Chapter 47: Entering Beiming City

Chapter 47: Entering Beiming City

As soon as Guan Yuanfeng left, the house suddenly felt quiet.

In fact, Guan Yuanfeng himself wasn’t much of a talker and was even less lively than Comet, but his absence made the house feel empty.

Zhou Yun felt a sense of urgency.

The loss made him desire strength more than ever before.

Fortunately, Guan Yuanfeng had led a team to raid the hospital and brought back the hospital's self-made equipment for him, along with collecting many medicines, which made the implementation of his next plan much smoother.

He hadn’t been entirely honest with Guan Yuanfeng, but Guan seemed to always be sensitive to his needs, such as the wood-attribute crystal cores and the hospital equipment.

This was probably the commander's sharp intuition, always effectively sensing the needs of others and acting on them.

Zhou Yun mixed the collected mutant herbs together, ground them into powders, and then added some confusion-inducing ingredients like Chinese yam powder and kudzu root powder. He made a large number of finished medicines, powders, and topical gels.

On a bright and sunny morning, he placed food and feed in the livestock pen in advance, silently thanked Jiang Rongqian in his heart, and then set off for Beiming Base with Comet in Guan Yuanfeng's off-road vehicle.

There were indeed traces of snow and ice on the expressway, but much of it had melted by now, and Comet’s fire cleared the rest. At one point, a mudslide from a collapsed mountain blocked the tunnel entrance, and near the tunnel entrance, as well as inside, the sharp howls of zombies could be heard.

No wonder the entire winter had been so quiet. In this remote city of Danlin City, the psychics from Beiming Base hadn’t come over. The cost of clearing the road or finding an alternate route was too high.

Zhou Yun checked the map, turned back, and took a secondary road, bypassing several zombie-infested villages. He traveled a very difficult muddy road, which must have been completely blocked by snow and ice in the winter, before finally getting back on the expressway.

It really wasn’t easy to make a trip like this, Zhou Yun thought, which was why Guan Yuanfeng’s teammates had chosen to come by helicopter. Traveling from Central Base was too far, and weather conditions posed a challenge.

Before the snow had fallen in his previous life, Tang Anchen had gone back to his hometown to visit relatives. Since he was closest to Danlin City, Guan Yuanfeng had only called Tang Anchen to meet them. They drove an off-road vehicle all the way to the distant Sanchu Base... At that time, the social order hadn’t completely collapsed, and the roads were mostly empty, so their journey was relatively safe.

Zhou Yun found himself involuntarily thinking about Guan Yuanfeng again and felt a bit self-deprecating. Pressing down on the accelerator, he knew he had to reach Beiming Base before dark; otherwise, zombies and other malicious beings would come out to rob travelers.

The closer he got to the base, the less likely anyone would dare to rob him, since they couldn’t tell if the person stepping out of the car might be a psychic.

A journey that would normally take two to three hours became much longer due to detours and finding new routes. By 4 or 5 in the afternoon, Zhou Yun finally reached Beiming Base.

There were many base guards at the city gate. Zhou Yun drove up and lowered his window. The guard looked through the window and, seeing Comet, took an extra look. “Got a residence permit? If not, the entrance fee for the base is one crystal core per person.”

The guard took Zhou Yun’s temperature with a thermometer and had him hold a test strip in his mouth to check for the zombie virus. After a minute, seeing that the test strip’s color hadn’t changed, the guard said, “Alright.”

Zhou Yun handed over a gray crystal core. The guard looked at Comet again and said, “Keep your dog under control. If it gets lost, we won’t be responsible for finding it. Some people steal dogs for food. You can get a residence permit at the municipal office—the building with the red roof. If you’re staying temporarily, it’s five crystal cores for one month. Psychics are exempt from the residence permit fee.”

Zhou Yun nodded. “Thank you.”

The guard waved his hand, and the barrier lifted, allowing Zhou Yun to drive in.

Zhou Yun first drove into the city. Beiming City was an ancient city with narrow roads and many small alleys. He headed straight for the old town area.

The alleyways in the old town were deep and winding. On both sides of the brick-paved roads were two-story brick-and-wood buildings, their tones dull. Occasionally, there were small grocery stores and convenience stores at the alley entrances.

Near the alley entrance, a few kids had set up a roadside stall selling beansprouts and tofu distributed from their homes. A wooden barrel had a bamboo basket on top, covered with a wet white cotton cloth. One child was carefully spraying water on it with a spray bottle. A crooked sign in front read: “Tofu, Soymilk, Bean Sprouts.”

