Chapter 405: Qingji Is in Trouble
Everything seemed to have been handled. Lu Weiyi thought for a moment and asked, “Did many of our team get injured?”
“Mostly external wounds. But… Gu Qingji is in trouble.”
“Hmm?”
“He fell into the sea. With so many zombie corpses, he got trapped at the bottom. His brain was deprived of oxygen for a while. He’s in the hospital and hasn’t regained consciousness.”
“He… it wasn’t intentional, was it?” Given Gu Qingji’s history, he had insisted on being sent out on missions.
“Hard to say. His condition is definitely serious. The doctors say if he doesn’t wake up, he might end up in a vegetative state. Theoretically, with mutated vines, he should’ve had a way back to shore…” Zhuang Mingxu wasn’t sure if Gu Qingji had pushed things too far this time. “I’ve already assigned our best doctors to monitor him, and even had Taotao retrieve some medicine from storage to help.”
Seeing everything was arranged, Lu Weiyi didn’t press further. After eating, he claimed to be tired and curled back under the covers.
Once Zhuang Mingxu left, Lu Weiyi silently opened his eyes and pulled out a mirror from his storage space.
The moment he saw his reflection, cold sweat broke out down his spine. The mirror slipped from his hand onto the blanket.
He stared in shock for a long time before slowly picking it back up, forcing himself to look again.
It was a face where all the features seemed crowded together. His eyebrows were gone, leaving only the brow bones. The lashes around his eyes had disappeared. His once high nose was now just a prominent ridge. His lips were so pale they were almost indistinguishable.
It reminded Lu Weiyi of the pre-apocalyptic Western fantasy films—specifically, Voldemort from that famous magical series.
He silently put the mirror away and curled back under the covers, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.
*
Zhuang Mingxu had no intention of killing the ability users from Pingjin base. He only demanded ransom. Those who survived the battle clearly weren’t weak. Fearing retaliation if the prisoners were freed without payment, the Pingjin forces obediently handed over crystal cores.
In less than half a month, the base’s crystal core reserves multiplied several times. The Only Team’s spare-time activity evolved from simply counting cores to treating it like another mission.
“Never thought I’d live to count crystal cores until I felt like puking,” Xiong Jie said, packing another bag of 100 cores and rubbing his nose bridge with his eyes closed.
“Be grateful. That wish you had before the apocalypse—to count money until you puked—came true post-apocalypse,” Xu Sa quipped back. His gaze unconsciously drifted toward Lu Weiyi’s bedroom door, which had remained closed since his return. “Dean, can you give us any updates on Xiao Yi? He hasn’t come out once.”
“Zhuang Mingxu said he’s hibernating for the winter,” Dean kept his lips sealed, all while practicing his ability on a piece of animal skin.
Though he didn’t say anything directly, his constant practice in one direction gave everyone some clues. But since Zhuang Mingxu clearly didn’t want people to know more, no one pressed him.
Zhuang Mingxu was considerate enough to keep others from paying attention to Lu Weiyi’s condition. Lu Weiyi himself played along, staying comfortably hidden in his room, waited on hand and foot.
Only when Zhuang Mingxu tried to kiss him and Lu Weiyi turned away did Zhuang Mingxu realize: he had seen himself.
Still, Zhuang Mingxu didn’t call him out. Instead, he pushed Dean’s training harder—dragging even Xu Yi into it. He arranged a study room for the two of them and invited professional doctors to give lectures—all to help them better understand the human body.
*
The Pingjin base underwent a dramatic power shift. From its original three factions, it fractured into eleven. The three spies Half Moon Bay had planted each carved out their own domains—none too flashy, none too hidden.
Their infighting continued, and in a bid for more support, the base began to open to civilians. However, civilian settlements outside the base had already matured, and no one wanted to relocate. Eventually, the Pingjin base expanded and fully absorbed a nearby civilian refuge, officially becoming one unified base.
News of the zombie siege soon reached the Capital base. Lu Xiao was so worried he practically camped by the radio. When he heard that they had made it through safely, he was overjoyed, repeatedly promising to visit them next year.
Meanwhile, in the lab, after Antonio supervised for a few days, they successfully “thought of” a way to improve the efficiency of purifying crystal nuclei. Working overtime, they had already managed to meet daily usage needs.
After several rounds of experiments using zombies, Shen Xiuyin successfully developed a device that could control the output intensity of supernatural powers. The original idea came from Lu Weiyi, who wanted to find a way to harness zombies’ powers for their own use. Zhuang Mingxu hadn’t expected that it could actually be realized.
Everything was progressing positively. As the frigid winter temperatures began to rise, Dean’s powers finally began to show results. On the day of the surgery, Zhuang Mingxu had Lu Weiyi anesthetized and personally accompanied him onto the operating table.
Perhaps others couldn’t remember what that face used to look like, but for Zhuang Mingxu, it was etched into his mind—he could recreate every tiny detail.
Dean’s technique had only been tested on humans a few times, and even then only during reconstructive surgeries. This procedure was more like cosmetic surgery.
