Wen Xian stared at him steadily for a long moment. Boss Wen smiled back without changing his expression at all.
Wen Xian leaned against the chair and asked, “Boss Wen, are you trying to prove something?”
Boss Wen’s expression flickered slightly, then he feigned ignorance. “What do you mean by that, Miss Wen? I’m only acting out of goodwill. Look around, who here is still wearing a mask? Of course, wearing a mask is your choice, but with so many people present, why not give everyone a little face? Besides, it’s inconvenient to eat and drink with a mask on, isn’t it?”
Wen Xian paused for a moment before speaking slowly. “Actually, before the apocalypse, I was just one among billions of ordinary people. I never killed anyone. Not even a chicken. At most, I might have crushed a couple of mosquitoes because of my size.”
As soon as she said this, the smile on Boss Wen’s face faded slightly. Everyone at the table looked toward her.
“Even Ding Wei…” she hesitated, then continued, “If she hadn’t repeatedly forced me and harmed me, I wouldn’t have killed her either.”
She shook her head slowly. “That’s… killing someone. Just thinking about it terrifies me.”
A brief flicker of disdain crossed Boss Wen’s eyes before vanishing. He turned slightly to face her, about to offer comfort.
But Wen Xian met his gaze. Half her face was hidden by the mask, making her clear, luminous eyes all the more striking. Once someone met her gaze, it drew them in almost involuntarily.
Boss Wen froze. At that moment, Wen Xian’s voice rang in his ears: “But Boss Wen, you know what’s really strange? I clearly killed someone just yesterday. I used my vines to twist a living person’s neck until it broke. I can still remember the ‘crack’ when the cervical vertebrae snapped, but I wasn’t afraid at all.”
A faint, innocent confusion shimmered in her eyes. “I didn’t even have a nightmare. Boss Wen… can you tell me why that is?”
Silence fell.
Her bewilderment was so pure that it suddenly reminded Boss Wen of the night he divorced his wife when his daughter was four. That night, when he came home, his daughter looked up at him, confused, asking why her mother hadn’t come back.
Even though he was already a successful businessman accustomed to deceit in the market, he had still felt overwhelming guilt and heartbreak.
Now…
A chill ran down his spine.
“Heh… haha…” Boss Wen forced a smile, moving the stiff muscles in his face, trying to reassure her like an elder. “I’ve heard that when some people are overly frightened, their body’s protective mechanisms activate, causing certain sensory responses to be temporarily missing.”
He spoke more smoothly as he continued: “Perhaps you’re not truly unafraid. You just haven’t had time to process it yet. After all, it was killing, any normal person would be scared.”
“I see…”
Wen Xian nodded in understanding, then smiled and slightly inclined her head. “Boss Wen, you really are experienced. I truly admire that.”
Then she raised her hand. Boss Wen flinched, and before he even realized it, his body had instinctively moved away from Wen Xian, his smile nearly faltering.
Wen Xian’s gaze was calm. Her pale, slender fingers reached behind her ear and removed the mask.
Silence fell again.
Among those present, only Qi Hao had seen Wen Xian’s face before. Although it had been a long time, there was no denying she had been beautiful, but now, he was still stunned. The reason was simple: Wen Xian had changed drastically.
This change wasn’t in her facial structure. She was still the same person, but her features had become exquisitely refined, every curve approaching perfection. Her skin was flawless.
No matter how beautiful a woman was, or how perfect her skin, there would usually be some blemishes or acne marks. But her face had none. It was so delicate… like a custom-made high-end doll.
Yet that wasn’t all. What was even harder to describe was her aura.
Her expression was calm, but her entire presence radiated an aloof, cold elegance. When she looked at someone, there was no visible emotion, but you couldn’t help but feel ashamed, inferior… as if…
She had transcended human bounds. A fairy, perhaps?
Qi Hao shivered at the thought. He felt ridiculous, this was the apocalypse; there were no fairies here.
Even thinking that, he couldn’t stop looking at her. But the moment his gaze nearly met hers, he quickly dropped his eyes, and his ears and neck flushed red.
He was embarrassed by his own reaction, praying no one noticed his odd behavior.
Obviously, his worry was unnecessary. Almost everyone else at the table reacted the same way.
Everyone was unconsciously drawn to her, then instinctively felt self-conscious and inferior.
“Bang!”
Suddenly, a sharp noise exploded near everyone’s ears, snapping them back to reality. Instinctively, they all looked toward the source of the sound. Wen Xian also glanced over.
Sister Li’s expression was extremely cold. “Oh, I accidentally dropped a cup.”
Boss Wen hurriedly laughed. “It’s nothing, just a glass cup. Xiao Wang, have the waiter bring another one.”
Assistant Wang quickly went to fetch it. Boss Wen dared not look at Wen Xian again and was quietly grateful to Sister Li for the interruption. He quickly found some small talk to distract her.
Sister Li’s expression gradually softened as she responded to Boss Wen, while her peripheral vision stayed on Xiang Yuyang. She noticed him lowering his eyes to the cup in his hands, his expression unreadable, and felt a tension in her heart.
When the cup was brought over, Boss Wen immediately called everyone to begin eating.
Everyone was attentive to Wen Xian, but careful not to meet her gaze. Others at the table glanced at her from time to time, but Wen Xian didn’t look at anyone, even when she sensed some of the looks were impatient.
