Ch 75: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Shen Qing seemed to have a natural sensitivity to people’s hidden thoughts.

For instance, he had quickly discerned the pawnshop owner’s intentions and had immediately picked up on Wang San’s schemes. Perhaps this was due to an innate sharpness, or maybe it was a skill honed over years of hardship in the Shen household, where he had to learn to read people’s expressions to survive. Maybe it was both.

Either way, he sensed that something was off about Li Li.

She was lying.

Shen Qing glanced at Song Kaiji. After hearing Li Li’s answer, Song Kaiji had visibly relaxed for a brief moment. It seemed he truly believed—or at least really wanted to believe—that his parents were on their way, that they would soon arrive at Red City Base and reunite with him.

Shen Qing hesitated. Should he expose what he had sensed right away? Should he shatter Song Kaiji’s illusion and hope at this moment? After all, it was just his intuition—he had no concrete evidence.

Meanwhile, Li Li clung to Song Kaiji’s sleeve, crying, “Cousin, please take me away! I can’t stay here another minute! You don’t know how awful the conditions are—it’s so cold at night that people freeze to death, it’s chaotic, and there are always people taking advantage of the disorder to grope me… My parents are gone, I only have Uncle left! If Uncle were here, he wouldn’t just leave me like this…”

Her sobbing irritated Song Kaiji, but the moment she mentioned his stepfather, he suppressed his impulse to shake her off. Li Liang stood off to the side, staring at him silently, clearly too proud to beg. But the moment Song Kaiji agreed to take Li Li, Li Liang would undoubtedly follow without hesitation.

Shen Qing glanced around. “Forget it, let’s just take them inside first.”

He was convinced that Li Li was lying, but this wasn’t the right place to confront her. It would be better to get them into the base first and figure things out later.

Song Kaiji nodded. However, unlike with Mother Tang, he didn’t bother using his ability to pack up their tent. Instead, he made Li Liang and Li Li gather their belongings themselves. Fortunately, the two of them were unaware of his ability, so they didn’t find this unusual—though inwardly, they resented the fact that he was just standing there like some grand master, watching them struggle with their things without lifting a finger to help.

Li Liang wanted to speak up several times, but Li Li forcefully held him back. At such a critical moment, she wasn’t about to let a few careless words from him ruin everything.

After all, they weren’t his real family. Why would Song Kaiji truly care about them?

Li Li bit her lip, becoming even more determined to keep the truth from him.

Around them, envious onlookers whispered among themselves. Many were jealous that these siblings had a relative inside the base—especially one willing to spend dozens of crystal cores just to bring them in.

“Boss, do you need people? Take me into the base! I can do laundry, cook, clean—anything! I just need a bite to eat…”

“Boss, I can go on missions! I can dig up crystal cores! Just don’t make me fight zombies directly… I’m great at support work, boss, just look at me!”

As Song Kaiji dodged and refused their desperate pleas—after all, there were too many pitiful people in this world, and if even the authorities couldn’t help them, what could he do?—he urged Li Liang and Li Li impatiently, “Hurry up!”

He didn’t want to expose his ability in front of them. Knowing Li Liang and Li Li, if they found out that Song Kaiji had an ability, they would cling to him even more.

Li Liang and Li Li hurriedly but clumsily packed their things. Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out from the crowd: “Mr. Song! Mr. Song!”

Song Kaiji turned his head and was surprised to see that it was one of the housewives he had previously approached while helping Shen Qing find someone who could make tofu. She was one of the two potential candidates, but at the time, she had demanded that Song Kaiji take her entire family of four into the base. Since they had later met Tang Wenjie and Mother Tang—who happened to know how to make tofu—Song Kaiji had not followed up with her.

Now, the woman was pushing her way through the crowd toward him. Compared to their last meeting, she looked even more haggard and thin. Unlike before, when she had tried to maintain some cleanliness despite the harsh environment, her clothes were now stained with dirt, as if she hadn’t had the energy to care for herself in days. She stared intently at Song Kaiji, as if afraid that if she blinked, her last hope would disappear.

Song Kaiji sighed internally. What kind of luck did he have today? He knew nothing good would come from running into Li Liang and Li Li.

