TL: Moonlit
Wen Qingling’s spiritual power has always followed Miao Bo. The Yue County base is already located on the outskirts of Yue County, where there are hardly any zombies to be seen. The base is built around the granary, enclosing it within. The people of Yue County live on the outskirts of the granary. The original buildings couldn’t accommodate everyone, so they built their own shelters and houses. The base is crowded and chaotic.
Miao Bo returned to the base alone, arousing the alertness of the gatekeepers. His explanation was that their comrades who went out together got trapped in a zombie horde, and he came back to bring reinforcements.
The gatekeepers didn’t give him a hard time. Although Miao Bo was not a true resident of Yue County, he was the only ability user in the Yue County base, and the base leader valued his esper ability.
Miao Bo entered the base and headed straight in one direction, where the granary was located. However, it was an empty granary, partitioned into small rooms where many people lived.
Miao Bo walked past the door of a small room, being careful to avoid stepping on landmines along the way. The small rooms were cramped, with many of them lacking windows. To ventilate, the doors were left open, revealing the scenes inside.
Miao Bo stopped at the entrance of a small room with an area of a few square meters. Inside the room was a crude wooden bed, and four shirtless men were playing cards on it. This was the daily routine of the survivors in the base. They stayed in the base every day, finding things to pass the time out of boredom.
The small-eyed man directly across the room was Fang Zhen, whom Wen Qingling and Xiao Hen had been searching for. Wen Qingling had already “seen” him through her spiritual power. He had an ordinary appearance, small eyes, a short stature, and looked somewhat creepy. However, it was precisely this kind of person who was able to manipulate everyone around him.
Miao Bo stood at the doorway and called out, “Fang Zhen.”
Fang Zhen revealed a pair of eights, lifted his eyelids to glance outside the door, and immediately smiled, “Hey, Deputy Team Leader Miao, didn’t you go out with people? Why are you back?”
Miao Bo waved his hand, “Come out, I need to talk to you.”
“Wait a moment, let me finish this round… a pair of Aces!” Fang Zhen finished playing the cards in his hand, excitedly saying, “Sorry, I won again. Let’s settle the bill for today.”
“Hey, you want to leave as soon as you win. That’s not fair.”
Fang Zhen kicked the other person, “You’re losing to me even in pants, and you’re still showing off? Don’t forget, you owe me crystal nuclei.”
“I know, I know, next time I’ll definitely win.”
Fang Zhen pointed at another person and asked, “How much do you owe me?”
“Half a catty of rice… Damn it, I’ve lost three days’ worth of rations.”
Fang Zhen pointed at the three of them, jumped off the bed, and said, “Hurry up, don’t try to cheat me out of my money.” “We know, we won’t leave you hanging.”
Fang Zhen walked out and asked, “What’s the matter?”
When Fang Zhen first met Miao Bo and Fang Shenlong in the Yue County base, he was worried. He was afraid that these two would lead Xiao Hen to them and secretly cause trouble. Fang Zhen had a relative who was highly regarded by the leader and had repeatedly incited and slandered them. The Yue County base leader had never fully trusted Miao Bo and Fang Shenlong. He always had them do all the dirty, tiring, and dangerous tasks.
Later, Fang Zhen learned that Ling City Base had been destroyed, and Miao Bo and Fang Shenlong had fled here. Fang Shenlong’s severed hand was the work of Xiao Hen. Fang Zhen’s schemes against them diminished, and he took the initiative to befriend them. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, especially since the former leaders and vice leaders of a base of tens of thousands of people had fallen to the same level. How could one not feel pleased?
Miao Bo had always known that Fang Zhen was a small-minded person. They didn’t have any reliance or equal treatment in the Yue County base. They had to endure many things. If it weren’t for Fang Shenlong losing a hand and his combat power greatly reduced, coupled with the blow from Ling City Base, they could have rallied the survivors and made a comeback. But they couldn’t, so they could only temporarily seek refuge here.
