Chapter 25 – Captain

Xiang Renxi glanced at the person standing behind Ye Lanzhou.

Luo Huai, the captain of one of the field squads, and one of the longest members of the base alongside Ye Lanzhou and Xiang Renxi.

Despite being a bit impulsive, he’s known for his strong sense of loyalty.

Back when the base was newly established, when some of the new members were disrespectful to Xiang Renxi, Luo Huai happened to overhear their gossip. He immediately dragged them to the training ground to teach them a stern lesson.

Although the new member eventually became convinced of Xiang Renxi’s capabilities, Luo Huai’s protectiveness was also well-known.

During occasional decision-making errors, Luo Huai was always the first to stand up and support Ye Lanzhou and Xiang Renxi, helping to appease the other members of the base.

It could even be said that his sense of loyalty was a tad unreasonable—

Ye Lanzhou and Xiang Renxi could do no wrong. Even if they made a mistake, the primary cause had to be someone else, and no one else could have done a better job in their positions.

When the rumours about Chu Chenli being a burden were spreading in the base, Luo Huai often cursed about how Chu Chenli had implicated Ye Lanzhou.

Later, when Chu Chenli woke up and Xiang Renxi showed some displeasure, Luo Huai felt that Xiang Renxi was already being very patient. If it were him, he would have at least given Chu Chenli a harsh scolding, telling him to have some self-awareness and stop holding Ye Lanzhou back and hindering the base’s important developments.

Yet, this “tolerant” teammate was now also subconsciously avoiding Xiang Renxi’s gaze.

There were many people like him, but without exception, disappointment was painted on all of their faces.

Only the newcomers were still unaware of what had happened. Faced with this deathly silence, they too instinctively fell silent, looking at Xiang Renxi in the centre with confused expressions.

Someone wanted to call out “Lieutenant Xiang” to ask what was happening but was pulled back by another who already knew the situation, shaking their head.

Even if Ye Lanzhou had been slow to realise, he should have noticed something was wrong by now.

He glanced at Xiang Renxi and then at the trembling Xiao Bai. He said, “Renxi, you should go back and rest. You’ve been too exhausted these past few days. Xiao Bai, come with me.”

After saying that, Ye Lanzhou turned to leave.

Xiao Bai hesitated, glanced fearfully at Xiang Renxi, and seeing that he had no intention of suddenly lunging at him again, he quickly lowered his head and followed behind Ye Lanzhou.

The others instinctively made way for them.

Xiang Renxi took a couple of steps forward, causing the others to step back even further, as if unwilling to be near him.

But everyone remained silent.

Xiang Renxi felt a deep sense of unease, as if his heart were hanging in the air without finding solid ground. But as his rationality returned, he knew he wouldn’t get any answers here and couldn’t ask for them. He forced himself to calm down, steadied his expression, and walked towards the dormitory.

Luo Huai suddenly spoke from behind him, “If it weren’t for Captain Ye, you’d be no different from us or those who have died.”

Among those who had died in the past, many were stronger or smarter than Xiang Renxi. They were simply unlucky or too soft, most of them had sacrificed themselves to save others.

They didn’t possess Ye Lanzhou’s absolute strength, nor did they have Xiang Renxi’s decisiveness and luck.

“I thought we were comrades,” Luo Huai continued, “not pawns in your power play.”

Xiang Renxi’s paled even more.

They’ve heard and seen everything.

In the past, many teammates had sacrificed themselves. Some cases were genuinely due to accidents and medical help that arrived too late, but many were abandoned because rescuing them may have cost more lives.

A very small number were “eliminated.”

These were people who had voiced dissatisfaction with Ye Lanzhou or Xiang Renxi, threatening to take their place.

Many of them were only speaking out of frustration, they still were actively participating in missions, and never betrayed their teammates. They were, in fact, essential to the team.

Yet many of them died due to “accidents” among mutants.

Previously, others in the base believed these were unavoidable accidents. Even if their friends or family members were the ones abandoned, they could understand it, feeling only sadness and grief without resentment or thoughts of revenge.

