translator: xiin

editors: apricot & juurensha

Xiao Sa parked the car a mere ten meters away from the other group, slowly opening the window and raising his eyebrows slightly as though he hadn't noticed the tension in the air. He spoke calmly, "We've just come from Phoenix Mountain. Which base do you guys belong to?"

The more relaxed he was as he spoke, the tenser the other party's bodies became. The young man who had just spoken smiled as he came forward, his gaze unreadable as he assessed them, "Brother, you shouldn’t boast. At least think a little before you speak. Who doesn't know that there was a raging inferno on Phoenix Mountain? There isn't a single inch of grass left within a hundred miles. Did you guys really come from there? You aren't deceiving us, right? With just the two of you…"

His obviously doubtful tone made it seem as though he half believed them, and didn't elicit their immediate displeasure. His intonation was lightly joking, and every expression and word was delivered perfectly.

Bai Jing gave him a bland smile, and his voice tapered off as he spoke. This fellow was still a little too inexperienced with his obvious suspicion and probing questions, but with his enthusiastic baby face, it really invited others to relax their vigilance.

“What do you want to know?” Bai Jing’s eyebrows flicked upwards. His cool voice was extremely arrogant and carried traces of condescending scorn. Other than when he faced Xiao Sa, his temperament was as haughty as ever.

Xiao Sa massaged his forehead, his gaze full of indulgence and helplessness. He didn’t care if Little Jing helped him by drawing all hateful attention to himself, but if possible, he still hoped to avoid trouble. To tell the truth, he actually appreciated the mercenaries in front of him, and he didn’t feel any antagonism towards them. After the apocalypse, the strong preyed on the weak, and the people in front of them were strangers they'd never met before. Only those who had a problem with their heads would ignore a fat sheep if they encountered one, and if the people they had chosen to target hadn't been him and Little Jing, Xiao Sa felt that he would've been happy to watch the excitement.

The expression of the person who had come over changed. Bai Jing's disdainful attitude made him feel embarrassed, and his smile almost froze on his face. A moment later, reason overcame his emotions, and he flashed a bright, flawless smile, "Hey, hey, you guys could tell? Relax! I don't have any bad intentions and was only worried when I saw that the two of you were alone. Where are you headed? Do you not have any companions? Do you want to come with us? We're part of the Cheetah Mercenary Corps based in K City Base. My name is Li Xiang."

Bai Jing pouted and didn't reply. Li Xiang’s words sounded good, but in fact, didn't he just want to keep a close watch on them and conveniently try to dig up more information? If they seemed easy to bully, this group would rob them, and if they couldn't be provoked, they'd become friends with them. This left them with room to advance or retreat.

“Alright!” Xiao Sa nodded and agreed. There was no such thing as permanent enemies or friends. Since he and Little Jing were newcomers,they weren't familiar with the land and didn't understand the distribution of rights in K City's base. Instead of going in alone, it was better to follow the mercenaries. And as for any ill intentions they might have, he didn’t take it seriously at all. In the face of absolute power, he believed that if the Cheetah Mercenaries were as cautious as they appeared, they would know what was the best route for them to take.

Li Xiang was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Xiao Sa to agree so quickly and hurriedly shouted happily towards the mercenaries behind him, loudly expressing his welcome.

Bai Jing looked on coldly and disdained it all. Li Xiang’s body was stiff, and his eyes showed that he was clearly on guard - this wasn't in line with the cheerful expression on his face at all. It was clearly fake!

“Brother Sa-" They had just intended to continue driving forward when an excited voice sounded out from the distance. Xiao Sa was a little stunned as he looked up; he hadn't expected to meet any acquaintances here.

A young man stumbled out of the crowd, incredibly excited as he fixed his eyes on Xiao Sa who was still in the car. He appeared to find it unbelievable, but at the same time he seemed to be confirming something.

“It’s you? Wu Guoan!” Xiao Sa hesitated for a moment, then accurately named the youth. No emotions could be heard from his cold voice, and it was just like a bucket of icy water had been dumped over Wu Guoan, chilling his body and heart.

