What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH118-120

Chapter 118 | Chapter 119 | Chapter 120

Chapter 118: Indifferent

The man stared at Pei Xiqing as if he had just seen a ghost.

Scrambling backward in a blind panic, he completely lost his footing and bumped directly into a roaming pack of zombies. In a flash, a mutant lunged forward and bit his head clean off. His decapitated body collapsed into the mud, still violently twitching and twisting.

Pei Xiqing winced slightly, finding the gruesome sight a bit hard on the eyes. Without a word, she quietly changed direction.

Unexpectedly, on the other side of the Wu River, she spotted several familiar vehicles. Weren’t those the cars from the rundown stronghold she had just been held captive in? Sure enough, she saw Pei Yanting hauling Xiao Yue into one of the off-road vehicles while the rest of their S1 team desperately fought off a swarm of zombies.

Xiao Yue was clearly struggling. His legs shook violently with every step, and simply walking seemed to require a monumental effort, but… he was actually conscious and moving.

Across the river, the group was entirely focused on fending off the horde and didn’t notice her watching them from the opposite bank.

The male protagonist really is ridiculously lucky, Pei Xiqing thought bitterly. To actually survive that kind of torture.

Even though she had fully anticipated his plot armor, seeing him back on his feet still made her stomach twist with discomfort. She had no idea how Duan Xiaolin and Ling Lang were doing. They had both been severely injured when they separated, and she didn’t know if they had managed to recover over the past few days.

Just looking at Xiao Yue made her angry. He relied entirely on his status as the male lead to brazenly bully Duan Xiaolin and Ling Lang, twisting the narrative to his favor.

Standing there indifferently, she watched from afar as the protagonist’s team was slowly swarmed by the infected.

There was a rustle of movement behind her. Tang Yitong had caught up.

The girl followed her gaze across the river. Tilting her head, she pointed. “Who are they? Oh! Wait, I remember now! That woman over there once visited our base. She was some kind of physicist consultant, apparently working on top-secret research. The higher-ups invited her over to provide guidance. She arrived with her team, accompanied by a rather stiff-looking guy. Yep, that’s the one getting into the car right now!”

“Is that so?” Pei Xiqing replied neutrally.

“Yeah, that woman is actually pretty clever.”

“Let’s go,” Pei Xiqing said, turning away from the riverbank.

Tang Yitong blinked, jogging to keep up. “Does Sister Qing know them?”

“I don’t know them.”

“Alright then, let’s go! I really want to try the wild vegetables you’re going to cook. I’m so sick of eating canned food and compressed biscuits every single day.”

“Okay.”

The two of them continued on their way. Pei Xiqing walked at a leisurely pace, casually snapping photos of the desolate scenery with her phone. Tang Yitong was dumbfounded more than once, so shocked by Pei Xiqing’s relaxed, vacation-like attitude in the middle of the apocalypse that she didn’t even know what to say.

When night fell, Tang Yitong pulled a high-tech tent out of her tactical backpack. After setting it up, she popped her head out of the flap. “Sister Qing, you should squeeze in with me tonight. This tent has thermal insulation. It stays super warm inside, and absolutely no wind leaks through.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” she beamed. “I’ve already laid out the blankets inside.”

“The food is almost done,” Pei Xiqing called out from the small campfire. “Come and eat.”

Tang Yitong eagerly took a few bites and immediately began praising the taste with absolute fervor.

“When I was at my old base, I met an elderly woman and used to buy these specific greens from her,” Pei Xiqing explained, stirring the pot. “I started cooking them more and more, and eventually, I figured out the best way to prepare them.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever realized wild vegetables could taste this good!”

“I wasn’t kidding. These greens might look a bit ugly, but in the apocalypse, there aren’t many safe crops left. Being able to eat something this decent is a luxury.”

“Mhm!” Tang Yitong nodded enthusiastically, her cheeks stuffed.

The two of them ate peacefully for a while.

Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the air behind them. In an instant, bright flames illuminated the night sky, followed immediately by the rapid, staccato crack of a fierce gunfight.

Tang Yitong jumped to her feet. “What’s going on?”

She quickly scaled a nearby tree, standing on the highest sturdy branch to look back. “Hey, isn’t that the same group we saw across the river today? The one with the physicist. It looks like they’re traveling along the same route we are. A massive horde of zombies caught up to them from behind, and they’re engaged in a heavy firefight.”

Pei Xiqing looked up. “Come down here quickly. How can you climb so fast wearing a skirt? Be careful, or someone might spot you.”

Tang Yitong hopped down from the tree and dusted off her hands. “What are you afraid of? I’m wearing safety shorts underneath! Besides, if any creep dares to peek at me, I’ll beat him to death!”

She twirled playfully in front of Pei Xiqing. “Sister, were you looking at my skirt?”

“I was.”

“A brother in my squad made it for me.”

“He’s amazing. The craftsmanship is really great.”

“Hehe, of course it is! The brothers in my unit are all super smart and talented. If you meet them someday, you’ll definitely agree.”

Pei Xiqing smiled faintly.

The intense gunfire continued echoing from the distance. It was getting a bit annoying. Why did that protagonist group always seem to stumble into zombies and end up fighting for their lives every single day?

Seeing that the S1 team was still a fair distance away, she ignored the commotion and went back to eating.

Tang Yitong, on the other hand, had clearly been enjoying the chaos. Suddenly, she produced a heavy walkie-talkie completely caked in sand and dirt.

“Sister Qing! Look what I snagged from their car! Hehe!” she cheered excitedly. “While they were completely surrounded and busy fighting off the horde, I sneaked over, slipped into one of their vehicles, and grabbed this! I also swiped a bunch of canned food. Look!”

Tang Yitong found it incredibly strange that the zombies had been swarming the entire area but hadn’t shown the slightest interest in coming toward their camp. