Ch 104: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Ge Bingbing and Sun Cheng had been together since high school. Though they attended different universities, they stayed in the same city—not quite a long-distance relationship, yet still distant enough to keep things fresh. Their bond only grew stronger during those years.

There had been classmates who expressed interest in Ge Bingbing during college, but both she and Sun Cheng had remained steadfast.

She had always believed she had married for love. Sun Cheng’s family wasn’t as well-off as hers, but he treated her well and had a clear sense of priorities. She was willing to endure some minor grievances for the sake of their relationship.

After getting married, they had their own home and did not live with his parents. Though Sun Cheng’s younger brother had an annoying personality, he was away at school most of the time. He only came home during winter and summer breaks, and even then, they limited their visits to his parents’ house—other than a few days for the New Year, they only visited once a month. Sun Cheng was well aware of his brother’s issues and deliberately minimized interactions between his wife, daughter, and younger brother.

Because they saw them so infrequently, his parents at least maintained a façade of fairness.

Ge Bingbing had been satisfied with her husband. She felt secure—until the apocalypse hit, forcing both families to flee to Red City Base together. With no choice but to live in the same cramped quarters, conflicts—both big and small—erupted daily.

Sun Cheng’s parents, under these extreme conditions, revealed a bias they themselves were unaware of: they didn’t believe that fairness meant dividing $200 equally, giving each son $100. Instead, they believed that if their eldest son had $200, then giving $100 to their younger son was the only fair thing to do.

Even though half of that $200 belonged to Ge Bingbing.

Before, she had always felt sorry for her husband, caught between his own family and his parents, exhausted from trying to balance both. He didn’t want to wrong his wife and daughter, but he also couldn’t just abandon his parents.

But then, this afternoon, Sun Cheng had casually mentioned how much they had gained from this mission, saying they could buy more good food now—enough that his brother and their daughter wouldn’t have to fight over meals anymore.

At that moment, something inside Ge Bingbing snapped.

Sun Xian was in his twenties. How could he still have the audacity to compete with their seven- or eight-year-old daughter for food? The supplies she had risked her life to obtain—why should he get a share? Why should he?

And Sun Cheng—his family background had been poorer than hers, his university less prestigious than hers, and now even his abilities were inferior to hers. Yet he was still taking the lion’s share of the resources, still expecting her to compromise, to be the one making sacrifices for the greater good!

Once the fire of anger was lit, it could not be extinguished. Every man she looked at filled her with resentment, as if they were all the same as Sun Cheng. She looked at the abandoned cars on the roadside and felt an overwhelming urge to pick one up and smash it to pieces.

But then Song Kaiji’s words hit her like a bucket of cold water.

Yes, she and Sun Cheng had their issues. Yes, she had every right to be angry. But when she looked back, her own outburst seemed… uncharacteristic. Even if she was furious, was it really this serious? Would she normally have gone so far as to lash out at Tang Wenjie with ice blades?

Something wasn’t right.

Song Kaiji carefully observed Ge Bingbing. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot, with faint red veins visible in the whites. But considering everyone in the car had been awake for over twenty hours, no one initially thought it was odd.

Yet, she was the only one who had absorbed a human ability user’s crystal core. And she was the only one acting abnormally.

“Could it really be because of the crystal core?” Ge Bingbing murmured to herself. What would happen to her? Would this irritability fade over time, or would it only get worse? Were there other side effects?

Panic gripped her, and she clenched the armrest tightly.

Song Kaiji thought for a moment, then turned to Yu Le. “This might be a bit intrusive, but… when you were in the mountains, did you notice if those people were especially violent?”

Yu Le shivered at the memory. However, since Ge Bingbing had been kind to her, she wanted to help. She seriously recalled her experiences, and as she did, she realized Song Kaiji might be right. “Yes! Their leader was a lightning ability user. I even saw him kill his own people and absorb their crystal cores. At first, I thought they were just naturally cruel…”

But no matter how cruel someone was, they wouldn’t needlessly kill their own allies, would they? Yet that leader seemed unable to control his temper. Whenever someone made a mistake, his rage would flare uncontrollably, and he would immediately electrocute them to death.

