Chapter 511 | Chapter 512 | Chapter 513 | Chapter 514 | Chapter 515
Chapter 511: Restart
As he spoke, Dean’s eyes turned red again and he shouted, “He clearly wanted you dead!”
Of course Antonio knew this, but the little young master he cherished had a close relationship with his father. From a father’s perspective, he could understand wanting to make plans for his son, so he had agreed without hesitation.
“I’m still alive, aren’t I? Don’t think about it anymore.” Antonio tried to shift Dean’s attention. “To invite the others this time, I spent all my savings.”
“Are you afraid of hardship, young master?”
Dean lifted his chin with a huff and, acting like a true boss, grabbed a handful of credit cards from his pocket and threw them on the bed. “I’ll take care of you.”
Antonio burst out laughing and lifted the little young master into his arms.
The deaths of several members of the Wilson family had kept Dean’s father, Old Li, busy for quite some time, giving Antonio plenty of time to spend alone with Dean.
The little young master was not resistant to temptation, and Antonio couldn’t bear to see him sad, so skipping classes became a frequent occurrence.
Antonio had no choice but to teach him things more suited to the Li family business at the villa—marksmanship, close combat, and some escape techniques.
Due to his injuries, their intimate moments had been very limited. On the day his wounds finally healed, they indulged for an entire night—only to be caught by Old Li himself, who came after receiving repeated truancy reports from teachers.
Seeing his son exhausted and obviously overused, Old Li didn’t hesitate to press a gun to Antonio’s forehead.
When Antonio had killed Old Li’s rival Wilson, he had already assumed that his relationship with Dean was recognized and approved, so anything that happened afterward was perfectly reasonable.
But now, seeing that the man who had benefited from his life-threatening mission was starting to have second thoughts, Antonio’s face darkened immediately.
He was just about to grab the gun—given his years of life-and-death experience on the frontlines, disarming Old Li wouldn’t be difficult.
But at the last moment, something seemed to stop him.
Lowering himself instead, he spoke politely, even humbly, “I’m terribly sorry. Dean’s been training hard lately in combat and firearms. I may have set the training too hard—he insisted on showing you results, but his body couldn’t quite handle it.”
Old Li looked at them both with suspicion, sneering, “Dean, learning combat and firearms?”
He knew exactly how pampered his son had been. The boy couldn’t stand hardship.
“Your son naturally won’t be lacking,” Antonio flattered at the right moment and quickly led him out of the bedroom.
After a whole round of tea-pouring and flattering, they finally saw the future father-in-law off—but not before Old Li demanded that Dean show some results.
Old Li knew Dean well. The spoiled brat couldn’t take any pain. The recoil from firing a gun would make him cry and beg for a kiss. Showing real results wouldn’t be easy.
Antonio thought hard for a while, and when Dean woke up, he decided to use the “green tea” tactic.
Green tea?
Antonio looked at the tea he had served Old Li earlier and scratched his head. What did that mean again?
He vaguely remembered learning it from someone.
Who was it?
Antonio squinted slightly, feeling like he had forgotten something important.
“David?” Dean’s hoarse voice rang out.
Antonio immediately rushed to the bedroom, a trace of sorrow on his face.
After helping the young master drink some water, Dean noticed something was off with him. “What’s wrong?”
“Your father came by,” Antonio said sorrowfully. “He still doesn’t agree with us being together.”
Dean, ready to leap out of bed in fury, was swiftly pressed back down by Antonio. “He said true soulmates grow together. That being with me hasn’t helped you grow at all.”
“Who says that? I’ve…” Dean reached out and mimicked holding a gun, then exaggerated proudly, “I never miss a shot.”
Under Antonio’s silent gaze, Dean sheepishly lowered his hand and grumbled, “What does he want?”
“He wants to see me grow along with you,” Antonio said, placing himself in a very humble position. “Baby, I’m willing to give up my life for you—but I don’t want you to suffer because of me. Marksmanship and combat aren’t easy. You…”
He looked at Dean with heartache, his lips trembling as if he were about to say something resolute, but his pain made him hesitate. “We…”
He pulled the young master tightly into his arms. Warm droplets of water dripped from behind him. Dean stiffened all over and struggled to look at him, but Antonio held him firmly, his voice hoarse and choked, “Baby, I can’t bear to lose you.”
“…You’re crying,” Dean said in shock.
Antonio didn’t answer. He was pressing hard on the wound on his arm, trying to make the blood from the reopened injury pass as tears—after all, he couldn’t even remember the last time he cried, probably more than a decade ago.
In the heavy silence, Dean seemed to come to a decision. “I can learn. I’m my father’s only son. I’ll inherit the family business one day. These are skills I have to master.”
“I’ll have to learn sooner or later.” He pried open Antonio’s arms wrapped around him and, seeing the redness in his eyes, leaned up to kiss him. “So I might as well start now.”
Looking at the young master like this, Antonio couldn’t resist and kissed him deeply.
As Antonio said, Dean, having been exposed to guns and combat, did have some foundational knowledge. But his reaction time and adaptability were poor. With Antonio personally training him and Dean showing rare determination, his progress came quickly.
Old Man Li must have heard reports from his subordinates, because he never came to interfere again—in fact, he even casually provided better training locations.
During a family-organized wilderness hunt, Dean, thin and delicate, returned dragging a leopard he had just taken down. Old Man Li, watching surveillance footage delivered by his men, witnessed his usually spoiled son switch from long-distance mobile shooting to agile close-range combat and ultimately kill the leopard. For the first time, he smiled at Antonio and said, “Not bad.”
Everyone could see Dean’s change. When Old Li began allowing Antonio to be involved in the family business, Antonio unexpectedly began to feel a sense of crisis.
That feeling prompted him to stockpile weapons, food, and fuel in advance. Not long after, the apocalypse came, and zombies ran rampant.
Thanks to Antonio’s early preparations, Old Li and his team were able to build the first secure base. Dean remained the leisurely young master who never suffered or endured any hardship.
On sunny days, he would look down from the window with joy in his eyes—just like the first time they met.
