Liang Zhiyu didn’t stay in the Jingzhou Base. He couldn’t unleash his full potential here. His initial goal was to get close to the Snowfield Base near the glacier. He left the Jingzhou Base when Fu Chen was brought back by the Ability Users.
Cheng Rui led the Ability Users on a trip to the City of Death. They killed many zombies and encountered several high-level zombies and giant monsters. Fortunately, Cheng Rui could control fire, which the mutated creatures were afraid of. The flames soared into the sky, burning the City of Death.
Cheng Rui returned to the Yaoyang Base empty-handed. He didn’t rest and accompanied Li Jin’s parents to the Jingzhou Base.
In theory, Li Jin should have stayed in the Yaoyang Base and not in the Jingzhou Base. The Jingzhou Base had the best resources among the major bases and could openly conduct experiments on zombies.
Cheng Rui visited Fu Chen, who remained unconscious from his severe injuries. The doctors didn’t know the reason and could only sustain his life by providing nutrients. Whether he would wake up or not depended on him.
The post-apocalyptic environment was becoming increasingly severe, and each member of the Thunder Squad had their own responsibilities. They had many things to do.
Before leaving Jingzhou to return to Yaoyang, Colonel Xiao invited Cheng Rui to the Xiao family’s villa. As an elder, Cheng Rui couldn’t refuse, and he also wanted to learn more about the City of Death from Xiao Yang.
As Cheng Rui got off the car and entered the Xiao family’s villa, Xiao’s mother quickly stood up to greet him. “Mr. Cheng.”
“Aunt, just call me Xiaocheng.” Cheng Rui glanced around but didn’t see Xiao Yang’s figure.
“Come over here and have a seat.” Xiao’s mother led him to the sofa and poured him tea. “Yang Yang is upstairs. I invited you today because I wanted to ask for your help.”
Xiao’s father came down from upstairs and greeted, “Cheng Rui, you’re here.”
Cheng Rui stood up and respectfully said, “Colonel.”
Colonel Xiao waved his hand. “Please sit, don’t be polite.” He sat beside his wife and said in a deep voice, “After returning from the City of Death, Xiao Yang has been staying in his room, drinking heavily day and night.”
“No matter how we ask, he won’t tell us the reason. If this continues, I’m afraid he’ll collapse.”
Colonel Xiao looked frustrated, and his voice turned cold. “I’ve even resorted to violence, but that kid won’t say a word. We have no way to deal with it. You are his friend, so I want to ask if you know the reason.”
Cheng Rui’s eyes were deep, and he pursed his lips. “Uncle and Aunt, let me go and see him.”
He certainly knew why Xiao Yang was in such a state. When he suddenly learned that Qingqing’s life or death was uncertain, his heart felt as if it had been hollowed out, causing intense pain.
Xiao Yang, in his youthful arrogance, watched helplessly as the girl he liked was captured, thinking she was already dead. If he couldn’t see Qingqing alive, he would likely immerse himself in grief for the rest of his life.
Cheng Rui looked at the sorrowful expressions on Xiao’s parents’ faces and their tear-stained eyes. He stood up and went upstairs.
The curtains in the bedroom were tightly drawn, blocking out any trace of light. As soon as Cheng Rui opened the door and entered, he was greeted by a pungent smell of alcohol. The unpleasant odour
made him uncomfortable.
Cheng Rui frowned, opened the curtains to let the light in, and scanned the room. He saw Xiao Yang collapsed in the corner of the room, wearing casual clothes, surrounded by many empty bottles, lying there like a dead man.
It had been like this for who knows how long. No wonder Xiao’s parents had tear-stained faces. Their son had become so desolate that it pained anyone who saw him.
Cheng Rui grew up in an orphanage, then was adopted by his foster mother and sent to a training camp. He had never experienced the love of parents, and seeing the aged Xiao’s parents worried and with white hair, he couldn’t bear it.
He walked over and pulled open the curtains, allowing light to flood the room.
The intense light was blinding. Xiao Yang turned over in his drowsy state and impatiently said, “Who let you in? Close the curtains.”
Without opening his eyes, Xiao Yang thought it was a servant in the house. “Get out of here!”
Cheng Rui grabbed his collar and threw him onto the sofa, rebuking coldly, “Open your eyes and see who I am.”
As Xiao Yang heard the familiar yet unfamiliar voice, he opened his eyes and looked at the person in front of him. “…Cheng Rui.”
His head was throbbing, and he shouted angrily, “What are you doing here? Leave! Mind your own business!”
Cheng Rui punched him in the face, grabbed his collar, and said, “Xiao Yang, get up quickly.”
Being hit brought Xiao Yang back to his senses, and he regained some rationality. He pushed Cheng Rui away with his hand. “You don’t need to meddle! Get out of here!”
Cheng Rui punched him in the face again, saying, “Look at what you’ve become. Your parents are worried sick about you, do you realize that?”
Feeling the pain on his face, Xiao Yang felt a twisted sense of satisfaction and mocked himself, “Hit me, just keep hitting me. It would be better if you beat me to death.”
Cheng Rui stopped his fist and looked down at him with a cold gaze. “If you want to die, then go ahead and die. Who are you pretending for here?”
“It would be better if you were dead, so your parents wouldn’t have to worry about you.”
Xiao Yang covered his face and cried like a child, choked up, “I don’t want to… Cheng Ge, Qingqing is dead. I’m useless, I couldn’t save her. I watched as she was taken away by the zombies…”
He grabbed his own hair in a frenzy and shouted, “It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault!”
Cheng Rui pursed his lips into a straight line, watching Xiao Yang’s remorseful and anguished state. He looked like he had fallen into an abyss and couldn’t climb out anymore.
