Chapter 13: Evolved Again
A sweep of frosty white flashed past his eyes.
Qi He undressed smoothly, his clean lines disappearing beneath the waistband of his pants, his T-shirt still caught on his arms. A damp patch across his chest reflected a warm jade-like sheen in the firelight.
Yan Chuanbai froze, a vein at his temple twitching hard!
Then, before the other could finish pulling the shirt off, he deliberately averted his eyes.
Qi He tugged the shirt free, wrung it out until a puddle of water splattered onto the ground, then snapped it open with two sharp “pah pah!” shakes. Though he was still dripping wet, he felt far more comfortable.
In the quiet space came a sudden voice: “What are you doing?”
Qi He lifted his head.
Yan Chuanbai was seated directly across from him, gaze locked firmly on his face. One hand rested on his knee, his own short-sleeved shirt half-drenched and clinging tightly to him. The tactical harness across his chest hadn’t been taken off either.
“My clothes are wet. It’s uncomfortable.”
After saying that, Qi He turned, reached into the passenger seat to pull off his tactical harness, shut the car door with a loud bang, and went to sit by the fire, spreading his shirt out to dry on both sides.
“Do you want to take yours off and dry them too?”
Yan Chuanbai drew in a slow, heavy breath.
“No need.”
“Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?”
“I’m used to it.”
Qi He remembered that he’d once been in the military—probably had rolled around in mud during training—so he didn’t press the matter further. Instead, he just focused on holding his shirt over the crackling fire.
The flames threw flickering shadows against the rock wall.
After a long while, a quavering voice echoed in his head: […How could you just strip down like that in front of Yan Chuanbai without even saying anything!]
“What would I need to say?”
Qi He flipped his shirt over. “—‘I’m about to undress, you should prepare yourself’?”
System: […]
He held it up for a while, then simply let go.
The T-shirt and harness floated by the fire on their own, while he went to sit off to the side, leaning back against the rock wall. That head seemed to flick a glance toward the “fully automatic roasting process” above the flames.
But Qi He didn’t have the energy to care about anything else.
His head rested against the hard stone as a wave of heat surged up from within his body.
It wasn’t quite the same as the first time.
The first time he’d been completely weak, sweating profusely; this time at least he still had some strength. But there was a sensation in his blood of something splitting apart and rearranging, making him close his eyes in discomfort.
Sweat seeped from his temples, trailing down his cheek.
…
Outside the two-meter-wide cave entrance, the wind howled. Leaves rustled, while the relentless rain lashed at branches and mud alike.
Yan Chuanbai watched for a while, then shifted his gaze back.
Qi He’s head was tilted back, his brow faintly furrowed, his face flushed red.
On such a cold, rainy day, he was still sweating lightly. With his arm resting across his knees, it happened to shield his front. Somehow, only then did things feel a little more natural.
His eyes lingered a few moments longer, noting the smallest details.
“Uncomfortable?”
The quiet question broke the silence.
Qi He opened his eyes again, his lashes damp with moisture.
He blinked once—only to find Yan Chuanbai watching him, as though clinically assessing his condition. “I’m fine.”
“Any unusual feelings?”
Qi He considered it. “Feels like you’re unusually warm.”
“……”
Yan Chuanbai gave a cold laugh. “Heh.”
After a pause, he tossed two logs into the fire with a sharp crackling whoosh.
“Adjust your state on your own.” He hesitated, then added with meaning, “I don’t want to wake up tomorrow to find you suddenly hauling something in front of me again.”
Qi He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes in peace.
“Ah, system. He’s just as jumpy as you.”
The system’s voice was icy: [Well, he did run into a deranged plant.]
Even so, out here in the wild, with Yan Chuanbai keeping watch, Qi He felt much more at ease as he rested.
He didn’t sleep too deeply.
Half-dozing, half-awake, he suddenly felt a blinding light cut into the cave from outside.
Qi He’s eyelids twitched, then opened—
At the same time, something soft and warm was draped over him.
Yan Chuanbai was already standing at the cave entrance with his back to him, eyes fixed outside.
“Someone’s coming.”
Qi He glanced at the clothing that had fallen on him, then grabbed it and pulled it on. Reaching for his dried tactical harness, he clipped it shut with a crisp clack. Just as he finished, a vehicle screeched to a stop outside.
The headlights lit up the fine, driving rain.
The car door banged open, and a somewhat familiar voice called out: “Oh? Someone’s here?”
Then, a tuft of red-highlighted hair swayed into view.
The two sides met face-to-face.
The redhead froze for a moment. “Yan… Colonel?” His gaze shifted to Qi He, and his mouth twisted to the side. “Tch, you’re here too.”
Another car door quickly swung open.
The big guy and the whip-wielding woman stepped out as well.
The five of them now stood together.
The last time this lineup had gathered was when they’d tried to rob Qi He and Yan Chuanbai. Now, though, both men standing opposite them had become S-rank.