Only now, what had been hidden and secret was fully out in the open.
*
Meanwhile, Lu Weiyi had returned to the house in Wutong City.
The entire neighborhood, aside from the occasional screams, was eerily desolate. The once lively residents who enjoyed taking walks downstairs with their children had vanished without a trace. Occasionally, behind gently shifting curtains, terrified and watchful faces peeked out.
Lu Weiyi’s memory remained fixed on the moment he’d lost control of his powers and told Ning Yuan, who was nearby, to stay away. The scene before him looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember where it was.
Feeling the power surging within him gave him some sense of calm. He looked around cautiously and headed upstairs.
Room by room, he searched, until he reached the master bedroom—where he saw a young, cold expression staring back at him.
Lu Weiyi stopped in his tracks, touched his own cheek, then looked toward the wardrobe mirror.
The mirror was empty—there was no reflection.
Just as he stood there in shock, a loud banging echoed from downstairs.
The person asleep on the bed was woken by the noise. Their gaze blankly stared at the ceiling for a moment before slowly closing again.
“Go open the door,” Lu Weiyi had already “seen” the anxious Zhuang Mingxu outside, and “heard” the knocking on the neighbor’s doors. When there was no answer, murmurs passed through the group with him, silent glances questioning whether the people inside were already dead.
With no reply, the knocking grew louder. The travel-worn man’s face darkened. He stepped back and kicked the front door hard.
“Bro, bro—damn it, that’s a steel door, not wood!” Ning Yuan shouted, scanning around. He flipped up the doormat, opened the fire box nearby, and fumbled around until he pulled out a key. He raised an eyebrow at Zhuang Mingxu.
Zhuang Mingxu ignored him, quickly unlocked the door, scanned the space, and ran upstairs. The others immediately followed.
“Xiao… Yi?” Zhuang Mingxu’s gaze paused on the sleeping beauty on the bed, then on the “person” standing beside the bed. He looked at them, confused and wary, then walked forward and picked up the person lying on the bed, asking, “Who are you?”
Lu Weiyi opened his mouth. His gaze swept past the person being held protectively, but he couldn’t speak a word.
He looked at the others who had come with them. Besides Ning Yuan, there were Li Mingli, Li Mingyue, and two unfamiliar faces. At the very back was a grim-looking Antonio, with someone wrapped around him like a baby. Only a tuft of blond hair poking out—it could only be Dean.
Lu Weiyi looked at this vaguely familiar lineup and realized this was a scene from the early days of the apocalypse in his previous life.
Two lives’ worth of memories made his recall fuzzy.
“Mingxu, who are you talking to?” Ning Yuan had already instructed others to rest and search for supplies and food, then turned to look at Zhuang Mingxu—who was still holding the person without putting them down, even while rifling through clothing.
“He…” Zhuang Mingxu began, but then also noticed the wardrobe mirror—completely empty. His eyes darted back and forth between Lu Weiyi and the mirror, suppressing a wave of disbelief.
Seeing that Ning Yuan hadn’t noticed anything strange, Zhuang Mingxu suddenly had the feeling that he was the only one who could see this “person.”
He stared at the familiar figure, analyzing and eliminating possibilities in his mind, while dressing the person in his arms and explaining the outside situation to them—yet all the while keeping one eye cautiously on Lu Weiyi.
Chapter 512: The Wounded Return
“It’s just like what we’ve seen in movies—zombies bite people, and those bitten turn into zombies too. They become extremely strong, though a bit slow to react.”
“Don’t be afraid. After I was unconscious for a while, my body changed too. I developed a kind of ability… I can control metal. It’s helped me a lot along the way.”
“What about you? Have you felt anything strange with your body? Like a sensation of energy inside, or something that feels… different?”
“Hm? Xiao Yi, try to think carefully, alright?”
Zhuang Mingxu muttered patiently as he explained, even demonstrating his newly awakened metal ability in front of the “Lu Weiyi.”
Metal-based powers were rare—Lu Weiyi hadn’t seen one in a long time. The tired yet hopeful gleam in Zhuang Mingxu’s eyes was something Lu Weiyi realized he hadn’t seen on the man’s face in a long while.
At first, Lu Weiyi couldn’t tell if this was a memory or a mental illusion created by his own psychic powers. But Zhuang Mingxu’s confident demeanor—like someone who could hold up the sky at any moment—slowly pulled him in, making him lose focus.
This was the first time he was watching their interaction from an outsider’s perspective. One person seemed indifferent, like nothing mattered. The other, utterly exhausted, remained gentle and warm.
Lu Weiyi couldn’t understand it. How could someone be so patient with a block of wood that never responded?
It wasn’t until the “Lu Weiyi” stood up and headed to the bathroom that Zhuang Mingxu finally turned his attention to the real Lu Weiyi.
“Who are you?” he asked casually, his tone indifferent despite the gravity of the question. Though Lu Weiyi’s face had been disfigured and later reconstructed, subtle differences remained. If this had been a living person, Zhuang Mingxu would have immediately suspected a thousand sinister intentions. But for a…
Without waiting for a response, he casually grabbed a cup from the table and threw it at Lu Weiyi.
Caught off guard, Lu Weiyi didn’t even react. The cup passed right through his body, slammed into the glass window, and left spiderweb cracks before shattering on the ground.
He couldn’t be touched.
Zhuang Mingxu’s expression remained calm and unrepentant, as if nothing had happened.
A voice called out from downstairs—Ning Yuan. Zhuang Mingxu responded casually, “It’s nothing,” while keeping his sharp eyes locked on Lu Weiyi.
Lu Weiyi stared at him in disbelief. Their eyes met in silence. That cautious and unfamiliar look made something ache deep inside him, an unexpected feeling of grievance rising in his chest. Then, the bathroom door opened and the other “Lu Weiyi” emerged, calm and expressionless.
Apparently, the loud crash from earlier hadn’t even fazed him.
Still fuming, Lu Weiyi followed as Zhuang Mingxu gently placed his hand on the “Lu Weiyi” and led him downstairs. In a low voice, he asked, “When was the last time your aunt came over? What have you been eating these past few days?”
