Chapter 32
The modified vehicle left the park, the Plot Point progress reaching 60%. Only two locations remained.
The front hall, responsible for handling commissions and bounties, and the Base training grounds were both located outside the Inner Gate.
These areas were usually crowded. Even with prior arrangements, Qian Hui’s arrival with Nan Tingjin would inevitably draw attention.
Before reaching the Inner Gate, Nan Tingjin explained the commission procedures in detail. Qian Hui understood perfectly, and the progress bar advanced by 20% as the modified vehicle pulled up to the front hall.
Hearing the footsteps of people passing by outside and inside the hall, Qian Hui leaned closer to Nan Tingjin. “Let’s skip this place.”
Nan Tingjin responded with a “Okay” and drove the modified vehicle away from the area.
The modified vehicle moved slowly. Qian Hui reached up to touch the blindfold over his eyes and quietly lifted a corner.
Confirming that no one was around, he quickly said to Nan Tingjin, “That day… the one who delivered the food… could he be connected to the zombies?”
Qian Hui remembered that one of Nan Tingjin’s subordinates had mentioned the food delivery assignment. The progress on the mission to “quietly approach the zombie camp and observe their activities” had suddenly increased by 10%.
Qian Hui didn’t fully understand the situation or its origins, but he was certain the zombies were up to no good again, likely connected to the escaped Zombie King 03.
He wanted to complete the Plot Point progress first and decided not to go to the front hall yet. Instead, he wanted to tell Nan Tingjin about his suspicions.
“Zombies?” Nan Tingjin asked. “Why do you say that?”
Qian Hui couldn’t immediately answer, keeping his head down. “It’s just… a sudden thought.”
He hadn’t even figured out many things himself—why he and the plants had come here, whether they could ever return to the Plant Courtyard… and so he had never mentioned the existence of the game.
Qian Hui had told the three plants that he had a way to revive the little mushroom, and they seemed to have never doubted him.
But if he were to truly explain, how could he possibly explain it?
A mysterious game that had suddenly appeared, providing him with abundant resources and bizarre information…
Nan Tingjin didn’t press further. “I’ll have them keep an eye out.”
The grain transport mission had already been accepted. Yuan Ji himself was leading the team, having sent Nan Tingjin a message before departing.
Arriving at the training ground entrance, Nan Tingjin parked the car, retrieved his communicator, and sent Yuan Ji a message.
A subordinate approached to greet him outside the training ground, but Nan Tingjin raised a hand to stop them, and the subordinate tactfully withdrew.
Qian Hui stepped out of the car, curious. “What’s this place?”
“Training. Familiarizing with supernatural abilities,” Nan Tingjin replied, standing beside the car, seemingly reluctant to take Qian Hui inside. “It’s crowded in there. Do you really want to go?”
But this was the only remaining location. Visiting it should unlock a Plot Point.
Qian Hui unconsciously moved closer to Nan Tingjin, clutching his sleeve tightly. “Yes.”
So Nan Tingjin took his hand and led him through the iron gate at the entrance.
Inside, the din was overwhelming, a cacophony of indistinguishable sounds.
Qian Hui couldn’t see, but the noise was deafening. At least several dozen people were gathered here.
The air was thick with the aura of Human Ability Users, their emotions running high. The two plants beneath Qian Hui’s hood tensed, sensing the danger.
But Qian Hui was alone; Nan Tingjin must have led him through the least crowded route.
A few minutes later, a subordinate hurried over and whispered, “Leader, this way.”
After rounding two more corners, the noise subsided slightly. Qian Hui was guided to a chair and seated.
Nan Tingjin released his hand and moved a short distance away. Soon, the sounds of a window being closed and curtains drawn filled the room.
“All clear.”
Qian Hui tore off the blindfold and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
He was in a closed room, the door and windows shut tight, with only a narrow gap left in the curtains. The subordinate had already left, leaving only Nan Tingjin and Qian Hui inside.
The room’s furnishings were sparse, consisting only of a table and chairs. Qian Hui stood up, walked around, and approached the window.
Hiding behind the curtain, he peered outside, his eyes widening slightly.
The scene resembled a gladiatorial arena, with tiered stands rising from the bottom to the top. Roughly half the seats were occupied, far exceeding his earlier estimates—there were at least a hundred Human Ability Users present.
In the central arena below, four figures were locked in combat.
Their supernatural abilities varied widely, and they wielded crude weapons, fighting with such ferocity that it was clear this was no mere training exercise.
