Author Archives: Thandar

When it comes to psychic abilities of the brain, to put it bluntly, it just means having a well-developed mind but simple limbs. Someone like Feng Hao, who has survived for six months in the apocalypse yet doesn’t even dare to fight a single zombie and only dares to push others forward to buy time, doesn’t even deserve to be killed using psychic powers.

Chen Jiaxi wiped her dagger clean and put it back in her pocket, then placed the mutated plant closer to Feng Hao’s corpse so that the adorable little thing could have a delicious breakfast of brain matter when it woke up in the morning.

Afterward, she asked Song Kaiji to take her away.

“What I said last time was true. I’m very sorry. If Shen Qing, or you, ever need my help, just ask. I’d be happy to offer you some advice.” Chen Jiaxi extended an olive branch to Song Kaiji once again. “Even though I once considered taking my family to Shen Qing’s world, I never thought of betraying or harming him. You can still trust me.”

Song Kaiji remained silent for a long time before nodding. They had faced many difficulties before, the toughest being that time in Zizhou when they encountered a group of cannibals. However, through their own efforts, though they suffered some losses, they ultimately managed to pull through.

But this time was different. This time, they were up against both the government and the military. Once those shackles were on, their abilities were completely useless. If they wanted to fight head-on, they couldn’t even access their spatial storage.

Without even a chance to put up a fight, all they could do was be locked up and restrained.

Their little tricks and small efforts were utterly insignificant in the face of absolute power. Song Kaiji sighed and glanced at Chen Jiaxi—at her mind, to be precise. At least for now, it was best not to cut ties with their allies. “Thank you, Jiaxi jie. I’ll discuss it with Qingqing. If he needs help, we’ll let you know.”

Feng Hao’s death still caused some waves at the Red City Base. The authorities always emphasized public security, and it was rare for a mid-level researcher to die in their own home. Moreover, Feng Hao had been at the research institute for quite some time and had made a few friends and disciples. Their first reaction was disbelief that he had died in an accident—especially since, by the time his body was found, a third of it had already been devoured by the mutated plant.

Naturally, Shen Qing’s squad became prime suspects. However, on the night Feng Hao died, their entire team had returned to the villa and never left again—thanks to Feng Hao’s previous attempt to lure Shen Qing into a zombie trap at their villa, they had installed numerous cameras around the place, covering every angle with no blind spots.

Of course, it was still possible that they had bribed someone else to do the killing, but there was no evidence. In the end, despite all the noise, the matter was left unresolved.

Shen Qing had been resting for nearly two months now, taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor from Anping County. Song Kaiji had also gathered folic acid, calcium tablets, vitamins, fish oil, and other supplements for him, combining both traditional Chinese medicine and modern medical approaches to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Now five months along, his belly wasn’t very big, but he felt stable and hadn’t experienced any of the previous discomforts.

At first, Shen Qing was worried that people might notice he was pregnant, but one day, Qu Weiwei stared at his belly for a moment and sighed, “Looks like we’ve been living well. We’ve been slacking off on missions so much that even the boss has grown a beer belly.”

What was a little belly in the grand scheme of things? Before the apocalypse, there were men with beer bellies as big as those of women seven or eight months pregnant. Besides, Shen Qing didn’t look particularly pregnant—his limbs hadn’t gained weight, and once he zipped up his tactical jacket, there was no visible sign at all.

Although they hadn’t been hunting zombies lately, they had been scouting around the base, looking for a safe fallback location. If they ever ran into trouble again, at least they would have a place to retreat to.

The fewer people who knew about this location, the better. Only Song Kaiji, Qu Weiwei, and Tang Wenjie went out searching, and at night, they returned to discuss their findings with Shen Qing. But such places weren’t easy to come by. Each potential hideout had its flaws, and they hadn’t settled on one yet.

“Honestly, I think we might as well just move to another base,” Qu Weiwei murmured. “We don’t have to go to Chi City, but if we go somewhere new, we could lay low and live an ordinary life. We’ve gained some recognition here, but I keep feeling like the people at the research institute are secretly watching us.”

Tang Wenjie fell into deep thought at her words.

With their iron cage tactics, they weren’t afraid of zombies surrounding their base, and they had plenty of supplies. But at the end of the day, humans were social creatures, and being in too small a group was unsettling.

Song Kaiji glanced at Shen Qing’s belly. “…We’ll think about it. Let’s revisit this in a few months.”

Shen Qing was also considering the feasibility of relocating. Perhaps they could move to a base a little closer to Lantang Village, where he could visit once a month or two. If the journey could be kept within two days, Song Kaiji could use teleportation to bypass any blocked roads.

But even if they decided to leave, it would have to wait until he gave birth and fully recovered.

These days, Shen Qing went to the medical clinic in Anping County every week for a pulse check, treating it like a prenatal checkup. With all the nourishment he was getting, his health had been improving, even surprising the elderly doctor. Meanwhile, Song Kaiji had developed a great curiosity about the pregnancy of gers. Combining various sources of knowledge, both traditional and modern, he speculated that the pregnancy mark between Shen Qing’s brows might be linked to estrogen levels—the more estrogen, the more fertile; the less estrogen, the harder it was to conceive, with no correlation to overall physical strength.

“So, gers have male appearances, which means they naturally have less estrogen than women, making it harder for them to conceive?” Song Kaiji mused, stroking his chin. According to Shen Qing, in his homeland, gers who looked more feminine were considered more attractive. Was this purely aesthetic preference, or was it a subconscious desire for fertility?

Shen Qing was stunned by this new perspective. Was that really how it worked? He absentmindedly touched the pregnancy mark between his brows. He had always thought it became more vivid because of his pregnancy. But then he recalled others in his village—none of them experienced a color change after conceiving.

“Maybe… it’s because your uncle started a tofu workshop, and you’ve been eating a lot of tofu?” Song Kaiji guessed randomly. “Soy products boost estrogen, after all.”

It was just a joke, meant to amuse, but watching Shen Qing’s serious reaction, Song Kaiji found it incredibly adorable.

The problem was, Shen Qing actually believed it.

Not long after, two gers who worked at the tofu workshop ended up pregnant. One of them was Zhao Yu. Second Aunt Lian was overjoyed. She immediately announced that Yu Ge’er wouldn’t be doing any more work—he was to stay home and focus on his pregnancy!

The meals at the workshop were handled by the village chief’s daughter-in-law, Qin Yingzi. She was very tactful—food was food, after all. Since Shen Qing’s uncle’s family sold tofu, she often went to buy from them, and as a result, the workshop workers ate tofu every other day. This time, besides Yu Ge’er, the other pregnant ger was expecting their second child. It was a huge surprise—of course, they had to be pampered!

After all, most gers in the village could only give birth once in their lifetime. Back then, Zhao Aiye was able to stand so tall because, as a ger, he had given birth to two children—one of them even being a son!

Shen Qing had an epiphany: So this was what the elders meant when they said eating tofu was nourishing?

However, while most of the Lian family was thrilled about Yu Ge’er’s pregnancy, Wang Shi just couldn’t bring herself to be happy. Originally, the only male descendant of the second branch, Lian Shi, had only given birth to a single ger, Lian Qiao. It was almost certain that the second branch would eventually die out. As long as the family wasn’t split, all the property would naturally fall into the hands of the eldest branch’s son sooner or later. Who would’ve thought Zhao Yu would end up pregnant again?

On top of that, since Zhao Yu had stopped working at the workshop to rest during pregnancy, Lian Ou’s earnings were now being quietly saved for his own dowry instead of being contributed to the household. The family’s income was shrinking, and Wang Shi was beyond frustrated. But as much as she wanted to act like Shen Zhiwei and be ruthless, she didn’t have the courage to take a life.

Still, she had to come up with something. By the time Shen Qing found out, the Lian family was already in the middle of a huge dispute over splitting the household. This time, the commotion was no less than when Miao Shi demanded a divorce. Several men from Shiqu Village had come, led by Second Aunt Lian’s own brothers, claiming they were there to help her separate from the family.

“Will this actually work?” Shen Qing was shocked. Whether a family could be split wasn’t just about how many people supported it—it also depended on whether they had a legitimate reason. The unspoken rule in the villages was that households were only divided after the parents passed away. If all it took was bringing in a few brothers to back you up, wouldn’t that be utter chaos? Shen Qing and his mother had only managed to leave so smoothly because Shen Zhigao was clearly in the wrong.

“The Lian family is in the wrong, too!” Miao Shi said angrily as she grabbed her shoes and headed out. “You just got back, so you don’t know—Wang Shi has her eyes on Lian Ou’s marriage and insists on matching him with her nephew. When Second Aunt Lian refused, Wang Shi had that little bastard ambush Lian Ou on the road, even trying to— That son of a bitch! He should piss on the ground and take a good look at himself!”

Even someone as composed as Miao Shi was cursing. Shen Qing was stunned—Wang Shi was truly shameless and bold!

Their relationship with Second Aunt Lian was already beyond repair, and she still dared to scheme about marrying off Lian Ou? How could that even be possible?

But that was precisely why, knowing it wouldn’t work out, Wang Shi encouraged her nephew to harass Lian Ou on the road.

This all started when Shen Qing had Lian Ou and Lian Rong go to Miaoqian Village’s market to sell defective goods. Lian Ou was skilled, and the discounted prices made up for minor flaws, so business was good.

The May Festival market wasn’t as grand as the New Year’s market, but it was still lively. After making their sales and deducting the share owed to Shen Qing, both Lian Ou and Lian Rong had a decent amount of money left. They couldn’t resist spending some of it at the market.

They bought small, pretty fabric scraps—too small for adult clothing, but just right for making a little jacket for Lian Rong. With summer approaching, bamboo mats and woven fans were also popular. There were rare, delicious fruits… Before they knew it, they had bought a whole bunch of things.

When their family asked about it, the siblings nervously pushed the blame onto Qing Ge’er, saying it was a gift from him. It wasn’t like the adults would actually confront Qing Ge’er about it—he was already generous and had given them things before.

Old Lady Lian knew they were up to something but couldn’t be bothered to expose them, so she just turned a blind eye. Wang Shi, however, was different—she refused to believe it and took it seriously. With Yu Ge’er not working at the workshop and not earning money, every coin Lian Ou and Lian Rong spent felt like it was coming straight from her own pocket.

How could she get her hands on Lian Ou’s money?

After much contemplation, Wang Shi came up with an idea—marrying Lian Ou to her nephew. Lian Ou had skills, and with Shen Qing looking after him, he was bound to make money in the future.

But the moment she mentioned it to Old Lady Lian, she was scolded harshly.

“Save your breath! Even the village chief of Shiqu Village once proposed for his youngest son, and Second daughter-in-law still refused—she wants to find a good match for Lian Ou. Now that his work is selling in county shops, many families are interested in him. Do you really think he’d look twice at your nephew?”

It wasn’t that Old Lady Lian didn’t care about wealth—well, actually, she did. So what? If her own child could marry well, why should they settle for anything less?

Forget Second Aunt Lian—even Old Lady Lian looked down on Wang Shi’s nephew!

“Mother, don’t you think about your eldest son at all?” Wang Shi stomped her foot in frustration. “That sharp-tongued woman Lian is slipping away from us! She’s making money but isn’t contributing to the household anymore. If Lian Ou marries my nephew, at least for his sake, she’d have to support her older brother’s family. She wouldn’t be able to abandon us completely!”

Old Lady Lian had no patience for her nonsense. “If you don’t want to be embarrassed, shut your mouth and drop this idea! Second daughter-in-law already doesn’t like you—if you bring this up, she’ll chase you through the village, cursing all the way!”

Wang Shi bit her lip unwillingly. Since Old Lady Lian wasn’t on her side, she had to take matters into her own hands. She wouldn’t approach Second Aunt Lian directly—why set herself up to be mocked? But just because she couldn’t discuss marriage with her didn’t mean she couldn’t make it happen.

Lian Ou was always running off to Miaoqian Village or Shen Qing’s place—never sitting still for a moment. Well then, why not have her nephew take matters into his own hands? If the rice was cooked, Lian Ou wouldn’t have a choice but to marry him!

Shen Qing’s anger surged. Pregnancy already made his emotions unstable, and now he felt the rage rush straight to his head. “How can someone be so shameless?!”

In a village steeped in tradition, even if Lian Ou was forced to marry Wang Shi’s nephew, he would still be subjected to endless gossip!

“How is Lian Ou now?”

“He’s fine,” Miao Shi replied. “Lucky, really. That day, Lian Rong ran home first with their purchases, leaving Lian Ou alone. When he passed through the grove near our village, Wang Shi’s nephew ambushed him. Thankfully, a monk from Miaoqian Village showed up and beat him off—saved Lian Ou’s innocence.”

“A monk from Miaoqian Village?”

“Yes. Lian Ou’s been selling goods there and made some connections. Apparently, this monk is quite capable—he’s the reason the market was revitalized. That small, rundown temple has now become well-known in the village.”

After returning home, Lian Ou told Second Aunt Lian everything. Shocked and distressed, she and her son cried together before she finally gritted her teeth and decided to push for the family separation.

If they spoke openly about what happened, even though Lian Ou wasn’t harmed, just the rumors could ruin his marriage prospects. But Lian Ou didn’t care.

“Mother, I can’t take this for another day! How can there be people this evil? If he had touched me, I wouldn’t want to live anymore!”

Luckily, someone had saved him in his moment of despair.

“I don’t care about my reputation—I’d rather never marry and become a monk myself than let them get away with this!”

So today, Second Aunt Lian called her brothers from her maiden family and caused an uproar in front of the Lian household. She was willing to risk Ou Ge’er’s reputation to force a family split.

At first, Old Lady Lian was stunned, but then she grew furious. Wang Shi, with her head lowered, dared not make a sound at first. But as Second Aunt Lian scolded her more and more harshly, she finally snapped. “You just open and close your mouth and start slandering my nephew? My nephew is the only male heir of our family! If he were to marry, he’d marry a proper young lady! Why would he marry a ger? Maybe it’s your Ou Ge’er who’s been running around outside too much and got himself into trouble, and now you’re pinning it on my nephew—”

“I’ll tear your filthy mouth off!” Second Aunt Lian didn’t even wait for her to finish before lunging at her. The scene quickly became chaotic.

Second Aunt Lian was one of the best brawlers among the village women. She had clashed with Wang Shi many times before, but this was the first time she had truly fought her. And she was absolutely thrilled—years of resentment had built up, and now she finally had the chance to vent it all. She pinned Wang Shi down and slapped her across the face over and over.

Wang Shi shrieked, “Miao Hexiang, you wretched woman! How dare you hit me!”

“I hit you because you deserve it!” Miao Hexiang shouted back. “What kind of eldest sister-in-law treats family like this? You actually dared to say such things—clearly, you never considered Ou Ge’er as part of this family at all!”

She hit hard, as if venting years of old and new grievances all at once. At first, Wang Shi cursed and screamed, but soon, all that was left were muffled sobs.

How could the eldest Lian just stand there and watch his wife get beaten? It wasn’t that he particularly loved Wang Shi, but letting someone hit her was like losing face himself. Just as he was about to step forward and say something, he was dragged away by Second Aunt Lian’s brothers.

Miao Hexiang landed two more slaps on Wang Shi before standing up with her hands on her hips. “That settles it—separation!”

Old Man Lian and Old Lady Lian immediately objected. “Second daughter-in-law, you’ve hit her, you’ve vented your anger. We, as elders, even sat back and let you beat your sister-in-law without saying a word because we knew you were wronged, and she truly did go too far. But you can’t just throw around the idea of separating the family so casually! We’re still alive, after all!”

Miao Hexiang looked at her in-laws and felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Before coming here, she had already made arrangements with her brothers—if they refused to separate, she would divorce Lian Lao’er, take the children, and return to Shiqu Village. The fried dough workshop there had just been built and was in need of someone experienced to run it. If she returned, she could take over seamlessly!

Times had changed. Back when Miao Shi divorced, her brothers had been worried and reluctant to take her back. But now, with Miao Hexiang and her children working under Shen Qing and financially secure, her brothers were more than happy to welcome her home. This time, she had even more leverage than Miao Shi had back then!

“Father, Mother, I was lucky to marry into this family. I have never been unfilial or disobedient. But my children are my bottom line. After what she has done, I can no longer call her my sister-in-law, nor can I live under the same roof as her!” Miao Hexiang said firmly. “Either you two elders come with us, and we won’t ask the eldest branch for a single grain of rice—your care will be our responsibility from now on. Or, you stay with the eldest branch, and we won’t take a penny or a single brick from this house—we just want peace!”

Wang Shi, already in tears from the beating, cried even harder from shame and pain as she covered her face. “What kind of life is this? Marrying into this family… You’re saying I did this? Where’s your proof?”

“The monk from the temple personally drove him away. Isn’t that proof enough?” Miao Hexiang scoffed, her hands itching to strike again. “I suggest you agree to the separation—otherwise, I’ll take this to the magistrate! Our Ou Ge’er can go his whole life without marrying, but your nephew? He might not have his life!”

In this era, if a woman or a ger went to court accusing a man of violating their purity, even if it wasn’t true, as long as they staked their reputation on it, the accused man would never escape punishment. The lightest sentence would be exile three thousand miles away; the worst would be execution.

Wang Shi never expected Miao Hexiang to be so ruthless. She always spoke about how much she cherished gers and daughters, but now, just for the sake of separating the family, she was even willing to risk a ger’s reputation! Wang Shi was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

Miao Hexiang continued, “Ever since this workshop opened, our second branch has been working there, and you still weren’t satisfied—you insisted we also help with household chores! Tell me, hasn’t the money we earned been spent on your family? On your son? We work outside and still have to do housework—what do we owe you? I can’t stand another day of this!”

Unexpectedly, her words struck a chord with many villagers. Back when Wu Guixiang selected workers for the workshop, she had chosen just one person per household. But in this era, families were made up of multiple branches—resentment like Miao Hexiang’s was bound to arise.

For example, in Wang Liuzi’s household, since Wang Liuzi had offended Shen Qing, his entire branch wasn’t chosen. Instead, it was his uncle who got a job at the workshop. Over time, even their family started having similar grievances.

As a result, people began changing their stance, no longer seeing Miao Hexiang as unreasonable.

“If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t put up with it either. The second branch works to support the whole family, and yet she’s scheming against Ou Ge’er? Ou Ge’er is such a good ger—his reputation nearly ruined by that brat.”

“That brat should look at himself first—does he even deserve Ou Ge’er?”

“Our family has the same problem. We can’t even talk about it, or we’ll be accused of already having it good just by working at the workshop. But I don’t see where this ‘good fortune’ is coming from—wasn’t it earned through our own hard work and reputation?”

“Exactly! Why did Wu Guixiang choose me instead of them? Because I work hard and clean! It’s not like my family stopped her from applying…”

The murmurs grew louder and louder, and Old Man Lian and Old Lady Lian were visibly embarrassed.

Miao Hexiang stood tall, her brothers at her back. Before long, Miao Shi arrived and stood beside her. Shen Qing, worried about the chaos and protecting his belly, remained at a distance, observing.

Wu Guixiang arrived with Zhao Youdang. After listening for a while, before Zhao Youdang could even speak, Wu Guixiang was the first to say, “Either separate, or divorce. Otherwise, forget about going to court—even by our village’s rules, attempting to violate an unmarried ger is punishable by drowning!”

At the mention of drowning, the entire village shuddered. Shen Zhiwei had died that way—this village truly carried out drownings!

The words rang in Wang Shi’s ears like a death sentence. She finally realized the gravity of the situation. Wu Guixiang was Miao Hexiang’s close friend—of course, she was siding with her! And her brother had only one son—if he were drowned, he’d never forgive her!

She hated her nephew for being so useless, for failing to succeed. She hated the meddlesome monk from Miaoqian Village. But most of all, she resented Miao Hexiang, Wu Guixiang, Shen Qing, and all of them for living better lives than she did while refusing to help her!

She covered her face and wept. “Fine, we’ll separate! Just as you said! But you leave now, and you take nothing with you—not a single thing from this house!”

Old Man Lian and Old Lady Lian’s expressions grew even uglier.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

That night, Song Kaiji took Shen Qing to see Chen Jiaxi.

Now, they had to be even more careful not to show any signs of familiarity. Although Feng Hao no longer trusted Chen Jiaxi, the officials and military leadership had not accepted his claims, so they still had to keep up the act.

It was late, and Chen Jiaxi was home alone—her husband and child were not there. Seeing Song Kaiji carrying Shen Qing suddenly appear in her living room, she let out a sigh of relief. “You finally came. I thought you would come looking for me last night.”

She had waited the whole night for nothing.

Shen Qing seemed like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Chen Jiaxi preemptively apologized. “I’m sorry. I looked into your memories.”

Song Kaiji: !!!

He stared at Shen Qing in shock. Yesterday, only Shen Qing had faced Chen Jiaxi directly. From her expression, he had guessed that she had read his mind. But the rest of the team, who had been kept at a distance, had no idea. Tang Wenjie had even praised Chen Jiaxi for being quick-witted, managing to disguise Shen Qing as their dormitory roommate in such a short time.

“You… you broke your oath. You swore on your child—” Song Kaiji stammered. Shen Qing carried so many secrets, and now Chen Jiaxi knew them all. This… this—

He couldn’t even say what exactly would happen next, but his instincts screamed danger.

However, Chen Jiaxi shook her head. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

Back then, Shen Qing had indeed made her swear on her child that she would never look into his mind. But when she swore, she had slightly altered the wording:

“I, Chen Jiaxi, swear to the heavens that I will never look into your memories in this lifetime, nor the memories of those around you. And if I ever accidentally do so, I will take the secret to my grave and never tell anyone.”

Shen Qing had been satisfied at the time and had accepted her modified oath.

Song Kaiji was stunned. “So… you planned this loophole from the start, anticipating today’s situation?”

“How could I have possibly foreseen this?” Chen Jiaxi ruffled her hair in frustration. Back then, her child had been on the brink of death. She didn’t have the time or energy to scheme. Besides, she hadn’t even known about Shen Qing’s secrets then—she had thought he was just someone with a bit of background. What could possibly be worth reading in his mind?

It was only after seeing Shen Qing in Feng Hao’s memories that she became curious. But now, she deeply regretted it.

She had taken a massive risk—breaking her oath, potentially falling out with Shen Qing and his group—just to confirm her suspicion that Shen Qing came from another world. And based on his attire in Feng Hao’s memories, she had deduced that it was likely an ancient world.

Since meeting Shen Qing, especially after going to Zizhou, she had noticed that he disappeared from Red City Base at regular intervals. No one knew where he went, but when he returned, he always had supplies.

Did that mean Shen Qing could return to his original world and bring back resources?

She hadn’t intended for Shen Qing to notice that she had peeked. She had no plans to tell anyone. She just wanted to quietly find the entrance and, without Shen Qing knowing, sneak her entire family over. Or, like Shen Qing, become a smuggler between two worlds.

