What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH5

Chapter 5: Please

Pei Xiqing’s eyes went wide.

Wait a minute.

She had to have misheard. Franlun? The very same Franlun that served as the ultimate, overarching antagonist to the novel’s hero and heroine? The supreme syndicate that sat above all other powers in the post-apocalyptic world?

That meant she was sitting with the organization run by the story’s ultimate villain.

Thinking back on the plot, the overarching villain had targeted the male lead early on, and the hero had only survived by relying entirely on ridiculous plot armor to escape death time and time again. The villain, on the other hand, was the true pinnacle of power—possessing overwhelming strength, ruthless methods, and absolutely zero need for external assistance or miracles.

Yet, the villain still died in the end.

According to the novel, he had met his demise due to a sudden “mental degradation.” A grand, intricate scheme that had been building for hundreds of chapters was inexplicably unraveled by the male protagonist in a single stroke. The villain was killed off abruptly, paving the way for a rushed happy ending.

Even from the perspective of a reader, Pei Xiqing had always felt that the villain’s death was horribly contrived and forced.

Regardless of his eventual fate, right now, Franlun was the absolute authority in the wasteland. Mysterious, low-key, yet completely controlling the lifeblood of humanity. They could issue an execution order for anyone—from a Supreme Base Commander to a nameless foot soldier—and it would be carried out. To ordinary survivors, they were essentially gods.

Pei Xiqing nodded solemnly. “I understand. I’ll keep it a secret.”

Ling Lang let out a harsh scoff.

The High Council of Franlun operated on incredibly strict hierarchies. There were only a handful of core members, but every single one of them was an absolute titan in their respective domain.

“Keep it a secret?” Ling Lang rolled his eyes. “It’s basically an open secret at this point. Everyone knows who the members are. We just don’t care.”

Aside from his boss, Ling Lang despised the rest of the council. Just thinking about them made his blood boil. What kind of moronic orders were they passing down these days? Just a few weeks ago, they had dispatched him to lead a vanguard unit into a literal toxic sewer trench. He hadn’t even fought that many zombies, but the stench had been so horrific that no amount of scrubbing could wash it off. He still felt like he smelled like a rotting pig carcass.

“Go ahead and tell everyone for all I care,” Ling Lang grumbled, kicking a rock. “Everyone on that council is a complete idiot, except for my brother.”

Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Ling Lang shot her a vicious glare. “What are you laughing at, you stupid little zombie?”

“You’re the fool,” she shot back.

Suddenly, Ling Lang leaned in close, examining her face. “You know, I’ve really never seen anyone survive a bite and retain their consciousness this long. Especially since…”

He reached out and tentatively poked her pale cheek with his index finger. “Your skin hasn’t even started to necrotize and peel yet.”

Pei Xiqing quickly touched her own cheek and shrank back. “I don’t know. Maybe the zombie that bit me was a dud, or maybe the virus is just moving slowly through my system.”

“It doesn’t move this slowly.” Ling Lang raised his wrist, checking his heavy mechanical watch. “You’ve got about five minutes left until you hit the exact twenty-four-hour mark since infection.”

Long Yan, who was sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been tracking her time quite closely, haven’t you?”

“Obviously not!” Ling Lang snapped defensively. “I’ve just been monitoring her mutation progress because it’s abnormal!”

“Are you sure you don’t just like her?”

Ling Lang, who had just taken a swig from his canteen, nearly choked. He sputtered, wiping his mouth indignantly. “Sister Long Yan! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?! Why the hell would I fall for a stupid girl who’s about to turn into a rotting corpse?!”

Pei Xiqing just smiled faintly, pressing her lips together. She knew Long Yan was only teasing him.

“Oh, really?” Long Yan smirked.

“Sister, please, stop stirring up trouble.”

Long Yan chuckled softly, deciding to let the kid off the hook before he blew a gasket. She shifted her gaze back to Pei Xiqing.

In truth, Long Yan thought that if this girl miraculously survived, she and Ling Lang might actually make a good match. Ling Lang was known as the devil of the Vanguard Base—domineering, arrogant, and reckless. But he was also fiercely loyal, incredibly powerful, and a rare dual-ability user. If Pei Xiqing was taken back to their base, she would need someone formidable to protect her, or she would be eaten alive by the other factions.

Noticing the girl’s youthful features, Long Yan asked, “Xiqing, how old are you?”

