Chapter 70: Braised Noodles with Potatoes and Pork Ribs

The North District has been exceptionally desolate these past few days.

Two-thirds of the ability users who usually frequented the mission hall were missing. Stepping inside, the most common sights were first- and second-tier ability users taking on basic tasks.

With so few people around, anyone entering immediately drew attention.

When Qu Wen appeared at the entrance with Ji Junzhi, she instantly attracted numerous gazes.

In the current era, both pretty women and handsome men were generally assumed to be the dependents of ability users.

A single glance was enough for the crowd to recognize this as a couple defined by a strong woman and a weak man.

Qu Wen paid no mind to these assessments, leading her companion with purposeful strides directly into the trading zone.

She stopped in front of a stall littered with crystal stones.

The vendor was an ordinary-looking third-tier ability user, lounging lazily in a recliner. Seeing someone pause, he slowly sat up.

"What are you two looking to trade for? I've got every kind of crystal here, except for fourth and fifth-tier ones!"

Qu Wen raised an eyebrow. "I recall someone saying you had fourth-tier crystals not too long ago."

"Those were traded away days ago," the vendor shrugged. "That very night, countless ability users were injured, and everyone was desperate to find healing-type ability users. Of course they got cleaned out."

He was known as the vendor with the most abundant crystal stock in the entire trading zone, occasionally managing to acquire a piece or two of fourth-tier crystals. The very night the zombie horde ended, someone had bought out his entire inventory of fourth-tier stones.

"Fine." Qu Wen was not overly disappointed. Squatting in front of the stall, she casually picked up a few crystals to examine. "Do you have water-type crystals?"

Water-type crystals—this was an unwritten term used privately among survivors.

Although consuming crystals did not strictly require matching one's ability type, subtle differences still existed between them.

For instance, if a water-type ability user swallowed a crystal harvested from a water-type zombie, their control over water-type abilities would become even more refined after advancing.

Just how significant that effect was, no one had ever scientifically verified.

Yet, given the choice, most ability users still preferred to seek out crystals matching their own elemental affinity.

"I do. What tier do you need?"

Qu Wen looked at Ji Junzhi, rubbing her chin as she said, "Give me one of each: first, second, and third tier."

The vendor understood immediately. "Your boyfriend awakened his ability?"

"Mhm."

Qu Wen had not expected that Ji Junzhi would also awaken an ability on the night the zombie horde subsided.

"You're really good to him," the vendor smiled meaningfully. "First, second, and third tier—he's just awakened, and you're already paving his entire path forward."

Qu Wen knew the reason behind his smile.

In the apocalypse, both pretty women and handsome men were fickle creatures who drifted away with the slightest breeze.

If their patron lost power, they fled.

If they saw a better option, they fled.

Once they gained power of their own, they fled.

In the minds of experienced ability users, treating such people too well was a waste, lest one ended up feeding an ungrateful ingrate.

Qu Wen waved a dismissive hand. "Just following my heart."

She had no intention of using these favors to manipulate Ji Junzhi. Since he followed her so wholeheartedly, she saw no reason to withhold any benefits.

As for whether he might develop wild ambitions in the future... she would simply swap him for another. She wasn't that rigid.

Hearing this, Ji Junzhi suddenly turned his head and said earnestly, "I won't run away."

Qu Wen gave a perfunctory reply, "Mhm, mhm."

Ji Junzhi pressed his lips together and repeated with emphasis, "As long as you don't abandon me, I won't run away."

Listening from the side, the vendor clicked his tongue in wonder.

Look at that—no wonder this fellow managed to hook a wealthy patron; his emotional intelligence was off the charts.

Qu Wen was indeed pleased. "Tell me, how are we trading these?"

The vendor named a figure, and Qu Wen frowned. The two began haggling, leaning closer and closer together as negotiations grew heated.

As for Ji Junzhi, he stood quietly in place, his gaze casually wandering around.

He didn't interfere at all, perfectly playing the part of a pampered canary.

The people around them had overheard bits and pieces of the conversation and realized that this fierce female ability user was paving the way for her boyfriend. Losing interest, many of them quickly looked away.

The moment attention dwindled, Qu Wen instantly lowered her voice. "How is it?"

The vendor, who had been spitting words fiercely a second earlier, moved his mouth without a trace of awkwardness. "The Boss went to the urban village to look, but couldn't find anyone."

Qu Wen's heart instantly sank to the bottom.

That night, before Su Su left, she hadn't said a single word, merely shoving several fourth-tier crystals into her hand.

Qu Wen had smoothly exited the battlefield and blended back into the base.

Over the past few days, things had gone just as she anticipated: everyone was too busy dealing with their own crises for anyone to come looking for trouble with her.

To make the fourth-tier crystals given by Su Su more worthwhile, she had handed two of them to Brother Wang, discussing with him the idea of hiding Su Su's relatives in the urban village.

Brother Wang hadn't hesitated either.

He didn't dare publicly take Su Su's side, but he was willing to help out with these minor matters where he could.

Unfortunately, they had arrived too late.

Granny Niu's Forge in Urban Village No. 44 was already completely empty. According to neighboring residents, Granny Niu hadn't been seen since that night, missing even the monthly rent collection.

