Chapter 44

Ye Xiao looked up. Amid the bustling background, sure enough two people were standing together talking. His gaze sharpened slightly and he walked over.
"Tantan," Ye Xiao called.
Lin Tantan turned. "Ye Xiao, why are you here again?"
Again?
Ye Xiao's mouth twitched; if it hadn't been for her cheerful tone, he would've suspected she was annoyed by his "again" showing up.
"I'm on my way to see Major General Xing; I stopped by here on the way."
Lin Tantan knew what he planned to discuss with General Xing and, hearing him, nodded. "Oh, then go ahead."
Ye Xiao: "..."
Zhou Li smiled at Ye Xiao. "Captain Ye, I was asking Miss Lin about matters concerning abilities."
Ye Xiao nodded lightly, keeping up appearances. "What aspect are you discussing? I might be able to help Mr. Zhou as well."
Before Zhou Li could speak, Lin Tantan answered, "He wants to ask how to apply abilities to bullets."
Ye Xiao said, "That's actually not difficult. But at first don't try it on guns, use knives or other objects. Try to channel the ability into those things. It'll be tough at first, but you just need practice." Ye Xiao put on an air of experience; what could Zhou Li say but thank him.
Having thanked him, Zhou Li sensibly took his leave. He still wanted to court Lin Tantan, but dared not act too boldly now, not after offending Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao watched his retreating figure for two seconds, then said to Lin Tantan, "Aren't you going to eat? Aren't you hungry?"
"I'm hungry." Lin Tantan obediently followed him, then suddenly asked, "Ye Xiao, do you not like me interacting with Zhou Li?"
Ye Xiao was taken aback. "Why do you say that?"
"You seemed unhappy earlier, and you came over and chased Zhou Li off." Lin Tantan wasn't an idiot, she could see there'd been tension between the two.
Lin Tantan said, "He's probably trying to get closer to me. I'm actually annoyed by him, but he's polite, I'm not going to kick him out on the spot. But don't worry: no matter what favors he offers or how attentive he is, he won't win me over."
Ye Xiao felt warmed and couldn't help asking, "Why? He seems okay."
"Could anyone be better than you?" Lin Tantan said matter‑of‑factly. "You and Bai Cheng leave him in the dust."
Unexpectedly hit by that flattering outburst, Ye Xiao's heart leaped and a smile tugged at his lips, halfway up he froze. Wait, what did this have to do with Bai Cheng?
Then Lin Tantan continued, "Look, he leads a few hundred people, and everyone there has to rely on strength to survive. Those without power can only cling to others, understandable, but it lacks any sense of kinship. The women, the old, the young in his group all live by watching others' faces, always anxious and fearful of being abandoned. The atmosphere is awful."
"Unlike with you and Bai Cheng, unless someone deliberately causes trouble, even the weakest are fed and kept safe. That's humane. And you two are way stronger than he is. I must have been out of my mind to consider going to him."
Seeing Ye Xiao's expression stiffen, Lin Tantan thought he didn't believe her and went on to pledge her loyalty: "It's like a big company, caring, good benefits, and a great boss, versus a small company that only cares about profit and provides little security. I'm already settled in the big company; I won't be switching jobs. Don't worry."
She even gave him a little pat, eyes shining, as if about to convey with her gaze an employee's vow: "I would never betray the company, boss, rest assured."
Ye Xiao: "..."
Ye Xiao looked at her oddly, sighed after a moment, ruffled her hair, and said, "Let's go eat."
Lin Tantan froze. Why the sudden sigh? Had she said something wrong?
She followed, puzzled.
Ye Xiao went to speak with Xing Guoliang about certain survivors' breaches of law and discipline, urging him to take them seriously.
Xing Guoliang kept agreeing and even offered a self-criticism, saying it was wrong of him not to have noticed such things.
After Ye Xiao left, Xing Guoliang looked a little ill at ease. Zhu Xin stepped in at the right moment: "That Ye Xiao, he meddles too much. Didn't Bai Cheng say those ten convoys could merge with our people anytime? Brother Xing, just combine the two groups. They love managing people, let them handle it."
Xing Guoliang snorted coldly, "And then everything will be decided by them? We'll give them twenty thousand soldiers as free bodyguards?"
Zhu Xin was momentarily stumped. "Of course Brother Xing still calls the shots. We'll just have them work for us." The survivors were always causing trouble; Zhu Xin was fed up and wanted someone to come and make those people behave properly.
In his heart Xing Guoliang thought that it might not be so clear who'd be working for whom.
He could see that Ye Xiao's respectful attitude was out of politeness, but when had Ye Xiao ever been the one to compromise in a negotiation?
It had been Xing Guoliang's suggestion to split the forces into fifty columns to enter Yang City; it was his idea to send the convoys ahead. He decided where they camped each night and which roads they took. He was the one who had chased off the flock of birds at noon. And now Ye Xiao was faulting their discipline.
