What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH325-327

Chapter 325| Chapter 326| Chapter 327

Chapter 325: Not Even a Moment?

Ling Lang glanced at him.

“There’s something going on.”

“Oh,” Qiu Chao replied. “I thought it was something else. You’re talking about Brother Duan and Xi Qing, right? Isn’t that common knowledge? It shouldn’t be some secret affair you’re keeping from me…”

Ling Lang gave him a significant wink.

Qiu Chao blinked. “Haha, wait—it’s not them? Who else could it be?”

Ling Lang: “Who else did you say?”

Ji Yao: “Shadow?”

“Which Shadow are you talking about?” Qiu Chao touched the back of his head, confused. “Doesn’t everyone in Franlun go by the title ‘Shadow’?”

Ling Lang gave him a look reserved for a complete fool.

Ji Yao and Leng Huayi both burst into loud laughter. Seeing them all stand up to leave, Qiu Chao hurriedly asked, “Hey, what’s going on? There are so many operatives in Franlun, who are you talking about? Or am I completely wrong? Tell me clearly before you run off!”

The new base hadn’t been fully repaired yet, so everyone was living in temporary tents. Qiu Chao lifted the tent flap and realized there was no one outside.

From a corner, Ji Yao called out, “Hey, Xia Jingyu is awake. Why aren’t you coming over?”

Qiu Chao sighed and followed her to a nearby tent.

Xia Jingyu had woken up. She was wrapped in a blanket, sitting on a chair with a deathly pale face. A dim, swinging chandelier hung from the ceiling above her.

As Qiu Chao entered, he pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her.

Xia Jingyu raised her head, her eyes bloodshot. She couldn’t help but cough twice before speaking. “What? Are you here to interrogate me?” The metallic taste of blood was strong in her mouth, and she coughed again, each spasm feeling like her lungs might burst. “I… I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? Even if I made mistakes, I worked hard… Why are you treating me like an enemy?”

Qiu Chao leaned back in his chair. “You really don’t remember what you did? Do I need to remind you of your involvement with the black market?”

“…”

Xia Jingyu let out a laugh. It sounded like dry, snapping branches—harsh and grating.

“So what?” she spat. “It’s not like Judge Duan is untainted by the black market. The last time I went to the Third Base, I nearly found concrete evidence of his connections to it.”

“Oh, so that was you sneaking into Brother Duan’s office at the Third Base. I was wondering why so many people were breaking into his office back then.”

Xia Jingyu sneered. “Qiu Chao, you’re just the only people in Franlun pathetic enough to be his lapdogs. You might not know this, but there’s a certain ‘Duan Xianbei’ in the black market who has connections everywhere. He’s even participated in underground auctions and is deeply tied to the black market syndicate.”

“How about you guess exactly how much blood is on his hands?” She laughed cruelly. “Is this the first time you’ve heard of it?”

Qiu Chao replied calmly, “We’re all colleagues here. Do you really have to be so explicit? It’s a bit obvious, and frankly, it’s not very kind of you.”

Xia Jingyu retorted, “It seems you’ve known about it for a long time and have been in cahoots with the rest of Franlun. How could you, the top leaders, not know about such a massive secret? I’m afraid you’ve all colluded together and treat everyone else like fools!”

Qiu Chao remained unmoved. “Well, I suggest you just take your time recovering from your injuries. We can discuss these things later.”

“I will report you.”

“You are more than welcome to. However, the only law enforcement department currently handling such matters is Franlun itself. You might find that you have to turn to Franlun in the end anyway.”

“You! Qiu Chao!”

“What?”

Xia Jingyu asked angrily, “Is this how you treat me?”

She had liked him from the very beginning, but had no way to get close to the inner circle of Franlun. She had used her father’s identity and professional opportunities to get close to Duan Xiaolin during meetings, and later, she managed to get close to Qiu Chao. But Qiu Chao was a cold-hearted bastard who never truly paid her any attention.

Qiu Chao stood up to leave.

Xia Jingyu called out from behind him, “Qiu Chao, have you really not thought about it? Not even for a moment?”

Qiu Chao kept his back to her. “No.”

Xia Jingyu pressed her lips together. “I understand.”

“Rest well. Brother Duan ordered for you to be brought here, which means you aren’t going to die yet.”

“I’ve figured it out now. My death was related to Pei Xiqing’s identity as a ‘zombie.’ I knew the secret, so someone couldn’t wait to kill me and silence me.”

Ji Yao pushed open the tent flap and walked in, mocking her ruthlessly. “You think far too highly of yourself.”

She sat down on the chair next to Qiu Chao, speaking lazily. “If I wanted to kill you to keep you quiet, I wouldn’t use such a troublesome method. If I truly wanted you dead, I would have thrown you into a water dungeon ages ago. Neither you nor Qiu Chao would have survived that.”

Xia Jingyu’s face remained pale; she lowered her head and said nothing.

