Chapter 42

Cheng Zhiyu soon received the news, though he hadn't anticipated Feng Rui would truly implicate both his parents. Now, the entire family was rounded up and sent to prison.

Tian Qiao felt a surge of satisfaction: "They got what they deserved. Did they really think the apocalypse meant they could escape justice?"

Tian Manman repeated, "Thank you…"

Tian Qiao clicked his tongue: "No need for formalities, is there? Why be so polite with me and Orange? What kind of relationship do we have?"

Tian Manman offered a wooden smile, looking a little foolish.

Cheng Zhiyu couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle his hair.

Little Black leaped onto Cheng Zhiyu, rubbing fur all over him.

Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly: "Little Black, I just changed my clothes."

Little Black was very displeased: "Who said they didn't mind me? Liar!"

The word "liar" was laden with accusation.

Cheng Zhiyu could only say: "I don't dislike you."

It was just that Little Black seemed to be deliberately rubbing his fur on him.

Cheng Zhiyu: "Are you angry?"

Little Black: "…"

Cheng Zhiyu: "Don't be angry, I'll make you something delicious."

Little Black was easily appeased and immediately jumped into Cheng Zhiyu's arms, placing a paw on his forehead as if performing a ritual of promise: "It's a deal."

Cheng Zhiyu chuckled, suddenly realizing that having a foodie around was quite nice—so easy to please.

He checked the system space. All the plants were growing normally, and Little Roll had entered its growth phase, showing changes from its seedling state.

It had grown a bit larger, and Cheng Zhiyu felt it resembled a vine.

He estimated that once Little Roll matured, it would likely be a combat-type, similar to Little Two.

Before Little Roll fully matured, Zhou Min brought news that his brother's comrade, Brother Zhang, had responded, saying they could talk.

Cheng Zhiyu agreed, and the group went to meet Brother Zhang.

Brother Zhang appeared to be in his thirties, with a distinct aura that set him apart from ordinary people—one could tell his former profession at a glance.

He had stubble on his chin and looked weary, as if he'd been too busy to rest or groom himself.

Aware of his somewhat unkempt appearance, he apologized: "Sorry, I've been really busy lately. I barely managed to carve out some time and didn't get a chance to tidy up. Please excuse my appearance."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "It's nothing. We're honored that Brother Zhang, despite being so busy, was willing to make time to see us."

Brother Zhang shook his head, rubbing his furrowed brow with a sigh: "To be honest, I'm actually here to ask a favor."

Cheng Zhiyu thought, *as expected*. If there wasn't something important, there'd be no reason for the other party to specifically take time out to come.

He lightly tapped Little Black's head: "Go ahead."

"There's no need to hide this matter anymore. I reckon most of the superhumans in the base have heard a bit about it." Brother Zhang took a sip of water, feeling his mouth wasn't as dry, and continued, "As you can see, there's a mountain behind our base."

Tian Qiao caught on: "Is there something wrong with the mountain?"

Brother Zhang nodded: "Originally, having a mountain was a good thing. It's deserted, so no zombies would appear. But who knew it would end up having mutated beasts instead?"

Cheng Zhiyu repeated the unfamiliar term: "Mutated beasts?"

Brother Zhang nodded: "Some wild animals have gained abilities. We've named them mutated beasts."

Cheng Zhiyu was surprised. He glanced down at Little Black but quickly averted his gaze: "Animals can have superpowers too?"

Brother Zhang sighed: "Humans are evolving, zombies are evolving, and who knew animals are evolving too? Many animals with superpowers become highly aggressive. In the past, ordinary wild animals could coexist harmoniously with humans under human management. But mutated beasts, with their superpowers, have far greater destructive power than ordinary animals. Lately, the back mountain has been frequently disturbed by these wild animals. They don’t care whether it's day or night, making them hard to defend against."

Cheng Zhiyu and the others exchanged glances, their brows furrowed. Dealing with zombies was already annoying enough, and now there were mutated beasts on top of that—it was truly troubling.

They hadn’t encountered any mutated beasts before, probably because the areas they passed through weren't habitats for wild animals.