Pei Xiqing thought for a moment. “Twenty-two.”

“So young. The exact same age as Ling Lang.”

“Just a coincidence.”

“Right.” Ling Lang scoffed, turning away to check his gear.

A cold breeze swept through the camp, and Pei Xiqing subconsciously pulled the heavy tactical coat tighter around her shoulders.

Long Yan’s eyes dropped to the oversized coat draping over the girl’s petite frame. The teasing smile in her eyes instantly froze. “Wait… isn’t that Brother Duan’s coat? He actually gave that to you?”

“Yes.”

Long Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression turning unreadable. She leaned in closer. “Let me tell you a little secret.”

Pei Xiqing blinked in surprise but leaned in to listen.

The older woman curled her red lips, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. “A while back, a female lieutenant general at one of the allied bases accidentally brushed against Brother Duan’s uniform jacket. After that day, he was never seen wearing it again. Word is, he threw it into an incinerator and burned it to ashes.”

Pei Xiqing’s blood ran cold. “That’s… a bit extreme, isn’t it?”

If he burned his clothes just from a passing touch, what was going to happen to this coat she had practically buried herself in? Would he vaporize it the second she took it off?

“He is notoriously averse to having his personal belongings tainted by the scent or touch of others. He refuses to wear anything someone else has contaminated. If he can’t clean it, he destroys it.”

Those words echoed ominously in Pei Xiqing’s mind. She was so distracted that she didn’t even hear Ling Lang barking at her.

It wasn’t until he shouted louder that she snapped out of her daze. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

Ling Lang was aggressively holstering his gun, the harsh night wind violently ruffling his white hair. “I said, get back in the car and go to sleep! Are you trying to freeze to death out here?!”

“Oh. Right.”

Pei Xiqing planted her hands on her knees and pushed herself up. But the moment she stood, the world violently tilted.

Her face, which had gained a little color from sitting near the heat of the engine, instantly drained of all blood, turning a ghastly, translucent white. Her legs turned to jelly. As she collapsed, her hand shot out blindly, desperately grabbing the nearest arm to keep from hitting the dirt.

Ling Lang, who was still adjusting his gear, felt a sudden weight drag against his arm. It wasn’t a heavy blow, but it startled him. Looking down, he saw Pei Xiqing half-kneeling on the ground, her fingers digging weakly into his sleeve.

He immediately dropped to one knee to support her. “Hey! What’s wrong with you? Are you seizing? Speak to me!”

Pei Xiqing couldn’t utter a single syllable. Her entire body convulsed. A horrifying, suffocating itch had erupted from beneath her skin, accompanied by a tearing agony in her joints, as if her limbs were being forcibly ripped apart from the inside out. The virus was finally breaking through her remaining defenses.

Ling Lang was shouting something, but his voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. Her vision blurred, locking onto a single, metallic glint—the tactical dagger strapped to the side of his combat vest.

Driven entirely by the delirious, frantic need to stop the agonizing itch, she ripped the dagger from its sheath.

Without hesitation, she dragged the razor-sharp blade hard across her own forearm.

A brilliant flare of pain sliced through her nervous system.

The sudden, sharp agony momentarily overpowered the maddening itch. As hot blood welled up and spilled over her skin, her frayed nerves registered a sickening, twisted sense of relief. Beneath the sharp sting of the wound, there was a dark, horrific rush of pleasure.

Is this how it feels to mutate?

Writhing as if trapped in a nightmare, she raised the bloody dagger again, completely losing control over her own actions. She needed more pain. She needed to drown out the virus.

Just as she brought the blade down for a second slash, her wrist was locked in an unbreakable, iron grip.

The dagger was violently wrenched from her hand, clattering harmlessly against the stones.

Dizzy and gasping for air, Pei Xiqing forced her heavy eyelids open. Through the haze, the only thing she could focus on was a pair of eyes—cold, bottomless, and utterly devoid of panic—staring at her from behind gold-rimmed glasses.

She had been pulled from Ling Lang’s frantic grasp and hoisted into another embrace. One that was taller, broader, and terrifyingly cold.

Completely consumed by delirium, her survival instincts twisted into madness. She slumped heavily against his chest. Turning her head, she rubbed her blood-smeared cheek directly against his pristine, untouchable jawline, staining his pale skin crimson.

Her breath hitched as she tilted her head back, her voice a desperate, broken whisper against his neck:

“Please… just cut me two more times.”