Chapter 316 | Chapter 317 | Chapter 318
Chapter 316: Such an Amazing Ability
The osmanthus flowers didn’t even get the chance to be wrapped in gauze and dried along the way.
After Zhou Qian painstakingly plucked two full basins of pale-yellow blossoms and poured them into a plastic bag to carry back, Ke Taro had already caught the fragrance. It stood obediently at the back of the car, waiting.
Its two yellow-brown membranous wings were purely decorative—no one had ever seen it fly. Now it stood at the edge, flapping them again and again, yet still unable to muster the courage to jump down.
Zhou Qian couldn’t help but feel speechless.
“Ke Taro, we’re out here now—you don’t have to work.”
But Ke Taro ignored him completely.
Seeing Zhou Qian just standing there with the bag, it flapped its wings more urgently.
In short—either carry it down to roll the osmanthus, or let it roll them inside the car. It just had to work!
Zhou Qian: …
For some reason, he suddenly recalled those days when he worked tirelessly digging vegetable beds for Huai Yu.
At that moment, a thought crossed his mind—
“Little Yu… do you have another ability? Something like binding any creature you see into becoming your laborer?”
Huai Yu’s eyes lit up.
“There’s such a good ability?! Who has it?!”
Zhou Qian sighed, the floral scent making him a little drowsy again.
“Ke Taro wants the flowers. Should we give them to it?”
“Of course!” Huai Yu didn’t hesitate. She picked up Ke Taro—light as ever, with its smooth shell and increasingly cute antennae.
“It’s just osmanthus! We’ll keep one cup for ourselves—I’ll make sweet soup later. The rest all goes to Ke Taro!”
Zhou Qian nodded, shook his head slightly, then turned away step by step.
“Little Yu, I’m going to sleep first.”
Huai Yu nodded, already thinking about what to cook.
Zhou Qian drifted off in a daze, only one thought lingering—
They had only passed two rest stops in two days.
At this rate, circling the wasteland might take two or three months.
The car door opened and closed. The goose chicks hopped out again, leisurely wandering about.
Inside the car, soft snoring soon filled the air.
Huai Yu held the osmanthus in her hand and sniffed it carefully.
It didn’t seem very mutated—rather than hypnotic, it was more like something that helped sleep.
Otherwise, why did she still feel so energetic?
Well then…
She dragged out a large orange-and-gold pumpkin from the car, sliced off the top, wrapped the rest, and put it back.
The heavy chunk in her hands would soon become osmanthus pumpkin sweet soup.
She just wondered—how long would Zhou Qian sleep?
When Zhou Qian woke up, he felt disoriented, as if he didn’t know what day it was.
The bright sun overhead told him he hadn’t overslept, but seeing it nearly at its peak, he quickly sat up.
“Little Yu, how long did I sleep?”
Huai Yu was squatting with her back to him, busy with something. Hearing him, she turned around happily.
“Brother Zhou Qian, you’re awake! Did you sleep well?”
He had slept extremely well—no dreams, just deep rest.
But he didn’t answer. Instead, he stared at the strange, gaudy thing in her hands.
“What is that?”
Huai Yu glanced down.
“The hornet nest!”
“You said we couldn’t take it, right? There were so many leftover wild chicken feathers, so I decorated it while I was bored. How is it? Pretty, right?”
Honestly… it wasn’t pretty at all.
It was downright eerie.
The massive paper-like oval nest had its bottom entrance smashed to pieces by Dabao and Erbao. Huai Yu had reshaped it with water—
In her mind, leaving the bottom exposed when hanging it would be improper.
As for who would hang it, and who would judge its propriety—that wasn’t her concern.
As for the exterior…
It had been too plain before. But feathers? There were plenty.
She had already sorted many of them.
So—
One feather became two, then three.
Then came patterns, layering, interweaving.
Before long, she had turned it into a bizarre, multicolored oval sphere.
All that remained—
Was for Zhou Qian to hang it up.
Once hung, the rope left it dangling and spinning slowly beneath the tree, the feathers arranged at different angles—
“Even more eerie,” Zhou Qian commented.
Huai Yu ignored him completely.
In her eyes, Zhou Qian had no sense of aesthetics. So if they disagreed, she was obviously right.
The scalded feathers had lost their shine, their fluff messy and uneven. Arranged in strange color patterns, the thing looked like a giant, monstrous head hanging in the forest—enough to make anyone uneasy from afar.
Seeing her so pleased, Zhou Qian understood—
His opinion didn’t matter at all.
