“I wish I’d built this villager activity center sooner,” Cen An said, looking at the villagers inside, a sudden sense of regret washing over him.

If you ask why, it’s probably because of the way these people eat… They hold the fruits and vegetables reverently in their hands, taking a bite no bigger than a fingernail, and immediately wear expressions of astonishment and gratitude.

Cen An was already used to eating these vegetables and fruits himself, but seeing such expressions, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder.

Behind him, his friends exchanged glances. Tian Yuan smiled and said, “Brother Cen, you’re on your way to becoming a Buddha. If you haven’t done enough, then haven’t we lived these past few decades in vain?”

Qu Yue nodded in agreement, “I’m practically the poster child for being a dead weight.”

Cen An waved his hands in surrender and sighed, “It’s not quite that. It’s just that I’ve seen better places before, so even after doing all this, I still feel it’s not enough.”

He came from a place where piglets were force-fed into the pigsties of the poorest families—a place where you’d be helped to your feet even if you didn’t want to stand, a place where hard work guaranteed you food and clothing. Now, seeing the villagers of Yongning Village toil day and night yet still unable to make ends meet, how could he not feel moved?

Pushing aside his pointless emotions, the Chief was just about to say something when his gaze suddenly fixed on something. He quickened his pace. “Hello?”

Outside the crowd, beneath a large tree, an unremarkable woman stood gazing absently at the villagers gathered at the village activity center. Her complexion was sallow, and she carried that familiar large sack on her back. Meeting Cen An’s gaze, she murmured, “…Hello.”

Cen An looked at her complexion. “Are you unwell? Then you shouldn’t go up the mountain to gather herbs. You can come to the community center—the fruits and vegetables here are good for your health…”

He reached out to help her with the bag, but she flinched and pulled away sharply. Cen An was taken aback.

The woman also paused for a moment before whispering, “It’s filthy. Please don’t touch it. I have things to do; I’ll come back later.” With that, she turned and hurried away. Tian Yuan, who had been chasing after her, asked curiously, “What’s going on, Cen An? Who did you see?”

“The person I ran into on the mountain earlier.” Cen An frowned. Just now, he seemed to have caught a whiff of a strange, slightly pungent odor. What could it be? 

Zhang Xuedong quickened her pace as she returned home, just in time to see Sun Xiaoshu knocking on her door.

“Aunt Zhang, you’re back!” Sun Xiaoshu ran over with a chubby face, grinning widely. “I caught some wild shrimp in the river today. My mom told me to bring you two.” He held out his hands, and sure enough, he was holding two shrimp about the length of his index fingers.

Zhang Xuedong smiled. “Take them back and eat them yourself. I don’t really like those.” She looked up, as if to pat the boy on the head, but paused and let her hand drop. Sun Xiaoshu sighed like a little adult. “These days, we’re just glad to have something to eat. You shouldn’t be so picky.”

Seeing how hard it was for Zhang Xuedong to get through the door, he mimicked his mother’s gesture, standing on tiptoe to help lift her, but she dodged him. “You can’t touch that.” Sun Xiaoshu asked curiously, “Then why was Mom allowed to touch it that day?”

“That’s different.” Zhang Xuedong stepped inside but didn’t let the child follow her in. She simply said, “Go home now. Your mother has it tough—you need to be a good boy and help her out with the chores.”

Seeing Sun Xiaoshu nod obediently, she closed the courtyard gate.

Sun Xiaoshu scratched his head, looked up, and sneezed, rubbing his nose. “What’s that smell? Could Aunt Zhang have burned something while cooking?”

Cen An returned to the little wooden house. Just as he reached the doorway, Xiao Yi ran out. “Big brother, someone brought us two fish.”

“Huh?” He walked over to take a look. A small, bowl-shaped depression had been dug at the entrance, lined with a large leaf, containing a pool of water with two small fish, each about three inches long, swimming inside.

Fish this small—even if used for soup, they’d be gone in two sips. Yet the person who brought them had been extremely thoughtful, even covering the water with a leaf to keep it from drying out.

Cen An asked, “Did you see who it was?” As expected, Xiao Yi shook his head.

