Poisoned.

The captain of the Ability Squad, a Level 3 Earth-type ability user, had been poisoned in his own home. Not to mention Shi Long and Qu Yue—even Xiao Ji’s scalp tingled when he heard this.

Cen An knew they were shocked, but he had to say what needed to be said: “Also, Captain Liao didn’t suffer an ability backlash—it was an ability self-detonation.”

“Ability self-detonation…”

The ability users present murmured those three words.

What exactly is an ability self-detonation? It’s when an ability user, facing danger and feeling there’s no escape, decides to take others down with them—releasing all their abilities at once.

When Qu Yue and Zhao Wu encountered Cen An, Zhao Wu had intended to use a superpower self-detonation to clear a path for his wife. Shi Long reacted quickly. He waved his hand and whispered, “There are too many people here. Let’s go to the squad base to talk.”

Out of caution, they didn’t go to the squad base inside the village, but to the one in the small grove outside the village.

After the Lin incident was resolved, the squad’s base in the village was repurposed, and this courtyard became the squad’s warehouse. But precisely because it wasn’t used often, it remained relatively secret; aside from squad members, no one else knew about it.

However, before they set off, Tian Yuan stood up. “Can I come along?” He addressed Shi Long, then gave Cen An an apologetic smile.

Cen An didn’t say anything.

Shi Long thought it over carefully, then nodded. “Sure.”

He turned to look at Yu Fei and Yu Lin. “If you two want to come, you’re welcome too.”

As long as he was invited, Yu Lin would definitely come. He didn’t care about secrecy or anything like that; he was just afraid this group might hurt his “Brother Cen.”

The group walked out in silence. Tian Yuan caught up with a few strides, “Brother Cen, I… I’m sorry…”

Cen An didn’t understand where all this guilt was coming from; every time it had to do with the case he was investigating, Tian Yuan felt the need to apologize. “I know you brought it up because you didn’t want to put me in a difficult position. I didn’t take it to heart.” He really hadn’t taken it to heart; once it was said, it was over. He asked again, “Does this have anything to do with the case you’re investigating?”

Tian Yuan nodded silently.

Cen An suddenly remembered that Tian Yuan had once said, “No news is the best news.” So now that there was news… They soon reached the small courtyard, and everyone went inside.

Shi Long asked Liao Wanwan first, “Has Old Liao been in contact with anyone recently, or eaten anything unusual?”

Liao Wanwan was a resilient girl. Her father had just been rescued from the brink of death; she had settled him in, wiped away her tears, and then rushed up to catch up with them. Upon hearing the question, she simply shook her head and said with certainty, “No. I cook all my father’s meals myself. When I’m at work, I ask squad members to come over and help look after him. Over the past two weeks, the squad members who’ve visited our home include Ji Lan, Li Wei, and Wu Lihui…”

As she spoke, the people she named stepped forward one by one.

Cen An observed them closely. The expressions on the faces of those who stepped forward were neither resentful nor nervous, just solemn.

Ji Lan was a female ability user with wood-based abilities; Cen An had become quite familiar with her during this time as she helped look after the farm. Oh, right—she was the female ability user who had previously been controlled by Lin Dao’s puppet.

Li Wei was an ability user who had previously been causing trouble with the fake Shi Long but later switched sides to seek out Qu Yue; he had even come to Cen An’s house to deliver something.

Wu Lihui…

Cen An went through them one by one. He didn’t have mind-reading abilities and couldn’t see through people’s hearts, but speaking only from what he knew, he didn’t believe any of these people would harm Team Leader Liao.

Or perhaps it could be put this way: he didn’t believe there was anyone in the Ability Squad who would harm Captain Liao. These individuals had vastly different personalities, but they all held pure trust and admiration for Captain Liao, Captain Shi, and even for him now.

Over there, Liao Wanwan had finished speaking and had joined the group of ability users. She even gave a wry smile. “Setting everything else aside, it’s much easier for me to poison him than it is for any of you.”

Someone twitched the corner of their mouth, but ultimately didn’t laugh.

These ability users had faced mutant beasts capable of killing them with a single bite and overwhelming flash floods, but they had never faced this: there was a very real possibility that a traitor had emerged from among them.

This wasn’t like the incident before, where the culprit had been under someone else’s control. This time, someone genuinely intended to harm Team Leader Liao.

Shi Long jotted down the names and questioned them one by one about what had happened the day they went to Team Leader Liao’s house.

