What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms

Chapter 304: A Pair

The tunnels were partially flooded, but the magnetic field’s activity had diverted most of the deep, stagnant water away. Still, the remaining sludge was knee-deep.

Pei Xiqing remained in the man’s arms, her feet dangling well above the filth. His steps were steady, and he moved with unwavering firmness through the pitch-black tunnel, even with the treacherous, sewage-filled ground beneath him.

She shifted slightly. “Can’t you just carry me on your back?”

“Carrying you on my back makes it difficult for me to react if something happens.”

“What are you implying?” Pei Xiqing asked, feeling aggrieved. “How could I possibly affect your reactions? If you were truly calm, I wouldn’t distract you at all. Only someone who’s constantly thinking about ‘those things’ would be so easily rattled.”

“And how do you know I’m not thinking about those things all the time?”

Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but strike his shoulder. Her body twisted reflexively in his arms. Duan Xiaolin tightened his grip on her waist, sensing her deliberate squirming, and gave her a sharp, corrective shake. “Stop moving around.”

Pei Xiqing leaned back against his shoulder, her voice muffled. “What do you think the Sixth Base looks like right now?”

During the natural disaster, even the main headquarters hadn’t escaped being submerged. The situation at the Sixth Base was likely no better. She feared that after the long, grueling journey to reach it, they would find the location even more miserable, wretched, and barren than the ruins they had left behind.

“Go and see for yourself.”

“From the tone of your voice, it sounds like there’s still hope for the Sixth Base?”

“I’m not certain,” he replied. “We can only go there and see.”

“Fair enough.”

The passage was eerie, damp, and thick with the pungent stench of decay. Every so often, bloated, unrecognizable corpses would float peacefully past them in the dark water. The man simply ignored them, his gaze fixed forward.

Pei Xiqing let out a soft sigh, feeling a wave of dizziness from the steady, rhythmic motion of his walking. After about ten minutes, she assumed they had arrived. She cracked her eyes open, only to be met with the sight of a grotesque pile of corpses.

“???”

It turned out there was actually a patch of ground here that hadn’t been flooded—a raised platform. The stairs leading up to it were scattered with countless bodies. Most of them had had their chests hollowed out in a crude, systematic fashion.

The black market syndicate was truly insane with greed. To hide so many bodies in an underground tunnel… once the disaster hit, they could simply abandon the evidence and vanish.

She pulled herself up from the man’s shoulder. Her balance was unsteady, and the sudden shift in perspective made her stagger before she could even take a step toward the grim pile of bodies.

The faces of the corpses were largely unrecognizable. Unlike the bloated, waterlogged bodies they had passed in the tunnel, these were barely dry. She could clearly see the jagged, surgical-like scars on their remains. Every single organ had been harvested, leaving nothing but an empty shell. Most of them appeared to be ability users or experimental subjects who had been injected with various drugs—likely the same people who had disappeared from roadside cages at previous bases, or the countless refugees and psychics who had vanished without a trace.

Pei Xiqing felt a profound sense of gloom wash over her at the sight of so much senseless death.

The man behind her began rummaging through the pile. He wore a pair of sleek black gloves, methodically pushing aside the stacked bodies they had piled there.

Pei Xiqing reached out and plucked something from a corpse, holding it up to the light. It was a crystal core. She walked over and held his hand. “This one looks like it’s of average quality.”

It was slightly better than the ones she had managed to pluck from the water outside the headquarters, but it had clearly come from one of the victims.

“Indeed.” He tossed the gloves aside, sounding slightly disappointed.

Pei Xiqing stared at him intently. “Brother Duan, these crystal cores aren’t the high-grade ones I need.”

Duan Xiaolin’s expression remained unruffled. “They both are and they aren’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“The high-level crystal cores from before are extremely rare now.”

“Is that because I’ve already stabilized, or because they’re harder to find?”

“Just keep looking,” he said, standing up. “You’ll find them eventually.”

Pei Xiqing studied his stern profile. She knew how persistent he was about her recovery, so she didn’t press the issue. She simply reached out and held his hand, which was beginning to feel cold.

There had to be a way. Perhaps the crystal cores carried by those new, mutated parasites were the key to breaking the deadlock.

After leaving the platform, she was carried by him once more. The sewage underfoot was black, viscous, and filthy. She didn’t know exactly what was lurking in it—bacteria, viruses, or swarms of insects—but she didn’t want to find out.

She whispered into his ear, “Thank you for all this hard work.”

Duan Xiaolin pinched her leg. “We’re almost there.”

