Chapter 6
Nighttime saw most zombies hiding and resting under the leadership of high-level ones, while mutated plants might venture out to forage.
The team decided to search until the late hours before resting, determined to find new clues. Once the man-eating flower recovered from its injuries, capturing it alive would likely prove impossible for their small group alone.
As they prepared to leave the area, they received a signal from Nan Tingjin.
Though not accompanying them, Nan Tingjin was their leader. Officially part of the same mission, the team continuously reported their progress and location to him, regardless of whether he monitored their updates.
Learning Nan Tingjin was nearby, the team paused to await his arrival.
Among the four-person team, one member stood out as the youngest—barely past twenty years old. Having joined the base most recently, this was his first mission outside with companions.
His interactions with Nan Tingjin could be counted on one hand.
While the team members normally displayed casual behavior, occasionally arguing among themselves, they transformed into model subordinates when facing Nan Tingjin, showing not a hint of defiance.
When Nan Tingjin ordered them to wait in place, they remained motionless as statues.
Over the years since the apocalypse began, the status of ability users had grown increasingly prominent, rendering ordinary rules and regulations obsolete.
The only thing that could restrain these ability users was overwhelming power.
However, among the many people in the base, few could clearly describe Nan Tingjin’s specific ability or the ultimate extent of its power.
The young man had only witnessed it once—yesterday, when the short man spoke out of turn and Nan Tingjin angrily knocked him down.
Recalling the incident, he vaguely felt it might be some form of object manipulation.
But ordinary object manipulation abilities are greatly influenced by the environment and cannot control living creatures. In terms of overall strength, they barely rank ahead of physical ability types.
He didn’t dare ask questions and silently waited with the others.
Ten minutes later, Nan Tingjin appeared.
He was still wearing his outer robe, carrying a faint scent of blood, and held a zombie head in his right hand.
Nan Tingjin tossed the head to the team. One member quickly caught it, hearing him say, “It attacked the man-eating flower.”
The head belonged to a high-level zombie. It was unclear whether it had come from another area or newly evolved.
Before the man-eating flower disappeared yesterday, it had been attacked and bitten by this zombie. The remnants of floral stems remained in its mouth and throat, their scent lingering.
The man-eating flower holds grudges. Using the zombie’s head as bait, once it detects its own scent, it’s likely to reveal itself.
The tall man cradled the severed head and nodded. He wanted to ask more questions, but seeing Nan Tingjin turn to leave, he bit his tongue.
After Nan Tingjin departed, the group resumed their journey, beginning to formulate a new plan.
Along the way, the young man at the rear couldn’t help but ask, “Why isn’t the leader with us?”
In his understanding, since Nan Tingjin had come, he was the squad’s sole captain, meant to lead them in completing this mission.
Yet from their arrival at the destination until now, Nan Tingjin had spent less than half an hour with them, and hardly communicated through messages.
The tall man picked up a rag from the ground, wrapped it around the zombie head with a look of disgust, and glanced at the young man.
For a moment, no one answered his question. It wasn’t until after a while that a companion nearby spoke up, “What do you think the leader is here for?”
Nan Tingjin’s outing this time wasn’t for the mission at all; he didn’t care about it at all.
The zombie head he’d tossed them was likely just a coincidence and a convenient action.
The Black Spine Mountain Base only recruited ability users, but prohibited the use of psychoactive drugs. Nan Tingjin himself would never use them.
When his condition was poor, the only thing that could calm his emotions was slaughter.
So, Nan Tingjin was merely coincidentally traveling the same path as them.
Behind them, Qian Hui chased that familiar figure through the darkening streets.
He left the road, gradually venturing deeper into the ruins.
Lajiao grew increasingly anxious, repeatedly tugging at Qian Hui’s sleeve in attempts to stop him, “Woo?”
Deaf to the warnings, Qian Hui rested briefly against a wall, ate half a cookie, then hurried after the figure.
The man moved too quickly—Qian Hui nearly lost him… Yet he dared not shout, fearing to attract nearby zombies.
