Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

She could accept an apology, but not the Colt python in her hand. The period when the bio-electric radar stopped working was the most sensitive time for Gu Cheng, and any slight movement would attract the woman's attention.

Her index finger was already on the trigger, ready to pull it at any moment.

"There might be a fierce battle tomorrow, you'd better rest for a while and conserve your energy." Gu Cheng gently picked up the Tang sword and placed it against her buttocks. Seeing Wang Yuxin's restrained expression, she comforted her in a gentle voice.

"Don't worry too much, I'll wake you up immediately if anything happens."

Wang Yuxin was nearly ten years older than Gu Cheng, but at this moment she was like a junior obediently listening to her parents' lecture, keeping her head down and not saying a word. After a while, Gu Cheng heard a faint dusting sound and out of the corner of her eye saw the woman sitting less than half a meter away from her with her hands wrapped around her knees.

"..."

"Miss Gu... have you ever dealt with strong cracks before...?"

After a brief silence, Gu Cheng shook her head and gently placed her fingertips on the blade.

"No." So she wasn't sure she could get out alive. Wang Yuxin swallowed hard, her fingers turning white as she clenched them.

"However, Miss Gu doesn't seem afraid at all."

Every move she made was dignified and composed, as if she would remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of her. Even though Captain Ouyang had inadvertently revealed a trace of fear, Gu Cheng was taken aback for a moment and answered softly.

"Is there?"

More than being afraid, she was worried about Su Wanxi entering the rift.

“Yes, she’s much better than me.” As if finding an outlet for her emotions, Wang Yuxin continued, “Did Miss Gu work at the Hermit Bureau before?”

Her handling of monsters was remarkably skillful, clean, and efficient; it's hard to imagine that a young girl in her early twenties could achieve such a level of skill.

"...I worked there for a year."

Gu Cheng tossed her hair, her voice soft. Although she rarely struck up a conversation with others, she didn't mind chatting with Wang Yuxin for a bit if she took the initiative to speak.

In fact, Gu Cheng had already seen that the other party was confused and hesitant. After all, Wang Yuxin had only awakened her abilities for less than half a year and had not experienced many life-and-death tests. It was already quite remarkable that she did not collapse on the spot when someone suddenly told her that she might not see the sun tomorrow.

"So, what did Miss Gu do before enlisting in the army?"

Serving tea and water, washing dishes, delivering meals, handling cashier duties, and guarding the gate—not knowing which specific job Wang Yuxin was asking about, Gu Cheng thought for a moment and suggested a more respectable one.

“I work in a flower shop, where my main responsibilities are bookkeeping and pruning flowers.”

"A flower shop, indeed, suits Miss Gu's temperament very well." Wang Yuxin nodded, raising her hand to gather the hem of her clothes that was being blown by the wind.

"Where is Miss Wang? I heard from others that you are a junior high school teacher, but I don't know which subject you teach."

"I teach English."

As expected, it was related to literature. Gu Cheng thought to herself that she was excellent in math and physics in high school, but her English was terrible, which was why she was particularly envious of Su Wanxi's fluent French.

"Is being a teacher particularly tiring? My junior high school homeroom teacher came early every morning and didn't leave until the school was locked down."

"It's not too tiring. Just make sure to prepare your lesson plans in advance each week and remember a few of the more mischievous kids, and it will be much easier."

Middle school students are alright, but the real trouble comes from some unreasonable parents who like to make trouble. Wang Yuxin wanted to give up several times, but in the end she gritted her teeth and persevered.

"Miss Gu, did you attend university in Beidu?"

"I never went to college."

Wang Yuxin was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and after half a minute, she murmured, "Hmm... is it because of awakened abilities...?"

Gu Cheng turned her face away, admitting it somewhat embarrassedly.

"My English is too poor; my overall score is only good enough to get into a private second-tier university, but the tuition is too expensive, so I decided not to apply..."

The Milky Way hangs high in the sky, and in the distance, the flames burn half the sky red. Gu Cheng chatted with Wang Yuxin about her views on her teachers when she was in junior high school. The latter gradually relaxed and her expression was no longer as reserved as it had been at the beginning.

Wang Yuxin noticed that Gu Cheng wasn't wearing her ring today, and her curiosity was piqued. However, she quickly realized that their relationship was still quite distant, and asking too many questions might offend her. So she kept quiet and changed the subject to something lighter.

"Gu Cheng, is that Miss Su your best friend? It seems like she's always the one who picks you up in her car."

Both were exceptionally beautiful women, and standing side by side they resembled twin lotus flowers, pure white and flawless.

“Not a best friend, she’s my… um…” After a moment’s hesitation, the girl answered in a low voice. “A good friend.”

Having gone through so much, Gu Cheng still harbored a sense of wariness towards Wang Yuxin. Although her relationship with Su Wanxi was no secret in Beijing's social circles, speculation was just speculation, and without concrete evidence from the parties involved, it was simply a matter of socialist sisterhood.

She and Su Wanxi may not care, but they must consider Su Changqing's feelings as the parent. Tacit approval does not mean they can cause trouble or engage in so-called moral blackmail under his nose.

God knows how much Gu Cheng wanted to say the words "fiancée" just now.

"Oh, my good friend."

Wang Yuxin felt that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Chapter 337, Section 343: Reassembling the Troops

After a long period of improvement, China's military compressed rations are no longer as unpalatable as rumored online. Gu Cheng gently opened the packaging box, inside were brownish-yellow biscuits wrapped in transparent plastic.

At first glance, it has a moderate firmness, but it crumbles easily in the mouth, with a sweet and sour taste and small particles that resemble crushed peanuts.

