The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 516: Second Path

Chapter 516: Second Path

The line in front of the gates of Aran Base stretched out even further.

The longer line, the one he and his new companions were stuck in, seemed to be growing by the minute. People piled in, dragging their feet, vehicles coughing out puffs of exhaust as they inched forward at a painfully slow pace.

Each new arrival carried a look of frustration like they already knew they’d be waiting for hours. It seemed Xu Feng and his group had arrived at an ideal time as the line only continued to grow more and more exaggeratedly long.

As Xu Feng observed the scene, the light bulb slowly began to click in his mind. That line, the shorter one with the van at the end, was clearly for the more "privileged" people of Aran Base.

It was more than just a difference in cars—it was a clear sign of status. The cars in that line, while still showing signs of use, were in better condition and seemed to belong to people who had more resources at their disposal.

These were people who likely had more influence or power within the base, or at least more wealth to secure better transport.

Xu Feng hadn’t figured out exactly why everyone was aiming to get into the base so early in the day or if this was a normal occurrence, but he was now aware that there was an obvious class system in place. The lines represented more than just a queue for entry—they were a dividing line between those who had and those who had not.

The realization made Xu Feng even more cautious. He needed to navigate this place carefully. If there was a clear hierarchy, he needed to understand it, at least to make sure he was able to take as many resources back to Dongzhou with him, if he could make it back in one piece.

Navigating black holes between space and time wasn’t his preferred method of travel, but if that was his final option, it would be what he would do—if it was still possible.

"Xuan, we know it must be difficult for you with your brother missing," Zhang Wei said awkwardly, drawing Xu Feng’s attention back to the car he was currently in.

"Having an ability user to protect you can be like living on clouds, but now it must be difficult..." Li Hao continued, and Xu Feng couldn’t help but start rolling his eyes again.

"It must be difficult for you, even as an ability user," Zhang Wei added, in sync with Li Hao.

Xu Feng felt another eye roll coming, but instead, more than one light bulb went off. This time, it wasn’t a slow process; everything seemed to happen at once.

First, which was obvious, the duo was trying to suss out if Xu Feng was an ability user like his brother. They had worked with Zee before and knew he was a wood-ability user who could attack with nearby plants.

The entire morning, they’d been mentioning Zee’s good deeds to them from time to time. For someone they respected so much, you would think, they wouldn’t be trying to conn his brother...

Xu Feng’s two stops, before they got back to the base, were to garden centers—places normal survivors wouldn’t go. Was this for the sake of his brother, or was it a sign he was also an ability user of some sort?

In the eyes of the two men it could be a sign in their favor, but there was no actual proof. Li Hao was more injured than Zhang Wei, but neither man was in any condition to face zombies after the zombie cat had cornered them the day before.

They were lucky enough to have made it back to Aran Base in one piece, but of course, you get an inch, you want a mile. They survived and now it was time to plot against someone else.

Xu Feng would never give them the satisfaction of knowing the truth about his stops unless it benefited him in some way. And for now, it didn’t benefit him.

His seed haul was rich and took up space in his... space, and took up "vanity" space in the two backpacks he carried for show, for the two idiots.

Second, the shorter line should be for ability users. Maybe it was also for some other reason, but it was likely that the list of privileged people included ability users like Zee.

The two idiots in the front of their hot-wired car were hoping he was one too...

He would never admit to it. But a plan started to brew in his mind as the third realization came to him.

Third, of the people in the conspicuously dirty van in the line for privileged people, there was probably a wood ability user.

That should be why he kept being drawn over there. His eye kept going to it without his consent.

"This line is so long. If only we had an ability user among us, then we could get into the other line," Xu Feng said, putting his rusty acting skills to use.

The two men immediately seemed annoyed.

Their hopes had been dashed, and Xu Feng could almost see the anger in their eyes, as though they could kill him with looks alone.

The frustration was obvious. They had been banking on Xu Feng being an ability user, someone they could use to improve their own situation. Instead, they were stuck in the longer line with the rest of the less fortunate.

As they inched forward, Xu Feng kept his expression neutral, pretending to be oblivious to their frustration. He wasn’t interested in playing their games; he had his own plans.

If they thought they could manipulate him, they were sorely mistaken.

The minutes dragged on as the line crept forward. Xu Feng could feel the impatience of those around him, the tension thickening with every passing moment.

People were on edge, whispering among themselves, glancing nervously at the gates. Whatever was going on had everyone on high alert. But Xu Feng was still more focused on the van in the other line.

Before he could make a concrete plan to get from his much longer line to the tail end of the other line, his two companions once again showed their true colors.

"Brother Wei, this line is going to take a long time." Li Hao began, he had the most fussy temperament of the two while Zhang Wei seemed to be more of the brain.

Being called on by his "brother," the brain of the duo finally kicked into action. They were both fed up with being in the long line with barely treated wounds and exhaustion dripping from them.

"We’re residents of Aran Base, and our group is well respected, we should be able to jump the queue," he began, not looking Xu Feng in the eye. "We’ll get into the base and gather our things, and meet you on the other side once you’ve registered."

The car was silent for a moment as Xu Feng thought.

Were they going to abandon him, now that they possibly believed he wasn’t an ability user? He wouldn’t believe himself if he was in their situation but to each their own...

Or maybe they would use this time to gather their group members to torture him for information. Or maybe they really planned on leaving the base with him, to take over his hidey hole?

Or maybe...

It didn’t really matter what they were planning, he had plans of his own. His plans had changed slightly with this van still in sight, but he wasn’t a spring chicken!

Xu Feng, no Xuan, was well-versed in the intricacies of a zombie apocalypse. He had read all those zombie stories for a reason! They could plot against him, but he didn’t care.

He wasn’t planning on staying on base for too long. Whether Zhang Wei and Li Hao were suspicious of his connection with Zee or what he was doing going into garden supply stores—which were less occupied than other stores—it didn’t actually matter.

Xu Feng wasn’t planning on sticking around for long.

He had a plan. No concrete research, but he still had a plan nonetheless.

"Brother Zhang and Brother Li shouldn’t feel pressured to stay with me. You should both go in first and I’ll meet you later." Xu Feng’s voice was neutral, not too kind and ingratiating and not too upset.

It shouldn’t sway the men either way... also, he was too lazy for all the things. Let them go.

The two men seemed confused still, when Xu Feng got out of the poor beat-up sedan with his two backpacks, nice and swiftly.

It took a few heartbeats before the men regained their souls and began showering Xu Feng with a string of promises, their plan worked too easily. Xu Feng stood in his spot in the line as the people behind him stared at him strangely.