Chapter 7 Traitor

**Chapter 7: The Traitor**

Chen Chen yanked Tang Tang up. "Come with me!"

Tang Tang struggled. "Chen-ge, let me go. I won't go out like this. How can I show my face? I'll die of embarrassment if people see me like this!"

How could she worry about that now?

Chen Chen turned a deaf ear and dragged her all the way to the meeting room.

Passersby who saw this scene stopped in their tracks, gawking at the commotion.

"Remember this—don't say the necklace was stolen by Ji An. Just say he stole supplies from the warehouse," Chen Chen instructed.

"I—I know." Tang Tang wasn't a total idiot; she understood the secret of the necklace couldn't be revealed to outsiders.

Otherwise, such a treasure would attract countless coveters. Outside the base, superpowered individuals stronger than Chen Chen were a dime a dozen. If the necklace’s secret got out, thousands would fight for it, and they’d be completely out of the running.

The top priority now was finding Ji An and retrieving the necklace. As for everything else, they'd have to wait until the necklace was recovered before discussing further steps.

The base had a broadcast system. Chen Chen used it to quickly spread the news:

"Attention, all residents of the base. This is Base Commander Chen Chen speaking.

First, I regret to inform you of some grave news—our base has been betrayed. Last night, a traitor stole supplies from the warehouse and fled!"

Early in the morning, aside from a few who had gone out to scavenge, most people were inside the base. Hearing the emergency broadcast—which was usually reserved for critical situations—everyone stopped what they were doing and listened intently, fearing news of a zombie horde attack or something equally dire.

There was no zombie horde, but the betrayal was even more infuriating.

"Speaking of this traitor, I must take responsibility—because this traitor was none other than my former lover, Ji An, a member of our base."

The moment Ji An's name was mentioned, the base erupted.

Though Ji An had kept a low profile, rarely socializing unless on missions, his name was well-known in the base. He was the base commander’s lover—and an ordinary person at that.

The stark contrast in status made Ji An a subject of great attention. People envied his luck—an ordinary person becoming the highest commander’s lover. They also admired Chen Chen’s character, as someone of such high standing who hadn’t abandoned his former lover in hard times.

Because of this, Ji An was widely recognized in the base.

So when they heard he was the traitor, the residents were even more furious, branding him a backstabbing ingrate.

"Ji An was dissatisfied with the mission payouts after yesterday’s assignment and nursed a resentment. Last night, he stole supplies from the warehouse," Chen Chen glossed over the real issue, carefully omitting the fact that Ji An had completed countless missions without fair compensation, brushing it off with a flippant excuse.

"He was discovered by Ms. Tang Tang during her patrol. They fought, but he ultimately escaped." Chen Chen’s voice was heavy with sorrow, even breaking into sobs.

"I am ashamed. I don’t know how to face all of you who trusted me. My lover—my former lover Ji An—has committed such a despicable act. I am utterly repulsed."

Chen Chen’s heartfelt performance thoroughly enraged the crowd.

"If it weren’t for the commander’s mercy, Ji An would’ve been dead long ago!"

"Ji An deserves to be torn apart by zombies—he’s a snake that can’t be tamed! The commander treated him so well, yet he betrayed him over such a petty issue and stole from the base!"

"How could someone as honorable and righteous as the commander fall for a cold-blooded bastard like Ji An?"

"Just wait—Ji An won’t end well! He thinks the outside world is so great, that having supplies means survival. He’ll learn soon enough—being caught by the commander would be his best outcome."

"I wonder how the commander will deal with him once he’s caught. Killing him outright would be a waste. Though Ji An’s character is trash, he’s really good-looking. If only he could be given to us as compensation—that’d be putting him to good use, like paying his dues..." Chen Chen’s tone seethed with fury and sorrow, convincing those in the dark. "Now, I must warn everyone—this person is extremely dangerous. He may have recently awakened a mind-control ability, capable of manipulating people’s thoughts."

If you ever encounter him, do not underestimate this person. If ordinary people spot Ji An, immediately seek help from superpowered. Superpowered should join forces to resist him—remember, do not look into Ji An's eyes, as this can neutralize his psychic ability.

Chen Chen concluded, "I once again pledge that no matter the cost, I will capture Ji An and bring him back to the base for public punishment.

The base's supplies belong to everyone—no one can claim communal property!"

The crowd, stirred by Chen Chen’s righteous speech, broke into thunderous applause and cheers.

By then, the base’s key superpowered had gathered in the meeting room. Chen Chen took a headcount—nearly half the base's superpowered were mobilized to hunt Ji An. Were it not for leaving the base vulnerable to other factions, Chen Chen would have deployed all superpowered.

