Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Feng Rui groggily regained consciousness, immediately wailing as excruciating pain racked his entire body.

"Rui'er! Are you okay? Oh, those damn bastards who did this to you!" Old Lady Chen wept bitterly, her heart breaking more at the sight of her precious son beaten than if she herself had been struck.

Feng Hongjian sat nearby, his expression grim. Feng Rui's condition suggested he might have offended someone powerful.

Feng Rui slowly opened his eyes; his face was so swollen it resembled a pig's head, looking utterly ridiculous. The moment he saw Old Lady Chen, he burst into tears: "Mom! They almost beat me to death! You have to help me!"

Old Lady Chen's heart ached terribly: "Rui'er, don't worry. Whoever did this to you, Mom will make them pay!"

Feng Hongjian, sitting to the side, seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Feng Rui's eyes filled with hatred as he gritted his teeth: "Mom, Dad, I know who did this—it was that bastard!"

Feng Hongjian, who had been silent until now, was startled: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"It was him!" Seeing Feng Hongjian's disbelief, Feng Rui snarled, his face twisted with rage: "I heard his voice, clear as day. It was definitely him, no doubt about it!"

Old Lady Chen immediately started cursing: "That damned bastard! How dare he lay a hand on my Rui'er? Does he think I'm dead or something? Rui'er, just wait—Mom will get justice for you!"

Feng Rui nodded tearfully.

Feng Hongjian snapped irritably: "What do you mean, justice?!"

Old Lady Chen was incredulous: "Feng Hongjian, you old fool! Rui'er has been beaten to a pulp, and you're still taking that bastard's side?"

Feng Hongjian's face darkened: "You're the one who's lost it. Don't you understand? Cong'er isn't the same anymore—he's a Superhuman now!"

Those words snapped Old Lady Chen back to reality. Still defiant, she retorted: "So what if he's a Superhuman? Does that give him the right to beat people up?"

Feng Hongjian sneered: "Right or not, he still beat up Rui'er. Why do you think he let Rui'er hear his voice? He probably did it on purpose—to provoke us into seeking revenge so he can legitimately crush us!"

Old Lady Chen felt a chill run down her spine. Cursing and weeping, she finally understood the despair Tian Manman must have felt.

Feng Rui couldn't accept taking the beating lying down and pleaded urgently: "Mom, Dad, are you just going to let this slide? I can't just swallow this injustice!"

Feng Hongjian wanted to say that he had no choice but to endure it: "Cong'er's still mad at us. Maybe if we let him vent his anger, things will settle down."

Feng Rui was stunned. In the past, he could freely beat and curse that bastard, who would sometimes complain to Feng Hongjian, but Feng Hongjian never intervened. Over time, Feng Rui grew bolder, even bullying the bastard right in front of Feng Hongjian.

Back then, Feng Rui felt triumphant, convinced that Feng Hongjian favored him completely and adored him. Even now, he still believed it.

But Feng Hongjian's words finally made him realize—his father hadn't actually loved him back then; he simply hadn't cared about that bastard. Just like now, he didn't care about Feng Rui either.

Feng Hongjian only cared about who could benefit him.

In the past, Old Lady Chen worked tirelessly to care for the household, so Feng Hongjian indulged her and Feng Rui. But now, that bastard had become a Superhuman, and Feng Hongjian wanted to rely on him. So even though Feng Rui was beaten black and blue, Feng Hongjian saw it as insignificant—as long as that bastard calmed down.

In that moment, Feng Rui felt his heart go cold. He might be unfilial, but realizing that the father who had always doted on him never truly loved him was too much to bear. The psychological gap was overwhelming.

"Feng Hongjian! You beast! Rui'er is your son—how can you say such things?!" Old Lady Chen shrieked furiously, lunging at Feng Hongjian to hit him.

Feng Hongjian frowned and dodged, but when he couldn't avoid her, he shoved her away, not caring that she fell hard on her backside: "Do you think I want this? What else can I do besides hoping Cong'er cools off?"

Old Lady Chen sat on the ground, weeping and pounding the floor.

Feng Hongjian ignored her and turned to Feng Rui: "What about your girlfriend? Weren't you with her? Did she just stand by while you were beaten?"