What kind of response did he expect from a block of wood?
Lu Weiyi angrily trailed behind them into the dining room.
Downstairs, food had already been prepared—instant noodles enhanced with a chaotic mix of vegetables and meat rolls, surprisingly tasty. Ning Yuan and the others were already eating. In the corner, Antonio cradled someone gently in his arms, coaxing them to eat from a steaming bowl.
Lu Weiyi scanned the room and instinctively sat in the main seat. Looking up, he noticed Zhuang Mingxu momentarily paused as he helped “Lu Weiyi” sit, then sat beside him, keeping a respectful distance between them.
That kind of protective care—when directed at himself—felt comforting. But seeing it offered to someone else, the feeling changed entirely.
Lu Weiyi watched as Zhuang Mingxu placed a freshly served bowl of noodles in front of the “Lu Weiyi,” and that small action tipped his irritation to its peak. He glared at Zhuang Mingxu and reached out to grab the bowl—but his hands passed right through it, unable to grasp a thing.
His childish behavior only made Zhuang Mingxu chuckle softly.
Uninterested in watching everyone eat, Lu Weiyi turned and walked toward the window. Under Zhuang Mingxu’s surprised gaze, he passed through the wall and dropped down into the courtyard below. The height didn’t affect him in the slightest.
Bloodstains and body parts littered the ground. From time to time, zombies would charge out of buildings, only to be brutally beaten down by people wielding various weapons.
Lu Weiyi followed the crowd’s gaze and spotted someone leaning against the wall, lazily exhaling cigarette smoke.
Wasn’t that their vice captain?
It had been a long time since he’d seen the man’s triangular blade. Ever since their abilities had grown stronger, they no longer needed to engage in close combat, and that weapon had been shelved. But now, blood dripped steadily from its edge, soaking into the ground beneath him.
The man appeared entirely unaffected by the overwhelming stench of blood. He watched in boredom as several men silently screamed while smashing a zombie with wild swings, splattering gore everywhere.
“Li Zhuang!” Lu Weiyi waved a hand in front of him, but received no reaction—only to watch the man walk right through him and disappear deeper into the compound.
Lu Weiyi followed. After a few dozen meters, the scenery around him grew increasingly blurry, until everything faded into a thick, white fog.
At that moment, he understood: he was trapped inside a memory.
And since his memories were limited, the world around him could only follow familiar plotlines and people he knew.
Lu Weiyi retraced his steps, eventually returning to the apartment building. Looking up, he wasn’t surprised to find Zhuang Mingxu watching him from the window.
He cursed under his breath, suddenly realizing—he shouldn’t have come back. He should’ve been looking for a way out.
He searched the area alone, even using his psychic powers for support. After exhausting all possibilities, he had no choice but to return to Zhuang Mingxu’s side.
By then, the group had already gathered their remaining supplies and agreed to leave the next day.
“You feel very familiar to me,” Zhuang Mingxu said after observing him for a long time, choosing not to press further.
Even though Lu Weiyi knew this was the Zhuang Mingxu he was familiar with, the man’s heart was clearly fixated on the other version of him. Even if that was technically his former self, Lu Weiyi couldn’t bring himself to care.
He sat at the dining table, resting his head on his arms, and began imagining every possible way to escape.
“Are you dead?” Zhuang Mingxu snapped his fingers at the dazed person sitting across from him.
“Are you hoping I die?” Lu Weiyi responded with a slightly harsh tone.
Zhuang Mingxu was momentarily choked by the remark, but his expression remained tolerant, as if he were dealing with a sulking child. Even with the sudden arrival of the apocalypse, he still carried an innate fearlessness about the future—something rooted in his own strength.
“Are you scared?” Lu Weiyi had never asked him this before—not even in the previous life.
Zhuang Mingxu shook his head and smiled gently.
“Give up on him,” Lu Weiyi said, glancing toward the second-floor bedroom, where someone had already gone back to their room, lost in their own world. “Give up on him, and give up on his family.”
Zhuang Mingxu didn’t answer but countered, “What if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll die a horrible death,” Lu Weiyi reached out to touch his cheek. Zhuang Mingxu didn’t dodge, but Lu Weiyi’s hand passed through nothing—he couldn’t touch him. “You’ll die without a body left behind.”
If only he could be reborn at this moment.
Then Zhuang Mingxu would have powers, and he himself wouldn’t be so emotionally closed off.
Then he wouldn’t have clung so hopelessly to an unreciprocated love. And he wouldn’t have felt guilty for changing Zhuang’s original fate.
Zhuang Mingxu seemed to see right through his thoughts—or maybe he meant to. “Then I would gladly accept it, no regrets.”
Lu Weiyi stared at him for a long time before silently looking away.
*
With hundreds of psychic ability users as guards, the return trip by helicopter safely arrived at the Capital Base. Lu Xiao, having estimated their arrival time, was already waiting at the helipad.
The helicopter pad at the Capital Airport was shared. Currently, only the Zheng Family’s private guard and the three elite Flame squads had the resources to own helicopters.
Word spread that the chopper was returning from Lao Mountain, and many squad members kept a close eye on it. Previously, Lu Xiao had gotten so furious he’d aimed weapons at the entire Capital Base. Although Old Master Zheng had stepped in to defuse the situation, Lu Xiao had made no effort to lower his weapons.
More than ten cannons were still trained on key locations in the base. Many teams grumbled about it, but none dared challenge him openly. The Zheng Family’s intervention hadn’t yielded any results, and their guards pretended nothing had happened. Other factions lacked the strength to intervene, and even the more scheming ones couldn’t gather enough support to make a move.
The helicopter door opened. First out was Gu Sheng, a psychic from Military Team Three. Dressed in combat fatigues, he saluted Lu Xiao, who was waiting outside. Next, Meng Huan was carried out, followed by the Jin Diao.
Luo Feifei, who had been standing by with a medical team, immediately stepped forward to take over Meng Huan’s care. After a sweep of his abilities around Meng Huan, he confirmed there was no danger to his life and nodded in relief to Lu Xiao before leading the team away.
