At the Infirmary.

Villagers who had come for treatment and medicine craned their necks to peer inside, their faces filled with curiosity—a kind of innocent, clueless expression rarely seen in this world, devoid of any sense of danger.

Inside the room, the ability user from Linqiu Village was pinned firmly to the ground. His face was expressionless, a far cry from his previous affable and lively demeanor.

The two injured men, now fully conscious, looked around nervously and said with some trepidation, “Isn’t this some kind of misunderstanding? Xiao Liang is our village’s ability user—he doesn’t have any bad intentions…”

“Right, right. We’ve watched Xiao Liang grow up. He’s a very kind-hearted kid with a good, honest heart.”

Cen An didn’t harbor any ill will toward these two; he merely shook his head slightly and asked, “Are you sure this is the ‘Xiao Liang’ you’re talking about?” 

“Well…” The two exchanged glances, unsure why he was asking that.

Cen An looked at the “Xiao Liang” from a distance and whispered, “Where did you take the original person? Did you kill him?” 

“Xiao Liang” gave a mocking smile. “What, scared out of your wits?”

Qi Yangze, who was holding him down, stomped his foot down on “Xiao Liang’s” shin. “Xiao Liang’s” expression changed, and the pain left him speechless.

Cen An shook his head, walked over to the first-aid kit, and—no one knew exactly how he did it—produced a bottle of deep blue liquid. “This will temporarily disable your superpowers for two hours. It has no other effects.”

“Xiao Liang” frowned slightly, skeptical, but considering everything he’d seen and heard since entering Yongning Village, he wasn’t entirely sure. “Let me handle this, Brother Cen.” Qi Yangze carefully dodged his fingers, took the potion, and forced it down “Xiao Liang’s” throat.

The very next second, “Xiao Liang’s” nose and mouth shifted out of place, and his brow furrowed slightly in pain… A dozen or so seconds later, he had a completely different face.

Qi Yangze’s expression changed. “A rare ability—face-swapping?”

He immediately turned his gaze to the remaining three villagers from Linqiu Village. If he could transform one, could he transform all three? He had actually brought such a person into the village—and right to the Chief’s side. If the Chief hadn’t figured it out himself, then…

In an instant, he felt both furious and filled with regret.

Seeing him look at the three injured villagers, Cen An quickly said, “They aren’t. He’s the only one who can change his face.”

Qi Yangze breathed a sigh of relief, though he still resented his own lack of vigilance.

Cen An, unaware of his thoughts, simply looked at the man on the ground. “What’s your name? Why did you infiltrate Yongning Village? What was your purpose?”

The man on the ground looked a bit pale; the sensation of having his abilities forcibly stripped away was unbearable. He raised his eyes. “If I told you I meant no harm, would you believe me?”

An ability user standing next to Qi Yangze scoffed, “No ill intent? What, did you come here to visit relatives and have a meal?” 

“Xiao Liang” tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Cen An, however, thought for a moment before nodding. “I believe you.”

At the Ability Squad’s base, everyone sat in a circle, with Cen An at the head. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with this seating arrangement, but now that they were dealing with an outsider, he had to keep up appearances.

Shi Long looked down at the man before him, his expression cold. “All right, you may speak now.” The man on the floor snorted derisively. “A three-panel trial, huh? I must be quite the big shot.”

Crack!

A fiery whip lashed the ground in front of him, and the intense heat instantly reduced the hem of his robe to black ash. Wang Lie barked, “If you’re going to talk, talk now. If not, you won’t get another chance!”

Everyone felt a lingering dread toward this two-faced man who had managed to worm his way into Cen An’s inner circle—a dread so intense they wished they could bury him right there on the spot.

They had placed too much trust in Yongning Village’s current security, fully convinced that outsiders could never break in—yet they’d forgotten that among the countless rare supernatural abilities in the world, how many could transform one person into another?

It seemed they would have to strengthen their defenses in this regard from now on.