Zhou Yun stopped the car and lowered the window, handing the kids some candies and chocolates. “Kids, where can I park safely around here?”

The children, seeing the beautifully packaged candies and chocolates, swallowed and stared longingly but didn’t take them. They all spoke at once, “Just park here, and we’ll watch over it for you. This is Laojie Gang’s territory. No one will dare steal your stuff! We guarantee your car won’t get a single scratch! All we ask for is a bit of food in return.”

Zhou Yun nodded and took a loaf of bread from the car. This was bread he had baked himself, filled with nuts and dried fruits, and already sliced with a knife. He handed it to the children to share. “How about this?”

The children’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Two slices will do! And these candies are enough!”

Zhou Yun handed the bread and candy to the kids. "Take it, just keep an eye on things."

The kids hesitated for a moment before taking it. They didn’t seem to want to eat it but carefully stowed it away. Zhou Yun sighed inwardly and asked, "Do you sell tofu?"

The kids immediately lit up and chimed in, "Yes! It’s our family's tofu, made with traditional brine."

"It's fresh, soft, and tender, white and smooth, with no beany smell at all!"

"Buy a pound and get a free jar of our secret crab sauce!"

"Fresh, hot tofu with our secret crab sauce, sprinkled with sesame salt, chili flakes, and green onions—so delicious!"

The youngest kid, with a face red and chapped from the cold wind, shouted, "I love this so much, I wouldn't trade it for abalone or bird's nest!" The child swallowed hard, looking extremely tempted.

Zhou Yun smiled. "I'll buy all the tofu in this basket and some of your crab sauce, alright?"

The child excitedly said, "Sure thing! One piece of tofu costs one credit coin, and the whole basket is just twenty credits."

Zhou Yun said, "I don't have any credit coins. Can I use crystal cores instead?" He took out a crystal core to show them.

The older kid quickly ran inside to call someone. A middle-aged woman came out, holding knitting needles, with a big smile on her face. "Sir, are you buying tofu? Our tofu is made with brine, passed down through generations, without any gypsum."

Zhou Yun said, "I'm here to visit a friend. I haven't had tofu in a long time, and I have a lot of people at home, but I don't have any credit coins. Will this crystal core work?"

The middle-aged woman took it and looked at it against the light. "One grey crystal core exchanges for five credit coins, and other low-grade crystal cores are ten credit coins. We don't know how to assess mid or high-grade crystal cores here. You'll need to exchange them at the city management office, where they have a machine for that."

Zhou Yun handed her five grey crystal cores. "I'll take the basket and the jar of crab sauce."

She beamed and spread out the cloth. "These aren't worth much, thank you, sir. I'll also give you an extra bottle of crab sauce. We make it ourselves using fresh crabs from the beach—it's amazing!" She efficiently packed everything up for him.

Zhou Yun took the basket of tofu, opened the car door, and placed it on the back seat. He patted Comet's head, telling it to hold on, then closed the door and asked the middle-aged woman, "Sister, I'm looking for a friend who lives here in the old town area. His name is Qin Sheng. Can you tell me how to get to his place? The streets here are kind of confusing."

The kids all laughed. "It's Brother 'Love Saint'."

The woman smiled. "Oh, you're looking for Qin Second. He lives at 35 Taiping West Street. Just go straight from here, and you'll see his house—it has an iron anchor hanging on the door. I would have given you a discount if you had said so earlier."

Zhou Yun asked, "Is he home now?"

The kids said, "He's home during the day but goes out at night."

"He works the night shift."

Zhou Yun nodded, parked the car by the side of the road, leaving a small gap in the window closest to the wall, then patted Comet's head and quietly instructed it, "Watch the car."

He got out of the car, his gun holster clearly visible on his waist, holding a long blade in his hand and a backpack on his back. He closed the door and headed straight into the old town area.

This was a key rule for moving around outside during the apocalypse. If you had a gun and a knife, it was best to let others see them, which could preemptively deter some low-level disturbances.

As he walked into the old town, he felt like countless eyes were peeking at him from behind windows. This was normal in the apocalypse. Most of the able-bodied family members would be out on missions or working jobs provided by the base, leaving the elderly, weak, and women at home, who would be highly vigilant of strangers.