He divided them into seven teams, each heading toward one of the six nearest bases, while he personally led a team toward the Capital City Base.

Chen Chen remembered that the elderly couple who had gifted Ji An the jade necklace—his former university professors—had been headed for the Capital City. If they were still alive, they would likely be there.

Ji An was an orphan with no family or close friends in this world. His only possible refuge was his old professors.

Moreover, the Capital City Base was the largest and most developed among all bases, making it Ji An's likeliest destination.

As Chen Chen and his team set out, the base had already issued a bounty: 50 pounds of rations and 50 liters of water for information on Ji An’s whereabouts.

Before the apocalypse, a person typically consumed 10 to 20 pounds of food and 30 liters of water per month. In the current resource-scarce world, the bounty could last someone three to four months if rationed carefully.

The mere prospect of such a reward for just a tip set the base abuzz—everyone was desperate to know Ji An’s location.

Of course, this was the mindset of ordinary people, who wouldn’t dare try capturing him themselves. Superpowered, however, focused solely on the rewards for apprehending him.

What shocked them more was the bounty for capturing Ji An: 100 pounds of rice, 100 pounds of flour, 50 liters of oil, 30 pounds of meat, 10 pounds of sugar, and lifetime water rations.

No one knew how much Ji An had stolen to merit such a bounty.

If Ji An knew about Chen Chen’s reward, he'd scoff—a psychic like him was worth far more. Not to mention the supplies in his storage space, which alone surpassed the bounty’s value.

Meanwhile, Ji An and Tang Ning, exhausted from their journey, holed up in an abandoned house. They rested in a corner where they could clearly observe the entrance while remaining ready to retreat.

"Mr. Ji, which base are we heading to?" Tang Ning noticed their path growing increasingly remote, not leading to any of the seven nearest bases.

"Follow me, and don't ask questions," Ji An replied indifferently, silencing her.

Absently toying with the necklace, Ji An examined the jade closely.

As a ghost, he had witnessed Tang Tang using the space countless times. It seemed the space had formed a bond with her—she could control it psychically, retrieving or storing items at will.

When Ji An probed the jade with his psychic ability, an invisible barrier blocked him from delving deeper into its spatial realm.

Interesting.

The corner of his mouth quirked up.

Though he hadn’t seen how Tang Tang established her connection with the necklace, he could guess—either blood-binding or psychic linking.

Psychic linking was impossible—ordinary people lacked superpowers, and their mental strength was too limited to manifest concretely.

For others, exceptions might exist—perhaps an innate prodigy. But for Tang Tang? No chance. She was all style, no substance.

That left only one possibility: blood-binding. Essentially a contract, sealed through blood as the medium.

What kind of contract bound Tang Tang and the necklace? A mutually destructive pact? Or one that could be erased and recontracted?

There are two types of binding contracts. The slightly milder version allows the space to become unclaimed after the owner's death. Once it recognizes a new master, it opens fully—including all its contents.

The other, more destructive type follows the principle: "the owner lives, the space lives; the owner dies, the space dies."

Both types share one key condition: no one but the owner can open the space, regardless of their power level.

Besides binding contracts, there are also recontractable spaces.

These contracts are unstable—anyone with a higher power level than the original owner can easily access the space and freely take whatever is inside.

If an intruder’s abilities are strong enough, they can erase the previous owner’s contract entirely, replacing it and claiming the space for themselves. From that point on, the original owner will no longer be able to access it.

"Mr. Ji, we've been walking for so long, I'm thirsty and hungry. I have some food here—though not as good as what you're used to—but under these circumstances, please bear with it."

Tang Ning was thirsty and hungry and couldn’t hold back any longer. In the apocalypse, food was valuable, but eating alone wasn’t looked down upon. However, her situation with Ji An was different—she still relied on his protection, so she couldn’t just eat by herself. Truth be told, she had looted this food from Tang Tang’s place and carried it in her backpack the whole way.

They had been walking nonstop for a day, barely resting at all, afraid they’d be followed.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t thought of driving. But in this ruined world, most factories were dead, and international trade had become nearly impossible. Whether diesel, gasoline, or any kind of fuel—transportation was out of the question.

Now, cars were abandoned everywhere, visible on every street, but fuel was scarce.

The base did have gasoline and even fueled vehicles, but those were heavily guarded supplies.

Ji An had no way to get them. Any attempt would cause trouble—the sound of a car engine alone could alert the entire base. It would be like hearing a car in the 1950s—unheard of.

Ji An didn’t want to risk everything at the last moment, so they had no choice but to flee on foot.