Chapter 51 — The Wall-Building Specialist
After finishing the iron grilles on Zhang Su’s windows, Yan Fei was so drained he had to be fed dinner by Luo Xun, just like back when he was injured. Only this time, with their relationship officially confirmed, Luo Xun was far gentler.
He carefully picked out food for him, made sure nothing spilled, fussed over him constantly — concern and tenderness written all over his face.
Yan Fei ate slowly, but the warmth he felt far exceeded the satisfaction of eating itself — even if most of the food turned cold by the time he finished.
With such a thoughtful partner, Yan Fei couldn’t help thinking that bringing Luo Xun along tomorrow had been the right decision. After all, who could possibly take care of him this gently?
The next morning, Yan Fei woke up feeling his mental energy fully restored — even faintly stronger than before. As expected, using and recharging his power repeatedly did enhance it little by little.
If only there were a way to speed up the process… meditation? Qi circulation? Or maybe using crystal cores?
Right now, crystal cores were the most likely way to enhance one’s ability, but since they weren’t planning to leave the base, that option was off the table. For now, daily use and recovery would have to do.
After breakfast, the two went downstairs to meet Li Tie’s group. According to Lieutenant Ding, if Yan Fei wanted to join the wall construction crew, they were to meet him that morning at the west gate of the residential area.
“Brother Luo’s going too?” Wang Duo asked curiously when he saw Luo Xun dressed to go out.
“I’m going with him,” Luo Xun smiled, not elaborating further. The others assumed he just had some errands and didn’t press the matter.
Hearing the commotion in the hallway, Zhang Su opened his door too.
“Thanks for watching the place, Brother Zhang.”
“We’ll bring you back hot food tonight!” Li Tie called cheerfully as they waved goodbye.
After saying their goodbyes, Luo Xun and Yan Fei locked their door and headed down the stairs.
Just as Lieutenant Ding had said, the elevators were slow during morning rush — it was faster to take the stairs.
At the west gate, they found the temporary military checkpoint, and sure enough, Lieutenant Ding was waiting.
“You’re both going?” he asked, surprised. Luo Xun didn’t look like a metal-type ability user — and even if they were cousins, powers usually didn’t match.
“I’ll go with him,” Luo Xun said. “Using abilities for too long has side effects, so I’ll be there to look after him. I don’t need pay — just let me tag along.”
Lieutenant Ding thought for a moment. “Can you drive?”
“Yes.” Luo Xun nodded quickly. He didn’t have a license — his driving skills came from their desperate escape last life — reckless but effective.
“Alright then, you can come,” Lieutenant Ding agreed. Free labor was always welcome. Otherwise, they’d have to assign someone to watch over Yan Fei anyway. Having Luo Xun there made things easier.
Sure enough, when the wall construction team learned Luo Xun was just there to assist and look after the drained metal user, no one objected. They simply said, “We’ll feed you, but you won’t get any points.”
Luo Xun didn’t mind at all. Yan Fei would only be working for half a day anyway — ability users had strict daily limits, and the military wouldn’t risk overusing them. For a metal-type, half a day of work was already impressive.
They boarded a military truck. Including Yan Fei, there were six metal ability users in total — apparently, the entire base only had five before him. They split into morning and afternoon shifts.
Yan Fei wore his usual face mask, while Luo Xun checked his gear — including his compound metal crossbow. The moment he pulled it out, the soldiers in the truck stirred.
“A crossbow? All metal?”
“Where’d you get that? How strong is it?”
“Wait, that’s a restricted weapon— actually, who cares anymore?”
Luo Xun grinned. “We’re going outside the base, right? Just in case we run into trouble. It’s not against the rules, is it?”
The soldiers immediately shook their heads. They were all heavily armed themselves, some with submachine guns. Nobody was going to lecture him about rules when survival was at stake.
In fact, they had been worried that the two civilians might be a burden — but seeing that weapon eased their minds.
“You know how to use that?” one soldier asked.
“Pretty well.”
“Ever fought zombies?”
“Yeah. Been outside the base before — I’m not squeamish about killing them.”
