What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH220-222

Chapter 220| Chapter 221| Chapter 222

Chapter 220: A Woman Like This Might Be In Danger Of Losing Her Life

Pei Xiqing calmly explained, “I wasn’t eavesdropping, nor was I trying to peek at you. I was merely resting in this pavilion for a moment.”

Hearing the soft, gentle voice, the two burly men stepped out of the shop, their curiosity piqued.

“Well, look at that. Someone is actually hanging around our shabby little corner,” one of them muttered.

The leader of the group cast a hard look in her direction. He had a massive blacksmith’s hammer resting casually on his broad shoulder. The moment his eyes landed on Pei Xiqing, they narrowed slightly. He took two heavy steps toward her, his tone rough and unapologetic. “Listen, little sister, this isn’t a place for someone like you to just wander into casually. Leave. Immediately.”

Pei Xiqing stood up. “I apologize for the intrusion.”

The man was easily over two meters tall. The muscles covering his body were exaggeratedly massive, bulging like solid stone walls. A single one of his arms was thicker than both of her thighs combined. His expression was grim, and his entire frame exuded a suffocating, murderous aura. He looked incredibly difficult to deal with—like an actual giant. Standing on the street, he made all the other ability users in the area look puny by comparison.

Furthermore, the sheer density of his genetic energy was staggering. Pei Xiqing had encountered many formidable fighters since arriving in this world, and looking at him gave her the exact same sense of overwhelming pressure she had felt when observing the elite operatives back at the base.

“Hmph. You’ve got some nerve wandering around the badlands all by yourself, little girl,” the man grunted, turning around with the hammer still resting on his shoulder. “The climate out here can turn on a dime. A fragile woman like you is highly likely to lose her life if you aren’t careful.”

“Brother Hua, if you’re so worried about her, why don’t we just take the little sister in?” one of his subordinates jeered from the back. “It’d be better than letting her die out there!”

“Shut your mouth! I don’t have the time or the patience for this. Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll beat you to death myself!” The towering giant, Brother Hua, let out a cold snort. “Hurry up and finish forging that piece. We don’t have much time left. If you want to survive what’s coming, make every single minute count! Stop wasting time on this garbage!”

As the subordinate turned back toward the forge, Pei Xiqing happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar, faceless tactical mask hanging on the wall deep inside the blacksmith shop.

She hesitated for a moment. From inside, she heard one of the men shout in excitement, “This blade is flawless! The edge is incredibly sharp! If we channel genetic energy through the steel on the battlefield, a single strike will cleave right through a tier-two parasite!”

“A decent blade still requires extensive honing,” Brother Hua rasped sharply. “Who gave you permission to celebrate? What the hell is the point of forging just one blade? If you want to make a difference, you have to forge an arsenal. How is one man supposed to butcher an entire swarm of parasites?”

“Right, right! We’ll double our efforts immediately. We definitely won’t let you down, Brother Hua!”

“It’s just… our raw materials are critically scarce. Even with our forging techniques, we can’t do a damn thing if the metal alloys and conductive cores run dry.”

“Yeah…”

“All of these advanced conductive alloys require high-tier crystal cores for the smelting process, but recently, every single high-tier core in the sector has been completely monopolized by the directorate. Sigh… what are we supposed to do?”

Hearing their exchange, Pei Xiqing, who had originally intended to walk away, paused. She looked at the battered metal signboard hanging outside the shop and couldn’t help but knock gently on the wooden doorframe. “Do you accept custom weapon commissions here?”

The group of men turned to look at her again.

Brother Hua lifted his chin, his expression turning sour. “You again? We forge weapons, yes, but we are completely booked. We have no time for petty requests right now!”

The man standing next to him hurriedly interjected, “No, no, wait! If it’s just a small, personal commission, we can definitely squeeze it in.” Since they were entirely out of primary raw materials anyway, it made sense to take on some private work on the side to earn extra rations.

The men exchanged quick glances, sensing a potential business opportunity. “What exactly do you need forged, and how many units? We still have a decent stockpile of finished armaments inside. Everything we forge in this shop is top-tier quality. But listen, little sister, you should know that high-quality gear is in extremely short supply right now. The price tag will definitely reflect the craftsmanship.”

Pei Xiqing reached into her pocket and pulled out a radiant crystal core. “Will this cover the cost?”

At first, none of the men took her seriously. But the exact second the brilliant, iridescent light of the crystal core hit their eyes, the entire shop froze.

