Chapter 317- Cultured Villain vs. Humanoid Weapon (22)
Chen Shuyun followed the group for three days and could clearly feel the zombies becoming increasingly formidable along the way. Although the ability users were also growing stronger, it was evident that their growth was not enough to overpower the rising dangers they faced.
This realization fueled Chen Shuyun’s resentment toward Jian Minghui even more. She thought bitterly that if it weren’t for her desire to deal with this “little bastard,” she wouldn’t have needed to risk her life in this situation.
It wasn’t until another midday break that Chen Shuyun suddenly came up with an idea. Over the past few days, she had considered taking advantage of an attack by mutated plants or zombies to push Jian Minghui into their clutches.
However, there were two major obstacles. First, ordinary people like her were under constant watch and protection by the ability users, making it nearly impossible to act without drawing attention. Second, Jian Minghui’s agility seemed to have improved significantly compared to before. Even though he didn’t display any ability powers, the number of zombies he killed was almost comparable to that of the ability users. This realization left Chen Shuyun alarmed and unsettled.
During their next midday break, she devised a subtler plan. She took a cup, poured in a drink, and dissolved a single sleeping pill she had been carrying. A few days earlier, Chen Shuyun had been plagued by relentless nightmares, leaving her unable to sleep. So, when Jian Mingyuan was gathering supplies, she specifically asked him to bring back some sleeping pills. Now, she saw an opportunity to put them to use against Jian Minghui.
Chen Shuyun was careful not to use a lethal dose. Instead, she added just enough to cause drowsiness and fatigue. Her aim was simple: to weaken Jian Minghui’s alertness and mental clarity. That way, during their next encounter with danger, his impaired state would create an opportunity for her to act.
She had considered this plan before but had been unable to execute it because Jian Minghui was always with Mu Jin, Lou Bin, or others. He never gave her a chance to catch him alone.
Even though Chen Shuyun didn’t want to draw attention to herself, she knew they would soon reach the Pingcheng Base. If she didn’t act now, she might lose her chance forever.
Gritting her teeth, she glanced at Mu Jin, Cun Tou, and the others surrounding Jian Minghui before walking over with the water cup in hand. She held it out to Jian Minghui and said, “Here.”
Chen Shuyun understood the image she had in Jian Minghui’s mind. Playing up her role, she deliberately put on a conflicted yet reluctant-to-yield expression, awkwardly handing him the cup.
In her memory, Jian Minghui always played the dutiful son in front of others. If she approached him with this pretense of goodwill, he would surely take the cup with a smile and drink it down without suspicion.
To her shock, Jian Minghui ignored her entirely. As she stood there holding the cup, he continued eating his bread with an indifferent expression, not even sparing her a glance.
What Chen Shuyun didn’t realize was that Jian Minghui had long abandoned the mindset of pandering to her. He had no interest in indulging her petty games and couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge her.
Annoyed yet struggling to maintain her composure, Chen Shuyun forced a softer tone and said, “What’s this? Are you not going to drink it when I personally brought it to you? We’re almost at Pingcheng Base. Minghui, take care of yourself and return safely.”
Her words were awkwardly delivered, as though she had finally let go of past grudges in the apocalypse. But Mu Jin caught the glint of malice in her eyes, masked by feigned apprehension and nervousness.
Although Chen Shuyun’s acting was decent, it wasn’t enough to fool Mu Jin.
What’s more, with his deep understanding of pharmacology and his close observations of Chen Shuyun’s behavior over the past days, how could he not guess her true intentions?
The water in Chen Shuyun’s cup clearly had something added to it. Before Jian Minghui could respond, Mu Jin swiftly grabbed the cup from her hands.
Mu Jin looked at Chen Shuyun with a faint, mocking smile. “Auntie, I appreciate your kind intentions on Minghui’s behalf. But this spiked water is undrinkable. If he ends up dazed when we face zombies later, wouldn’t that cost him his life?”
“What are you talking about?” Chen Shuyun’s face flashed with panic upon hearing Mu Jin’s words, but she quickly regained her composure.
She reassured herself that the amount of sedative she had added was minimal. Out here in the wilderness, there was no way they could test the water. Convinced that Mu Jin was bluffing, her demeanor turned sharp and hostile. She fixed her eyes on Mu Jin with an air of accusation.
“You can eat recklessly, but you can’t speak recklessly. Slandering me like this—I’ll have a good talk with Zhengqing once we’re back at the base. Or could it be that you have ulterior motives, trying to drive a wedge between Minghui and me?”
Chen Shuyun’s words created a tense and awkward silence. The atmosphere grew heavy, as she remained unaware that everyone seated near Jian Minghui had overheard her previous private conversation with Jian Mingyuan.
Her claim of being wrongly accused sounded laughable to those in the know.
Noticing the commotion, Wei Xuezhen and Jian Mingyuan approached. Jian Mingyuan frowned as he caught Mu Jin’s cold stare. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Sitting among them, Lou Bin—always the quickest with words—immediately recounted the incident to Jian Mingyuan.
Although Lou Bin used to think Jian Minghui’s older brother was pretentious, his opinion had shifted dramatically after overhearing Chen Shuyun and Jian Mingyuan’s private exchange. He now saw Jian Mingyuan in a much better light, which softened his attitude toward him as well.
After hearing Lou Bin’s account, Jian Mingyuan fell silent, his expression unreadable. Chen Shuyun, however, wasted no time trying to defend herself. She looked at Jian Mingyuan with a face full of grievance, clearly hoping he would step in to vindicate her.
Jian Minghui sat silently, while Mu Jin swirled the cup in his hand before handing it directly to Jian Mingyuan with a faint smile. “You might not believe my words alone, but people like us undergo rigorous training in pharmaceuticals.”