This was because they deeply trusted Ye Lanzhou and Xiang Renxi, believing their decisions were always to protect more people.

And often, they expressed more regret and pain than the person making the decision.

However, being rational was one thing, but emotions were another.

Especially after hearing firsthand how those who made the decisions coldly stated that the deaths were justified, that sacrifice was the fate of the weak, who shouldn’t block the path of the living…

Xiang Renxi had never truly felt sorrow for those who sacrificed themselves. His first reaction was always about maximising benefits.

Even death was just a bargaining chip for him.

The matter of dealing with Chu Chenli was not Xiang Renxi’s first time.

Luo Huai didn’t like Chu Chenli and wished he would die sooner. But after Chu Chenli woke up, no matter how much he disliked him, he only wanted to run up and scold him for his lack of self-awareness. He never thought of really sending him to his death.

Many others shared the same view.

One of the few unspoken rules among the surviving humans was “never easily harm your kind.”

If they weren’t traitors or hadn’t harmed anyone, they were to be protected.

No matter how much you dislike someone, you can’t take their life.

Xiang Renxi had broken this rule more than once. Among those present were people whose friends and family had been “abandoned” and “eliminated.” They had found it suspicious but never dared to suspect Xiang Renxi.

Who could have imagined he would one day openly declare it in front of everyone?

Some felt there was something odd about his abrupt behaviour, but the seed of doubt had already been planted, and trust had instantly collapsed.

Xiang Renxi quickened his pace, passing through the crowd.

No one greeted him this time. When he reached the dormitory building, someone who had just returned from duty yawned, saw Xiang Renxi, and greeted, “Good evening, Lieutenant Xiang.”

But it wouldn’t be long before even this person, once so respectful, would also avoid him.

The most painful part for Xiang Renxi was that he couldn’t even remember what he had done.

Even if he wanted to make amends, he didn’t know where to start.

And some actions, once taken, were irreversible.

So, all he could do was follow Ye Lanzhou’s advice—

To go back and rest.

–

The level below, in the medical department.

Ye Lanzhou brought Xiao Bai to see Dr Du.

Dr Du was doing his rounds. When he saw Ye Lanzhou, he frowned, then led them back to his office. Seeing Xiao Bai behind Ye Lanzhou, his frown deepened, “How did this happen?”

Ye Lanzhou pulled out a chair from the corner, pressed his temples, and said, “Check on him first.”

The red marks on Xiao Bai’s neck didn’t look too severe, but they hadn’t faded at all. With a light touch from Dr Du, Xiao Bai couldn’t help but flinch and let out a gasp in pain.

Ye Lanzhou didn’t want to explain, so Dr Du began searching for ointment to apply on Xiao Bai’s neck.

“Apply this three times a day, rub the spot for five to ten minutes each time. If it doesn’t improve in three days, come back to me.”

Xiao Bai nodded tearfully.

He nodded so vigorously that he winced in pain again, tears flowing even more.

Ye Lanzhou wanted to ask him about the situation, but with Dr Du standing nearby and Xiao Bai looking too pitiful to speak, he couldn’t bring himself to question him in front of the doctor.

After sitting uncomfortably for a couple of minutes, while Xiao Bai’s ointment was being applied, Ye Lanzhou stood up.

“I still need to check on the lab,” Ye Lanzhou said. “Dr Du, I’ll leave Xiao Bai in your care.”

Dr Du glanced at him and nodded.

As Ye Lanzhou was about to open the door, he stopped and instructed Xiao Bai, “You were frightened today. Rest well, and I’ll check on you tomorrow. And for now…don’t mention this to anyone, okay?”

Xiao Bai quickly nodded.

Ye Lanzhou didn’t press further, knowing that rumours would spread regardless.

Not long after he left, Dr Du heard about the incident from a nurse outside, feeling a sudden jolt of realisation.