Brother Hua’s eyes practically bulged out of his skull. “Is that… yours?” he demanded, his voice thick with disbelief.

The crystal core was flawless. It was a priceless, ultra-rare artifact—several tiers higher in density and energy output than the standard high-level cores occasionally distributed by the base command.

Pei Xiqing nodded calmly. “Yes.”

While the rest of the crew remained paralyzed in shock, Brother Hua took a heavy step forward. “Miss… would you mind allowing me to examine the core in your hand more closely? If you’re worried I might snatch it, you can keep it firmly in your grip and simply rotate it for me. I just need to verify its purity and structural density.”

The core Pei Xiqing held was actually one of the artifacts Duan Xiaolin had extracted from Liu Dongshu’s mercenary squad a few days prior. One of them had been ripped directly from Liu Dongshu’s body—which Duan Xiaolin had ultimately destroyed—but the others, including the ten pristine cores delivered by Shadow, had all been casually handed over to her.

She honestly didn’t know why he had given them to her. But since it was Duan Xiaolin’s decision, she had simply pocketed them for safekeeping. In the original plot, the male protagonist, Xiao Yue, had relied on a myriad of miraculous plot armor opportunities exactly like these to survive. The fact that he had been fatally gunned down by Duan Xiaolin in the wilderness, only to miraculously revive and continue his smooth ascent to power, was entirely tied to the regenerative properties of these specific crystal cores.

Pei Xiqing met the giant’s gaze. “Can you accurately appraise an artifact like this?”

“Absolutely,” Brother Hua replied firmly.

“Alright then. I trust you.” Pei Xiqing calmly handed the glowing crystal core over to him.

Whether judging by his rugged appearance or his straightforward demeanor, the giant didn’t strike her as a treacherous, backstabbing thug. He seemed genuinely open and honorable. Besides, if they had truly wanted to rob her, they would have ambushed her the exact second she revealed the priceless treasure while standing alone on the street.

Brother Hua took the core with surprising reverence, studying its internal light matrix carefully to confirm its authenticity. He nodded slowly, handing it back. “This is the real deal. An ultra-high-tier crystal core. Miss, how on earth did you acquire something like this? Did you just stumble across it on the road?”

Pei Xiqing offered a vague smile, not revealing too much. “You could say that.”

“What kind of armament are you looking to forge?”

“Can this single core cover the cost?”

“Of course,” he said, letting out a rough laugh. “It’s more than enough.”

One of the subordinates immediately stepped forward, his eyes wide with excitement as he explained the math. “Little sister, this is a legendary-tier artifact! If we use a core of this purity to smelt the conductive alloy, we could forge at least several dozen heavy broadswords! If you only want tactical daggers, we could easily forge hundreds of them! And with the raw genetic energy infused into the steel from this core, the weapons will actively amplify the wielder’s latent superpowers!”

“That won’t be necessary,” Pei Xiqing said smoothly. “Just forge me a handful of high-quality tactical daggers.”

She and Duan Xiaolin had previously purchased a reliable revolver from the Black Market. They didn’t really need any other heavy armaments. Since this core could yield so many blades, it made sense to forge a few extra daggers to send back to Ma Mengxiang, and perhaps give the rest to Sister Long Yan and her other trusted allies.

“Oh, wait,” Pei Xiqing added, suddenly remembering something. “Could you also forge two military-grade tactical firearms?”

“Military?” Brother Hua’s face instantly darkened, and the look in his eyes shifted from awe to immediate, razor-sharp hostility.

Filled with sudden vigilance, he demanded, “What exactly do you mean by ‘military-grade’? When have you ever seen a military operative… How could a frail girl like you wander into a chaotic sector like this entirely alone, casually carrying a crystal core of this legendary quality? Who exactly is pulling your strings?”

He took a step closer, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl. “If a girl walks into a place like this without a powerful faction backing her, she’ll be targeted, butchered, and stripped of her gear within the hour.”

Pei Xiqing maintained her calm smile. “This checkpoint is the only viable route to Central Headquarters. Anyone trying to reach the capital eventually has to pass through here.”

“Headquarters?” Brother Hua scoffed bitterly. “Countless people out here are bleeding and dying just trying to escape the shadow of the capital, yet you actively want to go in. How utterly bizarre.”

“Everyone has their own personal reasons for traveling to headquarters. Some of them are simply inconvenient to disclose to strangers.”

