What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH334-336

Chapter 334| Chapter 335| Chapter 336

Chapter 334: If You Make Trouble Again, Let Him Go

The man seamlessly dispelled the terrifying supernatural pressure around him. He meticulously wiped every drop of blood from his hands until there was no trace left before slowly walking over to her.

He lowered his head, his dark eyes intense. “Why did you come up here again?”

“I came to see you,” Pei Xiqing replied softly.

“I’m fine,” he assured her. “You don’t need to worry.”

The man took her hand, feeling the icy chill lingering on her fingertips. He whispered, “It’s freezing out here. Come inside and rest first.”

Pei Xiqing’s gaze drifted to the massive parasite corpse lying dead in the snow behind him. The stench of thick, black blood was overwhelmingly pungent. However, her attention was solely focused on the gaping, hollowed-out hole in the beast’s chest.

She looked back up at him. “For the entire time we’ve been living down in the bunker, you’ve actually been coming up here to hunt these parasites and zombies, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

He admitted it immediately, making no attempt to hide the truth.

She frowned, a flash of genuine annoyance crossing her face. “Why didn’t you tell me? If you had told me, I would have helped you! The high-grade crystal cores in these newly mutated parasites are incredibly difficult to locate and extract. If you act rashly and miss the core, the parasite’s defense mechanism triggers a massive viral explosion. What if you get hurt?”

Before he could answer, Pei Xiqing continued, her voice tight with worry. “Qiu Chao and I have studied the biology of these crystal cores extensively. He taught me exactly how to identify the precise location of a core within a host body. I think if I… if I had been by your side, at least you wouldn’t have had to take such dangerous risks.”

Duan Xiaolin let out a low chuckle. His eyes were incredibly tender and impossibly deep. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it that way.”

“You didn’t forget to think about it! You simply didn’t want to tell me! You wanted to face all the danger by yourself!” She couldn’t help but shove his chest playfully. “I’m going to be really angry if you keep doing this. Very angry.”

Duan Xiaolin smoothly caught her wrist and pulled her securely into his arms. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear you say sorry.”

“I did originally intend to tell you,” he confessed softly. “But you were pregnant, feeling miserable, and constantly suffering from severe morning sickness. Telling you about this would have only made you even more anxious and restless.”

“But you were up here killing parasites every single day! And the earthquakes caused by your fighting made the base shake so badly I threw up half my meals anyway!”

“My fault.”

“You aren’t going to change your behavior anyway, so why are you even bothering to admit your mistake?” Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but lightly hit his shoulder. “You’re an idiot, Brother Duan. A big, stubborn idiot.”

Duan Xiaolin simply accepted the scolding with a gentle smile.

Suddenly, the massive parasite corpse behind him twitched. Its nearly ten-meter-long, bladed tail slapped against the frozen ground, causing a strong vibration to ripple through the snow.

Pei Xiqing frowned slightly, glancing at the carcass. “Are the crystal cores from these specific parasites useless for me?”

“For now, yes.”

“So, you’re finally admitting that the flawless crystal core you gave me earlier wasn’t harvested from one of these hosts.”

Pei Xiqing stepped out of his embrace and walked toward the massive parasite.

As she walked, she explained her reasoning. “The probability of a flawlessly pure, high-grade crystal core naturally forming inside a host like this is incredibly low. A host requires a massive amount of time and energy to grow and refine its core. You’ve slaughtered hundreds of them in a very short period. Even if these beasts are physically massive, their internal crystal cores would still be unrefined, semi-finished products.”

She stopped beside the ugly, grotesque head of the dead host.

Squatting down, she examined it closely.

This particular parasite had had all of its razor-sharp teeth systematically ripped out, completely neutralizing its bite. Even the lethal, scythe-like claws on its appendages had been snapped off, and the highly infectious viral mucus coating its body had been meticulously burned away. It looked absolutely nothing like the ferociously lethal parasites they had encountered in the wild—the ones that could infect a human with a single, grazing touch.

It was glaringly obvious. This specific parasite had been deliberately sterilized and dragged here. It was a prop in a play Duan Xiaolin had carefully orchestrated just to lure her out of the bunker.

He had known all along that he couldn’t keep his actions hidden from her forever.

It all started the moment Ma Mengxiang accidentally found that planted crystal core. He knew he couldn’t hide his hunting anymore.

Or perhaps, from the very beginning, he had never intended to hide it for too long. He knew her discovering the truth about the cores was only a matter of time.

Pei Xiqing took a deep breath, resisting the urge to turn her head and glare at him. Instead, she continued observing the sterile parasite at her feet.

There was still a massive amount of undigested food residue in the parasite’s translucent stomach sack, including several half-digested zombie corpses.

She asked curiously, “So, these new parasites actually prey on the zombies? It seems these two infected species don’t exactly live in harmony to fight against humanity.”

“Zombies also prey on the parasites,” the man clarified, walking up behind her. “They continuously feed on each other in the wild, constantly mutating and passing the viral strains back and forth.”

“But there are exceptions,” he added meaningfully.

“What kind of exception?”

“If a host’s body contains your specific ‘Substance X,’ even if it engages in cannibalism with other infected, there is absolutely no risk of it suffering a secondary viral infection or mutation.”

“You mean to tell me… I’m not only the ‘King of the Zombies,’ but I’m also technically the ‘King of the Parasites’ now?! That’s amazing! Does that mean I can eat them and not get infected myself?” Pei Xiqing suddenly paused, her eyes widening in horror as a terrible thought struck her. “Wait. My unique physical condition requires a massive amount of high-grade crystal energy to maintain. These monsters are the primary source of those crystal cores. Could it be… is this broken world literally trying to force me to eat them all?!”

Duan Xiaolin, who was holding the umbrella over her head to block the snow, couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her dramatic conclusion. “How is it that your head is always filled with such wild, interesting theories?”

Pei Xiqing flushed with embarrassment. “It’s a logical deduction, isn’t it?!”

“If that were actually the case, would you be willing to do it?”

“…Ugh.” She gagged visibly. She was ready to vomit just thinking about taking a bite out of one of these slimy, rotting monstrosities.

Duan Xiaolin handed her his sterilized tactical dagger. “Many survivors who have been driven mad by the hallucinogenic pheromones claim the flesh of a host is the most delicious meat in the world. Cut it open and see for yourself.”

Pei Xiqing hesitantly took the dagger.

There was already a deep gash along the parasite’s waist and abdomen where Duan Xiaolin had struck it earlier.

From the outside, the flesh didn’t look like much—just dark, rubbery skin. But as she used the blade to peel back the outer dermal layer, she saw that the texture of the meat inside was shockingly similar to high-grade, marbled salmon.

No wonder the hallucinogenic scent possessed such a fatal attraction to starving, desperate survivors. It perfectly masked the horror, tempting them to pounce on the raw meat without a shred of reason.

At first glance, it truly looked like juicy, tender, marbled meat. But as Pei Xiqing stared at it for a few seconds longer, the illusion faded, revealing the sickening reality: it was just a dense layer of greasy, putrid, viral fat.

Her stomach violently rebelled, and she violently threw up into the snow.

Duan Xiaolin immediately dropped the umbrella, pulling her into his arms and gently wiping the corner of her mouth with his handkerchief. “Are you okay?”