Seeing Ge Bingbing’s face grow darker, Yu Le quickly tried to comfort her. “But they had consumed a lot of human crystal cores—that’s why they became like that! You only absorbed one, so it shouldn’t be too bad. And I didn’t notice any other weird symptoms in them. If Song-ge hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have realized anything was off.”

“That’s why Pandora’s Box shouldn’t be opened so easily. Even if they were scum, we have to be mindful of what we do to ourselves,” Song Kaiji said, his words carrying a pointed undertone. As expected, Chen Jiaxi’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.

He sighed. “I should apologize to you.”

If it weren’t for this mission, Ge Bingbing wouldn’t have been forced into a desperate situation where she had no choice but to absorb a human crystal core. None of their core team had taken that step, yet their temporary teammate had to. Song Kaiji couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Ge Bingbing felt another wave of irritability surge through her, so intense that her forehead furrowed. She tried to control it, even conjuring ice to press against her temples to cool herself down. Finally, she said, “What else could I have done? Not absorbing it meant dying. I was just unlucky, I guess. I’m always unlucky…”

Hearing the direction her words were going, Song Kaiji didn’t dare continue the conversation. Instead, he quietly kept offering her spring water, hoping it would help even a little. Whether it was the water working or Ge Bingbing consciously suppressing herself, she remained composed for the rest of the day. She didn’t argue with Sun Cheng anymore, nor did she lash out at anyone.

When Sun Cheng woke up and learned what had happened, he sighed and admitted, “At the end of the day, this is my family’s fault. If not for my brother, she and my daughter wouldn’t have suffered so much. She must have been holding all of this in for a long time, and the crystal core just amplified her emotions.”

“But he’s my brother. My parents are my parents. Can I really just abandon them?” Sun Cheng was clearly struggling.

Song Kaiji looked at him and saw a reflection of the struggles Li Aiguo had once faced. The conflict between one’s original family and the new family they built—there would never be a universal answer. Everyone had their own burdens and perspectives.

Then Sun Cheng frowned. “But isn’t it strange? We’ve absorbed so many zombie crystal cores and never had this kind of reaction. Why is it different with human crystal cores? Are human cores more… toxic than zombie ones?”

Song Kaiji froze. “Maybe only the researchers at the lab can answer that. I wonder if they’ve discovered that human crystal cores can be absorbed—and if they’ve realized there are side effects.”

And if they had figured it out, would they ever share that information with the public?

Sun Cheng gave a dry laugh. “Forget it, I wouldn’t dare ask. What if they never realized it, but then decide to capture my wife for research?” He then turned to Song Kaiji and said seriously, “My wife had no choice but to absorb that core for the sake of the team. No matter what happens, whether we keep working together or not, I hope you’ll keep this secret.”

At the mention of being “captured for research,” Song Kaiji shuddered, immediately thinking of Shen Qing—the one person zombies wouldn’t attack. “Of course. We’ll keep our secrets. Besides, we might work together again in the future. I’d also appreciate it if you kept our team’s secrets to yourself.”

Sun Cheng assumed Song Kaiji was referring to his teleportation ability and Qu Weiwei’s evolution after absorbing a mutant zombie crystal. Teleportation was one thing, but Qu Weiwei’s vines were unusual—possibly worth studying. So he solemnly agreed.

After traveling non-stop, they finally arrived at Red City Base the next evening. Shen Qing and Song Kaiji had discussed it beforehand and decided to pay Sun Cheng and Ge Bingbing double their original commission, mainly as compensation for what Ge Bingbing had gone through. Even though Chen Jiaxi had only come along as a favor, Shen Qing still gave her a share of supplies for her efforts.

