Chapter 280 | Chapter 281 | Chapter 282
Chapter 280: Bai Yu Arrives
The team members followed his gaze.
Dark skin, a tall and sturdy build, powerful muscles, ferocious scars… he perfectly matched the stereotype of a fierce soldier from the Defense Army.
But…
“No way, right? Is the Defense Army this bad? He barely survived death, yet he gets no honors, no merit, no contribution points—and now he has to carry bricks to make a living?!”
What kind of cliché dog-blood plot is this!
The team member was shocked. Completely baffled! Ready to condemn the darkness of politics!
Bai Yu, however, recalled the past. “When I saved him, one of his legs was already gone. Blood loss alone was enough to kill half a life. And his whole body was blackened—you know what the neurotoxin of the Kou Spider does.”
Back then, sending him into the medical pod had only been out of humanitarian principles—refusing to give up on any life.
“But look at him now!” Bai Yu’s eyes shone with energy. “In just a few months, he’s adapted to the prosthetic so well you can’t even tell. He can even handle this kind of heavy labor—and most importantly, the toxin seems to have been resolved.”
“What kind of luck and what kind of physique is this!”
Bai Yu murmured, “I even thought he was long dead… Tsk! Can’t our Garrison Army recruit non-ability users? With this kind of physical condition, he’s stronger than most ability users!”
The team member was dumbfounded. “He survived that? Damn! This guy’s got something!”
The two stared at Zhou Qian’s brisk movements, their expressions equally filled with desire.
A moment later, Bai Yu pushed open the car door and stepped out. “Since I’m stationed in Flower City now, it’s not too much if I form a non-ability user squad, right?”
“And while we’re at it, send more people to investigate internal Defense Army news—someone that brave and capable reduced to manual labor after retirement? That’s just unacceptable.”
“Commander, you—”
Before the team member could finish, Bai Yu had already slammed the car door shut.
—
Zhou Qian had never met Bai Yu.
When she swept away the road with countless vines and cut through spider silk, he had already been half-conscious, hovering on the brink of death. Just being able to breathe was already the limit of his willpower.
As for who saved him—
That was something he only learned after waking up.
At this moment, he stood still, keenly sensing a burning gaze fixed on him. He turned his head quickly—and paused in surprise.
Walking toward him was a young woman. Her posture was upright, her eyes sharp and spirited. Her hair was tied in a bun, giving her a youthful look.
Zhou Qian felt puzzled. Who is this? She looks like she knows me.
But no matter who she was, his bricks were more important.
So he turned and continued walking.
“Captain Zhou.”
She called out loudly and stepped forward, her movements carrying a trained rhythm. Zhou Qian instinctively straightened up.
She extended her hand. “Zhou Qian, Captain Zhou, right? I’m the newly appointed commander of Flower City—Bai Yu.”
Bai Yu?
Zhou Qian froze for a moment, then reacted and reached out his hand—well, his hand was a bit dirty, but she had already taken the initiative to shake it.
Raising her brows, she smiled. “Looks like Captain Zhou remembers.”
Zhou Qian nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of you. Thank you, Commander Bai, for saving my life in the wasteland.”
He glanced around at the curious onlookers, then at the bricks at his feet. “Give me a moment. I’ll move these over first, then we can talk in the car.”
In the car?
Bai Yu was briefly stunned. Following the direction of his gesture, she saw a striking vehicle painted like a vivid sunflower oil painting, standing out sharply among a cluster of worn-out tricycles.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
A misunderstanding.
Someone who owned such a vehicle couldn’t possibly be making a living by carrying bricks.
Without hesitation, she rolled up her sleeves. “How many are left? I’ll help.”
Zhou Qian treated soldiers differently than he did Huai Yu. Knowing her exceptional physical ability, he didn’t stand on ceremony. “Thanks. There are about 190 bricks left. Once we’re done, we can go. If there’s something to discuss, I’ll treat you all to a meal.”