Others might not be sensitive to it and could dismiss it as Xiang Renxi’s impulsiveness, but Dr Du, with his experience, could tell that Xiang Renxi had genuinely intended to strangle Xiao Bai. The finger marks on his neck even had remnants of faint burn marks.

These were traces of Xiang Renxi’s abilities.

Dr Du asked Xiao Bai what had happened.

Xiao Bai didn’t intend to hide anything from Dr Du, but he still looked puzzled.

“I don’t know. I was going back to the dorm to get something, and on my way back, I greeted Lieutenant Xiang. But then he suddenly—”

Xiao Bai’s eyes widened, and he instinctively covered his mouth.

Realising something, his face turned even paler.

Dr Du glanced outside the door—no one was there—then turned back and looked at Xiao Bai, asking, “Was it because of your ability?”

Xiao Bai instinctively replied, “How did you know?”

With a hoarse voice, he immediately realised he had said something wrong and looked embarrassed.

But Dr Du wasn’t guessing. He took out a stack of documents from a locked drawer and spread them on the table, signalling Xiao Bai to look.

“You’re one of only two people with a zero as their awakening value, the other being Chu Chenli.”

This was an unprecedented value.

Due to Chu Chenli’s poor health metrics and the rumours in the base, it was assumed that he had no special traits ten years ago and merely saved Ye Lanzhou by chance.

But Xiao Bai was different.

Before coming to the Southern base, his whereabouts were traceable. He had faced mutants on the frontlines and couldn’t have been out of sync with the era.

Moreover, in the last routine report from the previous base he was in, Xiao Bai’s awakening factor was over thirty, a normal value for an ordinary person.

“Additionally, during the lab explosion, there was an overlooked report—”

Dr Du handed the report over to Xiao Bai.

Near the ruins of the training ground’s outer wall, there were ashes of wolf-type mutants with traces of burn marks.

Generally, mutants turn into ash when killed by awakened individuals, but strong ability users leave traces.

Fire types leave burn marks, ice types leave ice crystals.

Ye Lanzhou’s lightning attribute could leave minor burn marks, though not as pronounced as fire types.

However, during the explosion, Ye Lanzhou was in the lab.

Theoretically, only three people were at the training ground.

Huang Shuyin definitely didn’t have this attribute.

Dr Du gave Xiao Bai a probing look.

Xiao Bai quickly shook his head, “It can’t be me! I was knocked out!”

—That leaves only Chu Chenli.

Caught off guard again.

Xiao Bai lowered his head in frustration.

“This report was taken by Lieutenant Xiang earlier. I only found it today when the technical department sent backup materials.” Doctor Du continued, “Honestly, if it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have considered this possibility.”

The first to suggest that a “0” might mean full potential was Xiang Renxi.

“Then I came across this report,” Dr. Du continued, pulling out Xiao Bai’s awakening factor test results.

It was also zero.

“But all other physical metrics are virtually unchanged.” Dr. Du appeared thoughtful. “I started thinking…could zero mean a different kind of ability mutation?”

It might not be an absolute value.

It could represent a completely different awakening system.

Using the usual testing methods would yield no results.

Moreover, Dr. Du had noticed Xiao Bai’s unusual behaviour these past few days— he was consciously avoiding crowds.

“A crowd-related ability?” Dr. Du’s thought process, once triggered, narrowed down precisely. “An uncontrollable ability around people? Hunger? Vampire tendencies? No, you’re normal around Chu Chenli. Is it telepathy? Mind reading? Memory?”

Xiao Bai’s face betrayed his inner thoughts of fright.

This indicated Dr. Du was correct.

It was a telepathic ability.

Before leaving, Chu Chenli had explained his ability to Xiao Bai. He had a friend with a similar ability, who also had similar pre-awakening symptoms, so he had some understanding and shared this knowledge with Xiao Bai, filling in some blanks.

It started with passive thought reception, followed by thought linkage, conversation, transmission, and eventually mind control.

How far the ability could develop depended on Xiao Bai’s own talent.