“Not great,” Pei Xiqing gasped, spitting out a few mouthfuls of bitter acid. She wiped her mouth with the back of her glove, then threw her arms around his waist, burying her face securely against his chest.

“You doing this… constantly going out to hunt these massive parasites and zombies completely alone… it always makes me feel so guilty,” she whispered, her voice muffled against his coat. “And your supernatural abilities… aren’t they supposed to be unusable right now?! Why did I just see you using your power to crush these monsters?!”

She was genuinely terrified for him.

Although these horrific creatures absolutely deserved to be slaughtered, she truly could not predict the catastrophic consequences of him continuously breaking the fundamental rules of the world and defying the very laws of reality just to use his powers.

The arrival of these world-ending natural disasters was already proof of the world violently reacting to those broken rules.

She tightened her grip on him, whispering pleadingly, “Just stay here with me, okay…? Just stay here. I don’t need this special physique, and I don’t need the crystal cores to survive. As long as I can be with you, that’s enough. Please, don’t take any more risks.”

The man hugged her back fiercely, embracing her tightly amidst the howling wind and snow. “Just one last time.”

Later that evening, Pei Xiqing had a sudden spark of inspiration. She immediately turned to Duan Xiaolin, who was busy preparing a fresh bottle of baby formula.

“Brother Duan! Xiaobai has been staying with Ling Lang and the others at the new base, right? A few days ago, Sister Long Yan sent me a video clip of him eating. I feel like he’s genuinely mutating to become more and more like these new parasites. Which gives me a very bold idea.”

“What bold idea?” he asked calmly.

Pei Xiqing rolled her eyes, thinking it through. “Xiaobai is essentially a mutant parasite that originally evolved from a zombie host. If I let him drink a small amount of my blood, he will permanently absorb Substance X into his biological system. If Qiu Chao’s theories are correct, and Xiaobai can successfully integrate the substance without rejecting it… he will become completely immune to any secondary viral infections. He could theoretically consume those wild parasites without any risk of losing his mind or mutating further!”

The man paused, setting the bottle down. “Are you truly willing to take that risk with him?”

“What do you mean by that?” Pei Xiqing leaned against the counter next to him, eyeing him suspiciously. “It sounds like you’ve had this exact plan in mind for a long time.”

He resumed shaking the bottle to mix the formula. “Yes.”

“And you really didn’t hesitate to consider it?”

“This strategy was originally proposed by Qiu Chao months ago as the optimal solution for managing the wild parasite populations,” he admitted. “But I explicitly rejected it.”

“Why did you refuse?”

He looked at her, his expression softening. “Because Xiaobai is our child too.”

Pei Xiqing was stunned. She turned her head away, her heart suddenly feeling incredibly full and impossibly complicated. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

“It seems… I’m the one who is more willing to let him go into danger,” she murmured guiltily. “Xiaobai didn’t follow us through all those horrors just to suffer. He’s been training with Ling Lang’s squad every single day over there. I don’t even know if he still remembers us.”

If she hadn’t possessed the meta-knowledge of the original novel’s plot—knowing that Xiaobai was destined to be the world’s ultimate viral apex predator—she never would have dared to suggest using him as a biological weapon against the parasites.

But she also implicitly trusted Xiaobai’s resilience. Since he had previously managed to consume massive amounts of infected tissue without succumbing to the virus, there was a very strong chance that Substance X would make him permanently immune to the new parasite strains.

However, the specific, long-term biological results would still need to be rigorously tested through Qiu Chao’s professional experiments.

The formula was ready, though it was still a little hot. Duan Xiaolin handed the bottle to her and walked into the bedroom to pick up little Ruiying, who had just woken up from his nap.

Pei Xiqing followed him in, gently teasing the baby with a small, plush toy.

She smiled warmly. “Good boy. You are so well-behaved.”

Then, shooting a meaningful, teasing glance at Duan Xiaolin, she added, “You must never be like your father when you grow up. He never consults your mother about anything important he does. He’s way too scheming, and he’s always secretly calculating things behind my back.”

The man holding the child chuckled low in his throat. “Yes. You definitely shouldn’t imitate me.”

After helping feed the baby, Pei Xiqing handed the now-sleeping infant back to Duan Xiaolin and went to the spare room to check on Ma Mengxiang.

Ma Mengxiang had woken up from the heavy sedatives, but she was still incredibly groggy. She sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, her eyes completely blank.

Pei Xiqing waved a hand in front of her face. Ma Mengxiang immediately snapped out of her stupor, lunging forward to grab Pei Xiqing’s arm. “You can’t eat it! You absolutely cannot eat that meat!”

“Mengxiang? Are you okay?”

“You can’t eat it! Ahhhhh! It’s so disgusting! It’s a trap! You cannot eat that! If you take even one bite, you’ll turn into a parasite!”

Pei Xiqing sighed in relief, gently patting the girl’s trembling hand.

Shadow stepped into the room, holding a glass of warm water. “Captain Qiu Chao said she should fully recover her cognitive functions in a day or two. This severe disorientation is just a lingering side effect of the high-dose sedative injection. It’s not permanent.”

“Then I’ll leave her in your care,” Pei Xiqing said. “Take good care of her, and make sure she doesn’t do anything impulsive while she’s still disoriented.”

“Understood.”

Pei Xiqing stayed and chatted with Ma Mengxiang for a while longer until her own exhaustion began to catch up with her. When she returned to the master bedroom, she found it empty. Duan Xiaolin and the baby were nowhere to be seen. She took a quick, hot shower, fully intending to stay awake and wait for them to return. But when Duan Xiaolin calmly informed her over the internal comms that he had just taken the baby for a brief walk around the secured sector to soothe him, she collapsed onto the plush bed, falling into a deep sleep the very second her eyes closed.

While she was deeply asleep, she vaguely felt someone gently tuck a small, soft, warm ball into her arms.

It was incredibly warm and comforting.

She blearily opened her eyes.

It was her baby.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of peace, Pei Xiqing smiled and closed her eyes again.

A little while later, the small, soft bundle in her arms was gently lifted away, replaced immediately by a much broader, firmer, and far warmer chest.

She kept her eyes closed, simply turning over and snuggling securely against him, finding the most comfortable position possible.

It was a completely dreamless night. She was finally free from the agonizing, pre-programmed emotions and tragic nightmares dictated by the original novel’s plot. With her child sleeping safely nearby and Duan Xiaolin’s strong arms wrapped tightly around her, she felt an absolute, unshakable sense of security.

She was awakened early the next morning by an intense, suffocating heat radiating through her body.

The bed was so incredibly hot that she was practically sweating through her silk nightgown.

Unable to bear it, she tried to kick the heavy quilt off, only to realize that a heavy, muscular weight was pressing her firmly down into the mattress.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Pei Xiqing kicked out blindly.

The man effortlessly caught her slender ankle in his large hand.

He lifted her leg slightly, shifting his weight.

He smiled, his voice husky with morning gravel. “Kicking your husband so early in the morning?”

Pei Xiqing flushed a brilliant red. “You!”

“Hmm?”

“Please, let me go.” Pei Xiqing tried to pull the quilt up over her face to hide her embarrassment. “Brother Duan, I’m so exhausted. I just want to sleep a little longer.”

Based on her extensive experience with his “wake-up routines,” she knew that it was still incredibly early. There wasn’t a single sound echoing from the base corridors outside, meaning it definitely wasn’t time for the residents to start their day yet.

