Ch 93: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Other things could wait, but gasoline was something Song Kaiji wanted to stock up on. Before setting out, he had already purchased enough from Red City Base for the journey, but consumables like this were always good to have in surplus. Besides… back then, he hadn’t yet known Shen Qing’s secret.

If he was fortunate enough to follow Shen Qing to another world in the future, he would need to prepare as many modern essentials as possible—shampoo, toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste—enough to last a lifetime, or even several lifetimes.

However, despite Zhuang Ye’s outward enthusiasm, when it actually came time to trade, his offerings were pitifully meager. Worse yet, he seemed more interested in prying into their background than conducting a fair exchange.

“So, are you all heading to Red City Base?” he asked casually. “Where are you coming from? With just this small group daring to travel the roads, you must have a lot of ability users in your team, right?”

Song Kaiji didn’t answer, merely sifting through the items Zhuang Ye had laid out. There wasn’t much worth taking—just two small bags of snacks and a measly two barrels of gasoline, which he was charging an exorbitant price for.

Even Li Li couldn’t hold back her dissatisfaction. “Brother Zhuang, don’t try to cheat my cousin. Last time we came, you sold us gas at a much lower price and gave us way more stuff to choose from. Why such a huge price hike now? My cousin can afford it—if you have good supplies, just bring them out.”

And why was that?

Zhuang Ye wasn’t just some ordinary trader. He was the factory’s informant, planted here at the service station. Whenever a well-equipped group passed through, he would send word back to the factory. Though he seemed to trade supplies with every convoy that stopped by, in reality, the goods were just being recycled—sold during the day, then reclaimed at night once the group was slaughtered.

It was a cycle.

But this time was different.

The person standing in front of him was a space ability user. Unlike normal travelers, whose supplies could be looted after their deaths, a space ability user’s storage vanished with them.

That meant killing Song Kaiji wouldn’t yield any resources.

Zhuang Ye couldn’t bring himself to trade valuable supplies with him, knowing they’d be lost forever if something happened.

Seeing that Song Kaiji wasn’t speaking, he shifted his attention to Li Li, smiling at her. “These are rare commodities. Prices change every day. It’s been over a month since you were last here. Back then, I had plenty of stock. But now? Think about how many convoys have passed through since then. The more scarce something is, the higher the price—that’s just how things work.”

His gaze flicked to the vines binding Li Li’s wrists. With a half-joking tone, he offered, “Want me to untie you? You still haven’t told me why you’re back here. I thought you left. Now you’re tied up? Is this guy really your cousin? If someone’s bullying you, just say the word. I’ll stand up for you.”

Li Li was momentarily stunned. “You can untie me?”

“We’re both wood-type ability users. Why should this vine only listen to them and not to me?” Zhuang Ye flicked his fingers, and sure enough, the vine binding Li Li’s wrists began to move.

Qu Weiwei immediately felt the shift and activated her ability, tightening the vine in response. Even though she had the advantage of being its original creator, she still found herself struggling against Zhuang Ye’s control. In the end, caught between the two opposing forces, the vine couldn’t withstand the strain and snapped into several pieces, falling to the ground.

From that brief exchange, Qu Weiwei could already tell that Zhuang Ye’s wood-type ability was stronger than hers.

Li Li stared at her now-empty wrists, then glanced at Song Kaiji, whose expression had darkened. Quickly, she spoke up, “Brother Zhuang, you misunderstand. We really are family—this is my cousin. We came back to find my parents and my second uncle and aunt. There was a little misunderstanding, so my cousin tied me up.” She was worried that Song Kaiji might think she was trying to escape and hold it against her.

She had thought things through carefully. Even if Zhuang Ye was willing to deal with Song Kaiji for her, could he support her for the rest of her life? And even if he could, wouldn’t she have to pay a price?

This was the apocalypse. The old moral order had collapsed. If Zhuang Ye took a liking to her and wanted to have his fun before tossing her aside, she would have nowhere to cry.

Sticking with Song Kaiji was the safest choice.

If she could reunite with her second uncle and aunt, even if Song Kaiji resented her, all she had to do was cry a little and apologize. Her uncle’s personality was soft—he would never abandon her.