The whip-wielding woman and the big guy said nothing.
The mood should have been awkward.
But soon enough, the redhead swaggered inside, glancing around critically. Clicking his tongue, he said with mock disapproval, “Tsk, this place is so damp. Just one campfire? On a rainy day like this, how could one fire possibly be enough?”
As soon as he finished, he snapped his fingers once here, once there.
Snap, snap, snap! A ring of flames flared up around the space.
“Ah, fire-type abilities really are convenient~”
Qi He: “…”
Yan Chuanbai: “…”
Their two teammates: “…”
Qi He narrowed his eyes. “System, if he gets g*nged up on, it won’t be undeserved.”
Those exaggerated words were nothing more than an honest reflection of his true thoughts, just left unsaid.
For once, the system didn’t argue back: [He deserves it.]
Yan Chuanbai half-lowered his eyelids, saying nothing.
The big guy looked at the two men in front of him, then suddenly shivered, blurting out instinctively, “Our boss… his brain’s not right.”
The redhead whipped his head around: “?”
Yan Chuanbai straightened and said casually, “The rain’s heavy. Come in.”
The two teammates exchanged an uneasy glance, then followed, mumbling, “Then… sorry to intrude.”
…
The small space now had three more people in it.
The firelight all around made the cave even hotter. Qi He wiped at the fine sweat beading on his skin, his gaze landing on the ID card at the redhead’s chest. At last, he learned his name: Ji Yan.
Ji Yan was still looking around. “What are you guys doing here? Oh right, the comms are out of signal. Is that our issue, or is it the base’s?”
Yan Chuanbai replied curtly, “The relay station.”
“So what do we do?”
“Fix it.”
“……”
Ji Yan choked on that, then turned to Qi He.
“You…” His words paused. “Why are you sweating so much?”
Qi He: “From your burning passion.”
Ji Yan didn’t think too much of it and snuffed out the flames with a flick. “Tch, you really don’t know how to enjoy blessings.”
But even after the fire went out, Qi He kept sweating.
Yan Chuanbai suddenly spoke up, cutting off the subject: “The rain outside is too heavy. We can’t move on. Let’s rest here for the night.”
After a whole day of traveling, no one objected. Once they’d arranged the night watch rotation, they each leaned against the firelight in turn, settling down to rest.
—
No one slept soundly that night.
In the hazy hours—no one knew how much time had passed—a strange noise suddenly came from outside. Like a branch snapping, it came crashing down to the ground with a boom—
Everyone’s eyes snapped open at once.
Qi He stood up, realizing the heat in his body had faded.
The cave entrance was blocked by two vehicles, and through them showed the dim gray of the sky. Dawn hadn’t fully broken yet, but the rain seemed lighter.
Ji Yan scrambled to his feet and staggered out. “What’s going on outside?”
Qi He chambered a bullet in an instant.
At the same time came a sharp click across from him—Yan Chuanbai also had his gun in hand. The two of them followed after.
Stepping outside, the world was still dim.
The trees loomed on all sides, and under the faint backlight, they could just make out a flower-shaped plant swaying on a tree six or seven meters ahead.
In the apocalypse, such plants were everywhere.
Two seconds later, a spark suddenly flared in the flower’s stamen, flickering faintly.
“What is that?” Ji Yan frowned, moving forward.
Qi He shouted without thinking, “Don’t go near it!”
At the same time, an ice spike shot out—only to be swallowed whole by the flower stalk the very next second!
And Ji Yan, right there, tripped and fell with a thud.
Ji Yan: “What the hell—”
The flower crunched on the ice spike with a crack-crack. Yan Chuanbai lowered his hand. Ji Yan climbed back up, baring his teeth at Qi He in anger, about to speak—only to see the big guy, still pale with fear, turn to Qi He and bow deeply:
“Thank you for saving our boss again.”
Ji Yan: “……”
Qi He, modestly: “It was nothing, just convenient.”
Ji Yan’s breath caught in his chest, neither going up nor down. But Qi He had saved him. In the end, he let out a long exhale and gave a sharp “hmph,” turning away.
This time, he was cautious. With a wave of his hand—
A sheet of fire lit up the space ahead.
A flower larger than a water vat clung to the tree trunk. Inside its stamen grew a ring of sharp, tightly packed teeth. As the maw opened and closed, a faint glimmer flickered within.
Qi He fixed his gaze on that tiny light.
The mutated plant had already learned to lure prey.
And that ring of teeth… looked as if it had fused with zombie genes.
…
Everyone present fell silent.
After two quiet seconds, Yan Chuanbai flicked his hand. The man-eating flower snapped in half at the waist and tumbled to the ground. He walked over, picked it up, tossed it into the trunk of the car.
“Something to bring back for Yu Tianxing.”
Qi He praised, “You’re still as considerate as ever.”
Yan Chuanbai shut the trunk. “I know.”
The rain was still falling outside, so they returned to the cave.