“At this hour… I’m afraid even the vegetables in the garden… are still dormant…”

She spoke breathlessly, trying to wriggle out from under him and escape, but in the very next second, she was pulled decisively back into the center of the bed.

The baby’s cradle was in the adjacent room, and the door between the two spaces had deliberately been left slightly ajar.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, the sudden, piercing sound of a baby crying echoed from the nursery. Pei Xiqing frantically scrambled out of bed, hastily pulling a thick coat over her disheveled nightgown as she rushed into the next room.

After she spent several minutes gently bouncing and coaxing the crying infant, Duan Xiaolin strolled into the room, holding a freshly prepared bottle of warm formula.

“I’ll take over,” he offered smoothly.

Pei Xiqing was yawning uncontrollably. There was a highly visible, dark red kiss mark blooming on the curve of her shoulder, and her legs felt like they were made of absolute jelly beneath her coat. Without arguing, she quickly handed the baby over, turned around, and immediately crawled back into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

After successfully feeding the child and putting him back to sleep, Duan Xiaolin returned to the master bedroom. The person on the bed was curled up into a tight, defensive ball, wrapped entirely in the quilt like a silkworm cocoon. He walked over, systematically peeled the heavy quilt away, and casually tossed the silk pajama top she had hastily thrown on onto the floor.

Pei Xiqing was forced to sit up, shivering slightly. “What are you doing…”

“What do you think I’m doing?” he laughed a low, genuinely amused sound, though there was a rare spark of possessive irritation in his eyes. “You are the only person in the world who would dare run away halfway through a battle.”

Pei Xiqing’s eyelids twitched nervously, but hearing his teasing tone, she instantly relaxed. “…Isn’t the ‘battle’ already over?”

The man effortlessly scooped her up from the bed and deposited her onto the wide, padded windowsill.

He leaned over, pressing a heavy, demanding kiss to her lips. “No.”

Midway through the ensuing “battle,” little Ruiying seemed to start crying again in the next room, though his wails weren’t nearly as intense this time. Pei Xiqing frantically urged Duan Xiaolin to go check on him. Annoyed but dutiful, he left. However, he returned less than two minutes later.

This time, having completely lost his legendary patience, the man pinned her tightly against the glass. He bit gently down on her swollen, bright red lower lip, rubbing his thumb possessively against her jawline. “If you try to use him as an excuse to make trouble again, I swear to God, I will put him outside in the hallway.”

It took Pei Xiqing a few seconds to process the sheer absurdity of the threat.

She burst into helpless, breathless laughter.

Early the next morning, Ma Mengxiang felt significantly more awake and lucid. She immediately marched over to their duplex and knocked on the door.

After she knocked continuously for a long time, the door finally swung open. It was Duan Xiaolin.

Ma Mengxiang instantly froze in place. After a long, terrified silence, she finally managed to stammer, “Uhm… Big Brother Duan… I’m looking for Xiqing. She… she can’t possibly still be…”

“She hasn’t woken up yet.”

The man was dressed in simple, comfortable loungewear. His waist and collar were impeccably tied, though his dark hair was slightly messy, falling casually across his forehead. He wasn’t wearing his signature silver glasses, which gave him a rare, somewhat relaxed, and highly domestic appearance.

He calmly poured Ma Mengxiang a glass of water from the dispenser near the door. “Is there something you need to tell her? I can pass the message along.”

Ma Mengxiang took the glass with trembling hands. “No, no! It’s nothing serious at all! I just came by to tell her that I’m fully awake and my mind is completely clear now. Brother Yingzi told me she came to check on me yesterday, but I was heavily sedated and unconscious at the time, so I might have looked a little scary.”

“Alright. I will relay the message. She should come look for you in the garden once she wakes up.”

“Okay, great!” Ma Mengxiang quickly downed the water. “Well, I still have a lot of work to do in the vegetable garden, so I won’t disturb you any longer! Oh, by the way…”

As she spoke, she reached outside the door and hauled in a massive, overflowing woven basket filled with fresh produce.

“These are all of Xiqing’s absolute favorites! They’re super delicious and highly nutritious!”

“Thank you very much.”

Ma Mengxiang turned to leave, but suddenly stopped when she heard the man’s calm voice from behind her.

“You don’t need to bring these deliveries personally in the future. It’s too much unnecessary trouble for you.”

“No, really, it’s fine! I genuinely enjoy doing it! Honestly, if I didn’t have these chores to keep me busy, I’d die of boredom down here.”

“I mean it,” Duan Xiaolin clarified smoothly. “You and Shadow will be evacuating this base in a few days.”

Ma Mengxiang whipped around, her head dropping in sudden, overwhelming confusion. “Brother Duan… what are you talking about? Shadow and I… evacuating? But where are we supposed to go…?”

“To the new Franlun base.”

“But… what about you and Xiqing?!”

The man turned his back to her, picking up his silver glasses from the side table and meticulously wiping the lenses with a clean handkerchief. “She will be evacuating to the new base as well.”

“Wait, what about you, Brother Duan?!”

Chapter 335: I’ve Been Waiting for You for a Long Time

Pei Xiqing was wandering through the underground vegetable garden, trying to stifle a massive yawn, when Ma Mengxiang suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her down into a nearby chair.

“Xiqing!” Ma Mengxiang announced, her face completely serious. “I have something important to tell you!”

“Go ahead,” Pei Xiqing mumbled. She genuinely hadn’t slept a wink last night. Little Ruiying had been fussy, forcing her out of bed multiple times. If she had her way, she would have slept straight through until noon, maybe even the late afternoon. “I’m listening.”

“We’re leaving soon! Did you know?”

“We’re leaving?” Pei Xiqing paused for a few seconds to process the information. “Yes, I know.”

Ma Mengxiang blinked in surprise. “But you just woke up! How could you possibly know?”

Thinking back to exactly how she knew, Pei Xiqing suddenly felt a lot less sleepy. She let out an awkward little cough. “Well, um…”

“Hmm? What?”

“It’s nothing. Brother Duan told me.”

She certainly didn’t dare tell Ma Mengxiang that the man had whispered the news directly into her ear last night while he had her pinned breathlessly against the wall.

In fact, he had been forced to repeat the news at least five times before her haze-filled brain finally managed to register the words. Every time she had tried to focus on what he was saying, he would inevitably do something to violently interrupt her train of thought, leaving her unable to remember a single syllable.

Just thinking about the hazy, heated memories from last night made the tips of her ears burn bright red.

Oblivious to the sudden flush, Ma Mengxiang chased the topic excitedly. “Ah? Brother Duan already told you?”

“Yes.”

“I was wondering…”

“Why?” Pei Xiqing asked, a little puzzled. “What do you want to ask?”

“I just wanted to ask…” Ma Mengxiang leaned in conspiratorially, lowering her voice. “After we finally evacuate, what’s going to happen to this bunker? Are you guys just going to abandon it completely?”

Pei Xiqing reached out and playfully pinched the girl’s cheek, making her pout. “Silly girl. Franlun will dispatch a garrison to formally take over and secure the facility. Are you just worried about leaving your precious vegetable garden behind?”

“How did you know?!”

Pei Xiqing burst out laughing. “Because I pay attention to the things you care about.”

