Chapter 045 Hidden Master

　　He rode Dabai out of the stable and galloped a full circuit around the yard. When Lao Zhang spotted the scrawny young man riding the notoriously unruly stallion, he hurried over to Youyou in astonishment. She told him the whole story of how Chu Mufan had tamed Dabai from start to finish.

　　Lao Zhang nodded repeatedly, utterly amazed that such a thin, frail lad could win over Dabai. The white horse was far too fierce for ordinary riders. Lao Zhang had tried mounting it once himself, only to be thrown off its back within seconds. He could not figure out what sort of charisma this boy possessed to subdue such an arrogant, high-spirited steed that looked down its nose at everyone.

　　Chu Mufan took Youyou up onto Dabai, and the two raced wildly across the livestock farm grounds. Meanwhile, two shifts of guards outside the farm were carrying out their handover.

　　That same day, a young man named Wei Haoran led a squad of sentries to relieve the outgoing shift. Once the handover formalities were complete, Uncle Ye led his city defense battalion troops back to the main combat camp, leaving the livestock farm under Wei Haoran’s supervision and management.

　　As the person in charge of survivor registration across the camp, Wei Haoran knew every resident by name. After introducing his squad to Lao Zhang, he caught sight of Chu Mufan and Youyou riding Dabai—the camp’s infamous wild horse—and wandered over to greet them out of curiosity...

　　He addressed Chu Mufan by his full name straight away, the first person to do so since Chu Mufan had regained consciousness. Both Youyou and Chu Mufan were thoroughly taken aback.

　　Wei Haoran smiled and explained that he handled all registration paperwork for the city defense battalion. He had been the one to record Chu Mufan’s information and take his photo the day he was brought to camp, and his sharp memory had retained the name ever since...

　　As they chatted, the three quickly grew comfortable with one another...

　　Wei Haoran was twenty-six years old. He had wandered alone through the wasteland for a full year before being brought back to the camp by Captain Star’s First Scouting Team. Impressed by the camp’s safety and order, he had signed on immediately. Much like Chu Mufan, he owed his life to Captain Star—though after rescuing him, Star had paid him little mind afterward...

　　He had originally hoped to join the First Scouting Team, yet the entry standards were impossibly high for most people, so he ended up assigned to the city defense battalion instead. Fortunately, he was meticulous, organized, and skilled at coordination and administration. This caught the battalion captain’s eye, and he was promoted to deputy squad leader. Still, there were many deputy leaders within the city defense battalion, and their authority paled in comparison to deputy squad leaders of the scouting teams; his position only carried slightly more weight than an ordinary sentry’s.

　　Even so, Wei Haoran was content—merely staying alive in this apocalyptic world was already a blessing...

　　It was plain to hear from his tone how deeply he admired Captain Star, the man who had saved his life. Chu Mufan had never seen Star fight, so he asked in confusion, “Is Captain Star really that powerful? He certainly cuts a striking figure, but as for his combat strength…” Chu Mufan had never believed good looks and formidable fighting prowess could coexist in one person, yet Captain Star might just be the exception.

　　“Captain Star is the strongest there is!” Before Chu Mufan could finish his thought, the usually mild-mannered Wei Haoran cut him off sharply.

　　“That’s right. No one in this camp can match him—he’s the most formidable man I’ve ever laid eyes on. I doubt anyone here can last ten moves against him!” Lao Zhang chipped in, speaking Mandarin for once, a rare occurrence.

　　“That extraordinary? Even you stand no chance against him?” Chu Mufan asked casually. Lao Zhang shot him a meaningful glance and replied, “A lazy old fellow like me doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. I’ve watched him fight once. He took out a zombie twenty meters away with nothing but a pebble straight to its head. Wrist strength and precision like that don’t come easy to ordinary folks!”

　　“That’s nothing. I owe my life to him, and I’ll never forget the day he saved me,” Wei Haoran said emotionally. Everyone nearby turned their attention to him, eager to hear the full story. He glanced around, deciding there was no point hiding the truth, and spoke candidly. “Back when I wandered the wasteland, I had no choice but to join a gang of thugs to survive.”

　　“A gang of villains?” One of the listening guards blurted out in shock. Evidently Wei Haoran rarely spoke of his past; even his own squad members knew nothing about it...

　　“So, what if he once walked the dark path? They’re rotten, but they’re still human. In this end times, anyone might turn to cruelty just to stay alive. A reformed sinner is worth more than gold!” The outspoken Lao Zhang retorted in thick Wuhan dialect, silencing the guard at once.

　　Wei Haoran gave Lao Zhang a grateful look and carried on recounting his tale. “I joined them, but I never took part in murder or arson. They found out I studied public administration in university and put me in charge of their makeshift settlement. Later, they raided a resource-gathering party from First Scouting Team and killed several of its members...

　　That night, Captain Star showed up alone at their gate armed only with a baton, and single-handedly wiped out most of the gang. It was a pitch-black, windy night!

　　For some reason, even the gang members who were crack shots couldn’t land a single bullet on him. No one lasted more than three moves against him...

　　He spared me when he saw I held no weapon...

　　I’d always treated the captive survivors under the gang decently, so they pleaded my case. Deputy Captain Qin of First Team asked Star for permission, and they brought me back to our camp. I saw it all with my own eyes—Star moved faster than the wind, unbelievably agile, every strike packed with devastating force! A full-powered swing of his baton could cave in a solid steel helmet. I’ll never reach that level of skill, not in a lifetime...

　　Word has it he’s the one who fought to seize this camp for us in the first place...” Wei Haoran spoke with unbridled admiration, his account more thrilling than any martial arts novel. Chu Mufan stared in stunned disbelief, wondering how any human could possess such power?!

　　Wei Haoran carried an upright, sincere air and did not strike Chu Mufan as a man prone to empty flattery. Though moved by the story, he still voiced his doubt. “Is it truly possible? Even slicing a dent into a steel helmet with a blade would be no easy feat, let alone a blunt baton with no sharp edge. That far surpasses normal human limits, doesn’t it?”

　　“Buddy, it sounds like you’ve never heard of internal energy. Those who cultivate genuine orthodox internal arts nurture a reservoir of inner force, granting strength far beyond ordinary people.” Lao Zhang explained. As a hidden master, he naturally knew a thing or two about such matters!

　　“Does that mean Captain Star is a martial arts master who’s trained in such arts?” Chu Mufan pressed on, curious as a child determined to get to the bottom of everything.

　　“Beats me. He doesn’t even know his own name—how could anyone tell if he practices kung fu?” Lao Zhang shook his head.

　　They chatted for quite a while longer, until the sun began to sink low. Chu Mufan and Youyou stood up to head back to the main camp, leaving Wei Haoran and Lao Zhang behind to keep watch over the livestock farm...

　　……

　　For more than half a month afterwards, the pair trekked to the livestock farm together every day, watching the mountain foliage fade from a riot of vivid hues into sparse, scattered leaves...

　　Thick carpets of fallen leaves covered the mountain path they took each day, painting the trail in a brilliant medley of autumn colors...