Ji Yao continued, “I don’t know who you were dealing with in the black market, but those people are all dead now. It’s difficult to investigate anything at this point. I’m only keeping you alive to see if we can implicate the old headquarters.”

Qiu Chao turned and left.

Outside, he looked up at the pitch-black sky and let out a long, weary breath.

Ling Lang was standing nearby, surrounded by several children.

Qiu Chao asked, “Don’t you dislike these little brats? Every time I saw them before, you had to take a detour to avoid them. You called them annoying. How come you have time to play with them today?”

There were more and more children in this area now, and it was becoming quite lively. Ling Lang was handsome and cool, and he could operate all kinds of weapons and mechas. The children loved surrounding him, but he had always driven them away with a sullen face.

Unexpectedly, Ling Lang had stopped to play with them, showing them how to use prop guns.

Ling Lang sat casually, bending one leg. “It’s boring.”

“Really?” Qiu Chao leaned against a large rock nearby as a heavy snowstorm began to fall. He patted the snow off his shoulder. “Tell me, wouldn’t it be even more boring and dull to be all alone?”

Ling Lang fell silent.

“I think it’s good to be alone,” Ling Lang finally said. “At least when I die, there won’t be anyone left to be sad for me.”

Ling Lang: ???

Qiu Chao: “Just kidding, brother. You’d better cry for me when I’m gone.”

Ling Lang: “You’re sick.”

He turned around and grabbed Xiao Xiao. “Come here, I’ll teach you how to assemble a rifle.”

Xiao Xiao cheered excitedly. “Great! Pei Xianbei taught me before! But there are so many guns here! Brother, teach me quickly!”

Ling Lang: “Who is ‘Pei Xianbei’?”

“That’s Sister Pei’s husband! You must have seen him before!”

Ling Lang: “Why do you call him that?”

“He said calling him ‘uncle’ made him feel too old.”

Ling Lang burst into a loud laugh. Qiu Chao couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

“This kid is pretty sharp.”

Chapter 326: Faithful to One Person

When the news spread through the underground bunker that the mutated parasites were invading human brains, hijacking their cognitive functions, and sending encrypted messages on their behalf, it caused a massive uproar. Although the base leaders hadn’t revealed many specific details, the sheer horror of the concept was enough to incite panic.

Terrified residents gathered outside the administrative conference room, desperately demanding a clear explanation.

As one of the base’s security commanders, Zhang Tian found herself surrounded multiple times. At first, she managed to handle the crowds because the residents were just scared, not unreasonable. However, the situation deteriorated when a group of heavily bundled women wearing surprisingly exquisite, full-face makeup pushed their way to the front.

They aggressively blocked the entrance, refusing to budge until they got the answers they wanted.

“We came here to find out what the hell is going on!” one of the women shrieked. “Why are you suddenly claiming that parasites can hijack human brains and control our speech? That’s impossible!”

“Isn’t this just pure bullshit to scare us? We’ve survived years of the apocalypse! We’ve seen plenty of zombies and encountered all sorts of viruses, but we’ve never heard of this kind of absolute nonsense!”

“Give us a real explanation! You’re just spreading these lies on purpose to keep us trapped in this damned, shabby bunker while you all secretly plan to go to headquarters yourselves!”

“That’s right! I bet they made it up! They want to abandon us and enjoy the luxury and wealth of the new headquarters! I’ve always hated the leaders of this base. They’re nothing but a bunch of selfish, lying villains!”

Hearing these baseless accusations, another group of residents who supported the base leaders became furious and began shouting back. A fierce argument erupted in the corridor.

Caught in the middle, Zhang Tian’s face darkened. “You are all going entirely too far! The base leaders haven’t slept in days because of this sudden crisis. They haven’t even had time to eat! They’ve been exhausting themselves trying to find a safe solution for everyone and coordinating with Franlun’s ongoing reconstruction efforts. And you have the nerve to stand here and spout such vile accusations?”

“What’s wrong with saying it if it’s the truth?!” one of the women snapped back.

“Hasn’t this exact scenario happened countless times since the apocalypse began? The world has ended, natural disasters are raging, and supplies are practically non-existent. If you elites actually found a safe haven, you definitely wouldn’t tell us ordinary people about it!”

“Get out of our way! We demand to go in there and interrogate the leaders face-to-face to find out what’s really going on!”

“Move!”

Zhang Tian blocked the doorway, planting her feet firmly. “This is a secure conference room, and the leadership is currently in an emergency meeting. If you try to force your way past me, don’t blame me for getting rough.”

“Oh, come on! Who’s afraid of you?!”

“Kill us if you dare!”

“Look at this! The base security is bullying us! They’re going to attack unarmed civilians!”

When Zhang Tian’s security personnel rushed over and saw the group of women causing the disturbance, several of the guards winced, rubbing their temples.

“Captain,” one of the guards muttered, “these women… they look like they escaped from the underground black market’s entertainment annex…”

Zhang Tian frowned. “The annex?”

“Yeah, you know… the ones who ‘service’ the syndicate thugs down there.”