This man had too many opinions. Compared to the outwardly aggressive types he seemed easy to talk to, but in truth he was quite domineering. Xing Guoliang knew he was no match. He didn't want to quarrel with Ye Xiao and slow the group's progress, but he also didn't want to obey him like a subordinate. After all, Xing Guoliang was already a major general and Ye Xiao was only a colonel.
Earlier he had thought it was good that Ye Xiao went to Yang City base; now he wasn't so sure.
Whatever Xing Guoliang thought privately, he did enforce discipline. That night he rounded up a few ringleaders who had bullied the weak and assaulted women and executed them on the spot. As expected, the whole camp's morale tightened up.
As for the young man who wanted to join the convoy, Ye Xiao ultimately refused his request.
That would have been too big an affront to Xing Guoliang; Ye Xiao still had to consider his feelings.
The camp was quiet at night. Apart from those on patrol, everyone else was trying to get some rest. Since most vehicles carried groups of people packed tightly together while moving, there wasn't much room to sleep inside, so you could see tents of all sizes pitched beside the big trucks.
Lin Tantan had her own small tent, a deep blue one. During the day it sat on the pickup; at night she found a flat patch of ground, set it up, laid down a few planks and two blankets, and it became her little bed.
That night she was sleeping soundly when a faint "squeak" jolted her awake. She unzipped the tent and sure enough there was a fist-sized hamster outside.
Other mutant rats tended to grow larger, but this little hamster hadn't; if anything it had become more delicate.
Lin Tantan whispered to it, "What's wrong?"
"Squeak, squeak." The hamster only squeaked. Lin Tantan had no idea what it meant, so she put on her clothes and shoes and went outside to take a look.
As soon as she appeared the hamster turned and ran, clearly wanting to lead the way.
Lin hurried after it. Aside from a few braziers and campfires, everything was pitch black. The hamster was so small she had to bend down to follow where it was going.
From a distance Ye Xiao saw a familiar figure move and frowned slightly, where could she be going so late?
After a moment's thought, he followed.
Lin Tantan suddenly sensed someone approaching and spun around into a defensive stance, but a hand quickly grabbed her. "It's me, Tantan, what are you doing out here?"
"Ye Xiao, what are you, ? I... it called me out."
Lin Tantan pointed to the hamster that had stopped at their feet. Ye Xiao looked closely and said, "A mutant rodent?"
"Mm. They seem to have found something."
Ye Xiao frowned slightly: "We've set up a lot of surveillance around the perimeter, but it didn't pick up anything. The zombie detectors didn't trigger either."
"Squeak." The mutant hamster squeaked again, more urgently.
"I have to see," Lin Tantan said.
Ye Xiao: "I'll go with you."
"Okay." Lin didn't waste a moment and let the hamster lead them on.
The two of them and the hamster left the camp and walked several hundred meters farther. A cacophony of squeaks filled the air, so many rats calling out. The pair couldn't move fast enough; Ye Xiao switched on the flashlight function on his watch and saw several rats leaping up and down, chattering at a few others hidden in the grass.
The rats in the grass were struggling desperately, as if tangled in the vegetation.
Ye Xiao scanned the area warily; seeing no immediate danger, he moved to free the trapped rats.
Lin Tantan suddenly grabbed his arm. "Don't go closer, look!"
Ye Xiao peered more closely. The clumps of grass seemed almost alive, tufts of brown-green blades had wrapped around several mutant rats and kept tightening. When a rat tried to get free, the grass pulled it back.
Ye Xiao's expression changed. "This grass..."
Lin Tantan released a few golden blades that sliced the binding grass, then sent out several wooden tendrils to bind the mutant rats and pull them back.
At the same time, the clump of grass convulsed wildly; the thin blades twisted together like braided ropes into two long strands that shot toward Lin's face.
"Watch out!" Ye Xiao sent a wind blade that shredded the two grass-braids to pieces, grass flying everywhere, and pulled Lin back.
Lin Tantan struck harder: a flash of gold cleaved at the grass's roots. A whole tuft flew up, landed and twitched twice before going still. In the spot where it had been, several thick root-like tendrils remained, writhing like tentacles.
Lin Tantan's skin crawled, what the hell, are those grass roots?!
Tree roots would make more sense, right? They're that thick!
Ye Xiao's face darkened like still water: "Plants have mutated too."
Lin Tantan felt her heart sink; she remembered that plant mutations were supposed to begin in February, and today was only late January.
Had the historical record been wrong, or had mutated plants actually appeared in late January back then and simply gone unnoticed?
What she didn't know was that, at the Ning City base, someone suddenly woke from a dream. He stared at his body in bewildered panic: "What the hell is happening? Wasn't I at a memorial? The apocalypse, this is the apocalypse? I've traveled three hundred years back! God, people are going to die here! Right, find someone to cling to, who has the biggest protective 'thigh' in the apocalypse? Ye Xiao? No, he'll die in the end; everyone who followed him gets wiped out. Zhou Yan is the one who ultimately wins!"