Currently, he could only passively receive others’ thoughts. But facing Xiang Renxi earlier, he had unintentionally felt the malice and murderous intent in his mind, along with some fragmented memories.

Surprise, fear, dread, anger…

Amidst the heavy emotions, he somehow, perhaps…might have linked up Xiang Renxi’s thoughts to the rest.

Thus, everyone directly felt the dark side of Xiang Renxi’s mind.

From another perspective, Xiang Renxi’s sudden loss of control might partly be Xiao Bai’s responsibility.

It was obvious that such a dangerous ability would make people avoid him. They might even deem him a target for “elimination.”

Xiao Bai started to feel a sense of panic, casting an uneasy gaze at Dr Du.

“Rest assured, these reports won’t appear in front of anyone else.” Dr Du threw the stack of reports into the shredder in front of Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai sat upright, nervously watching Dr Du.

Dr. Du’s willingness to keep his secret undoubtedly came with a price.

“But,” Dr Du said, “Since Chu Chenli is gone, you’ll stay and cooperate with my research— don’t worry, it’s just some blood, urine, and a few strands of hair, nothing much.”

As long as he wasn’t dissected, it was fine.

Xiao Bai breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Dr Du was being genuine, his mind cleared.

[A promising direction indeed. If normal people with weak constitutions can awaken such abilities, perhaps more can survive!]

As for Xiang Renxi, no one was thinking about his future for now.

—

Meanwhile, on a highway, dozens of kilometres from the Southern base.

He Ziyue was driving while dealing with questions thrown to her— mainly by Chu Chenli.

Unlike Chu Chenli, the three of them had woken up from a pile of rubble.

They didn’t know whether to consider themselves unlucky or fortunate. For the first three days, their bodies were so stiff they could barely move, only able to move their eyes and observe their limited surroundings. At least they didn’t starve to death.

From the third day on, they gradually regained the ability to move their limbs and began to walk around, with their abilities slowly returning as well.

Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any mutants during this time.

He Ziyue had once thought the world had been completely destroyed until Hua Jin found them.

He Ziyue and Hua Jin were among the few who knew each other before entering the game. However, their interaction was limited only to He Ziyue attending a competition at Hua Jin’s school, where they met briefly.

Their schools were at opposite ends of the same city.

This slight “from the same hometown” bond was one reason they initially formed an alliance together.

They happened to hear that before entering the game, both had been stuck at their respective schools.

After returning to reality from the game, their schools had turned into ruins. Hua Jin had come to look for He Ziyue, and he was lucky enough to find her.

On the fourth day, they found Mu Yanshen….well, a part of him at least.

He Ziyue couldn’t help but slap the steering wheel in annoyance, “Do you know how troublesome this guy is! He split himself into eighteen pieces! If it were anyone else, they would have left him to fend for himself! Only someone as kind-hearted as me and Da Hua would help gather his pieces, or we would have found you sooner!”

Mu Yanshen narrowed his eyes.

He Ziyue ignored his warning look, knowing that with Chu Chenli around, Mu Yanshen wouldn’t dare retaliate.

Chu Chenli turned to look at Mu Yanshen. “Eighteen pieces?”

Mu Yanshen hummed a couple of times, then softened, showing a very aggrieved expression. “It only delayed us by three days.”

Chu Chenli squinted his eyes, reached out, and pinched Mu Yanshen’s cheek.

It felt smooth and delicate, most importantly, intact.

Before Chu Chenli could lift his clothes, Mu Yanshen hugged him tightly, burying his head in his shoulder to stop him.

“Surviving is what matters,” Mu Yanshen whispered in his ear.

Chu Chenli paused, unable to utter a word of reproach.

At the moment when the door of the game world closed, he was genuinely prepared to die. Mu Yanshen taking him away through unconventional means must have come at a cost.

He knew all this.

Moreover, Mu Yanshen was now sitting in front of him, whole, with no missing limbs, and a cheeky grin.

But thinking about the possible “cost,” Chu Chenli felt a pang of pain in his heart.

