Gu Jingbo watched as Chu Ling returned to her shabby little car. It wasn't clear what she was directing her people to do, but soon enough, they began unloading several wooden planks from the car. Before long, she had picked out a spot and set up a small stall. The stall was topped with bowls in a variety of colors, and it appeared she was selling some sort of noodle dish.
Chu Ling leaned casually against the edge of her stall. She didn't call out to attract customers; instead, she simply stood there, as though waiting for the right moment. From her waist, she pulled out a coin, flipping and toying with it, occasionally tossing it into the air.
Gu Jingbo had no interest in what the lower-class people were up to. He turned and walked back into the base. Chu Ling, on the other hand, only smirked disdainfully as she watched his retreating figure. Then, she glanced up at the sky—overcast, dull, and without a single star. "So ugly" she muttered to herself.
Nearby, two of Chu Ling's underlings noticed the smirk on her face.
"Why does Boss look so creepy when she smiles?" one whispered.
"Not sure. Maybe she's in a bad mood?"
"Didn't we just score a big haul?"
"Maybe it's because she doesn't like those upper-city people. I don't either. Earlier, those guards looked at me like I was dirt. That kind of 'dog-eyes looking down on people' attitude pisses me off. Anyway, when Boss smiles like that, it's never a good sign."
"You idiot! Those weren't guards—they're called bodyguards."
As the two men whispered to each other, Qian Li approached them. Without a word, she thumped them both on the head. Known for her silence, Qian Li was second only to Chu Ling in rank. She had once led this group before Chu Ling joined them. Qian Li always wore sunglasses, even at night, leaving people unsure where her gaze was directed. Her tall figure was shrouded in a trench coat, and her sharp, short hair made her gender difficult to discern at first glance. Yet despite her efforts to hide her figure, her curves were unmistakable.
Most of the time, Qian Li stood silently by the car, motionless unless Chu Ling issued a direct command. She seemed like little more than a lifeless mannequin.
Back when they were lost in the desert, their situation had seemed hopeless. They had survived the catastrophe, but they were aimlessly wandering, lost and starving. Chu Ling's appearance was nothing short of a miracle. Without her, they would have eventually perished. While Chu Ling insisted that they were the ones who saved her, Qian Li believed otherwise.
The group might have been too straightforward to notice, but Qian Li understood that all their turning points came with Chu Ling's arrival. After the devastating sandstorm, how could anyone survive the barren desert alone? Yet when they reached Chu Ling, her surroundings were littered with wreckage—shattered remnants of monsters that had perished in the disaster. Chu Ling herself, however, was completely unharmed.
And then there was her food. It wasn't anything Qian Li had ever seen before. The only logical explanation was that Chu Ling was some kind of divine being born of the apocalypse—a beacon of hope for this world. Others might scoff at the notion and call Qian Li crazy, but in a world like this, where death loomed constantly, clinging to a fantasy, a glimmer of hope, or even a form of faith, seemed like the only way to survive.
That was why she stayed by Chu Ling's side. The future was bleak, but sticking close to Chu Ling gave her a faint, elusive sense of hope.
The other three members of their group had followed Qian Li from the very beginning. She had held considerable influence in the lower city, and when she proposed becoming mercenaries, the three had eagerly joined her.
The tallest of the three was Ah Yi, a food lover who spent his earnings on food from the upper city. He often joked, "If I'm going to die, I'd rather die with a full stomach." He had been the first to approach Chu Ling back then.
Ah Hu, the biggest and loudest of the group, had a fierce sense of loyalty. He hated upper-city people the most and held deep respect for only two individuals: Qian Li, who had led him out of the empire to seek a living, and Chu Ling, who had given him a life worth living.
The last member, Ah Mo, was the quietest and most reserved. Unlike the other two, he rarely joined in their banter. He had a shy nature and a timid disposition and had harbored a secret crush on Qian Li for years. However, he lacked the courage to confess, only watching her from afar. Ah Hu often teased him for his cowardice, calling him "less of a man."
The group had started as lower-city outcasts unable to make a living. When Qian Li suggested leaving the city to become mercenaries, they agreed without hesitation. They began trading resources outside the city but were caught in a sandstorm that delayed their evacuation. Stranded and running out of food, they encountered Chu Ling—a meeting that changed everything. Soon after, a series of fortunate events occurred: they escaped the desert, found the main road, and reached a rescue base.
When Qian Li decided to follow Chu Ling, the three naturally agreed. For lower-city people like them, where survival was a daily struggle, who they followed hardly mattered. The promise of a full stomach was enough, especially when Chu Ling introduced them to the miracle of instant noodles—a luxury they had never imagined.