Ma Mengxiang rubbed her pinched cheek, looking a little bashful. “Well, yeah… I’m just worried that once we leave, no one is going to properly tend to the crops. It took me so long to get the soil right…”

“Someone will take care of it,” Pei Xiqing assured her softly. “Besides, I heard that the logistics division at the new base has already designated a plot of land for you that’s twenty or thirty times larger than this one. There are a lot of people at headquarters eagerly waiting for you to arrive so you can teach them how to properly cultivate crops in the apocalypse. When you get there, you won’t just have one little vegetable patch; you’ll have an entire agricultural sector.”

Ma Mengxiang’s jaw dropped. She practically looked like she had been struck by lightning.

“What?! Are you serious?!”

“Surprised, right? I was planning to tell you later, but seeing how stressed you were about leaving this garden, I figured I should just tell you now.”

“Xiqing! Ahhhh!” Ma Mengxiang exploded with excitement, grabbing Pei Xiqing’s shoulders and shaking her happily. “I’m so happy!”

“I’m glad you’re happy, but I’m actually a little miserable right now. I’m exhausted, and Ruirui is waiting for me at home, so I’m going to head back first.”

“Wait a minute!” Ma Mengxiang called after her as she stood up. “You and Brother Duan have to make sure you fly out on the same convoy as me! I’ll be waiting for you guys at the new base! I’m going to make you an absolute feast when we get there!”

Pei Xiqing turned back, offering a gentle smile. “Of course. I will.”

Ma Mengxiang watched Pei Xiqing’s retreating figure until she disappeared around the corner. She fell back into her chair with a contented sigh.

Although Brother Duan hadn’t explicitly confirmed their travel arrangements this morning, she knew that whatever happened, he would always protect Xiqing. Brother Duan would never do something as cruel as abandoning her to travel alone.

Satisfied with that thought, Ma Mengxiang patted off her dirt-stained pants, grabbed her hoe, and practically skipped back into the vegetable garden to finish her chores.

When Pei Xiqing returned to the duplex, Duan Xiaolin was sitting on the sofa, comfortably holding their son.

“Did they give you a specific timeframe for when they plan to escort Ruiying over to the new base?” she asked, dropping her keys on the table.

“In a week.”

“The specialized nursery facilities over there should be fully operational by then.”

Pei Xiqing walked over to the small laundry basket and began folding the baby’s clean clothes. Suddenly, she noticed several new, unfamiliar outfits mixed in with the pile. Picking one up, she couldn’t help but compare the size against the sleeping baby in Duan Xiaolin’s arms.

“Where did you get these clothes from?” she asked, thoroughly impressed. “They look like they’re going to fit him perfectly, and the material is incredibly thick and warm. We definitely won’t have to worry about Ruirui catching a cold during the transit.”

She held up another tiny jacket. “This one is cut perfectly, and the stitching is excellent! Brother Duan, your taste in baby clothes has improved dramatically. The outfits you’ve been picking out lately are all very stylish.”

She pulled out a third piece, a pair of thick, insulated trousers. “And this one! You’ve really made incredible progress!”

She looked at him, her eyes shining with genuine excitement.

Duan Xiaolin let out a low chuckle. “I made them myself.”

Pei Xiqing froze, the tiny trousers slipping from her hands. “What?! You can make clothes yourself? How have I never heard about this before?”

“I’m currently learning. I made those recently.” He stood up, walking over to her with the sleeping child secured in one arm. “My sewing skills are only average right now, so these are just transitional outfits to keep him warm. Once he gets to the new base, the logistics department will provide him with much better clothing.”

“When are you going to make something for me?” she asked playfully.

“Once I’ve mastered a few more advanced stitching techniques.”

She laughed brightly. “It’s a deal.”

She never expected to unlock such a domestic hidden skill in him.

In the apocalypse, many survivors had been forced to learn how to mend and tailor their own clothes just to survive the harsh winters. But traditionally, it was mostly women who picked up the skill. She truly hadn’t expected the terrifying Chief Judge of Franlun to quietly teach himself how to sew in secret.

The baby clothes were small, and the material was standard military-issue thermal fabric, but they were remarkably well-made.

Pei Xiqing reached out, playfully measuring the width of his broad shoulders with her hands. “When we finally settle down at the new base, I’ll make a custom coat just for you.”

“Are you sure you don’t need to take more specific measurements?” he asked, his tone dropping dangerously low.

“Hmph.” Pei Xiqing quickly averted her eyes, feeling her face heat up as she looked down and went back to aggressively folding clothes.

She had long since memorized the exact, terrifyingly solid dimensions of his broad shoulders and long arms.

Pei Xiqing neatly folded the remaining outfits and tucked them into the small closet. Knowing that they would be officially evacuating in just a few days, she began mentally cataloging which items to pack.

She was still squatting on the floor, struggling to decide between two heavy sweaters, when she was suddenly scooped up into the air.

Duan Xiaolin had silently walked up behind her. Without a word, he hoisted her up from her squatting position and deposited her directly onto the edge of the nearby dining table.

Before she could even ask what he was doing, he planted his hands on the table on either side of her hips, boxing her in, and lowered his head to kiss her.

His kiss was heavy and demanding. He bit gently at her lower lip, the slight, stinging pain immediately melting into a maddening, addictive itch.

Overwhelmed, she couldn’t help but lean back, trying to catch her breath.

He seamlessly followed her retreat, pressing his body flush against hers, completely cutting off all avenues of escape.

The quiet room was soon filled with the soft, ambiguous sounds of their heated exchange.

Unable to bear the overwhelming intensity any longer, Pei Xiqing finally pressed her hands flat against his chest and pushed back slightly, breaking the kiss.

Duan Xiaolin retreated obediently, granting her the small fraction of breathing room she desperately needed.

Her eyes were slightly misty, shining with unshed tears. “What’s wrong?”

Duan Xiaolin reached up, gently tucking a stray lock of hair that had caught on the corner of her swollen lips behind her ear. “Let’s talk.”

Pei Xiqing wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, leaning forward to press a soft, comforting kiss to his chin. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Let’s discuss our life after we return to headquarters, specifically regarding Ruirui’s education. Who do you want to assign as his primary mentor?”

“Well… I honestly haven’t given it much thought. It feels way too early to be worrying about that! Let’s wait and see what he’s actually interested in when he’s older. Or… you can just arrange it for him. You’re his father, after all. You have every right to make decisions regarding his training.”

“I do. And I want to assign Leng Huayi as his primary mentor. What do you think?”

“Leng Huayi?”

She recognized the name. He was a high-ranking operative within Franlun—the man who was almost always seen lingering right by Ji Yao’s side.

Truthfully, the thing she remembered most vividly about Leng Huayi was his behavior the last time she had been at the old headquarters. He had been the absolute ringleader of the gossip mill, constantly badgering everyone for juicy details about her relationship with Duan Xiaolin. He had been absolutely relentless in digging for information, which had honestly been a little overwhelming for her at the time.

She frowned slightly. “Why him? Why not Brother Qiu Chao?”

“Qiu Chao’s specific field of expertise isn’t suitable for what Ruiying will need to learn.”

“Ah?”

“Leng Huayi is essentially considered a miracle-working doctor and an unparalleled tactician within the supernatural world. He can teach Ruiying everything that the others simply cannot.”

