Chapter 76: Recruitment, No Signing of Indentures (First Update)

The medical team had similar insignia—a round badge with a blood-red cross. Bian Changxi thought it looked embarrassingly amateurish, but there was no helping it. Time was tight and materials were scarce, so they had to make do.

She hadn’t expected Liu Meng to join the Warriors Squad as well. Then again, it made sense. The brothers he used to scalp tickets with had scattered along the way—some lost, some killed by zombies, and a bunch more burned to death yesterday. Nearly all of them were gone. His stash of oil hadn’t fetched a good price and was burned up yesterday too. Now, aside from his powers, he had nothing left. Compared to the glory and prosperity he’d enjoyed in his previous life, this was a world of difference.

Bian Changxi thought to herself, 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 gradually recovering. “A few more days of treatment and he should be fine,” she said.

“I heard that even if he survives, his face will be ruined and his body weakened?”

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

Liu Meng nodded and said nothing more.

Bian Changxi felt something was off. She shifted her shoulder, which sent a jolt of pain through her back. She must have scraped it when that bird slammed her to the ground earlier. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now it was definitely swollen. She quickly healed herself, only to find, to her dismay, that the green crystal core in her hand was nearly drained of color and light.

These low-quality crystal cores just burn out so fast.

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

Bian Changxi looked up. It was quite a crowd—disorganized and straggling. The front ranks were already getting off the escalator while the back hadn’t even entered yet. Their badges all marked them as members of the Warriors Squad. She’d heard that these ability users, or people 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 cooperate or divide tasks. Since they were leaving tomorrow, today everyone had to undergo special training. This was probably just a portion of them.

The weather was sweltering, and the new district had no open, shaded places. It looked like they were using the covered train tracks beneath the station as a training ground.

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

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

Bian Changxi blinked, finally found a clean plastic chair, and sat down in an 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 ability users had it best—they could cool themselves down. Her wood ability didn’t help, but then again, people always said it was cool 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, was there a better way to deal with it?

No matter how she thought about it, she had to admit she didn’t have a good solution. She was at a natural disadvantage against things that flew. Fire, wind, and space users could at least put up a fight. The rest had no real edge.

If only she could instantly summon several vines to snare it, that would be something. But in reality, unless the vines were fast, numerous, and strong, it was pointless. Not to mention, right now 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 wooden spikes.

So much ambition, so little power.

It was the thirteenth day of the apocalypse, and she’d had her powers for ten days. When would she finally get stronger?

She closed her eyes and focused. She was probably at the late stage of Level 1, almost at the peak, but advancing to Level 2 would still take a while.

Leveling up abilities in the apocalypse was hard, and it only got harder. Later on, developing mental powers and advancing with them meant juggling two abilities at once—twice the challenge.

In her previous life, after seven years of the apocalypse, anyone at Level 8 was considered an expert. Level 9s were as rare as phoenix feathers—there wasn’t a single one at Yunhua Base. The leader, Zhu Yunhua, had only just reached late Level 8 and would need months more to reach the peak. The one who stood at the very top was Gu Xu. Some guessed he’d reached Level 10, but it was only speculation—no one knew the truth.

Of course, this didn’t count those without mental powers. Even if they rocketed up to Level 12, they still couldn’t match a dual-ability Level 9.

So, realistically, if you could advance one level a year at Level 7 or 8, you were already exceptional. At Levels 1 and 2, advancing every few months was considered excellent. She remembered that in her previous life, after more than a year, she’d just barely reached Level 3, while the highest at Sucheng Base was Level 5.

She thought to herself, it’d be best to reach Level 2 within the first month and secure her advantage.

“Alright, we’re from the management team. New arrivals, report your names, how many family members you have here, what you did before, and any special skills. We’ll assign you to teams accordingly.”