Feng Rui lowered his head, hiding the gloom in his eyes. That woman had abandoned him and run away without a second thought.

But he couldn't say that. His father already looked down on him; admitting this would only make it worse.

Feng Rui said: "I ran into that bastard after we separated."

Feng Hongjian's brow relaxed slightly: "Be careful from now on. Stop calling him a bastard."

Feng Rui stayed silent, seething with hatred for Tian Manman—and now for Feng Hongjian as well.

Feng Hongjian told Feng Rui to rest well while he pondered the situation. He didn't even know where Cong'er lived now. It seemed he would have to talk to Wang Li.

——

"Just one beating—what a bargain he got." Tian Qiao flexed his wrist, feeling unsatisfied.

Cheng Zhiyu said: "You think it'll stop at just one beating?"

Tian Qiao perked up with interest: "Orange, you're full of ideas—what else have you got planned?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

Tian Qiao grinned: "That's a compliment, a compliment!"

Cheng Zhiyu sighed: "Under pre-apocalypse laws, his whole family would've been jailed for years, right?"

Tian Qiao nodded: "True, but it's the apocalypse now. Reporting them won't do any good."

Zhou Min, listening nearby, seemed thoughtful.

Cheng Zhiyu looked at him: "I heard before that the base has a small prison, right?"

Zhou Min nodded: "Yeah, but that prison usually holds people who've committed major offenses. Whether Superhuman or ordinary, once someone breaks the rules, they get locked up.

Unless it's a capital crime, they won't get the death penalty, but since it's the apocalypse, providing food and shelter daily is a strain on the base. In fact, it almost feels like a benefit. So these prisoners definitely won't idle around—they'll be assigned dangerous tasks.

Ordinary folks get sent to mine or something, while Superhumans have to clear zombies nearby every day."

After listening, Cheng Zhiyu looked at the others: "Do you think if an opportunity presented itself, Feng Rui would care about whether it's legal or not?"

Tian Qiao scoffed: "I'm telling you, that type of person wouldn't care one bit."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "Then let's test it out."

Tian Qiao and the others shuddered; for some reason, Cheng Zhiyu's smile felt eerily unsettling.

Meanwhile, Tian Manman was deeply moved, knowing they were doing all this for him.

As for Little Black, he tilted his head up, watching Cheng Zhiyu intently with a serious expression. Lately, he often stared at Cheng Zhiyu, and everyone had grown used to it.

Besides dealing with the Feng family, Cheng Zhiyu and the others were also searching for channels to obtain blueprints for a machine gun.

When Zhou Min heard about it, he offered: "I can ask my brother's comrades for help."

Cheng Zhiyu knew that Zhou Min's brother's comrades were likely official personnel, and since they were soldiers before the apocalypse, they probably had connections.

But: "Will they agree?"

Zhou Min wasn't sure: "The latest models are definitely out of the question, but older versions might be possible? Before the apocalypse, I even found blueprints online through searches."

Cheng Zhiyu hadn't searched for it himself, but hearing Zhou Min say so, he thought it shouldn’t be too hard to work out, though they’d definitely need to trade something.

“Then I’ll count on you,” Cheng Zhiyu said seriously.

Zhou Min, however, felt a bit embarrassed: “I’m just asking around, it’s nothing, ahem… What’s for dinner tonight?”

Cheng Zhiyu found it amusing; he’d noticed that everyone around him seemed to love food.

The next day, Wang Li came with mixed feelings and brought word: “Feng Hongjian found me yesterday and said, ‘You’ve beaten Feng Rui, so you should have gotten it out of your system now, right?’”

Tian Qiao was surprised: “He’s not even angry?”

Wang Li shook her head: “Not a bit. The way he said it, I felt like he was saying, ‘You’ve beaten my son, so please don’t come after me.’”

Zhou Min quipped: “Their father-son bond is so plastic.”

Tian Manman paused: “Back then… when Feng Rui beat me, he was like this too… didn't care at all.”

Tian Qiao patted Tian Manman’s shoulder: “Don’t dwell on it. He’s just a jerk. I bet in his heart, he's number one, and no one else matters.”