Though he hadn’t seen anyone else, a Garrison Army commander wouldn’t be wandering alone in such a remote factory area.
Bai Yu nodded readily.
Zhou Qian then activated his communicator. “Little Yu, I just ran into the Garrison Army who saved me back in the wasteland. Prepare some food—I’ll bring them home for a meal. Commander Bai, how many of you are there?”
Bai Yu smiled. “Two. Not picky, not afraid of spice—we eat anything.”
Zhou Qian paused, then smiled as well. The scars on his cheeks shifted slightly. “Alright.”
—
For the two of them, the bricks were nothing. Bai Yu was slightly shorter, so she carried fewer each trip, but after three or four rounds, everything was done.
At the water basin outside the factory, they washed their hands.
“Are you building a house?” Bai Yu asked.
“No,” Zhou Qian replied. “It’s getting cold. Just doing some repairs—stocking up in advance.”
Bai Yu didn’t question it further. Instead, she grew curious. “Where do you live now? I’ll have my team follow your car later.”
Zhou Qian paused briefly. “Rose Mansion, Zone 2. If you’re heading to Camp 69 via Jinyuan Community, you should pass by my place.”
Bai Yu froze.
She immediately recalled the building she had seen earlier on the road. Raising her thumb, she laughed. “Impressive—bold and skilled. Are you sure the Rose Corridor is safe?”
“It’s fine,” Zhou Qian said calmly. “That distance isn’t within its restricted zone. As long as you don’t wander around recklessly.”
Bai Yu’s interest deepened. “Good.”
—
She got into Zhou Qian’s car, while her team followed behind. Inside the spacious vehicle, Bai Yu glanced at his leg curiously.
“Your rehabilitation was excellent. It’s impossible to tell you were injured before.”
Zhou Qian explained, “It’s a biological material prosthetic. The adaptation period is much shorter.”
Biological material?
Bai Yu grew even more curious.
A decorated Defense Army soldier forced into retirement, living in a remote Rose Mansion, choosing a more painful but better-matched biological prosthetic…
Was there something he had to do?
And then—
“Little Yu is…?”
Zhou Qian glanced at her. “My younger sister. She lives with me in Rose Mansion.”
Bai Yu understood, and her gaze softened slightly. “Your sister? How old is she?”
Zhou Qian hesitated. Thinking of the changes in Huai Yu, he answered vaguely, “Around ten to twenty.”
Bai Yu: …
But that didn’t stop her from continuing.
“Ten to twenty? Then before the disaster, she was still in middle school, right? Living somewhere so remote—haven’t you considered sending her back to school?”
“Schools in Flower City already resumed classes on September 1st.”
Chapter 281: Arriving Home
Six years had passed. The word “school” had long since become distant to Zhou Qian—no need to mention Huai Yu, for whom it was even farther removed.
So the two of them, tucked away in that remote Rose Corridor, ears plugged and minds shut off from the outside, not only hadn’t heard anything about school starting again, they had never even thought about going back.
Now, hearing Bai Yu bring it up so suddenly, Zhou Qian was genuinely stunned.
Seeing his reaction, Bai Yu grew more concerned that the child might be delayed because of this, so she persuaded him again, earnest and sincere:
“At her age, she’s probably not planning to marry and start a family anytime soon, right? Life has only just begun to stabilize for everyone. If she starts a family now, things might be a bit harder. Better not rush.”
“If she’s not starting a family, and you’re living in such a remote place, I assume she doesn’t have a stable job either. In that case, it’d be better to send her to school.”
“Schools now don’t just teach academic knowledge—they also offer all kinds of adaptation courses for the new era, including basic combat training.”
“For a young girl, whether she has abilities or not, having a few more ways to protect herself is always a good thing.”
Her words were so sincere that Zhou Qian opened his mouth, only to find himself unable to respond.
At that moment, a headache crept in—having a younger sister full of secrets made even casual conversation difficult. He simply couldn’t come up with enough lies to smooth things over.