“I don’t give a damn what your reasons are,” Brother Hua snapped. “If you didn’t acquire this core by butchering someone for their loot, and if you aren’t marching into headquarters to chase after wealth and political glory, then I strongly suggest you turn around and stay as far away from the capital as humanly possible. Above all else, stay the hell away from the people running headquarters!”

“I appreciate the warning,” Pei Xiqing smiled. “But regarding the military-grade request… to be entirely honest, I’m ordering them as a gift for a friend. And that friend just happens to be a high-ranking member of the military.”

Brother Hua crossed his massive arms. “I’m afraid I can’t trust a single word that comes out of your mouth, sister. Nine out of ten beautiful women roaming the badlands are wrapped up in lethal conspiracies. If you want to arm a soldier, you’d better take your business elsewhere. I, Hua, absolutely refuse to accept any commissions linked to the military directorate!”

“Well, this…”

“If the request is for military personnel, doesn’t that make it an entirely trivial matter to simply requisition the gear from the armory?”

Before Pei Xiqing could offer another sweet, defusing response, a strong, familiar arm wrapped firmly around her waist from behind.

Chapter 221: Backing Her Up

Duan Xiaolin wrapped his arm around her waist. His eyes casually swept over the crystal core in her hand, a half-smile playing on his lips. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to forge a blade?”

“I only just thought of it when I saw this place on the way,” Pei Xiqing replied. “This crystal core won’t do me much good anyway, and you don’t need it to improve your abilities. I heard they can be used to forge weapons, so I wanted to come over and try it out.”

She had picked up a saber in the wilderness before. Later, she learned from Long Yan that Qiu Chao had originally dropped it while fighting off zombies, and it had eventually ended up in Ling Lang’s hands. When Ling Lang nearly died out in the wild, the blade was abandoned, which was when she found it. Duan Xiaolin had later taken that knife away, so it technically should have been returned to him. But she had always kept the situation between Qiu Chao and Ling Lang in mind. Now that they had these high-level crystal cores, it would be a shame not to use them to forge some new blades.

Pei Xiqing leaned in and asked quietly, “Brother Duan, do you know him?”

Before he could answer, she shot him a meaningful look. There was a Franlun tactical mask hanging on the wall of this man’s shop. What was his connection to the organization?

Duan Xiaolin pretended not to catch the hint in her eyes. “Hmm?”

Since there were outsiders present, Pei Xiqing couldn’t say much more. She simply stood up straight and discreetly tugged at the hem of his shirt.

Hui Hua had a sullen expression, initially wondering who was tactless enough to play the big shot backing up a woman in front of him. He was just about to make a mocking remark, but the moment he caught a clear look at Duan Xiaolin, the words died in his throat.

“Holy shit… Brother Duan?!”

“Oh my god! What are you doing here?”

Hui Hua’s face instantly lit up with joy. He strode over and vigorously clapped the man on the shoulder. “Long time no see! I thought you had left the base to go farm out in the countryside! When Qiu Chao told me you might actually be playing farmer, I didn’t believe him for a second. How could someone like you do that? It’s completely rough labor.”

Duan Xiaolin’s expression remained entirely unchanged.

However, the woman in his arms couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

Hui Hua looked at her in confusion. “Why are you laughing? Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Pei Xiqing explained gently. “Actually, you hit the nail right on the head.”

Hui Hua frowned in disbelief. “Did I really get it right? No way…” He honestly couldn’t picture the terrifying Chief Judge doing farm work.

As he looked at Pei Xiqing, he finally seemed to register just how close she and Duan Xiaolin were standing, their posture undeniably intimate. He pointed between them. “This… you two? Who is this…?”

Duan Xiaolin parted his lips and pulled Pei Xiqing a fraction closer to his side. “Pei Xiqing. My wife.”

Hui Hua was stunned speechless for several seconds. Then, he burst into boisterous laughter.

“After all that, it turns out you’re my sister-in-law!” He looked at Pei Xiqing and offered an embarrassed bow. “I am so sorry. I thought you were just some random girl who wandered in out of nowhere. No wonder! Only my sister-in-law could casually pull out such a high-level crystal core.”

“It’s fine. You were right to be suspicious,” she smiled. “In the apocalypse, anyone openly flashing something like that needs to be treated with caution.”

Hui Hua rubbed the back of his neck. “Sister-in-law, please let bygones be bygones. I’m really sorry for offending you earlier. I have a rough way of speaking, so please don’t take my words to heart.”