Lu Xiao patted the Jin Diao’s shoulder and sighed, “I’m just glad you made it back.”
“Major General, they…” the Jin Diao began, referring to fallen comrades, his eyes turning red with grief.
“I already know. We’ll talk more later,” Lu Xiao cut him off, not wanting to risk revealing too much with so many psychic users nearby probing for information. He turned to Gu Sheng. “Is the situation over there confirmed?”
“Yes. Our base leader’s ability is entering an upgrade phase. He’s about to break through to SSS level. The psychic energy is affecting nearby teammates, so Commander Zhuang has decided to station troops at the base of Lao Mountain while waiting for the upgrade to complete.”
This was the story they had prearranged. Gu Sheng was simply using this moment to inform everyone.
“The first SSS ability user is about to appear. What a reason to celebrate,” Lu Xiao said with a perfectly calm expression. “Tell Zhuang Mingxu that if he’s short on manpower, he’s welcome to dispatch from my side.”
“Understood. Thank you, Major General,” Gu Sheng replied. “Before entering his upgrade, our base leader left a message: all S-level ability users are to restrain their powers and avoid advancing to SSS until his upgrade is complete.”
This was a message Li Zhuang had remembered just before leaving and told Gu Sheng to deliver. Since Lu Weiyi had warned them, there had to be a reason—it wouldn’t have been mentioned for no reason. Gu Sheng felt it necessary to let Lu Xiao and the others know. What they did with the information wasn’t his concern.
Chapter 513: Squad Movements
“Did he say why?” Lu Xiao frowned.
Gu Sheng shook his head.
“What’s Commander Zhuang’s response plan?”
“In the short term, the demands aren’t too strict, but he’s ordered all mid-tier SS users to stop absorbing crystal cores.”
Gu Sheng didn’t hide anything, and Lu Xiao immediately decided to adopt the same policy.
After exchanging a few more updates, Lu Xiao handed over pre-packed meals. “Time is tight, so I won’t keep you for dinner. Here’s a letter from Ai Yi for Zhuang Mingxu. Please give it to him.”
“Tell him the child is doing well with me. I’ve found a teacher to help him with lessons. He won’t fall behind in his studies.”
“Understood.”
The helicopter landed and departed just as quickly.
As the Capital Base deployed its suppressive chemicals, the mutation-driven reproduction of local animals had slowed. At first, base squads went out to scavenge resources; then they started hunting zombies. Now, a new task had been added: hunting mutated animals.
On the return trip, teams could be seen battling in the wild—but not in the territory of Half Moon Bay.
Once a place where even zombies were rare, the area around Half Moon Bay had now been completely overrun by mutated animals. It had become their nesting ground. Even the airspace was at risk of being lost.
Flocks of mutated birds blotted out the sky, making flight navigation extremely difficult.
Liu Rui and Chen Xing were aboard a passenger aircraft heading toward the Half Moon Bay Islands, carrying unconscious teammates. Aboard, a psychic user maintained a protective mental shield around the aircraft, preventing attacks. Outside, the dense darkness cast shadows over the entire cabin interior.
“Go… check it out…” Liu Rui ordered Chen Xing. He couldn’t leave the seven unconscious teammates.
Even in the southwest—previously the most overrun area—the mutated birds had only appeared in phases. This never-ending wave now worried him deeply about the state of Half Moon Bay.
The equally quiet Chen Xing nodded. The psychic-type ability user near the window used his powers to burn away the clouds and create a clear patch of sky, scanning the surroundings.
Apart from the fact that there were even more mutant animals than when they had left, there was nothing unusual. Liu Rui could only remind everyone to stay on high alert.
He had always played a subordinate role in the team, but now that so many people were watching him take the lead, he began to feel nervous.
As the plane approached the vicinity of the Half Moon Bay islands, the number of mutant birds noticeably decreased. But what surprised them even more was the airspace over Half Moon Bay itself.
In the sky above the surrounding sea areas, one could see various birds flying around. However, the islands of Half Moon Bay seemed to be isolated by some invisible force—there wasn’t a single bird in the sky above them.
Everyone noticed this phenomenon and, for a moment, didn’t dare to approach rashly. They all turned to Liu Rui, the last remaining member of the original squad, for answers.
Just then, Liu Rui’s phone rang.
It was a message from Wu Yue, instructing them to enter the island in three minutes.
Although he didn’t understand the situation, Liu Rui relayed the message to the pilot.
As soon as the time was up, the pilot accelerated toward the designated landing zone, facing no obstruction along the way.
Outside the cabin, Wu Yue had already been waiting for a long time. He scanned the unconscious individuals and asked, “Any unusual symptoms?”
“They move from time to time,” Chen Xing answered on Liu Rui’s behalf.
“Xu Yi, take them to the hospital and assist the doctors with their examinations. Zheng Jun, Cui Wen—lead a squad to guard them. No one is allowed to approach before they regain consciousness.”
“Wait, President Wu—we have our own medical staff.” The captain and vice-captain of the Frost Guild were among the unconscious, so their subordinates were understandably concerned.
“We also have medics. We can treat the captain ourselves, no need to trouble the base.”
“Yes, President Wu, we can take care of them ourselves.”
Seeing Frost Guild speak up, others who had come to pick up their own people quickly chimed in.
“Vice-Captain Tian Kang, their condition is still unclear. Our base has the best medical personnel and equipment, making it more suitable for centralized treatment. Of course, we’ll assign personnel to protect them. This is also to ensure that the base’s combat strength isn’t compromised while they are still defenseless,” Wu Yue said, addressing Frost Guild’s other vice-captain, Tian Kang.
His words also indicated how much the base valued these individuals and had no intention of harming them.
Tian Kang met his gaze thoughtfully. “I want to assign someone to stay with the captain,” he said, clearly still wary of the base.
“That’s acceptable, but anything they do must be accompanied by a designated escort.”
Tian Kang nodded and selected two people to stay by Ye Jia and Yu Mengchu’s side.
With Frost Guild compromising, the Peace Squad also assigned someone to follow. Eventually, only Miracle Squad remained. They exchanged reluctant glances but said nothing openly.
