Chapter 76: Jealousy, and the Woman Who Became More Beautiful

The medical team had similar badges—a round pin with a blood-red cross. Bian Changxi thought it looked pretty lame, but there was no helping it; time was tight and materials were scarce, so they just had to make do.

She hadn’t expected Liu Meng to join the Warrior Squad as well. But thinking about it, it made sense. Most of the guys he used to scalp tickets with had either gotten separated on the road, killed by zombies, or, as of yesterday, burned to death—almost all gone now. His stash of oil hadn’t fetched a good price either, and it all went up in flames yesterday. Now, aside from his powers, he had nothing left. Compared to the success and glory he’d enjoyed in her previous life, it was a world of difference.

Bian Changxi couldn’t help but think, in a way, he’d ended up like this because of her.

Her rebirth had brought about intentional changes, but also some unintended consequences.

She followed Liu Meng’s gaze to the burn victim who was still alive and slowly recovering. “A few more days of treatment and he should be fine,” she said.

“I heard even if he survives, his face will be ruined, and he’ll be weak for life?”

“You’ll have to ask a doctor about that. I don’t know.”

Liu Meng nodded and didn’t say anything more.

Bian Changxi felt something was off. She shifted her shoulder, which sent a jolt of pain down her back. She must have scraped it when that bird knocked her to the ground earlier—she hadn’t noticed before, but now it was definitely swollen. She quickly healed herself, only to find, to her dismay, that the green core in her hand had faded to a dull, colorless lump.

These low-quality crystals just didn’t last.

A group hurried into the train station. “Liu Meng, let’s go, time for training.”

Bian Changxi looked up. Sure enough, it was a big, ragtag group—some already descending the escalator, others still coming in. Their badges all marked them as members of the Warrior Squad. She’d heard that these ability users, or those with good combat skills but no powers, had only been recruited in the last couple of days. Their combat awareness was poor, and they didn’t even know how to work together. Since they were leaving tomorrow, everyone had to undergo intensive training today—this was probably just part of the group.

The weather was scorching. There was nowhere open and shady in the new district, so it looked like they were using the covered train tracks beneath the station as a training ground.

The guy who’d called Liu Meng turned to the group, “Keep up, Captain Gu is waiting downstairs.”

Gu Xu? He’d been here and already gone downstairs?

Bian Changxi blinked, finally found a clean plastic chair, and sat down in the open space next to the medical area. She picked up a plastic fan and started fanning herself.

In this kind of weather, ice and water users had it best—they came with built-in cooling. Her wood powers didn’t help, but then again, people always said it was cooler under a big tree. Once she leveled up, her resistance to heat would improve too.

She looked down at her slender, pale left hand, silently replaying the fight with the mutant bird in her mind.

If she hadn’t been caught off guard and injured, could she have handled it better?

No matter how she thought about it, she had to admit she didn’t have any great ideas. She was at a natural disadvantage against things that flew. Fire, wind, and spatial users could at least put up a fight, but everyone else was out of luck.

If only she could instantly summon several vines to drag it down—that would be something. But in reality, unless the vines were faster, more numerous, and stronger, it wouldn’t help much. Besides, she could only channel wood energy through her left hand. She could only summon two thick vines at a time, five thin ones, and four wood spikes.

So much ambition, so little power.

It was the thirteenth day of the apocalypse, and ten days since powers had awakened. When would she finally get stronger?

She closed her eyes and focused inward. She was at the late stage of level one, nearly at the peak. Advancing to level two would still take quite some time.

Leveling up powers in the apocalypse was tough, and only got harder. Later on, developing mental powers and advancing with them meant juggling two abilities at once—a huge leap in difficulty.

In her previous life, after seven years of the apocalypse, anyone who reached level eight was considered an expert, and level nines were as rare as phoenix feathers. There wasn’t even a single level nine at Yunhua Base. The leader, Zhu Yunhua, had just reached late-stage level eight and would need months more to reach peak level eight. The one at the very top was Gu Xu—some speculated he was already at level ten, but no one really knew.

Of course, this didn’t count those without mental abilities. Even if someone like that shot up to level twelve, they still wouldn’t be a match for a dual-ability level nine.

So, realistically, if you could advance one level a year at level seven or eight, you were already exceptional. At levels one and two, advancing every few months was considered good. She remembered that in her previous life, it took her over a year to barely reach level three, and the highest at Su City Base was level five.

She thought to herself, it’d be best to reach level two within the first month, to secure an advantage.

“Alright, we’re from the management team. New arrivals, please state your names, how many family members you have here, what you do, and any special skills. We’ll assign you to the right group.”