Surely that wouldn’t count as breaking her oath, right? Chen Jiaxi tried to convince herself.

But when she locked eyes with Shen Qing, the shock she felt wasn’t just from discovering he came from another world—it was from realizing that only Shen Qing could travel between them.

She had clearly seen in his memories how much he wanted to bring Song Kaiji over. They had tried countless methods, even had his mother, Miao Shi, attempt to pass through. But the cave remained indifferent, opening only for Shen Qing.

Chen Jiaxi let out a bitter laugh. What a waste of effort. And in the process, she had offended Shen Qing.

Although she no longer needed anything from Shen Qing, she still felt ashamed and guilty. Lowering her voice, she said, “I won’t betray you. I kept quiet yesterday, and I swear I won’t say anything now.”

But at this point, her promises felt utterly hollow.

Shen Qing rubbed his forehead. What was done was done. He couldn’t just erase the memories from Chen Jiaxi’s mind, could he? But trusting her like before? That was impossible.

Chen Jiaxi understood that too.

The three sat in silence for a while before she finally spoke. “I really am sorry. No matter whether you still trust me or not, I will make it up to you.” She hesitated before adding, “If you run into trouble, maybe I can give you some advice.”

She was, of course, referring to Lantang Village. At this point, Shen Qing had no more secrets in front of her.

To Chen Jiaxi, many of Shen Qing’s actions weren’t particularly clever. Of course, considering that he was a… well, a small ger from ancient times, it had taken her some time to wrap her head around that concept. Her gaze flickered between Shen Qing and Song Kaiji.

For someone who had been illiterate barely a year ago and had come from the lowest rungs of ancient society, Shen Qing had achieved an impressive amount. He was already very intelligent and capable.

But to someone like Chen Jiaxi, an evolved psychic ability user with vast experience, his tactics were still too immature and full of flaws. If Shen Qing was willing to maintain their cooperation, even if he didn’t treat her as close as Qu Weiwei, they could still work together for mutual benefit.

She had nothing to gain from betraying him now. If even Song Kaiji couldn’t pass through the cave, there was no point in scheming. Instead, it would be better to play the role of an advisor and secure herself some advantages.

Shen Qing: …

He had to admit, he was amazed by Chen Jiaxi. How could she break an oath one moment and the next, talk about future cooperation like nothing had happened? Did she really think a simple apology was enough to sweep everything under the rug?

Oh right, according to her, she hadn’t broken her oath. She had just exploited a loophole.

Shen Qing didn’t agree to anything. He simply waved her off. “Forget it. As for the rest… we’ll talk later.”

He and Song Kaiji didn’t linger and quickly left her home. Once they returned to their bedroom in the villa, Song Kaiji asked, “Do you still trust Chen Jiaxi?”

Shen Qing remained silent. In his view, whether he trusted her or not no longer mattered. What mattered was—even if they didn’t trust her, what could they do about it?

When it came to scheming, they couldn’t outthink Chen Jiaxi. When it came to combat, they couldn’t overpower the officials and the military’s overwhelming numbers of ability users.

Even though their team was one of the strongest in Red City Base, compared to the military and government, they were still nothing more than ants trying to fight an elephant. If someone locked them up with an ability-restricting device, their most powerful members would be reduced to ordinary people.

Shen Qing sprawled on the bed, feeling frustrated. “I’ve clearly gotten stronger. I have more leverage than before. So why does life feel even harder now?”

Song Kaiji thought for a moment, then gave an example—something they had learned in school.

He compared people to circles. The area inside the circle represented what a person knew. The more they knew, the larger the circle grew. But as the circle expanded, its boundary with the unknown also increased.

“Maybe difficulties are the same,” Song Kaiji said, carefully placing a hand on Shen Qing’s stomach. “The stronger you become, the bigger the problems you face. Back in the village, your biggest concern was probably what to eat every day. But now, it’s different. Now, you have to deal with more complex challenges.”

He looked up at Shen Qing, only to find that at some point, he had already fallen asleep.

Song Kaiji: …

After a moment, he chuckled. That’s fine too. If things feel overwhelming, just sleep and deal with them later.

Watching Shen Qing’s peaceful face, he thought to himself—if things got too dangerous here, Shen Qing should just leave. He could take their child and go.

He didn’t know if their child would be able to pass through the cave. But he had already made up his mind—Shen Qing must give birth in the other world.

If their child couldn’t cross over… then so be it. He would rather never see his child than have them be born in this apocalyptic world.

And as for him… he could take Zhang Sujuan and leave Red City Base. They could find a place not too far away and build a small stronghold of their own. If Qu Weiwei and Tang Wenjie were willing to join them, they could still hunt zombies, collect crystal cores, and take on missions together. If not… well, Song Kaiji could understand. In that case, he’d just have to rely on Shen Qing to support him.

Lying beside Shen Qing, Song Kaiji’s thoughts drifted idly. But this was only his last resort—if he truly had no way to resist the base’s government and military. If he couldn’t afford to provoke them, he could at least avoid them, right? Worst case scenario, he’d hide away in the mountains, train like a madman, and only come back to exact his revenge once he was strong enough. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years—

But things hadn’t reached that point yet.

The military and government officials had all believed Chen Jiaxi’s words. Shao Nan seemed remorseful, and only Feng Hao still refused to let go of Shen Qing. As long as they got rid of Feng Hao, they should have a period of peace.

Qu Weiwei had stopped working at the Third Farm. She had never been particularly willing in the first place, and after everything that had happened, the friendship they had carefully maintained with the military—especially with Shao Nan—had completely fallen apart.

Shao Nan had come by twice to apologize and even tried to convince Qu Weiwei to return to work, but she was unmoved. Instead, she cleared out the shop the military had given them for permanent use, preparing to shut it down.

“This was really just a misunderstanding! We weren’t siding with Feng Hao, we were just following protocol. And now that the protocol has been followed, isn’t everything fine?” Shao Nan’s voice grew more and more uncertain. He had been told to placate them, but he also genuinely didn’t want to lose Shen Qing’s team as friends. Besides…

He glanced at Qu Weiwei.

But she never once looked him in the eye. “I understand. I really do.” She pulled down a military-issued banner that had been hanging in the shop, rolled it up, and shoved it into his arms. “We haven’t made any demands, have we? We haven’t asked for compensation from the military, nor have we demanded a public apology or for Feng Hao to be punished. We’re just choosing not to run this shop anymore. Why are you so anxious?”

Shao Nan couldn’t find the words to respond. The banner in his hands felt like it was burning him.

“Shao Nan, people have their limits,” Qu Weiwei said as she locked the shop door and handed him the keys. “You had a choice between your duty and us. You chose your duty, and we don’t blame you.”

“But just like you prioritized your duty over us, I will always choose my team over you. If you couldn’t put us first, then you should accept that we won’t see you as important either.”

If they cut ties completely and treated each other as strangers, that would be fine. But why should an apology automatically mean forgiveness?

“We can still be polite strangers. That way, if something happens in the future, we won’t have any expectations of you. No expectations mean no disappointment.”

Shao Nan was left standing there, stunned. “But…”

But how could Shen Qing’s small team compare to the military? He wanted to say something, but when he met Qu Weiwei’s gaze, he found himself unable to say anything at all.

To him, of course, the military was far more important than Shen Qing’s team. But to Qu Weiwei, no one mattered more than her team.

---

Four days later, Shen Qing and Song Kaiji discussed their plan. “It’s been a few days now. Can we kill Feng Hao yet?”

They didn’t bother speaking in hushed tones, and Qu Weiwei overheard them. She was delighted. “How are we doing it?”

Feng Hao had captured them all, shackled them, and locked them up in the research facility. Qu Weiwei already had plenty of grudges against the research institute, and this only fueled her anger further.

“Just teleport in, catch him off guard, and kill him directly?” Song Kaiji had already found out where Feng Hao lived.

“I don’t mean that!” Qu Weiwei waved her hand. “Feng Hao only has a grudge against us. If he dies a violent death, no matter how much time has passed, the research institute will still suspect us. What I meant was—can we make it look like natural causes? A heart attack, sudden death, something that seems normal?”

She didn’t want to kill one Feng Hao only to have a dozen more people come seeking revenge. If they killed the small fry and the big fish came after them, the trouble would never end.

Shen Qing and Song Kaiji thought about it and agreed she had a point. They dug through their inventory, selecting two drugs that could cause sudden death and some anesthetics.

Song Kaiji considered it. “I’ll make him take a whole handful. If he doesn’t die right away, I’ll just smother him.”

There was no helping it. They couldn’t delay killing him just because they wanted to be overly precise.

Qu Weiwei: “…Forget it, just kill him however.” Ideal plans were one thing, but reality was far more complicated. They weren’t experienced in assassinations and didn’t have the right tools for the job.

She slumped onto the sofa, thinking for a moment before saying, “My hometown, Chi City, recently established a new base. If things go south after we kill Feng Hao… why don’t we relocate? Start over in Chi City?”

Qu Weiwei had a small personal motive. She knew her family was probably gone, but maybe she could try her luck. But more importantly, she felt that Red City Base was no longer safe.

Her reasoning wasn’t wrong. In fact, it aligned with Song Kaiji’s thinking. However, since Song Kaiji knew that Shen Qing’s cave couldn’t be moved, he had planned to establish a small base nearby instead of going elsewhere. But this wasn’t something he could easily explain to Qu Weiwei, so he and Shen Qing gave a vague response. “Let’s kill Feng Hao first. If things go smoothly, there’s no need to leave.”

Qu Weiwei had no objections.

They spent some time selecting the right drugs. Then, Song Kaiji left—and returned to the living room shortly after.

Shen Qing was surprised. “That fast? The drugs worked well?”

Song Kaiji’s expression was grim. He shook his head. “I was too late. Feng Hao was already dead.”

Everyone in the room was stunned. “Someone else wanted him dead too?”

Song Kaiji nodded, then hesitated before shaking his head. The one who had killed Feng Hao was Chen Jiaxi.

When Song Kaiji teleported into the room, he found Chen Jiaxi crouching over Feng Hao’s body, using a knife to carve open his skull. A psychic ability crystal, coated in blood and brain matter, rolled out. Then, she pulled another crystal from her pocket—one that Song Kaiji recognized. After a moment, he remembered—it was the crystal from the bald space-ability user they had encountered on their way back from Zizhou.

Back then, Chen Jiaxi had planned to absorb it but had abandoned the idea after seeing the side effects it caused in Ge Bingbing. Yet, she hadn’t discarded the crystal. She had kept it all this time.

When they saw each other, both were startled, scrambling in panic for a moment.

Once they realized they weren’t enemies, they relaxed. Chen Jiaxi awkwardly stuffed the psychic crystal into her pocket and smiled at Song Kaiji. “You came to kill him too? Perfect timing. Give me a ride, will you? Otherwise, I’ll have to sneak out.”

Song Kaiji was speechless. “…You dug out his psychic crystal. That alone makes this look suspicious as hell.”

Space-ability crystals and psychic-ability crystals looked quite similar. But who would kill someone and then carve open their skull? A single autopsy would expose everything.

If it was discovered that Feng Hao’s brain crystal was missing, the first suspects would be psychic ability users like them.

“It’s fine.” Chen Jiaxi smiled and pointed to a small potted plant in the corner. “That’s a mutated plant. It sleeps at night but goes wild in the morning. It’ll pierce through his skull and eat his brain. No one will suspect anything.”

After all, Feng Hao had already smuggled zombies into the base just to investigate Shen Qing. Wasn’t it perfectly reasonable to assume he had brought back an illegal mutated plant as well?

This way, it would look like Feng Hao had been killed by his own recklessness.

Song Kaiji had to admit—she was much smarter than them. Meanwhile, they had spent half the day struggling over an unreliable plan… only to be too late.

But Song Kaiji’s gaze lingered on that psychic ability crystal. After a pause, he said, “You’re planning to absorb it.”

It wasn’t a question.

Chen Jiaxi was just as straightforward. “You know, I don’t mind absorbing the crystals of scumbags like him. I was only worried about the side effects before.” To her, moral dilemmas weren’t much of a concern.

She had been observing Ge Bingbing for a long time. Aside from being irritable in the first few days after absorbing a human crystal, she had been fine. In fact, in Chen Jiaxi’s eyes, it wasn’t even irritability—it was more like she had finally woken up.

As long as she didn’t encounter Sun Cheng’s family, Ge Bingbing was perfectly normal. She didn’t lash out at others; he was just less willing to endure grievances and mistreatment than before.

To Chen Jiaxi, that level of side effect was acceptable. If it was just one crystal, it didn’t seem too bad. But multiple ones? That was another story. So she had decided to only absorb a single one. And naturally, if she was going to absorb just one, it had to be a valuable psychic ability crystal.

She had set her sights on Feng Hao’s brain for quite some time.

“Isn’t this a win-win?” Chen Jiaxi said. “I get what I want, and he won’t be able to go after Shen Qing anymore.”

Song Kaiji sighed. He and Chen Jiaxi would never see eye to eye on the matter of human ability crystals. He also had no confidence in convincing her otherwise, so he dropped the subject. “Let’s go. I’ll take you back.”

Chen Jiaxi nodded, then suddenly thought of something. She bent down, picked up a pair of ability-restraining shackles, and handed them to Song Kaiji. “Here, a gift.”

“That guy was pretty cautious. When I came to see him, he actually made me bring these.” She had used Shen Qing as an excuse to get close. Although Feng Hao didn’t trust her, his curiosity got the better of him, so he still let her in. But to Chen Jiaxi, it was laughable.

“As if I’d need abilities to kill him?”

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Song Kaiji was in a complete panic, picking up Shen Qing and running outside. He didn’t even know what had happened to Shen Qing—had he twisted something while avoiding the zombies? But the situation earlier had been tense, and Song Kaiji had been affected by the atmosphere, fearing that something serious had happened to Shen Qing.

It was Shen Qing who tugged at him, stopping him. “Don’t go to the hospital… Take me back.” Back to the cave.

“How about letting a healing-type ability user take a look? This matter is settled for now, and Feng Hao won’t dare to do anything for the time being. If he tries any tricks again, we won’t even need to step in—the military will deal with him.” This incident had caused a rift between the military and Feng Hao. When Shao Nan left, his face was extremely grim. People rarely blamed themselves too harshly for their mistakes; instead, all their anger would be directed at Feng Hao.

“We’ll find Qi Zhan, although… he shouldn’t do anything underhanded.” Although Qi Zhan and Tang Wenjie should have split, he was still an acquaintance. He had even stayed at their home for a while, eating and drinking without paying, so he wouldn’t take advantage of them.

Shen Qing, however, shook his head. “No need, I have a rough idea of what’s going on. It’s best if no one else finds out.” It was after the zombie attack earlier that Shen Qing had reacted quickly, and everything about his recent physical condition made sense.

Although Shen Qing had never given birth, he had seen Miao Shi and Zhao Aiye when they were pregnant. Back pain, loss of appetite, a liking for food with vinegar, easy vomiting… these were all minor issues, but the most important one was that zombies were now attacking Shen Qing.

Shen Qing knew that the reason zombies weren’t attacking him was likely because he wasn’t from this world. But if he were pregnant, the child would have half of Song Kaiji’s bloodline, and Song Kaiji would be attacked by zombies.

The zombies weren’t attacking him; they were attacking the part of his bloodline in his stomach that belonged to Song Kaiji.

Shen Qing touched his stomach, his face still pale, but a warm smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He leaned in and whispered his guess, only to receive a stunned Song Kaiji in return.

Song Kaiji, of course, knew Shen Qing was a ger, and he knew gers could have children. But since Shen Qing looked like a man, he sometimes subconsciously forgot this fact. When he heard Shen Qing say that he might be pregnant, he froze, almost dropping Shen Qing on the ground from the shock.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared silly?” Shen Qing quickly hugged his neck and rubbed against him. “Or do you not like kids?” Song Kaiji was usually good to Nannan, so Shen Qing was just teasing him. “But it’s not certain. This is just my guess.”

“No, no!” Song Kaiji quickly denied it. How could he not want a child with Shen Qing? But his face still showed a hint of guilt. “I’m just… scared. You were killing zombies just now… Damn Feng Hao!” He had discussed with Shen Qing about secretly killing Feng Hao, but when they returned, he was locked up, which was not only embarrassing but also delayed things. Song Kaiji muttered angrily, “I’ll kill him tonight!”

“Uh, there’s no need to rush…” Shen Qing’s face showed a trace of guilt as he touched his nose. If anyone was scared, it was him. After all, he had gone up the mountain with a child inside him, climbing trees and jumping down… He couldn’t bring himself to tell Song Kaiji about that. “We just had a conflict with him, and now he’s dead. It would be too easy for others to suspect us. Let’s wait a few days, until this thing blows over.”

After all, he would still be attacked by zombies, so even if Feng Hao tried to investigate, he wouldn’t find anything. “Take me back first. My condition can’t be treated here. If people find out I’m pregnant…” It was already suspected that he wouldn’t be attacked by zombies, and if the news came out that a man could get pregnant, Feng Hao might figure out that he wasn’t from this world.

Just like Chen Jiaxi, a smart psychic ability user who could figure it out, why couldn’t Feng Hao?

Thinking of Chen Jiaxi, Shen Qing pursed his lips. “I’ll go see a doctor when I get back, and tomorrow you can take me to see Chen Jiaxi.”

Song Kaiji didn’t know, but Shen Qing, who had directly looked at Chen Jiaxi, was clear that Chen Jiaxi had broken her oath and had pried into Shen Qing’s memories.

Although Chen Jiaxi hadn’t betrayed him, Shen Qing still felt uneasy and had to ask her about it. He had truly felt the signs of pregnancy earlier, his stomach aching. However, while speaking, Shen Qing drank two cups of spiritual spring water, and the dull pain in his abdomen gradually stopped, enough to last until he could see a doctor in the county town.

In Anping County, having a ger get pregnant seemed very normal, so he decided to see a doctor there.

Song Kaiji naturally knew that Shen Qing was right. After thinking it over, he changed direction and carried Shen Qing straight to the outskirts of the city. After leaving the base, with two quick shifts, they soon arrived at the cave entrance.

It had been half a month since they last saw each other, and now after a short reunion, they had to part again. Both were reluctant. Shen Qing cupped Song Kaiji’s face and kissed him for a while, coquettishly saying, “Come pick me up here tomorrow at this time. I’ll see the doctor and then come back.”

Song Kaiji also kissed the corner of Shen Qing’s mouth, muttering unhappily, “I wish we could use the phone.” Of course, if he could walk through the cave, that would be even better.

After the huge shock of Shen Qing being pregnant, Song Kaiji gradually came to realize something.

This cave could only be passed by Shen Qing, or… could it be passed by anyone of his bloodline? Song Kaiji’s heart sank as he remembered that day when Shen Qing had brought Miao Shi to the mountain. Miao Shi was Shen Qing’s biological mother, but she couldn’t enter the cave either.

What about their child?

Although this child was a hybrid of two worlds and might be different from Miao Shi, Song Kaiji couldn’t convince himself to be so optimistic and hoped for the best.

Looking at Shen Qing’s smiling face, Song Kaiji didn’t say much, but he hid the small feeling of bitterness in his heart, rubbing his neck and saying, “We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

Shen Qing quickly made his way back to the village. The spiritual spring water was indeed good, and after drinking more, he felt much better, but he still didn’t dare to be careless. He tied up the cart at home and went to Anping County to see the biggest clinic.

He touched his stomach, still feeling nervous despite his rough guess. Previously, when he was ill, Miao Shi had asked a doctor to visit him at home, and back then, Shen Qing had been dizzy. The doctor had assumed he was unconscious, so he didn’t avoid speaking openly. Shen Qing had suffered too much in the old Shen family, and his body was not in the best shape to carry a child.

At that time, Shen Qing had been very upset. He had always wanted a child, even when he wasn’t with Song Kaiji, and Wang San had wanted to partner up with him. He had been thinking about how to have a child without marrying.

Not to mention now, when the child was the one from the person he loved. Shen Qing was afraid it was all just a beautiful dream.

He looked at the old doctor with a white beard, his wrist still resting on the doctor’s fingertips, nervously asking, “Doctor, what’s the result?”

Shen Qing was still wearing men’s clothing, but the mark on his forehead was no longer hidden. However, the old doctor, being old and near-sighted, didn’t notice at first. After squinting and examining Shen Qing for a while, he pulled back his hand and muttered, “You didn’t explain clearly. I was wondering why a man would have pregnancy symptoms?”

The old doctor furrowed his brows, squinted his eyes, and looked Shen Qing over carefully. Then he recalled that there was a famous ger who disguised himself as a man and did business—he was probably the one in front of him.

He pulled out a handkerchief from the drawer and placing it on Shen Qing’s wrist before continuing his examination.

This ger was so careless! But the doctor was a particular person! He was an old man, yet he had to hold a ger’s hand—how awkward! “A little over three months. The pregnancy is unstable… oh, I remember now! You fought a pack of wolves some time ago, didn’t you? The village sent them into the city with a lot of noise. You really don’t take the baby seriously!”

The old doctor was so angry he puffed out his cheeks. This ger’s body was already not suitable for bearing a child, and now, after such a struggle, he was pregnant—he was really careless!

Shen Qing had never been one to pamper anyone in the county town, but when the old doctor scolded him, he could only hang his head in shame. “At that time… I didn’t know I was pregnant.” He nervously looked at the doctor. “Is the baby in danger?”

“Why don’t you ask if your body is in danger?” The old doctor shot him a glare. “Your body has been overworked before. It wasn’t the right physique to carry a child. Only recently have you been supplementing yourself, and you barely managed to get pregnant. You’ll probably suffer a lot as the months go on! If you keep going like this, forget about the baby, you won’t even be able to save yourself!”

Having a child was always dangerous for gers. Shen Qing’s pelvis was narrow, making it hard to give birth, and now he was constantly fighting wolves and tigers—he was really courting death!

The doctor gave Shen Qing two medications, and Shen Qing felt much more comfortable in his abdomen. Knowing that Shen Qing wasn’t short on money, the doctor prescribed a lot of medicine and supplements, explained how to take them carefully, and couldn’t resist scolding him again. He advised Shen Qing to nourish himself slowly and warned him not to overdo it. If the baby grew too big, it would be even harder to deliver. Shen Qing lowered his head and endured the scolding. With a pile of medicine and supplements, he returned home.

The old doctor was still in a foul mood, pacing around the clinic. Then, after a delayed realization, he suddenly thought—was this ger married?

Meanwhile, Shen Qing had returned home. On the way, he ran into some villagers who were puzzled to see him back. They had just heard in the morning that Shen Qing had gone off on another trading trip, yet now, only half a day later, he was back. However, by now, no one saw Shen Qing as just the little ger who had grown up in the village. They exchanged glances but not a single one dared to step forward and greet him.