“I see.” Zhang Tian looked at the dozen or so women, her eyes flashing with a complicated mix of pity and disgust.

The woman leading the mob suddenly recognized Zhang Tian.

Li Wei stepped forward, a lit cigarette pinched between her fingers. The pungent smell of cheap tobacco wafted through the air. She leaned in slightly, studying Zhang Tian’s face for a few seconds before letting out a mocking chuckle. “I was wondering why you looked so familiar. It turns out it’s you.”

She crossed her arms, her tone dripping with slow, deliberate condescension. “Weren’t you just running with a scavenger squad before? We were practically the same class. I never expected you to suddenly transform into a high-and-mighty base captain.”

Li Wei took a drag of her cigarette. “Oh, what was the name of that captain who supported you back then… I can’t quite remember. I just recall he was a lightning-type ability user. Oh, right! Zhao Shunyan, wasn’t it? There were quite a lot of rough men in his squad. It must have been quite difficult for you to service that entire team back then. With so many men, it’s truly amazing you were able to handle all of them at once.”

Zhang Tian’s eyes darkened dangerously. “Madam, if you continue to spout these baseless, insulting lies, I will physically throw you out.”

Li Wei covered her mouth and giggled maliciously. “Oh my, are you angry because I hit a nerve? Is it possible that what I said is actually the truth? Zhao Shunyan’s team was infamous back then. They committed countless atrocities—burning, killing, looting, and abusing people. I heard they robbed and slaughtered countless innocent passersby. You were right there alongside them. How is someone like you allowed to sit in a position of authority now? Is the base truly that desperate for personnel?”

Seeing Zhang Tian remain silent, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, Li Wei grew even more aggressive. “Your hands are stained with the blood of innocent people! Stop pretending to be some righteous protector! How are you any better than us…”

“That is enough.”

Zhang Tian glared at the voice cutting through the crowd.

Li Wei blew a smoke ring directly at Zhang Tian’s face. “Let us in. I’m going to talk to your leader. We must secure our spots to evacuate to headquarters. But if you dare try to stop me again, don’t blame me for revealing everything about your past with Zhao Shunyan to the entire base. Let everyone know that their ‘noble’ captain used to be just like us—easily spreading her legs for violent men…”

“Li Wei.” Pei Xiqing stepped out from the crowd, swiftly grabbing the woman’s arm. She offered a cold, razor-sharp smile. “You are crossing a very dangerous line.”

Li Wei yanked her arm free and rolled her eyes. “Why are you here again? What awful luck.”

Zhang Tian immediately grabbed Pei Xiqing’s shoulder from behind, trying to pull her back. “Xiqing, this has nothing to do with you. I’ll just drag her away and teach her a lesson. Don’t lower yourself by getting involved with this kind of trash.”

She had no idea when Pei Xiqing had arrived, but she assumed she was here to discuss the headquarters situation. Zhang Tian absolutely refused to let Pei Xiqing be subjected to these vile insults.

“Why shouldn’t I be involved?” Pei Xiqing smiled placidly. “She is an ‘old friend’ of mine, after all.”

Zhang Tian blinked. “???”

Li Wei sneered. “Yes, we certainly are old friends. But your dead sister and I were much closer. I don’t have much in common with a pampered woman like you, who only knew how to sell her face on the internet.”

“I’m sorry?” Pei Xiqing tilted her head. “What did you just say?”

“I’m talking about what you did before the apocalypse. Weren’t you basically doing the same thing we are now? We’re forced by circumstances to sell our bodies to survive. What was your excuse back then? Weren’t you just plain lonely and desperate for male attention on camera?”

“Li Wei, I don’t appreciate your tone.” Pei Xiqing stepped smoothly between Li Wei and Zhang Tian. There was absolutely no fear in her eyes, only a chilling, playful glint. “Everyone understands that selling your body to survive in the apocalypse is a tragic necessity for some. But if you’re actually proud of it and use it as a weapon, then your values are completely warped.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Have you ever been to the underground black market?” Pei Xiqing asked softly.

“Of course I have,” Li Wei scoffed. “But I was forced into it. I’ve never been involved in their other illegal industries.”

“But surely you know how it works,” Pei Xiqing continued, her voice deceptively mild. “Prostitution, illegal gambling, drug trafficking… they all run together. The syndicates intertwine them completely. If you truly believe that selling your body for the syndicate is an honorable profession that should be flaunted, then you’re morally no different from the thugs smuggling humans and organs in the dark.”

Li Wei flushed angrily. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?! I don’t care about their messed-up business! It has nothing to do with me! As long as I can survive, it doesn’t matter what path I take. Besides, what right do you have to criticize me?”

She looked Pei Xiqing up and down with absolute disdain. “Didn’t you rely on a powerful man to get where you are right now? Without Judge Duan backing you, who the hell would you be?!”

“If you hate me simply because you’re projecting your grief over Pei Yanting onto me, I can understand that,” Pei Xiqing replied, her smile never wavering. “But you are fundamentally wrong about one thing. I am much luckier than you. Yes, I rely on my man. But unlike you, I am faithful to only one person.”