The ability user on the ground’s expression shifted. He wanted to look up at Cen An, but held back, saying only, “Your leader keeps his word, right? As long as I spill everything, you’ll guarantee my safety.”

“Our leader certainly keeps his word,” Qu Yue said coldly. The ability user sighed. “All right, I’ll tell you.”

His name was Zhuo Feiyang, a Level 3 ability user with the rare ability to change his face.

Three months ago, while passing through Linqiu Village, he discovered an ability user named Xiao Liang who had been severely beaten and abandoned in the mountains. After he had ascertained the details of what had happened, Xiao Liang succumbed to his injuries and died. Consequently, he assumed Xiao Liang’s appearance and infiltrated Linqiu Village.

As he spoke, the three injured villagers from Linqiu Village could no longer sit still… Yes, even the hunter who had been injured the most had woken up and was sitting at the end of the row with the other two villagers.

The hunter was visibly shaken. “W-what did you say? Xiao Liang is already dead? How did he die?”

Zhuo Feiyang paused for a moment, then whispered, “He said he was beaten by an ability user from Linqiu Village while trying to save the girl he liked.” The hunter froze for a moment, then covered his face and burst into tears.

The group had no choice but to stop and ask for details, only then learning that there was a tragic story behind it all.

Three months ago, Linqiu Village hadn’t yet been incorporated into Yongning Village; it was still controlled by a dozen or so ability users.

The Hunter and Xiao Liang were neighbors; their families had lived next door to each other since Xiao Liang’s grandfather’s generation. Later, when Xiao Liang lost both his parents and became an orphan, the Hunter took him in. The Hunter had a daughter about the same age as Xiao Liang, and the two had pledged their lives to each other.

However, since Linqiu Village was poor, they didn’t hold a formal ceremony; they simply agreed that the daughter would move in on her eighteenth birthday.

But on the day before her birthday, the girl went to fetch water at the foot of the mountain and was spotted by the ability users of the time. Those men usually spent their time either seeking pleasure at the Linghe Base or forcing the people of Linqiu Village to mine in the mountains; they had no idea there was such a lovely young woman in the village. They immediately tried to abduct her and take her home.

Cui Hongxuan was a second too late.

It was also at this moment that Xiao Liang, who had followed along out of concern, witnessed the scene. He stepped forward to save the girl he loved, but was no match for them. He was beaten severely and thrown into the mountains.

Those ability users didn’t even bother to memorize his face; otherwise, Zhuo Feiyang wouldn’t have gone unnoticed when he changed his appearance to sneak into the village. As for the girl…

The hunter wept bitterly, “She didn’t survive long after she returned; she died from her injuries…” A sweet young couple had become a pair of star-crossed lovers.

A moment of silence fell over the crowd. In this strange world, incidents like this were all too common; no one could keep track of them all. Suddenly, a clear voice asked, “Do you remember where he’s buried?”

Zhuo Feiyang paused, only then realizing the chief of Yongning Village was addressing him; he instinctively nodded.

Cen An comforted the hunter, “Don’t cry. Once we get back to Linqiu Village, we’ll bury them together. If there’s a next life, they can be husband and wife again.”

The hunter hesitated for a moment, then suddenly began to weep even more loudly. “Yes, thank you, Chief… thank you, Chief…” Cen An felt a bit at a loss—why was he crying even harder now…?

Seeing his bewildered expression, the others found it somewhat amusing. Wang Lie whispered, “He’s crying because his daughter had such a tragic fate, and he’s thanking you for asking that question on his behalf. It’s not that he doesn’t want his daughter and her lover to be buried together—but Zhuo Feiyang has no connection to him, and since he’s just an ordinary person, asking wouldn’t necessarily have yielded an answer.”

In this day and age, it’s hard enough to take care of the living—who has the time or the compassion to worry about the dead? Only our Brother Cen would do such a thing.

