Chi Ying had nothing to pack.
So when Gu Chi said, “Follow,” she blinked, momentarily lost.
She’d just overheard someone say he was taking her along. Now, the man himself was confirming it.
Why the sudden change of heart?
As she stood frozen, Gu Chi glanced at her. “Don’t want to?”
Chi Ying quickly shook her head. “I do.”
“Good.” He turned back. “Mu Yu, take Professor Lin to the car.”
“Got it.”
Chi Ying followed, trailing quietly behind the team.
Gu Chi glanced back and added, “I’ll drop you at the B-level safe zone. After that, you’re on your own.”
Chi Ying nodded. That was more than fair.
“We’re heading to the Alliance Research Institute first. Professor Lin needs to report in.”
Another nod.
Honestly, it didn’t matter. Whether he brought her along or not, she couldn’t stay here. Not if she wanted to collect enough Saint Value.
Two million points in six months.
She needed people—lots of them.
The bigger the safe zone, the better.
They were just approaching the ladder when Gu Chi stepped up first. Before he could climb, Chi Ying reached out and tugged at the hem of his pants.
“…Gu Chi.”
He looked down.
“Can I borrow something?” she asked softly. “I’ll pay it back really soon.”
She tiptoed closer and whispered something.
Gu Chi raised an eyebrow.
The survivor who’d escaped with Professor Lin from Base 36 was named Zhang Bin.
Gu Chi figured they’d have plenty to talk about, so he had Chi Ying ride in Lin Xun’s car instead—with Mu Yu and Song Shi.
Chi Ying sat in the unfamiliar front seat, quiet and focused.
Then she resumed her strange ritual—scratching small crosses into anything within reach.
Lin Xun, driving, watched out of the corner of his eye. His lips twitched. “…Still at it?”
Mu Yu leaned back in her seat. “She’s always like this. Hey, how many crosses do you need to feel safe?”
Chi Ying didn’t answer. Her hands clasped in silent prayer.
“They’re just zombies, you know,” Mu Yu said. “They’re not human anymore.”
Chi Ying shook her head without a word.
Mu Yu sighed. “Forget it. Let her be.”
That night, the team camped on a remote forest road.
No houses nearby, no cover.
Thankfully, they were prepared.
Mu Yu pulled out a compact tent from her space, and with Lu Yunfei and Lin Xun’s help, they set up two temporary shelters—just enough to block the wind and rain.
No one was picky about duties. Whoever was free cooked.
Tonight, Gu Chi handled dinner.
Chi Ying offered to help. She wasn’t part of the team—at least not officially—but freeloading didn’t sit well with her.
Cooking in the wild was rough. Gu Chi threw instant food and rice into a single pot, seasoned it with salt, and let it simmer.
When it was ready, Chi Ying handed him an empty bowl, then quietly passed out portions.
Lin Xun stared at the mush with a twitching eyelid.
He was used to sterile labs and hot canteen food. This… brownish slop bubbling in the pot?
He looked at Gu Chi, conflicted.
Commander… maybe don’t cook again.
Still, he took a bite.
…Hey.
Not bad?
He blinked. Have my standards dropped?
Chi Ying handed out the last bowl. Her steps slowed slightly when she reached Zhang Bin.
She passed the bowl, but her fingers paused briefly.
His hands were ice cold.
On a summer night like this, that wasn’t right.
Her brow furrowed, but she said nothing. She sat down and ate in silence.
Back at the safe zone.
With Gu Chi’s team gone, the remaining survivors stared at the leftover supplies like starving wolves.
Everyone knew they wouldn’t get them—but that didn’t stop them from hoping.
Leopard’s group made the first move.
He and his thugs walked up, grabbed the bags of rice Gu Chi had left, and hauled them to the central supply shed like they owned the place.
A man from the West District called out, “Are you guys managing everything now?”
Leopard sneered, “We’re keeping order. That means we get more food.”
“But we’re twelve adults and two kids over here,” the man argued. “You’re giving us barely enough to survive!”
“What do you mean survive?” one of the tattooed men snapped. “Women and kids don’t need much. We do all the work—we need more.”
The West District fell quiet.
“If you think it’s unfair, come fight us for it,” the man taunted. “Otherwise, shut up and eat your crumbs.”
“You—!”
A young girl stood up angrily, but a woman beside her reached out and pulled her back down.
“Sit,” she said calmly.
“Sister Li…”
The girl bit her lip and sat.
Leopard smirked. “You want more food? Come take it.”
Sister Li’s voice was ice cold. “Then these are ours.”
She stepped forward and pulled aside the curtain separating their area.
Gasps echoed through the group.
Behind her were several bags of rice, a box of instant meals, a white medical kit, and four full buckets of water.
The tattooed man’s face twisted. “You stole that from us, didn’t you?!”
“Stole?” Sister Li snorted. “Take a good look. These aren’t Alliance supplies.”
The man froze.
She was right. The bags looked different.
Leopard leaned in and whispered something.
The man grinned and said loudly, “I can’t really see from here.”
Sister Li’s face darkened.
What a liar. They were barely twenty meters apart.
Everyone knew these were the supplies Chi Ying had left.
Still, Sister Li didn’t argue. “Fine. Come check.”
Leopard and the tattooed man swaggered over and squatted beside the bags.
“…Yeah,” the man finally said. “These aren’t Alliance-issued.”
The West District survivors exhaled in relief.
Then came the twist.
“Leopard, take everything,” the man said.
“What?!”
“You heard me. If you can take it, it’s yours.”
“You’re going too far!”
“Too far?” Leopard leered, eyes sweeping over the girls. “Sweetheart, we haven’t even started.”
The girls flinched. Some looked like they were about to cry.
Sister Li slowly stepped forward.
Click.
The sound of a gun cocking was like thunder in the silence.
The cold muzzle pressed against Leopard’s skull.
“What the—?!”
“She has a gun!”
Leopard froze. The tattooed man backed off fast.
Sister Li’s voice was calm. “You said anyone who can take it, keeps it. So?”
Her hands trembled slightly, but her aim didn’t falter.
When Chi Ying gave her the gun, she hadn’t dared believe it was real.
She only had one bullet.
She just had to make them believe she’d use it.
Leopard laughed nervously. “Bluffing. You would’ve shot already.”
BANG!
The bullet hit the ceiling.
The echo rang in everyone’s ears.
She didn’t even blink.
The muzzle lowered again. “Next shot isn’t a warning.”
The two men stiffened. They backed away, faces pale.
Sister Li stared them down until they were gone.
Then she finally exhaled.
Her arms were still shaking, but in her heart, there was only one thought:
Thank you, Chi Ying.
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1