After thinking for a moment, he could only say with difficulty,
“Her body… isn’t suitable.”
Bai Yu could understand that.
The past few years after the catastrophe had been harsh. Those with good health managed, but for those who fell ill or suffered other misfortunes—without proper nutrition or rest, it was only natural for their bodies to weaken.
And for an older brother to dote on his younger sister and want to take a couple of years to nurse her back to health—that was only normal.
So she didn’t press further, only reminding him,
“Many basic jobs nowadays don’t require formal education, but what should be learned still needs to be learned. You two can discuss it yourselves.”
The topic clearly ended there. Zhou Qian’s face remained serious, but inside, he finally let out a long breath.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but sigh—this Commander Bai was completely different from the friends they used to know. Her mind was exceptionally clear.
Unlike his former comrades or Huai Yu’s friends—after all these years of knowing each other, no one had ever even thought about going back to school.
—Though, to be fair, they didn’t need it.
With the small talk done and the relationship warmed, Bai Yu recalled her earlier discussion with her team and asked expectantly,
“I heard that after integrating biological materials, physical abilities improve quite a bit—do you still have your combat capability?”
“If you do, could I ask for some pointers later?”
She extended her hand. A seed sprouted rapidly in her palm, only to be clenched back into her fist in the next moment.
“I’m a wood-type ability user. I want to try fighting without using my ability—see if my combat awareness and experience are enough to hold off someone like you, who’s been through countless battles in the defense forces.”
Zhou Qian’s eyes flickered, then he nodded.
“Sure!”
He had been worrying about not having anyone to spar with!
Back in the defense forces, his abilities had already been among the best. Now, after integrating biological materials, his combat power had risen significantly. Otherwise, when he encountered that mutated macaque in the mountains last time, he wouldn’t have been able to hold on for so long.
But now, his former comrades refused to fight him. Huai Yu did have abilities, but he feared that with just one kick, her skinny frame might be sent flying dozens of meters…
Hearing this proposal, he was almost impatient with anticipation!
Before sparring, though, he first had to shake the spore powder out of his legs.
But timing in combat and the effective use of spore powder also required coordination and practice. He couldn’t help glancing at Bai Yu’s face, briefly imagining her as that [lion’s mane mushroom] from the mountains—then could only give up with regret.
Ah.
At this moment, he even found himself looking forward to heading back to the wastelands.
Bai Yu didn’t understand the meaning behind his inexplicable look of regret, but his earlier crisp and eager agreement made her hands itch to fight as well.
He had years of missions behind him—his combat awareness and experience were undoubtedly sharp. As for herself, ever since gaining her ability, she had trained diligently and taken on many field missions too…
It was just a question of whether she could withstand him.
Inside the spacious vehicle, neither of them spoke, yet their fighting spirit quietly surged.
…
Meanwhile, by the Rose Corridor, Huai Yu was riding a bicycle, two large baskets hanging from the back, filled with household tools and ingredients.
This was the troublesome part of having too many secrets—every time they invited someone over for a meal, she had to shuffle things around like this. But thinking about how the other party had saved Zhou Qian, she pedaled with extra strength.
Arriving at Zhou Qian’s courtyard, she skillfully unloaded everything, arranged it neatly, and even took the time to decorate the house a little—making it look as if someone truly lived there—before fetching water to start preparing the ingredients.
By the time everything was ready, she even pulled a handful of the sparse scallions growing untended by the gate. Finally, the sound of engines came from outside.
Two vehicles arrived one after the other, stopping neatly.
One was their own car. The other was a low-profile black pickup—dirty and worn-looking…
Wow.
Huai Yu thought with a hint of sympathy: so not everyone in the defense forces is well-off. That car probably wouldn’t sell for more than 30,000.
Then I should cook a couple more dishes later! The hens laid two extra eggs today—I’ll fry them for the guests too!