Shen Qing didn’t care and simply went home. Miao Shi was also surprised—Shen Qing had left in the morning, but soon after, he had hurried back, hitched up the mule cart, and rushed off to town without saying much. Now, seeing him return with a large pile of medicinal herbs, she became worried. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Qing hesitated. Lian Ou and Lian Rong were still working in his room, so he decided not to mention the pregnancy for now and casually brushed it off. “Not exactly. These are mostly nourishing tonics, just to help with my health.”

Hearing this, Miao Shi nodded approvingly. “You should take good care of yourself. I used to think that just eating well was enough to keep the body healthy. But now I realize that good food only provides basic nourishment—it doesn’t truly restore health. To properly condition the body, you still need prescriptions from a doctor!”

She was reminded of what the doctor had said before—how Shen Qing’s body had been weakened and was not suited for childbirth. But now, looking at him, she noticed that the pregnancy mark between his brows was unusually vibrant. This puzzled her—could the color of a pregnancy mark actually change? She had lived under the same roof as Zhao Aiye for over ten years, and she didn’t remember his pregnancy mark ever changing.

But Shen Qing’s had. And a bright pregnancy mark was a sign of good fertility. Could it be that his body had recovered enough to make childbirth less difficult?

Shen Qing boiled a large bowl of medicine using spiritual spring water. He decided that from now on, he would drink it daily to nourish his body. For the sake of the child in his belly, he didn’t even mind the bitterness. Pinching his nose, he gulped down the entire bowl in one go.

The bitter scent of herbal medicine filled the courtyard, even driving Lian Rong out of the room. When she saw Shen Qing, she quickly ran over with a knotted ornament made by Lian Ou. “Qing Ge’er, look! My second brother learned a new pattern!”

Shen Qing praised it immediately. Lian Ou was indeed skilled with his hands. By now, the knots he made were good enough to sell in town. Shen Qing had once given him a handful of unknown beads to incorporate into the designs, and Lian Ou had a good sense for matching them, making them sell quite well.

Every ten days, Shen Qing paid Lian Ou his earnings. However, Second Aunt Lian had her own plans—she only let Lian Ou keep a small portion while leaving the rest with Shen Qing, intending for him to hand it all over when Lian Ou got married, bypassing the Lian family altogether.

Compared to his own family, they trusted Shen Qing more.

Not every piece was perfect, though. There were still many practice pieces that looked decent from afar but had minor flaws up close. Lian Ou hadn’t had enough time to refine his skills, and if he wasn’t careful, he would still fray the thread.

Lian Rong, however, was even worse at it. Even though Shen Qing provided materials and Lian Ou patiently taught her, after half a month of trying, she still couldn’t get the hang of it. Finally, she admitted defeat, realizing that she wasn’t cut out for this work.

Shen Qing comforted her. “Everyone has different talents. You might not be good at knotting, but maybe you have a knack for studying. When the school opens next year, you should go to class. Then, your brother can make the knots, and you can handle the money.”

Now that he was pregnant, Shen Qing found himself feeling even more affectionate toward children, so he coaxed Lian Rong not to feel discouraged. After thinking for a moment, he added, “These practice pieces are just lying around unused. How about this—you sew them onto some headbands, then you and your brother can take them to the temple fair during the Fifth Month Festival to sell. They may not be perfect, but if you price them cheaply at the market, people will still buy them. Once they’re sold, we’ll split the earnings three ways. How about that?”

Lian Rong was stunned. Wasn’t this just a roundabout way of giving her money? “Qing Ge’er, are you going to the Fifth Month Festival market too?”

Shen Qing shook his head. “No, I won’t be going. I only came back today on short notice, and I’ll be leaving again tomorrow. I won’t be back for quite some time.”

There were still many things to take care of on the other side.

Meanwhile, Feng Hao was spiraling into madness. The blood test strips used for checking infections at the city gate were discarded in the trash once they confirmed there was no zombie virus. No one would keep track of which strip belonged to whom. But Feng Hao was determined to find Shen Qing’s. The patrol captain at the gate thought he was insane and ignored him. So, Feng Hao went to the city gate himself—and took the entire trash bin with him.

The patrol captain: …Fine, whatever. It’s just trash. We’ll just pretend today’s janitor came early.

Feng Hao was truly patient. With hundreds or even thousands of people entering the city daily, he actually went through each test strip one by one, searching for a needle in a haystack. But in the end, he was disappointed. Not a single strip contained zombie virus antibodies.

However, there was one sample that looked strange.

Feng Hao held up the strip in confusion. “…Intersex?”

There were many genetic variations among the samples. He even found an extra-Y chromosome case, which, in normal times, wouldn’t matter. But in the apocalypse, an extra-Y chromosome might actually be an advantage for survival.

And then, there was this strange intersex sample. The genes seemed unusual, different from typical intersex individuals. Feng Hao stared at it for a long time. Ultimately, though, it had nothing to do with vaccine research, so he dismissed it and tossed the strip aside.

But something felt off.

Chen Jiaxi was lying to him—he was sure of it. He didn’t know when she had sided with Shen Qing, but he no longer believed a word she said. He trusted himself, his mind, his memory, his judgment—Shen Qing definitely hadn’t been attacked by zombies, at least not when they first met.

So what changed? Did something alter his body?

Today, the zombie had really attacked Shen Qing. Even though Feng Hao had given many excuses, deep down, he knew there was no mistake.

Determined, he went back to the patrol team, hoping to collect all the test strips from the past six months. The patrol captain looked at him like he was a lunatic. “You think we keep those after testing? What, do you think they’re some kind of treasure? Of course, we dispose of them regularly—we burn them.”

Seeing that Feng Hao looked like a crazed scientist, the patrol captain took pity on him and casually pointed to a storage shed near the gate, where several large garbage bins were kept. “If it hasn’t been burned yet, it’s in there. Take whatever you want. But what’s already burned? Even a god couldn’t bring it back.”

That shed held about a week’s worth of discarded test strips. The sanitation crew had been slacking lately, so they hadn’t been taken away yet. Feng Hao was disappointed—Shen Qing hadn’t been in the base for half a month, so a week-old sample was useless. But just as he was leaving, he noticed some much older test strips on the ground, likely dropped by the workers during transport.

Even though the chances were slim, he picked them all up and took them with him.

The patrol captain watched him collecting test strips from the ground and shook his head. This guy has lost his mind from too much research. How pitiful.

The next day, Shen Qing estimated the time and returned to the apocalypse. Song Kaiji was already waiting at the cave entrance. Watching Shen Qing emerge from the solid rock wall, he once again marveled at the cave’s mysterious nature.

The moment Shen Qing saw him, he couldn’t stop smiling. Overcome with joy, he leapt forward and hugged Song Kaiji’s neck sweetly. “I was right—I really am.”

He took Song Kaiji’s hand and placed it over his belly.

How miraculous. Shen Qing’s stomach still looked the same—flat and firm—but inside, a new life was growing, a child that carried both of their bloodlines.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

The fifteenth day.

Today was the day Shen Qing and Song Kaiji had agreed to meet back in the apocalypse. Whether or not Song Kaiji had managed to kill Feng Hao, or whatever Chen Jiaxi had uncovered, Shen Qing needed to return first, meet with Song Kaiji, and then decide their next steps.

He was walking towards the Red City Base.

For the past few days, Shen Qing had been struggling with his appetite. Ever since he had slaughtered the wolf pack, the lingering scent of blood had unsettled him. On top of that, the sudden heatwave made him lose his desire to eat. No matter what was on the table, he could barely take a few bites. If he ate too much meat, he felt nauseated.

He had visibly lost weight.

Miao Shi teased him for developing a “rich man’s delicate stomach” while constantly trying to prepare appetizing meals for him. This morning, she made a plate of cold wild greens, seasoned with minced garlic, sesame oil, and a splash of vinegar—light and refreshing. Shen Qing managed to eat a bit more than usual and even drank half a bowl of porridge.

Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten properly in days, having more food this morning made his stomach feel uncomfortably full. As he walked, he burped and pressed a hand against his chest, distracted by the discomfort.

Just as he neared the base entrance, a child suddenly darted out from the refugee camp and ran straight at him.

Shen Qing, a seasoned hunter and fighter, might have been lost in thought, but his reflexes remained sharp. Instinctively, he sidestepped, barely avoiding the child’s impact.

The child’s face flashed with a moment of panic, but then he clenched his teeth, twisted his foot, and lunged forward, both hands reaching out. His fingers deliberately smeared against Shen Qing’s coat in one swift motion.

Shen Qing gagged on the spot.

The child, having succeeded in his task, bolted back into the refugee camp and disappeared.

Shen Qing hurried a few steps, turned into a quiet corner, and immediately doubled over, vomiting. The porridge and wild greens he had just eaten splattered onto the ground. The sight of the mess only made his stomach churn harder, and the metallic scent of blood lingering on his coat made it impossible to stop gagging.

He quickly turned away from the mess, yanked off his coat, and flung it far away.

That kid… what the hell was on his hands? His fingers had been covered in blood, even mixed with small bits of flesh, and he had deliberately stuffed something into Shen Qing’s pocket. Now, Shen Qing’s nose was filled with the sickening scent of blood.

That filthy coat wasn’t worth keeping. Shen Qing retrieved a fresh one from his storage and pulled out a bottle of perfume, spraying himself generously to suppress the nausea.

It seemed like bad luck was following him today. Shen Qing sighed, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

The base looked no different than usual. As he passed by his two storefronts, he noticed they were open, but Zhang Sujuan wasn’t at the counter. Instead, two young women—familiar faces—sat there, looking distracted, their heads lowered as if lost in thought. Even as their boss walked past, they didn’t notice him.

Shen Qing mentally noted this but didn’t stop to ask questions. Right now, he was in a hurry to find Song Kaiji.

He quickened his pace toward his villa.

During the day, most people in the villa district—including his own household—were usually out on missions. The quiet atmosphere didn’t seem unusual. He punched in the door code, and as the electronic lock clicked open, he pulled the door open—

A wave of stench rushed out.

His hunter’s instincts kicked in before his brain could react. Shen Qing rolled instinctively, landing in a low crouch, a long knife appearing in his hand as he swung it backward.

A zombie was impaled at the end of his blade, its arms still flailing.

Shen Qing’s pupils contracted. He instantly released his grip, leaped backward, and pulled out his handgun, firing a rapid burst of shots.

The zombie collapsed to the floor, finally motionless.

Shen Qing remained in a defensive stance, gun raised. The half-open door revealed nothing but eerie silence beyond.

His mind spun in chaos.

What was happening?

How could there be a zombie inside the base? Inside his villa?

And… why had it attacked him?

Zombies never attacked him!

A flash of realization struck him like lightning.

The strange child from earlier.

Before he could piece together the implications, a voice spoke behind him.

“Happy now, Engineer Feng?”

The voice was familiar. Shen Qing turned sharply—

Shao Nan stepped out from the shadows just beyond the courtyard, followed by a group of people.

Shen Qing’s gaze swept over them, and his breath hitched.

Song Kaiji. Qu Weiwei. Tang Wenjie. His entire team—including the ordinary human, Yu Le—stood among them, bound with unfamiliar silver chains. Their wrists and ankles were also tightly tied with ropes, and their mouths were gagged.

Every single one of them was staring at him anxiously.

Shen Qing’s chest tightened. His expression darkened as he turned to Shao Nan. “We’ve had dealings before. Weiwei and Xiao Tang have helped you more than once. What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

Shao Nan rubbed his nose, clearly feeling guilty, but he still stepped forward.

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” His voice carried a trace of helplessness. “What Engineer Feng said was just too shocking. Even if there was only a slight possibility, how could we not test it?”

At least…

At least Feng Hao had been wrong.

“This is all a misunderstanding!” Shao Nan quickly said, motioning to his subordinates. “Hurry up and untie them.”

The guards holding Song Kaiji and the others immediately responded, fumbling to loosen their restraints.

“Hold it.”

A figure stepped out from the shadows, his expression dark and menacing, eyes locked onto Shen Qing.

Shen Qing turned to look at him.

There was no doubt now—this was Feng Hao. The man bared his teeth in a sinister grin. “Long time no see, Little Boss Shen.”

Shen Qing didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure if it was better to acknowledge having met Feng Hao before or to deny it entirely. Instead, he turned to Shao Nan and commanded, “Let them go!”

“If we let them go now, do you think we’ll get another chance?” Feng Hao interjected, his gaze shifting to Shao Nan. “You know how strong they are, Commander Shao.”

Fifteen days ago, the moment Shen Qing had left, Feng Hao reported to the authorities that he had discovered someone who was immune to zombie attacks. The officials responded immediately, sending forces to surround their villa.

Disaster had fallen from the sky.

Qu Weiwei, Tang Wenjie, and the others weren’t going to sit around and wait to be captured. Fighting was prohibited within the base, but since the authorities had made the first move, they had no choice but to retaliate. A full-blown battle broke out. Qu Weiwei, Tang Wenjie, and Ge Bingbing worked seamlessly together, severely injuring over a dozen government soldiers. It was only when Feng Hao resorted to deceit—capturing Zhang Sujuan and the little girl, forcing them to split their attention—that the three were finally subdued.

However, such a commotion had instantly alerted their higher-ups. Shao Nan had rushed over with reinforcements, initially intending to rescue Qu Weiwei and the others. But then, Feng Hao had dropped a piece of information that Shao Nan simply could not ignore.

Shen Qing was immune to zombie attacks.

“We didn’t come here to harm them,” Feng Hao continued, gesturing toward Tang Wenjie, Qu Weiwei, and Ge Bingbing. Silver chains bound their bodies—chains recently developed by the research facility to suppress the abilities of ability users. Once shackled, they were no different from ordinary humans, unable to use their powers. “We just need their boss, Shen, to cooperate and help our vaccine research team. He could save all of humanity.”

Shao Nan remained silent.

On a personal level, he sided with Shen Qing’s group. His recent conflicts with the government made him detest the parasites in the research institute even more. But if Shen Qing did have something in his body that could end the apocalypse…

Shao Nan hesitated.

He had reported the situation to his superiors. The response had been clear: cooperate with the authorities for now and confirm whether Shen Qing truly possessed a zombie-resistant antibody. If he didn’t, they were to release him immediately, apologize profusely, and compensate him.

But if he did… they were to seize Shen Qing and bring him under military control at once.

The answer left Shao Nan deeply conflicted. He didn’t take action himself, merely standing by as Feng Hao used Zhang Sujuan as leverage to capture Song Kaiji.

Over the past days, Song Kaiji and the others had been detained at the research institute. They weren’t particularly mistreated, but they had lost their freedom and, with their abilities suppressed, had no means of escape.

Now, seeing the zombie lunge at Shen Qing with his own eyes, Shao Nan wasn’t sure how to feel.

Should he be relieved that his friend was safe?

Or should he mourn the loss of humanity’s best hope?

Shao Nan turned to Feng Hao. “We’ve seen it for ourselves—zombies attack Shen Qing. Either you were delirious that day, or you imagined it. You think your word alone outweighs the evidence witnessed by so many?”

Feng Hao was furious.

Delirious? Hallucinating? This was an insult to his abilities as a psychic ability user!

But he couldn’t afford to provoke Shao Nan—not when the commander was surrounded by soldiers.

Suppressing his anger, Feng Hao said coldly, “That zombie and Shen Qing were the only ones inside the villa. Maybe the zombie reacted to the sound of the door opening or sensed movement. Our research institute still has two test zombies—we should try again. Let Shen Qing stand in front while the rest of you stand behind him. If the zombie ignores him and attacks someone else, you’ll see for yourselves.”

He paused, then added, “And we need to draw some of his blood—”

Before he could finish, a razor-sharp spatial blade whizzed past his ear. If not for his bodyguard reacting in time, Feng Hao would have lost half his skull.

He stumbled back, both shocked and enraged, whipping his head around—

Song Kaiji.

His restraints had already been undone. The spatial blade had come from him.

“Don’t!” Shao Nan quickly stepped forward, blocking Song Kaiji from striking again. “Killing someone inside the base—especially a rare psychic ability user—will get you executed, and even I won’t be able to protect you!”

Song Kaiji glared daggers at Feng Hao but reluctantly stepped back, fists clenched.

Shao Nan continued, his tone filled with ridicule. “Do you even listen to yourself? Zombies don’t have hearing or sight. They rely entirely on their sense of smell! The security footage clearly showed that before Shen Qing even reached the villa door, the zombie inside was already agitated. And you, a so-called researcher, are standing here spouting nonsense?”

Song Kaiji shot Feng Hao a murderous glare, then shook off Shao Nan’s hand and rushed to Shen Qing’s side.

“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously, gripping Shen Qing’s wrist. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or terrified—how had Shen Qing’s immunity suddenly failed? But at the same time… thank god for that! Otherwise, this bastard Feng Hao—

Shen Qing shook his head.

The moment that zombie had lunged at him, the putrid stench of rot had hit him like a wave, making his stomach churn all over again. He barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit.

Pushing down his nausea, he turned to Song Kaiji. “Are you okay?”

There was no need to ask—obviously, Song Kaiji had failed to assassinate Feng Hao. But had he even gotten the chance to make an attempt? Was he injured?

Nearby, Qu Weiwei wriggled furiously in her bindings, letting out muffled grunts—

They were still tied up!

Song Kaiji’s expression darkened as he turned to Shao Nan, his voice heavy with anger and betrayal. “Commander Shao, are you siding with the research institute against us now?”

Shao Nan clenched his jaw, then made his decision.

His superiors had already given their orders—if Shen Qing was attacked by zombies, they were to immediately release him and apologize.

What Feng Hao wanted now had nothing to do with him.

He waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to untie Qu Weiwei and the others.

Feng Hao stomped his foot in frustration. “Fools! You’d throw away humanity’s best chance to survive the apocalypse over some petty favors? You don’t deserve that uniform!”

Shao Nan’s expression darkened.

“Oh? And what about you?” he sneered. “You expect us to ignore what we just saw and take your word as gospel?”

“If that’s how it works, you could accuse anyone of anything and have them dragged off for ‘research’ just like that.”

The more he thought about it, the more Shao Nan felt he was right.

Maybe Feng Hao had a personal grudge against Shen Qing. Maybe he was just using this as an excuse to eliminate him.

Shao Nan scoffed. “If anyone here doesn’t deserve their uniform, it’s you.”

Feng Hao was fuming.

He knew what he had seen.

There had to be another explanation!

The argument escalated, nearly breaking into a full-blown fight inside the villa. Eventually, higher authorities intervened.

An official suggested, “Since this is a dispute, let’s compromise. We’ll give the military face and not force Shen Qing to face another zombie, nor will we take his blood for now. But we do have a psychic ability user who can read memories. Let’s have her verify what really happened that day between Feng Hao and Shen Qing.”

Feng Hao’s gut clenched.

This was not good.

He didn’t trust Chen Jiaxi anymore. He had a feeling about her—but no proof.

If he voiced his concerns now, it would only make him look like a paranoid fool.

He had no choice but to agree.

That child who rushed out from the refugee camp today—she was the one who arranged it.

She knew Feng Hao had been lying in wait for Shen Qing for a long time. That villa contained a locked-up zombie, prepared for the sole purpose of verifying whether Shen Qing would be attacked. Chen Jiaxi was well aware that Shen Qing wouldn’t be attacked—she had seen it firsthand in Feng Hao’s memories. But she had no choice; after much difficulty, she came up with an idea: zombies were extremely sensitive to the scent of human flesh, except for Shen Qing. So what if she smeared someone else’s blood on him?

It was a desperate gamble.

With so many eyes on Shen Qing the moment he entered the base, she had no choice but to bribe a child from the refugee camp.

The child had smeared human blood on Shen Qing’s jacket and had even secretly stuffed some flesh into his pocket.

Unfortunately, Shen Qing hadn’t understood her intentions and had simply changed his coat. Chen Jiaxi was furious—he had completely wasted her efforts!

Yet, in the end, Shen Qing was attacked by the zombie.

Chen Jiaxi couldn’t help but be filled with curiosity. Not only about why Shen Qing had suddenly lost his immunity, but also about his origins—was he really a traveler from another world?

Shen Qing stood facing Chen Jiaxi, watching as she pretended to focus her mental energy, putting on a show for the higher-ups, making them believe that she required external conditions to access someone’s memories. But then, in a fleeting moment, Shen Qing caught sight of Chen Jiaxi’s eyes widening in shock, her pupils trembling.

A deep, cold weight settled in Shen Qing’s chest. He had been so sure that Chen Jiaxi wouldn’t betray her word.

But then, she quickly averted her gaze, struggling to conceal the turbulence within her. A moment later, she sneaked a glance at Song Kaiji and Tang Wenjie. Nearly a full minute passed before she finally composed herself, rubbing her forehead as though exhausted from the exertion of her abilities. Then, she gave her report:

“He has always been attacked by zombies.”

“Liar!” Feng Hao nearly jumped up. “You’re colluding with them, aren’t you? I’ve suspected you for a long time!”

Chen Jiaxi’s expression instantly turned cold. “If you’re going to accuse me, Engineer Feng, you’d better have evidence. Don’t go around throwing baseless accusations! So now, whenever something doesn’t fit your expectations, it must be false? It must mean someone else is the bad guy?”

Feng Hao was momentarily at a loss for words.

Chen Jiaxi scoffed before adding with a sharp smile, “But you know what? If you want to think I’m colluding with them, that’s fine by me. After all, I’d rather not end up like Professor Zeng—dead under mysterious circumstances.”

Feng Hao’s face went pale.

Professor Zeng was the woman Feng Hao had personally thrown in front of a zombie. Back then, he and Professor Wang had been stranded outside the base, waiting for a rescue team to bring them back. The team had included a young recruit, Xiao Wang, who had gotten infected during their escape. Feng Hao and Professor Zeng had desperately run for their lives, and it was then that they encountered Shen Qing.

Professor Zeng had held a much higher rank and was far more skilled in her field than Feng Hao. The higher-ups had deeply mourned her death. If they ever found out that Feng Hao had been the one to push her to her doom…

Feng Hao had no doubt—if the research institute had to choose between saving him or Professor Zeng, they would have let him die instead.

Letting out an awkward chuckle, he swallowed his anger and quickly adjusted his attitude, his voice turning polite. “That’s not what I meant… I was too anxious. My apologies, Director Chen. We are equals—I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

Chen Jiaxi merely snorted, acting as if she was magnanimously letting the matter slide.

“But if you’ve seen his memories,” Feng Hao pressed, “then you must know that I wasn’t lying about what happened that day—”

“You weren’t lying,” Chen Jiaxi interrupted, “but your perspective was wrong. You were running ahead of Professor Zeng at the time. She fell off the motorcycle, and the back of her leg was cut open, bleeding. Did you even see that?”

Feng Hao froze. He honestly couldn’t remember whether Professor Zeng had been injured or not.

