Chapter 86: Taking Action, Wu Dalang’s Broken Leg (First Update)

Got it!

Bian Changxi suddenly said, “From what you’re saying, there are a lot of shopping malls around the Music Square. You guys are going out there, so you’re definitely going to ‘pick up’ some supplies while you’re at it, right?”

She put extra emphasis on “while you’re at it.” Bian Kuang had told her before that if the convoy leader hadn’t been so attached to those supplies back then, that tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

“That’s right.”

Bian Changxi gritted her teeth. “That Su Chensi is going too, right?” As the top spatial ability user, there’s no reason she wouldn’t.

Gu Xu turned his head and saw Su Chensi standing in front of Yue Fushan, listening to his instructions. Su Chensi glanced at him, then quickly looked away.

Gu Xu turned to the side and spoke into his earpiece. “Yes.”

“Don’t go with her!”

Gu Xu chuckled. “You’re worried she’ll try something against me again? She won’t.”

“Just stay away from her.”

Gu Xu’s smile faded. After a moment, he said slowly, “Changxi, the way you’re talking could give people the wrong idea.”

Wrong idea?

Bian Changxi was confused, then heard him say, “Why don’t you just tell me the real reason?”

She blinked. “I was just saying it. Take it or leave it.”

“But Lin Rongrong is there too, right under Su Chensi.”

She held back for a long time, then gritted her teeth and said, “Gu Xu, you really are…” So annoying!

She hung up hard, then took out her watch communicator and contacted Lin Rongrong. “You’re with Su Chensi? …If you don’t want to die, come back right now. I don’t care if you fake sick or fake dead, just don’t make a scene.”

This watch communicator really wasn’t as good as the earpiece—the static was terrible, and she didn’t know if Lin Rongrong heard her. Luckily, after a while, Lin Rongrong came running over, panting. “What’s going on?”

Bian Changxi didn’t answer, just shook her head and sighed. “I don’t know either. Let’s hope it’s nothing.”

Is this really just “not my problem, not my concern”? If it were someone with a grand sense of duty, they’d have already listed out all the possible crises and led everyone to fight for the best chance of survival. But after all these days, she still hadn’t thought of any big dangers to guard against.

Gu Xu was waiting, Bian Changxi was waiting. The command center—Qu Shangjin and the others—were also waiting, though they were waiting for more supplies and detailed intel, so they could make a thorough plan to cross Longyue Town. While they were studying the map, around four o’clock, the command center received several distress calls.

—It had been mentioned before: there was still some internal military communication, but the quality was terrible. Now, with the distance even greater, the signal was intermittent and full of static, but it was clear that the calls were coming from the group at the Music Fountain Square, and the situation was dire.

Commander Qu Shangjin quickly ordered people to contact the few members of that group who had communication devices. After many tries, they finally reached Yue Fushan. What Yue Fushan described chilled their hearts. Qu Shangjin hurried to calm the already panicking Yue Li, and shouted, “Anyone who can retreat, get out now! I’ll send a rescue team right away!”

He handed the comms to his adjutant, put his hands on his hips, and frowned in thought. Then he told another adjutant, “Contact Gu Xu.”

Qu Nan, who was nearby, heard the whole thing, raised his eyebrows slightly, and quietly slipped out.

Ten minutes later, Qiu Feng and the others got the news. This mission was urgent. Gu Xu couldn’t refuse, so he went back to Team Six to gather people. Of the thousand members, a third were connected to them in some way—either they’d already pledged allegiance, or they’d built up some rapport. Qiu Yun, feeling bored, leisurely followed along.

That’s why Qiu Feng was uneasy. If it were just Gu Xu, he’d be fine—nothing could really stump him. But with a group to look after, he’d be hamstrung.

Qu Shangjin was already frustrated. Seeing this group coming in force, his frown deepened. But he knew he couldn’t be too rude to them. Not just because of Qiu Feng and the others, but also the ability users behind them—hmph, Gu Xu was quite the operator. In just a few days, he’d gathered a group of talented people. Ambitious as he was, he didn’t even bother to hide it, building his own faction right under Qu Shangjin’s nose. Did he really think Qu was a fool?

He said to Qiu Feng, “You’re here? I was just about to send for you. There’s an emergency.”

Qiu Feng wasn’t here to argue. He knew when to keep his head down. He’d just acted on impulse, and now a whole group had followed him, but he couldn’t worry about that. He asked Qu Shangjin, “I heard there’s a ‘big one’ at Music Fountain Square. You want our captain to lead the rescue?”

“Big one” was what people called powerful zombies. They’d run into quite a few on the road—first-tier ones with strength greater than steel, second-tier ones with abilities, and even a third-tier one at noon that could attack people’s minds. All of them were tough, though most attacks had hit the front and rear teams. Ordinary people would be terrified by a third-tier zombie, but that was because many dangers were kept secret to avoid panic.