Back at the base, Gu Jingbo seethed with frustration. The look of disdain Chu Ling had given him gnawed at him. How dare a lower-class person look at him like that? The thought made him angrier the more he dwelled on it. Then his gaze landed on Gu Xiyan, and his irritation turned to scorn.
Gu Xiyan had always been emotionless around him, her face as blank as a lifeless doll. Unlike the women outside who knew how to flatter him, she was cold and unyielding—a woman who only grew more irritating with each glance.
To Gu Jingbo, Gu Xiyan was nothing more than a possession of the Gu family. Her life and death were in their hands. Whether she was exalted or trampled beneath his feet, it was all up to them. She should have been groveling at his feet, grateful for their favor. That's how it had always been. From the moment Gu Jingbo first met Gu Xiyan, his family had made it clear: this woman was his plaything. Everything about her—her body, her mind, even her research—belonged to him.
So why? Why did she always act so self-righteous, so untouchable? The more aloof she was, the more he wanted to see her break, to see her beg. A mute like her had no right to refuse him.
If not for her contributions to the family's research, his grandfather wouldn't have forced him to marry her. Gu Jingbo thought his grandfather was overthinking things. Where could Gu Xiyan possibly go? The Gu family had given her everything. She wouldn't dare leave.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiyan was lost in thought, recalling the mercenary she had just met. Everything she had shown her was foreign and fascinating. Life here was rough and filled with danger, but it carried a sense of freedom she had never experienced behind the city's towering walls.
"Xiyan."
The sound of Gu Jingbo's voice brought a familiar sense of suffocating dread. His face was dark with anger as he approached her. Before she could react, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, feigning gentleness.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself out here, aren't you?"
"I know you've been cooped up in the lab for so long, and I've been busy with work. I'm sorry if you've felt lonely. I wasn't trying to scare you earlier, but you don't understand. Those mercenaries are just lower-class scum. They'd do anything for money. I'm only worried they might hurt you."
He continued speaking, his hand moving as though to caress her cheek. Gu Xiyan instinctively dodged, causing a flicker of displeasure in his eyes, though he maintained his façade of kindness.
Instead, he ruffled her hair. "I know you're shy, but we'll be married soon. You'll have to get used to it."
Gu Xiyan's grip on her tablet tightened as she nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes. From a distance, several researchers noticed their interaction and began whispering to one another.
"Look at how loving Gu Jingbo and Miss Gu are," one said.
"I heard rumors their marriage was just a formality, but that doesn't seem true. Look how much he dotes on her."
Before they could say more, the lights in the entire base began flickering. Gu Jingbo withdrew his hand, frowning as he called for someone to explain what was happening. But the scientists, who were skilled only in laboratory work, had no answers.
Then, without warning, the power failed completely. The base plunged into darkness, leaving all instruments and devices unusable. Only the flashlights held by bodyguards provided any light. They quickly surrounded Gu Jingbo and escorted him out of the area.
No one spared a thought for Gu Xiyan. She reached out her hand, hoping Gu Jingbo would take her with him, but he didn't even glance back. He disappeared into the crowd, leaving her alone in the oppressive darkness.
Feeling panic creep in, Gu Xiyan clutched her tablet, only to find it unresponsive. Whatever had disrupted the power seemed to have affected the tablet as well, cutting off her only means of communication.
Her back pressed against the cold wall as she took a few steps back. Though faint beams of light from the flashlights still flickered around her, the atmosphere was chaotic. No one paid her any attention.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm.
Then, a light appeared outside the base.
The glow came from Chu Ling's stall, which had become the only source of illumination in the darkened base. Her little setup now shone brightly, and the instant noodles she had prepared were arranged neatly in a row. Steam rose from them, carrying an enticing aroma that wafted through the air.
Gu Xiyan's eyes were drawn to the figure standing amidst the light. Chu Ling stood there, radiant and commanding attention. She held up a bowl of instant noodles and declared, "One bowl for 10 gold coins! Pick your favorite flavor. Pair it with a sausage, normally 20 gold coins, but with the noodles, it's only 10 coins!"
Ah Yi and Ah Hu stood beside her, marveling at their boss's audacity.
"Boss is amazing! She actually shut down their power. Now they have no choice but to buy our noodles!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. You'll get us in trouble."
Qian Li shot them a sharp look before kicking them both. "Stop talking and help the boss sell."
The two immediately grabbed unopened bowls of noodles and began shouting, "Chu Chef's Premium Noodles! One and only, honest prices—just 10 gold coins!"