Two people entered the medical area. One was a woman with seductive, almond-shaped eyes that swept the room and landed on Bian Changxi, who was sitting in the corner with her eyes closed. With a sly smile, she walked over. “Well, well, Miss Bian Changxi, taking a little rest, are we? Celebrities really are different. Everyone else is running around like crazy, but you’re just relaxing. I’m so jealous.”

A waft of perfume hit Bian Changxi’s nose, and the woman’s shrill voice grated on her ears. She frowned and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an orange floral shirt, followed by an impressive chest.

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

The heavy makeup of the past was gone, replaced by a more natural look. Her lips were glossed with a pink sheen, and her long, wavy, wine-red hair was tied back, with a few strands—whether by accident or design—falling over her delicate collarbones. Bian Changxi noticed she looked even prettier than before, her whole demeanor naturally alluring, with a touch of coquettish charm that would definitely catch anyone’s eye.

Bian Changxi marveled inwardly. No wonder she could compete with Bian Wei as a socialite. In this apocalypse, where most women looked like men and men like savages, she must attract countless admirers. Actually, she seemed even more attractive than in her previous life—maybe Bian Changxi was imagining it.

“Miss Bian still remembers me? What an honor.” Yang Xiaowen covered her mouth with a hand painted in iridescent nail polish, laughing so her body trembled, drawing the attention of all the nearby men. Bian Changxi just shuddered in disgust and said coldly, “If you’ve got something to say, say it. If not, get lost—you’re an eyesore.”

Yang Xiaowen stiffened, shot her a hateful glare, but quickly composed herself and smiled. “Here, I’m here to give you this.”

Bian Changxi looked at the plastic card—about the size of an ID. It had her name, the number 5-0523, and her assignment to the medical team, along with a military stamp.

“This is your ID card. Tomorrow, you’ll be traveling with the Fifth Team’s medical group. 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, tilting her chin. “I’m the administrator for your section of the Fifth Team. If you have any problems on the way north to Sucheng, 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. “Got it.”

Yang Xiaowen paused. That’s it?

She was the administrator, and Bian Changxi was the subordinate. Shouldn’t Bian Changxi at least look surprised, angry, or 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 the bait, she actually felt a little disappointed. Maybe it was because she’d lost her chance to show off. After a few steps, she turned back, suddenly cheerful again. “Oh, by the way, the Fifth Team is mostly medical staff. They’re modifying the medical vehicles outside. If you’re free, go lend a hand. It’s hot, and everything needs to be finished before dark. An extra pair of hands would help.”

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

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

What was this—petty triumph?

Back in the city, inside and outside that supermarket, they’d had some conflict—started by Yang Xiaowen’s own stupidity, escalated by Bian Changxi’s retaliation, and they’d never really seen eye to eye. After arriving at the new district, they hadn’t crossed paths again.

Bian Changxi felt annoyed. She considered herself broad-minded, had let go of their past-life grievances, and treated Yang Xiaowen as air. So why did Yang Xiaowen jump at the chance to pick a fight?

To say it was a coincidence that Yang Xiaowen ended up in charge of her area—Bian Changxi found that hard to believe.

Could this woman be any more scheming?

Were they still plotting to ruin her if they couldn’t recruit her?

Don’t be ridiculous. If Boss Zhang tried something underhanded, she could believe it, but these people? Who did they think they were?

The truth was, these people thought the world revolved around them.

Since arriving at the new district, they’d never stopped paying attention to Bian Changxi, but hadn’t had a chance to act, being busy with their own survival and advancement. Now, with her separated from Gu Xu’s group and spending the last two days alone, not closely tied to the military, and showing impressive healing abilities, Leopard Bro and Yang Zong’s ambitions were reignited.

They’d worked hard to pull strings and get people into various teams. Yang Xiaowen had joined the management team, and to get close to Bian Changxi, she’d arranged to be put directly in charge of her.

Of course, Yang Xiaowen’s snide, show-off attitude was purely out of a subtle, feminine jealousy."