Brother Zhang's expression was grim: "A prophet in the base has predicted that the base will face a horde of mutated beasts in the future. If that really happens, I’m afraid we won’t be able to withstand it. So, we've decided to head to the back mountain two days from now to thin out a wave of mutated beasts and prevent them from gathering into a horde."

Cheng Zhiyu’s expression shifted slightly as he understood what Brother Zhang was implying.

Sure enough, Brother Zhang continued: "But the number of official superhumans isn’t enough, so we’re recruiting some independent superhumans."

Cheng Zhiyu calmly asked: "Brother Zhang must have reached out to other superhumans already?"

Brother Zhang nodded: "Yes, some who are timid aren’t willing to go. Of course, there are also those who are willing. We plan to section off the area, but we’re still short on people."

He looked at Cheng Zhiyu: "So, what do you think? Are you willing to help the base get through this?"

Tian Qiao was indifferent. He was quite curious about these so-called mutated beasts, though he figured they couldn’t be easy to deal with—otherwise, Brother Zhang wouldn’t be so worried. He didn’t agree outright, preferring to follow Cheng Zhiyu’s lead.

Tian Manman was of the same mind—he would follow Brother Cheng’s decision.

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he asked Brother Zhang: "May I ask you a few questions?"

Brother Zhang nodded: "Of course."

Cheng Zhiyu asked: "Are the mutated beasts highly intelligent? Like humans?"

Brother Zhang shook his head: "No way! If they were as smart as humans, that would be terrifying. But they are indeed smarter than ordinary wild animals."

Cheng Zhiyu continued: "How many mutated beasts are currently known to be in that forest near the base?"

Brother Zhang: "It’s hard to say—not too many, but not too few either. After all, even one mutated beast is already a headache. The forest spans tens of thousands of acres. If they’re scattered, some superhumans might not encounter any in their assigned area, while others might be unlucky enough to run into several. There’s no way to know for sure."

Brother Zhang wasn't about to hide the truth. If he tricked people into going, those who were timid or unreliable would just run away instead of clearing the mutated beasts. Rather than creating risks, it was better to be honest and recruit superhumans who were truly capable.

Cheng Zhiyu nodded, having mostly understood the situation. Those mutated beasts were different from Little Black.

He asked: "What about the machine gun schematics we agreed on earlier?"

Brother Zhang said, "Don't worry, I can give it to you before we head to the back mountain."

Cheng Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, thinking Brother Zhang was quite straightforward. Getting it before going to the back mountain meant he would have an extra asset in hand.

"Also, if you encounter any mutant beasts and handle them yourselves, you can keep the bodies and crystal cores," Brother Zhang added. "Although mutant beast meat isn't as valuable as the crystal cores, it's still useful for superhumans."

"Moreover, we'll provide comms devices. If you run into danger, you can contact each other, and nearby superhumans will come to assist," Brother Zhang continued. "But ultimately, you're on your own."

After all, people from other areas might not be willing to take the risk to help.

Cheng Zhiyu understood: "Alright, I get the general idea. But we need to discuss this among ourselves and can't give you an answer right now."

Brother Zhang expressed understanding: "You should definitely think it over carefully. Let's say, get back to me by 10 PM tomorrow at the latest. Zhou Min knows how to reach me."

Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Okay."

They left, and Zhou Min quickly followed. Brother Zhang tried to call out to Zhou Min, but he ran even faster.

Brother Zhang: "..." Never mind.

If Zhou Min's older brother were still alive, he'd probably want him to live happily. Before, Brother Zhang thought having Zhou Min join the official organization would allow him to keep an eye on him.

But now, thinking about it... he had been too naive. Even if Zhou Min were by his side, he might not be able to protect him.

Ah, forget it. Let him be.

——

"Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng, are we going or not?" Zhou Min eagerly followed Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu didn't answer directly but asked, "What do you all think? Should we go?"

Tian Qiao said, "I'd like to see what these mutant beasts are like."

Cheng Zhiyu looked at Tian Manman: "What do you think, Manman?"

Tian Manman asked eagerly, "Is mutant beast meat... tasty?"

The others couldn't help but laugh. Zhou Min chuckled and slung an arm over Tian Manman's shoulder: "Manman, you and I are on the same page. I also want to try it. You only live once—gotta try new things, or what's the point?"

