Chapter 85: The Gap—Choose Your Partner Wisely (Second Update)

Bian Changxi regretted not paying closer attention to what Bian Kuang had said earlier. Now, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t recall anything. Maybe if she knew a bit more, she could piece things together through association, but as things stood, there was nothing she could do.

After saying goodbye to Wu Dalang, she hurried over to the medical camp of Team Five to get to work.

There were a lot of wounded—most of them seriously injured. For the past two days, all her medical tasks had been assigned by a red-nosed supervisor. She hadn’t seen Lu Shaoyang at all, nor any other familiar faces. It was as if they were deliberately isolating her. The red-nosed man clearly disliked her; the moment she arrived, he barked orders at her: “Hey, you—stop dawdling and get over here!”

His tone was so nasty it made people frown.

But Bian Changxi was in a good mood, having just obtained a third-tier green core. She didn’t bother arguing with him. She quickly stabilized a few people who were on the brink, then spread her hands and said, “I’m out of energy.”

“What do you mean, out of energy? You only helped a few people—how much effort could that take? Stop making excuses! If you refuse to save people, that’s disobeying orders. I don’t care if you’re Bian Changxi or Bian Shortxi, you won’t last in this convoy!”

Bian Changxi just shrugged and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her bag. “Are you… are you Changxi?”

She followed the hand and was startled. Lying there was a person dressed in rags, hair matted and filthy. The most horrifying part was his face—bruised and swollen, covered in blisters and rashes, some of which had burst and were oozing pus. Tiny insects buzzed around the wounds. There wasn’t a single patch of healthy skin left; he was completely unrecognizable.

“And you are?”

Even his voice was ruined, hoarse like an old man’s.

“It really is you! Changxi, it’s me, Yuwen!”

“Zhang Yuwen? You’re still alive?”

“Yes, yes, I’m alive! I heard you’re really amazing now. I’ve been looking for you for days and couldn’t find you. Please, help me, save me!”

Bian Changxi looked him over. Aside from his face being a mess, there didn’t seem to be any other injuries.

“Where are you hurt?”

A nearby medic snorted, “He’s not really injured. The car he was in got crushed by zombies—everyone else died or was crippled, but he was fine, just fainted from fright.”

Zhang Yuwen weakly protested, “I had heatstroke!”

Then he turned to Bian Changxi, “They’re all dead, the car’s gone, I don’t know where to go. Please help me, save me. After all, we’re still—” He hadn’t finished saying “boyfriend and girlfriend” when Bian Changxi shot him a cold glare that froze him in place. He stammered but couldn’t get another word out.

Bian Changxi thought for a moment. “If you’re fine, get up and leave. I have something to ask you.”

The red-nosed supervisor saw Bian Changxi chatting with someone, clearly ignoring his threats, and flew into a rage. “Do you have any sense of responsibility? Any shame? I said I’d kick you out!”

He looked around, grabbed a medical tray, and flung it at her. But before he could see what happened, the tray somehow smacked him on his own head. At the same time, his beer belly took a hard kick, and he rolled away like a ball.

Bian Changxi tore off the shoddy medical team badge from her chest and tossed it to the ground. “I’m done with this medical team. I don’t care about staying in the convoy, but if anyone’s kicking me out, it’s not going to be the likes of you.”

Zhang Yuwen was so startled he just stared, following Bian Changxi outside. It wasn’t until she turned and asked him a question that he finally snapped out of it.

Bian Changxi couldn’t help but frown. She could smell a rotten stench from him even before getting close, and when he opened his mouth, the reek was overwhelming. She wondered how he’d ended up in such a miserable state.

“I heard you told people that Wang Yan died because of me?”

Zhang Yuwen was eyeing Bian Changxi with envy—she looked clean and well-kept, clearly doing well these days. Meanwhile, he’d been fleeing like a stray dog, never having enough to eat, his clothes stripped by thugs, reduced to a beggar, always on guard against monsters. He’d finally managed to get on a vehicle, but had to play the obedient lackey all day, bullied by everyone. The bitterness churned inside him, but he still had to think about how to win Bian Changxi over so she’d take him in.

Caught off guard by her question, he quickly denied it, “No, no, who said that? You hadn’t been with Wang Yan for ages—how could you have killed her? Whoever said that is making things up.”

He racked his brain, trying to remember if he’d said that to anyone. Then it hit him—it was Chen Yisha. He’d tried to get some sympathy and benefits from her, but as soon as she heard it, her attitude changed completely. Damn it, when he made it big, he’d make her pay!

But he didn’t dare badmouth Chen Yisha in front of Bian Changxi. He wasn’t stupid—he knew he had no leverage right now.

“I don’t want to waste time with you,” Bian Changxi said indifferently. “I’m not after an answer, just a bit curious. If you tell me the truth, maybe I’ll help you out. But if not…”

That cold look made Zhang Yuwen seethe with resentment, but he still replied weakly, “Wang Yan was bitten by zombies. No one killed her, and you certainly didn’t. What else do you want me to say?”