He waved a hand at the men behind him. Taking the hint, the others immediately retreated and securely closed the doors of the blacksmith shop.

Hui Hua personally brewed a pot of tea and brought it over. “Sister-in-law, have some tea.”

“You don’t need to be so polite,” she said. “You can just call me by my name.”

“No way! Brother Duan is like a brother to me, which makes you my sister-in-law.” Hui Hua sat down across from them. “Come on, Brother Duan, Sister-in-law! Drink up!”

Pei Xiqing felt a bit awkward but couldn’t refuse his enthusiasm. She picked up the cup and took a sip. The flavor was decent, but it carried a sharp, intense bitterness, as if the leaves hadn’t been steeped properly.

Duan Xiaolin took a sip as well and commented flatly, “It tastes just as terrible as ever.”

Hui Hua just grinned. “Blacksmithing is what I’m good at. The fact that I can even brew tea is a miracle in itself. If you two hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have bothered making this stuff at all. I’d much rather be having a drink.”

“I’ll share a drink with you once I return to headquarters,” Duan Xiaolin said.

“That sounds great,” Hui Hua replied eagerly. “How long has it been since we last sat down for a drink? You’ve been completely off the grid lately. Tell me, what have you really been up to? Why didn’t you even drop a line to your own brother?”

“If I told you I really was out farming, would you believe me?”

Hui Hua scoffed. “Not a chance. Even with you missing, operations at headquarters haven’t been delayed for a single second. Franlun is still dominating the intelligence networks. Whoever is running things might not be standing in the spotlight, but they’re feared even more than the top brass. Aside from you, Brother Duan, who else has the means to pull that off?”

Duan Xiaolin chuckled softly. “It’s nothing. But what about you? You haven’t been back to visit in two years.”

“Why would I want to go back to that awful place?”

“Without you there, the blades in the base are no longer sharp,” Duan Xiaolin said lightly, his fingers tracing the edge of a saber resting on the table, a rare hint of nostalgia in his tone.

Hui Hua was slightly taken aback. He let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah… it’s been a long time since I forged a blade for you, Brother Duan. I don’t even know what kind of weapons you’ve been using lately.”

He glanced over at Duan Xiaolin’s side.

“As you can see, I don’t have a weapon on hand,” the man replied.

“You must be joking. With your abilities, you don’t even need weapons.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Hui Hua seemed to suddenly remember that Duan Xiaolin’s powers had vanished years ago. He coughed awkwardly, quickly adding, “Brother Duan, if you need blades, just say the word. I’ll forge you as many as you need, any type you want! I’ll start making them right now! But as for going back to the base… I’m never setting foot in there again for as long as I live.”

“And yet, you’re still accepting commissions from them?”

“My brothers still need to eat, don’t they? It hasn’t been easy for them to follow me out here. They all have families to feed. They can’t just cut ties with the base entirely and starve.”

The unspoken second reason was that the prices offered by the old bastards at the base were exceptionally high. They paid more than triple the going rate for a custom saber or dagger. Cornered by the scarcity of food and the harsh reality of survival, he naturally had to take the jobs.

“I’m afraid something massive is brewing out there in the wasteland,” Hui Hua warned quietly. “All the bases are scrambling to mass-produce weapons, both firearms and cold steel. You should make your preparations early, Brother Duan.”

“I am.”

“We’ll just have to grit our teeth and bear it. By dealing with those treacherous old men, we can at least earn enough to protect ourselves. I look at it as stockpiling resources for my brothers before the real doomsday hits, so they won’t have to suffer too much.”

“Thank you for your hard work.” Duan Xiaolin reached into his pocket and placed a heavy pouch of crystal cores onto the table. “While they might not be as flawless as the one my wife just showed you, these should help ease your burden a little.”

Hui Hua froze, staring at the bag. “Brother Duan, you’re being far too generous. Giving us this much at once is practically throwing away a fortune…”

Duan Xiaolin’s voice dropped into a calm, resolute register. “However, as for the crystal core my wife just showed you, I’ll be taking it back.”

Chapter 222: This Is Sincerity

“Absolutely,” Hui Hua said without a trace of hesitation or reluctance. “That crystal core is far too valuable; I wouldn’t dare accept it. Honestly, using something of that caliber to forge cold steel is a bit too extravagant anyway. It’s much better suited for enhancing supernatural abilities. It is definitively a prime artifact.”

