Chapter 99: Strategy—Be a Good Person

Because the word “miss” can have ambiguous connotations—especially when used without a surname between strangers—it didn’t sound quite right to the ear. He quickly changed his form of address. Times had changed; in an era where disagreements could escalate to knives and guns, even language had to be chosen carefully.

Bian Changxi remained silent, quietly observing Chu Hao and Chai Zhong’s words and reactions.

Chu Hao was just as expected: always showing a bit of deference when meeting someone new, able to hold a conversation even with someone as brooding and dangerous as Chai Zhong. As for Chai Zhong, he was a smart man. Though that flash of jealousy in his eyes didn’t escape her notice, it was a normal reaction—if anything, hiding it too well would have been more suspicious.

She understood that he was trying to win her over, seeing that she and Chu Hao weren’t exactly on the same side. But would she really abandon a wealthy, well-connected person like Chu Hao for Chai Zhong’s rough-and-tumble crew, whose members were a mixed bag at best?

If she didn’t already know Chu Hao’s reputation and conduct, she’d rather wander around blindly on her own than follow him back to his territory.

Still, Chai Zhong was a local power; it wouldn’t do to offend him. She nodded and smiled. “My name is Bian Changxi. I’ll remember what you said, Brother Chai.”

“Bian Changxi…” Chai Zhong repeated, then suddenly widened his eyes in surprise. “You’re that Miss Bian Changxi?”

Bian Changxi was puzzled. “You’ve heard of me?”

Chai Zhong nodded excitedly, then looked her up and down with some suspicion. “The day the Jiangcheng convoy left, I was on board for a while. I heard them mention you—they said if you’d been there, not so many of the seriously injured would have died. They also said…”

“What else did they say?”

“They said that because of you, that Captain Gu or whatever his name was, caused a huge commotion and delayed the convoy’s departure by a whole day. No one knew if you…” —died in some zombie’s belly.

Uh, that kind of thing must have come from those who were jealous of her. It wouldn’t do for him to say it aloud.

Looking at her now, she was clearly just fine. If this Bian Changxi was really the same one from the convoy, then she must have been someone important to have stood out in such a large group. She was definitely not someone to offend.

He was glad he hadn’t acted rashly earlier.

Chu Hao was also surprised as he glanced at Bian Changxi. When she’d said she got separated from the main group, he’d thought it was just a casual remark—he hadn’t expected it to be true.

Seeing that Bian Changxi didn’t want to say more, he changed the subject. “Brother Chai, where are you coming from?”

At this, Chai Zhong finally looked away from Bian Changxi. He didn’t mind being candid in front of Chu Hao, and sighed. “This whole area’s been picked clean by that bald bastard. I had no choice but to take my guys over to the music plaza to try our luck. You know, the convoy didn’t stay long that day—apart from a big supermarket and a grain warehouse, they didn’t touch anything else. I must have been out of my mind, thinking I could find something good. Who knew we’d run into zombies as soon as we got there? Lost one brother, and this one got hurt.”

His tone was less angry than resigned and sorrowful, which struck Chu Hao as odd. In the past, Chai Zhong would have been cursing up a storm by now.

Not cursing the zombies, but cursing that bald guy for being so ruthless.

Following his gaze, Chu Hao understood—he didn’t want to lose face in front of Bian Changxi, afraid of leaving a bad impression.

Bian Changxi’s eyes fell on the group behind Chai Zhong. Sure enough, one man was being carried, barely conscious, with a long, deep, and wide gash running from his thigh to his calf—flesh and skin gone, the wound shocking to look at. It had been given emergency treatment, so at least it wasn’t bleeding anymore.

Seeing Bian Changxi’s attention, Chai Zhong quickly said, “He was bitten by a dog. We stopped the bleeding right away and gave him antibiotics, but we don’t know if he’ll make it. There’s nothing more we can do.”

He was hoping Bian Changxi would help. First, he’d heard from the convoy that she was a healing expert—almost able to bring people back from the dead. That was probably an exaggeration, but she was definitely better than most wood-type ability users or doctors. He’d already lost so many brothers; if one more could survive, it would be worth it.

Second, he wanted to see what Bian Changxi was really capable of, so he could decide how to treat her going forward.

Bian Changxi didn’t seem to overthink it. She stepped forward to examine the wound up close and asked, “Is he an ability user?”

Chai Zhong shook his head. “No.”

She said, “Then it’s dangerous.”

Ability users had stronger resistance and might survive through sheer willpower. But for ordinary people, without effective treatment, even just an infected wound could kill them.

She thought for a moment, then sent a slender vine to wrap around the man’s wrist, channeling wood-type energy into him. As expected, she found patches of green inside his body. From her experience, he was close to the end—he probably wouldn’t survive the night.