Qu Wen could only prepare for the worst-case scenario—that the City Lord had made a move in advance and snatched the people away.

If that really was the case... then they were in deep trouble.

"Did your boss find any clues?"

"They only found out that strangers had been lingering around the urban village."

Those must have been men sent by the City Lord.

Were they lying in wait to catch Su Su after kidnapping her people, or were they still continuously staking out the place because they hadn't found anyone yet?

Qu Wen frowned.

The vendor raised his voice at the right moment, "This is my final offer! If you can accept it, we make the trade!"

"Fine, let's trade."

Matching her gloomy expression, anyone with eyes could tell that negotiations had gone poorly and she was simply forced to compromise.

Qu Wen collected the three crystals and left the mission hall with Ji Junzhi.

After they departed, several ability users among the crowd unnoticeably slipped away as well.

"Junzhi, let's head back."

"Okay."

The two walked back at a leisurely pace. All the way, Ji Junzhi did not ask a single question.

Qu Wen cast a sideways glance at him. "Aren't you curious at all?"

He clearly knew she wasn't just there to trade crystals, yet he managed not to press her for answers.

"If it's something I'm allowed to know, you would have told me already."

With her boyfriend being so understanding, Qu Wen was deeply moved.

She decided to buy some bullwhip at the market tonight and properly... As her thoughts wandered endlessly, she unlocked the door.

Her gaze fell upon the doormat, and her eyes suddenly sharpened.

It was a woolen rug she had spent a first-tier crystal to dig up from the second-hand market. Right now, there was a faint, unusual drag mark across it.

Qu Wen shielded Ji Junzhi behind her instantly. "Who's inside? Get out here!"

No one answered.

Only a patch of pitch-black snake tail suddenly peeked out from the bedroom doorway before rapidly withdrawing, moving so fast it felt like an illusion.

Qu Wen stared blankly for two seconds, then promptly shut the door.

"Junzhi, I'll go check it out."

Ji Junzhi had also caught sight of that tail. Seeing that Qu Wen's face showed no shock, only pleasant surprise, his own heart settled down.

"Okay."

Qu Wen briskly walked into the bedroom, her eyes instantly locking onto a familiar figure standing in the corner.

"Why are you back?"

Su Su was hugging a dozen-pound python whose tail was wrapped in a glaring strip of gauze. The moment she saw Qu Wen, a trace of apology flashed in her eyes.

"Sorry, I entered your house without your permission."

Qu Wen waved her hand dismissively. "What's there to apologize for? Even if you barged in while Junzhi and I were busy, I'd still entertain you properly."

Hearing this, Su Su felt a momentary flash of awkwardness.
She actually *had* nearly barged in on them once before.
And Little Black had practically barged in directly.

Su Su coughed twice to clear her throat and explained, "I managed to slip back into the base today, and I didn't dare go anywhere else. I came to find you to ask: where is Granny Niu?"

At the mention of this, Qu Wen's expression turned grave.

She recounted the information she had just acquired.

This time, the heavy expression shifted onto Su Su's face.

Her brows furrowed tightly. "What happened that night happened too abruptly; Granny Niu couldn't have known in advance and gone into hiding... Even if she wanted to hide, where could she go?"

If even Su Su didn't know, Qu Wen was even less likely to.

She pondered for a few seconds. "Is it possible the City Lord locked her up?"

The broadcast from that night wasn't heard just by ability users; nearly all the ordinary people trapped behind the iron wire fence had heard it too.

For He Heng to tear off his mask of civility and capture Su Su and the giant python regardless of his image in front of so many people, he must have had a much larger scheme behind it.

Qu Wen was more inclined to believe that the City Lord had sent men to snatch Granny Niu away beforehand, simply waiting for Su Su to walk right into the trap.

"Did you come back alone? What about the other ability users from that night?"

"They couldn't get in; they're waiting for me outside."

Southern Base had closed its entry checkpoints days ago, leaving all arriving survivors stranded outside the city walls. The method of blending in with the crowds was completely unviable now.

The only reason Su Su had managed to slip inside was thanks to her previously registered identity as an ordinary person—the staff at the base gates had never personally fought against a zombie horde and still assumed she was nothing more than an ordinary citizen, letting her through after taking a bribe.

Qu Wen grew even more anxious. "Then how are you going to fight the City Lord alone? How are you going to rescue Granny Niu?"

Su Su said calmly, "I plan to lie low while searching for Granny Niu's whereabouts. Once the base lifts its alert status, I'll have the others slowly sneak in."

"That's an idea."

With no other options left at the moment, they could only take things one step at a time.

"Then you should stay here with me for now. At least this place has two bedrooms and a living room." As Qu Wen spoke, she opened the bedroom door. Just as she stepped one foot outside, her body suddenly stiffened.

Following close behind, Su Su couldn't see what was happening outside and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Qu Wen didn't answer.

Realizing something was amiss, Su Su instinctively took a step back.

She had barely retreated two steps when an unexpected voice echoed indolently, "Miss Su, since you're already here, why not come out and say hello?"

It was He Heng!