“And then,” Chen Jiaxi continued, “you kicked this Shen—Captain Shen, right?—you kicked him down, hoping he’d be the one to block the zombie for you.” She didn’t mention how Professor Zeng had actually died, but it was enough to strip away Feng Hao’s dignity. Immediately, everyone—Shao Nan, his soldiers, and even Qu Weiwei’s group—turned to glare at Feng Hao with undisguised contempt.

Feng Hao’s face turned purple with humiliation. He wanted to lash out, but he couldn’t afford to direct his anger at Chen Jiaxi. Instead, he swallowed it down, forcing an awkward smile.

“The zombie chased after you at the time, but that was because fresh blood is more attractive to them,” Chen Jiaxi declared confidently. She was completely making this up. She could only hope that if anyone did test this theory, at least two out of ten zombies would give her some credibility.

Still, her argument sounded plausible.

“So aside from that single instance, Shen Qing has always been attacked by zombies.”

“Ah, I see!” Shao Nan immediately accepted this explanation. “Feng Hao, you didn’t do this on purpose—it was all a misunderstanding. Let’s put this matter to rest.” He then turned to Shen Qing’s group. “He was just trying to develop a vaccine, to contribute to humanity’s survival. I hope you can be forgiving.”

Shen Qing merely let out a cold snort, not bothering to reply.

Feng Hao’s face twisted with frustration, but he knew he had lost. Chen Jiaxi had planted the seed of his betrayal—if he pushed any further, he might just be the one to suffer for it. He had no choice but to relent. Instead, he turned to Chen Jiaxi with a different line of questioning:

“What about his background? That day, he was wearing ancient-style clothing, his hair was long… even now, he still keeps it that way. It doesn’t add up.”

Fortunately, Chen Jiaxi had already anticipated this. She had peeked into Song Kaiji and Tang Wenjie’s memories earlier and knew they had been university roommates in the pre-apocalypse days. She simply borrowed another classmate’s identity and slapped it onto Shen Qing.

“He wears ancient-style clothing because he’s a historical reenactment enthusiast,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Even before the apocalypse, he dressed that way. After six months in the apocalypse, of course his clothes would get tattered!”

“As for why he keeps his hair long—why wouldn’t a hanfu enthusiast grow their hair out?” She met Feng Hao’s gaze without flinching. “Totally normal.”

No matter how much Feng Hao probed, he failed to gain any useful information. His suspicions toward Chen Jiaxi only grew, but without evidence, he couldn’t act on them.

Shao Nan, growing impatient, cut in. “That’s enough, Engineer Feng. I get that it’s hard to accept when your theories turn out to be completely wrong, but we’ve already overstepped our bounds in how we treated Shen Qing and his team. They deserve some rest.”

Turning to Shen Qing, he continued, “You’ve been greatly wronged. The military will compensate you for this. I’ll also send a team to disinfect your villa—after all, that zombie’s been inside for several days.”

Shen Qing and his team said nothing. After this ordeal, it was clear that they could no longer trust Shao Nan. The damage was done.

Shao Nan understood this, and regret flickered in his eyes—but it was too late to change things now.

Reluctantly, the entire group left the villa. Chen Jiaxi was the last to leave. As she turned back, she found Shen Qing staring at her, his gaze burning with intensity. She lowered her head slightly, following behind Shao Nan.

But Feng Hao wasn’t done.

Chen Jiaxi’s reasoning had sounded logical, but his gut told him otherwise.

“Blood…” He suddenly thought of something. “He was tested at the base entrance, wasn’t he? Find me his test strip—now!”

Meanwhile, inside the villa, Shen Qing finally collapsed into Song Kaiji’s arms, clutching his stomach.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Six wolves, each carcass carried high by two strong men, with others beating gongs at intervals as they walked. The procession from Xiahe Village to the county inevitably passed through Lantang Village and Shiqu Village. Many villagers, upon witnessing the spectacle, were astonished and stepped forward to ask what had happened. The village chief of Xiahe had his men retell the story of how Shen Qing single-handedly wiped out the wolf pack.

Although Shen Qing had indeed taken some pride in the achievement, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by all the attention.

Meanwhile, the people of Shiqu and Lantang Villages were both surprised and found it entirely reasonable.

“My goodness, those were wolves! Wolves are far more cunning than wild boars!”

“But it’s Qing Ge’er we’re talking about… Didn’t he also hunt wild boars all on his own? He killed over ten of them without a single helper.”

“That’s right, that’s right. If Qing Ge’er could take down a wild boar herd, then taking out a wolf pack isn’t all that surprising.”

“It still feels even more impressive than killing the wild boars. Qing Ge’er’s dogs haven’t fully grown yet, and this time, no one even heard of him asking for help setting up nets…” Proper hunting dogs were formidable—they could at least hold their own against wolves for a few rounds.

“Qing Ge’er’s archery is incredible. Just look at those two wolves—they’re riddled with arrows like porcupines! He nearly shot them clean through…”

…

All along the way, Shen Qing was showered with praise and surrounded by onlookers. Even when they reached the county, the enthusiasm didn’t wane. By then, it wasn’t just the people of Xiahe Village—many villagers from Lantang and Shiqu had also followed along to witness the spectacle, forming an overwhelming crowd.

When County Magistrate Lin heard that Shen Qing had single-handedly wiped out a wolf pack, he nearly choked on his porridge. “Who? That Shen Qing?” He looked utterly incredulous. That ger certainly looked more like a man than most, but even if he were a full-fledged man, could he really kill an entire wolf pack alone?

Unless… he had just thrown money around, hired some people to hunt the wolves for him, and then took all the credit to glorify himself?

Lin Ning nearly slammed his bowl down in anger. “Father, you look down on people too much! Qing Ge’er is nothing like that. He never lies—what he says is always the truth!”

Magistrate Lin looked a bit embarrassed. “You can’t blame me for thinking that way. It’s just that he does have a questionable track record…”

Lin Ning snorted. He had spent enough time with Shen Qing to pick up a lot of new expressions. “Father, you’re just prejudiced and narrow-minded! You think Qing Ge’er is bad because he likes to give gifts, but have you ever thought about why? He was just a village ger who didn’t even know how to read. What could he possibly have understood about social norms? People taught him how to act, and he followed their lead! He used to hang around Gold-Tooth, and that guy taught him to bribe the head registrar and Clerk Yang—so of course, he thought that’s just how you deal with officials! You blame Qing Ge’er for giving gifts, but why don’t you ask your own subordinates why they love receiving them so much? If they weren’t always so willing to take, Qing Ge’er wouldn’t have thought giving gifts was perfectly normal in the first place!”

He fumed on Shen Qing’s behalf.

“What’s the big deal about killing a few wolves? The wild boar head we used for the ancestral rites last year? That was Qing Ge’er’s kill. If he could take down a dozen wild boars, what’s a few wolves to him? Is it that hard to acknowledge that someone else might actually be capable?”

Magistrate Lin was scolded so harshly by his own ger that he couldn’t even lift his head. The magistrate’s fulang, who had been listening nearby, could barely hold back his laughter. He quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Your father simply never had the chance to interact with Qing Ge’er much before. Now that you’ve told him, he understands what kind of person Qing Ge’er really is.”

Then he turned to his husband. “From what Ning Ge’er says, Qing Ge’er is talented, just lacking proper guidance. Instead of nitpicking his faults, maybe you should rein in those greedy officials under you first. Then, have a proper talk with Qing Ge’er. If you clearly explain what’s right and what’s wrong, he won’t keep treating bribery like some sacred rule.”

Lin Ning muttered under his breath, “Father really thinks giving gifts is wrong? That bastard’s family used to send plenty of things to our house too—”

His father shot him a glare.

“—Well, before Uncle divorced him, at least. Most of it was returned afterward, but back then, Father wasn’t saying ‘no’ at all! You were smiling so much your eyes turned into slits!”

“Bastard” was Lin Ning’s pet name for Lin Xiangcao’s ex-husband. Ever since the divorce, that man had lost the right to be referred to by his actual name.

Magistrate Lin cleared his throat. “That was different. At the time, that bastard was our in-law.”

“Father, you’re so contradictory. It’s fine from relatives, but not from friends?” Lin Ning grumbled a bit longer before adding, “Anyway, you should hurry over. Give Qing Ge’er some respect and show him some appreciation—he has something good for you! And it’s not a bribe. Just wait and see, I guarantee you’ll like it.”

Magistrate Lin finished his porridge in a single gulp, wiped his mouth, and headed to the front hall, instructing his men to bring the reward money. This had been decided in advance—whoever killed the wolf pack was entitled to a reward.

When he arrived, he saw six wolf carcasses laid out on the ground. Some well-meaning bystanders had even tied red silk ribbons around them, making the whole scene look strangely festive. Shen Qing stood among the crowd, surrounded by people. Before he could say a word, the village chief of Xiahe rushed forward in excitement, recounting the entire event from start to finish.

Normally, the village chief would have been too intimidated to speak in front of the magistrate. But today, in his excitement, he completely forgot to be afraid. He spoke passionately for a long time, even tearing up at the end. “Our village lost a child to those wolves—it was truly heartless! There are so many livestock in the village, but no, the wolves just had to take a child! If not for Qing Ge’er—Shen Qing! Who knows how much longer our villages would have suffered from this wolf plague?”

The magistrate had spent ages trying to recruit hunters to deal with the problem, but none had succeeded!

Hearing this, Magistrate Lin was somewhat moved. But as he looked at the massive holes in the wolves’ bodies, still embedded with arrows, a sliver of doubt lingered. He clasped his hands together and offered a few words of praise for Shen Qing’s bravery and wisdom before changing the topic. “This village chief speaks so highly of the Shen family’s ger—such a shame we haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing his skills. Since we happen to have bows here, why not let Shen family’s ger show us firsthand?”

The surrounding spectators immediately cheered, clapping enthusiastically. Everyone was eager to see an even grander display.

Shen Qing didn’t think too much of it. He simply assumed the magistrate was bored and wanted a performance for entertainment. An archer quickly stepped forward, offering him a bow. Shen Qing tested its weight—it was a bit too light for his liking, not as smooth as the ones he used in the apocalypse, but it would do.

A bailiff placed a fruit ten meters away.

Shen Qing took a glance. “Put it farther.” If he was going to put on a show, he might as well make it a good one.

Miao Yu eagerly chimed in, “Cousin! Use me as a target! I’ll put the fruit on my head and you can shoot it off—just like in the stories! And do it blindfolded! That’ll really blow their minds!”

Shen Qing: “…Are you trying to get yourself killed? Stop fooling around.”

The fruit was placed about fifteen meters away, and Shen Qing finally nodded. Drawing the bow to its full length, he released the arrow. The fruit exploded into pieces, its juice splattering everywhere.

The leader of the archers clapped loudly. “Qing Ge’er is truly impressive! Even I can’t do that!” He could hit a target five zhang away, but only to embed an arrow in it—not to completely shatter it. This level of skill required not only accuracy but immense arm strength.

For a ger to have such ability—it was astonishing.

Magistrate Lin was left gaping. He had no more doubts. And when Shen Qing, in front of everyone, presented the seeds he had brought and explained their yield, as well as the benefits of the soil fertilizer formula, the magistrate wished he could slap himself. Why had he been so petty with a ger who was doing great things for the people?

The crowd erupted.

“What? Seeds that can double crop yield? Is this real?”

“Would he dare present something fake to the magistrate? That’d be suicide! It must be real—Boss Shen really has skills!” Gold-Tooth, blending into the crowd, beamed with pride as if Shen Qing’s success was his own.

“Does this mean Anping County is about to prosper?”

The villagers who had followed along felt their blood boil. Doubling their harvest meant no more barely scraping by, no more having to rely on vegetables to stretch their meals. Qing Ge’er was truly a blessing to their community.

The couple who had lost their child wept uncontrollably, first bowing to Shen Qing and then to the magistrate. Their sorrow dampened the celebratory atmosphere of the wolf hunt, leaving a heavy feeling in the hearts of all who heard their cries.

At this moment, Magistrate Lin found himself growing more and more fond of Shen Qing. Clearly, it was Gold-Tooth who had been a bad influence, along with the head registrar and Clerk Yang. They had led an otherwise good ger astray! From now on, he would make sure Lin Ning spent more time with this youth, guiding him onto the right path. For now, though, he only praised Shen Qing verbally, calling him a fine person.

That night, back in the inner residence, Magistrate Lin sighed to his family, “Shen Qing is truly remarkable. It’s just a pity he was born into such a family… and as a ger at that.” He had heard bits and pieces of Shen Qing’s background from Lin Ning. If he had been born into a better household—say, into their family—just imagine how accomplished he would have become!

Hearing his friend being praised so highly, Lin Ning could barely contain his pride. He beamed and said smugly, “I told you Qing Ge’er was the real deal! Father, you must reward him properly. That silver he got was for the wolf hunt, but what about his contribution in bringing those seeds?”

Magistrate Lin ran his fingers over the paper bundle of seeds. If what Shen Qing claimed was true, then this wasn’t just a blessing for the common folk—it was an immense achievement for himself as an official. If he managed to double Anping County’s grain yield under his administration, and these seeds were later distributed to other regions, within a few years, the entire dynasty could benefit. His political career would be dazzling!

And he knew—Shen Qing wouldn’t joke about something like this. It had to be real! The thought of future harvests set his heart ablaze. “Reward him—he must be rewarded!”

But then, Magistrate Lin sighed with regret. “It’s such a shame he’s a ger. If he weren’t, just based on his achievements—hunting the wild boars, eliminating the wolf pack, and even outshining the county’s best archers today—I could have granted him a position as a du tou (captain), putting the entire yamen’s forces under his command.”

But a ger holding an official position? That was impossible in this world. The only governmental roles open to gers or women were within the imperial palace, serving as attendants to noble consorts—essentially glorified eunuchs, palace maids, or inner court managers. But holding a true office? That was out of the question.

Lin Ning also felt regret on Qing Ge’er’s behalf but said, “That doesn’t mean we should just leave him empty-handed! Qing Ge’er built a manor on the eastern hills of Lantang Village and even paved a road there—that’s a great service to the people! Father, you should grant him an honorary archway, placed at the entrance to his estate, so everyone passing by will know about the good he’s done for the county!”

Magistrate Lin considered the idea and found it quite reasonable. Officially sanctioned archways were far more prestigious than the wooden ones that country gentry and scholars erected outside their homes. The most common official archways were those honoring virtuous widows, but there were other categories as well, recognizing various merits.

He decided he would personally inscribe “Benefactor of the People” on the plaque. Better yet, he would have Shen Qing’s deeds carved into the stone pillars beside it, ensuring that future generations—and even future magistrates—would recognize and respect him.

Still, he sighed again. If only Shen Qing could at least receive an honorary du tou title. Normally, when such recognition was restricted, the honor could be granted to a close male family member instead. By tradition, that would have been Shen Zhuang, a male of the same clan and close bloodline. But after asking Lin Ning, he confirmed that Shen Qing had long severed ties with the Shen family. There wasn’t a single male relative left in his household, and Shen Zhuang especially despised Shen Qing, considering him bad luck.

“Then how about this, Father,” Lin Ning suggested after some thought. “Qing Ge’er seems closer to his mother’s side of the family.” Though even he wasn’t entirely sure—he had seen Shen Qing throw Miao Qiuduo and her husband out of his shop before. “Instead of us making assumptions, why don’t we just ask Qing Ge’er? If he wants to lift up his maternal relatives, we can grant them two positions as yamen officers or village guards. But if he doesn’t care for them, we shouldn’t make arrangements that don’t align with his wishes.”

“His mother’s relatives… That’s the one who wanted to balance a fruit on his head so Shen Qing could shoot it blindfolded?” Magistrate Lin chuckled at the thought. But Lin Ning’s reasoning was sound—rewards should be given in ways that fit the recipient’s desires. He could certainly spare two yamen officer positions, so he agreed and sent Lin Ning to ask Shen Qing directly.

When Shen Qing heard the offer, he was shocked. Getting Magistrate Lin to change his opinion of him was already a huge win, but he hadn’t expected the magistrate to regret not being able to give him an official post.

It reminded him a little of when they allied with the military in the apocalypse, and Qu Weiwei was appointed as a leader at the Third Farm. The difference was that Qu Weiwei could take office, while here, he could not.

Still, this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Just like he had advised Qu Weiwei to take the position at the farm, he knew that having a personal connection in power was far more reliable than depending on external benefactors. But this decision wasn’t his alone—he needed to discuss it with the Miao family.

In Shen Qing’s opinion, the best candidate for the yamen position was Miao Yu. He was close to him, trustworthy, and had decent skills.

The only drawback was that yamen officers were considered part of the bureaucratic system. Though the position was at the county level, it was still respectable and could be inherited by descendants. However, taking the role would bar Miao Yu from ever participating in the imperial exams—similar to how merchants were excluded from certain privileges. There were always trade-offs.

Yet, when he brought it up to the Miao family, they barely cared about those restrictions. “Of course he’ll take it! This is an enormous opportunity—why wouldn’t he?”

To Shen Qing, losing the chance to take the imperial exams seemed like a real drawback. But to the Miaos, it was laughable. “Imperial exams? You think our family has that kind of fortune?”

Their entire village had only ever produced two scholars and one tongsheng (elementary student in the imperial system). Even then, none of them had become officials. At most, they had gained some minor prestige, which allowed them to avoid kneeling in court.

Meanwhile, yamen officers? To the Miao family, they were real government figures—wearing official robes, carrying swords, and visiting villages to collect taxes. In their eyes, that was practically being an official!

“Our family is going to have an official!” they rejoiced. “It’s all thanks to Qing Ge’er! Miao Yu will be an officer, and Miao Ren will take over the family’s tofu shop—official and merchant working together, how can we not thrive?”

Since the Miao family was delighted, Shen Qing agreed. The magistrate had granted two slots, so for the second one, he approached Tieshan’s family.

Tieshan and Aunt Yanzi were stunned beyond words. Never in their wildest dreams did they think such good fortune would fall into their lap. Like the Miao family, they considered being a yamen officer a prestigious, government-backed role.

Aunt Yanzi was overwhelmed. “How can this be? This is too much! We’re just grateful Tieshan gets to work in the county under Qing Ge’er. How could he also become an official?”

Shen Qing smiled. “Why not? Tieshan has always treated me well. When someone tried to make trouble for me before, he didn’t hesitate to stand in front of me.” Though Shen Qing could have handled himself, he was touched by Tieshan’s actions. Besides, having an ally in the village’s local governance was beneficial—if any conflicts arose, even Zhao Youdang would have to think twice before challenging him.

Tieshan’s family was overjoyed and thanked Shen Qing profusely. Tieshan, on the other hand, solemnly swore, “Qing Ge’er, you got me this position, and I didn’t do a thing to earn it! From now on, whatever you say, I’ll do! If I ever disobey you, may I be reincarnated as a big, dumb turtle!”

Shen Qing was laughing so hard he nearly bent over, almost straining his back in the process. He wasn’t sure if it was from all the exertion during the wolf hunt, but these past couple of days, his lower back had been feeling sore.

It seemed he hadn’t been working hard enough lately. Shen Qing reflected on himself—he hadn’t gone hunting in the mountains for a long time. Back in the apocalypse, his missions mostly involved crouching inside metal cages and mechanically firing at targets. There was no need for movement, strategy, or body coordination. This time, perching on a tree for so long must have pulled something.

Regardless, it wasn’t long before Miao Yu and Tieshan went to report for duty at the yamen. Since Magistrate Lin had promoted them on Shen Qing’s account, he naturally looked after them well. He kept them by his side daily—not assigning them any important tasks yet, but giving them plenty of opportunities to observe and learn. It was clear he was grooming them as future trusted aides.

Miao Yu was lively, sharp-witted, and young, while Tieshan was steady, honest, and physically strong. The two complemented each other well. And because Miao Yu was Shen Qing’s actual cousin, he received even more attention and mentorship.

Meanwhile, the honorary archway granted to Shen Qing had already been commissioned, with the government covering all costs. The plaque itself wasn’t finished yet, but Lin Ning had already spread the news throughout the entire city. With this, even fewer people dared to look down on Shen Qing. Those pawnshops that had once offended him—along with the powerful backers behind them—were now so terrified that they barely dared to make a sound, practically tucking their tails between their legs.

At the same time, the vacant Cuihua Shop, which Gold-Tooth had been handling, was finally ready to open for business. Shen Qing had no patience for managing such trivial matters, so he handed everything over to Gold-Tooth and had Ruyi oversee things on the side. His only responsibility was providing goods—most of which he sourced from wholesale markets. Some items were modified for added value, like the small mercury mirrors, which were refitted into decorative wooden jewelry boxes by carpenters. Others included the handwoven knots and hair ribbons made by Ou Ge’er.

“Young Master Shen, there’s no need to rush,” Gold-Tooth said cheerfully. “Once our shop gains a reputation, local girls and gers from the marketplace will naturally bring their embroidered goods to sell. We’ll just have to sit back and collect the merchandise.”

He also introduced Shen Qing to a new shopkeeper, someone with genuine expertise and a solid family background. “This kid’s father used to be the head shopkeeper at that pawnshop, quite skilled in his trade. But later, he offended the owner and got kicked out. No other shop dared hire them, not wanting to provoke the pawnshop’s powerful backers. With their skills going to waste and their family in decline, they recently heard that you weren’t afraid of that pawnshop’s influence and came to me for help.”

“I saw that they truly have talent, so I made the decision to take them in,” Gold-Tooth explained.

Shen Qing nodded casually. “Thanks, Brother Jin. If you picked them, I trust they’re good.”

Gold-Tooth had been acting a little awkward around Shen Qing for a few days after the wolf hunt, but he quickly returned to his old self, once again treating Shen Qing as his equal. Ever since Shen Qing had taken down an entire wolf pack alone, Gold-Tooth had genuinely stopped thinking of him as a ger.

What kind of ger could single-handedly fight off a pack of wolves?

He started thinking like some of the villagers in Lantang—Shen Qing must have been born into the wrong body. He was supposed to be a man! His soul must have been that of a real man, which was why he was still his good brother!

Shen Qing had no idea about Gold-Tooth’s inner musings. In truth, he didn’t put much thought into the shop’s business at all. Now that the fifteen days were nearly up, his entire mind was fixated on the apocalypse. He was impatient to return and see what was happening.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Thandar: I’m curious toooooo

The next day, when Shen Qing went to find Lin Ning, he unexpectedly heard similar reports about the wolves in Anping County. Apparently, the wolf pack hadn’t just been prowling near a few villages—it had even been spotted near Miao Qian Village and the outskirts of the county.

“My father has been troubled by this for days!” Lin Ning looked worried and a bit shaken. “A few nights ago, those wolves were howling so loudly that we could hear them inside the city. It freaked everyone out! Thank goodness for the city walls—otherwise, from the way they sounded, it was like they were ready to break in and start eating people!”