Tian Qiao clapped: "Well said!"

Cheng Zhiyu sighed. He had hoped to seriously consider his teammates' opinions, but all they could think about was food.

He had no choice but to ask the only one he thought was reliable, Little Black: "Little Black, what do you think? Should we go?"

Little Black actually also wanted to try mutant beast meat, but he noticed Cheng Zhiyu's expression toward the foodies... He immediately pretended to think seriously: "I think we should go."

Seeing that everyone agreed, Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "Then let's go."

However, he looked at Zhou Min: "Are you sure you want to go too?"

Zhou Min hurriedly said, "Even though my combat skills aren't great, I can be a healer. If any of you get injured—"

"Quick, knock on wood, that's bad luck," Tian Qiao said superstitiously.

Zhou Min had no choice but to play along and knock on wood a few times, then said, "Anyway, I can still be useful."

Cheng Zhiyu said, "Do you know why I haven't agreed to take you with us when we leave the base? You lack self-defense abilities."

Zhou Min scratched his head—he couldn't argue with that.

"Actually, I think you're better off staying at the base," Cheng Zhiyu said honestly.

Zhou Min strongly suspected he was being looked down on. He... wasn't that bad, was he? Well... maybe a little.

"But combat skills can be developed through training," Cheng Zhiyu smiled and looked at Zhou Min. "Why don't you give it a try?"

Zhou Min felt like this was a trap. Couldn't he just be a healer? But, almost against his will, he nodded, completely unaware that he would later cry during training.

The next day, Cheng Zhiyu gave Zhou Min a dagger made from the shell of vegetables grown next to Little Iron. It was sharp enough to cut through metal.

Tian Manman got one too. Since he was strong, Cheng Zhiyu asked for his opinion and made him a large blade. Tian Manman loved it.

Zhou Min was also very fond of his little dagger, admiring it happily: "Brother Cheng, what is this dagger made of? It's so sharp—I don't even dare touch it with my hand."

Cheng Zhiyu briefly explained, leaving Zhou Min stunned: "That's amazing!"

When Brother Zhang learned they were willing to help clear the mutant beasts, he promptly sent over the machine gun blueprint.

Cheng Zhiyu took a look and thought it was good. He immediately called up the System, had it scan the blueprint, and began crafting Little Iron's third form.

The System scanned the blueprint: "Little Iron's third form is being crafted. Please check back in three hours."

Three hours? That's pretty fast.

To be honest, Cheng Zhiyu was really looking forward to it. A gun—he had never even seen one before, let alone touched one.

Cheng Zhiyu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, frequently checking the System panel to check on Little Iron's progress.

After who knows how many times, Little Black had had enough and lightly swatted Cheng Zhiyu's head with his paw: "Go to sleep!"

It was a gentle tap, but Cheng Zhiyu still rubbed his nose and obediently closed his eyes: "Did I disturb you?"

Little Black gave him a 'you-know-you-did' look: "Stop it, you're stunting my growth."

It was a lie, but Cheng Zhiyu believed it anyway and didn't dare let his mind wander anymore. Fine, fine, he'd check again tomorrow.

He slept until daybreak. The next morning, Cheng Zhiyu eagerly checked and found that it was indeed completed.

Cheng Zhiyu quickly reached out: "Little Iron."

As soon as he spoke, a machine gun appeared in his hand. His first thought: *It's pretty heavy.*

His second thought: *How do I use this? Could it accidentally go off?*

Tian Qiao leaned over, excitement written all over his face: "Wow, this is so cool! Let me see, let me see."

As he spoke, he reached out to touch it. Tian Manman, seeing this, also joined in, curiously feeling it.

Cheng Zhiyu was cautious: "Let's test it in the forest. I'm afraid it might accidentally go off here."

Mainly, none of them had ever handled a gun before, so everyone was quite cautious. They urged Cheng Zhiyu to put it away for now—they could test it in the forest later.

Just as he put the gun away, Zhou Min arrived. Tian Qiao gave him a 'you-have-no-idea-what-you-just-missed' look, leaving Zhou Min confused.

After breakfast, they set off for the designated meeting point. They weren't early—when they arrived, there were already some superhumans there.

