Chapter 026 Chu Mufan

　　As the wives of the camp’s key figures, after tending to their husbands at night,

　　they would more or less hear stories about the day’s events: strange sights encountered while searching for supplies in nearby cities, or things that had happened around the camp.

　　These usually became the fuel for the wealthy ladies’ gossip...

　　And no sooner had they gathered than they could not hold back their excitement.

　　A stout middle-aged woman spoke up:

　　“Hey, you know what? Team Star went out alone a few nights ago, and he still hasn’t come back today!”

　　“Really? He’s been gone for days — where could he have gone? He wouldn’t just abandon us, would he?” A thin young woman with a face full of acne quickly pressed, eager for details about Team Star.

　　“Of course it’s true! My husband is the vice-captain of the patrol team. He was on duty at the main gate that day and saw Team Star ride off on his Harley with a backpack, just like that!” The stout woman immediately brought up her husband, as if afraid someone would call her a liar.

　　“Yeah, I heard from my husband too, that Team Star was going out alone for a while to find out the truth about his origins. He should come back.” A tall, delicate-featured woman with slightly yellowish skin said this as she tightened a bundle of wheat below her knees.

　　Her skilled bundling technique clashed strangely with her delicate appearance. If she wore makeup and fashionable clothes, with her figure and temperament, she would be a completely modern and stylish woman.

　　“Sister Xiuyan is right. Her husband is Team Star’s vice-captain, so it must be true!” The stout woman stepped closer to the beautiful woman named Xiuyan as she spoke.

　　“As long as Team Star comes back. If he leaves, who will protect our camp? What will I do with the rest of my life? I want to have lots of little stars with Team Star…”

　　The young girl with acne all over her face stared blankly at the sky, infatuated.

　　“With that pockmarked face of yours, stop dreaming! Hey, sisters, do you think Team Star would even look at her?” The stout middle-aged woman sneered. The women and children nearby burst out laughing, leaving the acne-faced girl covering her face in shame and shy...

　　“Team Star has been here for over two years, and we’ve never heard him fancy any girl in the camp! I heard even the proud young lady made a move on him, but he barely paid her any mind. Hehe, Team Star’s standards are sky-high!” The stout woman went on.

　　“Of course! Our Team Star is handsome, kind, and insanely strong! I heard he alone wiped out all the zombies in an entire hospital last time and brought back medical supplies without a scratch! A godlike man like him deserves a fairy-tale beauty. I don’t ask for much—just seeing him every day is enough,” a thin, dark girl with buck teeth said dreamily.

　　“Heh. Are there any fairies left in this apocalyptic era? Someone like the young lady is already impressive. I think she has quite the temperament… She just doesn’t like talking to others and has a weird temper. But as long as Team Star isn’t married, you girls still have a chance… LOL… those of us who already have men are satisfied just looking from afar!” A woman in the crowd said with a grin.

　　“I have a man too, but just seeing Team Star every day makes me feel better! He’s the only man in the camp worth looking at. The other captains are either ugly or useless weaklings. In this day and age, you want a man who’s strong and powerful!” The stout middle-aged woman said.

　　“Hmph. Look at your own good-for-nothing husband—you’ve got no right to talk about others!” A delicately made-up, seductive-looking woman sneered.

　　Among the group, this woman wore the heaviest makeup. She was dressed in a shiny down jacket, apparently a size too small on purpose—one that could not hide her full bust and slender, snake-like waist.

　　“Oh, it’s Liu Meimei! Don’t think I’m scared just because your husband is the second team’s captain! Your Gou Li is nothing compared to Team Star!” The stout woman roared in fury!

　　Liu Meimei puffed out her chest, stood up, and waved her fist at the stout woman. “None of your business who he is! He’s still better than your husband, that’s for sure!”

　　“What! You wanna fight?!”

　　“I’ll just take it! Who’s afraid of whom?!”

　　“Alright! Stop it! Don’t you want to know why Team Star left again so soon after coming back?!” The tall Xiuyan stepped between them to calm them down.

　　The two women, ready to brawl, stopped at once and stared at her in confusion.

　　Xiuyan looked at their puzzled faces and spoke slowly: “You two are impossible! Oh, fine. I heard it from my husband. The news will probably get out in a few days anyway.

　　Remember the mission Team Star led a few days ago?”

　　Remember the mission Team Star led a few days ago?”

　　“The one where they brought back that skin-and-bones guy?” The young woman Liu Meimei asked.

　　“Yeah, that one. Besides bringing that man back, Team Star also found a secret.”

　　“A secret? What secret?” Questions rose in unison from the crowd. The open area fell silent, nothing but breathing. Everyone wanted to know Team Star’s secret.

　　“I don’t know the details. My husband said it was a symbol—maybe from some mysterious organization!”

　　“Could it be some cult?”

　　“Could it be about Team Star’s background?”

　　“I think so too. It’s so weird that a perfect godlike man doesn’t even know his own name!”

　　……

　　They began chattering again, and the open space grew noisy...

　　As everyone argued excitedly, the seductive woman spoke up loudly: “I think the weirdest one is that useless skinny guy they brought back—skin and bones, can’t even walk! Why is Team Star making such a big deal out of him, even getting someone to take care of him full-time? I heard his name is Chu something…”

　　“His name is Chu Mufan!” The woman named Xiuyan said firmly.

　　“That’s right. Sister Xiuyan must know best. I heard that ‘skin-and-bones’ was saved by your husband Old Qin—he even carried him all the way back, hehehe… I bet you asked your husband about him, didn’t you?” Liu Meimei covered her bright red lips with one hand and laughed.

　　Xiuyan clearly picked up the sarcasm in her words. She glared at Liu Meimei and retorted:

　　“I never ask my husband about things that don’t concern us women. When my husband was carrying him, he was still unconscious!

　　I learned his name from Youyou, the one who’s taking care of him specially—unlike some people who talk nonsense without even getting their facts straight!” Liu Meimei’s mean words had obviously annoyed Xiuyan, who shot back sharply.