Cen An sighed in exasperation. It was a pity the game didn’t have cameras; otherwise, he would have installed one at the entrance. He thought for a moment. “Let’s salt them. We’ll pan-fry the fish for dinner.”

He looked at Xiao Yi again. “I see there are lots of kids at the activity center. Don’t you want to go play, Xiao Yi?” 

The seven-year-old boy replied calmly, “They’re too childish. I’d rather help my brother with his work.”

“Haha, cough cough…” Cen An suppressed the smile that had crept to his lips. “Alright then, go knead the dough.”

People don’t have much of an appetite when it’s hot, so Cen An decided to make Korean cold noodles.

He julienned crisp cucumbers, colorful tomatoes, and baby bok choy, then mixed white vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar into a sweet-and-sour dressing. After rinsing the cooked noodles in cold water, they were refreshingly firm.

Sucking the noodles and broth into his mouth together, his taste buds and stomach were awakened at the same time, and he felt his appetite suddenly open up.

He didn’t have white vinegar at home originally, but a few days ago, he drew a spice set during a prayer at the shrine, and his kitchen’s selection of seasonings immediately expanded.

Cen An made a huge bowl of it. Besides eating some herself, he shared some with Senior Lin, Tian Yuan, Yu Fei, and Yu Lin. Sister Qu and the others were out on patrol at noon, so they missed out on this treat.

After lunch, he took another short nap on the bed. Once the hottest part of the day had passed, Cen An stretched and got up.

These days, he was living a life of pure leisure. Someone had taken over the farm, and the Ability Squad was handling the point redemption and the villager activity center. Even when it came to cleaning the house, Xiao Yi refused to let him lift a finger…

The Chief pondered for a moment, feeling as though he’d reached the point of just coasting through life.

Maybe he should go up the mountain tomorrow to gather supplies? He was still far short of the materials needed to upgrade his house. Or perhaps he should expand the farm? But if he grew too many vegetables, he wouldn’t be able to eat them all…

As he was pondering this, Boss Cen pushed open the door and spotted a shadowy figure lurking outside.

At first, he thought it was a villager delivering supplies, but after chasing after it for a few steps, he realized something was off. The villagers were usually terrified he’d catch up and make them return the goods, so they’d run away the moment they saw him. Why was this one different?

He immediately slowed his pace, on high alert. “Who’s there?” The figure flinched and turned around with a mournful expression.

Cen An was stunned. “Shi Jie?” He looked him up and down, his mouth twitching. “Long time no see. You… uh… are you okay?” Shi Jie was not okay at all.

After his older brother woke up, Shi Jie was happy for maybe three seconds before getting beaten up by him.

After the beating, his brother dragged him from house to house in the village to apologize and pay compensation. He’d spent every last bit of the cash he’d saved—not a single coin was left. And that wasn’t the end of it. Once the compensation was paid, his brother kicked him into the stone cell, saying he should’ve been locked up the first time he knocked over someone’s stall and that he was lucky to have gotten off so lightly after all these years.

And normally, people in the stone cell were required to perform hard labor—the work was grueling, but at least it gave them a chance to get some fresh air.

But his older brother personally ordered that his work was nothing but a hindrance, and that he’d be better off just sitting tight inside. So Shi Jie spent a full month locked up in that cell, to the point where he was practically covered in heat rash.

He’d just been released from prison yesterday, slept it off at home, and when he woke up this morning, something suddenly occurred to him. Besides overturning the stall and bullying the villagers, he’d bullied one other person! Who, you ask? Cen An!

Thinking back on that scene, Shi Jie wished he could go back in time and kick that jerk who tossed the crystal core for Cen An to pick up right into the river! If you’ve got nothing better to do, go shovel manure at the village entrance—what are you doing hanging around the small market? Do you think you’re so special?

Why didn’t you have Liao Yongzhi pick up the crystal core for you? You had to make Cen An do it!

Now look at this—Cen An’s become the leader.

Shi Jie was on the verge of tears. No one’s thinking about it now, but if even one person does, he’s in for a good beating! After mulling it over, Shi Jie decided that the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. As long as Cen An forgives him, no one else can say anything, right? So, he got up early the next morning, went up the mountain to gather some supplies, and then brought his haul to Cen An as a gift.