Tian Manman nodded. He was over it, and besides, he had so many friends now and was very happy.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled: “So, he’s sending a message to make peace? Why does he think Manman would forgive him?”

Tian Manman said: “In the past, only Feng Rui… his crowd bullied me. Feng Hongjian didn’t.”

Cheng Zhiyu and the others frowned. They didn’t think Feng Hongjian was a good person either. Standing by and watching while his son was treated like that—what kind of good person does that?

He was cold to the bone. Even if he didn’t inflict the abuse himself, by doing nothing he let Tian Manman be bullied. So, he was also responsible too for the suffering Tian Manman endured!

Tian Manman wasn’t foolish and felt nothing warm for Feng Hongjian. Even if he once did, it had long vanished during those days and nights of torment.

Wang Li quickly explained: “I’m not here to stick up for him or anything. I just wanted to tell you what I heard.”

Cheng Zhiyu nodded: “Thanks. If he approaches you again, just ignore him.”

Wang Li nodded, getting their position.

Zhou Min went to contact his brother’s army buddy. Tian Qiao took Tian Manman around the base for a stroll. Cheng Zhiyu stayed in, set on planting the seeds he’d bought.

After all, the system space’s land had expanded a bit more, so he could plant a few more things.

Although they weren’t short on food or drink, Cheng Zhiyu had a healthy sense of caution. Only when the storage space was packed enough could he feel at ease.

Noticing Little Black sitting nearby, Cheng Zhiyu picked him up. Looking at the adorable Little Black, he unconsciously baby-talked: “Sweetie, I’m going into the system space later and might be there for a few hours. You might get bored alone. Do you want to go out with Tian Qiao and the others?”

Little Black lifted a paw to scratch his ear, looking at Cheng Zhiyu’s enlarged face, pretending to be calm: “No, I want to sleep.”

Cheng Zhiyu knew Little Black tended to nap a lot, so he didn’t insist: “Alright, then sleep well.”

However, he looked him over worriedly.

Little Black’s tail stiffened. Why that expression? Was there something wrong with him?

Cheng Zhiyu started worrying: “Little Black, you don’t seem to be growing at all? What’s going on? You’ve always looked like a little pup. Could there be something wrong?”

Little Black’s tail stiffened even more. He looked at Cheng Zhiyu with a sulky look, his expression offended: “You used to say I was cute.”

Cheng Zhiyu was amused by Little Black’s expression: “Ah… well, even though Little Black is very cute like this, your health is more important.”

Little Black perked up, wagging his tail happily: “Don’t worry, it’s normal.”

Though Cheng Zhiyu didn’t understand how Little Black knew it was normal, seeing how certain he was, Cheng Zhiyu had to let it go.

He placed Little Black on the bed, patted him gently, and then entered the system space.

He made time to stop by every day, though he never stayed long.

Cheng Zhiyu checked on each of them—Xiao Er and them. To his delight, Little Roll’s vitality had reached 98%. He estimated it would enter maturity by tomorrow at the latest.

Satisfied, he patted Little Roll, then went to check on Big Strong. He’d previously given Big Strong a plant-based nucleus, which it had fully absorbed. Cheng Zhiyu checked Big Strong’s info and found it was on the verge of reaching level two.

Xiao Er and Little Iron were now at level three, while Little Yellow remained pitifully at level one. Cheng Zhiyu was quite frustrated; psychic nuclei were hard to find.

Next, he checked the ordinary plants. The cucumbers and tomatoes had produced more, so he picked them all and put them in storage.

As for the potatoes, their leaves had yellowed, so it was time to dig them up. Cheng Zhiyu had planted five plants, and it was quick to dig them up.

He brought a shovel and carefully dug up the potatoes. Each potato was as big as a palm, and the yield was astonishing—fifteen per plant, all sizable.

The potatoes, planted near Little Iron, had also mutated. They were entirely black with a metallic sheen. Cheng Zhiyu guessed that, like the black cabbage, they had a tough metallic casing.

The casing was quite sturdy—perfect for making weapons for Tian Manman and Zhou Min later. Tian Qiao could make Ice Arrows, so he didn’t need these.

All five potato plants had high yields. The most productive had eighteen potatoes, the least had thirteen. Combined with their large size, Cheng Zhiyu estimated they would fill more than one bag.