Once all the receiving teams had left, Gao Yang and the others finally stretched lazily and stepped forward.
“President, what exactly have we set up around the base?” Gao Yang squinted at the sky surrounding the base. After observing for a while, he realized it wasn’t that birds weren’t flying over their airspace—it was that any bird that did was struck by something and fell into the sea.
At this, Wu Yue laughed heartily. “This is one of the base’s newest research achievements. It’s similar to a high-voltage electric grid. It kills any approaching mutant birds and forms our first line of defense.”
“I heard the repellent mist sprayed in the Capital worked well. But why does it seem like there are even more mutant animals and birds in our territory?” someone suddenly asked.
“We haven’t sprayed any repellent around the base yet,” Wu Yue revealed, shocking everyone.
Seeing their surprised faces, he didn’t offer any explanation but instead reassured them, praising their efforts and telling everyone to rest early.
Indeed, the area around their base had not been sprayed.
When Zhuang Mingxu sensed that other bases were beginning to stir, he was the first to decide to delay spraying the repellent. These rampant mutant creatures were a problem for their base, but if others coveted their territory, they could also serve as a natural barrier.
Especially when it came to the nearby Pingjin Base and the Capital Base.
If those bases wanted to send people in large numbers, they’d have to first spend significant resources dealing with the mutant creatures along the way.
Combined with Lu Xi’s research on the conversion and utilization of crystal cores, Zhuang Mingxu had the metal woven into a giant net that covered the entire base. The net connected to the converted energy from the crystal cores, forming a high-voltage grid that protected the base from airborne attacks by mutant birds.
With the base effectively sealed off, the mass proliferation of mutant creatures no longer posed much of a threat.
*
Inside the Base Hospital
An entire floor of the hospital had been cleared. Special personnel were already conducting examinations, with guards posted every few steps throughout the building to ensure the unconscious individuals were fully protected.
All medical tests showed that the seven individuals had completely normal indicators. In fact, as ability users, some of their metrics even exceeded standard human limits.
“What did the psychic-type say?” Zhuang Mingxu asked, frowning as he reviewed the report.
Ever since he heard about the incident with Lu Weiyi’s plane, he had barely slept—coordinating between various bases, making cautious inquiries, and calming the teams under his command while preparing for any potential incident.
“Lin Hai from Team Three said he could sense faint traces of psychic energy in their minds—very weak and barely detectable. None of the other psychic-type users noticed anything. He himself has never encountered this kind of situation before and doesn’t know how to proceed,” Yin Jin replied, holding a stack of documents, exuding a professional air.
“What’s his current ability level?”
“Early Stage A-rank.”
“No one stronger?” Zhuang Mingxu’s frown deepened.
He suspected that these people had been unconsciously affected by Lu Weiyi’s psychic energy during his level-up process. But he had never considered this possibility before and thus hadn’t looked into potential solutions. Now it turned out that even others couldn’t detect anything.
“Lu Xi and Xing Zhou are the two highest-ranked individuals after Lu Weiyi. The rest are mental-type ability users who just recently advanced to Class A.”
There were quite a few mental-type ability users in the base, but with Lu Weiyi leading them, Zhuang Mingxu hadn’t expected the others to be so low in rank. Seeing his frown, Yin Jin explained, “There are also two mid-to-late stage Class A users, but they’re from subordinate combat squads. President Wu said this inspection must be absolutely secure, so no mental-type users outside the military are allowed to take part.”
Zhuang Mingxu exhaled deeply, making a mental note to evaluate the military’s ability user rankings. With such a wide disparity, it was no wonder that unrest began the moment something happened to Lu Weiyi.
“Have the military’s ability users think of more solutions.” Zhuang Mingxu closed the document and opened another — an interrogation report.
“They brought back Gu Sheng’s son, Gu Fei. He was the closest person to the base leader at the time. According to him, in the final moment, it was his mother and father who appeared and took control of Gu Sheng’s body, giving the base leader a chance to strike.”
“How credible is it?”
“He was tested by a mental-type ability user. There were no signs of lying. The others are asking how to deal with him.”
“A normal human?” Zhuang Mingxu asked after reading the details.
“Yes.”
“Have him work with the ordinary people in the base for now, and have someone keep a close eye on him. We’ll decide more when Xiao Yi returns.”
After handling most of the urgent matters, it was already close to midnight. As Zhuang Mingxu arrived at the government office building, he noticed a bright and bustling area not far off, with voices of argument faintly reaching him.
It was over ten o’clock at night — unusual for such commotion.
“What’s going on over there?” Zhuang Mingxu asked his bodyguard with a nod of his chin.
“It’s people from the White Rose Squad and the Miracle Squad. They’re trying to take their captains back and have been arguing with the guards since the afternoon.” The two bodyguards following Zhuang Mingxu were elite soldiers selected from the base’s military. They were both capable and powerful ability users.
“Bai Mei and He Song…” Zhuang Mingxu repeated the names, quickly recalling details about the two squads in his mind.
Chapter 514: Heavy-handed Tactics
The White Rose Squad was founded by Bai Mei and initially comprised entirely of women — most of them strong ability users. They had protected a group of women who had suffered abuse by men, and their presence in other bases often attracted unwanted male attention. Eventually, the whole squad relocated to Half Moon Bay.
However, the soft-heartedness typical of women surfaced in peacetime. Persuaded by sweet-talking men, some began to forget their past trauma and let others get close again. Gradually, men started joining the White Rose Squad — at first as family members, then slowly becoming members themselves. Now the squad was growing increasingly chaotic, and Bai Mei’s position as the founder was becoming precarious.
He Song’s situation was simpler. The Miracle Squad he led originated from a village. He had been a young village official and awakened his powers after the apocalypse, naturally becoming the squad captain. As the base expanded, he harbored some ambitions, though they hadn’t yet caused major conflict.
“Let’s go take a look.” A trace of coldness flashed in Zhuang Mingxu’s eyes. These people really were testing his limits by causing trouble just as something had happened to Lu Weiyi.
