Chapter 77: Body Burst, The Consequences of Misuse (Second Update)

Bian Changxi didn’t overthink it, nor was she in the mood to bicker with Yang Xiaowen. She simply turned and walked out of the station.

In and around the large canopy on the plaza in front of the station, there were indeed many dark green military trucks parked. Numerous craftsmen and medical staff were busily working on and around the vehicles, converting them into mobile medical units where the wounded and sick could rest.

Bian Changxi had no intention of helping out. Instead, she pulled her baseball cap back on and stepped into the scorching sunlight.

A little over ten minutes later, she arrived at the place she’d agreed to meet Qu Nan.

Perhaps it was because he’d personally experienced the miraculous power of the wood element—Qu Nan was now walking normally, with no blood on his head and no limp—he was working with impressive efficiency. In less than two hours, he’d already managed to get hold of a surveillance video.

“This time I really got squeezed by that bastard Xiao Jing for a lot of favors,” he complained, but when he saw Bian Changxi ignoring him and focusing on the footage, he shrugged and got to the point. “That villa district you mentioned is full of society’s elite—either high officials or wealthy businessmen. There’s no way to get footage from inside. The only cameras are on the roads leading out.”

He fast-forwarded to the relevant footage and began switching between different angles. After an hour, Bian Changxi was slumped on the sofa, her fingers pressed to her chin, lost in thought.

As she suspected, the Bian family had already left. Although the surveillance was from several days ago and later footage was missing—probably due to power or wiring issues—it was clear that the Bian family had moved out. But instead of heading toward the new district, they’d taken another highway.

And it wasn’t just the Bian family. At least two other families had left with them: the Tao family from the auto industry, the Xu family from the clothing business, along with a large number of employees, bodyguards, other businesspeople, hired muscle, and even professional athletes sponsored by the families...

A huge group, at least ten thousand strong, had set off in an organized, well-prepared exodus.

Bian Kuang was among them. The cameras had caught a few shots of his expressionless profile and back.

Suddenly, Bian Changxi felt a wave of irritation.

Other people had their own reasons for not coming to the new district, but why hadn’t Bian Kuang come? She was out here alone, most likely because she’d heard the radio’s call to come to the new district. Even if she hadn’t, surely Bian Kuang should have come to look for her in a place with so many people.

Did that idiot really think that when she said “we’ll meet again someday” on the phone, she meant she was going to Su City to see him?

Was he really that confident she’d be fine?

Granted, she was the one who told him to stay calm back then, but Bian Changxi still felt a bit annoyed—or maybe disappointed. After wrestling with her feelings for a while, she gave a wry smile. No matter what he did, she always found fault. She really was too demanding. Anyway, as long as he wasn’t trapped in the city and unable to get out, that was good enough. As for his reasons, she could ask him when they met again.

Qu Nan came out with two glasses of lemon water. “Here you go. Well? Satisfied?”

“I’ll keep my promise,” Bian Changxi replied, not taking the water as she stood up. “By the way, it’s best if no one else finds out about this.”

Qu Nan grinned. “I bet Xiao Jing is dying to know what I’m doing with this footage right now.”

“So?”

“So I called over some people like you to watch the video. They’ll be here soon. You don’t mind, do you?”

People “like Bian Changxi” were those with abilities—people who were on the military’s radar but had no interest in being controlled.

Everyone had someone they cared about. Even if they didn’t, they might want to see what the city looked like now. So, why not make the most of the footage? Doing a favor for others was just a bonus.

Bian Changxi waved it off. She asked about Yang Xiaowen, but Qu Nan didn’t know much about that, and she didn’t press. She left his lavishly decorated, fully equipped house—though the generator was constantly rumbling.

******

At 2:40 a.m., Bian Changxi came downstairs from her apartment building, dressed in a black fleece-lined jacket and a finely knit beanie that covered her ears. Her pants were thin casual trousers, and she wore hiking boots. With a backpack on her shoulders and a suitcase in tow, she joined the others.

Wei Xiaodong and members of the medical team who lived on the same floor came out with her.

There were crowds under the other apartment buildings as well.

There were people from the management team, the supplies team, the communications and dispatch team, the warriors’ team, the scouts’ team—people everywhere, from one complex to another, from one street to the next.

Bian Changxi yawned and pulled her collar tighter. The pre-dawn wind felt like it was full of ice shards, stinging her face like knives and making her shiver uncontrollably.

“This damn weather—hot as hell during the day, freezing at night. It’s unbearable!”

“Unbearable is right. You have to change clothes at least twice a day. There are so few vehicles on the road, but it’s still packed. And we have to bring tons of quilts and winter clothes. Just thinking about it in this heat—oh my god, it’s awful.”

“Heh, isn’t there a saying, ‘Wear a cotton-padded jacket in the morning, gauze at noon, and eat watermelon by the fire’? Guess we’re getting a taste of life in Xinjiang.”