And if her uncle was already dead… well, she could always come back to Zhuang Ye later.

Having made up her mind, she walked over to Qu Weiwei. “Why don’t you tie me up again, Sister Weiwei?”

Qu Weiwei’s expression was grim. “What, so I tie you up and he just unties you again? Am I part of your little play now?”

Zhuang Ye chuckled, turning his attention to Qu Weiwei. He made a show of treating all women equally, offering a smooth, flattering smile. “Now, now, don’t be angry, beautiful. I didn’t know you were the wood-type ability user. I thought it was one of these two handsome guys. If I’d known it was you, I wouldn’t have gone against you.”

Li Li’s face twisted slightly. So predictable.

She had been right—this kind of man was never a good long-term option.

But just then, Zhuang Ye turned back to her with a knowing smile. “So, you’re looking for your parents and uncle and aunt? Two men, two women, all around fifty or sixty years old? One of the men had a really loud voice, wore a brown leather jacket?”

Li Li’s eyes lit up. Even Song Kaiji snapped his gaze toward him. “Yes! That’s my dad! My mom was wearing a bright red down jacket that day. You’ve seen them? Do you know where they are?”

Where are they?

Inside our stomachs.

Zhuang Ye’s smile grew even warmer. “I definitely saw them. They stayed at this service station for a while, trying to find a ride to Rainbow City Base, but no one would take them. Just yesterday, they left. Said they were running low on supplies and decided to team up with some people to go into the city and try their luck at scavenging. You might as well stay here for a couple of days—they should be back in two or three days. Or you can stay the night, and I’ll take you to look for them tomorrow.”

Li Li wasn’t in a position to make decisions. She turned eagerly to Song Kaiji.

From Red City Base to Zizhou, he had clung to the hope that his parents were still alive. But now, he finally had concrete proof—they were alive. He was so relieved he could barely contain his joy. “We need to discuss it. If we need you to lead us, we’ll find you.”

“Of course, of course,” Zhuang Ye said with an easy grin. “Just remember, my services aren’t free.”

“Compensation won’t be an issue,” Song Kaiji replied. He had no interest in browsing Zhuang Ye’s goods any further. He simply exchanged for the two small barrels of gasoline and a few bags of snacks before leaving.

As he walked away, Zhuang Ye watched him take out bags of rice and flour, his regret growing.

Who knows how much good stuff this space ability user has stored away? All of it will disappear when he dies—what a waste.

He thought for a moment. The other two old ones should still be in the factory… unless they’d already been eaten.

If not, then perhaps they could be used as leverage. If threatened with their lives, maybe the space ability user would hand over some of his stash.

Zhuang Ye’s gaze drifted to the broken vine pieces on the ground, his expression turning disappointed. “Such a shame… I was hoping to enjoy myself a little.”

Shen Qing and the others found a quiet corner to eat.

Song Kaiji handed two snack bags to Shen Qing first. “You’ve probably never had these before. I saw you like salted egg yolk, and these are salted egg yolk flavored. They’re delicious.”

Ever since learning that Shen Qing was from an ancient world, every time Song Kaiji saw something unusual, he would wonder if Shen Qing had ever seen it before, ever eaten it before. He remembered how happy Shen Qing had been just eating a simple starch sausage. That thought made his heart ache—he wanted to bring him every good thing in the world.

“You stood around all that time just for this?” Qu Weiwei was in a foul mood. She had never encountered another wood-type user who had directly competed with her for control before. More than that, she hadn’t even realized such a thing was possible. After all, in the past, whenever she met another wood-type ability user, they were usually working together against zombies—no one had ever thought to try and seize control of another’s ability.

Tang Wenjie stirred his rice, lowering his voice. “Didn’t you notice? He was testing your ability.”

“What?” Qu Weiwei was caught off guard.

But Sun Cheng and Ge Bingbing both nodded in agreement.

Among them, aside from the hired Sun Cheng and Ge Bingbing, Tang Wenjie was the one who had survived the most horrors of the apocalypse. He had fought his way through hell to bring his mother to Red City Base, encountering dangers that made zombie hordes seem mild. His instincts for threats were sharper than anyone else’s.

“I don’t like him,” Tang Wenjie muttered. “He gives me a really bad feeling.”