Miao Bo said, “I know you’re an ability user. Can you please help me with something? Fang Shenlong is trapped in a zombie horde while trying to save me, and he can’t get out for a while. I want to find some ability users to help me rescue him.”
Miao Bo didn’t want to alarm the others. If he could trick Fang Zhen into going out, it would be better. If not, he would have to think of another way.
Fang Zhen looked at him strangely, “Where are the other brothers who went out with you?”
Miao Bo said, “They are guarding over there, ready to find an opportunity to rescue him. I’m afraid of any unforeseen circumstances, so I came back to bring reinforcements.”
Fang Zhen’s small eyes flickered with cunning, “Since you’re going to save someone, the person you should meet is the leader, not me. The leader is powerful, and with his help, you can definitely save him.”
Miao Bo was somewhat embarrassed, “I didn’t want to let the leader know about this. Unlike you, I don’t have family members in the base. Although my mother and grandparents were from Yue County, they have already passed away. Relying on a few familiar neighbors to testify for me won’t be of much help. Moreover, Fang Shenlong is a complete outsider, and the leader may not be willing to expend manpower to save him.”
Yue County base was indeed exclusive, even for those like Miao Bo and Fang Shenlong who had less connection to Yue County. Most of the people who frequently went out with Miao Bo and Fang Shenlong were those with less connection to Yue County.
Fang Zhen laughed, “Miao Bo, you worry too much. The leader is not that kind of person. Why don’t you go and ask him?”
Fang Zhen was extremely cautious and became more alert with Miao Bo’s sudden visit. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived until now.
Miao Bo hesitated for a moment before saying, “Forget it, I’ll ask someone else. It’s better not to trouble the leader.”
Miao Bo took a few steps and seemed to think of something. He turned to the people in the room and said, “Would any of you be willing to help? If you’re willing, I can compensate each of you with 10 crystal cores for every zombie you kill outside.”
The three people in the room exchanged glances and were tempted, but they were concerned about the dangers of dealing with zombies and risking their lives.
Miao Bo continued, “You don’t have to fight them. You just need to drive and attract the attention of the zombies. I’ll find ability users to help me rescue the person.”
One of them said, “Attract the attention of the zombies? That means we have to lure the zombies away. That’s much more dangerous. I don’t think anyone would be willing to do it for just 10 crystal cores.”
Miao Bo looked conflicted and said, “20 crystal cores each, I can’t offer more. I still need to hire other ability users, and my crystal nuclei are limited. Please understand.”
The three individuals looked at each other and slapped their thighs, “Let’s do it!”
It was just luring away a group of zombies with a car, right? They just needed to drive around, whether or not they managed to draw the zombies away was another matter. As long as they went, Miao Bo would have to give them the crystal cores.
Miao Bo looked at Fang Zhen again and saw that he remained steady, showing no signs of wavering. If he couldn’t lure Fang Zhen out, everything would be in vain. He couldn’t possibly take Fang Zhen hostage and bring him out. He would probably be caught at the door, not to mention whether he could defeat Fang Zhen. If Fang Zhen couldn’t leave the base, Wen Qingling wouldn’t be able to rush in and capture anyone, right?
While he was pondering, a commotion suddenly came from a distance, “Stop them! They’re heading towards the granary! Go get help! Find the leader!”
Miao Bo: “…”
Could they really be coming in? This was a base of tens of thousands of people!
The chaotic footsteps accompanied by the commotion approached this way. Fang Zhen didn’t know what was happening, but for safety’s sake, he turned and ran, looking for a place to hide and assess the situation.
However, just as Fang Zhen ran a few steps, a thorny black vine suddenly shot out from the ground, tripping him. Fang Zhen turned his head and saw the familiar vines, widening his eyes in shock. He got up and tried to run, but his ankle was entangled by the black vines, and the sharp thorns pierced his flesh. Fang Zhen howled in pain but didn’t give up on escaping. He pulled out a dagger from his waist and desperately hacked at the vines.