“It originally belonged to Brother Duan,” he added, “so it’s only right that it goes back to him.”

Pei Xiqing shot a glance at Duan Xiaolin. Seeing his perfectly calm demeanor, she could only push down the lingering doubts in her mind.

Hui Hua stayed a while longer, catching Duan Xiaolin up on recent events and rumors. More than an hour passed before Pei Xiqing and the man finally left the blacksmith shop together.

Hui Hua stood at the door to see them off. “I’ve accepted my sister-in-law’s commission. Brother Duan, if you two stay one more night, I’ll forge those military blades and deliver them to you first thing tomorrow morning.”

Duan Xiaolin looked at Pei Xiqing. “Do you want to stay?”

“I don’t mind,” Pei Xiqing replied, “but I’m worried it will delay your schedule for reaching headquarters.”

“It won’t be a delay.”

“Alright then, sister-in-law,” Hui Hua grinned. “I’ll forge them exactly according to the specs you laid out.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it!”

By the time they stepped back onto the street, the sky had already grown dark. They originally planned to stay in the guest rooms above the restaurant where they had eaten dinner. The conditions were rough, but barely livable. As a modern woman, Pei Xiqing found it a bit grueling, but considering the life-threatening misery she had endured while surviving in the wilderness, she could easily accept it now. She actually felt quite at peace.

However, the moment Duan Xiaolin stepped into the assigned room and swept his gaze over the cramped, dusty layout, he immediately turned around and pulled her back down the stairs to find better accommodations.

Following him out into the brisk night air, Pei Xiqing kept her voice low. “Is Hui Hua a member of Franlun? You never gave me a straight answer.”

He had deliberately left her hanging back at the blacksmith shop.

Duan Xiaolin held her hand securely. Despite the late hour, she was bundled in thick layers, and the blistering heat radiating from his palm kept the chill entirely at bay. Instead of feeling cold, she felt an eager anticipation for his answer.

“Not exactly.”

“What does that mean?”

“He is an external contractor. Have you ever heard the term?”

Pei Xiqing stopped in her tracks. “Huh?”

“You’ll understand the logistics eventually.”

“Can’t you just explain it now?”

“Aside from Ling Lang, Hui Hua is the third outsider who maintains a direct operational link with Franlun.”

“If Ling Lang is the first, then who is the second?”

Duan Xiaolin paused in front of their new hotel. Before she could react, he smoothly swept her up into his arms, carrying her bridal-style. “You’re asking a question when you already know the answer perfectly well.”

Pei Xiqing woke up early the next morning. Terrified of delaying Duan Xiaolin’s itinerary, she hurried downstairs to grab breakfast.

It was barely past seven o’clock. She had just taken her first bite of a steamed egg when Hui Hua practically burst through the hotel doors, a heavy canvas bag slung over his shoulder.

“Good morning, Sister-in-law!” he bellowed.

Startled, Pei Xiqing nearly choked on her food. She patted her chest, looking at him in astonishment. “Why are you here so early? It’s barely seven.”

“I pulled an all-nighter to make sure everything you requested was ready before you hit the road.”

He hauled the heavy bag off his shoulder and slapped it onto her table with a loud thud, nearly startling the other diners out of their seats.

Pei Xiqing quickly asked, “You finished all of it so fast? Did you seriously stay awake the entire night?”

“Ah, what’s a little lost sleep? Pulling all-nighters at the forge is standard procedure for me,” Hui Hua laughed dismissively. “Take a look and see if they meet your expectations, Sister-in-law. If there are any structural details that need adjusting, I can haul them back right now. There’s still time to make modifications.”

He untied the thick canvas wrap.

Inside rested two heavy military sabers, their gleaming edges still unsheathed. Even to an untrained eye, the craftsmanship was extraordinary—flawlessly balanced and brutally sharp. Alongside them lay five sleek tactical daggers.

“I wasn’t sure if five daggers would be enough,” Hui Hua scratched his head. “You only said you wanted a few extra. If the count is short, I can always forge more…”

“No, this is more than enough,” she smiled. “Thank you so much.”

“That’s a relief. Look them over and make sure nothing is missing.”

Pei Xiqing carefully inspected the hilts and the edges, genuinely impressed. “They are absolutely perfect. Nothing needs to be changed. Brother Hui Hua’s craftsmanship truly proves why he’s the greatest blacksmith in the apocalypse.”