“Don’t do this again,” Chu Chenli softened his tone, pinching Mu Yanshen’s cheek again.

A red mark instantly appeared on his fair face.

Mu Yanshen yelped twice, who knows if it’s in pain or in response.

Up front, Hua Jin averted his gaze, unable to watch any longer.

He Ziyue who was good at ruining the atmosphere: “Can you stop being lovey-dovey for a bit? I haven’t finished talking!”

Chu Chenli peeled Mu Yanshen off him, letting out a hum in response: “Go on.”

He Ziyue: “…”

He Ziyue: “So, including both day and night, we woke up only three or four days before you.”

After reassembling Mu Yanshen, they rushed to the Southern base.

Chu Chenli was the only team member they knew the whereabouts of at the time.

Because beside Chu Chenli was a telepath, the only one in the world so far. With the blessing of this ability, even over long distances, Mu Yanshen could control and link directly.

Of course, there were limits.

Otherwise, he would have long taken Chu Chenli and escaped.

But after knowing the situation at the base, it was much easier to find him.

The three found several cars and headed south, encountered waves of mutants, went several wrong directions, and having the car breakdown, among some other troubles, they finally arrived here.

Just two days before arriving at the Southern base, He Ziyue finally found a place with an internet connection.

This was her expertise. The digital world was her domain. As her abilities gradually returned, she could easily gather data even without computers or phones.

He Ziyue managed to gain information about some of their teammates.

“The first I found was the doctor. But do you know where he is?! Senior Supervisor at the Central First Institute of Biomedical Research!”

He Ziyue was quite indignant, slapping the steering wheel again.

Hua Jin, next to her, turned pale and shouted, “Look at the road when you drive!”

He Ziyue, feeling wronged, responded with an “Oh,” and moved the wheel back to its proper position, and continued, “He’s even started working again. Two days ago, he uploaded a new paper on the internal website… Anyway, no need to worry about him, he’s alive and kicking.”

She wasn’t complaining that he didn’t look for them, knowing it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

But thinking about being “left for dead” in the wild with the risk of being eaten to bones, while he might be enjoying luxury, she couldn’t help but feel…a bit bitter.

Still, he was a high-level elite from the start, even before he got sucked into the infinite game world. They were just commoners who had no right to be envious.

Despite minor jealousy, every additional surviving teammate brought more joy and relief.

As long as they were alive, there would always be a chance to reunite.

“April is still missing. Her organisation might have removed her long ago. No updates could be possible…The captain—”

He Ziyue pouted, unwillingly saying, “He must be alive, but the data security level is too high for me to access right now.”

Thus, she didn’t know the captain’s whereabouts.

Mu Yanshen leaned on Chu Chenli’s shoulder, glanced at her, then closed his eyes, he seemed to be too tired and fell asleep.

Their next mission was to rescue another teammate.

Fang Xiyu, from a rural southern family, had ancestors who were blacksmiths. His family struggled, so he left school early to work in an auto repair shop for five or six years.

After the disaster, this skill became invaluable.

Initially, he focused on repairing cars. Later, when dragged into the infinite game world, his teammates discovered he was a mechanical genius.

Not just cars, as long as the materials were available and conditions possible, he could craft anything, even Gundams.

Most of their weapons and equipment were his creations.

Of course, He Ziyue didn’t find him out of selfish desire to get a better car. It was really just a coincidence that she only found him, a teammate with a clear location who needed to be rescued—

Fang Xiyu’s name was listed in the records of the Research Lab at Yingchen Base, with detailed identity and life records, including at least three years of experimental notes.

Their latest record showed Fang Xiyu was still unconscious.

A heavy feeling settled in their hearts.

Regardless, they couldn’t leave their teammate behind—alive or…

He Ziyue stepped even harder on the accelerator, her lips pressed together in silence.

–

At dawn.

In the top floor ward of the Medical Department, Southern Base.

Ye Lanzhou stared blankly at the empty ward.

The bed was neatly made, only the window slightly ajar, the wind causing the old curtain to sway gently.