“Okay.”

The tunnel felt interminable. It was as if they were walking through an endless void. She had no idea how much time had passed. She simply lay on his back, focusing on giving him directions and keeping an eye out for traps.

Finally, they made it through safely, and a faint light gradually began to appear ahead.

Having spent so much time in total darkness, Pei Xiqing subconsciously raised a hand to shield her eyes from the light source.

There was a flickering firelight ahead.

The ground in front of them appeared to be relatively dry.

“Brother Duan, look ahead!”

At last, there was no more water. Pei Xiqing felt as if she hadn’t seen dry land in an age.

The firelight flickered ahead, and suddenly, a figure darted into view.

“Who’s in the tunnel?”

“There’s a parasite and zombie attack! Get ready!”

“Whatever it is—zombie or parasite—if they take another step forward, shoot them down!”

In an instant, dozens of firearms were pointed directly at them.

Pei Xiqing raised her voice. “We’re human beings!”

A long, tense silence followed.

The guns remained aimed at them.

The leader of the group shouted, “How can you prove it? You could be carrying that new virus.”

Recently, a particularly vicious virus had emerged. Anyone infected by it, regardless of their supernatural power level, would have their brain cells systematically consumed and replaced. The virus took full control of their behavior, and from the outside, the infected appeared entirely indistinguishable from normal people.

“How do you expect us to prove it?” Pei Xiqing asked back.

“There’s currently no way to prove it… Our technology isn’t advanced enough yet,” the man replied, standing in the light at the exit, his finger hovering over the trigger. “Hmph, don’t think I’ll believe you. Anyone who manages to crawl out of this tunnel is going to be killed on sight! It’s impossible for anyone to make it out of there alive.”

“If that’s your logic, then how do you and your team members verify that you aren’t infected?” Pei Xiqing challenged.

“They… no one dares to come in here. We all eat and live together, so why wouldn’t we be normal?”

“If I remember correctly, the virus you mentioned causes infected individuals to disguise themselves perfectly. How can you be certain that living and eating together isn’t just a facade for a parasite?”

“That’s nonsense!” The man raised his gun, his finger tightening on the trigger.

Pei Xiqing was about to speak again when another figure approached from the other side of the exit—it was another team arriving.

The woman in the lead was dressed in a sharp combat uniform, and even in the flickering firelight, her face looked strangely familiar.

She stepped forward, hand resting on her holstered pistol. “What’s going on? I heard some commotion over here. What happened?”

“Captain! There’s movement in the dark underground tunnel! It must be a parasite or a zombie. We can handle it immediately. Why bother coming here in person?”

“A tunnel?”

The woman turned and peered into the dark passage.

Pei Xiqing, still lying on the man’s back, spoke with a note of uncertainty. “Sweet sister?”

The woman paused, her eyes widening. She immediately shone her high-powered flashlight down the tunnel.

“Why are you two here?”

Chapter 305: Keep It a Secret For a While

Pei Xiqing accepted the teacup from Zhang Tian, holding it with both hands and taking slow, careful sips.

She had already changed out of her damp clothes into a set of pajamas, and Zhang Tian had even found her a thick bathrobe to wear over them.

This was the Sixth Base—the underground version, to be exact. The facility had originally been constructed as a subterranean bunker. Unexpectedly, this design turned out to be a massive stroke of luck, making it the only base to survive the apocalyptic natural disasters fully intact.

The residents hadn’t even bothered to inform the central headquarters. When the catastrophic floods struck, everyone at the Sixth Base simply packed up their belongings and retreated deep underground.

The entire facility was shrouded in darkness. With limited electricity, they had to rely on the most primitive methods for light and warmth: lighting candles and burning firewood. An oil lamp rested on the table beside them, its flickering flame casting a warm glow over Pei Xiqing’s pale skin.

Zhang Tian pulled out a chair and sat next to her, her eyes filled with concern. “So you two really came all the way here through the thunderstorm’s magnetic field out there?”

“Yes,” Pei Xiqing nodded.

“It’s far too dangerous in there. It’s a miracle you made it out alive. You’re amazing.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. Fortunately, I’m immune to those electric currents. As for Brother Duan… I don’t really know what method he used to get through.”

“We sent out over ten scouting teams before,” Zhang Tian said grimly. “Every time they even got close to that area, someone died. The worst incident involved a ten-man squad; only one person made it back. The rest were torn to pieces by the magnetic turbulence.”

“The eye of the storm is actually the safest place,” Pei Xiqing explained. “We made it to the center and found the underground passage leading here.”