Before long, one of them collapsed, clutching a wound in his abdomen. He lay motionless on the pitch-black ground, the darkness obscuring how much blood he had lost.
The crowd in the stands erupted into a cacophony of cheers and jeers as he fell.
In a dimly lit corner beneath the stands, a table surrounded by several people served as a betting station.
Qian Hui’s pale eyelashes trembled, his expression dazed, as if he had been deeply shaken.
Suddenly, his vision went dark as a cloth was retied over his eyes.
Nan Tingjin wrapped his arms around him from behind. “It’s alright. Don’t watch.”
Qian Hui slowly turned and clung tightly to Nan Tingjin.
Still shaken, he couldn’t help but ask, “That person… is he dead?”
“No,” Nan Tingjin murmured, stroking Qian Hui’s hair. “Someone will treat him after it’s over.”
In a battle of this intensity, an Ability User wouldn’t die so easily.
The training grounds at the Base had always been this way—not just sparring practice, but a competition for victory and ranking. Only the strong could claim everything. Those who couldn’t endure it were free to leave for another Base at any time.
Qian Hui murmured softly, “So… you used to be like them too?”
Nan Tingjin paused before replying, “Yes.”
Before him, there had been two other Leaders. Every Ability User who joined the Base had to enter the training grounds.
Yet within the entire Base, few could even scratch him.
Qian Hui knew Nan Tingjin was formidable, but his heart still ached. He clung tightly to Nan Tingjin’s chest.
This was how Nan Tingjin had endured their six years apart.
There was Xiaozhi, Luobo, Xiaokui captured by zombies, Xiao Guo slumbering on Back Mountain, and the little mushroom yet to revive…
He loathed this place, longing to gather all his plants and return to their Small Courtyard.
Qian Hui’s sullen mood was interrupted by Nan Tingjin’s question, “Shall we go back?”
Just then, the notification that the Plot Point progress had reached 100% popped up. He hummed in agreement.
Nan Tingjin led Qian Hui out of the room, retracing their steps along the outer edge of the grandstand.
The battles within the arena continued unabated. Qian Hui forced himself not to listen, only opening the game interface once they were back in the Modified Vehicle.
[ Black Spine Mountain Base Exploration Complete! Hidden Plot Point Acquired. ]
The Modified Vehicle began moving, preparing to return to the Low Building. Qian Hui opened the Plot Point.
[ Black Spine Mountain Base, a mid-sized facility ranked among the top three in overall strength, was criticized for refusing to accept any ordinary humans. It thrived on accepting various commissions and bounties, often bending the rules but maintaining integrity in its business dealings. Several years after the apocalypse, the base was jointly besieged by several major bases during a conflict, ultimately falling and being taken over by Sky Base. ]
Qian Hui frowned as he finished reading, and another message popped up.
[ Obtained the original fates of key personnel from the base. ]
[ Nan Tingjin, the then-leader of the base, possessed a Rule-type supernatural ability at SSS-level. He was cold-blooded, ruthless, and enjoyed killing. A lifelong loner who disliked companionship, rumors circulated that he had once pursued a same-sex relationship, which fizzled out after the apocalypse. He vanished without a trace after the base was captured, at the age of twenty-six. ]
[ Yuan Ji, the then-chief captain of the base, possessed a Nature-type supernatural ability at SSS-level… ]
Several more unfamiliar names followed, but Qian Hui didn’t scroll further.
He reread the description of Nan Tingjin several times, confusion clouding his mind.
“Lifelong loner…”
Qian Hui understood the meaning of those words, but wasn’t he Nan Tingjin’s lover?
Could the information be wrong? Or… or could they have been secretly together, without anyone ever finding out?
What does “once pursued” mean? Who was that?
Qian Hui’s mind grew increasingly muddled, and he didn’t notice the modified vehicle had already stopped.
The door opened, and Nan Tingjin carried him out of the car and toward the low building.
Qian Hui remained silent in his arms. Once they were upstairs in the room, Nan Tingjin removed the blindfold. Qian Hui stared intently at Nan Tingjin before him.
Nan Tingjin lowered his gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” Qian Hui mumbled, unable to resist leaning closer to sniff Nan Tingjin’s scent.
He meticulously traced the scent from his cheek to his collar.
Could he have mistaken him? The Nan Tingjin here wasn’t the same one from the cabin in the woods.
But how could that be? They looked identical, and their scents were the same.
Moreover, the other plants from the small courtyard were here, and he was here too.
Qian Hui couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He had always trusted the game’s information prompts.