The game repeatedly warned of low stamina, but he ignored it all, his mind fixed on that familiar shadow. Unconsciously, he passed a sign marked “Danger Zone (Area 3).”
As the light faded, making distant shapes indistinguishable, Qian Hui finally halted.
A zombie’s guttural roar echoed through the ruins from some unseen direction, making him instinctively retreat half a step.
Xiao Baocai climbed onto Qian Hui’s shoulder, clutching his hair in fearful embrace.
Now fully alert, Qian Hui scanned his surroundings and quickly found a suitable ruined shelter. Leading the three plants, he dove inside.
The surroundings fell silent. Qian Hui hugged his legs tightly, sitting motionless for a long while before finally distributing water and food to the plants while eating himself.
I must have lost him… But it’s dark now. Doesn’t that person rest?
If he stays nearby at night, I can still find him by searching in the same direction during the day.
Qian Hui silently comforted himself, rubbing his dry eyes.
Finding the man-eating flower and confirming whether Nan Tingjin was here became his most urgent goals.
Apart from that, there was also the matter of survival.
Otherwise, in this unfamiliar place, he didn’t know where he should go.
The remaining half-pack of biscuits quickly disappeared. Ruanteng returned to Qian Hui’s wrist, quietly resting.
One end of its leaves seemed to have grown slightly larger, and the stem had thickened a bit, though the changes weren’t very noticeable.
In the darkness, Qian Hui held Lajiao and Xiao Baocai in his arms, closed his eyes, and rested.
Lajiao wasn’t yet asleep. After a long while, it secretly got up to move around.
It was delighted to discover that after eating the two pills Qian Hui had given it that afternoon, its wounds had mostly healed, and its legs could now stand with some effort.
Lajiao circled halfway around the cramped space before turning to look at Qian Hui.
Did he hear those people’s words? Lajiao wondered. He treated my wounds, but what’s his purpose?
His behavior was unpredictable too—first feeding other plants, then stalking unfamiliar humans, and recently chasing after someone else…
Lajiao could leave now, and find a hiding spot. In a day or two, its legs would fully recover.
But… after some thought, Lajiao burrowed into Qian Hui’s arms.
Let’s wait a bit longer. If those people find us, I can abandon Qian Hui to divert their attention.
With this thought, Lajiao skillfully tightened its grip on Qian Hui’s sleeve.
The night deepened as wind, carrying the stench of blood, howled through the air.
Just a few hundred meters from where Qian Hui was hiding, three mid-level zombies had gathered.
They growled threateningly, yet retreated in fear.
Nan Tingjin approached steadily. The moment he raised his hand, one zombie flew off its feet, slamming repeatedly into the rear wall until its flesh turned pulpy.
The other two sensed danger and turned to flee. Midway through their escape, one let out a final scream before its life ended abruptly.
The last zombie swiftly climbed the rock wall, attempting to squeeze through the rubble’s crevices. Before it could hide, its body suddenly froze.
The zombie thrashed desperately, but could only manage to move its arms. It was gradually pulled backward until it crashed against Nan Tingjin’s feet.
Nan Tingjin looked down from above, his eyes indifferent as he watched.
The zombie’s arms were torn off, followed by its legs and torso.
These already dead creatures had no heartbeat or pulse, yet blood still flowed between their bones and flesh, allowing them to sense pain.
The zombie continued to scream, its crimson eyes gradually losing focus.
A few drops of blood splattered onto Nan Tingjin’s clothes. Once the zombie was completely dead, he lifted his gaze forward.
Where most intermediate-level zombies gathered, there might be an advanced-level zombie hiding that was about to evolve.
But before it completed its evolution, it would be extremely difficult to find it.
Nan Tingjin retracted his gaze and turned back.
On the other side, Liang Jie gripped the communicator tightly.
His back was tense as he carefully answered the other end of the communicator, “Yes, we still haven’t found any clues.”
That escaped mutated pepper had hidden itself somewhere. In the past few days, they’d practically turned the ruins upside down.
With its injured legs, the mutated pepper couldn’t possibly escape this area.
Apart from the man-eating flower that was also hiding nearby, there were no other high-level or special-grade mutated plants in the vicinity. Even if there were, they wouldn’t necessarily help the mutated pepper.