“It must not have been easy. You’ve suffered so much.” Zhang Tian reached out and gently patted her hand. “Look at how much this apocalypse has tormented you. You’ve definitely lost weight.”

Pei Xiqing touched her own cheek, slightly surprised. “Really…?”

Earlier, Zhang Tian had brought over a generous portion of food, including a steaming bowl of rich chicken soup. “To put it bluntly, we’re just trying to survive,” Zhang Tian continued. “We deliberately cut off all contact with the outside world. For people like us, it’s the only way to stay alive.”

The Sixth Base wasn’t like the other major hubs. It had been established late, and few elites thought highly of it. The black market syndicates had infiltrated it early on, leaving the residents terrified for a long time. Many hadn’t dared to stay, fearful of being exploited or sold off by the syndicates.

Calling it the “Sixth Base” sounded grand, but in reality, it was little more than a sanctuary for the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled—the people who simply couldn’t run.

Who wouldn’t want to evacuate to a better, safer facility? Only those truly incapable of moving had chosen to stay behind and wait for death.

Yet, against all odds, they hadn’t waited for death; they had miraculously escaped the natural disasters altogether.

Initially, some had wanted to report their survival to headquarters. However, after the base leaders discussed it, they realized they barely had enough supplies to sustain their current population. If the elites from headquarters flocked here, the original residents wouldn’t stand a chance. With most of the world flooded, it was far too late for headquarters to build new underground shelters. If they knew about this place, they would undoubtedly take it by force.

Pei Xiqing nodded. She completely understood their reasoning.

Self-preservation was a valid strategy. This bunker simply couldn’t support that many people. The moment the rest of the world found out this was a safe haven, it would cease to be safe.

Zhang Tian looked at her solemnly. “This chicken soup was made from one of the few chickens the old folks here managed to raise. When they heard you two had arrived, they slaughtered their oldest hen just to make this for you. We’re all just… pitiful people who’ve suffered so much in this apocalypse. Our greatest hope is that you and Mr. Duan won’t tell anyone on the outside about this place. We truly don’t have the power to defend ourselves… Xiqing, I know you have deep connections with headquarters, but for the sake of this food and the sanctuary we’ve offered, please keep it a secret for now.”

Pei Xiqing smiled warmly, taking another sip of the savory broth. “Surviving an apocalyptic natural disaster depends on one’s own abilities. The fact that your people established this place and survived is a testament to your own strength and luck.”

“So you won’t tell anyone?” Zhang Tian asked hopefully.

“Why would I?” Pei Xiqing smiled at Zhang Tian. “You’ve done us a massive favor. Why would we repay that by exposing you?”

“And what about him…?”

“He won’t tell either.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Pei Xiqing promised. “If either Brother Duan or I reveal this place to headquarters, may we die a miserable death.”

Zhang Tian quickly waved her hands. “Hey, there’s no need to swear such harsh oaths! I believe you.”

“Thank you, Sweet Sister. I really didn’t expect we’d ever have the chance to meet again after we parted ways at the village last time.”

“I didn’t expect it either.” Zhang Tian brought over a stack of neatly folded clothes. “These are all brand new. Two sets are for you, and the other two are for Brother Duan. If he doesn’t mind the styles, he can change into them later.”

“How could we possibly complain?” Pei Xiqing said gratefully. She glanced toward the closed door. “Brother Duan went to speak with your base leaders. Why hasn’t he come back yet? It’s been quite a while.”

“I’m guessing they’re still drinking tea and talking. Brother Duan clearly isn’t an ordinary person. That military uniform of his is incredibly intimidating. When he first showed up, our leaders were probably scared to death. They must have thought someone from headquarters was here to cause trouble for them.”

Pei Xiqing laughed out loud. “I highly doubt that. Brother Duan doesn’t threaten people casually, and he certainly wouldn’t try to seize control of your base. Honestly, even if someone from headquarters did show up, they wouldn’t say much. They might even praise your ability to be entirely self-sufficient.”

“Hearing you say that makes me feel a lot better.” Zhang Tian pushed the rest of the chicken soup toward her. “Eat up. Have some more.”

Zhang Tian stood up. “By the way, almost everyone from the village came to the base with me last time. Except for a few of the elderly folks… there was really no other way around it. But the rest of the villagers are still here. Do you want to go see them?”

“Let’s wait for Brother Duan to get back. I’ll go with him, and we can give everyone an update on how the village is holding up.”

“Alright.” Zhang Tian stretched. “I need to head out for my patrol shift anyway.”

