In the end, Shangguan Xu failed to convince Feng Qingqing to apologize to Jiang Ying. Consequently, the people at the base grew even more disdainful of the duo's behavior.
Feng Qingqing was an exceptionally aloof woman who had always carried herself with an air of "I am second only to God" within the base. She treated the instructions of the base leaders as if they were white noise, going in one ear and out the other. She would even voice her opposition to the leaders' decisions regardless of the setting.
The base leadership had long harbored grievances against Feng Qingqing, but they had tolerated her only because she was a rare space-type ability user and her boyfriend was a powerful fire-type user.
Feng Qingqing’s previous act of pushing Jiang Ying into a swarm of zombies to save her own skin had already touched a raw nerve with many. The fact that she now showed absolutely no remorse only intensified the leaders' dislike. The Rising Sun Base had been formed from a military unit stationed nearby. Although the current leadership included former members of the city's political circles, the military remained the dominant force.
To the military faction, Feng Qingqing’s actions were the hallmark of a traitor.
The base's leadership was currently engaged in a heated debate regarding her conduct. The high-level officials were split into two camps. One side argued that Feng Qingqing's behavior was typical of a traitor and set a disastrous example for the rest of the base. Her presence was like a piece of rat droppings that would ruin the healthy atmosphere they had worked so hard to maintain.
Why was the Rising Sun Base able to attract so many ordinary people? Why did so many civilians feel a sense of belonging there? It was because the high-level officials treated them like human beings and allowed them to experience a semblance of fairness in this post-apocalyptic world.
If the base shielded Feng Qingqing, who would protect the ordinary citizens in the future? Once the people's hearts were scattered, it would be nearly impossible to bring them back together. This group consisted mostly of military personnel.
The other side was composed of the government administration. They opposed punishing Feng Qingqing severely, arguing that there was no conclusive evidence proving she had pushed Jiang Ying into the zombie horde that day.
Even if she had, they argued, it was understandable for someone to make a mistake under the survival instinct in a life-or-death moment. They believed the young woman should be given a second chance.
Furthermore, Jiang Ying was perfectly fine now; she had even gained a lightning-type ability as a result of the ordeal. Strictly speaking, she should be thanking Feng Qingqing. After all, many ordinary people had faced death countless times without ever awakening an ability.
Feng Qingqing was a rare space-type user. If they punished her, the other ability users in the base would surely be outraged.
As soon as these shameless words were spoken, a female officer in her thirties from the military delegation slammed her hands onto the conference table and stood up abruptly. Her sharp gaze locked onto the man—Director Ma—who had just suggested that Jiang Ying should thank Feng Qingqing.
"A blessing in disguise? Director Ma, would you like a taste of such a blessing? I recall you haven't awakened an ability yet, have you?" A cold sneer curled the female officer's lips.
"How about this? Next time my team goes out on a mission, I'll take you along and push you into a swarm of zombies. What do you say?"
"Let’s be clear, I wouldn't be doing it to hurt you. I’d be doing it to help you."
As Liu Xu finished speaking, Director Ma’s face turned grim. It had been nearly two years since the apocalypse began, and the number of people awakening abilities was dwindling.
Every ability user today had returned from the brink of death. Everyone knew that out of ten people who attempted to awaken an ability through such trauma, only one or two survived.
This Liu Xu was truly detestable. She didn't want to help him awaken an ability; she wanted him dead!
Director Ma didn't dare speak. Everyone knew that Liu Xu and her squad of female soldiers were absolute lunatics. He was certain that if he agreed to a single word, she would have her team toss him into a zombie pit.
Director Ma wasn't ready to die yet.
Liu Xu let out a mocking laugh at his cowardice. Her gaze swept across the government officials as she sneered, "Don't bother with your high-sounding excuses. You politicians don't want to punish Feng Qingqing simply because her boyfriend, Shangguan Xu, has connections at the Capital Base, isn't that right?"
"Your hearts are truly filthy. I suggest that if you really want to kiss up to the Capital, you should go be lapdogs for Feng Qingqing and her boyfriend right now. Maybe if you lick their boots well enough, they'll remember to throw you a few scraps when the Capital sends benefits."
Liu Xu’s words left the faces of certain political figures looking exceptionally ugly.
Ignoring them, Liu Xu saluted the lead military officer and walked out. Her departure triggered a wave of others to follow her out of the room.
The remaining government officials stared at the empty military seats, their expressions sour.
The Base Commander stood up with a dark face and left as well. When Changfeng City fell, the original political leaders had sacrificed their lives to cover the retreat of the civilians.
The current group of politicians were of dubious origin. They had used various credentials—some likely fake—to organize survivors before entering the Rising Sun Base, successfully worming their way into administrative positions.
While the Base Commander and his peers respected those who had died for the country, they found these current "troublemakers" utterly revolting.
Previously, because the military was strong, these people had been suppressed, relegated to unimportant logistics work without a say in the base's management.
Shangguan Xu’s arrival had disrupted this balance. These sycophants spent their days trying to curry favor with him, knowing he was the grandson of the top leader at the Capital Base, hoping he would take them with him when he eventually returned to the Capital.
They had been quite active lately, and the Base Commander had intentionally left them alone to see just how arrogant they would become.
Today's meeting was a trap he had set, and these people certainly hadn't disappointed him. They were indeed "career bureaucrats" who relied on deception and flattery; it was truly an eye-opening performance.
The Base Commander instructed his assistant to find Shangguan Xu. It was time to lay all the cards on the table.
Back at the residential area, Jiang Ying had finished catching up with her acquaintances and headed toward Uncle Xu’s home.