That reassured them. The last thing they needed was someone freezing up at the sight of a zombie that still looked half-human.
Still, despite his confidence, they quietly decided to keep an eye on the two — especially the precious metal-type user among them.
Before long, the truck reached its destination. There weren’t many zombies in sight — the area already had a long stretch of outer wall under construction. Bricklayers worked in the distance, while the metal barrier had extended far down the line.
Today, they would continue building from where yesterday’s work had stopped.
Many piles of metal materials were stacked by the wall, and several large trucks loaded with more metal sat nearby, ready to replenish the supply at any time.
Everyone got off the truck and gathered by the wall. Since it was Yan Fei’s first day on the job, he didn’t need to start right away — instead, he stood aside to observe how the other two metal-type ability users worked.
The two didn’t work simultaneously either. One would go first and operate for a while, and when his mental energy was partially spent, the other would take over.
The first metal user stood by the wall, placed his hand on a pile of metal materials beside him, and condensed a large chunk of metal into his hand. Then he pressed his hand against the wall, fusing the metal from his hand into the wall to connect with the existing metal structure — little by little, fusing and patching it together.
“Our perimeter wall only needs to be built this high for now. Once the entire wall is completed, we’ll go inside and build a second layer — higher and thicker,” explained the team captain in charge, briefing Yan Fei on the situation.
The metal wall stood about three meters tall, roughly the same height as the brick layer behind it. For now, the purpose of the wall was simply to keep zombies out. Later, it would be reinforced, heightened, and thickened. The base was already recruiting earth-type ability users for that later stage.
Still, this outer metal layer was essential — metal was much harder than brick or soil, and even concrete couldn’t match the durability of solid metal.
The first metal user completed a section about three meters high and half a meter wide before stepping aside to rest and recover. The second user quickly took over where he left off.
Watching them work, Yan Fei soon understood: the metal wall was about twenty centimeters thick, and neither of the two drained their mental energy completely — they always stopped with some strength left before resting.
The captain reminded him, “Don’t use up all your energy at once. Work a bit, rest a bit — that way, you’ll last longer.”
Yan Fei nodded — that wasn’t an issue for him. By the time the second user took his break, Yan Fei had confirmed something: his own ability was stronger than theirs.
He wasn’t sure if they simply couldn’t make metal float or just didn’t bother to, but judging from their tired expressions, even building just this much took a heavy toll on them.
Placing his hand on an iron plate, Yan Fei “stuck” a chunk of metal onto it and then pressed it against the wall to fuse it smoothly. He silently calculated: this method was indeed easier than controlling metal midair — but it also meant he couldn’t adjust angles freely or observe from all directions, which made him slightly uncomfortable.
Still, he thought wryly, easier work was always better than exhausting work.
After completing a section about the same size as the previous two workers’, Yan Fei stepped aside to rest, letting the first metal user take over again.
Luo Xun immediately came over with water and a towel. Seeing that Yan Fei wasn’t sweating or overly fatigued, he relaxed. He knew this level of metal control wouldn’t exhaust him much.
At home, Yan Fei often used up all his remaining ability energy each night by reshaping a metal ball in the bedroom — molding it rapidly into countless forms. That kind of precise, high-speed manipulation was far more mentally taxing than this repetitive construction work.
They worked in turns — one person replacing another. Yan Fei matched the previous two’s pace and section size perfectly. He didn’t outshine them too much, but he didn’t drag them down either.
When noon came and everyone climbed back onto the truck for lunch break, several of the men kept sneaking glances at Yan Fei. Outsiders wouldn’t know, but they did — the base had five metal ability users in total, split into morning and afternoon shifts.
The morning group — these two — were the stronger pair, able to last longer and work faster than the afternoon team.
Originally, they’d been worried Yan Fei might not keep up and had even considered swapping him into the slower afternoon group. But to their surprise, he’d not only kept up easily — he even looked… relaxed.
Could he really be one of those hidden experts from among the civilians?
The two men sitting across from him on the truck looked calm on the surface, but only they knew how hard they were forcing themselves to appear composed.