The wolves were also extremely cunning. When the county magistrate sent archers to hunt them down, they scattered and vanished the moment they saw a large group of people—cowards who only preyed on the weak.

Shen Qing recalled how the wolves had avoided Lantang Village because of the ongoing construction and human presence, choosing instead to target the more isolated Xiahe Village. He nodded in understanding.

“Now, my father has put up notices across the county. First, he’s warning people to go home before dark and not to wander into the mountains alone, especially children. Anyone who needs to gather firewood or forage must travel in groups of ten or more. Kids aren’t allowed to run around freely at all.”

“Second, he’s offering a bounty for hunters to track down and eliminate the wolves. But so far, only two people have volunteered. If it were just a lone wolf, maybe they could handle it, but who would dare take on an entire pack with just two men?”

Shen Qing thought for a moment. “I’ll sign up too.”

Lin Ning’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Are you crazy? Those are wolves!”

“This might actually have something to do with me.” Shen Qing wasn’t entirely sure, but he explained how he had exterminated the wild boar population. “Maybe wiping them out removed the wolves’ natural competition, which made them move into the area. I don’t know for sure, but my home is in Lantang Village—if there are wolves roaming around, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Lin Ning was too stunned to speak. He had heard about someone who single-handedly wiped out a wild boar herd last year. His father had even bought a wild boar’s head to use as an offering during the ancestral rites—it wasn’t particularly tasty, but it looked mighty impressive. And now he found out that the “boar hunter” was Shen Qing?!

“I’ll go take the bounty notice now,” Shen Qing said as he stood up. Having something to focus on might help take his mind off the troubles in the apocalypse. There was nothing he could do about that situation—he just had to wait the full fifteen days. He took a few thick paper-wrapped bundles from his pocket and handed them to Lin Ning. “Give these to your father.”

“My father told me not to accept gifts from you…” Lin Ning mumbled. Magistrate Lin seemed to think Shen Qing was trying to bribe his way into his favor, which made him uneasy. He didn’t outright forbid Lin Ning from interacting with him, but he wasn’t exactly welcoming either. Curious, Lin Ning weighed the packages in his hands—they were surprisingly light. Unable to resist, he opened one.

“What’s this?”

Lin Ning had grown up in a farming family—he knew grain seeds when he saw them. But why was Shen Qing giving his father seeds? Weren’t all of Shen Qing’s gifts usually expensive?

“These are seeds I got from a trading trip. They yield more than double the usual harvest.” Shen Qing pulled out another sheet of paper—one that Song Kaiji had copied down for him, detailing the recipe for soil fertilizers. “Use these together for the best results.”

This revelation was even more shocking than the wild boar hunt. Lin Ning’s hands trembled as he held the instructions. After a long silence, he suddenly made a decision—he shoved the seeds and the recipe back at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing was surprised. “What, don’t you believe me?”

“I believe you,” Lin Ning said seriously. “That’s exactly why you shouldn’t give something this important to my father through me.”

Lin Ning was thinking fast. His father was already wary of Shen Qing—if he handed these over now, his father might not even take them seriously. Even if he accepted the seeds, his attitude toward Shen Qing probably wouldn’t change.

“But if you slay the wolves first… and then personally present this to my father when he’s honoring you for your bravery—” Lin Ning smirked. “Let’s see what excuse he’ll have then!”

Shen Qing had already prepared an excuse in advance: “Besides our dynasty, there are many other countries in this world.”

Lin Ning nodded—he was aware of this. Just last winter, around the time Shen Qing had hunted the wild boars, their dynasty had utterly defeated a neighboring southern kingdom in battle. As a result, that kingdom had sent two princesses for a peace marriage. But compared to their own dynasty, those were all just small frontier states. If such high-yield crops existed in those countries, would they still be so weak?

“It’s not those countries,” Shen Qing shook his head. “Beyond our neighboring small states, even farther west, there are many more countries. These places aren’t tiny like the ones around us—they’re as large as our dynasty, if not bigger.”

Shen Qing didn’t actually know what the full picture of this world looked like. But from the textbooks he had studied, he had seen world maps, so he mixed truth with fiction and said, “I met some merchants from those lands and traded for these seeds.”

Shen Qing’s words completely exceeded Lin Ning’s understanding. Countries beyond their neighboring states? He couldn’t even imagine what they were like. Curiosity burned in him, and he pestered Shen Qing for more details. “Those gifts you gave me—the things we’ve never seen before—are they from there too? Do people there dress differently? Do they look good?”

“Not just their clothes,” Shen Qing replied, half-truthfully. “Their hair isn’t black. Some have golden, brown, or even red hair. Their eyes come in all sorts of colors—green, blue, brown. They’re tall, with very pale skin, though some are very dark as well.” He was recalling the foreigners he had seen at Red City Base. “They don’t speak our language either—their speech is strange and incomprehensible.”

Sometimes, Song Kaiji and Qu Weiwei would accidentally say a few words in English. Although Shen Qing had never studied the language, he had picked up a few words. “They call greetings ‘hello’ and say ‘bye-bye’ when parting. Really odd.”

“Bye what? How polite is that?” Lin Ning didn’t understand, but it didn’t stop him from marveling at it. After the initial excitement, however, he felt a little dejected. “I’m really envious of you. You get to travel everywhere, see rare things, and even get your hands on such precious seeds.”

Even though his father doted on him, he could never live a life like Shen Qing’s. His father was considered open-minded enough to let him roam around town with Lin Zao, eating and exploring freely. Yet, even that had earned him gossip—people saying he was a country bumpkin who didn’t know proper etiquette.

Thinking about it soured his mood. “Some people are really ridiculous! They look down on me, yet they insist on inviting me to their flower-viewing parties. Then, once I’m there, they take every chance to mock me for being from the countryside, treating me like some clueless yokel. If they weren’t afraid of offending my father, they wouldn’t invite me in the first place. But what do they gain by insulting me after inviting me?”

Despite saying that, Lin Ning was clearly conflicted—otherwise, he wouldn’t keep attending those gatherings, knowing full well he’d be ridiculed.

“I just don’t understand why they have to host all these flower-viewing banquets and poetry gatherings. If you don’t go, you’re considered unsociable. Even my mother is frustrated. Household matters shouldn’t affect the men’s affairs, but they still do. If not for my father’s reputation, I’d love to punch every single one of them.”

Yet, in the end, he had still embarrassed his father. Lin Ning sulked. But what could he do? He was just a village ger, part of a newly wealthy family. It was bad enough that they secretly mocked him—what made him truly furious was how they also insulted his mother. That was something he couldn’t tolerate.

But etiquette, refinement, and manners weren’t things that could be mastered overnight.

Seeing his frustration, Shen Qing suddenly thought of someone. “If all you want is to attend these banquets without embarrassing yourself, I might know someone who can help.”

---

Jie Miyun hadn’t seen Shen Qing in a long time. Ever since his failed attempt to climb into Shen Qing’s bed, Shen Qing had felt awkward around him. After making things clear, he had sent Jie Miyun to a residence behind the county office to teach young women and gers basic skills. Since then, they hadn’t crossed paths.

The Jie siblings took their teaching seriously, and surprisingly, there were even two promising students who had picked up skills quickly. They weren’t studying for the imperial exams, just learning bookkeeping, basic arithmetic, and literacy—within another six months, they could likely start working in shops and helping Shen Qing with business matters.

Shen Qing thought that since Jie Miyun came from the family of a deputy magistrate, he and his sister carried themselves with a certain refined demeanor, even when not trying. Since County Magistrate Lin had entered officialdom, Lin Ning couldn’t avoid learning these things forever—at the very least, he needed to maintain appearances. If he introduced Jie Miyun to Lin Ning, it might actually help.

But that could wait. First, he needed to deal with the wolf pack.

---

Shen Qing went to Xiahe Village to find Hunter Liu, only to discover that he was one of the two hunters who had responded to the county’s bounty. The other hunter was from the county and wasn’t a professional like Hunter Liu, just someone who occasionally hunted near the outskirts to supplement his household. This time, he had joined out of desperation for the reward money.

Hunter Liu, on the other hand, was personally invested. The child taken by the wolves had been a distant relative of his fulang. Even if there was little interaction between families, a child’s death weighed heavily on the whole village—especially for those who were actually related.

“I heard that when you hunted wild boars, you set up traps. I only caught a few details, but I don’t know the specifics. Do you think those traps would work on wolves?” That was why Hunter Liu had come to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing shook his head and explained the mechanics of the traps he had set, carefully omitting the firearms. “I used a large bow instead. But wolves are far more cunning than wild boars. This method worked on boars—it won’t work on them.”

Hunter Liu, being an experienced hunter himself, knew this was true. He sighed in frustration.

“I do have a plan—but it requires a small team. These wolves are extremely cautious. If there are too many people, they’ll just hide.” From what Shen Qing had observed, this particular wolf pack was very careful—perhaps because they were new to the area. Some wolves were bold enough to attack even with only two or three humans and a few dogs present, but this group was different.

“Not even one more person?” Hunter Liu was eager to participate.

If he brought more people, how would he use his guns? Shen Qing refused firmly. “I need you to gather some strong young men and guard the mountain’s base. If any wolves escape, you need to prevent them from getting into the village.”

Xiahe Village was chosen for the ambush because the wolves avoided Lantang Village, possibly because they had already succeeded in taking a child from Xiahe Village. They might have marked it as an easy target, making frequent appearances there.

Hunter Liu was eventually convinced. The next afternoon, Shen Qing took two sheep and several freshly bloodied chunks of meat and, under Hunter Liu’s guidance, ascended the mountain.

Miao Yu and Tieshan also accompanied him. While Shen Qing was unfamiliar with this mountain range, Hunter Liu knew it well. The two carefully tracked the wolves’ movements until they found an open area with tall trees and clear visibility—an ideal spot where the wolves couldn’t easily hide.

Shen Qing selected a large, sturdy tree and tied one sheep at its base, placing another a short distance away. The fresh meat was set beside them. Then he turned to Hunter Liu, Miao Yu, and Tieshan. “You all should head back. When you hear a noise like rolling thunder, that means my trap has worked. Wait an hour before coming up to meet me.”

He carried a large bow—an intentional misdirection. He also held a cloth bag, its bulging shape concealing its contents. Hunter Liu glanced at him but didn’t ask further. A hunter’s tools were their livelihood—no one would casually reveal them.

Miao Yu, however, grinned, flashing white teeth. “I know! Last time, when Cousin hunted the wild boars, everyone thought it was winter thunder. I remember that sound!”

Shen Qing patted his shoulder. “Stay safe.”

Miao Yu carried a crossbow but kept it hidden. Wolves might not flee downhill, but this was also a way to send Hunter Liu away. Even Miao Yu and Tieshan were there mainly to ensure Hunter Liu didn’t secretly stay behind.

Once the three had left, Shen Qing climbed the tree and settled onto the thickest branch with the best vantage point.

He tossed the bow and cloth bag back into his space and retrieved a semi-automatic rifle, a silencer, a sniper rifle, and night vision gear, equipping himself completely.

Last time, when he hunted wild boars, Shen Qing had nearly run out of bullets by the end of it. The thought still gave him chills. But now, with his storage space fully stocked with weapons, he felt completely confident.

As night fell, the sheep tied beneath the tree seemed to understand that they were bait. They trembled violently, their bleating carrying a distinct note of fear. Hiding in the tree, Shen Qing occasionally imitated a wolf’s howl to lure the pack.

The trick worked well. The wolves, believing that one of their own had found prey and was calling for backup, soon appeared in the vicinity. Their eyes gleamed green in the darkness as they drew closer.

Shen Qing remained motionless, lying prone on the branch. This was different from hunting wild boars—wolves were intelligent. If he had set up a net trap like before, the wolves wouldn’t have walked into it.

Since there was no way to block off their escape, his only option was to lure them in as close as possible before taking them out one by one. Fortunately, wolves held grudges. If one of them was killed, the pack wouldn’t flee immediately unless they were at a complete disadvantage. They would try to retaliate. Only when they saw no hope of winning would they retreat, planning to return for revenge another day.

This particular pack consisted of six wolves, including one that was nearly mature and five robust adult wolves. The alpha was especially large and imposing.

They had discovered that the wild boars that once occupied this territory had long since perished. With the land now vacant, the nearby villages—full of humans and their livestock—became an enticing food reserve, too tempting to resist.

The wolves had grown fond of this territory and had no desire to return to their original domain. Hearing what they thought was a companion’s call, they eagerly approached, spotting the sheep and catching the faint scent of blood in the air, which heightened their excitement.

But unlike wild boars, who would recklessly rush forward for a feast, the wolves were cautious. They observed their surroundings and studied the sheep, as if questioning why the prey was conveniently positioned in such a spot.

The sheep, now under the scrutiny of the entire pack, cried out more pitifully than ever. Shen Qing held his breath, gripping his semi-automatic rifle, not daring to make a sound for fear of startling the wolves.

After a long pause, seemingly convinced that there was no immediate danger, the wolves finally started creeping toward the sheep. When they were just three to five meters away, Shen Qing pulled the trigger.

After spending so much time in the apocalypse, completing countless missions, his marksmanship had drastically improved. He wasted no shots—three bullets, three wolves hit. His accuracy, however, wasn’t perfect in terms of target placement.

The wounded wolves didn’t die immediately. They spun in place like tops before collapsing, twitching on the ground. Unlike wild boars, they didn’t let out tragic howls. Perhaps they knew their fate was sealed. Some lay still, resigned to their deaths, while others let out a few mournful calls, as if sending a final message to their pack.

---

“Got them!” Down at the foot of the mountain, Hunter Liu instinctively tried to rush up as soon as he heard the gunfire, but Miao Yu yanked him back.

“We’re supposed to wait,” Miao Yu reminded him firmly. “That was only a few shots. My cousin said we have to wait until the gunfire completely stops, then wait another full hour before heading up.”

Hunter Liu hesitated but eventually stopped, though he kept glancing toward the mountain, his admiration growing. “Your cousin is amazing… How long has it been? Just three shots, and that’s three wolves down?”

He had learned from his father, receiving formal hunting instruction. Yet somehow, Shen Qing—who had only secretly learned bits and pieces—was far superior to him. It left him feeling conflicted, but at the same time, he was proud that their region had such a capable man.

There were no traps, no pits—just a single large bow, and yet Shen Qing had managed to deal with the wolves.

---

The remaining three wolves immediately fled when their companions were shot. But through his night vision scope, Shen Qing saw that they hadn’t run far. After escaping the danger zone, they circled back and fixated on their fallen packmates.

The wolf king lifted its head and let out a long, echoing howl.

It thought it was safe, far enough from danger. But in the next second, Shen Qing switched to his sniper rifle and fired a single shot, piercing straight through the alpha’s heart.

The previously injured wolves had twitched and struggled for a moment before dying, but the alpha collapsed instantly, rigid and lifeless.

The two remaining wolves finally realized that their opponent was too powerful, one they had no chance of defeating. Until now, they hadn’t even seen their attacker—only that the shots had come from somewhere in the tree.

Exchanging brief, urgent signals, the two wolves abandoned their thoughts of revenge and turned to flee. But Shen Qing swiftly fired another four or five shots. Wolves in motion were much harder to hit, but in the end, he managed to wipe out all six.

Exhaling in relief, he waited in the tree for another ten minutes. No other creatures appeared. Apart from the sheep’s trembling bleats, the forest had fallen into absolute silence.

Shen Qing pulled several emergency lights from his storage space and set them near the sheep, keeping one in his hand. Then, he retrieved the wolf corpses that had fallen farther away and lit a bonfire—a deterrent for any hidden predators in the darkness. The area reeked of blood, and he didn’t want to attract anything else. The fire would keep most creatures at bay.

Following his usual routine, Shen Qing used a dagger to extract the bullets from the wolves’ wounds. Then, to cover his tracks, he either stabbed the wounds further or inserted arrows into them, making it look like a more traditional hunt.

Of the first three wolves that had been shot, one had already died, while the other two were still weakly gasping. Shen Qing didn’t take any chances. From a safe distance, he fired several crossbow bolts, turning the two remaining wolves into pincushions before approaching.

Better safe than sorry. Getting ambushed by an injured wolf at this point would be a disaster.

Once everything was handled, Shen Qing sat down beside the sheep, patting one of their heads. “See? I only used you as bait—you were never in real danger.”

What he didn’t realize was that, from the sheep’s perspective, Shen Qing was scarier than the wolves. The moment he touched it, the poor creature was so terrified it didn’t even dare to bleat.

---

When Hunter Liu, Miao Yu, and the others finally arrived, they were utterly shocked—they hadn’t expected the two sheep to still be alive.

“Take them back and take good care of them,” Shen Qing said with a smile. “They’ve done their duty.”

Hunter Liu was speechless, while Miao Yu dashed forward excitedly to inspect the wolf carcasses. His admiration for Shen Qing had reached an all-time high. “Cousin, you’re too amazing! My god!” He didn’t even bother asking how Shen Qing had killed the wolves—he simply assumed that his cousin was so incredible that the wolves had died just because he wanted them to.

His cousin was the greatest!

The group quickly carried the wolf corpses down the mountain. Miao Yu wanted to bang drums and announce the victory, but even without that, Shen Qing was already the hero of the entire region—especially in Xiahe Village, where the first victim had been a child from their community.

The grieving parents rushed over, first kicking and cursing the dead wolves before breaking down in sobs and bowing repeatedly to Shen Qing. The village chief, overwhelmed with emotion, immediately ordered a grand feast in Shen Qing’s honor. Shen Qing tried to refuse but was unable to, so he sat and exchanged a few words with the village chief. In truth, he had no appetite. After killing the wolves, the thick scent of blood was making him nauseous.

He found it strange. When he had hunted wild boars, he hadn’t felt this way. Perhaps life had been too good lately—back then, he had just started experiencing wealth, and seeing the boars had felt like staring at a mountain of meat. He had been more eager to eat than to worry about the blood.

It was Hunter Liu’s husband, a fellow ger, who noticed Shen Qing’s discomfort and quickly arranged hot water for him to clean up.

That night, Xiahe Village celebrated, and the next morning, the village chief arranged for a procession to carry the wolf carcasses into town, complete with drumbeats and fanfare, to present Shen Qing’s achievement to the county magistrate.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Thandar: could Qing Ge’er be pregnant? Ahh this isn’t a good time. I wonder when ML can cross over.

Tonight, the area around Song Kaiji was eerily quiet—unnaturally so.

They lived in a row of townhouses, with neighbors on both sides. To the right was an ability-user squad that either drank when they returned from missions or played cards when they stayed in. They were the type to constantly complain without a care and had no property management to rein them in. Yet tonight, they were eerily silent, as if they had gone to sleep unusually early.

On the left side lived a large family spanning three generations. The usual sounds of crying children and the chatter of an auntie who loved to talk while working in the yard were completely absent, as if they had never existed. The three closely built townhouses all glowed with warm, peaceful lighting, but inside, there was no sign of movement.

With the instincts of someone who had fought for a long time, Song Kaiji knew he should turn around and leave. But at this moment, thinking of his mother and his companions inside, he stood frozen at the villa’s entrance, clenching his fists.

---

Meanwhile, Feng Hao was deeply frustrated.

That morning, he had just learned that Qu Weiwei’s former captain, Shen Qing, was the same person he had encountered on his first day at Red City Base—the one who wasn’t attacked by zombies. He hadn’t even figured out what to do next when news came that Shen Qing had already left the base.

“He ran?” Feng Hao shot up from his chair.

The subordinate in front of him hesitated, unsure. “Maybe it was just a routine mission. The information hadn’t leaked, and barely anyone even knew we were watching him—he had no reason to run. Their squad used to leave the base regularly for missions… By the time we noticed, he was already gone.” In other words, they hadn’t been able to track where he went.

“At this time of night, what team would still be going out on a mission?” Feng Hao paced anxiously. Was this a coincidence, or had information been leaked? In his mind, Chen Jiaxi’s face flashed for an instant.

But he had no proof. Chen Jiaxi’s rank was not low, and without evidence, he had nothing to accuse her with. A coincidence? He wasn’t willing to bet on that.

Gritting his teeth, Feng Hao made a decision. “Report to the higher-ups. The individual I mentioned—the one who isn’t attacked by zombies—has finally been found. The situation is special. I’m requesting authorization to temporarily detain his squad members and family!”

---

At this moment, Shen Qing had already returned to Lantang Village.

As the sun set over the hills, villagers working in the fields and workshops were heading home in twos and threes. Rarely, the village had even lit two torches—one in the village center and one near the workshop—serving as streetlights.

When the villagers saw Shen Qing, those who had once greeted him warmly now seemed somewhat hesitant. Only a few aunties who were close to him and had always looked after him said a few words in passing.

Shen Qing wasn’t in the mood to care about their reactions. His mind was too preoccupied. After exchanging a few words, he quickly returned home.

Once he was out of earshot, a few villagers whispered among themselves.

“We used to see Qing Ge’er all the time, but now we don’t even dare say a word to him.”

“That’s just because you’re scared! He’s not a wolf—what, do you think he’ll gobble you up?” Another villager scoffed. “As long as you haven’t done anything guilty, what’s there to be afraid of? Even if you did, it’s not like you wronged him. What could he do to you?”

“Still… seeing him with that stern look on his face gives me the chills…”

“Not a wolf, but creepy all the same.”

---

“Qing Ge’er? Why are you back so early? Have you eaten? Want me to fix you something?”

Before Shen Qing even stepped inside, two little dogs had already barked a few times as a greeting. Recognizing him as family, they quickly quieted down and wagged their tails while sitting in the courtyard, waiting for Miao Shi.

Miao Shi rolled up her sleeves. Lately, Lian Ou and Lian Rong had been eating at their house frequently. Although Shen Qing had allowed it, Second Aunt Lian still felt a little embarrassed, so she had sent over some wild goods from the mountains as a token of gratitude.

Dried fungus, mushrooms, walnuts, chestnuts… Tonight, Miao Shi had made chestnut-braised chicken. She, Lian Ou, and Lian Rong had only eaten half of it, saving the other half in a clay pot for the next day.

Shen Qing waved a hand. “No need, mother. I already ate.” His mind was weighed down, his body exhausted. He didn’t say much and went straight to his room, flopping onto the bed.

The events of today felt like a boulder crushing his chest, but stressing over it wouldn’t solve anything. All he could do was hope that Song Kaiji successfully killed Feng Hao—he himself was completely powerless to change anything.

Lying on the bed for a while, Shen Qing soon realized that after getting used to modern soft mattresses, this wooden plank bed felt unbearably hard. He tossed and turned but couldn’t get comfortable, so he simply sat up.

His room now had a large, wide table. While he had been away, Lian Ou had been using this space to practice weaving cords according to pattern designs. His work was beginning to take shape—though it was still rough compared to the knots tied by skilled embroiderers in town, it was decent. The main issue was maintaining even tension; if the knots were too tight, they would lack grace. Lian Ou hadn’t fully grasped the technique yet and was still experimenting.