It was a tedious process, and Cen An didn’t pay close attention. He was pondering a question: if someone wanted to harm Captain Liao, what could their motive be?

If it were a personal vendetta, Captain Liao had always been diligent in protecting the village—it was said he spent more time in the mountains than in the village itself—so he likely hadn’t had much opportunity to offend anyone.

If it were for power (assuming the Ability Squad even had such a thing), Captain Liao—who had been on medical leave for several years—seemed to have no real rivals. It would make more sense to kill Captain Shi, or even himself…

The more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something fishy about the whole affair.

Over there, Shi Long had finished questioning everyone else and had come to him. “Chief, you said Old Liao was poisoned. Can you tell what kind of poison it is?”

“I don’t know,” Cen An shook his head. “But there probably aren’t many poisons that can cause a person’s abilities to self-destruct, right?”

“No poison can cause a person’s abilities to self-destruct.” Someone spoke up. Everyone turned to see that it was Tian Yuan.

Tian Yuan said, “However, there are many poisons that can induce hallucinations or delusions, forcing the victim to self-destruct.” Shi Long didn’t take offense; he simply asked, “And how are you so certain of that?”

Tian Yuan replied calmly, “I’ve been researching this for quite some time. Could I have a basin of water, please?”

There were water-type ability users present, so it was no trouble at all. Someone brought over an empty basin, and a water-type ability user filled it with water. Tian Yuan took a small porcelain bottle from his robe, poured the powder inside into the water, let it dissolve, and slowly washed his face.

His dark complexion washed away, revealing his true face—a rather handsome one at that. The crowd was taken aback, and someone blurted out, “Grandpa Tian! What’s your relationship with Grandpa Tian?!” 

Tian Yuan gave a wry smile.

“He’s my grandfather.”

Cen An paused for a moment. He had a good memory and suddenly recalled that long ago, when he first met Qu Huihui, the young girl had told him: Last year, the village’s Grandpa Tian had died because his supernatural abilities had gone out of control.

So that was Tian Yuan’s grandfather?

Everyone present was quick to react. “Are you saying there’s more to Grandpa Tian’s death than meets the eye?”

“Actually, I only had this suspicion, but I only confirmed it today.” Tian Yuan sat back down in his seat. “Can I start from the beginning?”

Shi Long raised his hand in a gesture of invitation: “Please.”

Tian Yuan was raised by his grandfather, Tian Jun. The two had originally settled in a village slightly larger than Yongning Village, but later, the village was hit by an unstoppable wave of beasts, and the villagers either died or fled.

Both grandfather and grandson were fire-elemental ability users, so they had no trouble protecting themselves, but they became separated during their escape.

Eventually, Tian Jun settled in Yongning Village, while Tian Yuan went to a larger settlement. Tian Yuan has never stopped searching for his grandfather; he has never given up. He had vowed to the old man—who prepared a cold-curing fruit for him every rainy season—when he was very young, that he would ensure the old man lived a life of comfort when he grew up.

“I ran into Grandpa at the Tianhu Base,” Tian Yuan smiled. “I wanted to bring the old man back with me, but he said Yongning Village still needed him, so he refused.”

Shi Long paused to recall, then nodded in understanding. “That was seven years ago, wasn’t it? Back then, Old Man Tian led a caravan to the Tianhu Base, and ever since, he’s volunteered to lead caravans every year.”

Tian Yuan tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You have a good memory, Team Leader Shi.”

Qu Yue, however, was a bit puzzled. “So what makes you suspect there’s something fishy about Old Man Tian’s passing?”

Tian Yuan continued, “Ever since I met Grandpa at the Tianhu Base, we’ve corresponded every year. He went to the Tianhu Base specifically to deliver a letter to me. About two years ago, he mentioned in a letter that his abilities were starting to decline and that he’d have to retire in a few years.”

As soon as he mentioned this, the ability users present understood.

Only Cen An looked completely bewildered. Wang Lie explained to him, “As people age, their physical functions decline, and their abilities follow suit. At this stage, ability surges no longer occur, and even loss of control becomes rare—after all, there simply isn’t enough energy left.”

Old Geng, standing nearby, nodded. “That’s exactly right.”

Tian Yuan said, “I had already planned to take him in once he retired. Then, last year, I didn’t receive a letter from him. After asking around with the Yongning Caravan, I found out he had passed away.”