By buying the tofu, he managed to ease the suspicions of the tofu-selling family; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy to find out where Qin Sheng lived.

He reached 35 West Street and knocked on the door.

Someone inside asked, "Who is it?"

Zhou Yun said, "I'm looking for Qin Sheng. I sell gold-type crystal cores."

A moment passed before someone came to open the door. A very young man looked at him with an expression of impatience. "Who are you? Do I know you?"

Although he looked tired and annoyed, his features were deeply handsome and refined. His almond-shaped eyes, with a hint of redness at the corners, appeared both romantic and captivating even when filled with anger.

Despite his broad shoulders and long legs, giving him the physique of an adult, the round baby fat on his chin revealed a touch of youthful innocence.

Zhou Yun, curious, blurted out, "Are you even twenty yet?"

Qin Sheng glared at him, filled with resentment. "What do you mean by that?"

Zhou Yun chuckled, realizing that Qin Sheng was indeed very young at this time and strikingly handsome. It was no wonder that the Gong family had chosen him to be the Gong family's daughter's ideal husband, and later, he rose to power as the master of Beiming City, becoming a prominent figure.

In his previous life, Zhou Yun had met Qin Sheng many years later when he had fallen from grace and was being humiliated.

He took out the prepared gold-type crystal core. "I heard you have a gold-type mutant ability. I have a high-quality gold-type crystal core that I want to sell to you."

Qin Sheng was initially dismissive, but his eyes widened when he saw the large, glittering gold-type crystal core. He took it and examined it. It was indeed a real crystal core. He looked at Zhou Yun. "This crystal core would fetch a high price at an auction. Why would you sell it to me?"

Zhou Yun smiled. "Because I need something that you have."

Qin Sheng sized Zhou Yun up. He was tall and straight, wearing a black down jacket with a blue-green plaid flannel shirt collar peeking out, blue-black canvas pants, and long boots. Although Zhou Yun had a gun holster on his side, his bright eyes, handsome face, high nose bridge, defined lip line, and slightly upturned mouth with a faint smile gave off a demeanor of calm sophistication.

Such a demeanor was rare in the post-apocalyptic world, usually indicating that the person had been well-protected and lived a good life, likely from an influential family.

Qin Sheng hesitated, thinking of refusing, but his eyes lingered on the large gold-type crystal core, which was exactly what he needed for his upgrade. After a moment of hesitation, he opened the door. "Come in." The people on the entire old town street were probably watching.

As the door closed, Qin Sheng asked, "You can see that I'm poor. What could I possibly have that you would want? If you took that gold-type crystal core to the city lord's mansion, they would offer you generous rewards, maybe even exchange it for base properties, tax exemptions, or a job at the city lord's mansion. There's nothing much I can offer you here."

Zhou Yun took a look around the house. It was indeed small and dim, a typical old-style house in the old town area. The upper floor was an attic where people lived, the street-facing ground floor was used as a shop, the central courtyard was for washing vegetables and growing flowers, and the backyard housed the kitchen and attic warehouse.

Zhou Yun said, "I heard you are the leader of the so-called Laojie Gang?"

Qin Sheng gave a scornful laugh. "In Beiming City, gangs are everywhere. The so-called Laojie Gang is just a group of kids from these few streets. I was the kid who led others in street fights. After the apocalypse, we had no choice but to unite the youth of the local old streets to protect our territory. You're not thinking I can help you with violent or illegal activities, are you?"

Sitting on a worn-out wooden sofa with his legs stretched out and an arm casually draped over the backrest, Qin Sheng spoke nonchalantly. "Even when we look for jobs at the city lord's mansion, we can only get the most grueling night shift patrol jobs or accompany young masters and misses to hunt zombies."

Zhou Yun said, "I'm just one person with limited capacity. I have some items I want you to help sell. You'll get a 40% commission on each item."

Qin Sheng's eyes flickered. "Are these stolen or black-market goods? I won't sell anything that will cause trouble."

Zhou Yun took a sample pack from his backpack. "I'm a doctor. These are my homemade medicines. I want someone to sell them."

Qin Sheng was stunned. "How do I know this isn't fake medicine?"

Zhou Yun replied, "You can try them. These are samples, and all medicines come with trial samples, each labeled." He then took out his pharmacist certificate. "This is my pharmacist certificate, but I hope you can keep the source confidential."

