Chapter 87: Covering Up, Army One Two Three (Second Update)

At night, the whole camp fell quiet again, but Bian Changxi sat in her car, half-lowered window, unable to sleep.

She didn’t know what had happened over at the music square. In her previous life, many people had died there, and only a few made it out—and those few always kept their mouths shut. So very few people knew the truth, and of course Bian Kuang wasn’t clear on it either.

All she knew was that, later, the convoy ended up taking the mountain road instead.

She wasn’t sure if it was because of this, but the matter of that red-nosed man swearing to kick her out of the convoy was never brought up again.

She rested her head on the window, eyes fixed on the darkness, ears straining to catch every sound in the night. She never heard the horn signaling the return of the expedition team, but she did spot a sneaky figure moving about.

That person crept around, glancing left and right, his face a mass of lumps—like some ghoul that had crawled out of nowhere. In the darkness, he looked especially creepy. If anyone stumbled upon him, they’d be scared half to death.

Bian Changxi watched as he crept closer, checking license plates, inching nearer to her car.

“Zhang Yuwen, what are you doing?” she suddenly called out.

The shadow, now only a meter away, seemed startled. Then, delighted, he looked at her. “Changxi, you’re still up? That’s great! I really have nowhere to stay, and it’s so cold at night. Let me stay with you for the night, okay?”

A waft of rot and bad breath drifted over. Bian Changxi’s stomach churned and goosebumps broke out all over her skin.

She’d smelled worse before, but when this stench came from a living, breathing, and particularly annoying person, it was especially revolting. She opened the car door, shoved him back a few steps, and slammed it shut again. “Stay away. How did you get in here? Where’s the administrator? Don’t you know you’ll be punished for sneaking around at night?”

There were rules in the convoy: no wandering around at night, because danger could strike at any time. Only if everyone stayed put in their own little patch could things be managed and kept safe. These rules didn’t apply to the strong, but for ordinary people like Zhang Yuwen, they were strictly enforced.

“I didn’t know,” Zhang Yuwen said cluelessly. “I just walked in. Changxi, isn’t there still a spot in your car? I know there is. Please let me in, I’m really freezing.”

Bian Changxi started shouting, “Administrator! Administrator!”

People nearby woke up, and the administrator arrived, but it wasn’t Yang Xiaowen—it was a man, yawning, coat thrown over his shoulders. “What’s going on? Wailing like ghosts in the middle of the night.”

Bian Changxi said coldly, “Someone from another area snuck in.”

“I didn’t sneak in! I’m her boyfriend. She told me to come over secretly at night!”

Everyone who’d been woken up was stunned. Their gazes turned strange—what kind of conduct was this? They had no light, so they couldn’t see what this “boyfriend” looked like, but Bian Changxi always seemed so calm and aloof. Who’d have thought she couldn’t stand loneliness?

Zhang Yuwen smugly leaned in, “Let me in, or I might not be able to stop myself from saying something unpleasant. That wouldn’t look good for you.”

But he’d misjudged her.

In his memory, Bian Changxi was a quiet person. She might act wild on the surface, but deep down she was thin-skinned and didn’t like to make a scene about anything… intimate. He knew she’d changed, but people’s impressions are hard to shake. He figured that even if she got angry, she’d argue with him in private, and as long as they were close, as long as they kept things hidden…

Bang! Bian Changxi suddenly flung the car door open, this time with much more force and speed. Zhang Yuwen stumbled back several steps. She stepped out and kicked him over, then flipped on a flashlight, shining it in his face. Stepping on his chest in disgust, she said, “Who are you? With a face like that, even your parents wouldn’t recognize you. My boyfriend? Am I crazy to go for a pig like you?”

Zhang Yuwen flushed with shame and anger, struggling to breathe. He tried to get up, but found her foot surprisingly strong. He shouted, “Bian Changxi, you can’t just deny everything! You said you’re a wood-type, that healing me would be a snap. Why else would I have come? I haven’t come looking for you these days just so I wouldn’t drag you down. But you—you gave me hope just to humiliate me!”

“Hmph!”

Keep making things up!

She suddenly noticed something hard at his waist. It felt odd, and she was about to kick it away when a flash of panic crossed Zhang Yuwen’s eyes. Taking advantage of her slightly lessened force, he suddenly leapt up, grabbed the object, and lunged at her. “You can’t abandon me!”

Sensing danger, Bian Changxi quickly retreated, grabbing the hand he was thrusting toward her waist—which looked like he was trying to hug her.

Sure enough, there was a black device in his hand, though she couldn’t tell what it was at first glance.

Caught red-handed, Zhang Yuwen’s face twisted. He wrenched his wrist free and swung the thing at her head.

To be fair, Zhang Yuwen had some training. It was mostly for show, but not entirely useless. Bian Changxi hadn’t used full force, so he managed to break free with a clever move. Not knowing what the device was, she didn’t dare go head-to-head.