“Mr. Song, didn’t we have an agreement? Why didn’t you come back for me?” The woman finally reached him, her skeletal hand reaching out to grab his arm. Song Kaiji quickly stepped back. Her words were misleading. “Mrs. Chen, I explained before—our employer was willing to take you and one other person, but you wanted to bring three. We couldn’t offer you that.”

“I regret it! I take it back! Just one—no, just take my two children into the base. I don’t need to go!” Mrs. Chen’s demeanor had completely changed from their previous encounter. Whatever had happened over the past few days had completely crushed her spirit.

Song Kaiji sighed and refused. “I’m sorry. We’ve already found someone else.”

Mrs. Chen swayed as if she was about to faint, as though she couldn’t accept this answer. But the next second, her eyes snapped open, and she glared at Mother Tang. “It’s you! You stole my spot, didn’t you?” She then turned back to Song Kaiji, pleading desperately. “I know how to make starch sausage! I can also make chicken and vegetable patties, sandwiches… Please, take my children into the base! I beg you—save them!”

Who wouldn’t be moved by the sight of a once-proud woman humbling herself so completely for her children? Both Mother Tang and Song Kaiji showed expressions of sympathy. Something must have happened to her children—perhaps one of them had fallen ill—causing her to become so desperate.

However, Shen Qing’s attention was focused elsewhere. “How did you know she took your spot? And how did you know she can make starch sausage?”

Mrs. Chen froze. She couldn’t explain it. She wasn’t sure when she had gained this ability. Earlier, when she had been rejected and felt despair washing over her, she had closed her eyes, and in that moment, she had seemed to see fragmented images in Song Kaiji’s mind. She had seen the slightly chubby woman telling him she could make tofu, seen her taking out her phone and playing a video on making starch sausage…

And this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Sometimes she had to focus intentionally, but other times, the images would just naturally enter her mind. She had always suspected she was either sick or going insane. In her desperation just now, she had blurted out what she had seen without realizing it.

Song Kaiji’s expression turned sharp. Mrs. Chen was a rare mental ability user!

Mental abilities were among the rarest of all, even less common than healing abilities. These individuals, sometimes referred to as psionic users, had highly developed brains, exceptional memory and intelligence, and could perceive things normal people couldn’t.

However, they were not well-received in ability-user squads. Their abilities were useless against zombies and only effective on people. Who would want someone around who could peek into their thoughts or even influence them?

Instead, mental ability users were often highly valued in research fields. As far as Song Kaiji knew, Hongcheng Base had only discovered five such individuals so far, and all of them had been recruited into the research institute to help develop a vaccine.

This realization made Song Kaiji even more determined to avoid entanglement with Mrs. Chen. Shen Qing carried many secrets, and if Mrs. Chen could glimpse fragments of his memories, wouldn’t that create unnecessary trouble for them?

Besides, it seemed that Mrs. Chen herself wasn’t aware that she had awakened a mental ability. If she reported it to the base authorities, she would likely be recruited into the research institute, ensuring her entry into the base. The only question was how many family members the institute would allow her to bring with her.

Just as Song Kaiji was about to explain the situation to Mrs. Chen, Shen Qing suddenly tugged on his sleeve and then grabbed Mrs. Chen’s hand. “What’s wrong with your child?”

Tears immediately welled up in Mrs. Chen’s eyes. “He—he suddenly developed a fever. His body is burning up… I don’t have a thermometer, so I don’t know how high it is, but his skin feels scalding to the touch… He’s been unconscious for two days now…”

Shen Qing handed her a tissue and then turned to Song Kaiji. “Once they’re done packing, take them into the base first. Bring them back to where we’re staying. I’ll go with Mrs. Chen to check on her child.” He paused, then extended a hand toward Song Kaiji and whispered, “Give me some crystal cores.”

All of their crystal cores were stored in Song Kaiji’s spatial ability. Shen Qing had always trusted him, so he never carried any on his person.

Song Kaiji was surprised—both by Shen Qing’s willingness to help Mrs. Chen and by the fact that he wanted to bring Li Liang and Li Li back to their residence, which was not part of the original plan. But before he could question it, Shen Qing leaned close to his ear and murmured, “Keep an eye on them.”