It was as if no one had ever stayed there.

Dr Du, passing by after his rounds, glanced in, then greeted Ye Lanzhou, “Commander Ye.”

Ye Lanzhou snapped back, grabbing Dr Du’s hand anxiously. “Where’s Ah Li?”

He even began to doubt if he even remembered the location of the room correctly.

After the accident at the medical building, Ye Lanzhou had only taken a distant glance at the door of the new ward.

“You’re asking about Chu Chenli?” Dr Du asked, “He left.”

Ye Lanzhou was stunned. “Left? What do you mean by left?”

Dr Du looked at him strangely. “He left the base, what else could it mean?”

Ye Lanzhou’s face stiffened. He stared at Dr Du, searching for any hint of a joke.

But there was none.

“When?” Ye Lanzhou squeezed the words out through clenched teeth.

“In the afternoon or evening, yesterday, probably? He said a friend was coming to pick him up. I was busy with a surgery at the time, so I didn’t get to see him. When I returned in the evening, he was already gone.”

“What,” Dr Du noticed Ye Lanzhou’s odd expression and asked, “Didn’t he tell you?”

Dr Du’s face showed genuine surprise.

Chu Chenli had indeed told him about his departure.

The reason was simple: he didn’t want to stay and continue making things difficult for Ye Lanzhou.

Dr Du guessed that Chu Chenli was referring to the issue with Xiang Renxi, fearing that Ye Lanzhou would be caught in the middle, so he decided to leave with his friend.

Although Dr Du felt like it was a pity to let such a valuable research subject leave, he knew Chu Chenli wouldn’t have an easy time at the Southern base.

After all, Xiang Renxi genuinely hated him.

Until last night, Dr Du believed Xiang Renxi’s authority was unshakable.

Rather than having both sides suffer and disrupt the atmosphere of the base, separation wasn’t a bad option.

Dr Du didn’t ask where Chu Chenli was going. With Xiao Bai’s special ability, Chu Chenli likely had his own unique means too.

Dr Du wasn’t interested in getting involved in these complicated love-hate relationships and didn’t publicise Chu Chenli’s departure.

Few in the base would miss Chu Chenli.

But he never expected that Chu Chenli would leave without informing Ye Lanzhou—

The person who should have been the most important to him.

Dr Du’s astonishment pierced Ye Lanzhou.

That expression made him feel inexplicably embarrassed, and for a moment, he wanted to turn and run.

But the many questions in his heart that couldn’t be suppressed.

Chu Chenli left? When exactly did he leave? Why did he leave, and where could he go?

Didn’t he know the outside world was in ruins? Besides the Southern base, where could he go?

What if he ended up at a place like Yingchen Base and got captured again?

How could he survive alone outside?

Who else but Ye Lanzhou could protect him now?

Why would he tell Dr Du about this but leave without saying goodbye to him?

–

Ye Lanzhou seemed to forget that it was he who had once complained about Chu Chenli being a burden, who had left him alone and always used “being busy” as an excuse not to visit.

Even if Chu Chenli had wanted to say goodbye, it would have been hard to see Ye Lanzhou in person.

In the end, it seemed Ye Lanzhou really didn’t care that much about Chu Chenli.

And coincidentally, Chu Chenli felt the same now.

Ye Lanzhou’s thoughts were in turmoil as he descended the stairs, emotions reaching a peak of confusion.

A squad captain on duty at the door ran over hastily, his eyes lighting up upon seeing Ye Lanzhou, and he quickly reported the situation.

“Commander Ye! Two people claiming to be from the Central Base have arrived at the gate. Should we let them in?”

The squad leader handed over a letter.

The seal on the letter was the token from their previous agreements with the Central Base.

Ye Lanzhou composed himself slightly, though his voice still revealed his fatigue. “Let them in, invite them to the reception room, and I’ll be there shortly.”

The squad leader scratched his head and said, somewhat awkwardly, “But they said they need to see Chu Chenli first.”