“Who told you that? Brother Duan?” Hui Hua’s chest puffed up with pride, the high praise clearly going straight to his head. “Well, they’re absolutely right! If I claim the number one spot, no one in this wasteland would dare claim number two!”

Seeing him getting so hyped up that he looked ready to climb onto the table, Pei Xiqing laughed softly. “Slow down. I know for a fact that Brother Hui Hua is undoubtedly one of the finest smiths alive.”

“Damn right! If you ever need any cold steel in the future, just find me! As long as it isn’t firearms or ammo, I’m your guy!”

“I will.”

Pei Xiqing found it amusing how drastically her perception of him had shifted in just twenty-four hours. Yesterday, she had pegged him as a ruthless, terrifying giant; today, she realized he was actually quite endearing.

She leaned in slightly. “Brother Duan mentioned that you have a specific operational connection with Franlun.”

“Yeah, there’s a bit of history there.”

“Can I ask what it is?”

Hui Hua froze instantly.

He stared blankly for a long moment before letting out an awkward, heavy sigh. “Well… that’s a tough one to explain. It’s a very long story, and there’s really no way to summarize it cleanly. Honestly, saying too much is basically a sin in my book, so it’s probably best if I keep my mouth shut.”

Pei Xiqing immediately sensed the underlying tension. Seeing through his discomfort, she chose not to press the issue.

After showering him with a few more compliments on his work, Hui Hua patted his trousers in satisfaction and happily took his leave.

A few minutes later, Duan Xiaolin came downstairs, casually adjusting his watch. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. “Did the delivery arrive?”

“Mhm.”

“How is the quality?”

“The craftsmanship is absolutely impeccable.”

“Who exactly are you planning to distribute all of this to?”

Pei Xiqing idly ran her fingers over the sheaths on the table. “I’ll give the two daggers to Mengxiang for self-defense, and I’ll distribute the rest among Sister Long Yan and the others. As for the two sabers—one is for Ling Lang, and the other is for Brother Qiu Chao.”

“You certainly make sure everyone is taken care of.”

“You always have to bring gifts when you come visiting.”

“What about me?”

Pei Xiqing smiled warmly. “You have me.”

He laughed softly. “I’m afraid there isn’t a greater opportunist in this world than you.”

“This is called pure sincerity! How can you call it opportunism?”

Pei Xiqing then shifted to a different thought that had been bothering her. “Brother Duan, wouldn’t it have been objectively better to use that high-level crystal core to forge the weapons? Why did you insist on taking it back from Hui Hua last night?”

“Because that specific crystal core possesses a far more critical utility,” he replied smoothly.

“You should really explain these things clearly to me next time, otherwise I’m just going to keep stumbling into messes.”

After finishing breakfast, they packed up the gear and prepared to hit the road. Pei Xiqing specifically asked the restaurant owner for a bag of leftover beef and mutton bones so Xiaobai would have something to gnaw on during the drive, preventing the bored pup from tearing apart the passenger seat.

As their car slowly pulled away from the bustling rest stop, the towering, majestic city wall grew larger and larger in the windshield. “After we clear this first checkpoint, how much further do we have to go?” she asked. “When will we actually breach the inner perimeter of headquarters?”

“Under normal protocols, gaining entry into the capital requires a comprehensive screening and approval process that takes between seven to ten days,” Duan Xiaolin explained, his eyes fixed on the road. “Recently, however, due to the rampant spread of the parasitic variants, the quarantine mandates have become infinitely stricter. It now takes a minimum of ten to fifteen days to secure clearance. That protocol applies not just to headquarters, but across the entire base circuit.”

“That is incredibly strict and convoluted,” she frowned. “At this rate, no desperate survivor could ever just slip inside to find sanctuary. Does that mean we’re going to be stuck sitting at a quarantine gate for two weeks?”

“No.”

“Hm?”

“We possess an expedited route.”

“By the way,” she recalled, “why did everyone back at the rest stop seem absolutely terrified whenever the inner headquarters or the ‘island’ was mentioned?”

Duan Xiaolin looked out the window, his expression growing profound and unreadable. “Once we cross the boundary, you will likely understand why the survivors outside are desperately clawing to get in, while the elites trapped inside are trying every conceivable method to escape.”

Carrying the weight of that ominous answer, Pei Xiqing sat quietly as the armored vehicle surged forward. Three hours later, she finally crossed the threshold and stepped into the absolute center of human survival once again.

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