In the original endings of the previous two plot points, the initial descriptions had matched reality. For example, Xiaozhi had been hunted by human ability users, and Xiaokui had been imprisoned by zombies.
Only this time was different.
Even so, Qian Hui remained deeply worried.
He tugged at Nan Tingjin’s sleeve, frowning. “You… you need to be careful of Sky Base. They’re definitely not good people.”
Nan Tingjin turned and took Qian Hui’s hand. “Mm, I will.”
He agreed too quickly, so Qian Hui emphasized again, “Really.”
The Plot Point didn’t specify the cause of the conflict. Remembering Nan Tingjin’s original ending, Qian Hui added, “And you need to be careful too. Don’t… don’t wander off alone.”
His voice trembled with anxiety, and Nan Tingjin’s lips curved into a gentle smile as he bent down to hug him. “Okay, I understand.”
Just then, Nan Tingjin’s communicator beeped twice.
He released Qian Hui, pulled it out, and checked the message. The smile faded from his face.
Several modified vehicles bearing the emblem of Sky Base were parked along the roadside outside the base’s outer gate.
A group of people emerged from the vehicles and handed a document to the guard on duty.
The guard’s expression soured. “Wait a moment,” he replied. “I’m notifying the Leader.”
Zhao Xing, one of Wen Jue’s most trusted confidants and the group’s leader, took the document and tucked it away. He spoke calmly, “The Search Warrant has all the necessary seals and signatures. Even if your Leader objects, you must open the gate.”
The Search Warrant was a rule jointly established by the major bases. Once approved by their respective leaders, it granted access to any human territory.
Refusal to comply would allow Zhao Xing to immediately force entry with his team, and the Black Spine Mountain Base would subsequently face judgment and punishment.
The guard suppressed his anger and forced a smile. “Your previous mission here wasn’t completed. Wasn’t the deposit refunded? Didn’t you receive it?”
What else could Sky Base possibly want?
Even the guard knew that Wen Jue’s status and influence meant he could easily obtain a Search Warrant.
Zhao Xing chuckled. “Then there’s even less to worry about. We simply want to take a look around. If we’re mistaken, we’ll provide ample compensation.”
In the back of one of the vehicles, Wen Jue sat in the rear seat.
Wen Jue closed his eyes to rest, slowly turning a string of sandalwood beads in his hand.
After a moment, he murmured, “A man-eating flower… here of all places. How intriguing.”
He wasn’t particularly concerned about the durian Qi Yue had lost. It was merely a High-Grade Mutant Plant, and even without this incident, he would have come to this place.
As they approached their destination, Wen Jue’s precognitive visions grew clearer, though still fragmented. He saw glimpses of more than just the man-eating flower—other mutant plants were likely present as well.
The visions became increasingly chaotic, culminating in a blood-soaked, lifeless face.
It was Zhao Xing.
Wen Jue’s hand froze. He slowly opened his eyes.
By then, the outer gate of Black Spine Mountain Base had already opened. Zhao Xing approached the car window and asked, “Sir?”
Wen Jue’s expression was grim. After a moment’s contemplation, he said, “Enter.”
Inside the base, Shan Jun stood at an elevated position.
Lowering his binoculars, he muttered, “They’re here so quickly…”
He had sent a message that day, but received no reply. Shan Jun had assumed they had given up.
Nan Tingjin had never been fond of Sky Base, and who could just waltz into a base anyway? It was obvious he would refuse.
Yet in just two days, Sky Base had obtained a Search Warrant. They must have been preparing long before contacting him.
In the distance, the curtains of a second-floor window were tightly drawn. Qian Hui hid behind them, also observing through binoculars.
He counted ten modified vehicles entering the base, with another four or five parked outside.
Recalling the description from the recent Plot Point, Qian Hui felt uneasy.
The other plants were on the Back Mountain, leaving only Lajiao and Xiaozhi by his side. Lajiao poked its head out from under its hood and took the binoculars from Qian Hui.
After studying the scene intently, Lajiao lowered the binoculars, its eyes smoldering with suppressed fury. It passed the binoculars to Xiaozhi.
Xiaozhi rested its head on Qian Hui’s other shoulder and shook its head, declining the binoculars.
Its black bean eyes remained fixed on the distance, its nose twitching slightly as it sniffed the air.
A low growl rumbled in Xiaozhi’s throat as its sharp teeth ground together.
Translator’s Note:
Thanks, Yukka, for supporting me on Ko-fi! I hope you enjoy the advanced chapters~
Can’t wait for updates? Commission me like Yukka did! I’ll happily drop everything for you guys! Teheee~
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