The taste was surprisingly good. The girl looked at the green box in her hand. In addition to the words "compressed dry food" written on it, there was also a line of small print indicating the flavor.

Hers was lemon flavored, while Wang Yuxin's was scallion flavored.

“No wonder the higher-ups only allowed us to bring this much; it really keeps us full.” Wang Yuxin sighed as she took a few sips of water. Gu Cheng packed the remaining two or three boxes of dry rations back into her weapon belt, her light brown wisps of hair obliquely covering her left eye.

"It's almost time..." the woman replied.

Every ten minutes, Ouyang Tuo would fire a bright red signal flare; the third one was about to be launched.

As soon as Gu Cheng finished speaking, a loud "bang" was heard behind her. A burst of fire shot out from the muzzle of the signal gun, and the flare exploded in mid-air with a gust of wind. About thirty seconds later, a beam of red light appeared directly north of the high platform, followed by a second and a third. The dazzling light momentarily dimmed the stars.

"It seems the reinforcements aren't far away." Gu Cheng relaxed slightly, her jade-like arms encircling the soft chest. "The black mist is still spreading, but the descending creatures haven't shown any signs of life."

Now all we can do is wait for the other awakened ones to arrive so we can discuss things together and see if there's any chance of a turnaround. Wang Yuxin sighed softly upon hearing this, her gaze falling on the woman's pale white cuffs.

At one in the morning, she should have been sleeping soundly in bed, but now she sat anxiously on the ruins, letting the wind, mixed with the smell of blood, fill her nostrils.

Her abilities are too weak, and she's not a combat-oriented or survival-focused character; her shooting skills are also inferior to those of veterans.

She was simply cannon fodder among cannon fodder, Wang Yuxin thought to herself.

Death is terrifying, but waiting for death is even more terrifying. The woman felt like a death row inmate in prison, and that box of scallion-flavored compressed rations was her last meal before her execution.

"Are you scared?" Gu Cheng asked her softly, her delicate lips slightly parted. Wang Yuxin hummed in response, her gaze drifting into the distance.

"I don't want to die."

She still has parents to support, is in her early thirties and has never been in a relationship, and has hardly seen the world.

Upon hearing this, Gu Cheng pursed her cherry lips tightly, her clear brown eyes shimmering with moisture.

"...I don't want to die either."

There are still many days ahead, and she absolutely cannot die here. After letting the wind blow on her for a while to clear her head, Gu Cheng gripped the hilt of her knife and stood up on her own initiative.

Wang Yuxin paused for a moment upon hearing the sound of wind, then asked softly, "What are you going to do?"

The girl's expression was indifferent as she raised her hand and twirled her Tang sword a few times.

"Go downstairs to check, and clear the road while you're at it."

The capable are given more work, and Gu Cheng is the most suitable person for environmental exploration here. After a brief greeting to Ouyang Tuo, she stood at the exit for a while, straightened her clothes, and then slowly stepped into the darkness.

"Gu Chengyan, are you afraid of dying?"

"..."

After a brief silence, the woman said in a low voice, "I'm not afraid."

"...Why?"

"I've already died once."

If Gu Cheng hadn't appeared at that time, she, having lost her will to live, would have long since become nourishment for the monster's birth.

"Besides, do you think I'm truly alive inside you?"

Without goals or pursuits, and without lovers or friends, Gu Chengyan even felt that it wouldn't be a big deal if he suddenly disappeared one day.

This time, Gu Cheng fell silent. She bit her lip and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"What, suddenly feeling uneasy?" The woman chuckled softly, Gu Cheng rubbed her hair a few times, her voice gentle.

"Um..."

“I know it’s selfish to do this, but I have to.”

His brown eyes suddenly turned cold, and the Tang sword he was gripping gleamed. Long, thin, azure currents flowed along the spine of the blade, as if it were equipped with two LED tubes.

"It turns out you're just a mortal, not a saint." Gu Chengyan's tone wasn't as sarcastic as usual; instead, it carried obvious approval.

"Gu Chengyan..." Gu Cheng called her softly.

"Ok?"

"You're actually a really nice person."

At first, she thought the other person was a girl with a terrible temper who would complain and belittle her insinuations all day long, radiating negative energy. But after spending more time with her, she gradually realized that this person was just sharp-tongued and actually very soft-hearted.

To put it another way, it's probably like being exhausted from all the hustle and bustle.

"In other cases I've seen, the relationship between the primary and secondary personalities in multiple personality disorder is usually very bad; they're the kind of people who would rather strangle each other."

"The musical that Miss Jiang took you to see?"

Gu Chengyan naturally understood what Gu Cheng meant; the protagonist of the story ultimately ended the struggle by committing suicide.

“If you were Su Wanxi, we would have already started fighting.”

Su Wanxi is quite cold towards strangers, while Gu Chengyan likes to provoke her at the drop of a hat. The two are like ice and fire, and if no one mediates between them, they probably won't be able to live together. They would even trip over each other while walking.

Gu Cheng said with dissatisfaction, "Su Wanwan is also very gentle."

"That was in front of you. If it were me, I'd just give you an icy look."

Tsk, is the gap really that big? Gu Cheng thought about it, and realized that she hadn't actually watched Gu Chengyan and Su Wanxi's intense battle in a sober state.

Just as I was about to say a few good words for my Wanwan, an electrical signal feedback suddenly appeared in my mind, and the bioelectric radar showed several fist-sized strange rats below.

"It's only been less than an hour, and our spot has already been targeted by monsters..." At the current rate of consumption, these mutated rats will flood onto the rooftop in no more than fifteen minutes.

Gu Cheng leaped down from the stair railing, her military boots landing firmly on the floor tiles. Before her were forty or fifty pairs of scarlet eyes radiating an ominous aura.