Xiao Ji, standing next to Wang Lie, frowned in thought, then suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, so it was you! I remember—back then, a burly man with a full beard came to see me. He claimed to be some kind of merchant, asking why the caravan had changed leaders and whether we could still do business as before…”

He looked at Tian Yuan curiously. “So it was you! Why did you come to me for information back then?” He asked excitedly. “You came straight for me—did I look like a caravan leader or something?”

Tian Yuan cleared his throat. “No, not really. I just looked around and figured you’d be the easiest to fool…” 

Xiao Ji: “……” Oh, well, that’s settled then.

Everyone chuckled a few times, and the heavy atmosphere eased slightly.

But then another question arose: Who would have harmed Old Tian and also tried to harm Team Leader Liao?

Seeing that no one was speaking, Cen An went on to explain his earlier analysis. “So, I don’t think it was anyone from our squad. Otherwise, they would’ve targeted Shi or poisoned me.”

Everyone felt okay hearing the first part, but when they heard those last five words, their hair stood on end! Come to think of it, that was even scarier than Team Leader Liao being poisoned! After all, Team Leader Liao is an ability user; his body has some resistance to poison. But their Brother Cen is just an ordinary person!

More importantly, if someone else went down, Brother Cen could save them—but what if Brother Cen went down?!

Qu Yue snapped at him for the first time, “What nonsense are you spouting! Poisoning you? Children speak without malice! Spit it out!” Cen An waved his hands in surrender, thinking to himself, Why don’t you say Team Leader Shi speaks without malice…

Tian Yuan cleared his throat and helped Brother Cen change the subject. “Come to think of it, we’re not completely without clues. I found this on Grandpa.”

He pulled out a charred, iron-like object.

Tian Jun was a fire-type ability user. After his ability self-detonated, the area instantly turned into a sea of fire, reducing him to ashes along with everything around him. It was only because this object was made of metal that it managed to leave a trace.

Later, the squad members dug up the ashes left at the site, placed them in an earthenware jar, and buried it in a grave, allowing Old Tian to rest in peace. Judging by the look on his face, Tian Yuan had probably dug it up again to examine it.

Everyone took turns examining the lump of iron, but none of them could make out what it was.

Finally, it came to Cen An. He couldn’t make anything out of it either, so after a moment’s thought, he tucked it into his backpack.

【You have obtained a discarded metal button x1】

“This looks like… a button,” Cen An said. “Did Grandpa Tian have any clothes with buttons?”

“No.” Not only Tian Yuan, but everyone else shook their heads as well. Shi Long added, “Metal is very precious. Even the smallest amount is used to make weapons and tools; using it for buttons would be too extravagant. Not to mention Old Tian—there aren’t many clothes with metal buttons in the whole village.”

Everyone nodded; the buttons on their clothes were all made of wood. It saved money.

Liao Wanwan, however, lowered her head to think for a moment. She looked up, her face pale. “My father has a garment with buttons! But I don’t know where it came from. I only remember that when he brought it home, he kept shaking his head, saying it was too extravagant and not worth it. Later, the garment disappeared. I asked him about it, and he said he didn’t need it himself, so he gave it away.”

“Then it must have been given to Old Tian,” Qu Yue frowned. “Captain Liao is very kind to the elderly and children; he gives away clothes and food he doesn’t need himself.”

“Too extravagant, not worth it…” Cen An said, “That sounds like it. Was the garment a gift from someone else? And was it given as an apology or a token of gratitude?”

“It must be an apology,” Yu Lin chimed in with a smile after listening for a while. “The clothes were poisoned, so he definitely had to get rid of them. How could he get rid of them? By implying, ‘If you don’t accept this, it means you won’t forgive me,’ or something like that.”

Cen An nodded in agreement. “Xiao Lin makes a good point.”

“And then?” Wang Lie scratched his head. “Someone apologized to Team Leader Liao by giving him a piece of clothing laced with poison. Who knew Team Leader Liao wouldn’t wear it and would give it to Old Man Tian, and that’s how Old Tian got poisoned. Who is this person?”

“That’s as far as the clues go. The rest will have to be investigated.”

Shi Long stood up. “If that person failed once, they’ll try again. Keep a close eye on Old Liao over the next few days—make sure there are at least two people on duty every shift.” Wang Lie and Qu Yue both nodded; they were used to handling these kinds of situations and were sure nothing would go wrong.

“And the Chief’s place,” Shi Long lowered his voice. “What he said himself might very well be true—assign a few people to watch him as well.”

Wang Lie and Qu Yue were practically nodding their heads off—of course! Even if Shi Long hadn’t said it, they would have done it anyway!

