Chapter 161: Fake Name Chapter 161: Fake Name Throughout the journey, Chen Yuan unassumingly had Lin Murong clarify everything about their situation.
But Lin Murong, talking nonsense and pulling the wool over his eyes.
With a silly face, Lin Murong spoke with seeming sincerity, yet, aside from Chi Yan’s Water Power, everything else was fabricated.
Even the names were fake.
Lin Murong’s alias was Lin Jun, Chi Yan’s was Chi Yu, and Su Yinhe’s was Su He.
“Which base were you folks from before?”
“Our previous base, ah, it was a small one, Anyang Base—poor as can be, and the walls were all shoddy and run-down. The grounds inside weren’t any better either. Now, with the Mutated Plants overgrowing like mad, the whole base has become their domain. So, we fled. On the way, we met a Superpower User who told us about this Sweetheart Base, said it was quite something, with high walls and all, so we figured it must be impressive and made our way over.”
“Anyang, huh.” Chen Yuan rapidly searched his mind and found nothing.
“I’m not that knowledgeable; I haven’t heard of it.”
“Anyang Base is just a small base with very few people. When we left, there were barely more than two hundred of us—it barely qualified as a base. It was just a bunch of people gathered together.” Lin Murong waved it off, “It’s normal that you haven’t heard of it.”
“I see. Guess I’m still not well-informed enough,” Chen Yuan said with a smile.
“These two are quite silent, aren’t they?” Chen Yuan focused on Su Yinhe and Chi Yan, who hadn’t spoken since they entered.
“Those two, they’re not talkative. Because they couldn’t speak well, they once offended a big shot, and the three of us nearly got killed by that person. Since then, they haven’t spoken much,” Lin Murong explained non-stop.
He sounded a bit angry as he said this.
“That person’s temper really is terrible.”
“Isn’t it? Having such a bad temper, a few wrong words shouldn’t be a big deal, but he made a big fuss about it. We were seriously injured back then. Ever since, my two friends don’t speak much.” Lin Murong looked genuinely sorrowful.
Chen Yuan, seemingly sympathetic, patted his shoulder.
“After all this, we’ve told you about us. I forgot to ask—what’s your name, big brother?” Lin Murong finished his bluff-filled tale and started inquiring about Chen Yuan.
“I’m Chen Yuan,” responded Chen Yuan with a smile.
“Brother Chen, you look like a capable man. Can you tell us about the base? We just rushed over here on the word of that Superpower User, knowing only that the base was formidable. We’re not clear on the specifics. What kind of treatment do Superpower Users get here?”
“I’m not all that. Just happened to follow a good boss,” Chen Yuan responded, laughing heartily from the flattery, then modestly downplayed it.
“How can you not be all that? These men are all yours, right? Brother Chen, you’re quite impressive,” Lin Murong praised further.
He figured out that among them, Chen Yuan held the highest status.
“Not really. Just a few followers,” Chen Yuan’s smile grew larger.
“That’s really something. The so-called leaders of our former base didn’t have as many followers as you, Brother Chen,” Lin Murong continued to butter him up.
Chen Yuan’s expression changed, “You can’t just say that. I’m just a lackey. I can’t dare compare to base leaders.”
Lin Murong looked apologetic, “I didn’t mean it that way. I just thought you looked formidable, big brother.”
Chen Yuan laughed heartily again.
“I know, just joking with you.”
“Brother Chen is so magnanimous.”
Su Yinhe, following along behind them, felt utterly numb.
Lin Murong had the gift of gab; in no time, he’d become chummy with Chen Yuan.
It was surprising to see this skill in Lin Murong.
Had it not been the apocalypse, Lin Murong would surely have thrived in the corporate world.
So impressive, it hadn’t taken long at all for them to start addressing each other like brothers.
Chen Yuan led them into a house.
The house had a few wooden tables.
Several men were playing cards, wooden cards with numbers carved into them.
They also held homemade cigarettes in their mouths; the room was swirling with smoke.
They had been enjoying themselves, but as soon as Chen Yuan entered, he coughed, and they immediately tossed aside the cumbersome wooden tags.
“Chen… Brother Chen.”
“This is a new Superpower User who has just arrived, so let’s get them registered,” Chen Yuan said cheerfully.
“Right, right, right. We’ll register them immediately.” Su Yinhe noticed that they seemed to fear Chen Yuan; they nodded and bowed while speaking, a hint of dread lurking in their eyes.
It seemed that Chen Yuan was no ordinary person.
“All Superpower Users at our base must be registered, to facilitate task assignment when the time comes. Don’t worry, the tasks aren’t mandatory. They’re assigned based on one’s superpower and priority. It’s okay to not participate,” Chen Yuan explained.
“Okay,” Lin Murong nodded.
A few men took a thick register and began noting down their information.
Lin Murong and Chi Yan went through the process smoothly, but there was a complication when it came to Su Yinhe.
“A woman? You’re a woman?” The person registering her stood up instantly after hearing her voice, his gaze searing as he looked at her.
The other men in the room looked at her with the same intensity.
Even Chen Yuan’s gaze towards her shifted.
Surprise, fervor, but quickly, it reverted to the previous warmth.
“What’s the big deal if she’s a woman?” Lin Murong didn’t like their gazes.
Chi Yan moved slightly, pulling Su Yinhe behind him.
“Sorry, we’re just very surprised. We thought she was a man,” Chen Yuan chided them and then apologized with a contrite expression.
Su Yinhe dressed neutrally and wore a large hat that almost covered her eyes. She also wore a mask.
She was dressed to completely cover herself.
She hadn’t spoken much during their journey.
Lin Murong was a man; so was Chi Yan.
It was natural for them to assume that Su Yinhe would also be a man.
The apocalypse was filled with many such men.
Su Yinhe had long hair, although it was partially hidden by the hat, it was still apparent.
But in the apocalypse, many men didn’t cut their hair.
Some didn’t even bother to wash, let alone trim their hair.
Of course, some men liked to keep long hair for warmth.
Absurd, but it did keep the neck warm.
“Female Superpower Users are rare in our base, so they… I am really sorry,” Chen Yuan scolded them again.
The men quickly apologized, but their gazes on Su Yinhe still had a certain heat.
Su Yinhe continued to register her information.
After learning of her gender, Chen Yuan began to scrutinize her anew, more meticulously.
He was discreet in his inspection.
But the trio still noticed.
Chi Yan’s gaze towards him turned icy.