the military system.

He’d deliberately drawn Qu Nan in, befriended him, and waited for the right moment. With the credit for stabilizing the new district, he’d earned himself a place.

He needed timely information, to build up strength, to keep tracking the target, and to see if acting as bait might flush out the enemy.

He hadn’t expected to get a clue so soon.

It was a rare opportunity—even if it was just an empty shell, he couldn’t give up easily. He’d gone in with Yue Li and the others during the day, but to avoid suspicion, he’d only taken a cursory look. Now he’d brought Shadow along for a closer investigation.

Shadow didn’t know as much as Gu Xu, but sensing Gu Xu’s attitude, he understood something was up and didn’t waste words—they’d do what needed to be done.

They soon arrived at the 4S dealership. The military had already given up on this place, realizing there was nothing to be gained. But after the bloody fight here during the day, the smell of blood had attracted many zombies, who now prowled and howled in the darkness—definitely not to be underestimated.

Suddenly, there was a commotion. Gu Xu saw a shadow flicker in the distance, then nothing—just zombies moving in that direction.

“Should we follow?” Shadow noticed it too.

“No, let’s go in first,” Gu Xu replied. Zombies were blocking the main entrance, but he’d been here earlier and knew where the real entrance to the underground showroom was. He led Shadow around to a side door, carefully pushed it open, and entered. Shining his flashlight, he was surprised to find two laptops on the floor.

The laptops were right under the hole in the ceiling. Gu Xu shone his light upward, but saw nothing. The two exchanged a glance. Shadow continued to search the area for danger, while Gu Xu put on gloves and opened the computers.

Soon Shadow returned. “All clear. What did you find?”

“It’s all garbled code, but the pattern looks familiar. We’ll need to bring them back for Qiu Feng to crack.”

“There must have been gunpowder stored in that room over there—the smell is strong. I’d guess there’s enough to blow up a whole military compound,” Shadow said.

Gu Xu replied coldly, “Don’t forget, that man was the commander’s arch-enemy. Even though he’s been out of power for years… it seems he never stopped. Who knows how vast his underground network is—we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.”

If the target weren’t such a formidable figure, the commander wouldn’t have equipped them with so much heavy weaponry. Shadow said, “Too bad the apocalypse hit at just the wrong time. We almost had him.”

Gu Xu was regretful too. He’d fought that man before, but at the last moment, the man’s subordinates had suddenly rushed out and grabbed them. By then, those subordinates must have already turned into zombies. If Gu Xu gained powers because of that, then the man probably did too.

The enemy was hidden, while they were exposed. A dragon lurking in the sea—Gu Xu had a feeling he’d have a powerful adversary in the future.

Shadow asked, “Were these laptops here during the day? It seems like someone put them here on purpose.”

“No, there was nothing here earlier. But there were a few fresh traces—someone said they heard gunshots from inside. I suspect there were two groups fighting here, and afterwards, they took everything with them.”

“And then one side deliberately left the laptops behind?”

It didn’t make sense—unless someone was helping them, or wanted them to know something…

“Who’s there?” Both of them suddenly looked up at the hole in the ceiling. When they rushed over, there was no one—not even a mouse. The silence was eerie. But they were sure they’d just heard someone breathing.

Meanwhile, Bian Changxi had climbed back in through the window, closed it, and slipped into her room. She hadn’t even had time to catch her breath when several mutated rats lunged at her from front and back.

Oh no—she’d forgotten that when she first entered the little room with the hole in the 4S dealership, there had been a bunch of mutated rats inside. Worried about leaving traces, she’d just grabbed them all and thrown them into her room without thinking.

Catching rats was like risking her life—she’d gotten scratched up all over.

But that was beside the point. Right now, she quickly drew her knife and fought. When the floor was finally littered with corpses, she let out a long breath and collapsed onto the ground, not wanting to move.

She was exhausted!

She wasn’t cut out for stealth or assassination. For someone as unprofessional as her, trying to get there before Gu Xu and Shadow, and not get caught, was basically a death mission. She’d used up all her energy.

Luckily, she’d taken a detour, ridden a motorcycle, moved fast, and the zombie stench had masked her scent. She knew the layout of the 4S dealership, used vines to help her climb walls, and while the zombies were a hassle, she’d made it through in one piece.

She carefully reviewed her actions, making sure she hadn’t left any traces, then quickly wiped off her sweat, changed into similar clothes, and stepped out of her room. She’d just sat down on her bed and was about to check the scratches from the mutated rats when—

There was a knock at the door. “Changxi, are you asleep?”

Bian Changxi’s heart pounded. They were all adults and didn’t stand on ceremony, but Gu Xu was always mature and proper. For him to come knocking in the middle of the night—it definitely wasn’t for anything ambiguous. Did he suspect her?

She cursed inwardly, swallowed, messed up her bed to make it look slept in, tucked her shirt into her waistband (wincing as it touched her wound), ran her fingers through her hair, and went to open the door. As she did, she thought: This proves those things really are connected to Gu Xu. Now there are only three questions left.

First, how did that damn rat know about the place?

Second, the rat clearly wanted her to retrieve the items before Yue Li and the others could get them—was it doing this for Gu Xu, or for someone else, like Gu Xu’s target?

Third, what attitude should she take?

She opened the door, feigning surprise. “It’s so late—what’s up?”

Gu Xu still carried the chill of the night, holding a flashlight pointed at the floor, its glow softly illuminating the small space.

His eyes reflected fleeting lights, like turbulent but silent waves on a dark sea. He looked deeply at Bian Changxi and said, “Urgent notice—the people returning from the city are badly injured. We need someone with wood-type abilities to help the doctors.”"