After listening to his rambling explanation, Cen An felt a pang of emotion.

Looking at Shi Jie now, and thinking of Sun Yuanhao, whose grave was long overgrown with grass, the contrast was stark. People are like saplings; they need to be pruned and shaped to grow straight.

He said, “Your older brother really is good to you.”

Shi Jie hung his head in dejection. He had never blamed his older brother; he only blamed himself for how his misdeeds always seemed to get discovered.

Cen An waved his hand at him. “It wasn’t easy for you to gather these supplies. I won’t take them—take them back. That’s all in the past now; Team Leader Shi won’t find out.”

“No way, Brother Cen. I went through the trouble of gathering them—just take them. They’re all medicinal herbs; I don’t have any use for them.” He eagerly untied the bundle on his back, revealing a pile of wilted, limp herbs.

Cen An winced at the sight—leaves missing here, stems missing there. Had he actually picked these, or just yanked them out? It was as if he’d gone up the mountain to wreak havoc on the plants… Suddenly, a strange scent tickled his nose. His gaze sharpened, and he strode over.

Shi Jie stared at him blankly. “Brother Cen, which one do you like? I’ll pick some more for you on the mountain next time.” Cen An ignored him, carefully parting the pile of herbs, and picked out a single yellow stalk with precision. Although the herb was yellow, it wasn’t because it had withered—it was its natural color.

Sniffing the pungent scent, Cen An recognized the herb.

It was called yellow lowering spirit grass. When burned, it produced a white powder. In the game, it served to reduce attack power, with the degree of reduction varying depending on the dosage.

And if attack power drops to 0, a passive self-destruct skill will trigger. Cen An furrowed his brow deeply. In the real world, wouldn’t that be equivalent to an ability self-destruct? He asked, “Where did you find this herb?”

Shi Jie’s eyes betrayed a bewilderment untainted by human civilization.

Cen An rephrased his question: “Which areas did you visit after going up the mountain?”

“Oh, oh!” He understood that. “Just over there to the west…”

“Take me there!” Cen An shouted. “Xiao Yi, go find Tian Yuan and Yu Fei and tell them I’m heading up the mountain!” 

“Got it, big brother!”

Cen An grabbed Shi Jie’s hand and ran out. Before they even left the village, Tian Yuan and Yu Fei had already caught up. Shi Jie was still a little afraid of Yu Fei, so he ducked his head and ran ahead to lead the way.

As soon as Cen An explained the situation, Tian Yuan’s expression turned serious.

“I’ve never even heard of such a medicinal herb.”

“There can’t be much of this herb on the mountain,” Cen An said. “At least, I’ve never come across it before.”

Shi Jie led them to three different spots. The first two showed no signs of the herb, but at the last one, they finally found a clue. Cen An was the only one present who was familiar with medicinal herbs. He furrowed his brow slightly. “Strange. This area shouldn’t be suitable for yellow lowering spirit grass to grow.”

He crouched down to take another look, his expression turning grim. “This herb has been picked—and just today.” Shi Jie timidly raised his hand. “I picked it.”

“It wasn’t you,” Cen An shook his head. “The person who picked them was a pro—they took the flowers and leaves together.”

Shi Jie wanted to say, “I’m a pro too—I even asked someone for advice,” but when he thought of his own bundle of withered leaves, he felt a pang of guilt and kept his mouth shut.

Tian Yuan took a deep breath. “Brother Cen, are you saying that person is going to strike today…”

He glanced at the late-afternoon sky. “Or… has already struck?”

Cen An examined it closely once more. “The herbs were picked this morning. Yellow lowering spirit grass needs to be burned and ground into powder before it can be used. Maybe that person hasn’t succeeded yet. Let’s hurry down the mountain!”

Inside the room stood a ceramic basin with a red flame burning within. One by one, yellow herbs were fed into the fire, turning to ash. Along the rim of the basin, a small amount of white powder began to form.

A rough, gaunt hand carefully gathered the powder—no more than a grain of rice in size.

Zhang Xuedong calmly wrapped the powder, placed it in a large bamboo basket, and added two bamboo tubes and a cloth bundle inside.

She stepped outside and made her way to the credit exchange counter.