“Whether something’s been added, I can tell just by the smell. But since Auntie refuses to admit anything, I’ll choose to believe her. In that case, Captain, why don’t you drink this cup instead?”
Jian Mingyuan pursed his lips tightly and gripped the cup in his hand. He knew how deeply Chen Shuyun resented Jian Minghui over the years, making it unlikely that she would sincerely offer a drink out of goodwill. He also trusted Mu Jin’s judgment and abilities.
With Mu Jin speaking so confidently, the drink likely did contain something suspicious.
However, Jian Mingyuan also realized that if he didn’t drink it, the situation might escalate further. He struggled internally, wondering if he should trust his mother one last time and believe she bore no ill will toward Minghui. Gritting his teeth, he lifted the cup and prepared to drink.
But just as the cup neared his lips, Chen Shuyun abruptly stumbled, bumping into Jian Mingyuan and causing the drink to spill onto the ground.
In the ensuing chaos, Mu Jin seized the opportunity. With sharp eyes and quick hands, he subtly targeted Chen Shuyun’s shirt pocket.
Earlier, Mu Jin had used his enhanced senses to scan her belongings and knew she carried a bottle of sleeping pills in her pocket. Taking advantage of the moment, he made it seem as though the pill bottle had accidentally fallen to the ground, now glaringly exposed to everyone.
Chen Shuyun straightened herself, pretending to look flustered. She was well aware her movements had been conspicuously deliberate, but she felt she had no choice.
Though the sedative dose in the drink wasn’t high, she couldn’t risk letting Jian Mingyuan consume it. The team had faced countless dangers recently, and many members were already injured.
If Jian Mingyuan became disoriented while traveling and endangered himself, how could she gamble with her son’s life?
So, even knowing her actions were clumsy and transparent, she had deliberately knocked the drink from his hands.
She forced an awkward smile and said, “Oh dear, I must be getting old. I suddenly felt a bit dizzy. Luckily, Mingyuan was right in front of me. The drink spilled on the ground, so it’s undrinkable now. I’ll go fetch you another one.”
“No need,” Jian Mingyuan said, his heart sinking when he saw Chen Shuyun’s actions. He now knew that Mu Jin’s words were true. Furthermore, he had clearly seen the bottle—it was the sleeping pills he had earlier helped his mother find.
Chen Shuyun was stunned by Jian Mingyuan’s reaction and only then noticed how unusually quiet everyone around her was. The familiar pill bottle, after rolling around on the ground, was now picked up by Mu Jin.
Mu Jin shook the bottle in front of Chen Shuyun with two fingers, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he said, “Auntie, your item fell on the ground. The smell is exactly the same as what was added to the drink.”
Unexpectedly, she had been caught so quickly. Chen Shuyun saw that the looks from Mu Jin and the others clearly indicated they believed she had done this. She didn’t admit it, but she also didn’t want to argue any longer with these people who had always been on Jian Minghui’s side. Without a word, she snatched the pill bottle from Mu Jin’s hand.
Turning away with a scowl, she noticed Wei Xuezheng’s complex gaze directed at her. At that moment, Chen Shuyun felt incredibly embarrassed. She shot a bitter glance at Mu Jin and Jian Minghui before turning to leave.
Jian Mingyuan’s face had turned pale. He stared at Jian Minghui, who had remained silent the entire time, opening his mouth as if to say something, but he didn’t know how to begin.
Mu Jin watched Jian Mingyuan’s conflicted expression and sighed internally, knowing that making a bigger deal out of the situation now wouldn’t be helpful.
Some things were better left to be dealt with back at the Pingcheng base. So, he waved at Jian Mingyuan and said, “Don’t worry, the area we’re in is quite isolated, and no one else saw this. It’s the first time, and we won’t make a big fuss about it. But I do hope you’ll keep a closer eye on Auntie and make sure she doesn’t cause any more trouble.”
Jian Mingyuan nodded upon hearing this. He knew he had failed Jian Minghui in this moment, but he also couldn’t immediately take action against his mother. This was her fault, and it seemed he would have to be more vigilant in the future to ensure she didn’t try to harm Minghui again.
He didn’t have the courage to ask Jian Minghui for forgiveness. The silence from his brother was an implicit acceptance of Mu Jin’s words. Jian Mingyuan felt grateful that Jian Minghui and Mu Jin were willing to spare his mother some face. He gave his brother a guilty look before turning away and leaving with Wei Xuezheng.
The commotion here wasn’t too loud, mainly because Mu Jin preferred quiet. Every time they rested, he would keep to himself and stay with those he was close to, keeping a bit of distance from the main group. Thankfully, this prevented the situation from becoming widely known.
After Jian Minghui and Wei Xuezheng left, Lou Bin couldn’t help but angrily say, “Is that it? She clearly tried to harm our boss!”
“With zombies and mutated plants getting stronger, and at this critical point, she’s still resorting to such petty tricks? That woman’s mind is messed up.”
Traveling on foot was extremely dangerous, and the people around them had received a lot of help from Mu Jin and Jian Minghui these past days. Though they didn’t speak much, their expressions were all unpleasant, and they silently agreed with Lou Bin.
Especially after Cun Tou revealed Jian Minghui’s true background that day, everyone had more sympathy for him.
In the past couple of days, through casual conversation, they had also learned a lot about Jian Minghui’s past from Mu Jin. They hadn’t realized that Jian Minghui had suffered so much as a child.
Who would have thought that Chen Shuyun, who appeared so gentle and elegant on the surface, was so malicious behind the scenes?
Seeing the anger on the faces of those around him, Mu Jin lowered his eyes, lifting his cup to hide the smirk at the corner of his mouth. It seemed that he had overestimated Chen Shuyun.