Song Kaiji rubbed his ear, understanding that Shen Qing had another plan in mind. With so many people around, he didn’t take out the crystal cores directly to avoid drawing attention. Instead, he discreetly slipped his hand into Shen Qing’s pocket, filling it with crystal cores without anyone noticing.

Shen Qing and Mother Tang then followed Mrs. Chen to her tent. It was located far from where Li Liang and Li Li had been staying—probably because they had arrived earlier and secured a better spot close to the city wall.

The tent was noticeably cleaner and more organized than the others around it, showing that even in such difficult circumstances, Mrs. Chen had tried her best to maintain a sense of normalcy. Inside, a man was tending to a child. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, with a long crack running across the left lens. He was carefully wringing out a towel, using water from a plastic bottle to wipe the child’s face. A slightly older child sat quietly beside him.

Hearing movement outside, the man spoke calmly without turning his head. “You’re back? Did you find him? He hasn’t come back in a long time. I suppose he doesn’t need a tofu maker anymore.” His voice was steady, as if he had already resigned himself to disappointment. Yet beneath his calm tone, a deep sorrow lingered.

Song Kaiji had never returned, and they had regretted their greed. If they had agreed to enter the base with just two people first, saving up to bring the others later, would they still be in this situation now?

But in this world, there was no medicine for regret.

So that was why Mrs. Chen had managed to find Song Kaiji despite the distance—she had been specifically searching for him. Shen Qing glanced at the man and the children inside the tent. This couple was clearly intelligent.

The man noticed the large shadow blocking the entrance and turned around, looking at Mrs. Chen in surprise. His gaze then shifted to Shen Qing and Mother Tang. “Who are they?”

“This is Mr. Song’s employer,” Mrs. Chen introduced, then glanced awkwardly at Mother Tang. “They really don’t need a tofu maker anymore…”

She still wasn’t sure why Shen Qing had followed her back. But she had seen him take crystal cores from Song Kaiji—if not to help her, then why else would he need so many? A new hope flickered in her heart, but at the same time, she felt uneasy, unsure of what Shen Qing wanted in return.

“I can pay the entrance fee for your entire family and cover the cost of hiring a healing ability user to treat your son. But I can’t take you into my team.” Shen Qing considered his words carefully before speaking.

Mrs. Chen’s ability was indeed rare, but Shen Qing had no intention of letting her join his team. Besides, Song Kaiji had previously mentioned that both she and her husband were not the easiest people to get along with.

It wasn’t that they were bad people, but just like how some preferred waking up at seven in the morning while others slept until noon, certain differences simply made coexisting difficult. There was no right or wrong, but forcing incompatible people to live together would only lead to frustration. And just by looking at this couple, it was obvious that their way of life was different from his team’s.

That said, Shen Qing wasn’t particularly worried about Mrs. Chen’s future. As long as she reported her mental ability to the research institute, her family wouldn’t starve.

“Then… what do you want me to do?” Mrs. Chen gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

“Don’t be nervous.” Shen Qing smiled. “You just saw images from Song Kaiji’s mind, right? Did you see that man and woman packing their tent earlier? I want you to take a look at what’s inside their minds.”

“Also, I need you to swear on your child’s life that you will never, under any circumstances, look into my mind.”

Mrs. Chen hesitated only for a brief moment—agreeing to these terms required no thought. She had no choice. She immediately raised her hand in a vow. “I, Chen Jiaxi, swear to the heavens that I will never look into your mind, nor the minds of those close to you. Even if I accidentally catch a glimpse, I will take it to my grave and never tell anyone. If I break this oath…” She bit her lip, glancing at her unconscious son, her voice becoming even more solemn and sincere. “Then my child will die untreated!”

Even her husband looked at her in shock. But Chen Jiaxi knew that only a vow this severe would put her new employer at ease.

Shen Qing was satisfied. He nodded. “Good. Now pack your things and come with me immediately.”

Mrs. Chen couldn’t wait. She left her husband to pack while she scooped up her child and ran straight toward the base.

Before reaching the hospital, Shen Qing still held onto a sliver of hope. After all, both Tang Wenjie and Song Kaiji had experienced fevers when awakening or upgrading their abilities—perhaps Mrs. Chen’s child was awakening as well? But it turned out that wasn’t the case. The boy was simply ill.

