Chapter 323- Cultured Villain vs. Humanoid Weapon (28)
They couldn’t quite determine what level Jian Minghui’s mental ability truly was, but one thing was certain: his power was formidable.
Over time, they also noticed how well Jian Minghui took care of their leader, Mu Jin, to the point of being the picture-perfect, doting partner. Eventually, any lingering resentment they had toward Jian Minghui dissipated. They decided it was easier—and much safer—to just follow his lead. After all, they couldn’t beat him in a fight, and listening to him often meant they’d earn one of Mu Jin’s rare but dazzling smiles.
In the harsh and unforgiving environment of the apocalypse, people often needed a figure to rally behind, a kind of spiritual anchor. Back in the Pingcheng base, Mu Jin had long been regarded as a heroic figure by most of the ability users. This admiration often bordered on blind reverence when they interacted with him.
Mu Jin accepted their adoration with calm composure. For one, his strength truly warranted respect. For another, the sense of awe he inspired in others meant fewer people would dare to challenge him, which saved a lot of unnecessary trouble. Why not let them be in awe?
Perhaps it was the comfort of the past few days that made both Jian Minghui and Mu Jin completely forget about the meeting at the base’s headquarters. As the captain and vice-captain of the strongest squad, their attendance was naturally expected.
Although their squad had fewer than 20 members, the team’s strength under Mu Jin and Jian Minghui’s leadership easily rivaled that of much larger squads, even those with over a hundred members.
When they arrived at the conference room, Mu Jin immediately spotted a few familiar faces. Jian Mingyuan was already there. He had established his own squad, primarily composed of people who had escaped from University B alongside them.
The ability users who had come from University B had grown significantly stronger after enduring a long journey and countless battles with zombies.
Of course, most of the elite members from that group had been recruited into Jian Minghui’s squad. Mu Jin didn’t care much about the others who remained with Jian Mingyuan, as they were largely unremarkable. However, standing next to Jian Mingyuan was someone very familiar to them both—Wei Xuezhen.
Jian Mingyuan and Wei Xuezhen nodded at Mu Jin and Jian Minghui when they entered, though Jian Mingyuan had a hesitant expression, as if he wanted to say something but decided against it. Now wasn’t the time for conversation; with everyone gathered, the meeting needed to begin.
The person in charge explained that the meeting was primarily to organize the upcoming rotation for teams to search for supplies and clear out zombies. Each team would take its turn as scheduled.
In addition to these assignments, teams could also pick up other missions or apply for permission to conduct independent supply runs. The latter option was more like freelancing—teams that chose to search for supplies on their own only needed to turn over 20% of their findings to the base. The rest could be kept and divided among team members as they saw fit.
Jian Minghui listened to the rules and found them quite reasonable. Knowing that the Pingcheng base’s leader was Jian Zhengqing, he wasn’t surprised; it was expected.
Jian Zhengqing was a capable and disciplined leader, and any responsibilities entrusted to him were bound to be managed in an orderly and efficient manner.
Since the apocalypse had no room for unnecessary bureaucracy, the meeting was concise and to the point. There was no time wasted on lengthy speeches. Once the tasks were assigned, everyone was free to leave.
As Mu Jin and Jian Minghui left the conference room, Mu Jin spotted a familiar figure near the door—Qian Zhenzhen, who had previously arrived at the Pingcheng base with a convoy of ordinary survivors.
The moment Qian Zhenzhen saw them exit, she immediately clung to the arm of one of the squad captains who had also attended the meeting. With a flirtatious laugh, she walked away with him, acting as if she hadn’t even noticed Mu Jin, Jian Minghui, or the others.
Mu Jin raised an eyebrow at the sight. He couldn’t help but think that Qian Zhenzhen was quite resourceful. It hadn’t taken her long to find herself a powerful ally.
The ability user that Qian Zhenzhen managed to charm was of only average strength within the Pingcheng base. However, his team had the largest number of members, granting him a significant degree of influence in the base. For Qian Zhenzhen to win his favor, she must have been clever.
Mu Jin and Jian Minghui’s team had been assigned a later slot for venturing out of the base to search for supplies. With no urgent need to rally his team, Mu Jin wasn’t in a hurry. He trusted his teammates completely, knowing them well in every aspect.
So, he leisurely strolled through the base with Jian Minghui, casually chatting about what they should have for lunch.
Unexpectedly, after walking for a while, a shout came from behind. Mu Jin turned and saw Jian Mingyuan, who had stayed behind to speak with the coordinator, now running toward them.
Seeing Mu Jin and Jian Minghui stop and wait for him, Jian Mingyuan sighed in relief, quickly approaching until he stood in front of Jian Minghui. But once face-to-face, he found himself tongue-tied.
Jian Mingyuan had never been good with words. For a long time, he’d wanted to talk to Jian Minghui, but he didn’t know how to start. Acting on a sudden impulse, he had chased after him.
Now, under the gaze of the two men, Jian Mingyuan hesitated in silence before finally bowing deeply and saying with genuine sincerity, “I’m sorry.”
Over the years, he had intentionally or unintentionally neglected Jian Minghui. However, his feelings for him were genuine. Having grown up together, Jian Mingyuan had always regarded Jian Minghui as his little brother.
The emotional distance between them had been due to a misunderstanding that had left Jian Mingyuan conflicted. But now, after learning the truth, he was filled with regret, deeply aware of his wrongdoings toward Jian Minghui.
Jian Minghui, however, had long since let it go. With Mu Jin by his side, he no longer cared about the past.
Coincidentally, they happened to be passing through a stretch of farmland at that moment. Resources in the post-apocalyptic world were scarce, and while the Pingcheng base covered a sizable area, it couldn’t rely solely on scavenging. Thus, it had begun cultivating grains and vegetables to sustain its population.
