Chapter 14: The Fourth Plotline
The communicator lit up, showing a formulaic message:
[The base station has malfunctioned. Contact after communications are restored.]
Yan Chuanbai swiped at the screen, his tone still gentle.
“Is it my communicator that’s broken? Where’s your ‘rushing out to find me’?”
Qi He: “…”
He fixed his gaze and said to the system,
“I’ve noticed—Yan Chuanbai takes things really seriously.”
System: [That’s the consequence of you spouting nonsense without thinking.]
Qi He softened his voice, “Must be the signal interference. The most heartfelt message just didn’t go through.”
Yan Chuanbai let out a quiet laugh.
“Well, that’s a real pity.”
They had barely exchanged a couple of lines when a voice came from behind:
“Hey, it’s working, it’s working!” Ji Yan raised his communicator.
“There’s moderate signal—let’s see if we can send a message!”
Yan Chuanbai’s expression steadied. With a swipe of his finger, “I’ll try contacting Yu Tianxing.”
But before the call could be made, the communicator sounded with beep-beep-beep. Yan Chuanbai connected, and through static mixed with the alert tone came a broken voice:
[Base… communication access… Unit 138… connecting to… Colonel Yan’s communicator…]
Bzzzt! The line was patched through.
A panicked voice burst out: “Li Zicheng’s squad… requesting… backup! Zone II… coordinates… 9 o’clock!”
Everyone present instantly grew tense.
Yan Chuanbai’s voice dropped low:
“Received. Hold on.”
He cut the call right after.
By then, Qi He had already flipped into the vehicle, fastening his seatbelt. He glanced at the driver’s seat, started to say, “I—” …then shut his mouth. “Never mind. Let’s go.”
Outside the car window, Ji Yan hopped once,
“Hey! Someone needs rescue? Then let’s go too!”
Yan Chuanbai shot him a glance, and after a beat: “Keep up.”
With that, the gas pedal was slammed down!
The modified off-road vehicle tore through the rain-soaked mud road, racing toward Zone II, nine o’clock direction.
…
The sky grew brighter; the rain had stopped.
All around them, branches and tangled vines seemed to part as if making way. Now and then, stray twigs and leaves slapped against the racing car’s windshield with sharp pah-pah sounds.
Suddenly, Yan Chuanbai asked, “What were you about to say just now?”
Qi He flicked an obstacle aside.
“Nothing.”
And beside him, no further questions came.
After another wild stretch of speed, Yan Chuanbai glanced at the speedometer, his voice carrying half a beat of hesitation,
“I feel like… we’re going faster than this reading.”
Qi He nodded. “We’re in a hurry. I added acceleration.”
Beside him: “…”
Yan Chuanbai drew in a quiet breath but said nothing more, his gaze steady and sharp as he charged ahead.
All along the way, more distress calls kept coming through the communicator.
And every reported location was in the same direction. After the storm, each squad was trying to return to base. Qi He looked ahead, at the smoke signals flaring into the sky from ability users—
It was on the only route back to base.
“What happened over there?”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Yan Chuanbai replied.
Closer now—what lay ahead crashed into view.
The off-road vehicle screeched to a halt! Qi He held his breath for two seconds. Five or six vehicles had already stopped at the edge of the forest path. Mutated vegetation had grown to blot out the sky. But even more shocking was the rain-soaked ground—not just waterlogged mud—
The entire stretch of land was writhing like a living swamp, waiting to surge up and devour the ability users.
Cries for help and shouts rang out one after another.
Lower-ranked ability users were being consumed by plants, or swallowed by the ground itself. Higher-ranked ability users were resisting and rescuing, but they were stretched thin, unable to manage it all.
Both car doors slammed open at the same time.
Qi He grabbed with both hands—one for each side—and forcibly tore apart the massive vines that were devouring ability users, then hauled the ones already sinking into the mire back out.
Whoosh— A sheet of white frost spread outward.
Centered around Yan Chuanbai, the writhing swamp was frozen solid.
The ability users who had been desperately fighting ahead turned their heads. It was as if they had seen salvation—their eyes lit up:
“Colonel Yan!! And Mr. Qi, the S-rank—rescue! The rescue team is here!!”
Some of the C-rank ability users even burst into tears.
They had truly thought they were going to die here!
Qi He lifted his hand, and the entire mutated tree, its branches and vines twisted around it, was ripped up from the roots. He raised it high and flung it into the distance—
BOOM! BOOM!!