Though somehow, she felt like she had forgotten something…
Busy as she was, she mentally arranged the menu. But when she saw the person stepping out of the car, her eyes widened slightly, and that fleeting thought vanished from her mind entirely.
It’s a girl!
Wow—so the one who saved Zhou Qian is actually a girl! She looks so young, and she’s already out on missions! And that bun hairstyle—so cute. I’ll do mine like that tomorrow too!
When Bai Yu got out of the car and saw Huai Yu waiting nearby, she was briefly stunned, then smiled.
“You’re Little Yu, right? Sorry to trouble you.”
Her smile was warm, but inwardly she let out a breath of relief: these Zhou siblings really grew up well! The older brother was dark, rugged, and sturdy, while the younger sister was fair, delicate, and adorably pretty.
Especially those phoenix eyes—when she looked at people, she was even more beautiful.
Heaven knew, after looking at Zhou Qian the whole way here, Bai Yu had already imagined a similarly dark-skinned girl and was debating whether to praise her as “simple and natural” or “healthy and sunny.”
Huai Yu shook her head repeatedly.
“No trouble at all! Sister, are you from the defense forces? I thought you’d be wearing that cool uniform.”
“Yes,” Bai Yu laughed. “I’m not wearing it, but it’s in the car. You’re a bit slimmer than me—want to try it on later?”
As she said this, she couldn’t help feeling a little emotional. Zhou Qian had protected his family very well. Looking at his sister now—so innocent and purely happy—it was as if she had never experienced hardship.
Huai Yu nodded vigorously.
“I want to wear it!”
Chapter 282: Sparring
The defense force uniform!
Pure white, with a flowing shimmer like drifting sand when one walked—wearing it made a person look tall and elegant. Huai Yu had been eyeing it for a long time!
Then she looked down at what she was wearing…
Life had just gotten back on track, but that didn’t mean fine clothing was easy to come by. On top of that, they often had to work, so the siblings’ clothes were only passable—sometimes even a bit shabby.
Thinking back to the fluorescent-colored clothes she once bought, Huai Yu’s face nearly turned green. Then she looked again at the white uniform jacket Bai Yu had taken out and let out a deep sigh:
“So pretty! When will I be able to buy nice dresses?”
Bai Yu: …
To be honest, she had thought this “Little Yu” admired the defense forces and wanted to experience wearing their uniform.
Clearly, she had overthought it.
Looking again, the girl had already briskly taken off her outerwear and slipped her thin frame into the loose L-sized uniform. It wasn’t bad-looking—if anything, it made her seem even younger.
Bai Yu smiled.
“Do you like it? If you don’t mind that I’ve worn it before, you can have it.” She could just apply for another set later with contribution points.
But Huai Yu shook her head, took it off, and handed it back.
“I heard this uniform has really strong defense, and it doesn’t get dirty easily—just wipe it and it’s clean. Seems like it doesn’t even need washing… But I just touched it—the outside has a coating, it feels a bit stiff when worn.”
Then she glanced at Zhou Qian.
“Brother Zhou Qian has to work in the fields every day. Washing clothes is troublesome… but wearing this to work wouldn’t be comfortable.”
She looked at the tag on the chest and added,
“Thank you, Commander Big Sister. You’re really nice.”
Bai Yu took back her coat somewhat numbly, feeling like everything today had gone completely off-script.
But Zhou Qian was clearly used to it.
He looked at his slightly pilled clothes.
“I’m fine wearing this.”
He was a man—strong. When his clothes got dirty, he’d rinse off the mud in the pond, bring them back, scrub hard, twist them with his big hands, and hang them up. Done.
Didn’t feel troublesome at all.
Then he looked at Huai Yu.
“Make more food tonight. I’m going to spar with Commander Bai.”
Huai Yu was startled and instinctively glanced at his leg.
“She saved your life!”
Zhou Qian’s brow twitched, and he pressed his words heavily:
“I know.”