After being caught off guard, he snapped back to reality just as Shi Long asked, “Since you infiltrated Linqiu Village three months ago, which base were you from before? And what was your purpose in infiltrating Linqiu Village?”

Zhuo Feiyang hesitated for a moment. “I used to be part of the Ability Squad at Linghe Base.”

Linghe Base—hearing that name again, everyone felt as if a lifetime had passed. This base, once the largest in the Silver Moon Mountains, had vanished without a trace; tens of thousands of people were missing—neither alive nor dead. How little time had passed, yet no one even mentioned this once-glorious hub anymore.

They exchanged puzzled glances. Qu Yue asked him, “You’re from Linghe Base? Linghe Base has vanished—how come you’re still here?”

Zhuo Feiyang shrugged. “As you can all see, I was out on a mission and happened to escape the catastrophe. So, I don’t know what happened to Linghe Base, nor do I know how it vanished.”

Cen An stared at him and asked, “So, what business did you have that took you away?”

Everyone could see Zhuo Feiyang stiffen for a moment before slowly relaxing. He chuckled, “So, it turns out you didn’t just rely on your looks to become the leader of Yongning Village.”

The people of Yongning Village glared at him, but Cen An himself nodded slightly. “I thought you already knew when I pulled you out.”

Zhuo Feiyang’s expression shifted. “All right… but I can’t say.”

He looked up at the crowd. “This is a matter of great importance. Linghe Base is gone, so this secret absolutely must not be revealed. If you want me to talk, show me what you’re really made of. Let me see if you’re any better than Linghe Base.”

His words were so arrogant that everyone frowned.

Cen An, however, looked him straight in the eye and nodded. “Fine. Then you’ll just have to wait and see.”

The disappearance of Linghe Base must surely conceal a massive secret. Everyone knew this. But was this secret something that Yongning Village could handle right now…

“If we don’t know yet, so be it. We’ll find out eventually.” Shi Long poured his leader a glass of water; a refreshing scent wafted toward him—it was mint honey water.

Cen An picked it up and took a sip.

Now everyone here is one of us. Zhuo Feiyang has been taken away and locked up, and the injured have also been taken away to recover.

Cen An shook his head. “First of all, I think it’s highly likely that Zhuo Feiyang doesn’t know anything; he’s just afraid we’ll trick him, so he’s holding onto this secret to protect himself. Second, I don’t think what that secret is actually matters. What matters is that someone is targeting human settlements.”

This is behavior that’s hard to understand.

In this world, supplies are the most valuable commodity, yet if you travel a thousand li to attack a settlement, the supplies you gain may not even outweigh what you’ve expended; furthermore, most supplies are gathered from the mountains. Once you’ve raided the settlement and left, leaving the mountains untouched—what on earth is the point of that? Are you just testing how powerful you are? Cen An expressed his bewilderment from a leader’s perspective.

In this world, the best way to grow and become powerful is to build high walls and stockpile grain—to attract more people, explore more mountain ranges, and hoard more supplies. At the very least, you should do what he did: get a “golden finger” that lets you farm or something…

Any other approach is a waste of time.

Xiao Ji asked curiously, “So what happens after we find out?”

Cen An shook his head, indicating he’d save that for later, and asked instead, “First, let’s talk about what exactly happened in Linqiu Village yesterday.” This was a question directed at Qi Yangze.

Qi Yangze didn’t dare look him in the face; he simply whispered, “The same thing happened there as in Stone Spring Village.”

Cen An nearly knocked over his cup, but luckily Wang Lie reached out to steady it. He blurted out, “What did you say? Linqiu Village was massacred?”

“No…” After berating himself for jumping to conclusions, Qi Yangze began to hate his own lack of eloquence. Frantic, he started gesturing wildly. “We, um, encountered the village-raiders, but the village wasn’t wiped out! We managed to protect it! Only three people in Linqiu Village were seriously injured—no one died!”

Cen An let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Qi Yangze—who was usually so composed—now gesticulating frantically, he found it amusing. “Don’t worry, take your time and explain.”