But she understood Chai Zhong’s thinking. She was a wood-type, a healer. If she couldn’t save this man, her days here would be tough—unless she left immediately. She did plan to leave, but she hadn’t collected enough supplies or crystal cores yet, and judging by the sun, there was no way she could leave today.

Besides, past experience had taught her a lesson: a single word from her could make Qu Shangjin turn against her, or cause A-Gang to hate her to the bone. Even Liu Meng, whom she’d barely noticed, had almost killed her. After all this, she didn’t want to make enemies for no reason, nor could she afford to be careless. If it was inevitable that she and someone would be at odds, she’d have to make sure they could never recover.

So, from now on, she was determined to be a “good person”—to save lives and help others. It was the easiest way for her to survive. Besides, saving people was a good deed and didn’t trouble her at all.

With that thought, she increased the energy flow. The wounded man shuddered, feeling a warm, refreshing current flood his body. The exhaustion and pain he’d felt for days suddenly lightened, and even his hidden injuries seemed to vanish. When the current reached his leg, the nerves that had gone numb and cold suddenly came back to life. First came a wave of intense pain, but the current quickly soothed it, like a gentle spring rain soaking into the wound. He let out a comfortable breath, almost wanting to cry.

He tried to open his eyes to see what was happening, but his eyelids grew heavier and he soon drifted off to sleep.

To the others, it looked like Bian Changxi had done nothing. But within seconds of her placing her hand on the injured man’s wrist, the ghastly wound—white, ragged, and blurred—began to close up. The blood and pus on the surface rolled off, but no new blood flowed. The dead flesh quickly hardened, shrank, and then fell away. The remaining muscle fibers pressed and pulled against each other, visibly growing and healing. Though the missing flesh didn’t fully regrow, a fresh pink layer of tissue formed over the wound, like a protective covering.

The wounded man’s face immediately looked much better.

Bian Changxi withdrew her hand, her expression unchanged. Such injuries no longer fazed her—though as a second-tier wood-type, she still couldn’t regrow lost flesh and bone. She could only repair the wound, not replace what was gone. Still, being able to stimulate rapid cell growth and form a large area of new tissue was a huge improvement over her earlier ability, which could only stop bleeding and help wounds scab over.

She said, “All done. Let him rest when you get back, and have him eat something to replenish his blood. He’ll be fine in a day or two. The missing muscle in his leg might affect his running, but walking shouldn’t be a problem.”

No one responded. Turning around, she saw everyone staring at her as if they’d seen a ghost—even the usually wooden Chen Guanqing shot her several astonished glances.

Bian Changxi couldn’t help but laugh. Healing people really did bring a sense of joy and accomplishment.

Chu Hao was the first to recover, giving Bian Changxi a big thumbs-up. Chai Zhong and his men nearly threw themselves at their injured brother’s leg, wanting to touch it but not daring to, staring in awe. Finally, Chai Zhong found his voice, unable to hide his excitement. “It’s like a divine miracle—a true work of the gods!”

Divine miracle or not, those powerful lightning, fire, and metal ability users could all be praised for their destructive power. But creation was often more awe-inspiring than destruction; saving lives was more moving and worthy of gratitude than taking them.

Bian Changxi smiled, her expression open and bright, her already delicate features now even more radiant, as if she’d broken free of some invisible shackle. Even covered in dirt, she couldn’t hide her inner light. “You’re welcome. We’re all in this together—helping each other means more strength for everyone to survive.”

She declined Chai Zhong’s invitation and continued on with Chu Hao. He didn’t ask any questions, but kept glancing at her from time to time, as if he’d just witnessed something incredible.

After walking for more than ten minutes, they finally reached another part of Longyue Town’s outskirts. It wasn’t as open as the small grassland from before, but there were quite a few houses—small and low, scattered in a row along the road. In front of the houses were street trees; behind them, what must once have been farmland, now overgrown with weeds cut short to reveal melon vines and cabbages. Further back was a small river, now foul-smelling and covered with floating trash and algae.

An elderly woman was carefully tending to the few withered and sun-dried cabbages under an umbrella. Nearby, a little girl squatted by the melon vines, examining something. Suddenly, she called out, “Grandma, the stem fell off this watermelon! When can we pick it?”

Her speech was a bit odd, with a slight lisp.

The old woman responded, quickly standing up to take a look. But she moved too fast and swayed on her feet. Chu Hao hurried over to steady her, gently scolding, “Grandma, are you alright? The sun’s still strong—why not sit under the tree? It’s just a few vegetables, what’s the rush?”

The old woman smiled. “These poor veggies are drying out. I’m just trying to shield them a bit with my umbrella. Sitting here or there, what’s the difference?” Then, catching sight of Bian Changxi, she squinted her aging eyes, assuming Chu Hao had found another poor soul to bring back.