As he dug up the potatoes, his face was full of the thrill of a good harvest.

Then came the watermelons. Cheng Zhiyu planned to pick all the ripe ones, then remove the vines to make room for new plants.

But as he picked the watermelons, he noticed something and thought he was mistaken. After a closer look, he was stunned.

He distinctly remembered picking watermelons here before and was sure he hadn’t misremembered because the stem where he'd cut it was still visible.

Yet now, a new watermelon the size of a finger had grown on the vine!

Watermelons aren’t supposed to regrow after being picked, are they? Soon, Cheng Zhiyu realized the watermelons planted near Little Yellow had also mutated.

He’d previously thought nothing had changed, but now it seemed the change was that picked watermelons could regrow!

This meant that plants which usually needed to be replanted after bearing fruit once could now keep producing like fruit trees?

It wasn’t exactly like fruit trees, though. Fruit trees bear fruit once a year, but plants near Little Yellow regrow after being picked.

He didn’t know how many times they would regrow—surely not infinitely?

Cheng Zhiyu was delighted. For someone with limited land, this was clearly a good thing.

He quietly took out his notebook and recorded the changes happening to plants near Little Yellow.

He used this notebook to keep records. Plants in the system space, whether influenced by the soil or the special plants, had growth cycles completely different from ordinary plants.

Cheng Zhiyu hadn’t known this the first time he planted, so he made detailed notes to gain experience for the future.

Since the watermelon vines could bear fruit again, Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t bring himself to remove them.

After some thought, he decided to plant wheat near Little Yellow. Fortunately, the system space had expanded, freeing up some space near Little Yellow.

No time to waste—Cheng Zhiyu started digging and sowing wheat seeds.

The area next to Little Yellow was pretty small, so Cheng Zhiyu went ahead and planted some near Xiao Qiang as well. He was curious about what changes might occur in plants grown near Xiao Qiang.

To be honest, planting wheat wasn’t worth it. Vegetables could yield a lot, but wheat was different—it doesn't yield as much as vegetables, and the wheat doesn't come out as flour. One pound of wheat couldn’t produce one pound of flour.

But there was no other choice. Cheng Zhiyu realized his flour supply was getting low. Besides, the vegetables grown in the system space had a good yield. Although the variety of vegetables they currently ate was limited, they certainly weren’t short on vegetables.

Moreover, he would clear some space around Xiao Er and Little Iron later.

Cheng Zhiyu planted string beans and lettuce near Xiao Er, and eggplants and pumpkins near Little Iron.

When the lettuce grew leaves, it could also be eaten as greens.

With the expanded space, it took longer to get everything done. By the time Cheng Zhiyu was done, three hours had already passed.

He straightened his back and sighed inwardly, thinking that in the past, he would have been too exhausted to stand up straight.

The fatigue from farming was different from other kinds of tiredness. For example, you had to bend over for long periods, and after a while, the ache is something else.

After finishing his work, he stood there, hands on hips, looking at the fully planted land with a sense of satisfaction. It seemed that the Chinese truly had farming in their DNA.

Cheng Zhiyu left the system space and saw Little Black sleeping on the bed. He automatically quieted his steps, planning to shower since he had been sweating and his hands were covered in mud.

But Little Black’s ears twitched, and he woke up, right away tried to jump into Cheng Zhiyu’s arms.

Cheng Zhiyu jumped back, "Don’t, I’m dirty. Let me clean up first."

Little Black glanced at the dust on Cheng Zhiyu’s clothes and the mud on his hands, stopping not far from him. Then, he used his Water Power to spray him down.

Compared to others who used power-washer style water, Little Black’s approach was much gentler with Cheng Zhiyu. The water seemed to transform into silk wrapping around him, gently wiping away the mud.

Cheng Zhiyu said in a singsong voice, "Thanks, Little Black~"

Little Black, satisfied, jumped into his arms. Cheng Zhiyu scratched behind the dog’s ears and said, "But I’ve been sweating, and I don’t feel too comfortable. I still need to take a real shower."

Little Black’s ears twitched, and he glanced at Cheng Zhiyu, seemingly a bit displeased.

Cheng Zhiyu found it amusing, "Oh, so you don’t have that germ thing now? Still cuddling up to me."