Uncle Xu lived in a single-room apartment similar to Jiang Ying's. He happened to be out on a mission today, so only Jiang Xiaoxin was home.
Jiang Ying knocked on the door. A young girl about seven or eight years old, who shared a thirty percent resemblance to her, opened the door. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
The moment she saw Jiang Ying, a look of pure disbelief flashed in her swollen eyes. She couldn't help but rub them vigorously.
Once she confirmed that the person standing before her was truly Jiang Ying and not a hallucination, Jiang Xiaoxin broke into a loud, uncontrollable sob.
Jiang Ying squatted down and pulled Jiang Xiaoxin into her arms. "Stop crying, I'm back now, aren't I? How have you been these past few days?"
Jiang Xiaoxin had so much she wanted to say to Jiang Ying, but she didn't know how to start.
She just held onto Jiang Ying tightly, crying her heart out. Jiang Ying gently patted her back.
In her previous life, her ties to family were weak. Due to her own family background, she was also resistant to forming close relationships with others. So, right up until she got cancer, she was a loner. She had friends she got along with, but very few she truly confided in.
After transmigrating to this world, she was persuaded by Uncle Xu to find a reason to keep living. She found Jiang Xiaoxin on the road back from a mission.
Jiang Xiaoxin was sitting on a rock by the main road, holding a dirty stuffed toy, while several zombies wandered over from not far away.
Jiang Ying's team eliminated those zombies and then brought Jiang Xiaoxin onto the vehicle back to the base.
Because the two looked quite alike, and seeing Jiang Xiaoxin's state reminded Jiang Ying of her own childhood, her heart instantly softened. She took Jiang Xiaoxin under her wing, raising her like a little sister.
Jiang Xiaoxin was also a remarkably easy child. Living with Jiang Ying, she never caused her any worry. She even joined the children's guard unit, training daily with a group of soldiers. By the time Jiang Ying was pushed into the zombie horde by Feng Qingqing, Jiang Xiaoxin was already capable of going out on missions with small teams to fight zombies.
Before she was completely overwhelmed by the zombies and before Lin Zhongxun rescued her, Jiang Ying felt a sense of liberation at her life ending, but even more so, she was worried about Jiang Xiaoxin.
Jiang Xiaoxin pursed her lips, wiped her tears, and made a decision in her heart.
"Sister Yingying, come with me. I have something to tell you."
"Alright. Let's go, we'll talk inside." Jiang Ying stood up and led her by the hand into the house.
Just as they were about to close the door, the shabby door of Uncle Xu's place was pushed open from the outside. Perhaps the person pushed too hard, or perhaps because the houses in the Sunrise Base were old and poorly maintained, the door was literally pushed right off its hinges.
If Jiang Ying and Jiang Xiaoxin weren't relatively agile, one of them would surely have been pinned under the falling door panel.
Jiang Ying looked toward the doorway. Feng Qingqing stood there, looking shocked at the scene before her, as if she couldn't understand why the door had broken from just a gentle push.
The moment Jiang Xiaoxin saw Feng Qingqing arrive, she became like a startled hedgehog, her entire body radiating wariness and hostility towards her.
She took a step forward, placing herself in front of Jiang Ying. Seeing this, Jiang Ying felt a warm, pleasant feeling in her heart.
She felt that the sincerity she had given was being repaid in this moment. Then, she pulled Jiang Xiaoxin behind her.
When a lunatic appears, sensible people should give way.
"Yingying, you've been back for a while now. You must know about the rumors currently spreading in the base." Feng Qingqing was dressed in a white dress. Although she tried hard to keep it clean, in this era of water scarcity, there were still some stains that couldn't be washed out.
But in an environment where everyone wore black, gray, or blue for practicality and to hide dirt, Feng Qingqing in her all-white stood out like a striking sight before everyone's eyes.
Before Feng Qingqing pushed Jiang Ying into the zombie horde, this version of Feng Qingqing, though rather brainless, still had quite a few admirers.
Jiang Ying couldn't quite fathom the lunatic's train of thought. Of course, she had no desire to try; it was a waste of time and energy. "What are you trying to say?"
Feng Qingqing glanced at the crowd that had already gathered to watch the spectacle, feeling extremely irritated. She just couldn't understand it. It was the apocalypse already; they were living hand-to-mouth, never sure where the next meal was coming from. How could these ordinary people still love to gawk at drama just like before the apocalypse?
As if they would die if they didn't get their dose of gossip.
Feng Qingqing straightened her posture and looked directly at Jiang Ying. "I came to find you to tell you that I didn't push you. You fell into the zombie horde yourself. I believe you have your own judgment! You definitely wouldn't wrong an innocent person!"
Feng Qingqing spoke these words with righteous indignation. If Jiang Ying weren't the victim herself, and if there weren't twenty or thirty eyewitnesses around, she might almost believe that Feng Qingqing was innocent and being framed.
Feng Qingqing's performance wasn't over yet. She clenched her fists, putting on an act of being both fragile and strong. "Miss Jiang, you can't target and frame me like this just because I'm A-Xu's current girlfriend and you're his ex-girlfriend."
"I've been misunderstood all these days. I haven't refuted anything people said, because I know I'm innocent. And you had already died, what use would there be in me trying to clear my name then?" A tear slid from Feng Qingqing's eye.
"But now that you're back, you have to tell everyone the truth. You clearly stumbled and fell into the zombie circle yourself, isn't that right?" Feng Qingqing was still looking at Jiang Ying.
In that instant, her eyes turned a faint purple, and her pupils subtly became slitted.
Under that gaze, Jiang Ying instinctively wanted to agree with what she was saying.
