Chapter Forty-Nine: The First Mission at the Farmstead

Chapter Forty-Nine

Six people climbed into the van that Mo Chen had modified, heading toward the location of their mission. Just before boarding, Mei had intended to sit in the passenger seat, but Mo Chen shooed her into the back to catch up on sleep.

“Are you two going to end up fighting?” Mei asked anxiously, glancing at Mo Chen in the driver’s seat and Ye Jingxuan beside him. Lately, these two seemed oddly at odds, despite having gotten along well in the past.

“Just get some rest. We won’t fight,” Mo Chen replied irritably. Silly girl—didn’t she realize he was doing this for her sake? If he weren’t afraid Ye Jingxuan might bully her, he wouldn’t have clashed with him at all. She was smart, but somehow completely oblivious. Didn’t she notice the way Ye Jingxuan looked at her? That possessive gaze had nothing to do with love. For someone with no sense of propriety, who knew what might happen if he wasn’t watched closely?

Little Mei was his childhood friend; he wasn’t about to let anyone else have her. Mo Chen didn’t realize that his own possessiveness toward Mei was every bit as intense as Ye Jingxuan’s.

Mei retreated into the back of the van, stretched out on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” An Ziyou, sitting nearby, asked, concerned.

“Mmm. Will you keep me company, Ziyou?” Yesterday’s shock had sped up the fusion of her memories. Every time she closed her eyes, fragments of this body’s past surfaced unbidden, some even triggering her own memories and leaving her all the more restless.

“What should we talk about?” An Ziyou perched on the edge of the bed, tucking the blanket around her.

“Anything at all. Listening to your voice calms me down—maybe I’ll finally fall asleep,” Mei replied, yawning. This feeling of wanting sleep but being unable to get it was truly miserable.

“My voice is so dull it puts you to sleep?” An Ziyou feigned annoyance at being treated as a lullaby, though he knew she meant nothing by it.

“How could it be? Ziyou’s voice is the most beautiful I’ve ever heard. I love hearing you speak!” Mei declared, eyes wide with sincerity.

“No way!” An Ziyou laughed at her exaggeration, gently patting her head and signaling her to close her eyes.

“It really is wonderful. Haven’t lots of people said your voice is unique, seductive, and deeply moving? The first time I heard you sing, I remembered your voice, so I recognized you later. I’m glad I did—otherwise we might have missed our chance,” Mei recalled their first meeting, her tone full of gratitude.

“Yes, I’m glad too,” An Ziyou echoed, deeply relieved. They’d nearly missed each other; he couldn’t imagine what his future would have been like without her.

“Your voice is the greatest gift heaven has given you. Some things can be learned with time, but others can’t be gained no matter how hard you try. So there’s no need to envy others.”

An Ziyou was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, the sound sweeping away his worries.

Yes, he was already ahead of so many people—what was the hurry? He had her recognition, her help. Becoming strong was only a matter of time; there was no reason to envy anyone else.

If anyone should be envious, it was others of him. He’d already been given so much that others might never obtain in a lifetime.

An Ziyou gently patted Mei, who was drifting into sleep, his eyes shining with confidence—just like the superstar he once was, striding the red carpet. He had risen from obscurity to become a legend; now, he could just as surely rise to the top in this new world.

He patiently soothed Mei until she fell into a deep sleep, then got up and settled nearby to focus on cultivating his mental strength. Free of distracting thoughts, he entered a meditative state faster than ever before.

The van traveled most of the day, finally arriving at a rural manor on the outskirts. “Manor” was perhaps inaccurate; it resembled a leisure estate where guests could experience farm life. According to their information, the estate featured a large fish pond, home not only to fish but to free-range ducks and geese. There was an orchard with a wide variety of fruit, ensuring year-round picking. Vast vegetable gardens, a rice paddy, a cornfield, and a wheat field sprawled across the grounds.

Additionally, a small processing factory had been built so that produce not picked by guests could be processed promptly, preventing spoilage. Processed foods were sold as specialties to visiting guests or to city restaurants. Before the apocalypse, the estate’s business had thrived.

When disaster struck, the manor was closed for renovations, so few people were present and much of the food likely remained intact. Because of this, many had set their sights on the estate early on, but no one knew what was inside. Countless teams had come and gone, and none ever returned.

The reconnaissance mission for this place had risen from the lowest rank to S-rank, with no mercenary team able to complete it. Eventually, it was left as an unranked task, bait for those unaware of the risks.

Ye Jingxuan chose this mission not only because it might yield a trove of food and because he believed in their abilities, but also because he was intimately familiar with the estate.

When he was five, before the manor existed, he’d come here more than once with other members of the Ye family for wilderness survival training. Each person was given only a knife and had to cross the area on foot within a set time, find tokens hidden by the instructors, and ambush or evade others. Only the victors could stay; the rest were eliminated and relegated to the family’s outer circle.

As he grew older, training became more advanced, and the locations more dangerous; he never returned here. But the person who built the manor had chosen the site for its unique terrain and preserved its original features as much as possible. Night Jingnan had visited the estate and drawn him a map, so Ye Jingxuan’s familiarity, while not absolute, was about ninety percent.

“Our task is simply to scout the estate: what usable supplies exist, their distribution, and any dangers present. First, we identify the threats—if we can deal with them, we do; if not, we abandon the mission and move on,” Ye Jingxuan explained as the group rested a kilometer from the estate, discussing strategy.

“Since no one can guarantee there are supplies inside, even if we take everything, no one will complain. The mission reward is ours regardless. The real question is: what is inside that causes every team to vanish?” An Ziyou continued.

“The dangers are likely to be one of three: mutant zombies, mutant animals, or mutant plants. This is a farm, and during the apocalypse it was closed for repairs, so the chance of mutant zombies or animals is low. I’d wager it’s mutant plants,” Mo Chen remarked lazily.

“That’s quite likely. People aren’t vigilant against stationary plants. Those who scouted the estate probably didn’t notice the plants until it was too late. Still, we can’t rule out psychic zombies or mutated animals. Don’t forget—besides chickens, ducks, and geese, there must be guard dogs. All are potential threats,” Mei said, chewing on her straw, analyzing the situation.

“So how do we eliminate the danger?” Qu Wenjuan asked.

In the novel, Ye Jingxuan’s team suffered heavy losses on their first mission and couldn’t continue; the estate was barely described. She had to rely on their analysis and judgment.

“My plan is to enter from the northwest, where the kennels are. Whether the dogs are mutated or not, we’ll know right away. The terrain there is fairly flat, making it easier for us to retreat or fight. Afterward, we’ll follow the fish pond eastward—mutant animals are more likely here, but mutant plants less so, reducing the risk of being surrounded. The processing factory is in the northeast corner, with roads leading to all parts of the estate. I believe the greatest danger is hidden there,” Ye Jingxuan explained, tracing his plan on a simple map.

“I agree—the factory is likely the most dangerous spot, since it’s where food is concentrated. We can’t be the only ones with a map; most teams would head straight there,” someone else echoed.

The others nodded in agreement. With no objections, the plan was set. With night approaching in a few hours, and unknown dangers ahead, spending the night inside would only increase the risk. They decided to enter at dawn.

Because the estate held unknown threats, and the surrounding countryside was free of zombies and rarely visited, when several vehicles appeared in their sight, Mo Chen couldn’t help but sneer.

“We haven’t even started, and scavengers are already here! How eager they are!”