Qin Sheng examined the pharmacist certificate with suspicion and then took the neatly arranged sample medicines. He opened them and picked up a spray bottle. The medicine name was "Anti-Swelling and Pain Relief Tincture," with the effects listed on the back: to improve blood circulation, relieve swelling and pain, used for sprains, rheumatism, frostbite, and skin redness—very concise and clear.

He took out two more spray bottles, and his expression changed. "Zombie Repellant?" He looked at the other bottle, "Zombie Attractant."

Zhou Yun nodded. "Yes, you'll know their effectiveness once you try them."

Qin Sheng's expression shifted slightly, and he scrutinized Zhou Yun again. "If you took these to the city lord's mansion, the Gong family would treat you as an honored guest, and they would be able to sell these much better than I could."

Zhou Yun nodded. "I know, but I don't want to be in the spotlight. The Gong family is rife with internal factions and isn't trustworthy without a suitable agent."

Qin Sheng was puzzled. "Then why are you so sure you can trust me? I may not be able to protect you either."

Zhou Yun smiled. "I trust you." In his previous life, the Gong family's eldest miss had many lovers and treated this son-in-law like a servant, but Qin Sheng, grateful for the Gong family's kindness, endured it. In the end, the eldest miss conspired with her lover to betray Qin Sheng, but Qin Sheng, being merciful, let her go.

Ultimately, it was due to this that Miss Gong and her cousins from the Gong family imprisoned Qin Sheng. Publicly, she claimed she wouldn't kill Qin Sheng, but in reality, she crippled his limbs and senses, tossing him into a sewer cage. She would mock him by pouring leftover food over him every day.

Out of sheer pity, Zhou Yun took him away and, against all odds, managed to save him.

Qin Sheng's resilience was unmatched. It was said in his past life that when he controlled Beiming Base, he balanced and suppressed various factions. His metal mutant ability had reached its peak, which was why the Gong family was willing to pass the title of city lord to him.

In terms of ability, methods, and moral character, he was a person worth collaborating with. Zhou Yun himself was not good at operations and believed it was best to leave such matters to someone suitable.

Qin Sheng looked puzzled as he rummaged through the medicines again and asked, "Do you have any antidotes?"

Zhou Yun replied, "Yes, the detoxification ointment."

Qin Sheng picked it up and asked, "What kind of poison can it remove?"

Zhou Yun said, "Snake venom, scorpion venom, fire ant venom, and other poisons from mutated animals. However, it is only for external use to temporarily relieve the symptoms. It is crucial to seek medical attention promptly or use specific antivenom and corresponding treatments, or alternatively, ask a wood psychic to remove the poison or a light psychic for healing."

Qin Sheng hesitated for a moment and asked, "What about zombie poison?"

Zhou Yun looked at Qin Sheng, "Do you have a patient who has been poisoned by a zombie?"

Qin Sheng evaded the question, "Just tell me if it can be treated."

Zhou Yun said, "Those who are scratched or bitten by a zombie have a chance of being infected and turning into a zombie. However, if treated quickly, there is a chance of survival. In the early stages, most people believe that being scratched or bitten by a zombie means certain transformation into one. Therefore, they either distance themselves quickly or preemptively kill the person before they turn."

Qin Sheng swallowed. "How should it be treated? And how can you determine if the person will turn into a zombie?"

Zhou Yun said, "The infection process is somewhat similar to rabies. Symptoms include photophobia, hydrophobia, fear of wind, difficulty swallowing, excessive salivation, muscle spasms, and then madness leading to biting. Once the brain is completely infected, the person becomes a zombie irreversibly."

He remembered how Comet went mad, and Guan Yuanfeng cut off its head with bloodshot eyes.

Looking at Zhou Yun's expression, Qin Sheng saw that while he spoke in the most rational and calm manner, like a professional doctor, there was a hint of sorrow and grief in his eyes. He glanced at the zombie attractant and repellent on the table. If these medicines were genuine, the other person had already entrusted him with an important secret and even shown him the pharmacist’s license.

He gritted his teeth, "If the person hasn't reached that stage yet, but just has bruising, swelling, pain, fainting, and difficulty eating at the site of the bite or scratch?"

Zhou Yun said, "Seek out another wood psychic to remove the poison. There's a chance for recovery."

So another wood psychic was needed? His eyes dimmed. Wood psychics were rare healing psychics and had already been recruited by the city lord's mansion.

