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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Caiwei walked in just then, completely ignoring Chang Qing's displeased expression.
"Uncle, Auntie, I'm a Water Elemental User. If you need a water supply, I can help," she said directly to Yang Father and Yang Mother.
Chang Qing suddenly remembered that Xu Caiwei was also an Ability User. In the original storyline, she had awakened her Water Ability as well. However, in the early stages, it took her hours to produce even a bucket of water. Was she just trying to take advantage of them? He thought about how she would show up with a small bottle of water to make it seem like she had put in effort, only to take a bunch of supplies back with her. Chang Qing felt that such a losing deal was not worth it.
"Xu Caiwei, you're from another team; we can't take advantage of you," he said with a businesslike demeanor. He pulled out a bucket of water. "How about this? I'll trade you two packs of instant noodles for one bucket of water. Before the apocalypse, their prices were similar, so this way you can explain it to your teammates."
Li Jun chuckled; Brother Qing had always been submissive before, but now he was finally standing his ground. "Yes, yes! Even though we're classmates, we can't let your team suffer losses."
Xu Caiwei's expression was somewhat complicated. Couldn't people help each other without escalating things to a matter between teams? She didn't understand and turned her gaze toward Yang Father and Yang Mother.
"Caiwei, Chang Qing and Li Jun are right. It's tough for everyone in this apocalypse. Your team has many people; it's best to have an equal exchange," Yang Father said after clearing his throat. He thought like the two young men: water is the source of life, and it's better to stock up as much as possible. However, agreeing on an equal exchange was the best choice to avoid owing favors or suffering losses.
Seeing that they all felt this way, Xu Caiwei had no choice but to comply. After all, she had always maintained her independent and aloof persona. She took the bucket and began to use her Ability to fill it with water.
Half an hour later, after exhausting her Ability, she had only managed to fill half a bucket. Noticing Chang Qing frowning in dissatisfaction, she felt a twinge of anxiety.
"Half a bucket of water equals one pack of instant noodles. It’s been a pleasure working together," Chang Qing's words reminded her of the miserly character of Monsieur Grandet. At that moment, she realized that the Yang Changqing who used to go out of his way to please her was truly gone. She took the instant noodles and turned around to leave quickly.
Chang Qing thought that today's events were over and told Yang Father and Yang Mother to rest while he and Li Jun stood guard. Unexpectedly, Zheng Yingsha came rushing over.
With a loud bang, the door swung open. "Yang Changqing! What did you do to Caiwei? She's crying!" Her indignant accusation nearly made Chang Qing laugh.
"I said, Zheng, couldn't you just ask her directly what I've done? Why come here to find trouble with me?"
"She just came over and traded us a pack of instant noodles for half a bucket of water, a fair exchange, no deceit involved!"
"A pack of instant noodles!" Zheng Yingsha's voice was somewhat sharp. "In the past, you..." Before she could finish her sentence, Chang Qing coldly interrupted her.
"The past is the past; the Yang Changqing from before is long gone! Don't always act like you're her parent blaming me; if someone didn't know better, they'd think you were her mother."
"You..." Zheng Yingsha wanted to say something more but was abruptly swept away by a vine and thrown out. Chang Qing was somewhat annoyed with her petty arguments. In the storyline, she always stood from Xu Caiwei's perspective and had often bossed around the original owner. Now that the original owner was gone, who was she putting on this act for? Ultimately, it was just a case of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. The original owner had tried so hard to please her, which only fueled her arrogance. Meanwhile, the male lead, Chen Jin, wasn't as easygoing; after encountering some setbacks, he had become much more compliant.
Li Jun had grown accustomed to Chang Qing's changes over these days; after all, in this apocalypse, who could remain the same? He never expected Xin Zi would be the one to change.
"Brother Qing, I'll keep watch tonight; you should get some sleep." He was worried that someone from next door would come to bother Chang Qing again.
Chang Qing understood his concern. However, tonight this small gas station had more than ten people present. Besides needing to guard against zombies, they also had to be wary of others. After all, the enforced rules of society were no longer in place, and conscience was the most unreliable thing.
Chang Qing instructed Li Jun to observe from the rooftop while she went on patrol. It was already autumn; the night wind carried a slight chill against her face.
The gas station they were staying at was located by the main road, actually two kilometers away from town. During her search for supplies, Chang Qing had encountered several local survivors from the town. Most chose to stay at home—partly because it was advised by officials and partly because the town's economy wasn't developed; most residents didn't own vehicles and found it inconvenient to travel far. Moreover, after the initial panic subsided, they realized that zombies moved slowly and posed little threat.
While patrolling, Chang Qing ran into Sheng Li again—the local youth who had previously guided her during a supply run.
"Brother Qing," Sheng Li said as he pulled out a bottle of water from his backpack and handed it to Chang Qing. "The wandering zombies in town have been cleared out by me and a few buddies; it's quite safe now." He lit a cigarette himself, sounding somewhat proud.
"You all did well," Chang Qing said as she took a sip of water. "Most zombies are still inside their rooms; achieving true safety requires clearing and confirming each house." She reminded him, "The limited space inside makes it much more dangerous to clear out zombies."
Sheng Li felt a bit frustrated. They had organized to clear out two houses, but inside the rooms, people couldn't move freely, making it easy to get scratched or bitten. After a few hours, they had lost two brothers. Many people later opposed entering the rooms for cleaning, leading to a heated argument, and the matter was left unresolved.
“ brother Qing, why don’t you all stay? With an Ability user leading the way, we can quickly clear the zombies from our homes and return to normal life in the town,” he said, his voice filled with a hint of hope as he envisioned a future of normalcy. From the first time he saw Chang Qing use his Ability to clear zombies, he had extended an invitation. He was just a kid who grew up in this town, lacking the courage and ability to go to the Northern Base. His only desire was to eliminate the zombies and continue living here. However, clearing zombies was undoubtedly dangerous, and he lacked leadership skills. After two incidents, his team had nearly fallen apart. That was why he desperately hoped Chang Qing would stay.
Chang Qing was also seriously considering the possibility of staying. The town was surrounded by mountains, resembling a small basin, with a national highway passing through it. The transportation was convenient, and there were many fields nearby, allowing for self-sufficiency. Currently, with many people turning into zombies, the population had significantly decreased, so land and housing were not in short supply. However, in the future, zombies would evolve; ordinary people stood little chance against Advanced Zombies. Moreover, Advanced Zombies could control lower-level zombies, creating zombie hordes—something that a defenseless small town could not withstand. He didn’t want to be a savior who took on all burdens; it would be better to hide at the Official Base.
“The Official news says that zombies will evolve; evolved zombies can match Ability users in strength and are difficult for ordinary people to stop. It’s advisable for you to seek out a base for shelter,” he explained earnestly. Chang Qing understood well the fear people felt in unfamiliar environments and their special attachment to their hometown. “Perhaps we can return to rebuild our hometown after humanity has completely defeated the zombies.”
Just as Chang Qing finished speaking, he heard Li Jun's voice crackle through the walkie-talkie. “ brother Qing, we have a situation.”
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