“You’re a patrol captain now, Sweet Sister?”

“Yeah! Everyone trusts me, and I did bring a lot of people to the base. Plus, I have some basic supernatural abilities, so I was the natural choice for captain.” She beamed with pride. “I’m different now. I don’t need men to protect me anymore; I can survive perfectly well on my own. In fact, sometimes those stinky men even come to me crying for help!”

Pei Xiqing smiled, deeply moved by her friend’s profound growth and newfound independence.

Just as Zhang Tian turned and pushed the door open, more than a dozen burly men armed with steel pipes and crude weapons forcefully barged into the room.

They glared fiercely at Pei Xiqing, their eyes burning with hostility and deep vigilance.

“Get out! Get the hell out of our base!”

Chapter 306: I Need Your Help

Zhang Tian immediately stepped forward to intervene, explaining the situation. The expressions of the burly men holding steel pipes softened slightly, but they still glared at Pei Xiqing with deep suspicion.

One of the men stepped forward and growled gruffly, “You were sent by headquarters to investigate us, weren’t you? The man who came in with you was wearing a uniform that only high-ranking officials from headquarters wear. Don’t think we’re blind!”

“That’s right! You’re here to destroy our base!” another chimed in. “You just can’t stand seeing us safe while you’re suffering!”

“The elites at headquarters are completely selfish,” a third man spat. “Usually, they hoard all the resources for themselves and leave the rest of us to die. We couldn’t even get past their front gates! But now that headquarters is drowning in this apocalyptic disaster, you’re crawling over here trying to butter us up…”

Zhang Tian quickly stepped between them. “That’s enough! Chen Tie, Wang Yulin! How dare you two stir up trouble like this? Miss Pei is our guest and the savior of many people in this base! Wasn’t the disciplinary action yesterday enough to teach you a lesson?”

The two men temporarily fell silent, though they were clearly still unwilling to back down.

“Captain!” Chen Tie argued. “We really can’t just believe her one-sided story! We have to think about the future of the Sixth Base!”

“He’s right…” Wang Yulin muttered.

“I am fully aware of that,” Zhang Tian replied firmly. “Furthermore, the Sixth Base has never belonged to any single group—it belongs to humanity. If we seal it off forever and refuse to help any outside refugees, then our base will naturally die out anyway due to our dwindling numbers.”

“This…” The men exchanged uncertain looks.

What she said was undeniably true. The vast majority of the residents here were the old, the weak, and the sick. If they continued like this without bringing in fresh blood, the base would eventually perish simply from a lack of population.

Falling silent, the men finally turned and left in frustration.

Sitting quietly in her chair, Pei Xiqing watched the exchange, a soft smile resting on her lips.

Zhang Tian turned around and caught her gaze, looking a little embarrassed. “What are you looking at me like that for?”

“My Sweet Sister just protected me,” Pei Xiqing teased. “I’m touched.”

Zhang Tian rolled her eyes playfully. “Oh, please, you don’t need my protection. Honestly, I have to give you a thumbs up just for making it this far.”

Surviving a thunderstorm’s magnetic field, navigating an underground black market tunnel filled with corpses, and walking away from a mid-air aircraft explosion… very few people in this apocalypse could have pulled that off.

Zhang Tian left shortly after to resume her patrol. Pei Xiqing slowly finished her chicken soup and rested for a few minutes before Duan Xiaolin finally returned.

He had changed into the new set of simple, plain clothes Zhang Tian had provided, blending in much better with the base’s residents. His old military uniform had been heavily contaminated with apocalyptic bacteria and had to be burned. He had also procured a new pair of silver-rimmed glasses from somewhere and was currently wiping the lenses clean with a handkerchief.

“What did you discuss with the leaders here?” Pei Xiqing asked, patting the empty chair beside her. “Come sit down quickly. Sweet Sister brought us some delicious food. Have some of this chicken soup while it’s still hot.”

Duan Xiaolin pulled out the chair and sat down, sliding his glasses onto his face. Even though his current clothes were common and cheap, his innate, elegant temperament remained completely unchanged.

He took a sip of the chicken soup and replied calmly, “We discussed the future planning and sustainability of this base.”

“Did the discussion yield any results?”

“They stated that their current survival plan only covers the next three years. Their existing supplies can only last them until then.”

“So three years from now…” Pei Xiqing mused. “If there are no new external variables or influx of resources, this base will completely collapse.”

“You could say that,” he agreed.

“Honestly, being able to guarantee three years of survival is already incredibly impressive,” Pei Xiqing commented. “Out there in the wasteland, surviving even three months is a luxury.”