Qi Yangze’s face flushed red. “Right…”

Wang Lie watched, paused for a moment, furrowed his brow slightly, but said nothing. Last night had been a night of terror for Linqiu Village.

The villagers of Linqiu were willing to trade supplies for Yongning Village’s protection, and Yongning Village naturally didn’t hesitate to accept.

Qi Yangze brought along a dozen or so ability users and divided the villagers into several groups. During the day, they went up into the mountains to forage, with the ability users ensuring their safety; at dusk, they returned to the village to exchange the supplies they’d gathered for grain, meat, and those mysterious vegetables transported by Yongning Village.

Don’t want to trade? That’s fine too—just hand over a small portion of the supplies, and keep the rest for yourselves. This system, akin to paying protection money, was met with immense gratitude from the villagers of Linqiu Village. Compared to their former lives of slavery, their current existence was practically heaven.

Meanwhile, the ability users of Yongning Village, amidst this daily routine of labor, were observing whether the people of Linqiu Village were trustworthy and whether they could be assigned to farm…

Yesterday afternoon was no exception.

The villagers returning from foraging came down from the mountains and walked to the exchange site. Just as they were about to begin the exchange, a sudden upheaval occurred.

“Suddenly, thirty or forty ability users burst in from outside the village. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they killed anyone they saw—they were like madmen. At first, we didn’t react in time, and they injured several villagers. Later, our men surrounded them; some were killed, some fled, and some were captured alive.”

Qi Yangze spoke concisely, then furrowed his brow. “Their mental state seems off. The ones we captured have already been tied up, but they still lash out at the slightest provocation. We can’t communicate with them—they’re just like mutant beasts.”

Everyone frowned. “Could it be that these people are the same group that massacred Stone Spring Village?” 

“We’ll find out once we bring them back and question Mao Zhengwang,” Cen An said.

“We’ve already sent people to bring them back,” Qi Yangze hurriedly added. “It’s just that they’re moving slowly—it’ll take two days on the road.” In his rush to save time, he’d taken all the wind-elemental ability users with him, leaving the remaining group to travel even more slowly.

Wang Lie glanced at him, then turned back and smiled. “Brother Cen, I’ll take some men to meet them shortly. I’ll definitely bring them back safely.” Cen An shook his head. “That’s not what I’m worried about…”

What worried him was whether, upon seeing that Qi Yangze and his group had left, those people might launch a counterattack and massacre Linqiu Village all over again. Even if not, might they head to Dongying Village? Or Anjun River Bay?

Dongying Village was home only to a group of women without supernatural abilities, and as for Anjun River Bay… the people there were all sick. No matter where they went, it would lead to a tragedy.

Cen An mulled it over and over, still feeling uneasy. He slammed his hand on the table. “No way. We have to lure this group out!” Xiao Ji asked instinctively, “How do we lure them out?”

Cen An frowned. Well… he had items to attract mutant beasts, but as for attracting people… Seeing his dilemma, Qi Yangze spoke up, “I’ll go.”

Everyone turned to look at him. He lowered his head and explained, “I’ve dealt with them before. Maybe I can track them down by following their trail.”

Cen An still frowned. “It’s too dangerous. Mao Zhengwang said there were seventy or eighty ability users who went to their village, while only thirty or forty went to Linqiu Village. There might still be some hiding in the mountains.”

“It’s okay,” Qi Yangze said with a rare smile. “We’ve got quite a few people here. The Chief wouldn’t send me alone, would he?”

“Ah, that’s true…” Cen An’s mind suddenly clicked. “That’s right—the Rock Crystal Armor! I’ve made a batch for you all. From now on, whoever goes on a mission must pick up a set. It doesn’t matter if the gear gets damaged, but if anyone gets injured while wearing it, don’t even think about coming over for a meal at my place.”