Mr. Wen hadn’t given many specific instructions for their mission. He only told them to be thorough during the search and to ensure the survival of the pepper, which had an exceptionally fierce temperament.
Mr. Wen knew everything, but he said nothing. Liang Jie assumed the operation would go smoothly, and the pepper’s escape would just be a minor interruption.
However, by the third day, they still hadn’t found anything.
Something seemed to have gone wrong, but they couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
Liang Jie grew increasingly anxious and chose to seek help from the base, hoping for guidance.
On the other end of the communicator, there was a long silence before a voice spoke, “I understand.”
The voice didn’t sound angry, but rather carried a hint of warmth. It continued, “Search more carefully. Put in a bit more effort.”
Liang Jie didn’t relax at all. He responded, “Yes, sir.”
The real-time communication ended. Liang Jie frowned deeply.
Mr. Wen hadn’t provided any guidance, nor did he show any intention of using his abilities to help them.
But the base valued that mutated pepper greatly. The mission had to be completed. He would have to figure out a solution himself.
Liang Jie pondered briefly before instructing his subordinate, “Notify the north to send over a hunting dog.”
The subordinate received the order and activated his communicator.
The signal traveled all the way to the northern base where it was received at a small outpost.
The guard on duty read the message, stood up, and went to the rear of the base. He opened a door and entered the underground fortress.
The fortress was built with solid construction. The thick door was reinforced with concrete and steel. Faint moonlight filtered through the narrow window above.
He pressed the switch, and a row of light bulbs lit up one by one.
In the small space, more than twenty iron cages of various sizes were stacked. Each cage contained a mutated plant.
Hearing the movement, the plants all curled up in the corners, looking very frightened.
The person walked in, stopped in front of one cage, and opened it with a key.
A sensitive plant was taken out. It drooped with its head hanging down, three branches secured with special metal rings.
The metal rings were connected to chains, which ended in a controller with a button.
Someone poked the sensitive plant’s leaves and said, “Behave yourself. There will be rewards if you perform well after going out.”
It trembled, not daring to resist. The tightened chain lifted it up and took it outside.
***
The sky was just beginning to lighten when Qian Hui woke up.
He stared at the pale wall before him for a moment, his consciousness gradually clearing.
Xiao Baocai in his arm moved slightly, mumbling something that sounded like sleep talk.
Qian Hui was still thinking about the person he’d seen last night and wanted to search the area nearby.
He grabbed a new pack of biscuits, drank two mouthfuls of water, stuffed Xiao Baocai into his pocket, and led Lajiao out of the ruins.
Lajiao had also woken up, looking up at Qian Hui to ask where he was going.
Qian Hui fed Lajiao a biscuit, and also gave one to Ruanteng who had woken up.
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Ruanteng seemed to have gotten lighter. With a “whoosh,” it snatched the biscuit and wrapped it in its leaves.
After recovering his strength, Qian Hui headed in the direction where he’d last seen the person.
Before hiding last night, he’d heard zombie noises in the distance. Qian Hui was very careful, constantly watching for any movement around him.
He reached the other end of the abandoned street and then went through the bottom of a building.
When he went around a wall, Qian Hui suddenly smelled a strong stench of blood.
He covered his mouth and nose, then looked around.
Several zombies lay scattered nearby, their lifeless bodies bearing multiple lacerations and fractures—clear evidence of a recent battle.
Qian Hui, suppressing his fear, scanned the scene. The zombies’ mangled remains didn’t resemble the work of the man-eating flower.
This direction… Could this be where I followed those humans yesterday?
Lajiao remained silent, indicating the area was likely safe. Qian Hui pressed forward.
Beyond two heaps of rubble lay more zombie corpses, the scene even more gruesome. Large blood stains stained the walls, and scattered limbs littered the ground.
Lajiao circled warily before suddenly moving.
Qian Hui tensed, his instincts screaming to flee, but Lajiao’s grip on his sleeve held him back.
“Woo!” Lajiao pointed at the zombie remains, gesturing for Qian Hui to approach.