Sand and rocks blasted skyward.
The weeping cut off instantly.
The C-rank ability user, tears still clinging to his lashes, gaped in shock:
…Compared to before, this felt even more like the end of the world had arrived.
“…” Yan Chuanbai stood in silence.
Then he raised his voice to issue orders:
“All ability users below A-rank, fall back! A-rank and above—engage in combat!”
A massive fireball roared forward, exploding against the mutated plants.
Amid the blaze, Ji Yan finally caught up, panting, “Whew, just in time.”
—
The difference between S-rank and A-rank became clear at this moment.
Only two had joined the battle.
Yet the entire situation seemed to flip on its head. Yan Chuanbai fought while giving precise commands; Qi He struck freely. Very soon, they cleared out the surrounding area.
Meanwhile, communications were steadily restoring.
One squad after another began to arrive, converging on the site.
Once the last squad had arrived, Yan Chuanbai told everyone to stop:
“Prepare to return to base.”
A total of twelve squads, twelve vehicles.
Suddenly, a voice spoke up hesitantly:
“Our vehicle was damaged by the mutated plants during the battle.”
Another chimed in: “We’re running low on fuel.”
“…Does anyone know how to repair cars?”
Everyone looked around at each other, but no one answered.
Just then, Qi He spoke up, “I can drive.”
“…”
A dozen pairs of eyes turned toward him, words left hanging unsaid: Who can’t drive?
A pale, slender hand lifted and clenched into a fist.
Bang, bang, bang!
All the vehicles parked around them suddenly shifted into formation, lining up neatly in a row. Qi He quickly gauged the distance back to the base, as well as his remaining strength after his second evolution, and added:
“I can drive Q-Q Speed.”
The entire scene fell silent for a beat. After a long pause, a voice drifted out in bewilderment, dreamlike:
“…What’s Q-Q Speed?”
Qi He: “Qi-Qi Speed.”
Everyone: “……”
After saying this, Qi He patted Yan Chuanbai’s arm. Their off-road vehicle was at the very head of the convoy.
“Let’s go. Get in.”
Yan Chuanbai looked at him for a few seconds, as if weighing his stamina. Perhaps he thought of some fallback plan, because at last he turned to the others and said, “Get in the cars. We’re heading back to base.”
With that, he opened the door and took the passenger seat.
Everyone else filed back into their vehicles.
Qi He gripped the steering wheel with one hand, eyes fixed forward.
“Passengers, this train is about to depart. Please fasten your seatbelts. Flammable, explosive, or toxic items are strictly prohibited onboard.”
As his words fell, a glance suddenly flicked toward him from the side.
System: [The way Yan Chuanbai is looking at you… it’s like he’s asking: Then why are you here?]
The entire convoy suddenly lifted into the air.
Qi He, mild as ever: “Impossible. You must be seeing it wrong.”
…
Outside Base I.
Yu Tianxing was personally waiting, eyes anxiously fixed on the distance.
Yan Chuanbai had sent word that they were escorting ability users back to base. Their speed was faster than expected—though it was unclear whether that meant they had burned through too much energy…
By now the downpour had ceased.
The post-rain sky was scrubbed clean, carrying a rare sense of tranquility, like the world before the apocalypse. Golden sunlight split through the clouds, spilling over Z City and the mountains behind it.
Somehow, Yu Tianxing’s unease was soothed a little:
Armor glinting, golden scales flashing toward the sun—
A flood dragon breaks through the clouds to come forth…
A flood dragon.
…A flood dragon????
Yu Tianxing stared ahead.
Closer—there it was, a long convoy of vehicles, soaring above the mountains and city, surging and weaving its way toward the base like a dragon in flight.
“……”
Yu Tianxing’s mind blanked, his little brain shriveling in shock!
In moments, the convoy had arrived.
At the front, the lead off-road vehicle bore a familiar license plate. It descended first at the gates of the base, boom, boom… the doors opened, and Qi He and Yan Chuanbai stepped out—meeting Yu Tianxing’s dazed expression head-on.
Qi He glanced at Yu Tianxing, then at Yan Chuanbai.
…Wait—so Yan Chuanbai hadn’t told anyone how they got back?
The corner of Yan Chuanbai’s lips curved ever so slightly.
Qi He: “……”
Got it. He did that on purpose.
He asked, “System, why does Yan Chuanbai act so damn mean?”
The system’s protagonist filter cranked up to max: [Mean? Compared to you, even zombies look like humans.]