Still, the pieces looked quite nice.

Shen Qing was pleased. At Lian Ou’s current level, he might struggle to sell his work in a major shop like a country cuihua shop, where picky city customers would find faults. But if he made hair ties for the village market, they would definitely be in high demand.

As he admired Lian Ou’s handiwork, Miao Shi walked in with a bowl of chestnuts. “Try some. Your Second Aunt Lian just sent these over—this batch won’t last long.”

Meat was no longer a rarity for their household, but wild-grown goods were always appreciated for their freshness.

In past years, Shen Qing would have foraged for chestnuts himself. Not far from Lantang Village, there were two chestnut trees, but they were always picked clean by the villagers. Deeper in the mountains, there was a grove of six or seven trees, heavy with fruit, but no one dared venture that far—except for Shen Qing, who used to share them with the squirrels.

He wasn’t particularly hungry after eating Mother Tang’s dinner earlier, but seeing the golden, soft chestnuts with their subtle chicken-infused saltiness, his appetite stirred. He ate two, finding them fluffy and sweet, perfectly balanced with the savory broth. “I’ll go pick some later—won’t be any trouble.”

The chestnut trees were near the entrance of the mountain cave—not far from his usual path.

However, Miao Shi’s expression turned a little odd. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Did you hear anything strange in the mountains on your way back?”

Shen Qing frowned. “What kind of strange noise?”

“Wolves!” Miao Shi’s face scrunched up in concern. “But no one’s sure if it’s true or not. There have been rumors— not just in our village, but in the surrounding ones too. I won’t even let Lian Ou come home too late anymore, just in case.”

Their courtyard was right at the foot of the mountain. Luckily, they had two dogs—not that they could fend off wolves, but at least they would alert them to danger. Their yard was well-fortified, with the workshop and patrol teams nearby, so Miao Shi wasn’t too worried about home security. But she was genuinely concerned about something happening to Lian Ou on the way home.

The incident started in Xiahe Village when an eight- or nine-year-old child went missing while playing in the mountains alone. They only found one of his shoes, with traces of blood nearby. The village elders took one look and concluded that the child had been taken by wolves—most likely, he was already gone. The child’s parents broke down in grief on the spot.

Because of her own past experiences, Miao Shi couldn’t bear to hear such stories. “And it’s not just Xiahe Village. Your uncle’s family also said they heard wolves howling near their village late at night—not often, just once or twice, but it was terrifying enough. Our village is the only one that hasn’t heard them.”

The villages in this area had always struggled with wild boars, but they had never encountered wolves before. People tend to fear the unknown, and while wild boars were strong and dangerous, wolves sounded even more terrifying. “Now, in the nearby villages, parents don’t dare let their children run around freely anymore. Even adults won’t go up the mountains alone—they have to travel in groups of seven or eight men. Your Second Aunt Lian got those chestnuts before this trouble started, but who’s going to pick them now? No one’s going to risk their life just for a snack.”

Chestnuts weren’t even a staple crop—just a casual treat.

Shen Qing suddenly understood. No wonder the village had gone all out and even lit torches this time. He recalled that after dealing with the wild boars, he had once heard wolves howling at night while he was up in the mountains. At the time, he thought maybe after the wild boars were wiped out, other predators had moved in to claim the vacant territory. But the howling had been distant, and he never heard it again, so he had dismissed it.

Could a wolf pack really have moved in near the village? Shen Qing’s heart sank. Just as things in the apocalypse were spiraling out of control, now his village had a new problem.

Suddenly, he lost his appetite. What once seemed like sweet, fragrant chestnuts now tasted greasy and unappealing after soaking up the chicken broth.

Frowning, he set his chopsticks down. “This might actually be partly my fault. I shouldn’t have wiped out all the wild boars—I should’ve left a few piglets and culled them periodically every few years.” After all, he had only learned hunting techniques from secretly watching the old hunters. He could imitate their methods, and with a few pointers, he had picked things up quickly. But no one had ever systematically taught him about animal territories and ecological balance.

However, since he had asked Gold-Tooth to bring craftsmen to build houses and roads near the East Mountain cave, clearing a large area of forest, human activity had likely scared the wolves away from Lantang Village. That must be why they were only haunting the areas around Shiqu Village and Xiahe Village instead.

“How is this your fault?” Miao Shi disagreed. “The whole village relies on you to deal with these things. If the men here can’t step up, who else is going to do it? Who has the right to blame you?” She grumbled a bit before adding, “By the way, Hunter Liu came by a few days ago, but since you weren’t home, he left without saying much.”

She suspected he had come looking for help. After all, news of Shen Qing’s wild boar hunt had spread far and wide. Since the victim this time was a child from Xiahe Village, and Hunter Liu had moved there, he must have been anxious to do something. He was probably hoping to gather hunters from nearby villages to either kill or drive off the wolf pack.

Shen Qing paused. Wolves weren’t a problem for him now—he had a stockpile of weapons in his storage space and could flatten the entire mountain if needed. But if he joined a hunting party, it would be difficult to use his modern weaponry without drawing suspicion. Thinking it over, he finally said, “If he comes looking for me again, we’ll talk then.”

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Qu Weiwei unceremoniously slapped away the hand reaching toward her, showing no intention of shaking hands. “So? What do you want from me? I have no interest in associating with people from the research institute.”

Feng Hao withdrew his hand without any awkwardness, smiling good-naturedly. He didn’t bring up Shen Qing and the others again, instead addressing Qu Weiwei directly. “We’ll all be colleagues from now on, part of the same system. There’s no harm in getting to know each other, right? The military has quite a few misunderstandings about our research institute. Since Deputy Director Qu will be part of the family now, it’d be great if you could put in a good word for us. But it seems like Deputy Director Qu isn’t very welcoming?”

Qu Weiwei let out a cold snort and sat down at the table. “There’s absolutely no need to get acquainted. I probably won’t be here for long.” She decisively used Shen Qing’s speculation as a shield. “I’m just here as a temporary transition, that’s all. As for whatever grudges exist between me and the research institute, I’m sure your people are well aware of them.” She turned her head slightly and shot a sidelong glance at Chen Jiaxi, who was still standing at the door. “So, certain people don’t need to target me or compete with me over this little bit of authority in the farm. I have no interest in you people at all!”

Chen Jiaxi: “…”

This little brat was really putting on a show with her.

Feng Hao looked at Qu Weiwei helplessly. “Even within the research institute, there are different departments. The decisions before were made by the agricultural division, which has nothing to do with our vaccine research lab…” But seeing that Qu Weiwei seemed neither very bright nor reasonable, and with such a terrible temper, he decided to drop it for now. “Alright then… Today is Deputy Director Qu’s first day reporting in. I’m sure you have a lot to take care of, so I won’t disturb you. We’ll talk another time if there’s an opportunity.”

Qu Weiwei completely ignored him. Feng Hao, feeling like he had hit a wall, sighed helplessly before finally turning and leaving.

As soon as he was gone, Qu Weiwei turned to look at Chen Jiaxi, only to see her give a barely noticeable shake of her head. She then said, “There may be some misunderstandings between Deputy Director Qu and us. We’re all colleagues and should work together sincerely. There’s no such thing as targeting anyone, so please don’t overthink it.”

“Deputy Director Qu should take some time to familiarize herself with the work first. We’ll talk when the field chief returns. For now, we won’t disturb you.” Chen Jiaxi discreetly traced a few strokes in Qu Weiwei’s palm and gave her a meaningful look before leading her husband away.

Sure enough, Feng Hao was waiting outside, leaning against the window, still gazing in the direction Shen Qing and the others had left.

Today, Shen Qing was wrapped up tightly. He wore a black hoodie with the hood pulled up, covering his bun. He also wore a mask that concealed the lower half of his face. His figure had changed significantly from when he first arrived in the post-apocalyptic world. After spending so much time learning to act like a wealthy young master, even his posture had undergone a major transformation.

Yet, Feng Hao recognized him at a glance.

As a psychic ability user specializing in the brain, Feng Hao’s memory was naturally excellent. The scene of the zombies bypassing Shen Qing and charging directly at him had been replayed in his mind countless times, to the point that it had practically been worn smooth.

He had searched for so long for that one person whom zombies wouldn’t attack, and yet that person had been right under his nose all along—the captain of Qu Weiwei’s squad.

There must be some kind of antibody in this person’s body. Feng Hao felt his blood boiling with excitement. His research was just one step away from a breakthrough. If he could obtain Shen Qing, the apocalypse might very well end at his hands. He would become a hero, a savior of all humanity!

Forcing himself to calm down, Feng Hao noticed Chen Jiaxi and her husband also stepping out of Qu Weiwei’s office. Turning back with a smile, he remarked, “This Deputy Director Qu has quite the temper.”

He took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled out two, and handed one to Chen Jiaxi’s husband, Wang Xun. Cigarettes were a rare commodity these days—one was worth more than ten coarse grain biscuits—so for Feng Hao to casually take out a whole pack showed just how privileged his position and treatment at the research institute were.

Wang Xun hesitated, declining a few times before finally accepting it. He sniffed the cigarette under his nose but was reluctant to light it.

Feng Hao observed his behavior with secret amusement, inwardly mocking his pettiness and small-mindedness—truly the mannerisms of someone who had clawed his way up from the bottom. On the surface, however, he maintained a warm smile. “So, what are your plans?” He tapped the cigarette in the direction of Qu Weiwei’s office.

Chen Jiaxi’s expression turned slightly disdainful, and she let out a cold snort. “She’d better be telling the truth about leaving soon. The sooner she gets lost, the better—she’s an eyesore. Otherwise, I won’t be polite.”

Wang Xun rubbed the cigarette between his fingers for a while before finally lighting it and taking a puff. “I don’t think she’s the type to seize power, and she doesn’t seem to have the brains for it either. If she’s just here to get by and collect her salary, I don’t mind coexisting peacefully. We’re all just trying to survive—there’s no need to make things so tense.”

Chen Jiaxi merely let out another cold snort, clearly unsatisfied with how Qu Weiwei had bluntly laid everything out earlier.

Feng Hao gave the couple an interested glance before quickly shifting his gaze back to the window.

Chen Jiaxi, for her part, found today’s events rather strange. Feng Hao belonged to a different department, and he had little to do with the Third Farm aside from the fact that the farm supplied mutated plants for their experiments and vaccine research. The vaccine project had been at a standstill for a long time—the research institute hadn’t shut it down, but it had become somewhat of an afterthought. Even the higher-ups didn’t hold much hope that the lab would actually develop a vaccine. Or rather, they didn’t believe that a small research institute in Red City had the capability to produce such a breakthrough.

If there were to be any real progress, it would come from the capital.

And yet, this person—who had never interacted with her before—had insisted on tagging along with her to see Qu Weiwei today. Who knew what had gotten into him?

Earlier, Chen Jiaxi had keenly sensed that Feng Hao wasn’t actually trying to build rapport with Qu Weiwei—he was probing her. And judging by his behavior, he seemed to have some connection to Shen Qing’s squad. She was curious but didn’t dare act rashly and attempt to peer into Feng Hao’s memory.

After all, he was also a psychic ability user specializing in the brain.

There were only six psychic ability users of this type in the entire Red City base, including herself, and all of them worked at the research institute. However, their powers had evolved in different directions—Chen Jiaxi’s ability allowed her to read people’s memories, while Feng Hao’s talent lay in intelligence enhancement and cognitive development. Ever since awakening his abilities, he had helped various departments overcome major research bottlenecks, including the Agricultural Division’s previous hybrid seed projects.

The only field where he had made no progress was the vaccine research he personally oversaw. But Chen Jiaxi understood—after all, even the most skilled woman couldn’t cook a meal without ingredients. If no substance capable of resisting the zombie virus existed in this world, what could he possibly develop?

However, given that he was also a psychic ability user, Chen Jiaxi wasn’t sure if attempting to read his memory would be detected. So for now, she chose not to take any risks.

Chen Jiaxi had grown much smarter now, and her psychic abilities had improved as well. With just a glance, she could absorb the memories of ordinary people. For ability users, it required more mental energy, but it wasn’t particularly difficult.

However, she never admitted to this in public. Instead, she claimed that her ability required her to stare into someone’s eyes for at least thirty seconds to read their memories. Having such a condition made others significantly less wary of her.

Like now, Feng Hao was deliberately avoiding her gaze, making sure not to meet her eyes.

Suppressing her doubts, Chen Jiaxi turned to Wang Xun and said, “I’m heading back first. Walk me out.”

Wang Xun raised an eyebrow at her before turning to Feng Hao. “We’ll be off, then.”

Feng Hao didn’t turn around, only giving a casual response.

Behind him, Wang Xun held Chen Jiaxi’s hand as they walked forward. Chen Jiaxi kept moving, but her body twisted slightly as she concentrated on probing Feng Hao’s memories.

In just an instant, she withdrew her psychic energy.

Perhaps sensing something, Feng Hao turned back, staring at the couple’s retreating figures.

Now it was his turn to fix his gaze on Chen Jiaxi.

However, just a few steps later, Chen Jiaxi suddenly stopped and swiftly turned her head, locking eyes with him.

Feng Hao immediately averted his gaze.

“Why is Engineer Feng staring at me?” Chen Jiaxi raised an eyebrow.

At this moment, most of Feng Hao’s suspicions faded. If Chen Jiaxi had truly peeked into his memories just now, she wouldn’t be acting so openly. Instead, she would have pretended nothing had happened—even if she realized he was staring at her, she would have forced herself to ignore it and walk away.

This reaction was much more natural. As a psychic ability user himself, how could he not sense when someone was watching him from behind?

…But there was also the possibility that she was deliberately using reverse psychology. After all, they were both psychic ability users—who was really outsmarting whom? That said, there was no conflict of interest or prior grievances between him and Chen Jiaxi. Besides, they hadn’t even made direct eye contact earlier. Feng Hao reasoned that Chen Jiaxi wouldn’t have had either the motivation or the opportunity to pry into his memories.

“It’s nothing. I just thought Miss Chen’s silhouette looked familiar,” he said.

“Oh? Now that’s a rather cliché… excuse.” Chen Jiaxi chuckled but didn’t press further. This time, she and Wang Xun truly left.

Feng Hao, on the other hand, shifted his focus back to Qu Weiwei’s office, deep in thought.

---

After an exhausting day at work, Qu Weiwei finally returned to the villa, completely drained.

“So tired. Having to deal with all kinds of people, including a bunch who have nothing to do with my job but still insist on getting involved. This is the first time I’ve realized that I, too, have a social battery that runs out. I really don’t feel like talking anymore.” She collapsed onto the sofa. “And lunch wasn’t even good.”

The first day of her new position had mostly been about getting acquainted with different departments on the farm. She already knew a few mid-level managers from before, though they hadn’t spoken much back then. As for the higher-ups, they had all been replaced—mostly with military personnel.

The new head of the Third Farm was on equal footing with Shao Nan, and the two seemed to have some past acquaintance. Knowing Qu Weiwei’s circumstances, he hadn’t assigned her too much work, treating her quite well.

All in all, the entire day had just been about putting names to faces.

Mother Tang looked at her with concern. “How come you didn’t eat well? What would you like for dinner? Auntie will cook for you.”

It wasn’t that the food was bad. In fact, the farm’s cafeteria meals were quite generous—two vegetable dishes and unlimited rice, which was considered excellent treatment in the base. But compared to the meals at Shen Qing’s place, where meat and eggs were regularly on the table, it was quite lacking.

After thinking for a moment, she told Mother Tang the names of two dishes she wanted, then ran off to find Shen Qing. “Boss, do you know someone named Feng Hao? He works at the research institute.”

“Feng Hao?” Shen Qing shook his head, though the name felt vaguely familiar. “What about him?”

“I don’t know either. He keeps trying to dig for information about our squad, but I ignored him. Oh, right—Jiaxi told Xiao Song to go see her tonight before she left the office.” This was the message Chen Jiaxi had discreetly written in Qu Weiwei’s palm before departing.

“I can bring Qingqing along,” Song Kaiji said, quite pleased with himself for now being able to teleport others as well. So after dinner, he took Shen Qing and set off.

He also brought along a dish Mother Tang had made—braised pork ribs with potatoes and beans—as a little extra for the kid.

Chen Jiaxi’s youngest son let out a small cheer but, noticing his parents’ expressions, obediently sat back down. Chen Jiaxi smiled. “Go ahead, eat it with your brother.” Then she turned to Wang Xun and gave him a little push. “You should go, too.”

Wang Xun understood that they had something to discuss, so he tactfully took the children into the room.

Nowadays, Chen Jiaxi’s family no longer lived in a tin shack. After being promoted to a mid-level position at the research institute, her salary had increased significantly. Wang Xun had also been working in logistics at the city wall, earning a decent income. Apart from the energy crystals Chen Jiaxi used to enhance her abilities, they had also improved their living conditions, moving into a one-bedroom apartment in the outer city.

The couple shared the bedroom, while the living room had a bunk bed for the children, with a curtain separating it from the dining area.

At the moment, Chen Jiaxi was sitting at the dining table with Shen Qing and Song Kaiji. She fiddled with the cuff of her sleeve for a long time before cautiously glancing at Song Kaiji, then at Shen Qing. “You… you aren’t attacked by zombies, are you?”

Shen Qing and Song Kaiji abruptly lifted their heads to look at her.

Chen Jiaxi immediately raised her hands. “I swear I didn’t peek into your memory! I made an oath!” Then, she recounted everything that had happened at the Third Farm that day. Compared to Qu Weiwei’s version, her account was far more detailed. “I found him really strange, so when I left, I pried into his memory. And in his memories… I saw you.”

In truth, her suspicions ran far deeper.

In Feng Hao’s memories, Shen Qing looked completely different from now. His face showed fear and confusion, he clutched a strangely shaped short knife, and he wore a set of ragged, heavily patched ancient-style clothes while carrying a handwoven bamboo basket on his back. If she hadn’t seen Shen Qing in real life, she might have mistaken this memory as a scene from a historical drama.

Maybe something like a woodcutter randomly stopped by Sun Wukong to ask for directions.

Then the memory showed Feng Hao running faster and faster, overtaking Shen Qing. Shen Qing did not do as expected and kill the newly-turned zombie that was once Xiao Wang. Instead, he ran along with them, almost outpacing Feng Hao.

The Shen Qing that Chen Jiaxi knew would never have feared a newly mutated zombie. But in this memory, Shen Qing’s face was filled with terror and panic.

Then, Feng Hao had kicked Shen Qing’s leg. Shen Qing fell, the zombie ignored him, and continued chasing after Feng Hao.

Beyond the shock of realizing that zombies wouldn’t attack Shen Qing, Chen Jiaxi also developed some secret suspicions. Unlike the simple-minded Song Kaiji, who might just assume Shen Qing was some historical clothing enthusiast, she had seen enough dramas and web novels in her spare time—stories of transmigration, reincarnation, and adventures in other worlds…

She discreetly observed Shen Qing’s expression.

As soon as she mentioned this, combined with the surname Feng, Shen Qing instantly remembered who he was. What terrible luck—this guy hadn’t died and was even working at the research institute!

Now that Chen Jiaxi knew, there was no point in hiding anything—it wouldn’t work anyway. With no choice, Shen Qing admitted, “Yes. I don’t know why, but zombies really don’t attack me.” His only guess was that it had something to do with him coming from another world.

“He’s been looking for Shen Qing? What does he plan to do?” Song Kaiji asked nervously.

Chen Jiaxi hesitated for a moment before saying, “He’s researching a zombie vaccine. Before he encountered Shen Qing, the vaccine lab was focused on developing an injection that could prevent infected individuals—those bitten or scratched by zombies—from turning. Ideally, they wanted to create a vaccine that, if taken in advance, would provide temporary immunity to zombie infections.”

“But after meeting Shen Qing, Feng Hao joined the vaccine lab and proposed a new direction—he wanted to develop a vaccine that would make zombies ignore all humans, just like they ignore Shen Qing.”

After uncovering this memory, Chen Jiaxi had wrestled with indecision. To be honest, after witnessing firsthand that zombies truly ignored Shen Qing, she didn’t think Feng Hao’s idea was a fantasy—it might actually be achievable. Of course, whether the vaccine could be mass-produced was another matter.

As someone living in the apocalypse, she naturally hoped for the development of such a vaccine and the eventual restoration of civilization. But as someone who had received Shen Qing’s kindness…

“He wants to find Shen Qing and use him as an experiment.” Chen Jiaxi chose to tell them the truth.

She immediately noticed the brief look of bewilderment on Shen Qing’s face, while Song Kaiji’s expression changed drastically.

Chen Jiaxi’s suspicions deepened further. Suppressing her swirling thoughts, she suggested to Shen Qing, “In a few days, I’ll investigate everyone in the research lab to see how far they’re planning to go. If they only need a small sample of blood… I’m sorry, but I hope you can provide it. If you don’t want to show yourself, you can donate anonymously, and I’ll deliver it—I swear I won’t betray you. But if they want more, I’ll tell you immediately.” However, based on her understanding of the research institute, she highly doubted Feng Hao would be satisfied with just a little blood.

“It will take about five to ten days. Until I find out what they really intend to do, you should lay low, no matter where you are.”

“Yes, yes!” Song Kaiji nearly jumped up. “You should leave for now, don’t come back for a while. That Feng Hao guy sounds like bad news. Someone who would push his own teammates in front of zombies just to save himself—do you really think he’d be satisfied with just a bit of blood? I don’t believe it! The best way to handle this is to make sure he never finds you. We really underestimated the danger this time…”

His mind was a mess. Their secret was exposed. This was real trouble. What could they do now? Leave Red City and go to another base? But the entrance to Shen Qing’s original world was right next to the Red City base—it wasn’t something that could just be moved to another location.

Still, at least Feng Hao had been exposed too. Now they could take precautions.

Chen Jiaxi keenly caught the words “go back” and “come over.”

Shen Qing’s thoughts were just as chaotic. How had things turned out this way? Just when life was getting easier—when they had military backing, fully developed abilities, and strong combat power—why did Feng Hao have to show up out of nowhere? And now, there was no way the military could help him.

Although he wasn’t from this world, Shen Qing understood just how tempting this was to apocalypse survivors. If they could make all humans immune to zombie attacks, what a miracle that would be! If his secret got out, the military wouldn’t protect him.

Shen Qing wasn’t sure what “experiments” meant, but the mention of blood made him uneasy. The best treatment the military might offer him would be to keep him alive—like livestock—and regularly drain his blood.

As for Feng Hao? He would likely go further. Would he dissect him? Crack open his skull to see if he had some kind of energy crystal inside?