Listening to the complaints, jokes, and self-mockery around her, Bian Changxi smiled. Wei Xiaodong grumbled, “Seriously, why do we have to get up so early? You can’t even see the road, just a sea of people.”

As they passed the train station, the lights were still on. The wounded and sick inside would be the last to be transferred—they were too weak to move, so they’d be stabilized as long as possible.

From a distance, Bian Changxi saw people blocking the entrance, crying and making a scene. Others were carrying out bodies covered in white sheets. Lu Shaoyang stood to the side, his expression unclear but seemingly grim.

Something stirred in her heart. She squeezed through the crowd. “Dr. Lu, what’s going on?”

Lu Shaoyang saw it was her and his expression relaxed a little. He sighed, eyes on the people blocking the entrance. “To get on the medical transport, families have to pay a certain fee. Many people refuse and have been making a fuss for a while now.”

Bian Changxi wanted to say, “If the families themselves don’t want to pay, why should outsiders care?” But she knew better than to say that to a doctor with such a strong sense of duty and responsibility.

“What’s the official word?” she asked.

“They can’t just leave those patients behind—that would look terrible. But if they let everyone on without any conditions, it would look like the military is afraid of these people, and it wouldn’t be fair to those who did pay,” Lu Shaoyang whispered. “The higher-ups said to let them make a scene. But anyone with a relative still in a hospital bed isn’t allowed to leave. Once the convoy is ready to depart, we’ll see if they start to panic.”

He took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. This meant the commotion would last until dawn.

Bian Changxi looked at him sympathetically. “I saw another body being carried out just now. Who was it?”

With her around, there weren’t many dying patients left in the medical area. Those who couldn’t be saved had already passed. She couldn’t think of anyone else who might have died.

At this, a flash of anger crossed Lu Shaoyang’s face. He glanced around and said quietly, “Come with me.”

They walked to where the bodies were kept. Lu Shaoyang lifted the sheet for her to see. Bian Changxi’s eyelid twitched. “This is...”

It was the burn victim—the only one of Liu Meng’s brothers still alive.

“He couldn’t have died! He was already getting better.”

“He’s dead,” Lu Shaoyang said flatly. “I suspect it was murder, but I don’t know how it was done. Unfortunately, we can’t do an autopsy.”

The dead man’s skin was charred and incomplete, his face already twisted and terrifying, with no other obvious wounds. Just looking at him, there was no way to tell the cause of death.

Bian Changxi remembered what Liu Meng had asked her earlier. “Did Liu Meng come by?”

Lu Shaoyang sneered. “He did. Paid the fee, and then the man died.” He paused. “The fee is one white core for three days, all-inclusive—food, drink, medical supplies. And he paid exactly one white core.”

Bian Changxi felt a chill in her chest. One white core for three days was extremely cheap, meant to show fairness. Otherwise, why should some people get cared for without doing anything, while others recover but refuse to leave?

But if you spent that money to save someone who was destined to be “disfigured and frail,” it just wasn’t worth it. To Liu Meng, this person was just a burden.

If that was really the case, Liu Meng was truly frightening. She thought of his earlier question—“How’s my brother doing?”—and found it bitterly ironic. She pressed her lips together. “Best not to make a fuss about this. It’ll only hurt you if word gets out.” Liu Meng was now an ability user, a member of the warriors’ team, and reportedly performed well. Would the military punish him just for his character?

If you fail to kill a tiger, you only make it more dangerous.

Suddenly, she realized—wasn’t Liu Meng also a tiger she’d failed to kill?

He’d ended up like this, and to be honest, she’d had a hand in it every step of the way.

Her face darkened as she recalled Liu Meng’s declaration after the burns—that he’d “never had any bad intentions.” Wasn’t that statement a little too abrupt?

Lu Shaoyang gave her a meaningful look. “You should be careful, too.”

Not long after, someone came to fetch Liu Meng, bringing along his team leader, who’d apparently come just to see what was going on.

When Liu Meng saw the body, he was stunned, then broke down in tears—a grown man sobbing against the wall. His team leader, clearly fond of him and eager to help, immediately put on a confrontational air. “Who was responsible for looking after Liu’s brother? Wasn’t he fine earlier today? How did he suddenly die?”

A cold gleam flashed on Lu Shaoyang’s glasses. He said expressionlessly, “I was the one treating him. Are you suggesting I did something? Actually, I also think the death is suspicious. Let’s do an autopsy and give everyone an explanation.”

The team leader, seeing Lu Shaoyang step forward, gave a sheepish grin. “Dr. Lu, I would never suspect you. It’s just odd, that’s all. The man was badly injured to begin with. The others all died, and he only survived this long thanks to your skill. Right, Liu?”

Liu Meng hadn’t expected Lu Shaoyang to take responsibility so directly, and didn’t know what to say. The matter was left unsettled.

No, it wasn’t over yet.

Standing in the shadows, Bian Changxi watched coldly, then silently turned and left."