“You…!!!”

Li Wei’s temples throbbed violently. This bitch! She said that entirely on purpose!

Zhang Tian immediately stepped forward, preparing to pull Pei Xiqing behind her. “Ma’am, I am warning you right now. If you say one more word, I am going to physically strike you. I usually don’t hit women, but I’m certainly not opposed to making an exception.”

“Try it!” Li Wei shrieked hysterically. “If you dare hit me, I’ll scream! I’m going to rush in there today and have a good chat with your so-called leaders! I don’t believe for a second that a bunch of bugs managed to take over headquarters! You’re just rejecting us because you look down on us and don’t want us to evacuate to safety!”

The scene was on the verge of erupting into total chaos.

Pei Xiqing spoke up just in time, her voice cutting through the noise. “Li Wei, why go through all this trouble to deny the truth?”

“What do you mean?” Li Wei snapped.

Pei Xiqing held out her hand. The masked Shadow operative standing quietly beside her immediately handed her a reinforced glass container.

Inside the container was a horrifying, mutated parasite.

It was only about the size of a human palm, but its entire body was a sickly, glistening pitch-black. It possessed a revolting fusion of writhing tentacles and sharp, lizard-like legs, making it look utterly repulsive.

As if sensing the crowd, the parasite suddenly lunged at the glass, its horrific, multi-jawed mouth snapping open and revealing chunks of rotting flesh stuck between its teeth.

Li Wei stumbled backward. “What are you doing?!”

Pei Xiqing stepped forward, holding the container up. “You think the parasite threat is just child’s play? You think a bug hijacking a person’s cognitive functions and controlling their speech is impossible?”

“W-What are you going to do?!” Li Wei stammered, her bravado shattering.

“Since you refuse to believe the warnings, I thought you might want to test the theory yourself.”

Li Wei shrieked, her voice cracking in terror. “What?!”

“Many people didn’t believe the warnings at first either,” Pei Xiqing said smoothly, her eyes locked onto Li Wei’s. “But once they were forced to the surface and had to fight these things face-to-face, they realized just how terrifyingly fast the infection spreads.”

She suddenly grabbed Li Wei’s arm, her grip shockingly strong, and yanked the terrified woman closer to the glass. “If you refuse to believe my words, then let the facts speak for themselves.”

Seeing the horrific parasite thrashing just inches from her face, Li Wei broke out in a cold sweat. She tried frantically to back away. “Don’t mess around! Let me go!”

“How is this messing around?” Pei Xiqing asked innocently. “You claimed it was a lie. So let’s just let it burrow into your skull. We can see firsthand whether your consciousness is dominant, or if the parasite is stronger.”

“You’re completely insane! If you dare do this to me, I’ll scream for the Franlun operatives!”

“You’ll what?” Pei Xiqing blinked, genuinely amused.

Li Wei pointed a trembling finger at her, struggling frantically to break free. “There are Franlun operatives stationed at this base! They’re here to enforce the law and maintain order! You’re purposely trying to murder me in broad daylight!”

Although the pregnancy had weakened her, Pei Xiqing still had enough strength to keep Li Wei pinned in place. She smiled warmly. “You can scream all you want. Even if the entire Franlun division shows up, I’ll just tell them the truth. I’ll explain that you were the one deliberately inciting a panic, questioning the base’s security protocols, and causing a massive public disturbance. Since you demanded proof of the threat, I was simply obliging you with a live demonstration.”

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “But if there’s an ‘accident’ during the demonstration and you get infected… well, I can’t be held responsible for that.”

“Pei Xiqing!”

“Yes?” She nodded pleasantly. “Do you have anything else you’d like to say? If not, let’s get on with the test.”

Li Wei was beside herself with terror. “Get away from me!”

To the absolute horror of everyone watching, Pei Xiqing calmly popped the lid off the container. Wearing a thick tactical glove, she reached inside and casually pulled the writhing, disgusting parasite out.

Li Wei nearly fainted from sheer terror.

Is this woman completely fearless?! Isn’t she terrified of being bitten?! She just grabbed it with her bare (gloved) hand!

Even Zhang Tian flinched, her heart leaping into her throat. Seeing Pei Xiqing discreetly wink at her, she felt a profound sense of helpless exasperation.

This is way too reckless. If Brother Duan finds out about this, he’s going to go ballistic. And if that thing accidentally bites someone, he will slaughter everyone present without an ounce of mercy.

Terrified for Pei Xiqing’s safety, Zhang Tian kept her eyes glued to the parasite, ready to intervene the second it snapped at her hand.

Fortunately, after being pulled from the jar, the parasite remained surprisingly docile in Pei Xiqing’s firm grip, barely struggling at all.

Pei Xiqing held the writhing creature right in front of Li Wei’s face.

Before she could even get a clear look at it, Li Wei let out a bloodcurdling scream, her legs giving out completely as she collapsed to her knees. Her entire body shook violently. She squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed, “Get it away! Get it away! Stay away from me!”

