THIP Chapter 42

There was a long line outside the Zhu’an Base—some people were hoping to join, while others were just passing through and wanted to stay for a few days.

Mu Liuyin parked the car by the roadside and joined the line with Jieyin. There were two separate queues: one marked with a sign for “Ordinary People” and the other for “Ability Users.”

The line for able users was noticeably shorter, with only about a dozen people.

The person registering entrants was efficient. In less than half an hour, it was Mu Liuyin and Jieyin’s turn.

When the staff member saw Mu Liuyin wearing a silver half-mask, he was surprised but didn’t ask questions. After all, some ability users had quirks, and he’d seen stranger. He simply asked for Mu Liuyin’s name and age, then instructed her to place her hand into a square-shaped testing device on the table and release her ability inside.

A stream of frost spilled from the device, and a miniature rose made entirely of ice bloomed in Mu Liuyin’s pale palm. On the device, nine black dots lit up—three of them glowing a deep, pure icy blue. That color indicated a late-stage Tier 3 ice-type ability user.

The staffer’s eyes lit up. The strongest known ability user at the time was only at early Tier 4, and that person belonged to the Central Base. He’d tested many users before, most only Tier 1 or 2. Seeing someone this powerful made his voice tremble with excitement.

“S-Sir, would you be interested in joining our base?”

Mu Liuyin replied coolly, “No.”

The staffer wanted to persuade her—maybe talk about all the benefits their base offered—but the second he met her cold, indifferent eyes, his words withered in his throat. He decided he’d just report this to his superiors later.

What he didn’t notice, as he turned to test Jieyin, was the proud, slightly smug smile Mu Liuyin flashed her.

Jieyin gave a faint smirk and activated only her wood-type ability. Just like Mu Liuyin, three dots lit up on the tester, though they glowed a deep green, slightly dimmer than the icy blue, indicating early-stage Tier 3.

A powerhouse—another one!

The staffer was already too stunned to speak. Unfortunately, the first powerhouse had just rejected them, so he glanced hopefully at this beautiful young woman… only to see her walk straight to the cold and aloof man who had turned him down. That same man handed her the miniature ice rose.

Oh no. The staffer felt like he’d just swallowed a mouthful of cold, cold dog food.

After paying six Tier 1 crystal cores, the two were allowed to drive into Zhu’an Base.

They had killed quite a few zombies along the way, so they had no shortage of crystal cores. They used some to rent a room and a parking spot for a few days.

Zhu’an Base, though medium-sized, was in a great location, and its facilities were conveniently laid out. The room they rented even had running water, though it wasn’t cheap.

After scanning the room for surveillance devices and confirming there were none, the very first thing Mu Liuyin did was take a long, hot bath. They’d been on the road for over two weeks straight, with barely any time to bathe. Since she did all the driving, even her strong body was starting to feel worn down.

The steam from the water made her drowsy. As her body relaxed into the warmth, Mu Liuyin closed her eyes, enjoying the soak and thinking she might stay in a bit longer.

Meanwhile, Jieyin had already bathed, changed clothes, and even bought groceries. But Mu Liuyin still hadn’t come out to cook dinner.

They’d arrived at Zhu’an Base around 4 PM, and now it was nearly 7 PM, which meant Mu Liuyin had been in that room for almost two hours.

Hungry, Jieyin went to knock on Mu Liuyin’s door to call her out to cook. After knocking a few times with no response, she tried the doorknob—it wasn’t locked, and the door swung open easily. But the bed was empty.

Still in the bath?

Just as she raised her hand to knock on the bathroom door, she caught a faint silhouette through the glass window, fogged over with steam. Inside the tub was the young man, his head resting against the side of the bathtub. He looked like he’d fallen asleep.

Jieyin froze, hand halfway up. Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on the man’s face, now without the mask. His youthful, handsome features looked vaguely familiar, but the foggy glass kept her from seeing enough to place him.

She curled her index finger and knocked on the bathroom door.

The sound snapped Mu Liuyin to attention. She immediately opened her eyes. Though she couldn’t see clearly through the misted glass, she could easily guess it was Jieyin. She quickly grabbed her mask, which, luckily, she’d brought into the bathroom, and put it on. Then she dried herself off and got dressed.

By the time she came out, Jieyin was already sitting on the living room couch.

Jieyin glanced up at the now fully dressed young man. She noted how the first thing he’d done was put on his mask again, and her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

A conclusion settled in her heart: Feng Yan knows who I am. And I’ve seen him somewhere before, too.

While Mu Liuyin grew uneasy under her gaze, wondering if she had recognized him, Jieyin looked away and spoke in a calm, casual tone. “It’s past seven. Time to cook.”

Mu Liuyin: “Oh.”

Resigned, she headed into the kitchen to make dinner.

After thinking it over, Mu Liuyin still worried that Jieyin might have figured out her identity. So, during dinner, she asked calmly, “Did you… See my face just now?”