The truck rattled back into the base, parking at the same spot as that morning. When Yan Fei and Luo Xun disembarked, the captain handed them some points and pointed toward a nearby canteen.
“You two can eat over there. Show your ID tags — meals are free.”
This was an internal military canteen, and entry required an ID badge. Different badges granted different privileges. The food wasn’t exactly delicious, but it was at least edible — and, importantly, filling.
Luo Xun, excited, tugged Yan Fei toward the canteen. Behind them, the captain shouted, “Tomorrow morning, 8:15 — same place!”
The canteen was spacious. Each grabbed a tray and looked around before heading to a serving window for a standard meal.
They received two large steamed buns — the kind so big one could fill you up — and two dishes: braised eggplant and stewed potatoes with glass noodles (with what might’ve been tiny bits of minced meat mixed in).
Other windows sold things like instant noodles, stir-fried noodles, and potstickers, but Luo Xun figured the main meal line looked safer and more reliable.
There was also a window offering mung bean and millet porridge, though it was mostly water — barely four or five grains of millet per ladle. More like a drink than food.
“How are you feeling?” Luo Xun asked softly after setting his tray down across from Yan Fei.
Yan Fei removed his mask and relaxed slightly. “I’m fine — still have energy left. Didn’t use it all up.”
Neither had complaints about the food. They ate quietly, unhurriedly.
“When we come again tomorrow, I’ll drive,” Luo Xun murmured. “I saw parking spots outside. It’s a military gate — nobody would dare steal a car here.”
He slipped one of the extra buns into a ziplock bag to take home. After all, it was his ration — whether he ate it now or later was his business.
Seeing that, Yan Fei handed him the bun he couldn’t finish either. “Sure. Might as well save our strength.”
Though he wasn’t exhausted, the slow, repetitive draining of energy felt less satisfying than just spending it all at once and getting a full night’s rest afterward.
A slow burn or a quick burst — which was better? Yan Fei couldn’t say yet. He hadn’t pushed himself to the limit today, so it was too soon to judge.
They lingered far longer than the soldiers around them — who ate with military efficiency. By the time they were halfway through, three different groups had already come and gone from the neighboring table.
This was the outermost canteen, meant for soldiers who often worked outside the base. Rumor had it there were more canteens deeper inside, but they didn’t have access — maybe Li Tie’s group was eating in one of those.
After lunch, they strolled out of the compound. The gate guards checked their badges, logged their exit, and let them go.
No one dared set up stalls or park unauthorized vehicles near the military zone. The streets were clean and quiet, save for the occasional passing army truck.
Yan Fei pulled up his mask again, one hand in his pocket, and with the other, he reached for Luo Xun’s hand.
Luo Xun stiffened but didn’t pull away — though his face turned slightly red as he looked aside. Luckily, no one was nearby… so, fine, let him hold it.
It was cold outside, and they both wore down jackets. When the wind picked up, they pulled their hoods on and walked northward.
Luo Xun carried a backpack with his crossbow and bolts, spare towels, and the two large buns they’d “borrowed” from lunch. The food portions at the canteen were generous on staples but light on vegetables and meat — just enough for two adult men to fill up.
As for the buns, he planned to eat them with stir-fried vegetables later. Maybe even toast them — or cut them up to fry with meat or eggs. …Except they were out of eggs and meat. So, stir-fried veggies it would be.
While Luo Xun was lost in thought about dinner, Yan Fei suddenly tightened his grip. Startled, Luo Xun looked up — a long convoy of vehicles was rumbling toward them.
They stopped at the side of the road and watched quietly.
The vehicles were covered in battle scars. Even though they’d been washed before reentering the base, traces of zombie blood still clung to their hulls.
Leading the convoy were armored carriers and tanks, followed by trucks, off-road vehicles, and several high-end sedans. Luo Xun and Yan Fei exchanged glances — these must be the rescue convoys sent to other bases some time ago. They were finally back.
Suddenly, Yan Fei’s gaze darkened as he spotted a black luxury sedan in the middle of the convoy. He subtly turned away, pulling down his hood’s brim.
The convoy didn’t stop — it turned into the military compound they had just exited.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