The location wasn’t far. Zhuang Mingxu took only a few steps with his bodyguards before hearing someone ahead inciting others emotionally.
“I want to take our captain back! He went on a mission, and now we can’t even see him. Who knows how he got injured?”
“The base isn’t giving any explanation or treatment plan — they’re just detaining him strictly. What’s the meaning of this?”
“Could it be something they don’t want us to know? Why can’t we take our own captain back?”
The ringleaders were the most aggressive, shoving and arguing with the guards outside the hospital. Fortunately, they knew their limits and didn’t resort to using their abilities.
“Exactly! Let us in — we want our captain!”
“We’ll treat him ourselves—”
Halfway through their shouting, a large group of armed police suddenly surrounded them. Standing at the front was the fierce-looking Wu Yue.
Normally, whether managing the base in Zhuang Mingxu’s absence or efficiently handing power back when he returned, Wu Yue had always maintained a good temper.
Even when others privately voiced dissatisfaction on his behalf, Wu Yue would just smile and brush it off, even offering comfort in return, saying he never had ambitions in that regard.
The last time he had shown this kind of expression was when both his legs had been broken. Zhuang Mingxu paused and stared into the distance toward the hospital entrance.
Wu Yue was known for being approachable, even back when he was a military instructor. After the apocalypse, he worked with Gu Qingyue to manage the various temperaments within the squads and served as a unifying force. This was the first time he had ever turned cold toward squad members. He waved his hand, and the police quickly arrested the ringleaders before anyone could react.
Taking a loudspeaker from his assistant Xu Chu, Wu Yue addressed the stunned crowd:
“I don’t care what your true purpose for coming here tonight is. I’ll say it once — the base quarantined these members for their own safety. If you continue to make trouble, I’ll consider it an attempt to harm the squad captains and weaken the base’s combat strength. Anyone who does that is an enemy of the entire base.”
“I have full authority to arrest anyone with ill intentions and detain them until the squad captains regain consciousness and come claim them personally.”
He signaled to Xu Chu, who immediately fitted the restrained ability users with ability-suppression devices and special handcuffs, limiting their freedom.
Since the apocalypse, Half Moon Bay had strictly enforced harsh punishments in chaotic times. People who made serious offenses were often executed as a warning to others.
Now that the ringleaders had been arrested, the crowd fell silent.
Most people who survived this long knew how to read the situation. Seeing the unrest die down, Wu Yue picked up the loudspeaker again:
“All of you are valuable assets to our base, the backbone of our defense against external threats. The Half Moon Bay government would never harm any ability user who contributes to our survival. Please rest assured. And during this time, don’t let yourself be manipulated by troublemakers — let’s avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“Those under closed-off treatment aren’t just the captains of Miracle Squad and White Rose Squad. The main and deputy leaders of Frost Society, as well as the main captain of the Peace Squad, are also inside.”
“At a time like this, when we need to stand united, what I hope is that everyone can advance and retreat together with the base,” Wu Yue looked around at everyone present. “Just as the base leader once promised you, the base stands with you.”
“I stand with the base.”
Amid the silence, a weak voice suddenly spoke up.
Then more and more people began to echo the sentiment, until the crowd’s voices merged into a single statement: “I stand with the base.”
Not far away, Zhuang Mingxu saw the scene, shrugged his shoulders, and said to the bodyguard beside him, “Looks like they don’t need us here anymore. Let’s head back.”
—
The villa had become much emptier. The places that were once lively now felt especially spacious. Xi Shi, hearing some movement, came out yawning with a thin robe draped over his shoulders.
“Brother Xi, the base has been busy lately. Don’t wait for us at night,” Zhuang Mingxu greeted him.
Xi Shi yawned again, pulled out a letter from a drawer, and handed it to Zhuang Mingxu. “A soldier delivered this. Said it’s from Ai Yi, written especially for you.”
Zhuang Mingxu quickened his pace, a tired but happy smile forming on his face as he eagerly opened the letter. Inside was Ai Yi’s neat handwriting, with bits of pinyin sprinkled throughout. He had written about everything going on in the Capital. It was clear from his words that Lu Xiao had been taking great care of him—always keeping him close and, when that wasn’t possible, assigning entire squads of ability users to protect him. Lu Xiao likely wasn’t even this attentive with Lu Xi.
Could this be what they call “skipping-a-generation affection”?
Zhuang Mingxu laughed to himself and quickly skimmed the letter. At the end, the child had written that he missed them and asked when he could return. Zhuang Mingxu’s heart ached a little at that.
Seeing how Xi Shi was itching to know what the letter said, Zhuang Mingxu handed it to him. “He said he misses us.”
Xi Shi quickly read through it once, then started reading it again slowly and carefully, word by word. His eyes gradually turned red. “When can we bring the kid back? If something happens out there, we can’t even reach him.”
Zhuang Mingxu sighed and looked out at the dark night, saying nothing.
He wanted to bring Zhuang Aiyi back too, but Half Moon Bay was already a naturally fortified location. Now, with too many missing members from Team One, he had to prepare for the worst. If anything went wrong internally, the child would be placed in real danger, with no chance to escape.
But beside Lu Xiao, if Lu Xiao was determined, he could ensure the child’s safety and escape.
For ordinary people at the base, life hadn’t changed much. They still cared for their designated plots of land each day. The tenacity of the mutated plants meant they had to weed and apply pest control every few days.
Only among the base’s ability-user squads was the atmosphere tense. Frost Society and Peace Squad were anxious for their missing leaders while also staying alert for any underhanded moves from Zhongliang Squad.
This tension trickled down to the lower-ranking squads, where paranoia and mistrust ran rampant.
Even though the base had already distributed contribution points to all the squads that participated in the rescue, most people still didn’t dare to spend theirs on the expensive equipment they had long desired.
When the purchasing reports came in, only Zhongliang Squad and Gaoyang Squad had submitted orders. Wu Yue couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “Looks like everyone’s still ready to jump ship at a moment’s notice.”
“These people are disgusting. They accept our perks and benefits during peaceful times, and now they’re turning their backs,” Bai Miao said angrily, his chest heaving. He even threw aside his breakfast in frustration.