“There’s no need for that,” Chen Jiaxi said. “I collected plenty of zombie crystal cores on this trip. I’ve already gained a lot.” If she had been hired by another team, she would have been required to turn in her cores to be redistributed. The leader would take the biggest share, and the remaining ability users would split what was left. Shen Qing had let them keep whatever they collected, which was already very generous.

“Well, if you’ve gathered a lot of cores, then absorb more of them,” Song Kaiji said. “Consider this a gift for your kid.”

Chen Jiaxi hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. “I understand.”

Meanwhile, Yu Le claimed she had friends at the base and planned to stay outside the city for now. She only asked Qu Weiwei to pass a message to them.

Having spent time together, Qu Weiwei had grown somewhat attached to Yu Le, so she went to run the errand without hesitation. Meanwhile, Song Kaiji hurriedly took Zhang Sujuan to the hospital—only to find the place in utter chaos.

That day, two teams had fought over territory outside the safe zone, leading to many injuries. The hospital was overwhelmed, and healing ability users were completely swamped.

They couldn’t even get a bed. For now, they had to settle in the hallway, with Song Kaiji pulling out a makeshift mattress from his space to make Zhang Sujuan more comfortable.

Tang Wenjie grew impatient. “At this rate, who knows when we’ll get help? Everyone else is just fighting for a spot—I’ll go see if I can do the same.”

This wasn’t a pre-apocalypse hospital with strict rules. The two warring teams were still hostile toward each other, and each side was aggressively pushing for their own people to be treated first. The hospital was a mess.

Tang Wenjie followed their lead and barged into the healers’ resting area—only to find it empty. No healers in sight. As he turned to leave, he happened to see a young man leaning against the wall, weakly making his way out of a patient room, slowly heading toward the resting area.

Their eyes met. The young man blinked. “You?”

Tang Wenjie frowned. “Do I know you?”

The man chuckled. “How could I forget? Last time, you almost drained me dry.”

The words were far too suggestive. For a moment, even the injured people nearby who had been cursing and shouting quieted down, their curiosity piqued.

Still smirking, the young man continued, “But I suppose it makes sense. You were asleep the whole time. Of course, you wouldn’t remember me. That’s what hurts the most.”

Tang Wenjie’s face turned bright red. “I—I didn’t! I don’t even know you! Stop talking nonsense!”

The young man just laughed, not bothering to explain. Instead, he asked, “What are you doing here? Is your ability acting up again?” He was genuinely curious about Tang Wenjie’s progression. More importantly, now that Tang Wenjie was awake, he looked much better than when he had been unconscious.

“No! My ability is fine.” Tang Wenjie was confused by the question but still answered honestly. “My friend’s mother is badly hurt. I need to find a healer.” Then, realization struck. This guy had been heading toward the healers’ room. “Wait… you’re a healing ability user?”

The young man had just nodded when Tang Wenjie suddenly hoisted him up and sprinted straight toward Zhang Sujuan.

“You snatching me won’t do much good,” the young man sighed helplessly. “Didn’t you see how wobbly my legs are? I’ve been drained dry again today.”

In the end, it was thanks to this young man that they managed to find another healing ability user to help. He joked, “I’m charging a brokerage fee for this.”

Though Tang Wenjie didn’t recognize him, Song Kaiji and Shen Qing did. This was the healer Song Kaiji had sought out back when Tang Wenjie first awakened his ability, burning with fever for days. Only now did Tang Wenjie realize that the gentle energy that had once soothed his meridians had come from this very person.

Scratching his head awkwardly, he mumbled, “I never properly thanked you. My ability developed well thanks to your help.”

The young man waved a hand dismissively. “No need to thank me—I got paid for it. It was my job.”

“But the way you talk is really weird. What do you mean by ‘drained dry’?”

“Oh, I meant exactly what I said. You were stuck to me like a leech back then,” the young man said with a laugh, watching as Tang Wenjie’s face turned even redder. Teasing people was always fun—teasing a handsome, clueless straight guy over six feet tall was even better.

