Chapter 12: Wilderness
There were three repair technicians in the vehicle, two men and one woman.
The one in the passenger seat was named Liu Xuan, his face pale and thin. The girl in the back seat introduced herself as Xiao Ting, with a few freckles; the other, wearing overalls, was called Zhang Lele.
They hadn’t managed to utter a word since getting in.
Qi He drove the car, speeding like the wind straight toward the relay station.
Everything on the road—living or dead—blurred into a mosaic.
Even the system was dumbfounded by his speed: […Was there no such thing as traffic laws in your original world?]
Qi He: “I used to do reviews for racing games too.”
[…]
At one sharp turn, he plowed right into a zombie that had leapt onto the windshield—bang! A deafening crash rang out. The car went quiet for a few seconds, until the passenger seat finally produced a timid voice:
“D-Do you really have to drive this fast?”
“It’s about to pour.”
With one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a gun, Qi He added, “And every extra second of lost contact is one more second of danger for the ability users outside the base.”
No one else in the car spoke after that.
Liu Xuan only tightened his seat belt in silence, his pale face growing even whiter.
The communications relay station was six hours away from the base by normal driving, but with Qi He’s breakneck pace, he forced it down to just three. About two hours in, the car barreled into the forested zone.
At the same time, the rain began to fall.
The vast mountains and forests were thick with vegetation—towering trees, dense canopies. The roads were almost swallowed by mud and wild growth, their way tangled with the roots of mutated plants.
Qi He flicked on the wipers, not slowing down in the least, casually firing “bang, bang” to blast apart the vines blocking their path.
They finally reached the relay station before the downpour worsened.
A cluster of white buildings came into view.
Unlike the relay stations of the old world, those of the apocalypse had undergone technological upgrades and tight fortification. A three-meter-high wall enclosed the central “tower” and a repair station covering dozens of square meters.
Qi He stopped the car at the gate, and the three technicians hurriedly got out and went inside.
The roots clinging to the outer wall writhed, seeming even more restless as the rain grew heavier. Qi He frowned, raising his gun and aiming at the roots.
Click—he was just about to pull the trigger.
A sudden scream burst out from behind: “Ahhh—!”
Followed by several muffled, chaotic thuds.
He spun around, stowed the gun, and rushed inside.
His line of sight swept past the main gate into the corridor. There, Liu Xuan and the others had collapsed onto the ground; Xiao Ting, looking terrified, stumbled toward him.
“Inside! Inside…”
Inside?
The next instant, a vine thicker than a tree trunk lashed out from the control room—
Bang! A bullet tore straight through it.
The vine writhed a few times, then recoiled back inside.
Qi He leapt forward in pursuit, but as he turned into the control room entrance, his movements froze for a moment: inside, all the equipment and instruments were tightly wrapped in mutated vines. Thick roots had broken up from beneath the very foundations.
…So this was how the relay station had been wrecked.
He fired several shots toward the heart of the roots. The mutant plant coiled through the room suddenly went still, as though drained of life.
“It’s over,” Qi He turned his head and said.
The three behind him edged closer, still shaken.
Xiao Ting stared at the half-meter-wide hole, “Is it really dead?”
Qi He considered for two seconds. “There’s still a sliver of life.”
All three faces instantly twisted with terror. Wait—that’s possible?!
Qi He also gazed at the hole in silence. But his thoughts were elsewhere: the relay station’s core was at least forty meters away from any surrounding vegetation. Why would mutated plants force their way in here?
As if they somehow knew… this place was important.
“Here’s what we’ll do—you three find a safe spot fir—”
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion suddenly cut him off.
The whole ground seemed to tremble.
Qi He quickly glanced outside, then switched his words mid-sentence: “For example—behind me. Don’t move away.”
With that, he charged out first.
…
The downpour roared against the earth.
As soon as Qi He rushed out the door, his breath caught for an instant.
Through the torrent of rain, the roots around them had gone berserk—growing wildly, whipping through the air, all lashing toward the relay station.
He only paused for a moment before stepping straight into the curtain of rain.
As far as his eyes could see, the entire mountain range was shrouded in the storm. Sheets of rain poured down without end, as if the sky itself had sprung a leak.
Qi He glanced upward and remarked, half in awe: “The last time I saw rain this heavy was the day Yiping asked her dad for money.”
The little smartwatch on his wrist fizzed under the rain: [Glub… Don’t bring up references I don’t understand.]
Qi He vaulted onto the high wall in one bound.
He let the raindrops pelt his body. This relentless storm could not be held back. His white T-shirt was quickly drenched, clinging tightly to his frame. The tactical harness, soaked through, pressed heavily against his body.
Brushing his wet hair aside, he fired a few shots at the oncoming vines: bang, bang, bang!
Then he stopped. “Not enough firepower.”
Holstering the gun, he raised a hand.