Ahead, Yan Chuanbai carried on as if nothing had happened, calling out to Yu Tianxing,
“There are specimens in the trunk for you. Once the entry inspection’s done, have someone take them back to the lab.”
Yu Tianxing slowly came back to his senses.
“Oh.”
Yan Chuanbai asked again, “All the squads have returned to base?”
Yu Tianxing opened his mouth, and his usually easygoing smile dimmed slightly, as though he’d remembered something.
“Mm.”
Qi He glanced at him for a few seconds.
By then, the two of them had passed through Gate B’s inspection and gotten back into the car. Qi He settled into the passenger seat, gazing out the window, his lashes trembling faintly.
The engine started, and they drove back to the central research institute.
—
The mutated man-eating plants were handed over to the researchers.
Qi He and Yan Chuanbai came down from the second floor of the institute one after the other. Just as they stepped out the front doors, they ran into Zhou Ziqian and his group.
“Brother Yan…!”
Zhou Ziqian’s eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed again.
Yan Chuanbai was walking about five meters ahead of Qi He. At that moment he descended the steps and stopped in front of Zhou Ziqian’s party. Qi He, just reaching the top of the steps, paused when he saw this and leaned against the railing.
Zhou Ziqian and another A-rank ability user were leading two technicians, Xiao Ting and Liu Xuan.
Six had set out. Four had returned.
With his back to Qi He, Yan Chuanbai’s expression was hidden, but his voice seemed lower than usual: “What happened?”
Zhou Ziqian gave a brief account of the situation.
One of their teammates had somehow contracted the zombie virus, and suddenly mutated at the relay station, biting one of the technicians. Because they had been traveling together all along, they couldn’t bring themselves to pull the trigger right away—
It wasn’t until another squad arrived that the two infected were taken care of.
“I know it was wrong. But I…”
The words caught in his throat, and silence settled over the steps.
After a long pause, Yan Chuanbai said, “Go back.”
Zhou Ziqian sniffled, then left with the remaining three, “…Yes, Brother Yan.”
…
When everyone had gone far enough,
Click—a flame sparked.
Yan Chuanbai lit a cigarette and stood there for a while.
Qi He rested one hand on the railing, watching him.
But more than that, he seemed to be digesting Zhou Ziqian’s words from just now. As he watched, the man ahead suddenly turned around, Yan Chuanbai’s gaze landing squarely on him.
Qi He wasn’t sure what expression he was wearing. His lashes flickered with a blink.
Yan Chuanbai looked at him for two seconds, then turned away to stub out the cigarette.
He lightly brushed the smoke from his clothes, then walked toward him and stopped in front of him. Looking at Qi He, his voice carried no discernible change as he spoke:
“Why are you still here?”
Qi He thought for a moment.
“I was afraid of disturbing you.”
“……”
The corners of Yan Chuanbai’s lips lifted just faintly. His eyes shifted toward the greenery lining both sides of the road.
“This sort of thing is normal.”
After a pause, he suddenly asked, “If one day I got infected by a zombie… could you pull the trigger immediately?”
Even as he voiced the question, Yan Chuanbai himself felt it was a little inexplicable—after all, there wasn’t that deep a bond between the two of them. Not to mention, Qi He’s composure and judgment far surpassed Zhou Ziqian’s.
He waited two seconds before hearing Qi He’s firm voice:
“You won’t be infected.”
Qi He looked straight at Yan Chuanbai.
Come on, if the protagonist got infected, how was the story supposed to keep going?
Yan Chuanbai’s fingertips twitched, something in his chest easing. He turned his head, raised a brow, and said, “If.”
Qi He shook his head. “Then I still wouldn’t make a move on you.”
Considerately, he added, “I could find a place to hang you up, that way you won’t be able to bite anyone.”
Yan Chuanbai: “……”
System: […What a p*rverted form of t*rture!]
Yan Chuanbai looked into Qi He’s eyes, his voice slow and steady: “With those words, I’ll make sure to stay alive.”
…
Yan Chuanbai still had matters at the military department.
Qi He went back to the high-rise on his own.
He crossed the lobby and waited at the elevator, pressing the button for up. On the screen, the floors descended one by one. Ding! It stopped at the first floor.
The doors slid open, and a figure entered his view.
Light-colored long hair curled gently as it draped behind her, and her white dress flowed like drifting clouds and rippling water. One glance was enough to tell she wasn’t a combat-type ability user. She sat in a wheelchair, an assistant by her side.