Cheng Zhiyu and the others also saw Zhang He and Wu Mengting, the couple they had met on their way to Chaoyang Base. They hadn't run into them since arriving at the base.

Zhang He greeted them with a smile upon seeing them: "I didn't expect it'd be so long before we met again. Are you also going to clear the mutated beasts? Mengting and I have formed a team with a few others. Would you like to join us?"

Cheng Zhiyu glanced over and indeed saw a few superpowered individuals with them. He shook his head: "No, thank you."

Cheng Zhiyu was an ordinary person, and Zhang He’s invitation wasn't really aimed at him. But since the others were willing to come along, they must have some strength.

Moreover, not everyone in the official ranks was a superpowered individual. Many were pre-apocalypse soldiers—ordinary people, but that didn't mean they couldn't handle the mutated beasts.

Soon, the officials came over and distributed tracking devices that looked like watches, to be worn on the wrist.

"This allows real-time tracking of your location, making it easier for rescuers to reach you. If you encounter danger, press the button on the side. It will automatically send your location to others nearby."

The superpowered individuals listened but didn't have high hopes for this function. Would they themselves be willing to risk their lives to save strangers?

Many of those participating in this operation were doing it for the benefits promised by the base, and besides, they got to keep the mutated creatures they eliminated—whether exchanged for points or other rewards, it was enticing enough.

Some wanted to seize the opportunity to impress the officials and join their organizations.

Whatever their reasons, they were all prepared for danger and accustomed to it. In the apocalypse, who hasn't risked their life?

Moreover, private organizations outside the official ones also had close connections with the authorities, and some missions simply couldn't be refused.

Next, the officials dispatched helicopters to transport each team of superpowered individuals to their assigned areas.

Cheng Zhiyu’s group was among the last to leave. By the time they were dropped off in their area, it was almost dark.

The officials were decent enough to provide box meals with three dishes, one of which contained meat. In the post-apocalyptic world, a meal with vegetables, meat, and rice was considered quite good.

However, the portions were small, and the taste was mediocre. After finishing his meal, Zhou Min lay down on the spot and groaned, "I'm still hungry!"

Seeing that Cheng Zhiyu and the others showed no reaction, Zhou Min was puzzled and turned to Little Black: "Brother Cheng, why aren't you giving Brother Black any food?"

The base distributed meals based on headcount, so Little Black naturally didn't get one. But it wasn't that Cheng Zhiyu wouldn't let him eat—Little Black had taken one bite and refused to eat any more.

Since arriving here, he had been with Cheng Zhiyu and had grown picky. Apart from the goat milk powder he drank initially, he had never eaten anything so disgusting. It was an insult to food, and he wanted no part of it.

Cheng Zhiyu chuckled: "That's how mass-produced meals are. The taste is actually not bad."

Little Black: "How much hardship have you endured before?"

To think this was considered acceptable.

Cheng Zhiyu was both amused and exasperated. None of them were wasteful, and the box meal wasn't terrible, so they all finished every last bite.

Tian Qiao rubbed his stomach: "I'm not full either."

Zhou Min sighed: "There's nothing we can do about it. We're in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by grass and trees. It's not like we can gnaw on trees, right?"

Cheng Zhiyu asked: "What would you like to eat?"

Tian Qiao immediately raised his hand: "I want braised pork with steamed buns!"

Zhou Min: *Braised pork with steamed buns? Where are we supposed to find pork or buns?*

Tian Manman also craved it: "I want that too."

Zhou Min laughed: "You're really good at dreaming! Where would we get food here?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "Tian Qiao and Manman, go find some stones and mud. We'll make a simple earthen stove."

Then he turned to Zhou Min: "You go gather some firewood. Make sure it's dry."

Zhou Min watched as Tian Qiao and Tian Manman raised no objections and immediately got to work. He hesitated but obediently went to gather firewood.

As he gathered, he wondered if they could really get pork. Were they going to hunt it on the spot? He wasn't sure if there were wild boars in the forest.

Lost in thought, he gathered a bundle of branches—the forest had nothing else in abundance but twigs everywhere.