Among the laborers were some of the base’s most exploited individuals—those who had committed offenses and were sentenced to labor as a form of rehabilitation.
It was midday, and the laborers undergoing reform through hard work were on their lunch break, sitting in the fields to rest. Among them was Chen Shuyun.
Chen Shuyun had lost an arm, and though she had recovered somewhat after some time to heal, the wound still caused her pain. Yet, no one showed her any compassion. She was still required to perform heavy labor every day.
Life had become especially hard for Chen Shuyun after losing her arm. The others who were being punished alongside her were far from kind or gentle.
Even though Jian Zhengqing and Jian Mingyuan occasionally provided covert assistance, it only meant that Chen Shuyun didn’t go hungry. She still had to endure the same grueling workload as everyone else.
Each laborer had their own farming quota. Seeing that Chen Shuyun was a one-armed, delicate woman, the supervisors had set her quota relatively low. Yet even so, for Chen Shuyun, who had lived a life of luxury before the apocalypse, the workload was almost unbearable.
At this moment, Chen Shuyun sat in the fields eating the roasted sweet potato distributed to the workers. Her heart was filled with bitterness. She no longer reflected on the mistakes she had made in the past.
Instead, she harbored deep resentment. She hated Jian Minghui for surviving despite all her efforts to harm him and hated Mu Jin for constantly opposing her and exposing her, which had led to her current plight.
Her only wish was that the two of them would meet some unfortunate fate during one of their missions—preferably being surrounded and killed by zombies.
However, Chen Shuyun’s thoughts were nothing more than a way to vent her frustration. What she truly wanted was to escape her current hardships. So, as she nibbled on the roasted sweet potato and looked up to see Jian Minghui and Jian Mingyuan standing not far away, she grew visibly excited.
Chen Shuyun thought this was her chance. Seizing a moment when the nearby guard wasn’t paying attention, she dashed forward with all her strength. She shoved aside the female ability user stationed at the gate and ran directly toward Jian Minghui.
She had begged Jian Zhengqing and Jian Mingyuan countless times before, but neither of them had freed her from this predicament. Now, Chen Shuyun no longer counted on that father and son duo. Instead, she pinned all her hopes on Jian Minghui. She believed that if Jian Minghui forgave her, perhaps she could escape her suffering.
Chen Shuyun tried to grab Jian Minghui’s leg in desperation. However, Jian Minghui, whose abilities had become far more acute, easily sidestepped her attempt, causing her to fall to the ground.
Left with no other option, Chen Shuyun remained on the ground and began sobbing as she pleaded:
“Minghui, Minghui, I really know I was wrong. It’s all my fault. I misunderstood Zhengqing—I thought you were the child of some woman he had outside. That’s why I treated you that way and tried to harm you so many times.”
“But I truly know my mistakes now. Please, give me a chance to make amends! I’ll do anything to repay you in the future!”
Jian Minghui looked down at the woman who had once been so lofty and domineering, who had always acted high and mighty in front of him. Now, disheveled and filthy, she lay sprawled on the ground, sobbing and shouting like a common street beggar.
His face remained expressionless.
Onlookers, unaware of the backstory, saw a woman kneeling before a man, sobbing uncontrollably and kowtowing desperately.
People often sympathize with the weak, especially when faced with someone as pitiful as Chen Shuyun—missing an arm and appearing so wretched. Even though Jian Minghui stood next to Mu Jin, whispers and gestures of disapproval toward him began to ripple through the crowd.
Yet, Jian Minghui remained unmoved. He had never been a forgiving person, nor did he care about the opinions of others.
Why should he be magnanimous? Why should he forgive a woman who had hurt him so deeply, who had tried to kill him time and again? None of these people had endured the suffering, humiliation, or helplessness that he had. They had no right to judge him.
While Jian Minghui stayed silent, Mu Jin couldn’t bear to see the man he loved so dearly being misunderstood.
Watching Jian Mingyuan repeatedly try to help Chen Shuyun up, only to be shoved away each time, Mu Jin smirked coldly, his tone laced with disdain.
“Now you come to apologize? Don’t you think it’s a bit too late?”
“When Minghui was just a child, did you ever consider that he was innocent and helpless? When you starved him and beat him relentlessly, did you ever think that he had done nothing wrong?”
“Everything you did was just an excuse to justify your own malice. Before the apocalypse, how many opportunities did you have to prove that Minghui wasn’t Jian Zhengqing’s child?”
“There were countless scientific methods at your disposal, weren’t there? But you did nothing because you didn’t care whether or not Minghui was really Jian Zhengqing’s son.
“What you cared about was Jian Zhengqing’s attitude. He gave Minghui a name, a place in the family, and a claim to inherit wealth. That’s what you couldn’t tolerate. Because Jian Zhengqing valued Minghui so much, you saw him as a threat to your interests and treated him as an enemy.
“If you had even a shred of kindness in your heart back then, you wouldn’t have done what you did during the apocalypse. You wouldn’t have fed an entire squad of people zombie meat.
“Even though ability users have some resistance to the zombie virus, they aren’t completely immune. Your actions could have gotten every single one of us killed.”
Mu Jin’s words stripped away Chen Shuyun’s last layer of dignity without mercy. Her face turned red and pale in quick succession, and she momentarily forgot to cry or act out.
The crowd, now aware of the truth, was stunned. They hadn’t expected the woman to be so cruel—not only harming a defenseless child in the past but also attempting to kill her companions for selfish reasons in the apocalypse.
They believed she deserved death for her actions. The fact that she was still alive was a mercy in itself.