So after hanging it, he stepped back and refused to look again.
“Let’s go.”
“If we delay any longer, we’ll reach the next rest stop after dark. And tomorrow’s stretch will take over nine hours—no long breaks. We need to conserve energy.”
Huai Yu suddenly realized.
“Right! We’re still traveling! But no rush—Brother Zhou Qian, drink the osmanthus pumpkin soup first. It’s sweet and fragrant.”
Zhou Qian had intended to hurry, but…
Sweet soup?
He sat down calmly and drank the warm, lightly sweet, fragrant soup.
Only then did he realize—
“If I drink osmanthus… will I get sleepy again?”
But clearly, no.
With proper rest, he was full of energy as he drove.
Instead, Huai Yu—after a busy morning—soon fell asleep with the car’s gentle swaying.
The vehicle moved alone through the wasteland.
But Zhou Qian’s heart felt unexpectedly at ease.
No need for constant vigilance.
Someone taking care of daily life.
This feeling… was something he had never experienced before.
Then he thought of Dabao and Erbao in the back—completely unaware of the chaos they had caused.
His head started to ache again.
Huai Yu, as a guardian…
Was really far too indulgent.
Chapter 317: It’s Too Hard
At this moment, in the administrative center of Flower City.
Bai Yu looked over the work she had finally sorted and wrapped up. After completing the past two days of handover procedures, she let out a long breath.
The government staff member sitting across from her looked even more exhausted.
As a member of the Garrison Army, she at least had a strong physique to support her. But the person in front of her was just an ordinary human—at most slightly improved physically after the Cataclysm, but still very limited.
And yet, he had suddenly been assigned from above to fully take over and understand the responsibilities of the Garrison Commander… within just two days.
He had been cursing that idiotic order for who knew how long, staying up all night at home until he was utterly drained—only then managing to complete everything.
Now, looking at Commander Bai across from him, the staff member couldn’t help but feel a trace of sympathy.
At least after finishing, they could slow down a bit.
But she—after handing everything over today—had to immediately head to the garrison camp, coordinate with the Defense Army for redeployment, and prepare for tomorrow’s departure into the wasteland…
Just thinking about that workload made his scalp tingle.
After finishing the handover, Bai Yu got into the car and immediately slumped down, leaning back against the seat with a deep breath.
The one driving was another team member. Driving wasn’t his duty, but Bai Yu had been so overwhelmed these past two days that everyone took turns helping her.
As a result, their reverence for General Wu had faded quite a bit. The halo filter was cracking.
“Crazy…” he muttered under his breath.
Bai Yu didn’t even open her eyes as she leaned back, her voice heavy with fatigue:
“Don’t say things like that again. If you get used to it, one day it might slip out—and then you’ll have real trouble.”
The team member knew he had spoken in the heat of the moment, but he couldn’t help tapping the steering wheel.
“But I’m not wrong, am I?”
He swallowed the curse words at the tip of his tongue.
“He shows up whenever he wants, makes surprise decisions whenever he wants. Says we’re going to the wasteland, and even the buffer time has to be begged for. Even General Lin never pushed people this hard!”
“Even going to visit relatives, you’d at least change clothes and prepare a gift. But he’s taking a whole group into the wasteland like a swarm—just using whatever’s available, taking whatever’s given, is that it?”
Bai Yu sighed.
But despite her physical and mental exhaustion, her mood was actually… good.
Because the more tired and overworked she became, the more Wu Yue’s image collapsed in everyone’s eyes.
And in the Garrison Army—where people constantly walked the line between life and death—no one liked a leader who was impulsive, disruptive, full of sudden decisions, and completely inconsiderate of subordinates.
“Commander, are you still okay? General Wu is holding a meeting tonight at 7 in the camp. He’ll probably finalize tomorrow’s deployment.”
Bai Yu wiped her face and exhaled deeply.
“I’m fine.”
But she was clearly reassured too early.
That very night, the deployment plan Wu Yue announced at the meeting was completely different from the previously agreed route.
Not just different—
It was entirely unrelated.
Before the troops move, provisions must move first.
This exploration mission had strict timing requirements, and the supplies had all been carefully arranged based on environmental conditions.
And now—right before departure—this kind of last-minute change appeared.
Not just Bai Yu—everyone felt their vision go black.
But Wu Yue didn’t think there was any problem.
In his view, Bai Yu was just a young woman without enough authority. If even a simple route adjustment caused resistance, it meant the subordinates lacked discipline.