“Hello, what would you like to exchange for…” The busy Liao Wanwan looked up, surprised. “Aunt Zhang, what brings you here? Are you here to exchange something?”

“I don’t have many points; I can’t exchange them for anything,” Zhang Xuedong smiled. “I’m here to see you.”

“Me?” Liao Wanwan asked, puzzled.

Zhang Xuedong picked up a cloth bag and handed it to her. “This is for you. Open it and take a look.”

Liao Wanwan was even more puzzled. She untied the cloth bundle, and a white garment appeared. She smiled, “Aunt Zhang, your craftsmanship is truly excellent. You make the best clothes in the whole village.”

The fabric was smooth, with a soft sheen. Liao Wanwan’s eyes widened instantly. “Is this feather silk?”

Feather silk is a very precious fabric. Its raw material comes from a mutant beast called the Feather Beast. By extracting the silk threads from the beast’s feathers and weaving them into cloth yields this feather silk.

This fabric is warm in winter and cool in summer, repels water, and even offers a slight defensive effect (after all, it’s made from a mutant beast), making it extremely rare. She doubts there’s a second piece like this in all of Yongning Village.

After expressing her admiration, Liao Wanwan quickly shook her head. “This is far too valuable; I can’t accept it.”

“Take it. After all…” Zhang Xuedong’s chapped lips moved slightly, but she swallowed the words she wanted to say. “Anyway, it’s of no use to me here.”

With that, ignoring Liao Wanwan’s refusal, she turned to leave, then glanced back and added, “Wanwan, come visit Aunt Zhang sometime. I’ve left something for you under the bed.”

Liao Wanwan didn’t understand and looked up in confusion, but the woman was already gone.

Zhang Xuedong stepped outside and walked along the newly paved road toward the Liao family’s house. She rarely went out, and the many changes in the village didn’t affect her much. But the road was truly well-built; she’d heard it was constructed after the points-for-services system was introduced, and many villagers had come to earn points.

Zhang Xuedong stopped in her tracks, gazing at the perfectly leveled road surface. She lost herself in thought for a moment before continuing on her way. The Liao family’s old house had collapsed, and they were now living in a vacant house that had once belonged to the village.

She thought to herself that before long, her own home would become a vacant house too. She wondered who the next occupants would be and hoped they wouldn’t cause any trouble for them…

Two ability users were standing guard at the Liao family’s doorstep. They looked surprised to see her. “Aunt Zhang, what brings you here? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Zhang Xuedong smiled as usual. “I just came from the credit exchange. Wanwan asked me to bring you some drinks to thank you for standing guard in this heat.”

As she spoke, she took two bamboo tubes out of her basket.

The two ability users exchanged a glance, took them, opened them, and smiled. “So it’s white grass soup! Wow, Sister Liao, you’re too kind!” Zhang Xuedong smiled. “Yes, Wanwan has always been so thoughtful and kind.”

The two ability users lifted the lids and started guzzling.

It wasn’t that they weren’t on guard; rather, everyone had assumed that since the killer had been hiding so well, they would surely continue to act in the shadows. No one had expected her to make her move so openly.

Besides, Zhang Xuedong’s identity was indeed a bit special.

The familiar taste flooded their mouths, and in their daze, the two heard Zhang Xuedong say, “I’m sorry, guys. This drug doesn’t have any side effects—it just makes you sleep for two or three hours. Don’t worry.”

Oh no!

The thought flashed through the minds of the ability users simultaneously, but it was already too late; they both collapsed and fell asleep. Zhang Xuedong struggled a bit to drag the two of them into the shade to prevent them from getting heatstroke, then walked into the house.

Liao Yongzhi’s condition had improved significantly. The uncontrolled explosion of his psychic power had caused him some injury, but after resting for several days and taking Cen An’s miraculous medicine, Rain Dew Essence, he had regained his senses—though he still couldn’t get out of bed or speak.

Seeing Zhang Xuedong walk in, Liao Yongzhi’s eyes lit up, and he struggled to force two words out of his throat: “Sister-in-law…” 

“Don’t call me sister-in-law,” Zhang Xuedong said. “You don’t deserve it, and neither do I.”

A flicker of sorrow passed through Liao Yongzhi’s eyes.