“Brother Sa!” Wu Guoan was stunned. His body stiffened, and his original embarrassed expression became even paler. He stood there in the rain, looking slightly bewildered, and seemed ashamed and embarrassed. He recalled the events of the past, and he became silent. In front of Xiao Sa's cold gaze, all the words he wanted to say caught in his throat.

Seeing how stiff the atmosphere had become, Li Xiang hurried forward to mediate and spoke with a smile, "So you guys know each other. In that case, it's perfect that we join forces. Being able to meet again and get together during these tough times is also fate. Let's go, let's go, let me introduce you to the members of the Cheetah Mercenary Corps."

Xiao Sa nodded indifferently without any intention of getting out of the car. Li Xiang noticed the situation and didn't say much, hiding the discontent he felt, and invited their team to come forward and introduce themselves one by one.

After that, Bai Jing generously opened the car door and brought out two boxes of instant noodles, several packs of biscuits, and several cans from the back compartment, “No need to be polite – pad your stomachs first. We’re new here and aren't familiar with the nearby situation. Later, can you guys share a bit about what's been happening around here recently?"

The mercenaries were red-eyed with greed when they saw the food, especially the vicious and unrestrained members of the team. If their captain hadn't kept them in line, they probably would've rushed forward to try and kill the newcomers to snatch up their supplies.

Xiao Sa felt rather helpless. Little Jing was clearly insisting on testing the dark side of these people’s hearts, and as if the temptation to rob them wasn't great enough already, he had set this up, stopping just short of writing the words 'I am very wealthy' in capital letters on his forehead.

Bai Jing smiled shallowly and said nothing more, a glimpse of cunning flashing through his eyes. He was indeed testing people's hearts; they were currently separated from Zhang Qiucheng and the others. He and Xiao Sa were just two individuals right now, and the waters in the Capital were very deep. They would be better prepared if he could find more helpers to join them - he couldn't give others the opportunity to laugh at them for being as mute as cicadas in cold weather. At the very least, they had to ensure that the Zhou Family would not look down on their momentum.

It was still raining. After distributing the food, Bai Jing smiled and suggested, "Let's find a place to rest. On a rainy day like this, you guys will just be exhausting yourselves for no reason."

Li Xun smiled bitterly, and his composed, wise face showed a touch of the vicissitudes of life, "The world isn't peaceful now, and we have no choice. If we have supplies on hand, who would want to come out to get drenched during a rainy day? We don't even have medicine in case we get sick. I'm also distressed for my team members." Li Xun was the deputy head for the Cheetah Mercenary Corps and the leader of this group.

His words were very touching, and after he spoke, a silence ensued as the group of saddened mercenaries revealed slightly reddened eyes. Some of their expressions turned fierce, their eyes dark as they turned to stare at Bai Jing and Xiao Sa's car. Their thoughts were evident.

They watched coolly as Li Xun suppressed his team member's foolish desires. His actions appeared thoughtless, but there were traces and hints everywhere.

Bai Jing smiled slightly and raised his eyebrows casually. Was Li Xun trying to play the affection card? Showing weakness? Making a demonstration? Or was he trying to use both hard and soft approaches?

Li Xun was obviously doing it deliberately for them to see! Not only was he showing them his authority in the mercenary corps, he was also provoking them in subtly malicious ways and then attempting to use absolute strength as a deterrent. This plan was executed well! If they had been ordinary ability users, they might have been frightened or grateful; being able to find a good person amongst a group of ill-intentioned strangers was an easy way to build up goodwill.

Bai Jing continued to smile and nodded towards Li Xun, giving him a look of approval before motioning for Xiao Sa to continue driving and find a place to rest. He merely left them with two words, "Keep up."

All everyone heard was the growl of the throttle, before the Hummer surged forward, splashing mud in its wake and leaving them with the view of the back of the vehicle as it drove off.

It was impossible to tell whether it was rain or mud on their bodies. Li Xun was angered to death, his expression as black as the bottom of a burned pot. Nobody had ever ignored him this thoroughly, rendering all his schemes and preparations useless. It felt like punching and hitting cotton.

“Elder brother!” Li Xiang called out weakly, reminding his elder brother that Bai Jing's car had already driven into the distance.