Meanwhile, the other healer provided Zhang Sujuan with some emergency treatment but soon exhausted his energy. There were too many injured people today, and every healer was stretched thin. This one was only slightly better off than the young man.

“I’ve stabilized her condition—her life’s no longer in danger, but she’s not fully healed. Come back tomorrow morning at seven sharp, and I’ll treat her first before any more chaos breaks out,” the healer instructed.

The tension between the two feuding teams was still thick in the air, and it seemed like they could start fighting again at any moment. If not for the strict laws of Red City Base prohibiting private conflicts, the hospital might have already been torn apart.

The young man smirked. “Why bother coming back to him? I could take the job myself.” He lazily leaned against Tang Wenjie, who had gone stiff as a board. “Tomorrow, find me directly. Remember my name—Qi Zhan.”

---

It had only been about a week since they left. As promised, Mother Tang had barricaded herself inside the house, using the sofa and table to block the door, not stepping outside once. Only when she heard the prearranged knock did she remove the barricades.

“You’re finally back. That was pretty quick. How was the trip?”

At the mention of Li Aiguo’s death, the atmosphere turned heavy. The group’s expressions dimmed. Mother Tang immediately noticed the absence of his presence and the sorrow in their eyes. Understanding the situation, she quickly changed the subject. “I’ll go tidy up and make some space.”

With Zhang Sujuan staying, she would naturally room with Mother Tang and Qu Weiwei. But three women sharing the smaller bedroom would be a tight squeeze. Tang Wenjie considered constructing a bunk bed, but he had never made one before—if it collapsed and hurt someone, that would be disastrous.

Then Shen Qing spoke. “Aunt Zhang is injured. It’d be inconvenient for her to squeeze in with others. Let her stay in my room and rest.”

He kept his head lowered, avoiding Song Kaiji’s gaze. “I won’t be staying here tonight. It’s time for me to go back.”

Would he come back again? Shen Qing hadn’t decided. Spending time away would give him a chance to think clearly. He could come back, sure—but he was afraid that each return would only make it harder to leave. If he didn’t make a clean break now, he might never be able to.

Song Kaiji was silent for a moment. “That’s fine.”

He carried Zhang Sujuan into Shen Qing’s room and didn’t emerge for a long time. By the time he stepped out, everyone else had already retired to their rooms. Shen Qing was on the verge of just leaving, but in the end, he hesitated—he wanted one last look.

Song Kaiji stood before him, his hand outstretched. In his palm lay the jade pendant Zhang Sujuan had originally intended to give Shen Qing.

“Take it,” he said.

Shen Qing’s pupils dilated slightly.

Even without an explanation, he had already guessed that Zhang Sujuan’s sudden awakening of a water ability was connected to this pendant. He knew it was invaluable. And yet, despite its worth, Song Kaiji was still giving it to him.

But Shen Qing didn’t feel any excitement over acquiring something so precious. If Song Kaiji had kept the pendant’s secret from him, it would have left him restless with curiosity. But now that it had been offered so freely, he felt an unbearable weight pressing down on him.

“This is too valuable. I can’t accept it. Besides, Aunt Zhang probably still needs it…”

Before he could finish, Song Kaiji ignored his protests and slipped the pendant around his neck. Then, without warning, he pulled Shen Qing into a tight embrace.

Without Shen Qing, he would never have been able to reach Zizhou. He wouldn’t have had the means or the money to make the trip. Without Shen Qing, he wouldn’t have been able to save his mother. He wouldn’t have even had the chance to see his father one last time.

Shen Qing struggled lightly, but Song Kaiji held him firm. In a soft voice, he murmured, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll take your treasure and run?”

For a long time, there was no answer.

Finally, he heard Song Kaiji’s voice—not the response he expected.

“That’s okay.”

“…When you get home, drop some of your blood onto it.”

Even if you never come back. It’s okay.

I’d still give it to you.

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