“Oh…”
Huai Yu gave an awkward smile. Then she glanced at the defense force member who had just parked and was looking over in confusion, and her eyes suddenly lit up:
“Then Brother Zhou Qian, you go fight farther away. Can this Brother help me tend the fire?”
She put on a delicate expression.
“I can’t manage cooking and tending the fire all by myself.”
Faced with such an earnest look, who could refuse? Although the team member also wanted to watch the sparring, he could only nod—still feeling a bit embarrassed:
“We came in a hurry and didn’t bring anything…”
Huai Yu smiled.
“We have everything, no shortage—oh right, Brother, do you like fried eggs or pan-fried eggs?”
Now the team member understood their sincerity. Eggs were rationed even within the defense forces. He immediately chose:
“Fried eggs, fried eggs! When we get them internally, they’re always boiled to preserve maximum nutrition.”
He hadn’t had fried eggs in years!
He couldn’t help wondering where these eggs had been bought—some black market? Was the mutation level the same as those from the livestock institute?
Huai Yu stuffed a handful of scallions and two heads of garlic into his hands. Seeing the girl busy prepping ingredients in the kitchen, he quickly moved a small stool outside the courtyard—
There, Commander Bai, rising rapidly in strength, had suppressed her ability and was facing off against the battle-hardened defense force soldier. They were about to start!
Huh? Why was Commander Bai alone?
Oh, Zhou Qian said he was going to change clothes… Tsk, looks rough, but surprisingly particular. Just don’t know—if he doesn’t use abilities, who would have the upper hand?
Thinking this, he carefully peeled garlic. But just as he lowered his head to toss a clove aside—
They had already begun!
The spar started explosively. The moment they locked eyes and found their positions, both knew—it was time to move!
Bai Yu’s strength lay in her precision and agility, with solid fundamentals. Having had abilities, her physical condition had improved greatly—so even without using them, her punches carried sharp gusts of wind.
Zhou Qian, on the other hand, was much simpler.
He had never had abilities. His attacks didn’t require coordination with any powers, so against Bai Yu’s rapid assault, he handled it with ease.
After all, human actions followed logic—plants did not. And on the wastelands, the most common threats were sudden, unpredictable creatures. Compared to that, this kind of straightforward frontal attack brought far less pressure than even the mutated macaque from Sanqing Palace.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu’s expression had turned cold.
To become a commander, she had no weak points—her combat skills were outstanding. Yet with every block, she felt the opponent’s strength was astonishing!
Especially that left leg—whether it struck or slammed, she had to use all her strength just to defend! Yet Zhou Qian’s face remained calm, as if such force placed no burden on him at all.
What terrifying strength!
What sharp combat awareness!
Up to now, she had only been on the losing side—but the stronger he was, the more she wanted someone like him when rebuilding her team and recruiting anew!
That thought flashed through her mind—
And in that instant, Zhou Qian caught it!
His fist, carrying a fierce wind, struck swiftly toward her. In haste, Bai Yu twisted aside, but her bun was shattered in the process.
Yet what scattered wasn’t just her hair—
Countless tiny particles hidden within fell like rain!
!!!
Zhou Qian instinctively stepped back. The two separated.
The next moment, Bai Yu waved her hand.
“Let’s stop. Without abilities, I can’t beat you.”
Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow. The scar on his face made him look even more unwilling to concede.
“What about with abilities?”
Bai Yu pointed at the scattered particles on the ground.
“Want to try?”
Zhou Qian nodded.
In that instant, the seeds on the ground split open, sprouting tender shoots. In the blink of an eye, they burrowed into the soil. At the same time, Bai Yu flicked her hair—several emerald vines shot out from within, like iron spikes, stabbing straight toward Zhou Qian!
He quickly stepped back and turned to the side—but the moment his foot touched the ground, his heart began to pound wildly!
The next second, countless vines burst out of the earth, wrapping tightly around his legs. Fresh branches and leaves climbed upward, locking his entire leg firmly in place!