The welcome banquet left everyone feeling uneasy. Soon, people gradually put down their bowls and chopsticks. Boss Wen noticed their distracted minds and didn’t delay further. He said directly:
“Today I’ve invited you all not only to welcome Wen Xian and Brother Xiang, but also to discuss something important with everyone.”
All eyes turned to Boss Wen.
“Here’s the situation. Everyone knows Lishi isn’t a big city. Not long after the apocalypse, the city government organized survivors to move to other official safe zones, so now Lishi is short on talent. Likewise, most of the city’s resources were taken away.”
“Later, I built the Lishi base. My subordinate ability users have been collecting what remains, but the base has over two thousand people and fewer than two hundred ability users. All food and supplies rely on what the ability users gather. But the supply speed of two hundred people can’t match the consumption of two thousand. So the crisis in Lishi base is right in front of us.”
His expression grew serious. “You are all among the best ability users. Sending you to collect supplies might seem like overkill, but there are several resource-rich areas in Lishi that ordinary ability users cannot access. These difficult missions will rely on you.”
The group exchanged glances, each lost in their own thoughts.
Seeing no one speak, Boss Wen smiled: “Times are different now. I won’t invoke lofty ideals to demand your service. I’m a businessman at heart, and I value exchange of benefits above all. If you put in the effort, I will make sure you are rewarded.”
A businessman never speaks without a foundation. If he says “I will,” he clearly has something to rely on.
Xiang Yuyang was the first to respond: “Boss Wen may be a businessman, but what he is doing is a righteous and important matter. That alone makes him worthy of our trust.”
Boss Wen nodded with a smile: “I also have confidence in Brother Xiang’s abilities.”
With a few polite words, the two seemed to form an unspoken understanding.
Boss Wen then looked at the others. Qi Hao said: “Boss Wen is doing important work. Fan Yaohui and I cannot decide on our own. Please allow us to consult our captain and then report back to you.” He instinctively glanced at Wen Xian, but she did not look at him. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to feel.
Boss Wen nodded: “That’s only proper.”
Ba Hai said coolly: “The three of us have no objections, but we’ll need to wait until they’ve fully recovered before taking action.”
Boss Wen smiled: “Old Ba, don’t worry. I’ve already instructed people to take good care of your brothers.”
Ba Hai lowered his eyes, nodded slightly, and couldn’t help looking at Wen Xian.
Boss Wen also looked toward her: “I wonder what Miss Wen thinks?”
Wen Xian replied calmly: “I have no objections, but we’ll have to wait until my injuries are fully healed.”
Boss Wen was delighted: “Good, good, that’s the right approach. Hahaha, I believe that with everyone’s participation, our future operations will surely succeed!”
In the following week, Wen Xian was given rare time to rest and recuperate.
Kaizi still never left her side, caring for her with meticulous attention. Wen Xian rarely spoke to him, but she never sent him away.
Even when they went out daily with Da Bai for exercise and came across something useful, she would share some with him. Over time, Kaizi grew increasingly respectful of her, eventually bringing some of his brothers along specifically to meet her.
Besides spending two hours a day in her space, Wen Xian spent most of her time outside. While Da Bai hunted, she would find opportunities to train her abilities, focusing mainly on attacking with vines and defending with tree shields, practicing both speed and reflexes.
All of Da Bai’s catches were quietly given to her. Wen Xian would first absorb the crystal cores, then store the rest in her space. To prevent the prey from spoiling, she designated a separate area for Da Bai, using previously found construction materials to enclose a storage zone. After placing the prey inside, she would daily add large amounts of snow to preserve it.
A week later, Boss Wen led the team, including everyone she had seen in the private room last time, along with Chen Lian, Shao Qingqing, and others.
This time, Boss Wen didn’t bother formally introducing Chen Lian to her; both groups treated each other as strangers, not even exchanging a glance.
Wen Xian rode Da Bai following the convoy, observing the surroundings along the way.
With her and Da Bai present, there were naturally no attacks from mutated plants or animals. Upon arrival, Boss Wen laughed, marveling: “Miss Wen, this Da Bai wolf of yours is a real treasure. Not only can it deter mutated animals, even the mutated plants dare not approach. This is by far the easiest trip I’ve had since the apocalypse.”
Wen Xian didn’t explain, her expression beneath the mask subtly shifting as she looked at the familiar buildings ahead.
No wonder when she first entered the department store connected to the Home Textile City, not only were the supplies still intact, but the interior was also dimly lit. It turned out the area had already become a “mountain.”
Boss Wen explained: “Here is a Home Textile City and a department store, both rich in supplies. But after the apocalypse, the Home Textile City gates were occupied by a mass of mutated cacti, and the department store gates were surrounded by other plants.”
A few days before the apocalypse, a mobile phone shop had opened at the department store entrance, decorating the space with various vines and ferns, likely carrying moss. Now, the area has been completely overtaken by moss, with ferns and other plants growing among it.
In the square outside the store, there were magnolia trees. After evolving, their blossoms gained a hallucinogenic effect, and they were still in bloom.
Originally, many people attempting to collect supplies would collapse before even approaching, then be crushed by vines and ferns or dragged into the roots to become nourishment.
Now the place had grown into an actual “mountain,” completely impenetrable.
Boss Wen, usually smiling, now looked heartbroken: “At the time, I had no idea how dangerous the moss and ferns were. Nearly half of my people were lost.”
He turned to the others: “This is the first supply point you’ll need to overcome. If anyone can carve a path into the department store, in addition to first choosing the supplies inside, I’ll also teach them a way to quickly enhance their abilities!”