Pei Xiqing crouched down, still holding the parasite firmly. “Do you believe the reports now?”

Li Wei was utterly broken. “Get it away from me…”

Pei Xiqing pinched the back of the parasite’s neck, lifting it into the air like a docile pet for the rest of the crowd to see. “The virus inside these new parasites has completely mutated. It’s biologically similar to the original zombie virus, but the pathology is entirely different.”

She spoke clearly, ensuring everyone in the corridor could hear her. “When the original zombie virus enters the human body, it violently overwrites the host’s consciousness. The virus completely controls the body, forcing the host to mindlessly attack their own kind. It permanently deprives them of control. However, when this new parasitic virus enters the brain, it physically integrates with the neural pathways. It doesn’t overwrite consciousness; it hijacks it. Within minutes, the parasite can seize control of the host’s body and mind, utilizing the host’s memories and speech patterns to perfectly mimic a human.”

The surrounding crowd listened to her explanation in absolute, terrified silence.

Initially, the residents who had been angry and unwilling to give up hope had suspected the base leaders were lying to keep them trapped. But after witnessing the horrifying reality of the parasite and hearing Pei Xiqing’s calm, undeniable explanation, their doubts vanished completely.

They immediately turned on Li Wei and the other agitators.

“You’re being completely unreasonable! The base leaders are doing this for our own safety! How dare you come here and incite a riot over a lie?!”

“Leave immediately! Everyone here is working themselves to the bone trying to keep us alive. You coming here to cause trouble is just sabotaging our survival!”

“Everyone, disperse! We trust the base leaders! We trust Miss Pei!”

Li Wei wanted to shout back, to defend herself, but looking at the horrifying creature twitching in Pei Xiqing’s hand, she didn’t dare utter a single word.

Seeing Pei Xiqing casually teasing the parasite with her finger, Li Wei finally broke. She scrambled to her feet and fled down the corridor as fast as her legs could carry her.

Pei Xiqing clapped her hands together, stood up, and casually stuffed the parasite back into the reinforced container, snapping the lid shut.

Zhang Tian let out a massive, shaky breath. “Xiqing, you are entirely too reckless! How could you just randomly grab a live, highly infectious parasite like that? What if it had slipped and bitten you? That was way too dangerous!”

Pei Xiqing smiled, a hint of cunning in her eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s just an adolescent parasite that hasn’t reached its full, infectious form yet. Its venom glands aren’t active, so it doesn’t carry the deadly virus. I was just using it to scare her.”

“Well, you definitely scared me!” Zhang Tian exhaled, rubbing her chest.

“If we didn’t scare her half to death right now, she would have dared to do something even more reckless and dangerous in the future.”

“Do you really know her from before?”

“Yes.”

“She seems incredibly annoying.”

Pei Xiqing nodded. “It’s fine, don’t worry about her. She only came here to cause trouble because she’s deeply insecure. She was terrified that the base leadership was going to abandon people like her.”

She gestured toward the conference room doors. “Anyway, let’s head inside. I came here to discuss the situation regarding Franlun’s ongoing reconstruction efforts.”

Chapter 327: The Ghost Still Remains

Zhang Tian and Pei Xiqing were sitting together in a cramped office. The underground base was incredibly narrow, so right outside the small office window was a bustling main corridor where residents passed by frequently.

Pei Xiqing reached over and closed the window to block out some of the noise.

“Is what you said really true?!” Zhang Tian asked, her voice hushed with disbelief.

“It’s true,” Pei Xiqing nodded. “Someone will arrive soon to pick you up. You can start organizing the first wave of transfers, and then leave the logistics of the rest to them.”

Zhang Tian nodded excitedly, then couldn’t help but ask, “Is the guy coming to pick us up that handsome, white-haired guy who visited the base last time?”

“Yeah,” Pei Xiqing smiled. “How did you know?”

Zhang Tian chuckled. “Oh, he made a very deep impression.”

It was hard not to remember someone like Ling Lang.

“He’s been overseeing operations at the new base constantly,” Pei Xiqing explained. “He’s been working incredibly hard.”

“Is he Brother Duan’s younger brother?”

“Yes.”

“Brother?” Zhang Tian frowned slightly. “Why do I feel like they don’t look anything alike?”

“They aren’t biological brothers, but they’re closer than blood.”

“Ah, I see.” Zhang Tian leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Honestly, why do I get the feeling he’s extremely fond of you? Xiqing, you two have a pretty good relationship, right? I remember he was incredibly worried about you back when we were out in the wild. And when you disappeared because of the corpse spots, I noticed he was absolutely frantic.”

“That happened a long time ago, Sister Tian. You still remember all that?”

“Of course I do! I still feel terrible about how I treated you back then,” Zhang Tian sighed regretfully. “You should be fully recovered by now, right? Honestly, I don’t believe for a second that you’re a zombie. I’ve always believed in you.”

“It’s all in the past,” Pei Xiqing said gently. “It’s okay.”