Jieyin was eating, but she picked up on the faint nervousness behind the composed tone. She couldn’t help but wonder—was this person trying to avoid recognition, or was she afraid of being recognized?

Lowering her gaze, Jieyin decided to tease her a little. With a slight smile, she said, “I saw it.”

WTF!!!

Mu Liuyin’s eyes went wide like a startled kitten, and the food she’d just picked up with her chopsticks fell right off.

Seeing her so clearly shaken, Jieyin couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“You’re lying!” Mu Liuyin finally snapped after a moment, clearly frustrated. Otherwise, how could she be laughing like that? If she had seen her face, she’d probably want to kill her instead!

But seeing Jieyin laugh so freely reassured Mu Liuyin—she probably hadn’t seen after all. With all the steam in the bathroom, Mu Liuyin herself couldn’t make out Jieyin’s features, so it made sense. She finally relaxed.

“You don’t want me to see your face?” Jieyin asked lightly, eyes still sparkling from her laughter. Her voice, soft and teasing, brushed gently against the heart like a feather. Tilting her head, she added, “We are teammates, after all.”

Trying to cover up her earlier panic, Mu Liuyin snorted. “I’m just afraid you’ll fall for me. I’m too handsome for my own good.”

Then she sighed dramatically and put on a melancholic look. Her tone and expression were so smug they practically screamed punch me.

Jieyin: “……”

Honestly, even if that face did look familiar, she didn’t think she knew someone this narcissistic and annoying.

Still, for all her teasing, Jieyin did care about “Feng Yan.” After all, he was the first person she saw when she woke up from the nightmare of everything that happened.

She had woken full of hatred, her heart burning with the need for vengeance. Even so, the very first moment of consciousness was met with the quiet presence of someone sitting beside her.

Jieyin knew her own temperament. If Feng Yan hadn’t been there, teaching her how to use her abilities, helping her every step of the way—after losing her parents, being betrayed by Xu Chi, and nearly getting assaulted by her teammates… she might’ve been consumed entirely by hatred.

She laughed at herself bitterly, then searched her memory. She didn’t know anyone named “Feng Yan.”

That left two possibilities: either she had never met Feng Yan, but he knew her, or the name “Feng Yan” was fake.

But if she’d never seen him before, why did his face seem familiar? Judging by his exaggerated reaction earlier, he recognized her. He just didn’t want her to realize who he was.

So yes, Feng Yan was a fake name.

And with that realization, Jieyin, who hadn’t been all that curious before, now really wanted to find a way to see his real face.

The next morning, word reached the base leadership that two powerful third-tier ability users had checked in. A higher-up came by to visit them personally.

He gave a whole speech about the benefits of joining Zhu’an Base—but, of course, was politely turned down.

The base leader was a little disappointed, but he understood. For high-tier ability users like them, a mid-sized base like Zhu’an wasn’t exactly a dream destination.

After two days of rest, the two of them set off again.

As Mu Liuyin drove, she listened to Xiao Jiu’s update. Right now, Zhuo Yan and her group have just arrived at the Central Base. Along the way, they’d run into a Tier 3 zombie and lost two ability users and three regular people. Coincidentally, those three civilians were the very ones who had tried to block Jieyin from escaping.

Mu Liuyin thought darkly—they got off easy. Those people had all intended to hurt Jieyin. If she hadn’t escaped, who knows what would’ve happened?

Dealing with Zhuo Yan, though, would be tricky. With her healing abilities, the Central Base practically worshipped her. Unless their top-ranked ability user went on a mission, she never left their side.

Still, if she couldn’t be taken out in the open, there were always other ways. Assassination, for example. No one would be able to trace it back anyway.

Since Mu Liuyin had left the team early on, Zhuo Yan no longer had a “boyfriend” to worry about. In just a few days, she’d attracted several admirers at the Central Base—including, of course, the so-called top ability user.

But the most infuriating thing was that Zhuo Yan kept stringing them along, always saying she still had a boyfriend and refusing anyone’s advances.

And when asked about her boyfriend, she’d get all misty-eyed and vague, making it sound like Xu Chi had dumped her—and that she still loved him despite everything.

Mu Liuyin: “……”

Excuse me, but even if the original Xu Chi was a jerk, he was only ever a jerk to Jieyin, okay?

Zhuo Yan was spinning this narrative on purpose. She probably had her sights on that top ability user, but was afraid that if the original Xu Chi showed up, her lies would be exposed. So she crafted this whole “abandoned but still devoted” sob story to keep up appearances—and if Xu Chi ever did show his face, her new admirers would “take care of him” for her without her lifting a finger.

Realizing Zhuo Yan’s manipulative plan made Mu Liuyin’s scalp tingle.

No wonder the original Xu Chi had been killed by her in the original story.

They weren’t even playing the same game.