That made him feel both pleased and annoyed.
He raised both hands slightly to calm the room and spoke slowly:
“Why so agitated? In real combat, the situation changes in an instant. Opportunities appear in a flash. Are we supposed to rigidly follow fixed tactics and fighting styles?”
“The same goes for exploration routes.”
“The early routes have all been explored. No matter which one we take, the difficulty is about the same. You should all be confident, right? If your reaction is this strong, does it mean you lack confidence?”
As he spoke, his expression turned serious.
With a subtle motion of his hands, the plants in the meeting room began to tremble slightly.
His wood-element ability was clearly well-trained—activated at will, instantly.
But—
Strategic deployment and real-time combat were completely different things!!!
The logistics team was about to go insane.
“General Wu,” someone from logistics said, barely containing anger,
“Even though these areas have been explored, many neutral mutated organisms still remain. To avoid conflict, every time we pass through their territory, we need to provide specific cooperation measures.”
“And we’re bringing a large force—our impact is greater, so the appeasement resources must also increase.”
“For example—Zone B has an eel that loves complete darkness. When passing through, all light sources must be turned off. But nearby, there’s also an alligator gar that attacks in the dark!”
“That thing is aggressive and violent—but it only eats large carp. No substitutes.”
“Is it easier to feed one fish, or fight a battle just to save resources?”
“And Zone C—there’s a night-blooming cereus spreading everywhere. Anyone passing must praise its fleeting bloom. It’s troublesome, but costs no manpower—definitely worth it.”
“If we suddenly switch to Zones A, D, or others, we need to completely change supplies overnight—”
“No—given General Wu’s previous sudden changes, it’s not replacement. It’s addition!”
“With so many people, once supplies increase, our logistics pressure and execution plans must all be adjusted!”
Pull one thread, and the whole body moves.
It’s not that it can’t be pulled—
It’s that there’s no need to yank it so violently outside of combat.
The logistics officer, who had fought alongside them before, was barely holding back from slamming the table:
“We all have experience handling emergencies. If an attack suddenly occurs and we need to adjust supplies immediately, no one will complain!”
“But we clearly have enough preparation time. It’s only early winter—inside the wasteland it’s probably still late autumn!”
“Why rush everything like this? It’s exhausting everyone for no reason! And this kind of state is extremely dangerous in the wasteland!”
He finished in one breath.
But instead of releasing his anger, it only grew stronger.
And the next sentence slipped out uncontrollably—
“When we worked with General Lin before, it was never like this!”
In an instant—
The entire meeting room fell silent.
Only the uneven, restrained breathing of everyone remained.
Chapter 318: Wu Yue’s Past
The meeting room fell into complete silence.
Wu Yue sat at the head of the table, his expression unchanged—calm, composed, as if what he had just heard was nothing more than an ordinary remark.
But in reality—
Bai Yu stared tensely at the pothos plant in front of her.
On one of its stems, in a barely noticeable crack, a tender new leaf was sprouting rapidly… only to wither just as quickly.
Bud after bud layered over each other—growing, then dying.
It was exactly like Wu Yue’s inner emotions: conflicted, suppressed.
Both of them were wood-element ability users. Bai Yu had once deliberately approached him under the pretense of seeking guidance, so sensing this fluctuation now felt entirely natural.
No one spoke.
After a long moment, Wu Yue finally said gently:
“General Lin sacrificed himself for all humanity. Naturally, I would not dare compare myself to him.”
“But everyone has their own style of combat.”
“Back when I nurtured the Rose Corridor in Flower City, everyone said it would fail. Yet in the end—I succeeded.”
“This time, you all think the route is unreasonable. But for the Garrison Army, wherever there is a battlefield—that is what makes it reasonable.”
“And…”
He gave a light chuckle.
That laugh was like a thorn, piercing straight into the heart of the logistics officer who had just spoken up.
“General Lin also made sudden decisions and changed plans before. So—he could, but I cannot?”
“Or is it that you all believe my combat strength in the wasteland, and my dedication to humanity, are far inferior to his?”
With that, who would dare respond?
People hurried to smooth things over.
“General Wu, you misunderstand!”
“Exactly, we absolutely didn’t mean that. General Lin is a hero—and you’re also a key figure of Flower City!”
“That’s right! If not for the Rose Corridor back then, with Sanqing Mountain connected to the wasteland, how could ordinary civilians have resisted? We’d be like those border cities still struggling today…”
“If we talk about sacrifice, you are the one who—”
Bai Yu thought to herself: Those two really aren’t comparable.