“Exactly! And besides, how could you possibly be a zombie?” Zhang Tian scoffed. “Zombies are all ugly and twisted, and you’ve always been beautiful.”

Pei Xiqing smiled and lowered her eyes.

The truth was far too complicated, and it wasn’t her place to reveal the depth of her infection to Zhang Tian. The less Zhang Tian knew, the safer she was from the terrifying reality of the virus.

Seeing Pei Xiqing stand up, Zhang Tian quickly followed suit. “Well, I need to go get busy organizing the evacuation. I look forward to seeing you at the new base! You and Brother Duan must be very eager to get there.”

Pei Xiqing hesitated for a moment. “Actually… we don’t have to leave right away. It’s still relatively safe here.”

Zhang Tian gave a somewhat helpless smile. “Well, that woman’s riot the other day probably spoke for what most people are secretly thinking. Who would want to live in this dark, damp underground bunker when they could go to a vastly superior surface base? Honestly, if you stay down here for too long, you’ll get deeply depressed. Every time I look up and see nothing but pitch-black rock and feel the air getting thinner, I feel like… like I can’t breathe.”

When the massive crowds first fled to the bunker, everyone had simply been grateful to be alive. But as the months dragged on, crammed into such a claustrophobic space, depression, fear, and a suffocating sense of despair had inevitably flooded everyone’s hearts.

Pei Xiqing nodded in understanding. “Then let’s just do as everyone wishes. Those who want to evacuate can evacuate, and those who want to stay can stay.”

Zhang Tian nodded in agreement.

Pei Xiqing walked out of the office and looked up. Above her was nothing but a low, dark stone ceiling. She subconsciously thought back to her time at the old headquarters. Right before the apocalyptic natural disasters truly began, Duan Xiaolin had taken her up to the surface to watch the last colorful sunset this world would ever see.

In her previous life, she had seen skies like that countless times. But back then, she would only ever give them a quick glance before lowering her head and returning to the exhausting grind of her acting career. She hadn’t thought a simple sunset was anything precious.

It was only after being thrust into the apocalypse that she realized the profound luxury of simply looking up and seeing a clear, open sky.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t immediately notice the man approaching. He knocked gently on the open doorframe.

She looked up and saw Duan Xiaolin.

He was wearing a simple, low-key coat—an outfit that seemed entirely inconsistent with the terrifying reputation of the Chief Judge of Franlun, the man who held the power of life and death over the wasteland. Yet, despite the plain clothes, his aura remained calm, imposing, and undeniably outstanding.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.

Pei Xiqing walked forward, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Nothing. I just suddenly missed that sunset we watched together. I don’t know when we’ll ever be able to see something like that again… or if we ever will.”

“We will,” he said firmly.

Pei Xiqing’s eyes curved into smiling crescents, filled with deep, unwavering affection. “It’s a promise.”

Time in the underground base slipped away as quietly and inevitably as the thinning oxygen.

This was the second month Pei Xiqing had lived in the bunker. Most of the residents had already been evacuated in staggered waves, but she remained in the deepest sector of the facility, holding the fort with Duan Xiaolin and a small group of villagers.

Part of the reason they stayed was tactical. This base was directly connected to the underground black market network and served as a critical escape route for syndicate smugglers. But another part of the reason was simple necessity: this was still a human settlement, and someone needed to hold the line.

Honestly, Pei Xiqing wasn’t particularly eager to return to the surface anyway. The natural disasters were still raging, and the apocalyptic blizzards were cold enough to freeze a person to death in minutes. Besides, ever since her pregnancy had stabilized, she found herself feeling constantly lethargic, lacking the energy to move around much.

So, when Long Yan—whom she hadn’t seen in months—suddenly appeared in front of her holding a medical kit, she genuinely thought she was hallucinating.

Long Yan raised a hand and waved it in front of Pei Xiqing’s face. “What are you daydreaming about? Are you that surprised to see me?”

“I am!” She pushed herself up from the recliner and pulled Long Yan into a massive hug. “Sister Long Yan! It’s been so long! I missed you so much!”

Long Yan returned the embrace, though her movements were noticeably cautious to avoid pressing on Pei Xiqing’s stomach. She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re about to be a mother, yet you’re still so overly emotional! How childish.”

Pei Xiqing kept her arms wrapped tightly around her. “Who says you can’t be yourself just because you’re a mother?”

Long Yan nodded quickly, surrendering with a smile. “Yes, yes, whatever you say is right.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Qiu Chao is completely bogged down managing the new base, so he asked me to come over and conduct your routine checkup. I’ll take your vitals, run a few tests, and send the data back for him to analyze.”

“Okay.”

After completing a thorough series of medical checks, Long Yan peeled off her sterile gloves. “I can feel that you’ve gained a little weight recently. The food here must be pretty good. I heard… there’s a highly praised chef currently staying at this base who’s apparently a master at both farming and cooking. I wonder if I’ll have the honor of trying her food.”