“Thank you, Jiaxi.” Song Kaiji expressed his gratitude first, then hastily pulled out a handful of energy crystals and some food from his storage space, dumping them onto the table. “We need to think this through carefully. Don’t tell anyone about the blood yet… We need to figure this out. We’ll be going now.”

Without waiting for Chen Jiaxi to react, he immediately teleported them back to the villa.

“You should stay away for now, don’t come back,” Song Kaiji said in a panic. Shen Qing didn’t fully understand what “experiments” entailed, but he did! In the apocalypse, where law and morality were crumbling, if Shen Qing were captured for research, who knew if he’d survive? At this moment, Song Kaiji cursed his own weak abilities and poor combat skills a thousand times over.

They didn’t even have anyone to discuss this with! Not even Qu Weiwei or Tang Wenjie knew about Shen Qing’s immunity to zombies. Song Kaiji didn’t dare tell them either. After all, as an apocalypse survivor, who wouldn’t want the pandemic to end? If this were happening to a stranger instead of Shen Qing, wouldn’t even he secretly hope that person would donate some blood?

And if a little wasn’t enough? Would he wish for more?

You could never truly test human nature.

As the night breeze hit him on the way out of the base, Shen Qing gradually calmed down. Leaving—he had to leave. At least until Chen Jiaxi figured out the research institute’s plans.

But it wasn’t completely hopeless. Seeing how tense Song Kaiji was, as if they might never see each other again, Shen Qing made a decision.

As they arrived at the cave entrance that night, Shen Qing grasped Song Kaiji’s wrist and whispered, “If it really comes down to it… can we just kill Feng Hao?”

Song Kaiji was stunned.

That… that was actually a pretty solid plan. And it had a high chance of success.

Right now, the only person who knew that Shen Qing wouldn’t be attacked by zombies was Feng Hao—aside from Chen Jiaxi, but she was on their side. If Feng Hao died, who else would have witnessed Shen Qing’s immunity? Even if Feng Hao had told someone else, without direct evidence, mere words wouldn’t be enough to convince anyone!

All he had to do was use teleportation to silently appear in Feng Hao’s room at night and kill him…

Hearing Shen Qing’s idea, Song Kaiji found himself less panicked and afraid. “Alright. I’ll go back and find out where Feng Hao lives. You… come back in ten days—no, fifteen days.” After all, Feng Hao wasn’t exactly a good person, and his hands weren’t clean either. Since he was the one coming after Shen Qing first, taking him out would just be self-defense.

Fifteen days should be enough. Whether or not he managed to kill Feng Hao, Chen Jiaxi’s investigation would also be complete by then. If things didn’t go their way, they could move to another base or even set up a small outpost nearby and live on their own terms. They weren’t short on supplies, and their combat abilities had significantly improved. Surely, they wouldn’t be cornered so easily.

After setting a date for their reunion, Shen Qing entered the cave. Song Kaiji lingered near the mountain wall for a moment before reluctantly heading back to the villa.

He was extra cautious now—using teleportation before even approaching the cave to ensure that no one could track them. Even if someone followed him, they wouldn’t know where he had ultimately gone.

However, upon returning to the base and approaching the villa, Song Kaiji noticed something unusual. Something was off.

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Chen Jiaxi was indeed incredibly capable. Not only did she successfully maneuver her husband and Qu Weiwei into deputy positions, but she also played the part of someone deeply dissatisfied, publicly complaining that Qu Weiwei had taken away her husband’s authority. She made a great show of distancing herself from Shen Qing’s team and acting as though she resented Qu Weiwei for dividing power.

Yet, despite how good the position seemed, Qu Weiwei wasn’t particularly eager to take it.

Reuniting with her former colleagues from the Third Farm made her more aware than ever of how much Shen Qing had helped her. To expose the hidden corruption, she had spent considerable effort tracking down a few of her injured coworkers. But far more of them had disappeared without a sound, their non-ability-user family members likely gone as well. The ones who had survived mostly had other ability users in their families who had managed to protect them.

Even so, seeing those who had lost limbs was a deeply jarring experience for Qu Weiwei.

“The boss has done so much for me, and now I’m supposed to just walk away for a better job? What kind of person would that make me…? No, I’m not going. I’ll stay in our squad and work myself to the bone for you.” Qu Weiwei made up her mind, clinging to Shen Qing and whining.

She and Tang Wenjie had become a well-coordinated team in combat. And now that the military had started building farms outside the base, the iron cage tactic relied heavily on wood-ability users to weave the final layer of vine barriers for extracting crystal cores. As a result, the value of wood-ability users in the base had skyrocketed. In Shen Qing’s team, two of the wood-ability users recruited from the outer city had already declared their intention to leave, hoping to find better opportunities with the military’s farms.

Shen Qing and the others completely understood and let them go without hesitation. But Qu Weiwei knew that if she left, finding another wood-ability user to team up with Tang Wenjie wouldn’t be easy. “Didn’t we talk about going to the wholesale market in Lan Province and the textile market near Red City? How are you all going to manage without me?”

Shen Qing, on the other hand, had personally experienced the benefits of having powerful allies after becoming friends with Lin Ning. Though he had originally befriended Lin Ning simply to experience genuine friendship, Lin Ning’s status had brought him far more security than the county registrar and Clerk Yang ever had. And having his own people in military leadership was far better than relying on outsiders. So he actually supported Qu Weiwei taking the military position.

Besides, “The military is renting out those ready-made iron cages on wheels now, aren’t they? That means Xiao Tang won’t have to manually form and control them anymore. We can just build our own version, and instead of vine barriers, Xiao Tang can use his metal ability to create solid metal walls.”

“Actually, we wouldn’t even need universal wheels,” Shen Qing added, struck by inspiration from the military’s design. “We can just weld the cage directly onto a vehicle. That way, no one has to push it—it moves with the car. Wouldn’t that be even more convenient?”

With Tang Wenjie’s metal ability, they could create even more intricate structures. And since they had storage space, they could keep these oddly shaped, impractical vehicles tucked away until needed—something other squads couldn’t do.

“Besides,” Shen Qing continued after some thought, “if you take this job, I have a feeling the military will find an excuse to recruit Xiao Tang soon, too.”

Chen Jiaxi was incredibly skilled, but the position at the Third Farm that was being offered to Qu Weiwei wasn’t low-ranking at all. Her husband was one thing—he had been a top professional even before the apocalypse and had served as a small leader on the city walls after it began, proving his management ability. But Qu Weiwei? She was an inexperienced university student being parachuted into a high-level role. If it were just a compensation package for victims, even with Chen Jiaxi pulling strings, it would be unlikely for her to get such a significant position.

Shen Qing suspected that the military had already taken an interest in Tang Wenjie and Qu Weiwei’s abilities. Their powers weren’t typical metal and wood abilities—they were rare and highly useful. The military had already attempted to “borrow” them multiple times, but that wasn’t enough. They wanted to poach them entirely.

But Shen Qing was happy to let them be “poached.” What ally gained later in life could be more reliable than having your own people rise into power?

“If that happens,” Shen Qing teased, “and you’re working on the inside while we’re on the outside, do we even need to bother with missions anymore? We’ll basically have free rein at the base.”

With Shen Qing putting it that way, Qu Weiwei finally, albeit reluctantly, agreed. She truly didn’t want to leave her familiar and comfortable squad to start over in a new environment. And she had no desire to change jobs either—where else would she find a team as comfortable and well-paid as Shen Qing’s? But if it meant becoming a stronger ally for Shen Qing, she was willing to push herself and take on the challenge.

“Fine… But even if I take the job, I’m still living in our villa. I’m still part of our squad, and you’re not allowed to kick me out! QAQ”

“We wouldn’t do that,” Shen Qing reassured her. “You’ll always be part of our squad. This is your home. We’re family.”

Qu Weiwei was so touched she nearly burst into tears. Finally, she agreed to the military’s offer, but she pushed back her reporting date as far as possible. In the meantime, she went on another mission with Shen Qing’s team—a sort of farewell trip before her job transfer.

Since long-distance missions were out of the question, they settled on Red City’s local textile market. They kept the group small—only four of them. By now, both Qu Weiwei and Tang Wenjie had advanced to mid-to-high levels in their abilities, so they felt confident enough to handle the mission themselves.

Rainbow City’s textile market was the largest fabric wholesale hub in the province. The first floor and surrounding shops mostly sold curtains, with a few vendors offering fabric scraps. The upper floors housed full bolts of fabric—everything from suit wool and cotton to silk, chiffon, and brocade. The selection was vast.

Shen Qing had been eyeing this market for a long time. In ancient times, fabric was as good as currency. But modern textiles were vastly different from those of the past. The rough linen and hemp clothes worn by commoners in the past were uncomfortable, stiff, and scratchy. Wealthier families could afford finer cotton undergarments, but those without the means simply endured the discomfort until their clothing softened with wear.

Silk and brocade in ancient times also paled in comparison to modern textiles. Weaving, dyeing, and printing techniques had been far less advanced, so silk would fray after just a few washes, and colors would fade easily. Wealthy families often discarded garments after wearing them only a handful of times.

By contrast, modern silk and brocade were incomparably superior in durability and vibrancy. They could even be tossed into a washing machine without falling apart—at worst, a few strands might snag, but handwashing would keep them pristine for years. Shen Qing wanted to stock up on fabrics to store in his space. Whether for his own use or as gifts, they would be invaluable in the future.

To reassure Qu Weiwei, they welded an iron cage onto a jeep for this mission. The frame was welded from the base of the car, with the windows set a meter away from the cage’s edges. This way, they could attack from inside the vehicle, using abilities or crossbows to take down zombies without stepping out.

Once the zombies were eliminated, Tang Wenjie could use his metal ability to enclose the bodies in a metal wall, creating a safe area for them to exit and extract crystal cores.

“This part should work with earth-ability users, too,” Shen Qing mused. “They could just build an earthen wall instead of using metal—it would serve the same purpose.”

Qu Weiwei rubbed her nose. “Looks like I’m really not that necessary anymore.” But at the same time, she felt reassured that the squad would manage just fine even after she left.

Perhaps, she thought, no one in this world was truly irreplaceable. There was no such thing as a banquet that never ended.

The trip started off relatively smoothly. Shen Qing’s team adhered to their usual cautious strategy, preferring to take more time to ensure everyone’s safety. However, they hadn’t expected to encounter a mutated zombie on the top floor—one that appeared to have wind-type abilities, capable of long-range attacks.

Their iron cage could not completely block such an attack. Caught off guard, Shen Qing’s arm was slashed by a wind blade, leaving a ten-centimeter-long gash. Fortunately, it wasn’t too deep.

Luckily, their team was large, their abilities were strong, and they had plenty of weapons. The regular zombies on this floor had already been cleared, leaving only the mutated one. With a barrage of abilities and bullets, they soon turned the creature into a sieve.

Song Kaiji, pale with fright, held onto Shen Qing’s arm. “How could this happen? Why would the zombie target you?”

“?” Qu Weiwei looked confused. “Do zombies even choose their targets? Don’t they attack randomly?”

Song Kaiji pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

Shen Qing understood what he meant and reassured him, “It was probably just my positioning. The zombie randomly flung a wind blade at us, and I was just unlucky enough to be in its path.” He recalled the scene—Qu Weiwei had originally been standing in front of him. When they realized the zombie had long-range attacks, she had stepped forward and quickly wove a vine wall to block it. That left him exposed. Most of the wind blades had been intercepted by the vines, and only a small portion slipped through, causing his shallow wound.

He was fairly certain the zombie had originally aimed at Qu Weiwei. But since she had moved, and he happened to be right behind her, he had taken the hit instead. “It was just a coincidence.”

“Enough talking, hurry up and bandage him.” Qu Weiwei urged, “Blood attracts zombies the most.”

The last time they had encountered a metal-type zombie, there had been a nearby mutated plant that worked in tandem with it. Qu Weiwei worried that something similar might be lurking around now, drawn by Shen Qing’s blood. She carefully scouted the area for a long time before confirming there were no abnormalities and proceeded to extract the crystal core from the mutated zombie.

The core was noticeably larger than the metal-type core she had absorbed before. Its color was transparent. Qu Weiwei wiped off the bloodstains and examined it under the light. “Is this a wind-type core?”

Before she could finish speaking, a gust of wind suddenly swept toward her. Instinctively, she lashed out with vines to shield herself and rolled across the ground, ending up near Song Kaiji. She tossed the crystal core to him. “Take it!”

Song Kaiji immediately secured it, while the rest of the team raised their defenses and warily turned their eyes to where Qu Weiwei had been standing.

A missed strike. Failing to snatch the crystal core, a parrot—about the size of a rooster—screamed furiously, “Give it to me! Give it to me!”

A talking, mutated animal. The sight was more than a little eerie.

“It’s surprisingly intelligent,” Tang Wenjie noted. “Despite Boss bleeding, it didn’t prioritize attacking him. Instead, it went straight for the crystal core in Weiwei’s hand.” He paused. “Could it be that every mutated zombie has some kind of accompanying creature? But it didn’t come out to help the zombie while we were fighting.”

Unlike the plant they had encountered last time. Did that mean companion creatures didn’t necessarily cooperate with zombies? Could it be that they, too, coveted the crystal cores inside the mutated zombies? If mutated plants and animals were developing intelligence while zombies were evolving long-range attacks, then humanity was in deep trouble.

Seeing that the core had disappeared into Song Kaiji’s hands, the parrot’s eyes turned blood-red. It shrieked in rage and dove at them. “Give it to me! Die!”

A flash of inspiration struck Shen Qing. He swiftly pulled a jug of oil from his storage space and doused the parrot with it. Then, he grabbed a blowtorch—the kind used for caramelizing crème brûlée—and blasted the bird with a jet of flame.

Instantly, the parrot was engulfed in fire, turning into a massive fireball.

Tang Wenjie quickly conjured a metal net to trap the bird. It slammed into the bars and fell straight to the ground, screeching as it burned. The whole area was soon filled with the unmistakable scent of roasted chicken.

This was different from a fire-ability attack. Since the parrot had been soaked in oil, every feather was saturated, ensuring the flames couldn’t be extinguished even if it rolled or flapped its wings.

The others: “……”

Unbelievable.

Who would have thought of that?!

Their boss really had an unparalleled talent for hunting! Tang Wenjie even suggested, “We should equip the fire-ability users in the outer city squads with small oil bottles. It’d be incredibly useful against mutated animals or hostile survivors.”

Meanwhile, Qu Weiwei was focused on something else. She sniffed the air, eyes shining. “It smells amazing. Can we eat it?”

Generally, mutated animals were inedible, but with all that oil, this one smelled especially delicious!

Once the flames finally died down, Qu Weiwei eagerly volunteered to dig out the crystal core and even snuck a small bite.

Ugh—

Utter disappointment.

The crystal core from the parrot’s brain was about the same size as an ordinary zombie core. However, its color had a tinge of red mixed into green, closely resembling the color of its feathers.

“What type is this?” The group huddled together, examining the two cores. This time, Qu Weiwei opted out of absorbing a core—she had already absorbed one from a mutated zombie before and had fully transformed into a mutated wood-type ability user. She figured she had no room for further evolution. Instead, Tang Wenjie and Song Kaiji could give it a try—especially Song Kaiji, who had been stuck at his current level for a long time. It was about time he advanced.

However, Qu Weiwei added, “I suggest you guys get into the right state before trying.”

She had a hunch. When she absorbed her core last time, she had been in an extreme state of exhaustion. Whether it was due to her weakened condition or something else, she had felt a looming sense of zombification, surviving only through sheer willpower. Maybe if she had been in better shape, the risk wouldn’t have been as high.

Hearing her words, Song Kaiji and Tang Wenjie became even more cautious. They had been fighting the entire morning and were already quite fatigued. So, after sealing off the top floor’s passage and carefully inspecting their surroundings, they sat down to eat and rest.

Eventually, they decided that Tang Wenjie would absorb the parrot’s crystal core, while Song Kaiji would take in the mutated zombie’s core. To be safe, they would absorb them one at a time so the other could assist if anything went wrong.

Thinking about this, Tang Wenjie looked down at the crystal core in his palm.

If only Qi Zhan were here. If something went wrong, Qi Zhan could help him regulate the energy.

But Tang Wenjie quickly shook his head with a smile. He hadn’t been in contact with Qi Zhan for a long time now. And even if they were still on speaking terms, without any benefit involved, why would Qi Zhan accompany him on a mission?

That person, huh…

He glanced at the crystal core again and finally said, “I’ll wait until we get back to the base to absorb it.”

The others were curious but didn’t press him. Maybe Tang Wenjie was just extra cautious?

Song Kaiji, after fully adjusting his state, proceeded to absorb the crystal core. As expected, his process was much smoother than Qu Weiwei’s—he didn’t feel any zombification at all. The absorption went seamlessly, and his ability directly leveled up.

When he opened his eyes, a faint blue gleam flashed across them. With a casual flick of his wrist, he released a blade of energy, slicing through the metal cage that Tang Wenjie had just crafted.

Tang Wenjie: “…Couldn’t you have aimed at something else?”

It seemed that the zombie had truly been wind-type. The blade Song Kaiji conjured had properties resembling both a spatial blade and a wind blade—some sort of hybrid ability. It appeared to be more powerful than a standard spatial or wind blade.

After testing it out a few more times, Song Kaiji joked, “Why don’t we call it the Wind Rift Blade?”

“Sounds like you’re living a pretty comfortable life,” Qu Weiwei quipped.

Then, a sudden idea flashed in Song Kaiji’s mind. He turned and scooped up Shen Qing. In the next instant, the two of them reappeared ten meters away.

“It worked!” Song Kaiji was more thrilled about this than his long-range attack—he could finally teleport with another person. That meant the next time they encountered a real danger—especially in a fight against humans—he could grab his teammates and escape.

A coward’s delight.

Although there had been some risks, the mission was ultimately a great success. However, on their way back, they unexpectedly encountered another mutated zombie.

This one also had long-range abilities—clearly fire-type—but it was noticeably weaker than the one they had fought at the textile market. They searched for a long time but didn’t find any accompanying mutated animals or plants.

Shen Qing and the others speculated that perhaps once a zombie mutated, it attracted nearby mutated plants or animals—either as competitors for the crystal core or as potential allies. This particular zombie, however, seemed to have only recently evolved into a mutant, meaning no creatures had discovered it yet.

However, encountering two mutated zombies in a single mission was far from good news. The team felt a heavy sense of unease. The base had finally developed the iron cage system to protect most zombie hunters, but if zombies started evolving long-range attacks on a large scale, this strategy would become obsolete. Even behind the cage, ability users could still be hit, and the casualty rate would inevitably rise again.

They reported their findings to Shao Nan. The military had actually noticed similar trends, but what could they do? Biological evolution—or in this case, zombie evolution—was inevitable. Just as humanity had been powerless when the initial outbreak occurred, they were equally powerless to stop zombies from evolving. The only solution was to strengthen defenses and warn weaker ability squads not to overestimate themselves by venturing too far.

Qu Weiwei kept delaying and delaying, but eventually, the day came when she had no choice but to report to the Third Farm. Returning to the farm, even though her position had changed, her mood had not improved. Seeing the same mid-level staff who had once oppressed her now grinning at her ingratiatingly brought her no joy.

She really hoped Shen Qing’s prediction was correct—that the military only saw the Third Farm as a stepping stone and would eventually promote her elsewhere. She had no desire to stay in this place filled with bad memories!

Upon arrival, someone led her to her office. Her new accommodations were quite luxurious—her office was at least fifty square meters, spacious and well-lit, furnished with classic mahogany desks, chairs, a sofa, and even a full tea set. Clearly, some high-ranking official had been removed, and she had inherited their office.

Behind the main office was a small private room with a bed and a bathroom for resting.

“Deputy Director Qu, the director is out inspecting the farm. Deputy Director Wang’s office is right next door. He and his wife are both in at the moment—would you like to go over and introduce yourself?” The staff member leading her offered a polite suggestion. It was either a reminder or a subtle attempt to put her in her place, making her seem subordinate to Deputy Director Wang as soon as she stepped foot in the farm.

A freshly graduated university student might not understand the workplace politics at play, but Qu Weiwei had a simple solution—violence. Since Wang’s deputy position belonged to Chen Jiaxi’s husband, and since Chen Jiaxi was playing the part of a distant acquaintance, Qu Weiwei decided to go along with it. She snorted coldly. “Why should I go greet him? The director is one thing—I’ll report to him when he’s back.”

She wasn’t entirely sure what benefit there was in pretending to be unfamiliar with Chen Jiaxi, but Chen Jiaxi was smarter than her, so she figured it was best to follow her lead.

The staff member immediately backpedaled, smiling awkwardly. “You’re right. Perhaps it would be best for the director to make the introductions when he returns.”

Qu Weiwei gave a dismissive nod and sat at her desk, pretending to examine the documents piled on it. In reality, she couldn’t understand most of them.

Help! I only know how to make plants grow, fight, and weave vines! Why am I being put in charge of management?!

Her head ached. Now that Song Kaiji could teleport with others, could she ask him to sneak her to Chen Jiaxi’s place at night so Jiaxi could teach her what to do?

However, before she had the chance to seek out Wang’s office, someone from next door came looking for her first.

Outside the door stood not only Chen Jiaxi and her husband but also a stranger. Since there was an outsider present, Qu Weiwei did her part and acted like she and Chen Jiaxi weren’t familiar at all, regarding them with suspicion and wariness. “What do you want?”

The unfamiliar man flashed a warm smile and strode into her office as if he owned the place. “So this is Deputy Director Qu? Truly impressive—young and capable. I’ve heard the military holds you in high regard. I hope to rely on you in the future.”

Qu Weiwei glanced at Chen Jiaxi out of the corner of her eye but noticed that Chen Jiaxi didn’t even dare to raise an eyebrow. The only thing she did was subtly signal her wariness toward the man.

Hopefully, Qu Weiwei wasn’t misinterpreting it.

Still, Chen Jiaxi’s reaction was odd. Qu Weiwei became even more alert, deciding to be extra cautious around this man. She no longer looked at Chen Jiaxi and focused entirely on him.

The stranger casually strolled around her office as if inspecting the place, eventually stopping by the window. Looking outside, he watched as a few distant figures slowly disappeared from view, moving further away from the farm.

They were Shen Qing’s squad, who had escorted her here with the same reluctant energy as parents sending their child off to kindergarten.

“Deputy Director Qu has a great relationship with her former teammates. I hear it was thanks to them that you became the only wood-ability user to fully recover from the mutant willow outbreak, without any lasting injuries.”

On the surface, he was chatting about Qu Weiwei’s past, but in reality, he was fishing for information about Shen Qing’s squad.

Shen Qing had secrets. Qu Weiwei didn’t know what they were, but she clearly remembered the day he took her in, warning that anyone in his team had to keep their mouths shut. She had kept that in mind ever since.

Frowning, she immediately put on a temperamental act. She didn’t know who this man was, but she instinctively disliked him. “Hey, who the hell are you? Did I invite you in? You just waltz in here, rambling on and on like it’s your place. Do you have any manners?”