Everyone gathered again around the fire. This time Qi He didn’t take his clothes off, just tugged at the collar and let the fabric slowly steam dry. Firelight reflected in his eyes as he thought for a moment:
“System, I think I’ve evolved.”
The system was quiet for a few seconds: [……???]
Qi He looked at his hand stretched out toward the flames.
Just now, he had actually used two different “forces”: one was gravity, to make Ji Yan drop to his knees; the other was lateral traction, to yank the flower stalk back.
Before, he could only manipulate one type of force at a time. But after that bout of fever, his control had advanced again.
[What do you mean, evolved?]
The system nearly suspected its own existence: [……Don’t tell me you really are some kind of plant!]
Who just evolves from standing in the rain!?
Qi He said with delight, “Taking your words as a blessing—right now, I’m Qi Shu (Qi the Tree).”
What came back was a string of gibberish.
Qi He didn’t press the system any further.
His evolution might not necessarily be because of the “rain.” Both times had another thing in common: he had faced a survival crisis. Once when Ji Yan attacked him, once when the mutated plants overran the relay station.
He could still recall what Yan Chuanbai said outside the ranger’s hut, his voice laced with the faint smoke of a cigarette:
“Any change that benefits survival is called evolution.”
Qi He thought for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the only S-rank combat-type ability user at his side.
He had to control the variables, to test his theory.
Yan Chuanbai was standing at the mouth of the cave.
Maybe because of the earlier mishap, he didn’t come back to sit down, just leaned against the entrance, looking out.
Qi He walked over. “Yan Chuanbai.”
The man turned, his eyes saying: ?
“Find a chance to ambush me,” Qi He said. “Anytime, anywhere—it doesn’t matter.”
He added, “But go for the kill.”
“……”
A long silence settled at the cave mouth.
Yan Chuanbai lowered his eyes, studying him carefully. “Ever since meeting you, I feel like I’ve developed paranoia.”
Qi He shook his head. “You’re too biased against me.”
“Not biased. Just instinct.”
The two locked eyes for several seconds.
In the end, Yan Chuanbai looked away. His fingers brushed against his belt as though he wanted to ask something. Instead, he only nodded and said, “Alright.”
—
An hour later, dawn finally broke.
The mountain forest outside came into sharp view.
The vegetation, drenched by the storm, was growing rampant. Two species of plants tangled together had even crossbred on their own, and the higher-tier ones now possessed “consciousness.”
Yan Chuanbai said, “You guys should head back.”
Ji Yan frowned. “You’re not going the same way?”
“We’re searching for the other teams in Zones II and III.”
Ji Yan looked like he wanted to join, but after glancing at the two teammates following him, he said, “Alright.”
Qi He pulled open the passenger-side door, about to get in.
Suddenly, someone called out behind him, “Hey—”
He turned his head and saw Ji Yan lifting his chin at him. “Give me your comms number.”
Qi He: ?
Ji Yan said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. “What for? To add you, of course. Makes it easier to team up for missions later. Out in the field, how can a squad not have a fire-type ability user~”
Seeing Qi He remain silent, he grew impatient.
“It’s just a comms add, what’s there to be shy about!”
Yan Chuanbai lifted his eyelids and shot him a glance.
Qi He: “……”
Then Qi He said, “There’s no signal right now.”
Ji Yan paused, then reacted. “Oh, right.” A moment later, he added, “Then just tell me the number, I’ll memorize it.”
Qi He recited a string of digits.
Afterward, he looked at Ji Yan rolling his eyes as he repeated the numbers under his breath, and couldn’t help but ask in mild surprise, “You want to team up with me? I thought you’d have some kind of problem with me.”
After all, he’d already knocked him around twice.
Ji Yan replied, “What problem? You’re S-rank. The way to live is to yield to the strong, step on the weak.”
The system marveled: [He really managed to make b*llying sound so fresh and elegant.]
A voice came from the side: “Aren’t we leaving yet?”
Qi He looked up to see Yan Chuanbai already in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel, his eyes not on him but on Ji Yan still standing outside the car.
They still had people to look for.
Qi He got ready to climb in. “Let’s go.”
Just as his hand gripped the doorframe, a series of “beep, beep” tones suddenly went off in rapid succession.
The signal light on the comms device flickered on.
Everyone froze for a moment. Ji Yan, delighted, whipped out his communicator. “Holy shit! We’ve got signal!”
“Eh, but it’s still weak—I can’t get anything out.”
From the driver’s seat came two more beeps.
Yan Chuanbai pulled out his own communicator.
Qi He looked over. “What is it, Yu Tianxing? Or a transmission from the base station?”
He tapped the screen, paused. “It’s you.”
Qi He: “?”
Yan Chuanbai’s lips curved upward. Tilting his head gently toward him, he said, almost mild, “Perfect. Let me see what kind of thoughtful, caring message you’ve sent me.”
“……”