Sun Cheng, who had been on many missions with other teams, agreed. “His gaze was disgusting. He kept staring at the women.”

Ge Bingbing shuddered slightly. “Yeah. And think about it—he started by asking Kaiji why our small team dared to travel alone and how many ability users we had. Then, he wasn’t sure who our wood-type user was or what level they were. Now, after that stunt with the vine, he knows.”

Qu Weiwei paled. “So… I shouldn’t have fought back?”

Tang Wenjie shook his head. “It’s not about whether you should have or not. The question is—why was he trying to probe our strength in the first place? And that thing about Uncle and Aunt leaving yesterday… don’t you think it’s a little too convenient?”

Sure, he had described Li Li’s father’s clothing accurately, but that only proved he had seen him before. He could have remembered that from the first time he saw Li Li.

Why assume it was from after the car accident?

And he wanted to lead them to find them?

Tang Wenjie had seen too many tricks like this on his way to Red City Base—both firsthand and from the fate of others. He had no idea how he had survived long enough to reunite with Song Kaiji.

Li Li was growing uneasy but still hesitated. “Aren’t you overthinking this? Maybe he was just curious. I mean… aren’t you curious how much stronger he is than Weiwei?”

Qu Weiwei was curious.

But in the apocalypse, a little caution never hurt.

Chen Jiaxi chuckled. “Well, if we’re so curious, why don’t we test him back?”

She grabbed a bag of chips from Shen Qing’s hand, tore it open, and strolled toward Zhuang Ye.

A woman like this only fueled his desire for conquest. Though a bit older, mature women had their own unique allure.

“Our boss really likes this flavor. Do you have more? If you do, I’d like to trade for some,” Chen Jiaxi said, pulling out a bag filled with crystal cores—ones she had personally dug up along the journey.

“I’ll check. We have plenty of chips, but I’ll need to see if we have that flavor.” Zhuang Ye turned toward his storage room, which was stocked with various supplies. As soon as he turned his back, Chen Jiaxi activated her ability.

Surprisingly, he actually found another bag, along with a few other flavors. “These are what I’ve got. Want to take a few more while you’re at it?”

When he turned back, he noticed Chen Jiaxi’s face had gone pale, her body swaying slightly as if she was about to collapse. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? You were fine just a second ago.”

Forcing a smile, Chen Jiaxi swallowed down the nausea rising in her throat. “I haven’t eaten in a while—low blood sugar. My stomach hurts a little, but it’s nothing serious.”

“I’ve got medicine for that. Want some?” He watched as she waved him off, then chuckled while counting the chips she wanted to trade. “Doesn’t seem like your team treats you too well. Your boss sure is something, huh? Liking chips is one thing, but sending you all this way just for them—seems like he’s just making you run errands for no reason.”

Chen Jiaxi maintained her strained smile. “I’m just an ordinary person. The fact that they’re willing to keep me around and not see me as a burden is already a kindness. Walking a few extra steps is no big deal.”

She sped up her counting, desperate to end the transaction and leave. The longer she stayed in this room, the more suffocating it felt.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Ye took his sweet time inspecting the crystal cores. “So you’re the only ordinary person in your team? That must mean all the grunt work falls on you. Sounds rough.”

“Not really. We only have one space ability user and one wood ability user. The rest of us are just regular people,” she said evenly, trying to keep her voice steady. “But they’re young, brave—good with knives and sticks when it comes to killing zombies. I don’t have the guts for that, so I do my share of the chores instead. It’s only fair. Anyway, I should get going. They’re waiting for me.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and quickly walked out.

It wasn’t until she had left the room, gone down two flights of stairs, and turned two corners that she finally lost control. She braced herself against the wall, retching violently.

Everything she had eaten came right back up.

“You okay? What happened?” Qu Weiwei spotted her from a distance and rushed over to support her. The others quickly followed, concern written all over their faces.

Chen Jiaxi looked up, her face still pale, her breathing uneven.

Tang Wenjie, his own expression dark and foreboding, seemed to have already guessed. “What did you see?”

Chen Jiaxi closed her eyes for a moment, steadying herself. Then, she exhaled slowly and said in a quiet, shaking voice,

“They… eat people.”

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