Over there, Cen An had already stepped out of the courtyard gate and said, “I was actually planning to go up the mountain today to set traps for pheasants. It’s not too late for that, is it?”

“Not at all.” Tian Yuan rubbed his nose. “I know a spot where it’s easy to catch pheasants, and it’s close to the village. I’ll go with you.”

Behind them, Yu Lin snorted coldly, though his tone was cheerful. “Brother Cen, I’m coming too. I’m feeling much better now.”

Why did Cen An want to catch pheasants again?

It’s actually quite heartbreaking.

Hadn’t he raised chickens, ducks, and rabbits before? With the combined benefits of the coop and feed, these little animals grew up fast and healthy, soon sporting glossy feathers and running all over the place.

But they just wouldn’t lay eggs.

At first, Cen An kept wondering if there was something wrong with his rearing methods—maybe they were malnourished from eating only feed… but seeing how lively and energetic they were, that didn’t seem likely.

Later, after figuring out how to use the system to identify the animals’ genders, he discovered that every single one of these new arrivals was male! Even the rabbit was a male! Not a single female in sight!

No wonder they weren’t laying eggs—all they did was cluck all day!

In a fit of anger, Cen An took the ducks and chickens, turned them into air-dried chicken and braised duck, and they’re still hanging in the pantry.

So now, this novice farmer has to go out and catch a few more chickens and ducks.

Tian Yuan’s recommendation for this spot was spot-on; not long after setting the traps, several chickens and ducks walked right into them. Tian Yuan glanced at Yu Fei, who was standing motionless nearby, but said nothing.

“There must be some females in here…” In his previous life, he could tell the difference between male and female chickens just by looking at their combs, but this was a different world after all. Although these chickens looked and tasted much the same as in his previous life, their combs and tail feathers were unusually small.

Perhaps they’d evolved to blend in better and avoid mutant beasts, making them even less conspicuous—which made it all the harder for Cen An to tell them apart. He didn’t need Tian Yuan’s help; he tied the legs of a few chickens and ducks himself and tossed them into the animal-skin sack.

From the ravine across the way, Yu Lin’s voice suddenly called out, “Cen An, come quick! There are tons of medicinal herbs here!”

“Where?” Cen An immediately tossed aside the animal-skin bag and ran over. “Be careful when picking them—some herbs can’t have their roots damaged.”

“I know…”

Tian Yuan shook his head, picked up the animal-skin bag, and followed after them with Yu Fei.

Cen An slid down the slope and indeed saw a large patch of common medicinal herbs. Yu Lin was standing there waving at him when suddenly they heard a woman’s startled cry.

Yu Lin’s expression turned cold; with a flick of his wrist, two vines shot toward them.

“Wait, don’t hurt her.” Cen An shouted urgently to stop them. The vines halted just in front of him, but, refusing to give up, brushed against the hem of his robe. Cen An parted the grass. Inside was a gaunt, emaciated woman. Her face was waxy yellow, and she carried a large sack on her back.

The woman flinched when she saw him. “I—I…”

Cen An reassured her, “Don’t be afraid. Are you from Yongning Village? I’m Cen An. Do you know me?”

The woman relaxed slightly, shifting the sack on her back further away so he wouldn’t bump into it, then nodded. “I came to gather some herbs…”

Cen An reached out to pull her. “Are you stuck? Let me help you…”

“Let me handle it, Brother Cen,” Yu Lin said with a smile as he walked over, not even glancing at the woman. “It’s easier for me.”

As he spoke, he manipulated the vines to slip into the crevice, roughly pulling the woman out. He turned to her. “You’re not hurt, are you? If you’re not hurt, you can walk on your own.”

The woman frowned, staggered to her feet, silently shook her head, and walked away with the large sack on her back. Behind her, Cen An’s voice still echoed, “You’re using too much force… you’ll hurt her…”

“I know, it’s my first time—I’m inexperienced!”

The woman clenched the hem of her shirt and quickened her pace once more.

Time glided smoothly forward for another week.

During this time, the villagers, having tasted the benefits of the vegetables, were full of enthusiasm, and their eagerness to trade grew even stronger.

The team took the opportunity to repair the village roads, erected a fence around the perimeter, and set traps, significantly improving the village’s security.

Smiles grew more frequent on the villagers’ faces.

With the fence in place, even those who had lost limbs or were physically impaired were willing to venture out for a stroll. In the past, they had been afraid of encountering mutant beasts in the village and causing trouble for others, so they dared not go out.