These were no ordinary vines. They were tough and resilient, not easy to cut. As the commotion grew closer, Fang Zhen, in a desperate situation, used his ability. The clothes on his body fell loosely on the ground while Fang Zhen disappeared.
Miao Bo had been watching Fang Zhen closely and was surprised by what he saw. He immediately enveloped the area with his psychic power but found nothing. It was as if Fang Zhen had vanished into thin air.
Xiao Hen walked over and said, “There are no spatial fluctuations.”
Xiao Hen had already sealed off the surrounding space. If Fang Zhen had left through space, there would have been fluctuations, and he wouldn’t have escaped Xiao Hen’s perception. So it was highly likely that Fang Zhen was still here.
Wen Qingling scanned the entire scene without paying attention to the chasing group. His gaze fell on a large damp patch by the wall. Such dampness could be seen everywhere, and one could easily guess what it was just by the smell. However, the dampness in other areas was scattered and irregular, while the dampness by the wall covered a considerable area. It would take a significant number of people to create such a large puddle of urine.
A wooden spike appeared in Wen Qingling’s hand, and he quickly walked over. The damp patch seemed to come alive suddenly and swiftly moved along the ground. The door of the granary had already been opened, and a group of people rushed in, shouting.
Xiao Hen grabbed Miao Bo and leaped high, evading the first wave of attacks. By this time, Wen Qingling had caught up with the figure in the dampness. The weapon spike into the figure’s shoulder and a miserable howl echoed as a person suddenly emerged from the wet ground. The person was completely naked, with a wooden spike piercing through their shoulder.
Vines appeared in Wen Qingling’s hand, entwining Fang Zhen’s body like living creatures and securely binding him. Wen Qingling held the vines and leaped high, with Xiao Hen closely following. The two of them swiftly jumped and ran toward the outside of the base. Fang Zhen, who was captured, wailed and screamed all the way.
“Uncle, save me! Uncle, save me!”
Wen Qingling and Xiao Hen each held a captive and jumped over the walls of the base. Fang Zhen was thrown into the trunk, and Wen Qingling, Xiao Hen, and Miao Bo got into the car. Ji Rong immediately started driving, heading back the way they came.
The people from Yue County Base chased after them but didn’t dare to continue outside the base. Someone had already gone to inform the leader, and they had to wait for the leader’s decision. Blindly pursuing would be a dead end.
Niu Liangguo and Sun Shijie had just caught up when they heard Fang Zhen’s plea for help. Sun Shijie’s face immediately changed, and he grabbed someone and pulled them over, asking, “What the hell is going on?! Who took Xiao Zhen?!”
“I don’t know, I think they are outsiders. There were two of them, damn good at jumping. They jumped over the walls of our base in one go, even with a person.”
Sun Shijie pushed the person away angrily and said, “Didn’t Fang Shenlong and Miao Bo go out with a team to handle this? How can outsiders come into the base and kidnap someone? They don’t take our base seriously at all! Leader, we must immediately take people to pursue and kill those outsiders!”
Someone added, “Vice Captain Miao was also captured.”
“What?!” Sun Shijie was surprised. “Didn’t Miao Bo go out with Fang Shenlong? When did he come back?!”
The gatekeeper hurriedly replied, “He just returned not long ago, saying that Captain Fang was trapped in a group of zombies, and Vice Captain Miao came back to bring reinforcements.”
Sun Shijie felt that something was off. If Fang Shenlong was trapped in a group of zombies, how could he come back alone? If Fang Shenlong was really trapped, he wouldn’t have had time to return and bring reinforcements.
Sun Shijie said, “Leader, there’s something suspicious about Miao Bo. We must immediately take people to pursue him!”
Leader Niu Liangguo was a middle-aged man who appeared amiable. He looked up at the base walls with a hesitant expression. “Can someone really jump over such high walls?”
Everyone confirmed that it was possible. They had seen it with their own eyes and couldn’t be mistaken.