Zhang Xuedong didn’t meet his gaze. She set down the basket and took out the medicine pouch. “Now, you know who poisoned you, don’t you?”

She walked to the bedside holding the medicine pouch. “Ever since A-Chen and Xiao Jia left, the hatred in my heart has never subsided. Every moment, I’ve been wondering why they weren’t the ones who survived, or why I didn’t go with them.”

“Later, I figured it out. The reason I’m still here in this world is simply because I still have things to do. Once I’m done, I’ll be able to join them.”

Liao Yongzhi didn’t flinch. He opened his mouth with difficulty. “A-Chen once said you were the smartest woman he’d ever met—you could mix medicines and sew beautiful clothes.”

“So what?” Zhang Xuedong said coldly. “No matter how many medicines I make, I can’t bring my husband and child back!”

Yu Fei and Tian Yuan hurried back with Cen An, while Shi Jie ran after them, nearly out of breath. Even as they approached the village entrance, Cen An remained anxious. “Can we go any faster?”

Tian Yuan replied, “I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle it if we went any faster.”

Yu Fei spoke three rare words: “Someone’s guarding him.”

Cen An replied, “I know there are people guarding Team Leader Liao. But the problem is, everyone in the village knows it too. Do you think the mastermind behind this has made preparations?”

Seeing how anxious he was, Tian Yuan picked up the pace slightly. In just a moment, the group spotted the gate to the Liao family compound.

“Damn it!” Spotting the two ability users lying unconscious at the gate, Cen An shouted, “Hurry and go to the Ability Squad to call for backup!” Shi Jie, trailing behind, froze for a moment before realizing the order was directed at him. He quickly turned around and pedaled as fast as he could. All out! At worst, he’d just have to spend tomorrow in bed!

The three burst into the house, just in time to see a woman about to feed medicine to Team Leader Liao. Cen An froze for a moment—why was it her…? “Wait!”

Just as Cen An moved to stop her, Tian Yuan pointed at the medicine packet, which suddenly burst into flames, instantly turning to ash and burning a blister on the woman’s finger.

Yet she seemed oblivious to the pain, reaching into her bosom for something else—only to feel a sudden, searing pain in her head, her body beginning to move out of her control…

Shouts from the members of the Ability Squad echoed from outside. Shi Jie had already summoned them. Zhang Xuedong gritted her teeth, decisively giving up her resistance and allowing herself to be led out the door.

The squad members immediately surrounded her. She raised her hand and flung a handful of medicinal powder into the air, instantly triggering a chorus of coughs.

Qu Yue, who had just arrived while on patrol, witnessed the scene and gasped in shock. “Aunt Zhang? Why is it you? What did you throw?” Zhang Xuedong said nothing. Just as she was about to run, Qu Yue’s vines shot toward her.

Behind her, more and more people were arriving—not only members of the Ability Squad but also nearby villagers. Even Yu Lin, who had heard the news, had come. Of course, his purpose was undoubtedly to ensure his older brother Cen didn’t get hurt; he couldn’t care less about Liao Yongzhi or Zhang Xuedong.

Seeing that escape was impossible, Zhang Xuedong decided to throw the object in her hand toward Liao Yongzhi. Instantly, several superpowers flew toward her.

“Hold on.” A hoarse voice came from inside the house. The squad members froze—that voice… Tian Yuan walked out, supporting Liao Yongzhi.

This, of course, was yet another miracle created by Boss Cen.

The reason he hadn’t been able to cure Team Leader Liao before was that the medicine hadn’t been the right fit. Now that he knew what poison Team Leader Liao had been struck by, it was a different story—he had the antidote for the poison from yellow lowering spirit grass, namely the sword rising pill.

One reduces attack power, the other increases it—they cancel each other out perfectly.

One sword rising pill administered the poison, and since Team Leader Liao was in decent shape to begin with, he was naturally able to get up immediately. Shi Long, who had just arrived, strode over. “Can you get out of bed yet?”

Liao Yongzhi patted him on the shoulder. “You’ve worked hard these past few days.”

“It’s nothing. It wasn’t as hard as when I had to clean up after you,” Shi Long said calmly.

Liao Yongzhi grimaced, as if he wanted to laugh, but his throat wouldn’t cooperate, so no sound came out.