When he returned with the firewood, he saw Cheng Zhiyu had somehow found a flat stone slab and cleaned it using his water ability.

Zhou Min put down the firewood: "Huh? Brother Cheng, I thought you didn't have any powers?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "I don't. It was Little Black."

Zhou Min: "!"

He had only thought Little Black was smarter than the average dog, but he never imagined he had powers! No wonder Tian Qiao called him Brother Black! He had only called him that for fun before, but now he looked at Little Black with newfound respect.

Still reeling from the shock, he saw Cheng Zhiyu pull out a large piece of pork.

*Whoa, pork out of nowhere!*

Zhou Min blinked, excited: "Brother Cheng, do you have a storage space too?"

Zhou Min had heard before that some people had spatial abilities, but few revealed them. After all, if others knew you had a spatial ability, wouldn't it obviously show that you had plenty of supplies?

It made you an easy target.

But he'd heard spatial abilities were tiered, with different levels allowing storage of varying amounts. He wondered how much Cheng Zhiyu could store.

Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Yeah, come help."

"Sure, sure." Zhou Min quickly put the firewood aside and hurried to help.

Although they only requested braised pork with steamed buns, Cheng Zhiyu didn't plan to make just one dish. He took out cucumbers and tomatoes to make a simple smashed cucumber salad.

It was almost dark, and eating these would help keep them warm at night.

Cheng Zhiyu: "Do you know how to make smashed cucumber?"

Zhou Min immediately said: "It's simple. I can do it."

Cheng Zhiyu handed the task to him and began cutting the pork and kneading dough.

Zhou Min knew a little about cooking, though his skills were mediocre. But he had no problem assisting Cheng Zhiyu.

The two occupied different sides of the stone slab. As Zhou Min smashed the cucumbers, he stole glances at Cheng Zhiyu.

He assumed the cucumbers and tomatoes were freshly picked—they looked so fresh. But strangely, the pork was also incredibly fresh, as if it had just been cut from a pig.

Cheng Zhiyu noticed Zhou Min’s curious looks but didn't say anything since the other didn't ask.

Meanwhile, Tian Qiao and Tian Manman had gathered a pile of stones. The stones in the forest were irregularly shaped, but since they only needed a temporary stove, their standards weren't high.

They found an open spot and got to work, mixing dried grass stalks into the mud to act as a binder.

Tian Qiao called out to Little Black: "Brother Black, give us some water."

Little Black added some water to the pit they’d dug. Tian Qiao immediately mixed it: "Thanks, Brother Black."

Little Black gave an indifferent tail wag, his eyes fixed motionlessly on Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu finished cutting the pork and mixing the dough. After a moment’s thought, he took two more chickens from his spatial inventory—these were from the four Tian Manman had given him, and only two remained now.

Worried he might not have time to cook tomorrow, he decided to prepare the next day’s meal tonight. After all, he had food containers in his space and plenty of room to store them.

So Cheng Zhiyu began chopping the chicken, planning to make a chicken and potato stew. They had dug up quite a few potatoes from this batch.

Zhou Min watched from the side, practically drooling. To distract himself, he clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Brother Cheng, I’m going to take a quick look around nearby."

Cheng Zhiyu estimated that there shouldn’t be any immediate danger nearby. If strangers appeared within a short distance, the aberrant beasts would sense it, and it wouldn’t be this quiet.

Still, he reminded him, "Don’t go too far, and remember our comms channel."

They wore communicators provided by the base, which allowed them to send simple messages to fixed channels, making it easier for team members to stay in touch.

Zhou Min gave a thumbs-up. He wasn't in great shape physically, but he had been following Cheng Zhiyu’s advice and exercising lately.

Over there, the makeshift clay stove was also ready. Cheng Zhiyu took out a large pot from his space. Since everyone had a big appetite, he had brought the large pot along beforehand.

If it weren’t for the fear of running out of space, he would have brought a few more pots.

He first heated oil for the cucumber dish, then started preparing the "Little Pig Covered Quilt" (Xiaozhu Gaibei). After stir-frying the pork to give it color, he covered the pot and let it simmer.

Just as he finished washing his hands, Zhou Min’s excited voice came from not far away: "Guys, come quick! Look what I found!"