Chapter 55 - 1#
Wandering Photos 01#
Seeing Chu Chenli’s completely bewildered expression, Xiaobai felt a bit embarrassed again, lowering his head and rubbing the back of his own neck.
Mu Yanshen explained for him: “He doesn’t know anyone here, and he has to face that group of newly awakened oddballs. If he gets bullied, there’s no one else to have his back.”
So after counting everyone around, the only person he could rely on was Chu Chenli.
This was clearly something Mu Yanshen had urged him to say; Xiaobai himself wouldn’t have dared to trouble Chu Chenli so directly.
But deep down, he was indeed a bit shadowed by the terrible future Mu Yanshen had described, leaving him momentarily hesitant.
Once he processed it, Chu Chenli was somewhat speechless.
“If you run into any trouble, you can come directly to me,” Chu Chenli said straightforwardly. “If I’m not around, you can find someone else.”
Like He Ziyue, for instance.
He Ziyue got along well with him and was always enthusiastic about taking care of “younger siblings.” Besides, she had helped Chu Chenli before, so she naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Moreover, given a choice, He Ziyue would likely avoid field missions and stay at headquarters handling communications and data analysis, making her easier to reach.
But at the moment, they had only just arrived and had no basic communication devices. They would have to wait until He Ziyue finished her current tasks to introduce them.
Xiaobai was already deeply grateful and didn’t dare ask for more. He nodded repeatedly, and the way he looked at Chu Chenli gradually took on a hint of awe, as if he truly acknowledged him as a “big brother.”
Seeing him open his mouth to address him again, Chu Chenli quickly stopped him: “Just call me by my name.”
Xiaobai glanced at Mu Yanshen, wondering if that wouldn’t be “respectful” enough.
Mu Yanshen just laughed on the side.
Chu Chenli couldn’t help but lightly kick him, then told Xiaobai that being too conspicuous wasn’t good.
Xiaobai reluctantly nodded and finally called him “Ah Li.”
Chu Chenli decisively changed the subject, asking how he had gotten here.
Xiaobai was easily distracted, rubbing the back of his head. In truth, he still hadn’t fully grasped the situation; it felt like he had been half-pushed into coming.
“That Mr. Shen… Mr. Shen said if I came here, I could play a bigger role than staying at Nanzhou Base. And even if I didn’t come, they probably wouldn’t welcome me there anymore…”
Xiaobai’s voice grew softer as he spoke.
When Shen Xuanyi first invited him, he had actually been a bit hesitant.
It wasn’t that he was particularly attached to Nanzhou Base; he didn’t have any close friends there. It was just that after getting used to one place, he naturally feared a completely unfamiliar environment.
He didn’t think his ability would make him popular elsewhere, but the suspicious and exclude looks from acquaintances were even harder to bear.
Even if he chose to stay at Nanzhou Base, others wouldn’t be moved by his “loyalty.” Dr. Du, who had first deduced his ability, also advised him to go with Shen Xuanyi.
After weighing it himself, Xiaobai agreed to Shen Xuanyi’s invitation the next day.
Shen Xuanyi arranged for someone to escort him directly to Central Base’s headquarters. For safety, they took a detour, which is why he arrived even later than Chu Chenli and the others.
As for the current situation of the others at Nanzhou Base, Xiaobai didn’t know much.
“But since Central Base plans to absorb Nanzhou Base, they should protect the people there, right? When I left, I saw quite a few people guarding the outside,” Xiaobai consoled himself.
“Yeah, someone will take care of them,” Chu Chenli responded.
On that point, he trusted Shen Xuanyi completely.
Xiaobai thought Chu Chenli was just comforting him, but he nodded along anyway, then looked up at him and hesitated before asking, “Um, Mr. Shen said… you two are friends?”
Chu Chenli nodded.
“That’s a shame. You guys had just left when Mr. Shen arrived. If you’d waited a bit longer, you might have met,” Xiaobai said.
If it had been a little earlier, Ah Li might not have gotten hurt, or been bullied, or felt sad because of Ye Lanzhou.
But at least it wasn’t too late now.
Xiaobai’s thoughts drifted further and further. When he came back to reality, Chu Chenli and Mu Yanshen had unknowingly gravitated toward each other again.
Mu Yanshen’s hand rested on Chu Chenli’s shoulder, pulling him slightly closer in a gesture that seemed like casual arm-over-shoulder camaraderie. But standing beside Chu Chenli, the atmosphere between them felt subtly different.
Xiaobai unconsciously pondered this, sensing it was a subtle shift in body language—relaxed, intimate, all very natural.
They must be really close friends.
At this point, Xiaobai’s thoughts were still very simple.
He simply felt relieved for Chu Chenli, glad that even after leaving Ye Lanzhou, he already had trustworthy friends by his side.
“Xiaobai.” Chu Chenli suddenly turned to look at him.
“Huh? Yes!” Xiaobai snapped to attention, thinking he had missed something important while daydreaming.
“Do you want to go see the city?” Chu Chenli asked him.
…
“City?”
Hua Jin had just stepped out of the lab when Mu Yanshen stopped him. After listening to a bunch of rambling, he finally extracted the key point.