“You have so many incredibly talented, lethal operatives in Franlun,” she mused softly. “If you’ve chosen him, you’ve definitely made the right call. I completely agree with your choice. I have absolutely no objections, but… Brother Qiu Chao might not be very happy about being passed over.”

The man chuckled. “Then let him be unhappy.”

Thinking of the exaggerated, heartbroken expression Qiu Chao would undoubtedly make when he found out, Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

The man slowly reached up, gently stroking her cheek. The warm, rough calluses of his palm pressed against her skin, sending a wave of comforting heat through her body.

Pei Xiqing caught his hand, turning her head to rub her cheek affectionately against his palm. She looked up, gazing deeply into his eyes.

The profound, pitch-black darkness swirling within his usually gentle eyes looked like an endless, inescapable vortex—as if it were trying to pull her soul straight out of her body and lock it away forever.

Sensing the sheer, terrifying intensity of his gaze, Pei Xiqing blinked subconsciously. She reached up with her free hand, playfully covering his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just want to look at you a little longer,” he whispered.

“It’s not like we’re never going to see each other again.”

Her eyes curved into beautiful, bright crescents as she smiled, making her look impossibly radiant and cute.

Even with his vision temporarily blocked by her small hand, he could still perfectly feel the gentle, loving aura radiating from her.

Closing his eyes beneath her palm, the man leaned forward and wrapped his arms securely around her, pulling her into a tight, desperate embrace.

Pei Xiqing lowered her eyes, resting her head against his shoulder. She remained completely silent for a very long time.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the evacuation finally arrived.

Ma Mengxiang was practically buzzing with excitement as she hauled heavy bags and crates onto the designated transport aircraft.

She had packed five oversized, reinforced suitcases.

Every single one was packed to the brim with the fresh vegetables she had miraculously managed to grow in the bunker. She had also meticulously packed organized vials containing every viable seed she had harvested.

They had even managed to load several large, woven baskets filled with live chickens, ducks, fresh fish, and cured meat.

Shadow was currently helping her wrangle the frantic chickens and ducks up the loading ramp. The elite pilots of the transport crew watched the chaotic scene, unable to hold back their laughter.

“Hey, Brother Shadow!” one of the pilots called out. “Those chickens and ducks are looking pretty plump! Are you bringing all that livestock up to headquarters for us to eat? Can we finally expect some real meat on the menu?”

Before Shadow could even formulate a response, Ma Mengxiang confidently yelled back, “Yes! I guarantee it!”

She patted her chest proudly. “Once they start breeding and laying eggs at the new base, everyone is going to eat like kings! I promise you, we will all be eating fresh meat and organic vegetables to our heart’s content!”

“We’ll hold you to that, chef!”

“Don’t worry! Just leave them to me! I know exactly how to take care of them. Not a single one is going to die on my watch!”

After nearly an hour of grueling, back-and-forth heavy lifting, they finally managed to get all of the necessary supplies and livestock securely strapped down in the aircraft’s cargo bay.

Ma Mengxiang leaned against a crate, panting heavily. “Thank you for all your hard work, Brother Yingzi.”

Shadow gave a curt nod. “It wasn’t hard.”

Having caught her breath, Ma Mengxiang couldn’t help but look back down the long, dimly lit tunnel leading to the underground base’s residential sector.

“Why haven’t they arrived yet?” she muttered, frowning. “Xiqing and Brother Duan should have been done packing ages ago. Do they just have too much stuff to carry? Should we go back down there and help them?”

Shadow nodded. “Yes.”

Together, Ma Mengxiang and Shadow quickly jogged back through the twisting tunnels until they reached the duplex.

When they walked through the open door, they found Pei Xiqing sitting quietly in an armchair, gently rocking a swaddled little Ruiying in her arms.

Ma Mengxiang looked around the room. “Hey, where’s Brother Duan?”

Pei Xiqing didn’t answer immediately. She just continued softly teasing the baby. “Little Ruirui, we’re leaving soon. Are you happy? If you’re happy, give me a big smile.”

As if understanding her, the child gurgled and offered a tiny, toothless grin.

Pei Xiqing gently stroked Ruiying’s soft cheek, a sad, beautiful smile gracing her own lips.

“Xiqing?” Ma Mengxiang pressed, stepping closer. “Why are you sitting here all alone?”

“Brother Duan had an urgent matter to attend to, so he left early.”

“What?”

Pei Xiqing looked up, her expression unreadable. “He’s already gone.”

Ma Mengxiang was completely stunned, her brain struggling to process the information.

“What do you mean… he left?”

“He left early. He said his presence was urgently required to handle some critical logistical matters at the Franlun base. He told me he would meet up with us at headquarters later.”

“Then what are we waiting around here for? Let’s go! Have you finished packing your bags?”

Ma Mengxiang looked around the room, peering behind Pei Xiqing’s chair.

The duplex was spotlessly clean and perfectly tidy.

She had packed their bags. She had packed the baby’s things. But she hadn’t touched a single one of her own personal belongings.

Ma Mengxiang hurried forward, completely oblivious. “We’re running out of time before the launch window closes! Let me help you grab your clothes—”

Pei Xiqing stood up. She held the baby close to her chest for a few agonizing seconds before turning to face them. Her voice was incredibly soft, yet filled with an absolute, unshakable resolve.

“You two need to board the transport to headquarters and deliver the child directly to Long Yan. I am going to find Brother Duan.”

Ma Mengxiang froze, whipping around to stare at her. “What?! You can’t be serious!”

“I am.” She slowly shook her head. “I’m entirely serious. He needs me right now. I have to go to him. I absolutely refuse to let him bear the weight of this world’s judgment alone.”

Ma Mengxiang didn’t understand a single word she was saying.

“What the hell does any of that mean…?”

Shadow stepped forward. Without a word, he gently took the swaddled baby from Pei Xiqing’s arms, cradling the infant securely against his armored chest.

He looked at her, his voice solemn. “Go.”

Pei Xiqing looked deeply into his eyes beneath the tactical mask. “Take good care of Mengxiang. Make absolutely sure you both arrive at the base safely.”

There was a profound, agonizing reluctance shimmering in Shadow’s eyes. As an elite Franlun operative, his emotions were usually as perfectly masked and ruthlessly calm as his Chief Judge’s. He rarely showed any drastic fluctuations. But this time, looking at Pei Xiqing, raw, unguarded emotion bled through his stoic facade for the very first time.

“Miss Pei… please, protect yourself as well.”

“I will.”

Pei Xiqing didn’t take a single piece of luggage with her.

She only stepped forward to take one last, desperate look at her child. She leaned down, pressing a long, trembling kiss to his soft cheek. As she pulled away, the little boy instinctively reached out, his tiny hand grabbing tightly onto one of her fingers.

Tears pricked Pei Xiqing’s eyes, but she forced a radiant smile. “Little Ruirui… grow up well.”

Gently untangling her finger from his grasp, she turned to Ma Mengxiang and Shadow. “Have a safe trip.”

With those final words, she turned and sprinted out of the duplex, leaving the safety of the base behind without a single moment of hesitation.

Ma Mengxiang had no idea what was actually happening, but as she watched Pei Xiqing’s figure disappear down the dark tunnel, hot tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks.

She couldn’t stop crying.

Shadow, holding the baby securely in one arm, reached into his tactical pouch with his free hand and offered her a clean tissue.