Li Dongsheng silently smoked his cigarette, saying nothing. Xiong Jie had a dark expression. Lin Yimu’s brows were tightly furrowed, while Li Qing sneered as if he’d already seen through everyone’s true nature.
Only Zhuang Mingxu looked calm. “They’re all survivors of the apocalypse. When faced with an uncertain future, everyone wants to keep their crystal cores close.”
“Approve the orders for Zhongliang and Gaoyang,” Zhuang Mingxu said, then added to Wu Yue with a subtle, cold smile, “Also, hint to them that materials are hard to come by these days. Prices might go up soon.”
“Don’t give them a clear promise.”
“You want to raise prices?” Wu Yue raised an eyebrow.
Zhuang Mingxu didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Lin Yimu. “Brother Mu, have the troops for the latest deployment been arranged?”
“They have. Team Four’s Zhou He will lead a group of ability users and regular soldiers, along with heavy weapons—over 800 people in total. We’re sending three passenger planes and five helicopters for escort,” Lin Yimu explained when he saw Zhuang Mingxu’s puzzled expression. “Major General Lu also sent over 400 elite soldiers to join the operation.”
Before Zhuang Mingxu could respond, Li Qing jumped in. “Why aren’t we being deployed? I heard the mutated animals over there are strong—perfect for training.”
“There is a training plan in place,” someone explained. “That’s why we’re sending lower-level ability users first, to help them improve quickly.”
If the military didn’t have so many regular soldiers, if the power gap among ability users wasn’t so wide, and if they didn’t rely so heavily on Lu Weiyi, they wouldn’t be so stretched thin now.
Peaceful days had made Lu Weiyi soft-hearted. He no longer had the ruthless drive that once forced them to level up.
“But wouldn’t our team be even more powerful if we got stronger too?”
Zhuang Mingxu turned to him helplessly. “The base has a limited supply of high-grade crystal cores suitable for high-level ability users. We need to focus on helping the lower-ranked members grow first. And also…”
“I’m not sure if there will be problems when upgrading to SS rank.”
“There’s really a problem?” Li Qing looked surprised. He had thought it was just an excuse the base made up to prevent people from leveling up too fast.
Wu Yue gave him a sympathetic look. “We’d like to know too. Maybe you could be our test subject.”
Li Qing quickly waved his hands in refusal.
Zhuang Mingxu glanced around the people in the living room before finally fixing his gaze on Lin Yimu. “Brother Mu, did Xiao Yi leave you any high-grade crystal cores?”
Chapter 515: Clear-headed
“Yes, mostly A-grade. A few S-grade cores too.”
“What are their elements?”
“Earth-type, water-type, and wood-type—twelve in total,” Lin Yimu replied after thinking carefully, seeing that Zhuang Mingxu seemed interested in the details. “Except for one mid-stage water-type core, the rest are all early-stage. Do you need them?”
Zhuang Mingxu nodded. “Arrange purification for tonight.”
After that, he turned to Liu Rui and Wu Yue. “What stage are your abilities at?”
Wu Yue and Liu Rui exchanged glances and answered straightforwardly.
“…Late stage.”
“Not quite mid-stage yet.”
“If we do everything we can to help you level up, how long do you think it would take?” Zhuang Mingxu looked at Wu Yue.
“…A while, I guess…” Wu Yue immediately guessed what he was getting at as soon as the question was asked.
Their base had drawn too much attention. Previously, they had Lu Weiyi, an SS-rank ability user, to keep everything in check. Other bases had no choice but to follow the rules they set. But now, with Lu Weiyi’s situation unknown, they urgently needed another high-level ability user to hold the fort.
“I only advanced in March. It’s nearly impossible to level up again so soon. It’d be better to focus on Li Zhuang—he should be in the late S-rank by now, right?” Wu Yue asked while looking at Liu Rui.
Liu Rui nodded and added, “Stronger… than me.”
There were more earth-type ability cores available than fire-type ones. Among them, aside from Lu Weiyi, Li Zhuang had always had the most stable progression.
Zhuang Mingxu knew that too, but trying to force someone to level up in a short period usually required life-or-death battles to trigger breakthroughs. Right now, high-level ability users in the base were limited. If they wanted Li Zhuang to focus on leveling up, someone had to take over his responsibilities.
“I’ll go to Lao Mountain to replace Li Zhuang. The base is currently in a semi-lockdown state, and most of the teams are unwilling to risk injuries, so they’re barely going outside. The Ability User Guild doesn’t have much for me to do either.”
Zhuang Mingxu looked up at him. The original team had been formed based on the five elements, and there was one extra earth-type user. Half Moon Bay was still in its early construction phase and needed reliable management.
He had hoped that someone he trusted would take on the responsibility, so he pulled Wu Yue off the frontlines. Over the years, although Wu Yue hadn’t lagged in power level, his combat effectiveness likely no longer matched Li Zhuang’s.
Lao Mountain was crawling with mutated animals, so physical prowess was essential. That’s why he hadn’t recalled Li Zhuang until now.
“You—”
“Don’t you dare look down on me. I train every day. Physically, I’m in way better shape than you desk jockeys. If you don’t believe me, let’s spar right now,” Wu Yue shot back defiantly.
“Fine, I know I can’t match your physical strength,” Zhuang Mingxu didn’t try to stop him after that. “Then you’ll go to Lao Mountain with the others tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Wu Yue gave an OK hand gesture.
Only then did Zhuang Mingxu turn to Liu Rui. “You know what Lao Mountain is like—I don’t need to explain it. You’re well aware of the situation.”
“Our base urgently needs an SS-rank ability user to stabilize things. You and Li Zhuang have always been about equal in strength to Antonio, but since Antonio’s current status is unknown, we’re counting on you and Li Zhuang.”
“We have a limited supply of leveling cores stored in the base. I’ll send all of them with you. You two decide how to distribute them. If it’s not enough, you’ll have to work together to hunt mutated animals over there.”
“Okay, got it.” Liu Rui agreed without hesitation, which made Zhuang Mingxu feel a little guilty.