“Because of that timeline, the base leaders aren’t planning any drastic changes,” Duan Xiaolin explained. “They intend to maintain the status quo, quietly scavenge for supplies, and slowly attempt to expand their infrastructure over the next three years.”

“That sounds like a solid plan,” she noted, before asking, “They didn’t give you any trouble, did they?”

Duan Xiaolin raised an eyebrow, looking at her intently. “Did someone give you a hard time?”

“A few angry men barged in just now, but it wasn’t a big deal. Zhang Tian sent them away quickly. What about you? They know we’re from headquarters, so they must be pretty defensive.”

“Not really,” he said casually. “They don’t dare to be. Several critical aspects of their infrastructure actually require authorization from headquarters before they can operate properly.”

“For example?”

“Their advanced weapons, technological grids, and the primary life-support maintenance systems of this underground facility all need to be digitally synced with headquarters’ mainframes. Without that technological backing, this base’s systems would break down in no time.”

“If you put it that way, doesn’t that mean they actually need to ask you for a massive favor?” she realized.

“Yes.”

Pei Xiqing breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s good. For a second there, I was worried you were going to get bullied by the locals.”

After finishing her meal, she sat comfortably in her chair. Slowly, her eyelids began to droop. Leaning her head against her hand, a heavy wave of drowsiness washed over her. It was impossible to tell what time it was underground; without the flickering firelight, it would have been pitch black.

Glancing at the man’s wristwatch, she saw that it was already morning. She hadn’t slept a wink all night, and she had barely survived a grueling gauntlet of life-or-death crises since then. Now that the adrenaline was finally wearing off and she could relax, an overwhelming exhaustion seeped into her bones.

The room Zhang Tian had arranged for them was a two-story duplex constructed entirely from specialized waterproof and moisture-resistant materials. From the outside, it had a smooth, arc-shaped design, but the interior layout was no different from a standard, comfortable apartment. It was fully furnished, though due to the power rationing, most of the electronic appliances were useless.

Underground space was naturally limited, so the rooms weren’t nearly as spacious as the luxury villas back on the surface. Still, it was more than enough room for two people, even if it might feel cramped with any more.

Pei Xiqing had just taken a warm shower, but the underground air was still biting cold. After quickly drying off, she climbed into the bed and pulled the thick quilt up to her chin, unable to suppress a small shiver. She looked over at the man expectantly.

Duan Xiaolin was sitting at the table, quietly studying the structural blueprints he had brought back from the base leaders. His expression was indifferent, his dark eyes perfectly calm.

“Aren’t you tired?” Pei Xiqing asked softly. Without waiting for him to answer, she added, “You must be exhausted too. Come to bed and rest.”

Duan Xiaolin couldn’t help but smile slightly. He gently tapped the stack of documents in his hand. “You go to sleep first. I have a follow-up meeting with the person in charge shortly.”

“Is your body made of iron or something?” she grumbled softly.

Snuggling deeper into the mattress, Pei Xiqing murmured, “Make your decisions quickly and come back early. I’ll wait for you.”

Duan Xiaolin’s eyes softened with affection. “Mm. Get some rest.”

It was still a bit chilly under the covers. The arc-shaped walls of the house were built with smart-glass technology; the residents could see out, but no one outside could see in. Still feeling exposed, she reached over and manually turned off the transparency mode, plunging the room into comfortable darkness. Closing her eyes, she tried to fall asleep.

Too much had happened over the past twenty-four hours. Her body was physically drained, but her mind was a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts and anxieties, piling up and irritating her frayed nerves. There was still one lingering issue she couldn’t quite wrap her head around… but she genuinely didn’t have the energy left to parse it. It was just a tangled mess. She wanted to sort through the buried feelings surfacing in her mind, but the harder she tried, the more confusing it became.

Utterly exhausted, her brain simply shut down. Within ten seconds, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Outside the duplex, Duan Xiaolin tucked the blueprints under his arm and made his way to the base leader’s office.

The office area was carved deep into the rock, shaped somewhat like a snail’s shell—cramped and entirely subterranean, but incredibly secure. As soon as he approached, the person in charge, who had been nervously drinking tea by the door, immediately brushed off his trousers and stood up at attention.

“Sir! You’ve arrived!” he greeted respectfully.

Duan Xiaolin nodded and took a seat. After exchanging a few brief, courteous words, he picked up his freshly poured cup of tea to take a sip. Noticing a faint trace of fresh blood smudged against the white porcelain rim, he calmly reached up and wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb.

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