Rock Crystal Armor—armor made from rock crystals—offered slightly better defense than silver ore armor, yet was lighter in weight. However, unlike Thorn Armor, it lacked the damage-reflection feature, which Cen An personally preferred.

Still, since Dahei had been in the village for so long, he’d already stockpiled a large amount of rock crystals. Since they were just sitting there unused, Cen An decided to craft the rock crystal armor. Who knows? In the future, this purple crystal armor might even become the standard uniform for Yongning Village.

Seeing that he had shifted from discussing how to catch the village-slaughterer to defensive gear, everyone quickly nodded in agreement with a smile.

In the past, there had indeed been instances where squad members, after receiving gear, were too reluctant to use it—resulting in them getting injured while the equipment remained brand-new. But that was because no one knew the price Brother Cen paid to craft this gear. After all, no one had ever heard of anyone being able to produce gear piece by piece—it was like a bottomless pit…

In most people’s eyes, gear was still a gift that fell from the sky at the start of the Cataclysm—something humans could only use, not craft.

But now that Brother Cen has pulled out so much gear without anything bad happening, they’ve gradually let their guard down and shed their previous parsimony. If they need it, they’ll use it—after all, if they get injured, they’ll have to bother Brother Cen to heal them anyway.

Repairing gear is one thing, but repairing them is… ahem, better not to repair them after all.

Team Leader Shi never got involved in fights. He assigned fifteen ability users to Qi Yangze, telling them to first track down the village raiders. He instructed them to seek out Team Leader Liao if they couldn’t handle it—after all, the village didn’t keep him, the captain of the Ability Squad, on the payroll for nothing.

Wang Lie, however, volunteered, saying he’d help Qi Yangze shoulder some of the burden. Neither Cen An nor Team Leader Shi would refuse such an offer, so they nodded in agreement.

After the brief meeting ended and everyone had left, Wang Lie took a few quick steps to catch up with Qi Yangze ahead of him, slung an arm around his shoulder, and said, “Come on, let’s talk outside.” Qi Yangze followed him out in silence.

Seeing that Qi Yangze was still staring in the direction where Cen An had left, the smile on Wang Lie’s face gradually faded. “Listen, you do still know your own last name, don’t you?”

Qi Yangze turned his head, his expression calm. “Yeah.”

“What the hell are you ‘mhm’-ing about!” Wang Lie, furious, slammed his fist into Qi Yangze’s shoulder. “Weren’t you the one who insulted Brother Cen first? Have you forgotten?” Qi Yangze remained calm. “I’ll never forget it.”

Life is full of twists and turns—how could he have known that the person he once thought was a fraud would now have taken such a deep hold on his heart… If only he could go back in time… Never mind, there’s no use thinking about that now.

Seeing his friend’s expression, Wang Lie couldn’t stay angry any longer. He pleaded earnestly, “Look, the whole Yongning Village knows what a great guy Brother Cen is. I get that you like him… I understand those feelings. But Brother Cen doesn’t feel the same way! I’m warning you—if you dare do anything to Brother Cen, even though we’re childhood friends, I’ll still beat you up!”

Silence.

Wang Lie roughly ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant, Brother Cen…”

Qi Yangze spoke up, “I wasn’t planning to do anything. My abilities aren’t as powerful as Su Rui’s, my personality isn’t as likable as Yu Lin’s, and I’m not as thoughtful as Tian Yuan’s…” Even though they were both orphans, he wasn’t as young and endearing as Xiao Yi.

“I even misunderstood him once and spoke harshly to him in front of everyone. I don’t even deserve to be his friend.” Everyone else could call him “Brother Cen,” but he alone had to tiptoe around him, addressing him as “Boss Cen” or “Leader.”

“That’s why I don’t intend to do anything. I just want to be a reliable blade in his service—someone he can count on whenever he needs to get something done. I won’t get too close to him; I just want to stay by his side, just like any other ability user from Yongning Village…”

If that man wanted to become the boss of the Silver Moon Mountains, then he would become the boss of the Silver Moon Mountains. Linqiu Village alone wasn’t enough; he could also go to De’an Lake, Xiang’an Town, or the Tianhu Base.

