This made Chang Qing reflect on some of the inconsistencies in the male protagonist's behavior from the original plot. For instance, how he, as a native of Nancheng, developed a taste for spicy food, or how he suddenly became experienced in management despite having no prior experience. There was also the shift from only liking beautiful women to being attracted to both men and women. Previously, everyone thought these changes were due to his newfound power, but it now seemed likely that the person beneath that facade had completely changed.
However, his Divine Consciousness Attack was not something easily treated, and in a way, this could be seen as revenge for the original owner.
The journey ahead went smoothly. After a day, the group finally arrived at the Northern Base.
At this time, the Northern Base was still under construction and in need of manpower, so they could enter the city without paying any fees.
The base had established a complete system where anyone could find work and settle down. For Ability users, there were even more options; they could join the Official's Ability user army and enjoy benefits provided by the Official. Alternatively, they could form their own teams or mercenary groups to earn rewards by completing bounty tasks from either the Official or civilians. Additionally, Crystal Cores remained the hard currency of the base. Powerful Ability users could thrive simply by venturing out to eliminate Zombies and collect Crystal Cores. Of course, when Zombies attacked the city, all Ability users were required to respond to the Official's summons to protect the base's safety, with allowances provided as rewards.
Bai Bing shone brightly here, establishing a powerful mercenary group and collaborating multiple times with the Official to address Zombie crises. Li Jun chose to join the Official's Ability user army; having experienced countless battles, he quickly rose to prominence and became a star within the army. Yang Father and Yang Mother opted to start anew and ventured into the clothing business. Surprisingly, Chang Qing did not form a team or build influence; instead, he worked alongside his parents like an ordinary person.
In just a few years, the Yang family's business grew larger and eventually consolidated into Yang Group. At the inauguration ceremony of Yang Group, Bai Bing, leader of the Ice and Snow Mercenary Corps, attended along with Li Jun, the youngest military commander. Many Level Four and Level Five Ability users came to show their support. It was then that people remembered that the heir of Yang Group was also a powerful Ability user.
To Chang Qing's surprise, he encountered a familiar face at the banquet—Xu Caiwei.
Since Yang Group primarily engaged in civilian business, the banquet following the inauguration took place in a public square where anyone could participate. When Chang Qing saw Xu Caiwei, she looked shabby and haggard, sitting at a side table eating heartily with a group of people.
However, Chang Qing did not approach her; instead, he turned away to greet his friends.
Later on, he learned from Li Jun that the Dragon Blood Mercenary Corps had announced its disbandment some time ago. A few years back, Long Baiye had declared that he would pass on leadership to Chen Jin before disappearing. Over time, Chen Jin's temperament had grown increasingly volatile and paranoid, making life miserable for his subordinates. To make matters worse, it seemed Chen Jin had not inherited Long Baiye's ability to control Ability users; after some escaped without incident being reported, rumors spread that Long Baiye had been harmed by Chen Jin. This led to disarray within the mercenary corps as morale plummeted. Following several rebellions where Chen Jin lost his life as well, the entire mercenary group fell apart—some formed small teams while others moved on to different bases.
It is worth mentioning that over these years, the Official gradually established bases in other regions to gather human strength against Zombie invasions. However, Chang Qing was no longer concerned with such matters; now he lived like an ordinary son working alongside his parents. The bloodthirstiness from his journey north had completely dissipated; anyone who saw him would think he was just a good child striving to please his parents.
Over the years, he had not kept in touch much with his old friends, so when Bai Bing came over to toast him and express her gratitude, he felt a bit bewildered but still engaged in polite conversation.
What he didn't know was that some time ago, Bai Bing had a dream. In the dream, she led her team northward, but instead of encountering Chang Qing along the way, she found herself leading the group to Ji City. There, the Ability User Arena Tournament was also taking place, and she participated in the competition. However, aside from losing to Hu Yan Zan, she also lost to Chen Jin. Later, Chen Jin took the initiative to befriend her, and they established a relationship, choosing to join the Dragon Blood Mercenary Corps. As time went on, she discovered that Chen Jin had many close female friends. She wanted to leave but found herself controlled by an Identity Tag, unable to escape. Meanwhile, Chen Jin gradually earned the trust of the mercenary group's leader and eventually became the head of the Dragon Blood Mercenary Corps. After that, her chances of leaving diminished further; Chen Jin's influence grew stronger, and he established the most powerful base in Ji City during the apocalypse, becoming a revered leader. She felt like a caged bird, gradually losing her vitality and ability to fly, becoming a true subordinate.
The dream felt too real, as if it had just happened. Upon waking up, she dared not dwell on those days from her dream. She carefully reflected on the differences in her journey northward and realized that the biggest difference was meeting Yang Changqing at a gas station in a small town. Although he seemed to do little along the way, he always managed to turn the tide at critical moments, influencing those around him. Seeing his seemingly unchanged face at today's banquet brought back memories of her dream vividly. It turned out that in her dream, he was just another pitiful person—betrayed and abandoned, with an uncertain fate. That was why she approached him specifically to thank him for preventing the events of her dream from becoming reality.
Xu Caiwei had just arrived at Northern Base today; quite a lot had happened during that short journey. By the time she got here, she was almost faint from hunger and sat down immediately at a banquet being held in the square to eat heartily. She hadn't expected to see Yang Changqing here nor did she realize that this was actually the unveiling ceremony for Yang Group.
Yang Group? Hearing that name sent her into a daze as if she were transported back to before the apocalypse. Back then, her parents and younger brother were still alive; now... although there was no concrete news, she had already accepted that her family had perished.
Reflecting on her time in Ji City years ago, she couldn't understand why she impulsively listened to Zheng Yingsha's advice to stay behind. Although that man initially provided her comfort and even promised to help find her parents, he later rose to power and became increasingly tyrannical, making life difficult for her. But what followed was even worse; countless rebellions plunged Ji City into chaos, resulting in both Zheng Yingsha and Chen Jin losing their lives in the turmoil. Eventually unable to stay in Ji City any longer, she followed some people here.
In this lifetime, Yang Father and Yang Mother lived long lives; Yang Father passed away at 90 years old while Yang Mother lived until 103. By the time Yang Father died, Yang Group had expanded into various sectors such as lifestyle, entertainment, and real estate, establishing branches in human bases around the world with tens of thousands of employees. Although Yang Father and Yang Mother longed for grandchildren, unfortunately Chang Qing never chose the path of marriage or parenthood; a few years after Yang Mother passed away, he opted to leave this world altogether.
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