Despite being scolded, the man’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he smiled apologetically and extended his hand in greeting. “My apologies for being so abrupt. Let me introduce myself—I’m Feng Hao, a biomedical engineer from the research institute’s vaccine research department.”

◦°˚(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦

Thandar: Oh no, did they get any info that Shen Qing is prone to zombies? This isn’t good.

Tieshan handled the final cleanup, throwing out every last item in the shop, leaving not even a piece of furniture behind. Then, grabbing a few of the troublemakers by their collars, he tossed them out one by one. In the end, only Miao Qiuduo and her husband remained, each held by one of Tieshan’s powerful hands and dragged before Shen Qing.

“Qing Ge’er, what should we do with these two?” Tieshan asked, hesitating. This was Qing Ge’er’s aunt, after all—he didn’t dare make the call himself.

So he calls him Qing Ge’er. Lin Ning took note of this quietly from the side.

Miao Qiuduo was completely terrified. This was the first time she had truly witnessed Shen Qing taking action. How could he be so fierce, so ruthless? How did he have so many people under him? She was shaking uncontrollably, as if caught in a violent storm. Huang Wulang, though frightened himself, still had some backbone and shielded her in his arms. Pressing his palms together in a plea, he begged, “Qing Ge’er, we were wrong! Please, for the sake of family, for the sake of your mother’s sister—”

It was precisely because she was his aunt that Shen Qing was even more furious! The pawnshop workers scheming against him was one thing—he had no expectations from them, and there was no hesitation in punishing strangers. But Miao Qiuduo? A blood relative? That was what truly enraged him. And yet, because of that bond, he had to hold back to some extent.

If Miao Qiuduo hadn’t been so arrogant and impatient, if she had been willing to return to Shiqu Village, show proper filial piety to Old Lady Miao, and mend relationships with her siblings, then after a year or so, even if Shen Qing would never agree to marry Huang Jinbao, what would it have mattered if she had managed to take advantage of him for some money? The villagers had all taken their share of benefits—what difference would it have made if the couple had as well?

But no. They had treated everyone else like fools, thinking only their family was smart. They were in such a rush, acting like bandits, demanding money the moment they arrived!

Shen Qing stared at Miao Qiuduo and Huang Wulang with an unreadable expression for a long while before he finally spoke. “You’re right—we are family. What could I possibly do to my aunt and uncle? However—”

Huang Wulang had just begun to relax when Shen Qing continued, “Speaking of family ties, my aunt hasn’t set foot in Shiqu Village for ten years. In all these years, she has not once shown filial respect to my grandmother—not even a small gift for the holidays. And this time, I hear she came back empty-handed as well? My grandmother didn’t even receive so much as a piece of cake or a single spool of thread from her.”

Huang Wulang’s face turned red with embarrassment. It was true, but hearing it said aloud was utterly humiliating. Forcing a smile, he stammered, “We… we were always in the prefectural city. It was inconvenient to return, and we’ve wronged the old lady. That was our fault. We’ll make it up to her in the future, I swear. Every festival, we’ll send proper gifts.”

“No need to wait. Make up for it today.” Shen Qing reached out and lightly brushed his fingers under Miao Qiuduo’s ear. She was wearing a pair of red jade earrings—delicate and finely crafted, worth at least two to three hundred wen.

“Aunt and Uncle seem to be living well. Surely you wouldn’t withhold festival gifts from an elder, would you?”

Miao Qiuduo trembled even more violently. The moment Shen Qing’s fingers swept past her ear, it felt like time stretched infinitely. She was terrified that if his fingers turned slightly, they would wrap around her throat instead. She gripped her husband’s clothes even tighter in fear.

Huang Wulang, of course, didn’t want to hand over anything. He and Miao Qiuduo were both selfish to the core. If they were willing to give, they wouldn’t have neglected it for the past ten years. To Miao Qiuduo, her maternal family existed solely to be squeezed dry for the benefit of her own household. Being forced to give something back now felt worse than having their lives taken.

But Shen Qing stood calmly before them, with Tieshan looming like a predator behind him, and a circle of young men gripping wooden sticks nearby. If they refused to hand over the money, they might really lose half their lives here!

Gritting his teeth, Huang Wulang reluctantly said, “Fine, fine… I’ll make it up to the old lady later…”

Shen Qing gave a slight nod, and immediately, one of his men stepped forward and began searching Huang Wulang’s body. Ruyi also moved in to frisk Miao Qiuduo, removing her earrings and the silver bracelet from her wrist. Shen Qing, watching the scene unfold leisurely, added, “You’ve been living comfortably in the prefectural city. If we count all the missed holiday gifts—New Year’s, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn, the Laba Festival… altogether, let’s say one tael of silver per year. That’s not unreasonable, is it?”

Unreasonable?! Huang Wulang wailed internally. How much did married daughters usually send home? In the village, some only gave a single pound of pork—just a few dozen wen! Even before they moved to the city, they had only sent two pounds of pork and a small piece of fabric, which never cost more than a hundred wen a year. Now Shen Qing was demanding an entire tael of silver per year?!

But he didn’t dare protest. He could only watch as the young man rummaged through his belongings and took his money pouch.

Ruyi picked up a tray from the ground, placing the silver and jewelry they had taken from the couple on it for Shen Qing to inspect. Huang Wulang’s pouch contained a small piece of broken silver and a string of copper coins, totaling about one and a half taels. Miao Qiuduo’s earrings weren’t worth much, but her silver bracelet weighed about two taels.

Shen Qing weighed the silver in his hand and smiled. “Let’s round it up to five taels, then. There’s still five more to go—would Uncle like to fetch it in cash, or should we write an IOU?”

Huang Wulang would never willingly part with more money. Forcing a smile, he replied, “We… we’ve fallen on hard times. That’s why we returned to the village to seek a livelihood. I’m afraid we can’t scrape together another five taels just yet. I’ll write an IOU! Yes, an IOU!”

Shen Qing nodded and motioned for Gold-Tooth to draft the note. Gold-Tooth, ever tactful, didn’t list Shen Qing as the creditor but instead wrote that Huang Wulang and Miao Qiuduo owed Old Lady Miao ten years’ worth of festival gifts, totaling ten taels of silver. Five had already been repaid, leaving five still outstanding. Even if this note was taken to the authorities, it would seem perfectly reasonable—after all, it was true that they hadn’t sent a single festival gift in ten years.

“That’s in the past now. If Aunt and Uncle ever come to Shiqu Village again, don’t forget to bring proper festival gifts,” Shen Qing dusted off his clothes. “Aunt didn’t leave home empty-handed when she got married—she took a generous dowry from her natal family. Yet after that, she never visited. No matter where you go, that doesn’t make sense. Also, you don’t need to trouble yourselves over my marriage. Whether Huang Jinbao is after my money or truly likes me—it doesn’t matter. Just because a man sincerely likes me doesn’t mean I should be eternally grateful and immediately marry him, bringing my wealth along. My wishes, my preferences are what matter most. If I don’t like him, even if your son were the king of heaven himself and laid his heart bare before me, I still wouldn’t like him.”

Hearing this, Lin Ning, who had experienced similar frustrations, felt his eyes brighten. Yes! Exactly! Why should he have to marry just because some man took a liking to him? His own wishes were what mattered most! It was the first time he had heard such a concept, and it struck him like a revelation.

At this point, how could Huang Wulang and Miao Qiuduo dare to scheme against Shen Qing any longer? Marrying such a living king of hell into their family—did they want to live or not? They frantically nodded in agreement. Gold-Tooth grabbed their hands, and without bothering with ink paste, simply cut their thumbs so they could press bloody fingerprints onto the IOU.

Clutching their bleeding thumbs, the couple whimpered as Tieshan tossed them out. They cast a resentful glance back at the shop but quickly lowered their heads and supported each other as they hurried away before Shen Qing could notice. But they had no intention of paying back the money. Returning to Shiqu Village? Bringing festival gifts? From now on, they wouldn’t even step foot in Anping County again! They refused to believe Shen Qing would chase them all the way to the prefectural city for just five taels of silver.

Gold-Tooth thought the same. He suggested that Shen Qing should have forced them to pay up immediately, as they surely had more silver on them. But Shen Qing only shook his head. He didn’t care about such a small sum of money. The whole point of the IOU was to serve as leverage—to ensure that Miao Qiuduo and her husband never dared to return. Like a loathsome toad squatting on one’s foot—not biting, but disgustingly persistent.

He could beat and expel the people from the pawnshop, but if he really hurt Miao Qiuduo, Old Lady Miao would inevitably feel unsettled. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it—he just didn’t want her to become a lingering source of tension. Making sure Miao Qiuduo herself chose never to return to Shiqu Village or Anping County was the best outcome.

Weighing the silver in his hand, Shen Qing thought, Five taels should be enough to make them feel the sting.

With the matter settled, Shen Qing surveyed the now-empty shop. The interior decor was still intact. He had originally planned to open a Cuihua Shop himself—now, he had a ready-made location. He instructed Ruyi to clean the place up and prepare it for their own business.

Lin Ning hovered around awkwardly behind him. Once Shen Qing was no longer busy, he finally mustered the courage to ask, “Can I invite you to dinner? Since we… we’re going to be friends, we should spend more time together. I—I want to share some of the best food in the city with you.”

Shen Qing, new to friendship, wasn’t quite sure how to navigate it. So whatever Lin Ning suggested, he agreed to, albeit a bit clumsily. But as they spent more time together, they gradually grew familiar, and their bond deepened. Shen Qing could distinctly tell that his relationship with Lin Ning was different from his connections with Lian Ou and Lian Rong, and also from his dynamic with Song Kaiji. It was somewhat similar to how he interacted with Qu Weiwei, but closer—more open.

So this is what friendship feels like.

After that day, Shen Qing no longer hid his pregnancy mark when walking through town. The revelation of his identity sent ripples through Anping County.

For people like Ruyi and Mudan, the shock quickly faded. Shen Qing was their master—whether he was a man, a ger, or a woman, he was still the one who held their contracts. So after the initial surprise, they simply accepted it.

Lin Ning also took the news well—so well, in fact, that he seemed happy about it. He eagerly dragged Shen Qing all around town, no longer worrying about appearances. Lin Zao, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded. But since Lin Ning was fine with it, he had no choice but to go along.

Gold-Tooth, meanwhile, was immensely relieved that in those crucial two seconds of hesitation, he had instinctively chosen to stand by Shen Qing’s side! Shen Qing being a ger unsettled him a little—after all, they had recently shared drinks, and he had drunkenly called him “brother” a few times. But in the end, so what? This was a ger with money—a ger who could still secure him ties with the registrar and Clerk Yang. That was all that mattered.

And this ger’s luck was exceptional—his identity had barely been exposed before he had already become close friends with the county magistrate’s son.

It was only then that Gold-Tooth had a delayed realization—No wonder Young Master Shen wasn’t interested when I gifted him two beauties. Turns out… he really wasn’t a man in that sense!

But the biggest shock came from the townspeople. Shen Qing was well-known for his generosity, and many businesses treated him like a treasured patron. When they found out he was a ger, the whole city buzzed with gossip. Many who had secretly admired him and hoped to marry into his wealth were utterly heartbroken.

Yet, no matter how shocking the revelation was, it was only a matter of time before people moved on. After a month or so of heated discussion, the novelty wore off. Eventually, as new rumors and scandals surfaced—who was fighting over inheritance, who was caught in a scandal—Shen Qing being a wealthy ger in town became just another ordinary fact of life.

The owner behind the pawnshop was initially furious upon hearing what had happened. Shen Qing had beaten his men—wasn’t that the same as slapping him in the face? But after inquiring about Shen Qing’s connections at the yamen, he immediately dropped any thoughts of retaliation. If it were just Clerk Yang, he might have let it slide, but the county registrar was not someone he could afford to offend. Moreover, Shen Qing was now frequently seen socializing with the magistrate’s ger, which completely snuffed out any lingering thoughts of revenge. All he could do was scold his subordinates and keep a low profile.

Regardless of where that ger’s wealth had come from—be it treasure or an ancient tomb—at this point, no matter how unwilling he was to let it go, there was no way he could get his hands on it. In the end, it would most likely fall into the county magistrate’s hands anyway. Since it was out of reach, it was pointless to dwell on it.

What he hadn’t expected was that Magistrate Lin wasn’t that kind of person at all.

The day Shen Qing’s identity was revealed, Lin Ning went home and told his father, mother, and uncle everything. The Lin family was utterly shocked. A ger disguising himself as a man and building such a vast business empire was unheard of anywhere. While Magistrate Lin was also curious about the origins of Shen Qing’s initial capital, he did not pry too deeply. Instead, the first thing he asked was: “He’s a ger—why was he staring at your uncle like that? And why did you waive his tab?”

Lin Ning: “……” Oh.

It was true—Shen Qing did look at Lin Xiangcao in a very peculiar way. Even though they were friends now, Shen Qing had never once looked at him like that.

Lin Ning mulled it over and decided that the next time he saw Shen Qing, he would ask him outright. That’s what friends were for, after all—being direct made everything easier. Turning back, he pulled out an embroidered box and handed it to his mother. “Qing Ge’er sent this for you!”

Lin Zhengjun opened the box to find a pair of red agate bracelets and a pendant made of white jade with agate veining, tied with a delicately knotted cord—perfectly suited for a fulang’s adornment.

This was worth quite a bit! Lin Zhengjun immediately passed the box to Magistrate Lin, whose face darkened upon seeing it. “Are you sure he befriended you because he genuinely sees you as a friend, and not because he wants to use you to get close to our family?”

Lin Ning, however, didn’t seem to care. “Does it even matter? He is my friend, so of course I’ll stand by him. He even saved my life! If it weren’t for him, that brat from the Zhou family… Hmph. Back then, he didn’t even know who I was, yet he still saved me. Now that I have the ability, why shouldn’t I help him in return?”

Magistrate Lin was thrown off by his son’s logic. It took him a long while before he coldly snorted, “That still won’t do. We can’t accept this gift—you’ll return it to him.”

Magistrate Lin was a peculiar man. He was not above favoritism—he had bent the rules plenty of times for Lin Xiangcao’s former in-laws, making things easier for them whenever possible. If Shen Qing had been a man and had married either Lin Ning or Lin Xiangcao, officially becoming part of the family, then he would have had no issue looking after him.

But a friend? That was a different matter entirely.

But now that they couldn’t become family, Shen Qing sending such an expensive gift outright made Magistrate Lin uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was because he was a scholar, carrying a certain sense of pride. Marriage ties were one thing, but he was unwilling to accept blatant bribery from outsiders. It was a bit of self-deception, a hypocritical righteousness, but that was just the kind of person he was. And, after all, even this kind of “false righteousness” was far better than being a truly corrupt official.

After being lectured by his father, Lin Ning had no choice but to return the embroidered box to Shen Qing. “My father won’t accept it. He said that if we are to be friends, small trinkets between us are fine, but don’t involve him in it, and don’t try giving him gifts.”

Recently, Shen Qing had indeed given him quite a few things. Since he was preparing to open the Cuihua Shop himself, he had been stocking up on merchandise and often invited Lin Ning to browse, letting him take whatever he liked. Hairbands woven by Ou Ge’er with butterfly patterns, silk handkerchiefs that were good quality but had stiff and rough embroidery from machine stitching, intricately designed velvet flowers—Shen Qing always waved them off as nothing, stuffing them into his hands.

Thinking of this, Lin Ning comforted Shen Qing, “But don’t worry. If anything really happens, I’ll go cry to my father—he definitely won’t sit idly by!” Just like last time, when the pawnshop workers tried to bully Shen Qing. Lin Ning had complained to Magistrate Lin, and though the man didn’t make a fuss about it, he still secretly pressured the pawnshop’s backer, warning them not to harass a ger just because they thought he was an easy target.

Shen Qing was a bit surprised. He had little experience dealing with officials. The only ones he had interacted with were Clerk Yang and the county registrar, and every time he sent Gold-Tooth over with gifts, they accepted them without hesitation and immediately reciprocated with favors—it was a clear-cut transaction. Magistrate Lin’s attitude, however, caught him off guard. Shen Qing could only assume he had encountered one of those “honest officials” like the ones in storytelling plays, and he couldn’t help but feel some respect.

Still, even honest officials had their own needs. Shen Qing thought of Shao Nan, whom he had met in the post-apocalyptic world. He also refused to take a single thing from the common people, but that wasn’t due to some noble enlightenment—it was simply his personal stance.

After some thought, Shen Qing put the box away and smiled. “I’ll be heading out for some trade soon. When I come back, I’ll bring back something good—I guarantee your father will like it!”

Lin Ning couldn’t imagine what that could possibly be. His father only loved his mother. He wasn’t particularly interested in money, didn’t enjoy drinking, and had no fascination with antiques or calligraphy. Before passing the imperial exam, he used to collect books, but he didn’t read them much anymore.

More curiously, he asked, “Why do you insist on giving my father something? I really don’t think it’s necessary. It’s not like you need him to do anything for you, and at this point, who in town would dare to cause you trouble?”

Shen Qing was stunned. Lin Ning’s words struck him, making him realize he might have fallen into a certain mindset.

The feeling of having a powerful backer was too good—so good that he couldn’t help but want to secure it even further, to make it even safer. After all, this time, he had only gone up against a pawnshop. What if next time he encountered someone even more powerful? There was always someone stronger in this world.

It seemed he lacked a sense of security. That’s why he was eager to align himself with greater power.

But was that really wrong? Predicting risks in advance and keeping situations within his control—wasn’t that what he had always done?

Shen Qing shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it too much. He followed Lin Ning’s lead and said, “You’re right. But what I have in mind isn’t just for winning your father’s favor—it would genuinely benefit the common people.”

Lin Ning wasn’t entirely sure what he meant.

What Shen Qing was referring to was a batch of newly developed, stable, and relatively high-yield crop seeds from the research institute. Two batches had already been produced—the first consisted of various vegetables, while the second included potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and soybeans. Rice and wheat were still being developed.

Based on rough calculations, the newly developed seeds could more than double the yield per acre compared to what Lantang Village currently produced. With the right fertilizers, the output could increase even further.

If these seeds were distributed across Anping County’s villages, the political benefits would be immense. No official could resist such an opportunity. And since Shen Qing was presenting the seeds openly, it shouldn’t count as bribery, right?

These seeds weren’t difficult to obtain. Under the military’s careful maneuvering, some had already leaked into the public domain, especially vegetable seeds—many wood-element ability users had a few. The government’s control over the research base had already weakened.

Moreover, Chen Jiaxi was currently working on the Third Farm Project. Shen Qing could always ask her for some.

However, when he returned and brought up Chen Jiaxi’s name, Song Kaiji’s expression darkened, looking unusually serious.

“…Do you know how she exposed the Third Farm’s situation?” Song Kaiji pinched the bridge of his nose, looking troubled. He himself didn’t know how to judge whether Chen Jiaxi was right or wrong, but he couldn’t shake his discomfort.

“…She deliberately triggered a mutant plant outbreak. She asked me for money, bribed one of the farm’s workers, and had them release a catalyst into the mutant plants, causing them excruciating pain and extreme aggression. Compared to what happened with Weiwei, this was far worse. Every plant in that area went berserk, injuring or maiming thirty-two wood-element ability users—one of them almost didn’t make it.”

But in the end, they managed to save him. Chen Jiaxi immediately reported the incident to the higher-ups. With some money she had borrowed from Song Kaiji and additional funds forcibly advanced from the research institute’s accounts with military backing, she arranged for all thirty-two injured individuals to undergo limb regeneration surgery. The most severely injured person was kept under emergency care for three days, receiving treatment from seven healing ability users working in tandem. In the end, his life was saved, and he made a full recovery.

Then came the backlash. Led by Qu Weiwei, several other victims—former colleagues she had painstakingly tracked down—staged a protest at the research institute.

Unlike Qu Weiwei, the others were missing arms or legs, and their grievances were genuine. Their demands were simple: why had this latest round of treatment been so thorough, while they had been abandoned and left permanently disabled?

With the military’s quiet assistance, the protestors were swiftly placed under protection, and the incident spiraled into a full-blown scandal. Before long, every former administrator of the Third Farm had been removed from their positions and sent to Red City Prison. Meanwhile, Chen Jiaxi was working tirelessly to secure her husband’s release.

“I don’t know how to describe how I feel about all of this,” Song Kaiji admitted. “Yes, the outcome is good—no one died, and all the injured have fully recovered. But mutated plants are unpredictable. If that person hadn’t made it, or if the plant outbreak had been even more severe and caused deaths on the spot… We were a part of this.” He pressed the back of his hand against his forehead.

God knows how agonizing those three days of emergency treatment had been for him. He had always understood that political struggles were brutal, built upon a foundation of bloodshed. Chen Jiaxi had once told them they were still just naïve children sheltered in an ivory tower, and perhaps she wasn’t wrong.

And yet, the final result was undeniably positive. Every injured person had been healed, and under military pressure, the government had been forced to relinquish significant control over the research institute. Many mid- and high-level officials had been dismissed as a result, and each of the injured individuals received generous compensation in material goods.

At this point, some people even considered themselves lucky to have been attacked that day. The pain had only lasted a couple of days before they were fully healed, and their newly regenerated limbs had even softer, smoother skin than before. Meanwhile, the compensation they received was enough to support their families comfortably for a long time.

The military was also working hard to track down other victims from Qu Weiwei’s group. In addition to compensating them with supplies, they were offered administrative positions at the Third Farm, allowing them to retire in comfort.

“Since Weiwei now has all four limbs intact, her abilities have advanced significantly, and she has been helping the military refine iron cage battle tactics, she’s built solid relationships there,” Song Kaiji continued. “The military is even considering having her work at the Third Farm. Chen Jiaxi suggested that the military appoint a new leader, while her husband and Weiwei would serve as co-deputies at the same level.”

Shen Qing paused for a moment before asking, “And how does Weiwei feel about that?”

“She’s still thinking it over.”

Shen Qing fell silent for a few moments, then reached out, interlocking his fingers with Song Kaiji’s over his hand. “This is a good thing. If she wants to go, she shouldn’t hold back because of me. Besides… even if she takes the job, it’s not like we’ll lose touch. We’re still partners, aren’t we?”

Spending time with Lin Ning gave Shen Qing a deeper understanding and appreciation of what friendship truly meant. He realized that he and Qu Weiwei also shared a bond of friendship—it wasn’t just about shared experiences or mutual benefit; there was something more to it.

Gently, he embraced Song Kaiji and repeated the same words Song Kaiji had once used to comfort him. “We don’t need to feel guilty over things that didn’t happen. Maybe… maybe Chen Jiaxi really did account for everything, calculating that there wouldn’t be any casualties. And in the end, she was right. Whether it was her careful planning or sheer luck… that’s her ability.”

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