“You don’t need her, I’ll cook for you myself!” Pei Xiqing offered brightly.

“Absolutely not.” Long Yan firmly pushed her back into the recliner. “You might be brave enough to offer, but I don’t dare accept. There’s no way I’m letting a pregnant woman near a hot stove just to serve me.”

“Then how about I cook for you instead?”

“Sister Long Yan, you know how to cook?”

“Of course! When we’re out on long field missions, I’m the one who handles the massive communal meals,” Long Yan boasted proudly. “I just throw all the ingredients into a giant pot, mix them around, and boom—dinner is served.”

Pei Xiqing burst out laughing, leaning comfortably back in her chair. “In that case, you should definitely let Mengxiang cook first. Once you’ve tasted her food, you can show off your own skills later.”

“Deal.”

It wasn’t even seven o’clock when Ma Mengxiang hurried into the duplex, carrying a heavy basket of freshly harvested vegetables.

Seeing Pei Xiqing chatting and laughing with a strange, striking woman, she immediately put on a bright smile. “Hello! I’m Ma Mengxiang.”

Long Yan stood up, assessing the younger girl. “Ah, so you’re the kid everyone’s calling a top-tier chef, right? That’s impressive.”

Ma Mengxiang froze. “What?”

Long Yan smiled warmly. “I’m praising your cooking. I also heard you have an incredible talent for agriculture. You’ve sent massive shipments of fresh vegetables to the new base over the last few weeks. Everyone there is incredibly grateful to you.”

“…It’s nothing, really!” Ma Mengxiang blushed furiously at the high praise. “And it wasn’t just me! Everyone from the village contributed, and… and Brother Yingzi also put in a massive amount of effort.”

Long Yan, with the razor-sharp instincts of a Franlun operative, immediately picked up on the subtle hesitation when Mengxiang mentioned Shadow. However, she didn’t comment on it. She just smiled and nodded.

“Once you eventually evacuate to the new base, I’ll make sure you’re assigned to a high-ranking agricultural or logistics department.”

“A department? What would I even do there?” Ma Mengxiang asked, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous. She rubbed her calloused fingers together anxiously. “Just being allowed into the new base is already more than enough for me. Working in an official department… I don’t know the first thing about military logistics. I’d probably just cause trouble for you all.”

“You don’t need to worry about any of the bureaucratic nonsense,” Long Yan assured her smoothly. “Just keep doing exactly what you want to do. You’ll be given the resources to farm and cook however you see fit.”

“Okay… thank you, Commander.”

Long Yan clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. “Why are you calling me ‘Commander’? It makes me sound so old. Just call me Sister Long, or Sister Long Yan.”

“O-Okay.”

Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but laugh from the recliner. “You were being way too formal, Mengxiang.”

Long Yan shot her a playful glare. “Oh, please. You’re the most formal person I know!”

Ma Mengxiang lifted her heavy vegetable basket. “Then I’ll head into the kitchen and start cooking! I was planning to make a highly nutritious meal for Xiqing, but since Sister Long Yan is here, I’ll add two extra meat dishes to the menu!”

“Do you need me to help you prep?” Long Yan offered.

Ma Mengxiang quickly waved her hands in panic. “No, no, absolutely not! How could I ask a guest to help me cook? I can manage just fine on my own. Besides, if there are too many people in there, the kitchen gets completely cramped.”

“Alright. I’m not a picky eater; I eat absolutely everything, so don’t worry about dietary restrictions. But if you end up needing an extra pair of hands, just holler.”

“I will!”

Once Ma Mengxiang disappeared into the kitchen, Long Yan sat back down and gave Pei Xiqing a knowing wink.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Xiqing asked.

“Ling Lang mentioned that Shadow had been acting completely out of character lately, so I specifically came over to snoop for gossip. It’s definitely because of her, isn’t it?”

Pei Xiqing nodded, smiling.

“Not bad,” Long Yan mused approvingly.

Changing the subject, Long Yan’s tone grew slightly more serious. “Are you really not planning to leave this bunker yet? How much longer are you going to stay?”

“We’ll stay until things stabilize,” Pei Xiqing replied. “Some of the black market syndicates are deeply intertwined with the remaining base population. If we evacuate everyone indiscriminately, this new base might just become a stronghold for the syndicates.”

“That’s a valid concern,” Long Yan agreed. “But you need to be extremely careful. The fact that the black market thugs have managed to disguise themselves and hide among the civilians for so long proves they aren’t just ordinary street thugs. They’re organized, cunning, and have plenty of dirty tricks up their sleeves. With Franlun tightening the noose, it’s inevitable that they’ll choose to fight to the death rather than surrender.”

“I know. Don’t worry,” Pei Xiqing said, gently pruning the small potted plant on the coffee table. “Compared to fighting a bloody war of attrition with Franlun, their primary goal is still survival. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to hide their identities in the first place.”

“Do you have a plan to flush them out?”

“A rough one. But honestly, Brother Duan is the one spearheading the investigation. I haven’t been heavily involved in the tactical side of things.”