Yes, nurturing the Rose Corridor was remarkable.
But Wu Yue’s personal combat strength wasn’t top-tier—yet he still firmly held the position of Garrison Commander.
That was the value of a “hero.”
Even though his decisions after taking office caused widespread complaints, the higher-ups still tolerated him again and again, granting him far more leeway than others.
That was the return for what he had once sacrificed.
But General Lin?
Originally, he had been a promising fine arts graduate preparing for exhibitions.
When the Cataclysm came, he awakened his ability and was recruited into a military academy for training.
Back then, that training was purely for the battlefield—nothing like today’s multi-path, gentler system.
Within two years, he was sent into the wasteland.
And from then on, he stood firmly on humanity’s front line.
When it came to his ability—
There was not a single person who didn’t respect him.
As for Wu Yue?
Bai Yu had studied his records.
Before the Cataclysm, he was just an ordinary student waiting for campus recruitment.
Even after gaining a wood-element ability and joining the Garrison Army, his training results were mediocre.
When he first entered the wasteland, he had no particularly outstanding performance.
Everything changed later.
As mutated organisms in the wasteland began expanding wildly, sweeping across regions, the small number of Garrison and Defense troops simply couldn’t hold them back.
A research team proposed building a long defensive line using ability users.
But at the time, everyone’s abilities were still weak.
The defensive lines could only be temporary and short-range.
Metal-element users couldn’t yet freely manipulate metal.
Earth walls would be pierced by plant roots within ten minutes.
Fire barriers were impossible in a vegetation-dense city like Flower City—one mistake and the entire mountain would ignite.
Water… was even more useless.
Humanity struggled desperately, barely holding on.
Finally, due to Flower City’s plant-friendly climate and the presence of Sanqing Mountain, researchers discovered several neutral, high-potential mutated plants.
They planned to gather wood-element users capable of accelerated growth—and create a defensive barrier in one decisive push.
But—
A horizontal defensive line spanning hundreds of kilometers was beyond human imagination.
Every other candidate plant failed.
Only the rose chosen by Wu Yue bloomed—brilliant like clouds at sunset.
From that day on—
As the roses spread, grew, rooted, and blossomed, filling the air with their rich fragrance—
Wu Yue’s status in Flower City was established.
Even though the roses later developed their own temperament, they truly stood as a barrier against the wasteland.
Their roots spread for kilometers, driving forward, binding the soil tightly.
Even bamboo shoots from the wasteland could not cross that boundary—starved of nutrients, they would wither and die.
Of course—
Wu Yue paid the price.
He was gravely injured, fell into a coma, and only returned half a year later, crowned with honor.
His promotion afterward was smooth—almost too smooth.
In a sense, even smoother than General Lin’s.
After all—
Struggling on the wasteland front line goes unseen.
But the magnificent Rose Corridor?
That was impossible to ignore.
So now—
When Wu Yue spoke like this in Flower City—
No one would stop him.
Because—
A fallen hero cannot outweigh a present commander.
Bai Yu glanced at the now-stabilized pothos plant, then stood up with a smile.
“General Wu misunderstands. No one here thinks you lack ability.”
“If not for the damage you sustained while nurturing the Rose Corridor, perhaps today the number one combat power in the country would be you.”
As for who it actually was now—
Who knew?
No one had the leisure to hold competitions for that title.
Wu Yue smiled at Bai Yu.
He thought to himself—
There are advantages to being a woman.
Among everyone present, only she could naturally bring up his sacrifice for the Rose Corridor.
He had originally intended to mention it himself.
Humans really are forgetful creatures.
He lightly set down his pen and looked around.
“Now then—if there are any flaws in my plan, feel free to speak openly.”
Silence once again.
Then people exchanged glances—and identical smiles appeared on their faces.
“You’re joking, General Wu. We should already be used to flexible, ready-for-anything operations.”
“And with you leading, this is just a routine exploration. We have full confidence—it was just that we were overly emotional earlier…”
Wu Yue nodded.
Then he glanced at his communicator—before quickly masking his expression.
Originally, Route C9 was the shortest path to the exploration zone.
But—
It had been cleared too thoroughly.
Along the way, there was little of value left. Any resources would have to be contested with ordinary soldiers.
He couldn’t bring himself to do that.
And then—
Seeing a new debt notice forwarded by his mother—now from a loan company—
He instantly understood.
His mother, wanting spending money, had deliberately taken out high-interest loans.