“If I hadn’t secretly taken her into the car, she wouldn’t have…” Xiao Yang fell to the ground, kneeling and in pain all over. “You can just kill me. I caused her harm.”
Cheng Rui lifted him up and threw him back onto the sofa, looking at him with cold eyes. “Qingqing is not dead.”
“It’s impossible.” Xiao Yang didn’t believe it. “Liang Zhiyu saw her rushing into the flames with his own eyes.”
Cheng Rui’s gaze darkened slightly. “Fu Chen is still alive. How could she possibly be dead? Don’t forget, she has spatial abilities.”
A glimmer of hope flickered in Xiao Yang’s eyes. “Is she really alive?”
Cheng Rui didn’t give a definite answer, but he also hoped that Qingqing was alive.
“You don’t have to feel guilty. Even if you didn’t drug Qingqing at the Yaoyang Base, she would have sneaked onto the car herself.”
Xiao Yang was somewhat surprised that Cheng Rui knew he had drugged Qingqing. If that was the case, Cheng Rui was willing to let them leave the Yaoyang Base. He thought he had executed his plan flawlessly, but it turned out Cheng Rui had seen through it all. He had willingly let go.
Cheng Rui fell silent for a moment and said, “Qingqing should have regained her memories.”
There were many things he didn’t say because of his guilt and self-blame. He had let her go because of that.
Xiao Yang looked at Cheng Rui in astonishment. If Qingqing had remembered everything, how could she still smile at everyone in the squad as if she hadn’t been treated indifferently?
Cheng Rui wouldn’t lie to him. Qingqing had really regained her memories. The thought pained him even more.
Qingqing was so good, and he couldn’t save her.
Cheng Rui patted his shoulder. “You’re a man, so stop wallowing in despair. The Xiao family and the Jingzhou Base need you.”
Xiao Yang said, “I…”
“Don’t say you can’t do it.” Cheng Rui’s expression turned cold and stern. “Recently, the Zombie King has been launching more frequent zombie waves. Until Fu Chen wakes up, you need to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Jingzhou Base.”
“Only when you have the power in your hands can you protect the people you want to protect. Do you understand what I mean?”
Xiao Yang looked up at Cheng Rui’s stern face. After not seeing him for several months, Cheng Rui seemed even stronger and more imposing than before.
Cheng Rui is right. He can’t continue to be despondent. If Qingqing is not dead, he will send people to find her.
…
In the dense wild forests of the mountains, a village has been built on the hilltop. The houses are covered in vines, resembling a picturesque paradise.
The mutated animals in the forest are larger than ordinary ones. Several monkeys climb the vines and jump onto the houses, then swing down and emit a low growl.
The girl lying in the basket opens her eyes and throws out a few bananas. The little monkeys eagerly catch the bananas and quickly peel them, devouring them hungrily.
Many animals enter the house from outside, rabbits, sparrows, fawns, white mice, wolves… all kinds of them. Outside the trees, there are many more, harmoniously and obediently waiting for the girl’s commands.
The monkey reports that an invader has arrived from outside the forest, a mutated crocodile, a giant bloodthirsty crocodile rampaging through the forest, killing many animals.
After leaving the City of Death, Bai Qingqing drove for several days and arrived in the southwestern border forest. As she expected, the forest was full of mutated animals. These mutated animals did not undergo any change in intelligence, but became even more fierce and terrifying after mutation.
As soon as she entered the forest, she was attacked by a group of monkeys, all of them third-tier mutated monkeys. But soon she gained control over them and after giving them a good beating, they became obedient.
The forest was full of dangers. It took her several months to subdue all the mutated plants and animals. She provided them with some sweet treats from the fruits she grew in her space, and they became loyal to her.
Now she is the queen of the forest, owning a large territory of her own. When zombies and ability users invade, she can know within minutes.
The zombies are killed and their crystal cores are dug out, while the ability users are driven away. Of course, most ability users dare not easily enter the forest teeming with mutated flora and fauna, as once humans enter, they are almost reduced to bones.
In a few months, her plant-controlling ability has advanced to the fifth tier. If she wants to further upgrade, she needs to obtain higher-tier crystal cores.
There are some high-tier and independently conscious mutated animals in the forest that do not obey her. They either hide or are eliminated by her, just like the foreign mutated animals.
The monkey urgently reports that the mutated bloodthirsty crocodile is indeed very fierce, and she needs to personally handle it.
Bai Qingqing puts down her phone and stretches lazily. After being a couch potato for a while, it’s time for her to practice how to hunt and become stronger against mutated animals.
With the help of the purple vines, she leaps through the forest and quickly senses the whereabouts of the bloodthirsty crocodile. Within a few minutes, she stands on top of a tree and looks down at the gigantic crocodile on the ground.
The bloodthirsty crocodile is massive, entirely red in colour, ten times the size of a regular crocodile. Its fangs are sharp, and if it catches hold of someone, they would immediately be torn into two pieces, and even a swipe of its tail could be fatal.
On the other side of the forest, near the river, she knows there are also many mutated animals. It’s normal for the bloodthirsty crocodile to come here for hunting.
Bai Qingqing uses her identification skill to check and confirms that it’s a fourth-tier mutated bloodthirsty crocodile with tough skin and thick flesh, not easy to deal with.
The bloodthirsty crocodile detects her presence and charges towards the tree she is standing on.
Realizing the danger, Bai Qingqing immediately catches the purple vine and flies to another tree. As expected, the large tree that requires two people to hug it together collapses with a loud crash, showing how ferocious the bloodthirsty crocodile is.
“Roar!” The bloodthirsty crocodile roars and charges toward the tree she’s standing on again.
Bai Qingqing swings the purple vine to pierce it, but its skin is too thick to penetrate. Instead, it only angers the crocodile further, and it roars and lunges at her.
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