Two people entered the medical area. One of them, a woman with seductive, almond-shaped eyes, glanced around and landed on Bian Changxi, who was sitting in the corner with her eyes closed. With a sly smile, she walked over. “Oh my, Miss Bian Changxi, are you meditating? Celebrities really are different—while everyone else is running around like crazy, you’re just relaxing here. Makes me so envious.”

A wave of perfume hit Bian Changxi’s nose, and the woman’s shrill voice made her ears ache. She frowned and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an orange floral shirt, followed by an impressively large chest.

She leaned back slightly, glanced up, and showed a hint of surprise. “Yang Xiaowen?”

The heavy makeup from before was gone, replaced by a light touch. Her lips were glossed with a pink, translucent shine. Her wavy, wine-red hair was tied back, with a few strands—whether by accident or design—falling over her delicate collarbone. Bian Changxi realized this woman was even more attractive than before, with a natural charm and a playful, coquettish air that would definitely catch anyone’s eye.

She couldn’t help but marvel—no wonder Yang Xiaowen could rival Bian Wei as a social butterfly. In a world where most women looked like men and men like savages, she must have countless admirers. Actually, she seemed even more stunning than in the previous life—maybe it was just her imagination.

“Miss Bian still remembers me? What an honor.” Yang Xiaowen covered her mouth with a hand painted in shimmering clear polish, laughing so hard her body trembled, drawing the attention of every man nearby. Bian Changxi, on the other hand, just shuddered in disgust and said coolly, “If you’ve got something to say, say it. If not, go away—you’re making my eyes hurt.”

Yang Xiaowen froze, glared at her, but quickly composed herself and smiled. “Well, I came to give you this.”

Bian Changxi looked at the plastic card—about the size of an ID. Her name was engraved on it, along with the number 5-0523 and a note saying she was part of the medical team, plus a military stamp.

“This is your ID card. Tomorrow, you’ll go with the medical team of the Fifth Division. The vehicle number is 5-0523. Make sure you’re there before 3 a.m.—we’re leaving at first light. You can board with your card or come find me, and I’ll take you.”

“You?”

“That’s right.” Yang Xiaowen looked even more pleased, lifting her chin. “I’m the administrator for your section of the Fifth Division. If you have any problems on the way north to Su City, just let me know—don’t be shy. We’re old acquaintances, after all.”

Bian Changxi was silent for a moment, then took the card and examined it without looking up. “Alright, got it.”

Yang Xiaowen stiffened. That was it?

She was the administrator, and Bian Changxi was the subordinate. Shouldn’t Bian Changxi be shocked, angry, or at least unhappy? But she just accepted it.

Yang Xiaowen was the type who liked to stir up trouble even when there was none. When others didn’t rise to her bait, she actually felt a bit disappointed. Maybe it was because she lost her chance to show off. After a few steps, she suddenly turned back, smiling brightly. “Oh, by the way, the Fifth Division is mainly a medical convoy. They’re refitting the medical vehicles outside. If you’ve got nothing to do, go lend a hand. It’s hot, and everything needs to be finished before dark—an extra pair of hands helps.”

She said this loudly, as if wanting everyone to know Bian Changxi had this assignment.

Bian Changxi glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

What was this—someone getting cocky over a little power?

Back in the city supermarket, they’d had a bit of a falling out—mostly because Yang Xiaowen had pushed her luck, and Bian Changxi had pushed back. They’d rubbed each other the wrong way, but hadn’t seen each other since moving to the new district.

Bian Changxi was annoyed. She considered herself broad-minded, had let go of past grudges from her previous life, and treated Yang Xiaowen like air. So why was Yang Xiaowen so eager to pick a fight?

Was it really just a coincidence that Yang Xiaowen ended up managing her assigned area? That was hard to believe.

Did this woman have nothing better to do?

Was it some kind of plot by her old group to ruin her if they couldn’t recruit her?

Please. She could believe it if Boss Zhang was scheming, but these people? Who did they think they were?

The truth was, this group still thought they were hot stuff. Ever since arriving at the new district, they’d kept an eye on Bian Changxi, but hadn’t had a chance to do anything, being busy with their own survival. Now that she’d separated from Gu Xu and had been on her own for two days, with little contact with the military and showing impressive healing skills, Leopard Bro and Yang Zong’s interest was piqued again.

They’d gone to great lengths to pull strings and get people into various teams. Yang Xiaowen ended up in the management team, and to get close to Bian Changxi, she’d maneuvered to be put in charge of her area.

Of course, Yang Xiaowen’s smug, passive-aggressive behavior was really just the result of a woman’s subtle jealousy."