“You mean those places where ordinary people live?”
Mu Yanshen nodded. “Yeah.”
Hua Jin continued taking off his coat, looking a bit puzzled. “What brought this up? Are you two bored?”
But thinking about it, it made sense. He was busy helping the doctor, He Ziyue and Fang Xiyu had found things to do, and President Shen and April were even busier. That left Chu Chenli and Mu Yanshen with the most free time.
They were supposedly assigned to some dangerous reconnaissance tasks, but either Shen Xuanyi hadn’t gotten around to it or just wanted them to rest a few more days—he hadn’t mentioned any missions yet.
The doctor chimed in from behind with a fair comment: “You’ve only been here a little while. You need some rest and time to adjust. This isn’t like a game with time limits.”
Mu Yanshen turned to see him and raised a hand in greeting. “Long time no see.”
“Long time no see,” the doctor replied in a neutral tone. “I don’t mind you taking extra rest days, but don’t count me in for any outings.”
He preferred his research projects; every second spent outside the lab felt like a painful waste.
Hua Jin hesitated for a moment, then asked first, “Where’s Ah Li?”
Mu Yanshen leaned against the doorframe, looking uninterested. “At the training ground.”
Hua Jin: “Looking for Xiyu?”
Mu Yanshen raised an eyebrow. “Another area. It’s a kid he met back at Nanzhou Base.”
Hua Jin was surprised. “Kid? Have the people from Nanzhou Base already been absorbed?”
“No, their leader is still recovering from injuries, so absorption won’t happen for a while. This one was brought over by Shen Xuanyi.”
“The captain? How—”
The doctor poked his head out of the lab and shot them a dark look. “If you want to chat, find another place. President Shen’s office is pretty empty.”
Hua Jin quickly shut his mouth and pulled Mu Yanshen outside.
Once they were out of earshot of the lab, Hua Jin and Mu Yanshen continued their conversation.
Mu Yanshen and Chu Chenli had overheard someone mention the city where ordinary people lived while on their way to find Xiaobai, and then had a sudden whim.
On one hand, they considered that Hua Jin had been down lately because of his sister’s situation, and he only ever talked to the doctor face-to-face. It would be a miracle if he felt good under those circumstances.
Getting out and relaxing might lift his spirits.
On the other hand, it was pure curiosity.
“After all, Ah Li and I never experienced the kind of ’normal’ life you guys had,” Mu Yanshen said lightly, effortlessly tugging at Hua Jin’s soft heartstrings.
Hua Jin sighed slightly. His initial reluctance to refuse was already weak, and now he couldn’t even bring himself to say no.
“Besides you and Ah Li, who else is coming?” Hua Jin asked.
“And Xiaobai—the one from Nanzhou Base,” Mu Yanshen said. “He’s just over twenty, so he definitely remembers things from ten years ago. He should know what the old cities were like.”
Hua Jin’s mouth twitched. “So you’re basically using him as a reference?”
Mu Yanshen blinked, looking utterly innocent. “Of course not. We just thought he’s new here all alone and a bit pitiful, so we’d take him out to see the world.”
Hua Jin didn’t believe a single word, but he couldn’t be bothered to argue. “Anyone else?”
Mu Yanshen shrugged. “Haven’t asked yet.”
He Ziyue was naturally eager to join in.
The recent survivor information retrieval system had unexpectedly saved a few people, but none were the ones they most wanted to see. Facing these hopeless results had been hard on He Ziyue too.
But she was better than Hua Jin at self-comfort.
Almost as soon as Mu Yanshen finished speaking, she raised her hand and said she wanted to go.
Shen Xuanyi had no objection; in fact, he encouraged them to go relax. However, he couldn’t join them himself, weighed down by endless work.
The rest of the team still knew little about the workings of Central Base and couldn’t help much.
Shen Xuanyi told them not to worry too much and to enjoy themselves. He also called over April, who had just finished a mission.
So in the end, the four of them took the special passes Shen Xuanyi had issued and headed to the entrance of the city district, where they met up with Chu Chenli.
Chu Chenli had only brought Xiaobai.
He Ziyue stared at Xiaobai for a moment, then looked behind Chu Chenli and asked, “Where’s Xiyu?”
Chu Chenli’s mouth twitched slightly. He said Xiyu was busy.
This outing, initially a spontaneous idea that turned into a tacitly understood gathering, naturally wouldn’t leave anyone out.
Mu Yanshen went to find Hua Jin, while Chu Chenli went to find Fang Xiyu.
After nearly getting lost in the base trying to find him, he finally got the exact location from Luo Yunshu. Fang Xiyu had been thriving in the medical district, already buddying up with everyone there.
From a distance, Chu Chenli also saw Ye Lanzhou.
Even in Central Base’s medical area, Ye Lanzhou didn’t seem particularly down. Judging by most people’s reactions, they had heard of his reputation, treating him with respect or courtesy. At first glance, it seemed not much different from his time at Nanzhou Base.
But Chu Chenli couldn’t quite tell—his understanding of Ye Lanzhou only went back ten years.
He didn’t meet Ye Lanzhou’s gaze, quickly looking away toward Fang Xiyu, who had crept over with a sly smile—