Zhang Yuwen seemed to press a button, and suddenly, thin arcs of electricity silently flickered at the tip of the device.

A stun gun!

Bian Changxi leaned back, watching as the arcs flashed past her face. Zhang Yuwen pulled back and swung again, but she reacted quickly—grabbing his wrist with one hand and locking his elbow with the other, twisting so that the tip of the device jabbed under his own chin.

It all happened so fast that Zhang Yuwen didn’t even have time to let go of the button. The current surged through his body, making him convulse violently. The air filled with the smell of scorched flesh. When Bian Changxi let go, Zhang Yuwen collapsed stiffly to the ground, eyes askew and mouth twisted, looking hideous.

Everyone who saw this was stunned.

Zhang Bubai ran out of his makeshift tent. “Miss Bian, this man—”

“He brought in a weapon and clearly had bad intentions. For all we know, he could be here to rob people,” Bian Changxi said, turning to the dumbstruck male administrator. “Aren’t you going to report this?”

He opened his mouth, then sheepishly called over two people to drag Zhang Yuwen away, but Bian Changxi stopped them. “No need. Until things are clear, I’ll keep an eye on him myself.”

“That’s against the rules!”

“And you’re following the rules? How did you let someone like this in? I’m starting to think you’re in on it together.”

The administrator pointed at her. “Watch what you say!”

But he was feeling guilty. The truth was, he’d let Zhang Yuwen in—well, actually, it was Yang Xiaowen who’d talked him into it. With her sweet breath and flirtatious eyes, who could refuse a beauty’s request? He figured, since they were supposedly boyfriend and girlfriend, what harm could it do? After all, Bian Changxi herself had a history of sneaking around at night.

Who could have guessed it would turn out like this?

Now that Bian Changxi had made a scene, there was no way to sweep this under the rug.

As he hesitated, several soldiers arrived, heading straight for Bian Changxi. “Miss Bian, a few of the wounded from earlier have taken a turn for the worse. The medical team can’t handle it. Could you come take a look?”

Bian Changxi glanced at them. She didn’t recognize any of them, which made sense—these days, everyone she worked with seemed to be strangers, as if they were afraid she’d build her own network.

She kicked her foot. “Someone was trying to kick me out of the convoy earlier today. I’m not part of the medical team anymore. Get someone else.”

Wei Xiaodong popped up out of nowhere. “I’ll go! Come find me instead, I’m just as good as her.” She waved a green crystal core in her hand.

The soldiers didn’t even look at her, turning to Bian Changxi with troubled expressions. “We’re not sure what happened earlier, but that officer has already been disciplined. We promise no one will give you a hard time again. Lives are at stake—please, Miss Bian, help us.”

Bian Changxi picked at her nails—well, they were too short to pick—then said to Zhang Bubai, “Bring me that rope and tie him up. Don’t let anyone take him away before I get back. Let’s go, the sooner the better.”

“Thank you so much!”

The soldiers expressed their gratitude and led the way. “The wounded have been moved somewhere quieter. You probably don’t know the way.”

On the way, they ran into Shadow. “I heard you were attacked. I was going to check on you—what’s going on?”

“Someone’s dying,” Bian Changxi said irritably. These people only ever treated her nicely when someone was at death’s door. “I’m fine. You should go back.”

Gu Xu, Qiu Yun, and Qiu Feng had all gone to Longyue Town and hadn’t returned. Shadow had stayed behind to look after Wu Dalang, and if he left, the bedridden Wu Dalang would be in danger.

“There’s still Anan and the others with Old Wu,” Shadow said, his gaze sweeping coldly over the soldiers, his presence so intimidating that they all lowered their heads. Satisfied there was nothing amiss, he said, “I’ll head back then.”

He turned to leave, but the little creature that had come with him refused to go, crouching on the ground and staring at Bian Changxi. Whenever she took a step, it crawled after her.

Annoyed, Bian Changxi turned back. “Go home! Why are you following me?”

“Woof woof…” Milk wagged its tail, glancing at her while licking its paws, looking for all the world like a wronged little wife.

One of the soldiers couldn’t help but urge, “Miss Bian, please hurry. They’re waiting.”

Seeing Shadow had gone, Bian Changxi ignored Milk, pretending it didn’t exist.

They passed the dairy farm. It was the first time Bian Changxi had gotten a good look at it—huge, and brightly lit inside. It sounded like they were slaughtering cattle. The cows’ screams and people arguing blended into a chaotic din. Suddenly, something happened; she vaguely saw the herd stampeding and someone shouting, “Run! Run!”

She was curious, but not in the mood for gossip, and followed the soldiers to the tents set up at the edge of the wilds.

PS:

Thank you to ann555141 for a pink ticket! Thank you to wangnanlele for a pink ticket! Thank you to 龙绍ll1 for a safety charm!

This thank you is a bit late. Every bit of your support is my motivation. Thank you!"