Little Black: What do you mean cuddling up to me! I… I just consider this my spot, out of habit, yeah… that’s it!

Unaware of Little Black’s thoughts, Cheng Zhiyu put him down and went to take a shower.

After showering, he gathered his dirty clothes to wash them, only to find… a lot of dog hair on them. Since his clothes were black, he hadn’t noticed it earlier.

But Little Black never used to shed before. Cheng Zhiyu had even checked—absolutely no shedding. At the time, he had muttered to himself that dog demons were indeed different from ordinary dogs.

Now, however, Little Black was shedding.

Cheng Zhiyu got worried. He was concerned that Little Black might be having health issues. Instantly forgetting about washing clothes, he hurried off to find Little Black.

In the bedroom, Little Black wasn't there. The bed was empty. Cheng Zhiyu hadn’t paid attention earlier, but now, looking more carefully, he saw—dog hair was everywhere on the bed.

His expression turned serious. Little Black’s shedding was worse than he had imagined.

Just then, Little Black came in and saw Cheng Zhiyu frowning at the scattered fur on the bed. He froze—oh no, he had forgotten it was blowing his coat!

Seeing Cheng Zhiyu’s expression, Little Black couldn’t help but recall his past shedding experiences with his father, who had disliked him for shedding too much and refused to hold him. His mother had even gave his dad a beating over it.

Would Cheng Zhiyu… also dislike him because of this? Back then, when his father disliked him, Little Black didn't really care. After all, he never really liked being held by his father, who didn’t know how to hold puppies properly and always just scooped him up awkwardly. It was better not to be held.

But if it were Cheng Zhiyu… Before, Little Black felt almost grown up and found it awkward to be held by a human. Now, however, he had gotten used to it.

If Cheng Zhiyu refused to hold him, then he… Little Black clenched his jaw silently.

"Little Black, where have you been?" Cheng Zhiyu let out a relieved breath upon seeing Little Black, then frowned and picked him up. "Let me see, what’s wrong with you? Why are you shedding so much?"

Little Black’s tail stopped wagging. His round eyes narrowed into half-moons as he gave a dirty look at Cheng Zhiyu, "You dislike me because I shed?"

He stared intently at Cheng Zhiyu, thinking that if the other dared to nod, he would immediately… immediately take off!

Cheng Zhiyu was taken aback, not quite understanding Little Black’s train of thought, "Why would I dislike you? I just thought it wasn’t normal. You never shed before, right? Could it be a health problem?"

After hearing Cheng Zhiyu’s words, Little Black was stunned for a moment, then his tail began wagging happily again. He recalled what his father had once said: "Ya Er, it’s not that I dislike you, but shedding is just too annoying. I don’t think anyone can stand fur flying everywhere. If it were like snow, fine, but it sticks to clothes and won’t come off even after washing. If you ever meet someone who doesn’t mind your shedding, they’re either crazy or in love with you."

Back then, Little Black hadn’t bothered listening to all that nonsense and retorted sharply, "Then, does Mother dislike your shedding?"

His father was taken aback, then raised his voice eight octaves, "That’s different! Your mother is clean—how could she possibly dislike my shedding?"

Little Black: Oh, got him there.

Now, Little Black couldn’t get his father’s words out of his head. Zhi Yu seemed pretty smart, so he probably wasn’t crazy… Wait, no. He shook his head vigorously, thinking he must be the crazy one for believing his father’s nonsense.

Seeing Little Black silent, frowning, and shaking his head, Cheng Zhiyu grew increasingly worried. Was something really wrong?

He wondered if there were any veterinarians in the base. But then again, Little Black was a dog demon—could a regular vet even treat him?

"I’m in my shedding season," Little Black’s voice broke the silence.

"Huh?" Cheng Zhiyu snapped back to reality, "Is that normal?"

Hearing that Cheng Zhiyu didn’t mind, Little Black relaxed and squirmed happily in his arms, "Yeah, after this period, I’ll grow a bit bigger."

Hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu smiled, "Oh, I see. That’s a relief."

Just then, Zhou Min’s voice came from outside. He had returned from his brother’s comrade’s place. It was unclear how his inquiry had gone.