“When Lu Weiyi leveled up, it wasn’t easy. I don’t know the specifics, but you know how dangerous this is. You’ll be on your own out there. If you have any worries or concerns, speak up now. We’ve been through life and death together—everyone will respect your choice.”
Liu Rui shook his head, and Zhuang Mingxu then handed him the crystal cores.
“Tell Li Zhuang the same thing—let them decide for themselves. Also, help arrange the upgrades for Zhou He’s people. Get a list of all those going with you, especially those in the mid or late stages. Do everything you can to help them level up.”
“Understood.”
After Wu Yue responded, Zhuang Mingxu turned to the others in the living room. “In the short term, most of the base’s cores will be allocated to these two. That might affect what you normally use…”
“Brother Mingxu, you don’t need to be so formal with us. We all know what the base is facing. Who would complain at a time like this?” Bai Miao, who was a diehard fan of Zhuang Mingxu, couldn’t stand hearing him soften his tone. He chimed in and looked around at the others, saying boldly, “Worst case, we can just go hunt zombies ourselves. We’re all S-rank—definitely stronger than ordinary people.”
“Oh? Funny, I seem to recall someone crying last time they had to leave the base during their upgrade?” Xiong Jie called him out mercilessly.
Bai Miao’s face instantly turned red, and his stiff-necked expression sent everyone into laughter.
“Alright then, Brother Xiong, you’ll oversee things at the Ability User Guild for now. Once Wu Yue goes to Lao Mountain, he’ll take over for Li Zhuang. Let everyone manage their own plans.”
Zhuang Mingxu concluded the meeting. Wu Yue and Liu Rui left early in the morning with a fully assembled team.
Not long after sending them off, Zhuang Mingxu had just returned to his office when the phone rang urgently. It was Zheng Jun, who had been stationed at the hospital, informing him that Xing Zhou had woken up.
By the time Zhuang Mingxu arrived at the hospital, the entrance was already packed with members of several ability user teams who had heard the news. It was so crowded that the hospital looked more like a market than a medical facility. If the military guards hadn’t been blocking the door, people would’ve stormed inside.
Seeing Zhuang Mingxu arrive, the crowd rushed forward, bombarding him with questions about whether Xing Zhou had really woken up.
Zhuang Mingxu gestured for silence. “I haven’t seen him yet. When we have concrete news, every team will be informed. Please wait for the official update.”
After squeezing into the room, he found it just as crowded—this time with doctors and teammates.
“No discomfort, just…” Xing Zhou pinched the bridge of his nose as he answered the doctor’s question. His face was clearly tense, and it was obvious he was holding back anger. “…It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not.”
The doctor ran a series of tests on him again, and after still finding nothing, handed the matter over to the military.
Zhuang Mingxu didn’t have time to wait for a full interrogation report and directly asked, “Were you mentally controlled?”
Xing Zhou was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “It wasn’t control… more like influence. It affected my thoughts and made me…”
His voice was strained. “Made me fulfill some long-held regrets.”
Being immersed in a beautiful illusion, so comforting and perfect that one’s will weakens and refuses to wake up—that was the real mental attack.
“How did you break free from it?”
“I’m a mental-type ability user. The squad leader had taught me how to resist psychic interference,” Xing Zhou said, trying hard to keep calm.
When their team first landed, Xing Zhou was the first to detect a faint psychic wave—subtle as a breeze with no aggression. He had been debating whether to warn the others when he unknowingly fell into the illusion.
At first, he was still able to remind himself it wasn’t real, repeating the current environment and situation in his mind. But the illusion was too perfect. That lingering regret in his heart was magnified to the extreme. At first, he just wanted one more glance, one more moment—but it spiraled out of control. Without realizing it, his awareness faded, and he sank completely into the illusion.
Xing Zhou buried his face in his arms, holding his head. From his expression, it was clear the illusion had shown him something deeply painful. But Zhuang Mingxu couldn’t wait for him to recover emotionally. “And then? How did you escape it?”
“I think I left the area. The squad leader’s psychic influence started to fade. Plus, after years of training, my own mental powers began to resist the foreign energy. The illusion started to crack…” He paused. “I caught the flaw and snapped out of it.”
Having gotten the information he needed, Zhuang Mingxu didn’t press further. “The six team members who went with you are still unconscious. The psychic users we trust are unable to help them. I need you to calm down, separate reality from illusion, and use any weak points you can find to help bring them out.”
“I’m grateful on behalf of the members still trapped in the illusion.” Zhuang Mingxu was clearly reluctant to ask, but with the base short-handed, he had no choice. He saluted Xing Zhou to show his respect.
Xing Zhou returned the salute crisply. “I’ll do my best.”
After leaving the hospital, Zhuang Mingxu quickly contacted Lu Xiao and was informed that the shuttle previously sent to retrieve people had already departed. He told someone to get a helicopter back in the air and asked Lu Xiao to find a wood-type ability user with mutated plants.
[A member has woken up. He said it was Xiao Yi’s psychic power that pulled him into the illusion. Once outside the range of that power, its influence weakens.]
[We’ll evacuate everyone underground first, and then figure out how to bring them back.]
Lu Xiao was relieved to hear they had made progress—it practically confirmed that Lu Weiyi was indeed going through an evolution.
Maybe the evolution of psychic-type abilities worked differently than other powers.
After thinking for a moment, he replied, [There are only two wood-type ability users in the entire base who have mutated plants—one’s in the Guard Squad, the other’s in the Zheng family.]
[I’ll speak to Zhao Qiang about the Guard Squad. You can go fetch the person.]
Zhuang Mingxu chose without hesitation. Partly because he was still disgusted by what Zheng Yi had done recently—though he never said it aloud, the resentment was real. The other reason was Zhao Qiang owed them a favor. Because of ongoing issues, the healing-type ability users Zhao promised to send for upgrades still hadn’t been delivered. Those healers, afraid for their lives, refused to absorb any crystal cores, worried they might die from it.
For a major battle team to avoid falling under someone else’s control, they needed their own healing support. Now Zhao Qiang was more anxious than anyone.