Ma Mengxiang took it, sobbing uncontrollably. “Why do I have such a terrible feeling about this…? She’s been with me through so much. Honestly, if it weren’t for Xiqing constantly encouraging me, I would have mentally collapsed a long time ago. If she hadn’t ordered you to secretly deliver that dagger to us, none of the villagers would even be alive today. Everyone in the bunker thinks I volunteered to stay behind just to keep her and Brother Duan company, but the truth is… she’s the one who’s been keeping me sane all this time.”

“Everything is going to be fine,” Shadow said, his voice unusually gentle. He adjusted the baby in his arm and reached out, firmly grasping her hand. “Let’s go.”

Ma Mengxiang gasped, looking down at their joined hands in shock.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, wiping her eyes fiercely, and followed Shadow’s steady footsteps toward the hangar.

“I’m going to be stronger than I was before,” she vowed aloud, her voice trembling but resolute. “I’m going to take excellent care of Ruirui for her, and I’m going to lead the entire agricultural division at the new base so no one ever starves!”

“If you need help with anything, just tell me. I will be there.”

“You said it yourself,” Ma Mengxiang sniffled, a watery smile finally breaking through her tears.

“Of course I will. I always mean what I say.”

She squeezed his hand. “But… is it really okay for Xiqing to just run out into the wasteland like that?”

“She’s with Brother Duan. Nothing will happen to her.”

“But Brother Duan left a long time ago! Can she even catch up to him in this blizzard? What if he’s already in danger?”

“He isn’t.”

Pei Xiqing burst out of the surface airlock elevator, sprinting recklessly out into the frozen wasteland.

The apocalyptic wind and snow howling across the surface were devastatingly strong, brutally restricting her movements and pushing her back with every step.

Even wearing a heavy, military-grade thermal coat, she knew she wouldn’t be able to stave off the lethal cold for long.

The world was still shrouded in absolute, suffocating darkness.

The howling gales and the blinding, heavy snowfall swallowed everything in sight.

Her vision was completely obscured. She couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her.

She was on the verge of losing her way entirely in the merciless blizzard.

Desperately pushing through a waist-deep snowdrift, she lunged forward and grabbed onto the frozen, jagged remains of a dead tree to keep from collapsing. Her strength was failing rapidly. The shrieking wind tore at her ears like the deafening roar of a demon, and the razor-sharp ice crystals in the snow lashed against her skin like microscopic blades, constantly tearing at her body.

With her last bit of strength, she forced her head up, squinting through the blinding whiteout.

A dark silhouette slowly materialized from the swirling vortex of wind and snow directly ahead of her.

The man was wearing a heavy, dark military greatcoat. The wide, sweeping cape flared out around him, effortlessly blocking the worst of the brutal winds. Beneath the shadow of his officer’s cap, his impossibly handsome, gentle face remained perfectly calm.

His silver glasses were slightly fogged from the cold, but it didn’t hinder his vision in the slightest.

He lowered his head slightly, extending a gloved hand toward her through the storm.

“You’re here.”

Pei Xiqing lunged forward, grabbing his hand and squeezing it with all the desperate strength she had left. Her voice was trembling violently from the freezing cold, but she didn’t take a single step back.

“I’m here.”

“I have been waiting for you for a very long time.”

No matter how terrifying the apocalyptic winds howled, no matter how desperately the world tried to freeze them in place, it was absolutely powerless to stop them from finding each other.

She smiled, tears freezing on her cheeks. “I know.”

Chapter 336: Mystery

Early the next morning, Ling Lang stood waiting at the primary airlock of the new base.

The difference between the inside and the outside was literally the difference between two worlds.

On one side of the massive steel doors was a lifeless, apocalyptic hellscape buried under endless snow and ice. On the other side was a massive, climate-controlled snow greenhouse that had taken the elite Franlun engineers two months to build—the new hope for all mankind.

He stood outside the inner checkpoint in his heavy military coat.

A squad of Franlun operatives followed him out. Each of them was bundled tightly in high-grade thermal gear, leaving only their eyes exposed to the freezing air.

Ling Lang turned around, frowning. “Why are you all following me? I can just wait out here by myself. The transport convoy should be arriving soon. I’ll receive them and escort them inside directly. You guys should just stay inside and finish prepping the receiving area.”

“Absolutely not, Major General,” the squad leader argued. “If you’re out here waiting, we have to stand out here with you. Besides, we haven’t seen the Chief Judge in months! Honestly, we all miss him terribly. It’ll be warmer if we all stand out here together. We can’t let our Major General freeze out here all alone!”

“That’s right!” another operative chimed in. “We’ve all been through hell and back together. Do you really think we’re afraid of a little snow? What a joke!”

“We’re waiting right here with you!”

Ling Lang shook his head helplessly.

He decided to just let them do what they wanted.

Soon, even Long Yan, Qiu Chao, and several other high-ranking officers emerged from the inner airlock.

Qiu Chao was sneezing violently as he walked. He looked so fragile in the heavy coat that it seemed like the wind might just pick him up and blow him away. “Oh my god… it is really cold out here. How can it be this cold? I’ve been inside the heated greenhouse for so long, I don’t think I can handle this temperature for very long.”

He followed up his complaint with three more violent sneezes.

Long Yan, who was wearing a standard-issue coat and didn’t even have a hat on, glared at him. “Look at you. There are literally children standing out here who aren’t afraid of the cold at all. But you, a grown man who’s been supposedly ‘hardened’ by the apocalypse for years, are cowering and shivering like a newborn.”

Qiu Chao hugged himself tightly, rubbing his arms. “It’s been too long since I’ve been outside! I’ve been locked in the lab this entire time! I’ve been doing the work of ten men all by myself! I’m exhausted every single day…”

Long Yan interrupted him sharply. “That’s enough. Shut up. You’re whining as if you’re the only person in this base who’s tired.”

Ling Lang echoed her sentiment. “Sister Long Yan is right. The construction crews are the ones who are truly exhausted. Everyone has worked themselves to the bone to build this base.”

Qiu Chao shrunk back. “…Okay, okay, I won’t say another word.”

After waiting in the freezing cold for about half an hour, they finally spotted the heavy transport aircraft cutting through the blizzard in the distance.

At first, it was just a small, dark dot in the gray sky, but its massive shape gradually became distinct as it approached the landing zone.

“That’s the transport we sent,” Long Yan announced. “They finally made it.”

Everyone looked up with eager anticipation.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao, who had been hiding behind Ling Lang’s long coat to block the wind, couldn’t help but peek out. “Is Sister Xiqing finally coming back?” Xiao Xiao asked excitedly. “I really want to see her! We haven’t seen her in so long…”

The massive transport aircraft slowly descended, touching down on the cleared landing pad with a heavy thud.

The main cargo hatch hissed open, lowering to form a ramp.

Shadow was the first to emerge from the darkness of the cargo bay.

Ma Mengxiang followed closely behind him, clutching her heavy winter coat tightly around herself.

Then, the automated loading drones began carrying massive pallets and boxes down the ramp.

The Franlun operatives immediately rushed forward to help unload the supplies.

Qiu Chao sneezed again as he walked up the ramp. Seeing the woven baskets full of clucking chickens and quacking ducks, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my god, are we trying to build Zootopia here? There’s so much livestock on this plane! And so much fresh food! Little sister, did you come to this base to help with infrastructure, or are you just here to start a massive farm?”