He was very worried about messing it up.
“It’s okay. I’ll point out any mistakes,” Zhuang Mingxu said as he clipped up the enlarged reference photos around the operating table, glancing at the sleeping person.
Outside the operating room, idle team members had all gathered. It had been nearly two months since they had seen Lu Weiyi.
“If it doesn’t work the first time, we can do it again. I believe in you, so don’t panic,” Zhuang Mingxu reassured Dean.
“I’ll do my best,” Dean said, clenching his fists to psych himself up.
“You focus on the big picture—I’ll handle the details,” said Xu Yi. After nearly half a year of missions with the team, he had developed a sense of belonging and purpose. He was beginning to understand the meaning of camaraderie, and his demeanor had matured. His words now carried weight.
The three exchanged glances. Dean was the first to gently channel his powers into Lu Weiyi’s body.
They started with the burn on his chest, which slowly began to heal. The previously scorched and fused skin was carefully removed by the doctors with scalpels. Dean then extended new skin outward from the healthy areas, gradually regenerating skin that blended naturally with the surrounding tissue.
With the success of the first area, the rest became easier. Doctors and ability users worked together. Once the scalp was restored, they officially began facial reconstruction.
It was a delicate process. Dean’s power gradually guided the growth of skin, slowly shaping the contours of a face.
“The tip of the nose is too sharp—his is rounder.”
“Nasal wings are too wide—narrow them a little.”
“The chin protrudes too much—the curve looks fake.”
“The jawline is too sharp—soften it a bit.”
“The lip color isn’t natural—lighten it.”
Inside the operating room, only Zhuang Mingxu’s constant stream of instructions could be heard. As the three worked, a handsome face gradually came into view. It resembled Lu Weiyi’s original appearance by about 90%, though the lack of eyebrows and eyelashes still made him look a little odd.
With Dean and Xu Yi finishing up under Zhuang Mingxu’s guidance, the three finally relaxed as they looked at the no-longer-disfigured face.
“I’ve seen many beautiful people, but I still think his face is the most attractive. I was so heartbroken about it before—glad it’s finally restored,” Xu Yi said, leaning against the wall and absorbing a crystal nucleus, handing another one to Dean.
Dean saw Zhuang Mingxu tenderly stroking the face and said with pride, “We lived up to expectations.”
“Yeah.”
The two exchanged smiles and left the operating room together.
Everyone turned to look at them as they exited. Wu Yue was the first to ask softly, “He’s recovered?”
“More or less. The rest depends on his own healing,” Xu Yi replied.
“The anesthesia should wear off in about half an hour,” Dean added after checking with the doctor.
“Then let’s wait—nothing to do back at the base anyway.”
“Sure.”
None of them really knew what “the rest” meant exactly, and no one asked. They sat around aimlessly in the hallway outside the operating room.
If any base residents passed by at that moment, they’d see the legendary members of the Half Moon Bay’s one and only team sitting on the floor playing cards, eating seeds, gossiping—even flirting shamelessly. So vulgar it was ridiculous; all their mystique and heroic image destroyed in an instant.
An hour later, the operating room doors opened again. Everyone looked over. Lin Yimu, who had been pacing at the door, rushed forward—and saw a delicate-looking young man with rosy lips and white teeth in Zhuang Mingxu’s arms, looking like he was 18 or 19 again.
“Young Master,” Lin Yimu called softly.
“Brother Mu,” Lu Weiyi smiled a little sheepishly.
He knew caring so much about his appearance was superficial, but he couldn’t accept the face that even he found horrifying. He used to wonder why people in love cared so much about looks—now he understood. It mattered, truly.
He had even begun over-analyzing every look or gesture from Zhuang Mingxu, wondering if there was a deeper meaning.
Pain made people sensitive—he had experienced it firsthand.
So he stayed comfortably nestled in the safety bubble Zhuang Mingxu built for him, avoiding all base responsibilities and even refusing to meet any team members.
Now, facing them again after recovery, he felt a bit embarrassed.
“Whoa, Lu Xiaoyi, are you trying to take my title as the base’s most handsome guy?” Xu Sa teased. In the last battle, his hair had been damaged and he’d ended up with a bob cut, losing some boyish charm but gaining a more mature, youthful look.
“If there was a competition for hottest little monk right now, I’d vote for you.”
The remaining hair at the back of Lu Weiyi’s head had been shaved off in the operating room, leaving him with a completely bald head. Paired with his refined face, it gave him an ethereal, otherworldly look.
“Still looks a bit weird,” Lu Weiyi said, touching where his eyebrows should be.
“It’ll grow back soon,” Zhuang Mingxu reassured him.
“Now it’s just Qingji left. Once he recovers, we’ll be complete,” Ning Yuan said, looking toward the corner where Gu Qingyue stood.
Lu Weiyi followed his gaze and saw a haggard face. That once-gentle young man had withered like a dying flower during the two months of Lu Weiyi’s recovery, growing alarmingly thin—even his down jacket looked like it was hanging off a stick.
