What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH27

Chapter 27: Want to Change Your Taste?

Pei Xiqing forced herself to suppress the surging, primal craving and moved a few heavy stones to secure the corner of the tent.

Outside, the convoy of the rogue scavenger team rumbled past, heading toward the front of the camp. She turned her head, idly glancing at the passing trucks.

The license plates looked familiar.

Since the vehicle that had just passed belonged to Meng Jiankai’s “A121243” squad, the convoy currently rolling by had to be the “Horned Fang” team.

Pei Xiqing crouched behind the canvas of the tent, watching them in silence. She knew that something was deeply wrong; staying here was a liability. She was scanning the camp, frantically calculating how to slip away during the chaos, when a hand suddenly clapped down on her shoulder.

She jumped, her heart hammering—sure that it was Meng Jiankai returning to harass her. She spun around, nails bared, ready to claw at whoever dared touch her, only to find Ling Lang standing there. He had just returned from the leadership meeting.

His combat uniform was splattered with fresh blood. He had discarded the heavy tactical jacket over his shoulder, leaving him in a thin white t-shirt. He eyed her suspiciously. “What are you doing? Haven’t you heard that zombies can infect people just by scratching them?”

Ling Lang grabbed her wrist, his eyes narrowing as he inspected the green, necrotic spots on her skin. “What’s the matter? Are you going to go feral again?”

Pei Xiqing coughed and yanked her arm back. “No. I just thought you were some thug looking for trouble.”

“Really?” Ling Lang laughed. “So, in that pretty little head of yours, I’m just a thug?”

“You think of yourself as one, even if I don’t.”

“Then what are you doing squatting here? Did you break something?”

“I didn’t break anything. Can’t you see me moving these stones?” she asked innocently.

Ling Lang hummed, picked up a heavy rock, and tossed it at her feet. “Is that enough for you?”

“That’s plenty.”

“Come on. We’re having a feast. We’ve got meat.” He waited for her to awkwardly shuffle the heavy rock into place before urging, “If you get there too late, there won’t even be bones left.”

Pei Xiqing stayed crouched on the ground. “I’m not going.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to eat.”

“What’s the matter? You want to gnaw on human flesh or brains for a change?”

…

Pei Xiqing sighed. “If I truly wanted to eat human flesh, I’d be dead right under your noses before you even realized what happened.”

“Then what are you worried about? As long as you don’t bite anyone, no one here can hurt you.” Ling Lang saw her eyes cast down, listless and pale. He cleared his throat. “I said it before, my brother is a High Representative of Franlun. If he hasn’t ordered your execution, you have nothing to fear. No matter how many teams converge on this camp, no one dares to lay a finger on you.”

Pei Xiqing raised her eyes. “Thank you, Ling Lang.”

Ling Lang overreacted, his face flushing slightly. “…You should have said thank you a long time ago, but I guess it’s not too late.”

“But I still don’t want to go.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Not right now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Fresh meat is a rare luxury in the wasteland. They’re making hot pot over there. You’re going.”

Ling Lang grabbed her wrist without waiting for an answer and hauled her to her feet. “If you’re worried about being recognized, just put this on.”

He handed her a black tactical mask made from high-tech, textured composite material.

It was the same one he had been wearing when she first met him. At the time, with his shock-white hair and that mask, he had looked like a ferocious vampire.

“What is this for?” Pei Xiqing asked.

“It’s a specialized mask,” Ling Lang explained as they walked. “It filters out all airborne toxins and purifies your oxygen, but more importantly, it’s a visual scrambler. When you put it on, it blocks the enemy’s scanners and masks your facial features. And…”

He paused, holding her wrist, and reached to zip up her jacket to ensure she was fully covered. Pei Xiqing quickly moved to do it herself, and he retracted his hands, looking slightly annoyed. “We’re all used to seeing those green spots on your skin, and we know it’s not your fault. But other people might panic. If you’re worried about being recognized, keep your skin covered.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Let’s move.”

“What about my food?”

“You idiot, the team has a private tent. Nobody else has seen you eat inside that tent. Just grab your bowl and go. But keep that mask on—we’re going to be crossing paths with a lot of other squads, so don’t reveal your face.”

“Got it.”

Pei Xiqing followed him obediently. As they approached the main campsite, she could hear the loud, boisterous conversations of the other squad leaders. She hid her face behind the mask, kept her head down, and focused on her footsteps.

Several tall, heavily armed men approached them, saluting Ling Lang. “Captain Ling Lang! You’re finally here! We were just looking for you. Come on, let’s go eat beef hot pot!”

“Captain Ling Lang, is this the female ability user from your squad? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before.”

Ling Lang deftly brushed them off with a few smooth, dismissive sentences. Just then, another man stepped forward to talk to Ling Lang, lowering his voice. “I heard a Franlun Representative is embedded in your squad. I wonder if I might have the honor of being introduced?”

As he spoke, he tried to slip something into Ling Lang’s pocket.

Ling Lang pulled the object out—a high-level crystal core. It was incredibly rare in the apocalypse; it could be traded for base supplies, nutrients, or even used to jump-start latent superpowers.

Ling Lang sneered, tossing the core back at the man. “You think you can bribe me with this trash?”

“…Captain Ling Lang!”

Ling Lang pulled Pei Xiqing away.

“We’ve been handed a dozen ‘gifts’ like that today,” Ling Lang muttered as they walked. “Every single one of these squads is hoarding high-level cores. They’re supposed to be turned into the central base for research, but they keep them for themselves. It’s a serious crime, but everyone takes the risk for the payout.”

“Is that kind of hoarding common?”

“Low-tier cores are currency, but high-tier and top-tier ones? They’re basically power-up pills. They can elevate an ability user’s rank or even awaken powers in civilians,” he said lazily. “Pointless to explain it to you. You saw it today—it’s a real eye-opener.”

Pei Xiqing kept her thoughts to herself.

Suddenly, she bumped into a tall, slender figure standing in their path.

The man had been talking to someone else, but he lowered his eyes to look at the girl behind the mask, observing her with a faint, amused smile.

Pei Xiqing leaned toward him. “Brother Duan…”

“Hm?” Duan Xiaolin’s voice was magnetic and elegant. “What’s wrong?”

“I want to go inside and eat hot pot. Please make way.”

The man smiled, turning sideways to let her pass.

He leaned down, whispering into her ear, “Eat plenty.”

Pei Xiqing’s cheeks flushed. She was just about to duck into the tent when a clear, masculine voice rang out from behind her: “Wait a minute!”

A man and a woman, fully geared in tactical combat armor, strode toward them.

Hearing that voice—a voice permanently seared into the original owner’s memory—Pei Xiqing shuddered violently.

The man walked up, looking visibly anxious. “Captain Ling Lang! Can you help me find someone?”

Ling Lang looked annoyed. “Looking for someone? Are you S1 team members so bored that you need me to play detective for you?”

The man remained polite. “It’s a long story. But I’ve received reliable intel that the person I’m hunting is currently in this camp. I’ve searched every other sector and came up empty, so I had no choice but to come here and try my luck with you.”

Ling Lang’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you looking for?”

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