“Good thing we came early. The fever has already caused mild meningitis.” Medicine was one of the scarcest resources now, and finding the right one was even harder than locating a healing ability user. If they hadn’t come, the child would have had no chance. “We’re not doctors—we can only help him recover slowly. If you can find medicine, you should still try.”

Mrs. Chen touched her son’s forehead, relieved to feel the temperature finally dropping. She turned to Shen Qing, full of gratitude. “I know you’re helping me because you need something from me. But I’ll remember this kindness. If you ever need my help in the future, just ask.”

She felt a little embarrassed. Before the apocalypse, she and her husband had been respected professionals, with achievements and connections in their fields. But now, they were like useless burdens. If they could help Shen Qing with anything, it would probably just be by reading memory fragments.

She hadn’t even realized before now that this ability could actually be useful. For the longest time, she had thought the apocalypse had driven her insane, making her hallucinate constantly.

Shen Qing was curious. “Are you skilled at using this ability? How far back can you see?”

“I’m getting used to it. Sometimes, I don’t even need to actively use it—it just happens,” she admitted, thinking of how she had glimpsed Song Kaiji’s thoughts earlier. As for how far back she could see… “I once saw memories from before my husband and I got married.” At the time, she had thought she was about to die, and that her life was flashing before her eyes.

“Good.” Shen Qing nodded and instructed, “When you look into those two people’s minds, focus on their memories after the apocalypse began. Pay special attention to anything about their uncle and aunt, as well as their parents.”

Shen Qing wasn’t hoping for anything bad to have happened to Song Kaiji’s parents. But his instincts told him that Li Li was lying about something. The only question was, how serious was her lie?

Leaving her husband at the hospital to care for their son, Mrs. Chen followed Shen Qing back to their residence. By then, Song Kaiji had already returned with the others.

Inside, Li Liang was complaining loudly. “Why can’t we stay in the big room? The three of us are crammed into this tiny space—how are we supposed to live like this? And he’s got that huge room all to himself? Doesn’t he feel embarrassed?”

A vein twitched on Song Kaiji’s forehead. “He’s the boss. He funds this entire team. Why wouldn’t he get the big room?” He still didn’t understand why Shen Qing had told him to bring these two back. Weren’t they just supposed to get them into the base and leave them be?

But since Shen Qing had told him to keep an eye on them, he had no choice but to obediently follow orders.

Li Liang kept grumbling. “We’re a team now, right? Shouldn’t the boss share the hardships with his team? The world’s already ended, and he’s still playing the capitalist game? Why should he get special treatment—”

“Shut up, Li Liang!” Li Li snapped, finally losing patience. “Why do you have to offend everyone before you’re satisfied? The boss doesn’t even know you—why should he share anything with you? Do you think anyone is going to tolerate you?” She hesitated, then added meaningfully, “Have you already forgotten…”

“You shut up!” Li Liang growled, but at least he finally fell silent.

Li Li hadn’t intended to reveal the truth—she just wanted to scare him into keeping quiet. Listening to Li Liang spew nonsense was driving her insane. Now that she had achieved her goal, she quickly changed the subject, smoothing her hair and smiling at Song Kaiji. “Cousin, what do we need to do to join the team? My brother and I are just ordinary people, and I’m a girl… You should talk to the boss and ask him to take extra care of me, alright?”

Song Kaiji collapsed onto the couch, too frustrated to respond.

Li Li bit her lip. She wanted to press further, but she also didn’t want to anger Song Kaiji. Their relationship was too shallow to count on any real help from him—it was just a matter of saving face.

Li Liang scoffed at her efforts. Trying to flatter Song Kaiji by stepping on him? And what did she get in return? Nothing. Did the guy even acknowledge her?

As the three sat in awkward silence, Shen Qing arrived with Mother Tang and Mrs. Chen. Qu Weiwei and Tang Wenjie also returned, having finished selling vegetables.

The moment Song Kaiji saw them, he jumped off the couch. “You’re back!”

Shen Qing nodded without saying much. Instead, he exchanged a glance with Mrs. Chen before stepping aside, motioning for Tang Wenjie and Qu Weiwei to stand by the door.

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