Meanwhile, in Cen An’s area, the 【Fertile Black Soil】 had expanded to 30 plots! This scale was far too large to fit within his small courtyard.

He kept only the first nine plots in his courtyard; the rest were placed on the large open space behind the small wooden house.

The farm now looked quite impressive. From a distance, the patches of black soil merged into a single expanse, each plot brimming with lush crops—some already ripe, others nearing harvest. A vibrant tapestry of colors painted a scene of bountiful harvest, a truly lively sight.

In this world transformed by the Cataclysm, this place was practically a paradise.

These days, crops ripen daily on the farm, and new seeds are constantly being planted, granting Cen An over a thousand experience points every day. He calculated that in less than ten days, the farm system would be ready for another upgrade.

The village children also love coming here to play. Few families in the village have enough to eat, so the scent of ripening vegetables and fruits wafting through the air is very appealing to them.

Occasionally, when Cen An is around, he’ll casually pick some fruits and vegetables for them to eat.

These children were so well-behaved it was heartbreaking; one by one, they held out their dark little hands and said, “No, thank you.”

This reminded Cen An of Xiao Yi back then.

He thought for a moment, picked up the basket, and headed to the Ability Squad.

Nowadays, once the farm’s crops are ripe, some are sent to the Ability Squad, and some are traded for points—none of it passes through Cen An’s hands.

Whatever was left over was sent to Cen An for storage. Everyone knew that Brother Cen had an amazing storage item, but no one had ever asked about it.

In any case, all he had to do was wait at home to collect crystal cores and experience.

Come to think of it, aside from that time when Team Leader Liao was poisoned, it had been a long time since he’d voluntarily gone to the Ability Squad.

As soon as he walked through the gate of the squad’s base, he heard bursts of laughter coming from inside. Cen An couldn’t help but laugh along. “What’s got you all so happy?” 

“Oh, Brother Cen!”

“Brother Cen’s here!” 

“Have a seat.”

Cen An was almost used to the members’ enthusiasm. As they practically forced him to sit down, Wang Lie couldn’t contain his excitement and shared the good news: “It’s Xiao Ji—his ability has leveled up!”

Xiao Ji puffed out his chest proudly. “That’s right, Brother Cen! From now on, I’m a Level 3 ability user too!” 

Cen An was surprised. “Isn’t it supposed to be really hard to level up an ability?”

“That was before,” Qu Yue chuckled. “Back then, everyone could only absorb energy from crystal cores. While fighting, they had to distract themselves to suppress their rampaging abilities—there was no room for leveling up. It’s different now. With those dishes of yours, the rampaging abilities have been completely neutralized, so the excess power can naturally be used for leveling up.”

Zhao Wu chuckled. “I reckon Xiao Ji is just the first. There’ll be plenty more people leveling up in the future.” 

Cen An laughed along with him. “That’s truly wonderful.”

Someone nearby brought over a cup of herbal tea. Cen An looked up to see that it was Qi Yangze. Just as he was about to speak, Qi Yangze, his ears turning red, backed away and slipped into the crowd.

Cen An sighed helplessly, picked up the cup, and took a sip. To his surprise, it was the village’s most common tea—Sparrow Tongue Buds—but it was incredibly crisp and sweet, even better than the mountain spring water he’d drawn from the hills!

Wang Lie saw his expression and burst out laughing. “Brother Cen, guess what? That guy used his water-type ability to purify the mountain spring water several times before bringing it to you. He was worried you wouldn’t be used to the taste, hahaha… Pfft!”

A glob of water flew out of nowhere and splashed him in the face. Wang Lie bared his teeth. “You little…”

Cen An was at a loss for words, “It’s delicious, really delicious. Thanks, that was thoughtful of you.” In the crowd, a young man shifted back a little further, his face silently turning red.

Qu Yue knew he wouldn’t bother coming all the way out here unless he had a good reason, so she asked him what was wrong. Cen An set down his cup and smiled. “I’ve got some good news too—it’s a double celebration today.”

“I plan to build a villager activity center in front of the little cabin and offer a limited amount of free fruits and vegetables every day. The village’s elderly, children, and people with disabilities can all come. It’s good for everyone’s health to get together and stay active.”

He chuckled, “As you know, I’ve got over a hundred cold jade melons stashed in my backpack. I’ve been thinking—it’d be a bit difficult to sell them through the caravans, and I can’t guarantee they’ll stay fresh. It’s better to give them to the villagers. Even if it’s just to beat the heat, at least they’ll be put to good use.”