He excitedly extended a hand toward Ma Mengxiang. “Hey, can I come over to your sector for meals more often? I heard from Long Yan that your cooking is absolutely amazing! Make me lots of meat dishes; I need it to nourish my massive brain.”

Ma Mengxiang curled her lips into a tight, strained smile. “…Sure.”

Her response was incredibly forced and subdued.

Qiu Chao, oblivious as always, didn’t notice.

Long Yan walked over, smiling warmly. “You guys finally made it.”

Ma Mengxiang couldn’t help but let out a heavy, shaky sigh.

Long Yan frowned. “What’s wrong? You look worried.”

Suddenly, Long Yan realized exactly what was wrong.

She looked past Ma Mengxiang, staring into the depths of the cargo bay. Other than the remaining pallets of supplies, no one else was coming down the ramp.

Long Yan opened her mouth, about to ask the question on everyone’s mind, but Ling Lang had already jumped up onto the loading ramp.

He stared into the empty transport for a long moment before slowly turning around. “Don’t bother looking for them. And don’t ask.”

Ling Lang’s face darkened, his fists clenching tightly at his sides. He spoke with a strained, uncomfortable finality. “They chose not to come back.”

For several days after arriving at the new base, Ma Mengxiang couldn’t muster an ounce of energy.

Almost all the passion and fiery determination she had felt back at the Sixth Base—her dreams of farming, raising livestock, and feeding everyone—had seemingly been exhausted.

The only time she managed to cheer up even a little was when she went to visit little Ruiying.

Ruirui was currently being raised in the secure medical wing by her and Sister Long Yan.

Since Long Yan was frequently busy coordinating base logistics, Ma Mengxiang was the one who took care of the baby most of the time, leaving her with little else to do. Originally, the base leadership had wanted her to immediately begin developing the designated agricultural sector and to lead the training programs on how to properly cultivate crops and livestock in the apocalyptic greenhouse. But she genuinely wasn’t in the right headspace for it. She kept finding excuses to delay the project, putting it off day after day until a full week had passed.

One afternoon, Qiu Chao brought Xiao Yu to find her.

Xiao Yu was struggling to hold a massive, genetically modified watermelon in her arms.

It was bright purple.

She looked up at Ma Mengxiang, her big eyes blinking curiously. “Sister Mengxiang, why hasn’t Sister Xiqing come back yet? She promised me she would come back to find me! She said she would come back with you, and then you were going to teach us all how to farm so we’d have plenty of food!”

Ma Mengxiang, who had been brooding in a constant state of depression, suddenly felt a sharp pang of guilt pierce her chest.

She quickly squatted down and gently patted the little girl’s head. “I’m sorry, Xiao Yu.”

“Sister Mengxiang, I don’t want you to say sorry!” Xiao Yu protested. “You haven’t done anything to apologize for! I just want to know if Sister Xiqing is ever going to come back.”

Ma Mengxiang nodded vigorously, forcing back the tears stinging her eyes.

She spoke with absolute firmness. “Yes. She will. Right before she left, she promised me that she would definitely come back.”

Xiao Yu jumped up happily, nearly dropping the massive purple watermelon. “Yay! I’m so happy because I know I’ll get to see her again! But…” She paused, looking at Ma Mengxiang with innocent concern. “I’m worried that when she finally comes back, she’ll see that you’re sad and unhappy every single day. If you’re sad, then she’ll definitely be sad too! Sister Mengxiang, since we know Sister Xiqing is coming back, shouldn’t we try to be happier while we wait for her?”

The child’s simple, innocent logic struck Ma Mengxiang like a bolt of lightning, instantly waking her from her depressive stupor.

She stared at the little girl for a long moment before a genuine, loud laugh finally broke from her lips.

She reached out and pulled Xiao Yu into a tight hug.

“Thank you, Xiao Yu! Thank you so much!”

Xiao Yu didn’t entirely understand why she was being thanked, but she just hugged the older girl back with a bright smile.

Ma Mengxiang clenched her fists, a renewed fire burning in her chest. This time, she was completely determined. Her emotional slump evaporated.

When Xiqing finally returned, Ma Mengxiang swore she would present her with a brand-new, thriving base—a sanctuary where everyone was well-fed and warmly clothed, not just another bunker filled with people waiting to die.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, deep within the heart of an apocalyptic blizzard.

Pei Xiqing held Xiao Bai’s massive paw as they navigated through a dense, primitive forest that had been completely flash-frozen by the dropping temperatures.

Xiao Bai acted like an organic, highly tuned radar detector.

His mutated senses were incredibly sharp. Any parasite or zombie hiding beneath the deep snow or frozen earth was instantly detected.

When Xiao Bai dug up a dormant parasite buried deep beneath the roots of a frozen tree and dragged it over to her, Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but pat his massive, terrifying head affectionately. “Great job! Great job, Xiao Bai! Come here!”

She tossed a massive chunk of fresh meat to him.

Xiao Bai opened his horrific, multi-jawed mouth and swallowed the meat in a single, instantaneous bite.

Having been separated from him while he trained with Ling Lang, Pei Xiqing was shocked to see that Xiao Bai’s size had more than doubled compared to his days in the village.

If the slightly mutated Xiao Bai back then had resembled a large, terrifying lion, the creature walking beside her now felt like an eighteen-year-old bull elephant.

The changes in his size and biology were rapid and ongoing. Given his accelerated growth rate, she genuinely wasn’t sure how massive he would eventually become.

After all, no one had ever documented a case like this before.

He had started as a zombie, gradually mutated to absorb parasitic traits, and was now rapidly evolving into an entirely new apex predator.

His entire existence was a fascinating, terrifying biological mystery.

In just two hours, Xiao Bai had successfully hunted down every single dormant parasite within a hundred-meter radius.

His razor-sharp, scythe-like teeth effortlessly tore through the resting parasites’ armor, dragging their massive corpses out of the snow one by one.

In no time at all, a literal mountain of frozen mud, snow, and parasite corpses had piled up in the clearing.

Pei Xiqing was busy studying the complex mechanisms of a newly developed weapon when she turned around and nearly jumped at the sight of the bloody mountain looming behind her.

She immediately radioed for assistance.

Within ten minutes, a massive man slowly emerged from the dense, frozen forest.

The man looked like an absolute giant. He was nearly two meters tall, with a broad, incredibly muscular build.

Huihua walked over, his eyes widening as he took in the massive pile of corpses. He couldn’t help but whistle in admiration. “Xiao Bai is really amazing! He hunts faster than all of us combined! What a good dog!”

He reached out, fearlessly rubbing the terrifying beast’s massive, armored head.

Xiao Bai narrowed his glowing eyes, leaning in and affectionately rubbing his massive bulk against Huihua’s legs like a giant cat, before obediently trotting back to Pei Xiqing’s side.

Pei Xiqing smiled. “Brother Huihua, I’ll have to trouble you with the cleanup and processing later.”

Huihua nodded, slapping his broad chest. “Leave the heavy lifting to me.”

“Can you remind me how to use this weapon?” Pei Xiqing asked, holding up the complex device. “I don’t quite remember the specific firing mechanisms you explained earlier. Can you walk me through it one more time?”

“Of course,” Huihua smiled warmly.

He took the heavy weapon from her hands, his thick fingers tracing the firing mechanism as he patiently explained, “Do you still remember the custom saber I forged for you back in that shabby little town when we first met?”