“Good. Your only priority right now should be taking care of yourself and delivering that baby safely. That would be the greatest victory of all.” Long Yan’s eyes softened with genuine anticipation. “You know, ever since the apocalypse began, and especially since these natural disasters hit, the global birth rate has plummeted to less than one percent of what it used to be. Those of us still fighting to survive are desperately looking forward to the birth of new life.”

Pei Xiqing pursed her lips into a gentle smile. She had never planned for any of this. But now, she was content to just go with the flow. Welcoming a new life into this broken world felt like the best possible outcome.

Another half a month passed.

Zhang Tian was finalizing the logistics for the very last major evacuation convoy leaving the base.

She checked in with Pei Xiqing over the comms. “Xiqing! The weather on the surface is absolutely horrific! The blizzards are triggering massive landslides, and the seismic activity is relentless. You definitely made the right choice not to follow us out on this run!”

“Stay safe out there, Sister Tian.”

“We will! I’m currently leading a convoy of 352 civilians toward the new headquarters. However, one of our transport aircraft just reported a mechanical issue, so we’re touching down briefly to repair it.”

Sitting in the base’s secure monitoring room, Pei Xiqing suddenly sat up a little straighter.

She was now three months pregnant. Her waist was only slightly thicker, and unless someone was looking closely, it wasn’t particularly noticeable. She still looked incredibly slender. It was likely due to her original build; she simply didn’t have a physique that showed early. When wearing loose, heavy winter coats, she looked no different than usual.

Pei Xiqing immediately handed her headset to Duan Xiaolin, who was reviewing a stack of documents beside her. “Brother Duan, contact Ling Lang. Ask him exactly why that transport drone suddenly malfunctioned and how long the repairs will take.”

Duan Xiaolin took the headset and quickly dialed the encrypted frequency. Ling Lang answered almost immediately.

“Brother.”

“Run a full diagnostic on Zhang Tian’s convoy. What’s the status?”

“The status? Everything is proceeding normally.”

“One of their transport aircraft just reported a critical malfunction.”

Ling Lang sounded doubtful. “The telemetry monitors show everything is green. All engine data is well within normal parameters. Let me run a deep manual diagnostic…”

A few tense seconds passed before Ling Lang came back on the line, his tone significantly sharper. “You’re right. There is a problem with the aircraft. The system is reporting an engine failure that should take about ten minutes to resolve… No, wait. The telemetry was spoofed. The aircraft has definitely been tampered with.”

Hearing this, Duan Xiaolin slightly raised his eyes from his documents. His expression remained perfectly calm, as if everything was proceeding exactly as he had orchestrated. “Deploy Sanshe’s intercept team. Have them move into position.”

“Understood,” Ling Lang confirmed.

Pei Xiqing looked at Duan Xiaolin. “You knew there were black market operatives hiding on that specific aircraft?”

“They are desperate to escape the bunker,” he replied smoothly. “They had no choice but to take advantage of this final evacuation convoy.”

“So, instead of trying to manually hunt them down one by one while they were hiding among thousands of elderly civilians and children… you deliberately created an opportunity for them to expose themselves.”

“Exactly.” Duan Xiaolin looked at her and patted the armrest of his chair. “Come here. Sit next to me.”

Pei Xiqing keyed her mic and gave Zhang Tian a brief, coded warning about the situation.

“Understood,” Zhang Tian replied, her tone instantly shifting to professional military readiness.

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Zhang Tian warned. “But I just intercepted some local chatter near your sector. I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but you need to be extremely careful down there, too.”

The moment Zhang Tian finished speaking, a massive, violent BANG echoed through the monitoring room as the heavy steel door was brutally kicked from the outside.

A group of armed men surged into the hallway, screaming and kicking at the reinforced door.

“I heard the top dog of Franlun is still hiding in this base!” a rough voice roared. “Get the hell out here! Let me see what the great Chief Judge looks like before I blow his head off!”

“Damn it! A bunch of Franlun bastards! They tracked the syndicate all the way down here, and they just refuse to back off!”

Pei Xiqing slowly turned her head, looking at Duan Xiaolin with mild exasperation.

“Why does this base always have so many lingering ghosts…”

She sighed helplessly. “I guess they really are refusing to back off.”

Duan Xiaolin wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “Sit tight.”

Pei Xiqing blinked. “How am I supposed to sit properly like this?”

She was practically sitting sideways across his lap.

“Just stay like this.”

Pei Xiqing pointed toward the violently shuddering door. “What about those people outside?”

“Let them continue to tire themselves out.”

“It’s so noisy,” she complained, covering her ears as another heavy kick slammed against the steel. “But at least they finally showed up on their own initiative. I guess they realized our main security force evacuated with Zhang Tian, so they finally felt brave enough to show their faces. Do you really not want to go out and take a look?”

He replied with absolute, chilling calm, “Don’t worry. They will be silenced very soon.”

Like this novel? Read Advance Chapters (PDF & EPUB Format)