The back of his hand, with its sharp knuckles, showed faint veins beneath the skin. Raindrops splattered, spreading into streaks across the pale surface.
The next moment—smack!
A vine as thick as a bowl’s rim was slammed down by a tremendous force.
Smack, smack, smack…! An entire cluster of roots was beaten into the ground, lifted, slammed again, lifted, slammed.
With one fist clenched in the air, Qi He tied them into a knot and hung them neatly back onto a tree trunk.
System: […]
The three behind him: “…”
Though he was clearly fighting mutated plants, they couldn’t shake the uncanny feeling he was… ab*sing them.
Qi He was going one by one, stunning the mutant plants and hanging them up.
Suddenly, the frenzied growth and branching of the surrounding vegetation slowed, freezing mid-air. Then, from the ground upward, a layer of frost began to spread, encasing the entire patch of forest in ice—
Qi He’s movements came to a halt.
An off-road vehicle burst out of the forest and screeched to a stop in front of the relay station.
The car door opened.
Through the curtain of rain, Yan Chuanbai stepped out.
Qi He was still standing atop the wall.
The two of them looked at each other through the downpour, one above, one below. Yan Chuanbai’s gaze lingered on him for a brief moment, then shifted to the “masterpieces” around him, where he fell into a subtle silence for a few seconds.
Just then, the rear door opened again.
Zhou Ziqian and two other A-rank ability users jumped out of the car.
Zhou Ziqian looked up, his face lighting up in surprise. “Qi He!?”
Qi He leapt down. “You guys came too.”
“How’s the relay station?”
“It’s been damaged by mutant plants.” He turned back to the three technicians, who were finally breathing easier. “Good timing—you came just right. We’re short on people here.”
Yan Chuanbai suddenly spoke to Zhou Ziqian: “You three stay here.”
“Huh? What about you, Brother Yan?”
“Communications are down, and now there’s this storm. I’m going to find the other teams and make sure they’re safe.”
Saying this, Yan Chuanbai pulled open the driver’s door.
Zhou Ziqian quickly protested, “—By yourself?” But his words broke off when a car key flew into his hand. Looking up, he saw Qi He pulling open the front passenger door.
“I’m coming too.”
—
Bang! The car door shut.
Qi He sat in the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt.
The closed door blocked out the noise of the pounding rain. Just as he clicked the buckle in place—clack—he noticed Yan Chuanbai was looking at him.
Qi He raised his head. Raindrops trailed down from his temple; he flicked them away, scattering a few droplets. “Something wrong?”
Yan Chuanbai turned his head aside. “Nothing.”
With that, he turned the wheel and drove off.
After a short stretch, his voice came again: “There’s a towel behind the seat.”
Qi He turned his head and pulled the towel out.
It was dry. Before using it, he glanced at Yan Chuanbai. “Do you need it?”
Yan Chuanbai’s hair was shorter than his. He simply ran a hand over it, exposing sharp, focused brows and eyes fixed on the road ahead. “No.”
So Qi He dried his own hair.
Yan Chuanbai seemed very familiar with the roads in this area. Before leaving the base, Qi He had specially requested a copy of the task roster for all deployed squads. Now he pulled it from his waterproof waist pouch, checking off the teams that had already returned to base.
“These two—I ran into them on the way here. Sent them back already.”
At that, Qi He marked them off.
“On the way here?”
He turned his head. “You got the transmission I sent you?”
Yan Chuanbai seemed to raise a brow slightly. Then he pulled out his communicator, glanced at it—still no signal. “No.” He put it away again. “When the signal cut out, I figured the relay station had been compromised, so I came straight over.”
Two seconds passed. His fingers tapped once on the steering wheel.
“You sent me a transmission? What did you say?”
Qi He looked forward, his voice gentle. “I said I was really worried about you, that I was about to dash out of the base to find you.”
“…” Yan Chuanbai.
The system was dumbstruck by how shamelessly those words left his mouth.
“Heh.” Yan Chuanbai suddenly chuckled, also in a mild tone. “Is that so? You just couldn’t wait to rush back to the base, hm?”
Qi He’s face didn’t flicker. “Don’t worry. Once the signal’s restored, you’ll see it for yourself.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
…
The East Zone II and III of the base covered a vast expanse.
Not encountering anyone didn’t necessarily mean all the squads had returned.
And since the round trip from the base was too far, some squads would camp in the field for two or three days.
“We’ll search for two days, then head back.”
Qi He had no objections. “Alright.”
In the apocalypse, nothing could be predicted: extreme weather, mutated flora and fauna—the forest was filled with unknown dangers.
As they headed toward Zone III, they ran into two squads coming their way.
The two squads seemed to have joined up halfway.
Headlights flashed double in the curtain of rain, and when they spotted Qi He and his group, both vehicles stopped at once. Eyes lit with delight: “Colonel Yan!”