Zhou Yun looked at his expression, "Are you worried that if you find a wood psychic, they might refuse to treat the patient out of fear that the patient will turn into a zombie?"

Qin Sheng said, "The wood and light psychics reside in the city lord's mansion. To request their services, you must first register, pay with crystal cores or credit coins..."

Zhou Yun said, "And the rule in Beiming Base is that anyone bitten by a zombie is absolutely not allowed to enter the city, let alone be treated."

Qin Sheng said, "Yes... can you provide more of this detoxification ointment?" He didn't know any other wood psychics and could only try this ointment first and then look for help in other bases.

But Zhou Yun looked at him, "All bases currently refuse entry to those who have been scratched or bitten by zombies. The zombie virus was mysterious, and no one knew how long it could remain dormant, so no base dared to take the risk. Patients who were scratched or bitten were often abandoned in the wilderness..."

He looked at Qin Sheng and thought for a moment, "Let me see the patient. I am a doctor and can keep your secret."

Qin Sheng hesitated for a moment, "Alright—don't worry, he doesn't have those photophobia, hydrophobia, or fear of wind symptoms. He's just been unconscious, with a recurring high fever and ulcerated wounds." He hadn't dared to call a doctor.

He led Zhou Yun up to the attic, where Zhou Yun immediately smelled the stench of rotting flesh and sighed inwardly. Qin Sheng turned on the light, making the attic a bit brighter.

Zhou Yun looked down and saw an unconscious man lying on the bed, his face handsome, with features vaguely resembling Qin Sheng's but more rugged and mature. He was likely a relative of Qin Sheng. The tofu vendor downstairs had mentioned "Qin the Second," so this must be the elder Qin.

Qin Sheng pulled back the blanket to show the wound on his leg.

Zhou Yun saw a horrifying wound scratched open by five sharp nails. It was already bluish-gray and rotting. He calmly said, "Fortunately, it's still winter, so the rotting is slow. If the weather turns hot, this leg will be beyond saving."

Qin Sheng softly said, "The wound's too high up; I didn't want to risk an amputation."

Zhou Yun nodded. "It's indeed very dangerous. Amputation would mean certain death."

Qin Sheng looked at him, and Zhou Yun said, "I'll cut away the necrotic tissue and apply the antidote ointment. After that, you'll need to change the dressing every day, and I'll prescribe some internal medicine for him."

A glimmer of hope rose in Qin Sheng's heart. "What do I need to do?"

Zhou Yun said, "First, go find a sharp scalpel, preferably a surgical blade, and sterilize it using alcohol. Bring some gauze as well."

Qin Sheng hurriedly went down to look for them.

While Qin Sheng was gone, Zhou Yun placed his hand on the man's leg and performed a detoxification technique. Soon, the bluish-gray color on the festering wound began to fade, and the pus-filled wound stopped oozing.

When Qin Sheng returned and handed Zhou Yun a sharp surgical blade, Zhou Yun quickly removed the necrotic tissue, stitched the wound, slathered on a thick layer of mutant notoginseng gel, and bandaged it up. "There, change the dressing once a day, apply a thick layer of this wound gel, and give him this Shenling Baizhu San for internal consumption."

The poison had already been cleared; the internal medicine was only to strengthen his body and boost his energy.

Qin Sheng asked, "Do you have extra wound gel? I’ll buy some from you."

Zhou Yun said, "No need. I've brought all the supplies in my vehicle outside. It’s tough for me to get here, so I need someone local to help sell. You can take all the supplies and sell them gradually. I'll come once a month."

Qin Sheng was stunned. "Aren’t you worried I might take all the supplies?"

Zhou Yun smiled. "Even if you took them, you’d only make so much off this batch."

Qin Sheng thought for a moment and asked, "What about the pricing?"

Zhou Yun said, "For Zombie Repellent and Zombie Attractant, let’s keep prices low and sell in bulk. Use these two products as the main attractions to draw in customers. The others marked with a green star are mutated medicines; they're more expensive, and I've listed the suggested prices in a notebook. You can refer to it later."

Qin Sheng asked, "Why price them like that? There are no Zombie Repellents and Zombie Attractants on the market right now; even psychic squads would grit their teeth to buy them with crystal cores!"

Zhou Yun looked at him and said, "The more survivors, the bigger our customer base."

Qin Sheng was taken aback.

Zhou Yun smiled at him. "Come on, Xiao Qin. Our business relies on you."