Qi He paused and stepped aside to let them out first.
Yu Jiang lifted her gaze to him and said softly, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Qi He stepped into the elevator, and the doors clanged shut.
Her assistant, Yu Jin, pushed Yu Jiang out of the high-rise. Sunlight poured down, warm and bright.
With no one else around, Yu Jin lowered her head and spoke, “Miss.”
Before the apocalypse, Yu Jiang had been the eldest daughter of a wealthy family, and Yu Jin had been hired specifically to look after her. Even now, she was used to calling her “Miss”:
“That just now was Qi He. I heard…”
“Yujin.” Yu Jiang stopped her, “I don’t learn about people through others’ words.” She looked ahead. “I only believe what I see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears.”
Yujin hesitated, words caught on her tongue. “But Miss, your hearing isn’t good.”
Yu Jiang nodded. “Alright then, let’s have tofu stew for lunch.”
“……” Yujin.
—
After returning, Qi He took a shower.
He had been out for two days, dusty from travel, and even broke into a sweat during his evolution.
He couldn’t tolerate being that dirty.
When he finished and came out, he saw a message from Yan Chuanbai:
[Tomorrow morning, 9:30, meeting on the fifth floor of the research institute.]
Qi He: “System, he’s so formulaic with me.”
System: [And you’re not much better with him.]
Qi He casually replied with a [Got it], then tossed the communicator aside, lying down to rest. Even ability users had limited mental strength. After escorting such a long convoy back to the base, he was now overwhelmed by a heavy tide of exhaustion.
“I’ll sleep first. Wake me if something happens; if not, court dismissed.”
The system opened its mouth to curse, but seeing him buried in the pillow, fast asleep, it withdrew with a cold face.
No one came looking for him the entire day.
Qi He slept straight into late evening.
When he opened his eyes, the room was pitch-black.
Only the floor-to-ceiling window opposite him showed the faint sparkle of crystal-core energy refracting outside, scattering its glow across the outer wall.
Qi He sat up. “What time is it?”
[22:46]
It was sleeping time again—and he still hadn’t eaten.
His mental strength had recovered by seventy to eighty percent. Qi He got up and headed for the kitchen, planning to throw something together to eat.
Just as he reached the counter, the air before his eyes suddenly lit up.
[System loading…]
[■■■ Load complete ■■■]
[Key plotline will begin tonight. Host, please prepare in advance.]
Qi He halted mid-step. “System.”
System: [……]
His gaze landed on the words “tonight” and “in advance” on the panel. A faint sense of foreboding crept over him. “Last time, the plotline was only one sentence. How long is it this time?”
The system pulled up the text and summarized:
[After the communications cut off, Yan Chuanbai is dispatched on a rescue mission. During this period, you can’t reach him, and finally realize: as a freeloading… parasite,]
Its words stumbled for a beat:
[…without Yan Chuanbai, you simply can’t survive. After he returns, you resolve to change your ‘role’ and scheme for greater benefits.]
With that, it threw the script at him directly:
『Late at night, when most have already fallen asleep. As someone he brought into the base, you have your own means to slip into the 29th floor of the high-rise.
You deliberately put on a white shirt and go to Yan Chuanbai.
First, you falsely claim that the water heater in your quarters broke, shamelessly insisting on using his bathroom to wash ▇▇▇▇』
Bzzzt—Bzzzt—
『After washing, you start looking for ways to stay the night.
Yan Chuanbai is utterly repulsed by you and prepares to forcibly kick you out. But you, reckless now, take off the white shirt directly, stand in front of him, and hook ▇▇▇▇』
Bzzt—Crackle!
“……”
Qi He calmly stared at the display panel.
At last, he understood why this time the system had released the notice so far in advance: this wasn’t a “key plotline” at all—this was clearly a whole night’s opera.
The system tried to patch things up, cautiously: [Granted it’s long, but there are two blacked-out sections—lots of room for you to improvise.]
Qi He gave a smile in return. “Heh.”
[……]
Just as the system trembled in dread, it saw Qi He turn and pull a shirt out of the wardrobe.
The system was stunned, overjoyed: [You’re… you’re actually willing to follow the plot?]
Qi He slipped the shirt on. “Of course I’ll follow it.”
As for how it would be followed—that was up to him.
Once he finished changing, he walked straight over to the floor-to-ceiling window. Under the system’s bewildered gaze, he yanked open one of the movable panes with a bang, grabbed the frame with one hand, and swung himself out—
[…??????]