Their gazes shifted, catching sight of Qi He beside him. Surprise flickered: “Mr. Qi is here too?”
Two S-rank combat ability users, together?
What was going on?
Yan Chuanbai gave no explanation. “Signal’s down for now. Get back to base as soon as possible.”
The two squads exchanged glances.
Honestly, they felt it would be safer to stay close to two S-ranks…
But Yan Chuanbai said, “We’ll be searching the field for another two days.”
The two squad leaders had no choice but to concede. “Yes, sir.”
Qi He suddenly spoke: “Send one squad to the relay station.”
It wasn’t that he distrusted Zhou Ziqian and the others—just a precaution.
Yan Chuanbai paused briefly, then said, “Divide one squad with spare strength and send them to the relay station.”
The two squads glanced left and right, then answered: “Yes, Colonel.”
They parted ways there.
As the windows rolled back up, Yan Chuanbai asked, “Are you always this cautious?”
Qi He sighed inwardly—he’d been burned too many times in certain games.
“I’ve got paranoia.”
Yan Chuanbai understood. “So that’s why you always strike first.”
The system translated: [He means you’re a menace.]
Qi He peacefully closed his eyes. “How could that be? I never harm anyone.”
—
He kept his eyes shut for twenty minutes.
When he opened them again, the sky outside was dimming, and the rain had lessened.
Beside him came a light voice: “Rested well?”
“…”
Qi He woke at once, sitting up straighter.
He hadn’t expected to actually fall asleep in such a dangerous environment—it made no sense. Then he realized his body seemed a little feverish.
Maybe because he didn’t answer, Yan Chuanbai turned toward him. “Oh. Not awake yet, still sleepwalking.”
Qi He drew in a breath. “I’ve got a fever.”
“…”
His husky voice mixed with the patter of rain outside, coming out blurred and indistinct.
Yan Chuanbai’s brow seemed to twitch, and after carefully discerning for a second, he asked, “…You’re burning up again?”
Qi He lifted a hand to feel his own forehead. “Or maybe it’s just that your concern warmed this corpse up.”
The car suddenly braked in the middle of the road.
Yan Chuanbai flicked on the cabin light and turned sideways toward him, studying him carefully.
Qi He’s hair was nearly dry, but his T-shirt still clung half-transparently to his body. His eyes were bright, lips pale, with a faint flush at the sides of his cheeks.
Of course, that could also be explained by a good nap.
Yan Chuanbai frowned for a moment, then stretched an arm across the console.
The warm cabin light cast a shadow as his hand passed, and he brushed the back of it lightly against Qi He’s forehead before pulling away. His verdict followed:
“You’ve got a fever.”
Qi He only sighed softly. “Same thing happened last time I got caught in the rain. Am I about to level up again?”
Yan Chuanbai praised, “No wonder your name’s Qi He.”
The system chimed in: [Qi He, a type of plant from the apocalypse. Not a mutant plant, but a p*rverse one.]
Qi He tolerated its opportunistic remark.
The light snapped off, the car started forward again.
Yan Chuanbai glanced at the darkening sky through the rain curtain. “Something’s off with you. We need to find a place to rest first.”
…
This whole area was mountain forest.
After driving for some time, they finally found shelter.
Huge rocks jutted out from the slope, stacked to form a recess beneath. A ledge extended outward, creating a natural alcove. Yan Chuanbai parked the car just outside—enough to block the wind and rain.
He cut the engine, and Qi He opened the door to step out.
Right after, Yan Chuanbai went to the trunk and pulled out the spare firewood. He lit a piece of firestarter cloth and tossed it into the pile—crack!—flames sprang to life.
The surrounding rocks reflected back a warm glow.
Dusting his hands off, Yan Chuanbai said evenly, “Sometimes, having a fire-type ability out in the wild is indeed convenient.”
Qi He praised, “Your ice ability isn’t bad either.”
“In what way is it not bad?”
Well, at the very least, it could make a basin of water for washing.
He swallowed down that plain, honest thought and instead gazed out at the pouring rain. “Theoretically, you could use large-scale cooling to make the air unable to hold as much vapor, which would slow the growth of rainfall.”
Yan Chuanbai lifted his eyelids to look at him.
The system grew alarmed: [I told you not to act too smart!]
Qi He: “I did say theoretically. I didn’t give an actual implementation plan. How’s that smart?”
[ %&^#*<@……! ]
Right now he was standing in the draft.
A gust of cold wind pressed the damp patch of his T-shirt back against his body. With his temperature already running high, the cling of wet fabric made Qi He feel wretched.
He let out a sigh. “System, I can’t take it anymore.”
System: [?]
The fire wavered under the wind.
Yan Chuanbai, silent, was watching Qi He’s back when he suddenly saw him turn around, raise a hand, and peel off the half-wet shirt.