Qu Shangjin nodded. “Gu’s team is the closest and can get there fastest. Lives are at stake, there’s no time to lose.” He paused, then added, “We’re also preparing a support team here. No one at Fushan’s end can give a clear report. Once Gu Xu figures out the situation, we’ll adjust accordingly and send reinforcements right away.”

Qiu Feng sneered inwardly. “Our captain is under a lot of pressure on Jian’an Avenue too, you know. Commander Qu, you should realize that pulling out in a rush when facing a horde of zombies is just handing the rear over to them. The order came out of nowhere—our captain will need time to organize a proper retreat, which will take who knows how long. Plus, they set out in a hurry and have been at it all day—they’re probably exhausted, and low on ammo. Wouldn’t it be faster and more effective to send troops directly from here? The distance isn’t far.”

Hu Aiquan arrived just in time to hear Qiu Feng’s words and chimed in, “Exactly. Gu Xu has important tasks too—this will just split his focus. If we send troops from here, we might get there faster and do a better job.”

Qu Shangjin hesitated.

Hu Aiquan glanced at Qiu Feng, then at the group behind him—rumored to be mostly ability users—a flash in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and added, “I’ve got a group of a thousand elite soldiers patrolling the camp perimeter, fully equipped with guns, food, and medicine. I can send them out with a single order. Only thing is, we’re a bit short on vehicles.”

Qu Shangjin’s face was stern and resolute at first, but hearing Hu Aiquan offer up his own men, he wavered.

Hu Aiquan knew him well. He stepped closer and added the final push, “Fushan and his nephew, and Su Chensi, are all waiting over there. Commander, the situation leaves us no choice.”

Qu Shangjin finally made up his mind and approved it on the spot. Hu Aiquan seized the opportunity. “Commander, can we have more drones? Aerial surveillance will help spot the key points.”

“I can’t mobilize Air Force resources.”

“As long as you approve, I’ll go talk to Old He at the Air Force.”

With that, Hu Aiquan left without even glancing at Qiu Feng. Qiu Feng watched him go, then took his leave from Qu Shangjin and led his people after Hu Aiquan.

Qu Nan watched all this, anxious but powerless. Wasn’t his father just handing Hu Aiquan a favor and pushing Gu Xu’s faction to him?

His father had once been a decisive, iron-blooded hero, respected in both the military and political circles of Jiangcheng. Mention his name, and people would say he was a tiger not to be provoked. But as he got older, he became more cautious, even indecisive and suspicious. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—he could have coasted to retirement with a sterling reputation.

But then the apocalypse came.

With a hesitant nature like this, how could he compete or keep anyone in check? If not for that, he wouldn’t have rushed to the New District with just a few men after hearing about the Xiao family’s moves—just to use his old reputation to scare off the ambitious and pave the way for himself.

His greatest success was recruiting Gu Xu, but he also worried that if his father’s true character was exposed, these people might turn on them. He’d advised his father many times to let Gu Xu and his people do their thing—they were destined for greatness, and a little kindness or support now would pay off in the future. But his father just scolded him for being useless.

But what good was “promise”? Didn’t his father see that the entire military district was no longer under his sole control? Everyone was doing their own thing, paying lip service at best. Since the apocalypse, everyone wanted to be the boss.

He and his father couldn’t control these people, so they needed someone to help—Gu Xu was the best candidate: capable, with status, but no established base. But his father…

And that incident the other night—it clearly wasn’t as simple as Su Chensi accidentally hurting someone. He secretly suspected his father was behind it. If so, that was serious. If not, then covering for Su Chensi meant taking the blame for nothing.

And making things hard for Bian Changxi was really beneath him. He had no idea what his father was thinking.

Luckily, things hadn’t turned out too badly. Hu Aiquan had earned some goodwill, but so had he. Qu Nan thought for a moment, then decided not to comfort his father, but to follow Qiu Feng instead—he couldn’t let Hu Aiquan take all the credit.

Bian Changxi was helping Zhang Bubai sand some wood when she suddenly heard the sound of fighter jets taking off. Actually, a lot of people heard it, but since these jets usually moved with the main force, it was a common sound and no one paid much attention.

Lin Rongrong, who wasn’t on duty, was hanging around with her and said, “Huh? Isn’t today a rest day? Where are the jets going?”

Bian Changxi stood up and walked a few steps forward. In the distance, a white-and-blue fighter jet slowly lifted off, circled to adjust its course, then flew off ahead.

That direction, sure enough…

She jumped onto a truck, stood on the roof, and looked out. A convoy of armored vehicles and trucks was heading the same way, all loaded with armed soldiers.

By now, the sun was already slanting westward. The harsh glare of the day had softened, the camp was dotted with cooking smoke, and everything looked peaceful."