Shi Long couldn’t be bothered to watch him like that. He turned to look at Zhang Xuedong and frowned. “I didn’t expect it to be you. Why did you try to kill Old Liao?”

Zhang Xuedong sneered. “Why don’t you ask Captain Liao?”

“I’d like to know that too,” said Liao Wanwan. She looked over calmly. “Aunt Zhang, I’ve called you ‘Aunt Zhang’ countless times since I was a child. I don’t have a mother, and you’ve been like one to me. I just want to know—what on earth made you abandon all those years of affection and kill my father?!” 

She struggled to stay calm, but her voice still trembled slightly on the last sentence.

Zhang Xuedong’s eyes flickered, but she finally spoke. “Do you remember the beast tide three years ago?” Shi Long nodded. “That’s right. A-Chen died during that beast tide. He died from his ability self-detonating.”

Zhang Xuedong sneered. “Then you must not know that, even before that, A-Chen had already shown signs of a psychic backlash. He had actually agreed with Team Leader Liao that he wouldn’t go to the front lines during that beast tide—he was only supposed to guard the village.”

At these words, the members of the Ability Squad were stunned. An ability backlash? Not merely a loss of control, but a full-blown backlash! They had no idea this had happened!

Cen An was naturally just as confused. Wang Lie, who happened to be standing right beside him, whispered an explanation: “Aunt Zhang’s husband, Mu Chen, was a Level 3 Wood-type ability user. Three years ago, the village endured the worst beast tide in its history—only slightly less severe than this year’s—and the squad suffered heavy losses. During that beast tide, three ability users, including Brother Mu, lost their lives.”

Xiao Ji, standing nearby, sniffed and nodded. “I was just fifteen back then, in my first year with the Ability Squad. I remember that at first, Brother Mu really was guarding the village with us, but later, for some reason, he went to the front lines. After that, we just heard he was gone.”

The Ability Squad didn’t have any rules requiring members to be over eighteen to join. With ability users being a scarce resource, they couldn’t afford to be picky. As long as a person’s abilities were suitable, the squad welcomed anyone. However, the younger members weren’t assigned important tasks; they could only tag along and do odd jobs.

Wang Lie’s voice dropped. “It was because things went wrong at the front lines. There were too many mutant beasts for us to hold back, and when Brother Mu found out, he volunteered to go to the front. At the time, a squad had been surrounded by mutant beasts and was on the verge of total annihilation. Brother Mu… he chose to self-detonate his ability to buy them a way out.”

When Wang Lie finished speaking, silence fell all around. Some villagers knew about this incident, while others did not. But whether they knew or not, they all understood that the Ability Squad had once sacrificed so much to protect the village.

Someone whispered, “But this has nothing to do with Team Leader Liao, does it?”

“From the way she’s talking, does she suspect Captain Liao deliberately concealed Brother Mu’s ability backfire and still sent him to the front lines?” 

“…Do you actually believe that? Hasn’t Captain Liao always led the charge on the front lines?”

Zhang Xuedong gave a cold laugh. “At first, I didn’t believe it either—until Xiao Jia passed away.” The crowd fell silent once more.

Cen An looked at Wang Lie.

This time, Wang Lie paused briefly before speaking, his voice low: “Xiao Jia was Aunt Zhang and Brother Mu’s child, only three years old back then. Aunt Zhang knew how to prepare medicines, and every year during the beast tide, she’d help make large batches. After Brother Mu left, the situation grew even more dire. Aunt Zhang didn’t even have time to grieve; she entrusted Xiao Jia to Captain Liao and went to the front lines to prepare medicines.”

“Team Leader Liao protected Xiao Jia fiercely, using his earth-elemental ability to create a protective shield that completely enveloped her. He didn’t dare leave her side for a moment. Little did we know, there was a Level 4 earth-type mutant beast in the beast tide. It was the first time we’d encountered a Level 4 mutant beast in a beast tide—we were completely unprepared… That beast burrowed underground and dragged Xiao Jia away. By the time we found her, all that was left was…”

Cen An sighed.

The relentless, harrowing misfortunes that had befallen her finally drove an ordinary woman to the brink of madness.