Li Xun's self-control was very good. He managed to wipe all expression from his face in a moment, as though his anger from before had been merely an illusion. He gave Wu Guoan a deep look, then turned and headed towards a large truck parked nearby. “Follow them.”

The drizzle continued throughout the night and didn't seem like it would stop. Inside a large villa by the road, a campfire flickered brightly. The closets, desks, and anything that could be taken apart had all been dismantled as there was no firewood to be had on a rainy day like this. The mercenaries sat together in a group and enjoyed the rare tranquillity of the night.

Wu Guoan had told them all about Xiao Sa's origins long ago. How could the bitterness and sourness he felt in his mouth not be dispersed and shared? Anyone with clear eyes could see that Xiao Sa had been living well and was very powerful. When he recalled the disputes, exile, and hunger that occurred after the apocalypse, who could he blame? Back then, he had been one of those who had chosen to turn their backs, and even if it wasn't his intention, betrayal was betrayal. They had chosen to follow Brother Qiang, and he had never been one to leave things up to chance. Who could've known that the apocalypse would erupt so quickly, without any warning or any time to prepare? After that, it was all about escaping. Thinking back in detail, perhaps Xiao Sa had been so willing to give up on the main house because he had already known what was to happen.

No matter what Wu Guoan thought, Li Xun did not express any opinions on these things. No matter what had occurred before the apocalypse, during the end of the world, strength was now the absolute truth. He was just a little depressed at the moment because he couldn't determine what kind of attitude he should adopt towards these two newcomers. He originally wanted to have a proper talk with them, but…

Li Xun's expression was dark as he cursed internally. Damn it, who could tell him when the two men would wake up? Were they fearless or overconfident? Li Xun had to reluctantly admit that the former was probably more likely.

After arriving at the villa, Bai Jing ordered Xiao Sa to rest. He had driven for a good few days, and even though Xiao Sa said he was not tired, Bai Jing felt distressed just from looking at him. Even if matters cropped up that were as big as the sky, they could wait until he'd woken up before they discussed it again. Bai Jing simply arranged a few traps and left Li Xun with a sentence, "Wait for us outside," before dragging Xiao Sa with him into a deep sleep. It wasn't because he was confident of the mercenaries outside, but because he was confident of his own strength. After being tempered by the apocalypse, let alone if anyone wanted to misbehave; he could awaken immediately with the slightest shift of the wind or grass. He wasn't afraid of this group of mercenaries suddenly turning against them and acting out.

Bai Jing’s intuition was very accurate, and the two of them slept peacefully until it was dark. Li Xun's stomach burned from his repressed anger, but after reviewing the situation, he decided to wait and see since things were still uncertain. Based on Wu Guoan's stories, he knew that the two were tough characters to deal with. Since they now had bread and cans of food, given that they had enough to eat and hadn't grasped the other party's details, it didn't matter whether or not they gave Wu Guoan face. Even if the other party had purposely displayed their strength upon joining them, he still felt that it was better to become friends with them.

After Bai Jing and Xiao Sa woke up, they immediately obtained the right to speak up in the team and took over important positions as a matter of course, temporarily taking it over. Wu Guoan's contribution to this couldn't be left unrecognised, but the precise situation would need to be determined after they returned to the base and met with the Cheetah Mercenary Regiment's leader. Regardless, this team wasn't made of iron, and there was a saying that whoever had milk was the mother; Xiao Sa and Bai Jing were powerful, and their supplies were abundant. The mercenaries couldn't find any reason to refuse.

The next morning, dawn arrived, and the group began their journey back to the base. During the journey, Wu Guoan put on a long face and was very attentive; Xiao Sa finally managed to learn that after he left the main house back then, the remaining people had lived proudly for a while. Since they had enough firepower, they had built a base after the apocalypse, but their good times didn't last. Several factions had united together to deal with Xiao Sa, but they very naturally began to revert back to seizing resources and doing their own thing after he was gone. They had misjudged how horrible the zombies could be and miscalculated what the government would do. One step wrong led to many more, and all that awaited them was their demise…