“I remember you two tried to steal my jade bracelet. That wasn’t just a whim, was it?”

Zhang Yuwen’s expression changed. Well, it was hard to tell with his ruined face, but the stiffening of his muscles and guilty eyes didn’t escape Bian Changxi’s notice. She thought, So there really was something going on.

Zhang Yuwen gritted his teeth. “If I tell you, you have to take care of me from now on—food, water, shelter, clothes, everything.”

Bian Changxi just curled her lip and turned to leave.

“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! There was a man who came to us and asked for your jade bracelet.”

“What did he look like?”

“He always wore a hat, so I didn’t see clearly. I snuck a look—dark skin, thick lips, maybe a hooked nose, looked like a shady character.”

Bian Changxi thought to herself, So it really was Zhang Jingang.

But Zhang Boss hadn’t made any moves lately. Had he given up on her?

She hadn’t taken any action herself, partly because she didn’t have a clear picture of the situation and didn’t want to act rashly and draw suspicion, and partly because she knew that once she got to Sucheng, she’d meet Zhu Yunhua, and maybe all her questions would be answered. The farm was firmly in her grasp now; she wasn’t in a hurry—the ones who were anxious were those plotting against her.

“I’ve told you. Now, about your promise…”

Bian Changxi nodded, took a pack of biscuits and a bottle of water from her bag, and handed them over. “For old times’ sake, this is all I can do.”

“Bian Changxi, are you playing me?” Zhang Yuwen’s face twisted so badly a few more blisters burst. He clutched his cheek in pain, his face hideous, and threatened viciously, “I heard you’re involved with someone named Gu Xu. If you don’t help me, I’ll tell everyone about us! What man would want a two-timer?”

Bian Changxi snorted. “And do you believe I won’t stab you right now?” She shot him a cold, dangerous look. Her tone was calm, but Zhang Yuwen was clearly intimidated.

He glared at her retreating figure, nearly crushing the biscuit packet in his hand. Someone walked up behind him. “Useless! Didn’t you say you had a way to stick to her?”

“Boss Zhang.” Zhang Yuwen lowered his head. “If I were still my old self, she wouldn’t be so heartless. We really had feelings for each other.”

Boss Zhang sneered. “Are you blaming me for not fixing your face? Hmph, I only keep useful people. If you get the job done, not only your face, but I and my backers will treat you like a VIP. If not…”

Zhang Yuwen stiffened. “I understand. Just give me one more chance.”

When Bian Changxi came out, she saw the convoy undergoing a major reorganization. Or rather, a small team was splitting off, looking ready to head out and fight. Their destination was clearly Longyue Town, whose outline and buildings could be seen in the distance.

So soon?

She climbed to a higher spot and spotted Gu Xu in the crowd.

He was standing at the rear, still directing the rest of the convoy in an orderly advance.

She quickly took out her earpiece and called him. “Are you heading to Longyue Town?”

Gu Xu sounded a bit surprised. With one hand pressing his earpiece, he kept giving orders while answering, “Commander Qu wants us to scout out Longyue Town and report back before making a concrete plan.”

She checked her watch. It was already 2 p.m. Although the days were long and it got dark late, heading out at this hour was still dangerous.

“Are you going too?”

“Yeah, Yue Fushan and I are leading the team. We might have to split up once we’re there.”

Split up? Bian Changxi suddenly remembered something. “Tell me the details.”

Gu Xu was silent for a moment, as if taken aback, then quickly explained, “We’re pulling a thousand people each from Teams One and Six, forming two squads. There are two main roads in Longyue Town wide enough for armored vehicles and large teams. One is the avenue with the musical fountain plaza, surrounded by big malls, supermarkets, snack streets, and lots of entertainment spots. The other is Jian’an Avenue, lined with shops and residences, plus a branch hospital and a dental clinic.”

He handed off his duties to a trusted subordinate, then walked over to a vehicle, one hand on the door. “Any suggestions?”

Where there’s food, fun, and daily life, there are always people—which means, in other words, plenty of zombies.

But thinking about it, the apocalypse hit in the middle of the night. The music plaza would have had fewer people at that hour, and the shopping and entertainment areas had plenty of escape routes, with streets and alleys crisscrossing everywhere. At midnight, most people would have gone home to sleep, so Jian’an Avenue would have been more crowded.

But there was a problem with the music plaza.

Bian Changxi finally remembered the crucial detail.

She weighed her words, wondering how to warn Gu Xu not to go there. Gu Xu was strong, but accidents could happen to anyone. Besides, she’d heard that in her previous life, the entire team at the music plaza was wiped out—especially the most powerful ability users, who died the most gruesome deaths.

She definitely didn’t want him dying here.

PS:

I’m back, finally back! Spent the whole day at the hospital—either running around or just waiting and waiting. All that for just two tests! Now I understand why authors who visit hospitals always sigh about how crowded China is—there really are so many people!

If you can help it, don’t get sick, seriously! Take care of yourselves, everyone, and stay healthy. Sorry this update is late—hope you’re not too upset~ (^_^)~"