He was no different from the other ability users in Yongning Village, except that he harbored a few unspoken thoughts—ones he would keep well hidden deep within his heart.

Wang Lie sniffed and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t say anymore, buddy. You’ve had it so rough—I’m about to cry myself… I don’t really have any warnings for you, but I just want to tell you: no matter what, stay away from Su Rui and Yu Lin from now on…”

The road of love is already rough enough; let’s hope the road of life is a little longer.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Anjun River Bay.

Tian Yuan stood up in surprise. “Are you saying this isn’t a disease, but a superpower?” Cui Hong nodded.

She was an ordinary-looking woman, sitting in a large, rough-hewn wheelchair with a red blanket draped over her legs. It wasn’t until they met that Tian Yuan realized Cui Hong had difficulty walking.

As if sensing his shock, Cui Hong smiled at him during their first meeting and said, “My father broke them.”

That year, Cui Hong was ten years old. Her family was so poor they couldn’t even put food on the table, and her mother was too sick to get out of bed. She cautiously approached her father, the village chief, hoping to borrow some grain. Unbeknownst to her, it was Cui Hongxuan’s birthday that day, and the whole family was celebrating in high spirits.

Cui Pengfei, annoyed that she had brought bad luck to the celebration, ordered someone to break her legs. It was the dead of winter; she crawled home through the heavy snow. That very night, her legs went numb, and she steeled herself to have them amputated—the only way to save her life.

Three days later, her mother also passed away.

Cui Hong smiled calmly. “He took my legs, so I gave him a little push on his way to the afterlife. It’s only fair.” Returning to the present, Tian Yuan asked her, “How did you know it was a superpower?”

Cui Hong pulled out a deep-blue plant. “Do you recognize this?” Glancing at Tian Yuan’s expression, she explained, “This plant is called the Phantom Sea Orchid. It can temporarily neutralize abilities.”

Tian Yuan’s outstretched hand froze mid-air.

Cui Hong chuckled. “The raw material alone doesn’t have such a powerful effect, of course—it has to be made into a potion. This herb is a specialty of the Anjun River Bay area. The last time Mr. Yu went back, I included a few in his gift… Come to think of it, Mr. Tian, have you ever seen a potion made from this herb? It’s said to be deep blue, and when an ability user takes it, their abilities are temporarily neutralized—with no other side effects.”

Tian Yuan withdrew his hand and shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Sorry, I’m not very familiar with potions.”

A flash of disappointment crossed Cui Hong’s eyes. “It’s okay, we were just making small talk… Let’s get down to business. I had someone test it: when the sap from this herb is applied to corpses, they lose their ability to spread infection.”

Tian Yuan frowned. “Tried? Who did you have try it on?”

“Myself, of course,” Cui Hong said calmly. “I’ve heard a lot about Yongning Village from Ms. Sun and the others, so I’m certain I won’t have drawn the Chief’s ire.”

Tian Yuan’s eyebrow twitched. She tested it on herself… This woman was ruthless.

Still, Brother Cen must have a high regard for her; he’s always admired those who willingly risk their lives for the greater good… Cui Hong chuckled softly to herself and lifted her teacup to take a slow sip.

Although she hadn’t known Tian Yuan for long, she seemed to already know who he was thinking of. The Chief of Yongning Village… what a remarkable man.

Whenever anyone in Yongning Village thought of their leader, their expressions were all the same: longing, warmth, and unwavering determination.

Thinking back now, she realized that she had been secretly plotting for so long and had initially been willing to take the risk of reaching out to Sun Qiuhua and the other two precisely because she had seen that very expression on their faces. That determination to protect something at all costs made her feel at ease, because she knew these people had their limits.

Setting down her cup, she thought lazily, wondering when she might get to see the Chief again—she was eager to pledge her loyalty to him as well!