As Qian Hui drew near, Lajiao, fearing misunderstanding, commanded Xiao Baocai, “Woo!”
Though reluctant, Xiao Baocai jumped from Qian Hui’s shoulder. It found a small sharp stone and diligently scraped open the zombie’s forehead, extracting a crystal core. The cabbage then offered the crystal to Qian Hui.
Satisfied, Lajiao gestured toward another direction.
The killer of these mid-level zombies must have been someone who didn’t care about taking the crystal cores.
Soon, the crystal cores from all three mid-level zombies were dug out.
There were exactly three plants, each consuming one core.
Qian Hui patted the top of Lajiao’s head and praised, “That’s impressive.”
Lajiao turned awkwardly, clinging to his sleeve, signaling to investigate further ahead.
At that moment, zombie roars echoed from the distance, coming from directly ahead.
Xiao Baocai immediately burrowed into his pocket, its Ruanteng crawling up his wrist to perch on his shoulder, keeping a vigilant watch for any movement.
Lajiao’s eyes also shifted, subtly shifting its position.
Qian Hui surveyed the area. With so many slain zombies, was there another human squad nearby? Or…
He tightened his grip on the dagger and decided to investigate.
After a few minutes, Qian Hui approached the source of the commotion.
At the edge of his vision, two mid-level zombies were crouching and leaping through the ruins, swiftly climbing a tall building and disappearing through a broken window.
Qian Hui peered more closely, but saw no sign of any human squad.
There were no more dead zombies nearby with preserved crystal cores. Lajiao tugged at Qian Hui’s fingers, signaling they should return.
Just as Qian Hui hesitated, preparing to turn back, he caught a glimpse of a figure.
The dilapidated skyscraper stood crumbling, its walls collapsing in multiple places. At the central staircase, someone had just emerged from within.
Qian Hui’s pupils contracted. He stuffed Lajiao into his pocket and hurried after the figure.
Unable to stop him, Lajiao hid himself away, listening to the hurried footsteps of Qian Hui.
Qian Hui entered the building, climbing up the debris-strewn stairs.
This place had clearly been abandoned for a long time, but it still managed to stand without major structural collapses blocking his path.
The zombie’s hiss echoed again, this time from much closer.
Qian Hui’s footsteps paused as he traced the sound.
He passed the spot where the figure had appeared earlier, then continued further until he reached a wider abandoned room.
Nan Tingjin stood inside, his back to the light streaming through the window, his entire figure shrouded in shadows.
Even so, Qian Hui recognized him at a glance.
Simultaneously, Nan Tingjin casually discarded the dead zombie and, upon hearing footsteps, lifted his black eyes.
Qian Hui, overwhelmed with emotion, jogged over and threw himself into Nan Tingjin’s arms.
“It’s really you,” Qian Hui said, clutching Nan Tingjin tightly. “I…”
He detected a warm, familiar scent from the other man. But when he looked up again, he froze.
Nan Tingjin’s eyes were cold and distant, his expression still tinged with post-killing agitation.
His body temperature was high, radiating a murderous aura.
In the next moment, Nan Tingjin raised his hand, palm resting against the side of Qian Hui’s neck as he easily gripped it.
His touch wasn’t heavy, yet he could feel the pulse beneath the skin and the fragile throat bones.
Silver hair and red eyes—these were the marks of zombification. Yet this creature was—
Alive?
When Qian Hui first appeared, Nan Tingjin hadn’t paid much attention.
The approaching presence was too weak, not even reaching the level of a mid-tier zombie.
But now, this youth who didn’t resemble a zombie at all had taken the initiative to embrace him.
Qian Hui felt a sudden unease and hesitantly said, “Xiao Jin—”
His words were abruptly cut off as the finger pressing against his throat bone slightly increased its pressure before easing up.
Nan Tingjin lowered his gaze, his eyes sweeping over Qian Hui’s thick, pale eyelashes, smooth skin, and soft lips.
He snapped out of his brief daze, eyes narrowing slightly. “What did you call me?”
![You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1sMqC2JNjIep8Ov.jpg "You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]")
Does he not remember???