Pei Xiqing nodded. “I remember perfectly.”

If Huihua hadn’t used the low-grade crystal cores to forge those specialized weapons for her, she never would have been able to safely escort Ling Lang and the refugees out of the zombie-infested zone.

“I’ve been forging specialized weapons for so many years that I’ve developed certain design habits,” Huihua explained. “For example, the internal shifting mechanisms of this gun and the saber I made for you last time operate on the exact same mechanical principles, despite the difference in materials. Just watch.”

As he spoke, he pressed a hidden latch. With a sharp, metallic clack, the heavy firearm in his hand instantly folded and locked, transforming into a lethal, razor-sharp tactical saber.

Pei Xiqing’s eyes lit up in amazement.

“That is incredible.”

“This type of transforming weapon is excellent for dealing with ordinary zombies,” Huihua noted, handing it back to her. “However, if you try to use the blade against the heavy armor of the new parasites, the chances of it penetrating the shell are very slim. In this apocalyptic world, traditional physical weapons just aren’t very popular anymore. Compared to the latent, devastating supernatural energy awakened inside ability users, manufactured weapons are simply too weak.”

“I disagree,” Pei Xiqing countered, gripping the saber. “I think it’s more than good enough for dispatching ordinary zombies. This way, I don’t have to waste my latent energy—or rely on my dangerous viral abilities—just to kill low-level threats.”

Huihua effortlessly hoisted a massive, lizard-like parasite weighing several hundred kilograms onto his shoulder. As he walked toward the processing area, he called back to her, “I’ll move all these carcasses to the butchering cave later! Don’t worry about it! It’s too freezing out here right now. Let me escort you back to the main cave first.”

Pei Xiqing followed close behind him. “Brother Huihua, have you and your team really been living out here in these frozen mountains for half a year?”

Huihua nodded, his breath pluming in the cold air. “Yes. After we separated from your group back at the small settlement, I didn’t stay there for long. The apocalypse was getting increasingly violent, and the massive natural disasters we all feared finally arrived. Fortunately, my brothers trusted my instincts. We packed up and retreated deep into these secluded mountains ahead of time, which allowed us to barely escape the worst of the cataclysms.”

“Then you are truly farsighted,” Pei Xiqing praised. “You were incredibly lucky—and strong enough—to secure a safe haven like this.” She paused, offering an apologetic smile. “I’m really sorry. Brother Duan and I just showed up unannounced a few days ago. We’ve completely disrupted your peace.”

Huihua scoffed, waving a massive hand dismissively. “What absolute nonsense! If you and Brother Duan are ever in trouble, I would risk my own life to help you without a second thought! What’s a little disruption? The fact that fate brought us back together out here proves we were meant to meet again. I, Huihua, would never turn my back on a friend.”

Pei Xiqing felt a profound swell of gratitude.

She had left the Sixth Base with Brother Duan exactly one week ago.

During their brutal journey across the wasteland, they had discovered a terrifying, inexplicable pattern.

As long as they continued to hunt and slaughter parasites using strictly physical means—without Duan Xiaolin utilizing a single drop of his supernatural abilities—the severity of the apocalyptic natural disasters in their immediate vicinity would gradually begin to weaken.

She couldn’t fully comprehend the cosmological logic behind it.

If simply butchering parasites and zombies could physically lessen the severity of the natural disasters, they would gladly dedicate their lives to hunting them unconditionally.

But not being allowed to use supernatural abilities made it impossibly difficult.

It was too dangerous.

Because of this brutal restriction, Brother Duan had sustained multiple severe injuries during close-quarters combat.

Yet, every time he was injured—every time he bled instead of using his powers to crush his enemies—it seemed to further confirm the twisted law of this world: his suffering directly caused the natural disasters to recede.

—For the world-ending Calamity to disappear, Brother Duan must be continuously subjected to physical trauma and absolutely forbidden from utilizing his supernatural powers. If the Calamity disappears completely… does that mean the “rules of the world” demand that he must disappear as well?

Throughout their grueling journey, they had been desperately searching for the underlying truth behind the apocalyptic cataclysms.

Unfortunately, this horrifying correlation was their only concrete discovery so far.

During a particularly vicious ambush by a swarm of parasites, Brother Duan had inevitably suffered a severe laceration. But miraculously, right as they were about to be overwhelmed, they had stumbled across Huihua’s scouting party.

That was how they discovered this hidden sanctuary deep within the frozen mountains and ancient forests.

Hidden within these remote peaks were numerous natural, geothermal stone caves that retained an incredible amount of heat.

For the past six months, Huihua’s group had survived by living in these deep caves. They constantly hunted the thick-skinned parasites native to the region, utilizing the heavy, insulated hides to craft thermal clothing and consuming the purified meat to stave off starvation in the extreme temperatures.

The parasites native to this specific mountain range were remarkably different from the ones ravaging the rest of the wasteland.

They retained a thicker, more primitive dermal layer. The meat beneath the armor was actually delicious, completely devoid of the unbearable, hallucinogenic stench and the lethal viral load found in the lowland variants.

It was completely safe for human consumption.

Pei Xiqing walked with Huihua until they reached the entrance of the primary cavern. “Thank you for everything, Brother Huihua. But Brother Duan and I truly don’t want to drag your team down. Once his injuries have healed sufficiently, we’ll pack up and leave.”

Huihua stopped, looking at her sternly. “Absolutely not. You are not leaving. And if you insist on leaving, then we’re all leaving together! Brother Duan is currently unable to use his supernatural abilities! I have to follow you to ensure you’re both protected. Don’t even think about trying to sneak away in the middle of the night to get rid of me!”

Pei Xiqing was so deeply moved by his fierce loyalty that she couldn’t find the words to respond.

She led Xiao Bai into the warmth of the cavern.

Huihua’s team had meticulously chiseled the interior of the cave until the floors and walls were smooth and flat. It was fully furnished with beautifully crafted wooden furniture and thick fur rugs.

The thick stone walls acted as a massive thermal battery, trapping the geothermal heat from below. While it was a freezing hellscape outside, the deeper you walked into the cave, the warmer and more comfortable the temperature became.

The man sitting in the heavy armchair had his back to her. His heavy coat was draped loosely over his shoulders. His broad chest and torso were wrapped in layers of thick, white medical bandages. Fresh bloodstains were faintly visible, seeping through the stark white fabric.

His face was a little pale from blood loss, but he remained in exceptional shape. Despite his severe injuries, the lean, powerful muscle lines visible beneath his unbuttoned shirt were still perfectly defined.

Hearing their footsteps, he slowly lowered the book in his hand and turned his head, offering a faint, half-smile. “Did you have fun playing outside?”

“I did.”

Pei Xiqing grabbed the medical kit from a nearby shelf, walking over and squatting in front of him, preparing to change his bloodied bandages.

He gently caught her hands. “Your hands are freezing. Don’t go back out there tomorrow.”

“But we have to go out. Xiao Bai gets restless; he wants to go out and hunt too.”

The man casually raised his uninjured arm, resting it on the back of his chair with a low chuckle. “With Xiao Bai rapidly evolving, you really are on your way to becoming the true Zombie King… or perhaps the undisputed overlord of the parasites. With him by your side, you could walk sideways through the apocalypse, and absolutely nothing would dare try to hurt you.”

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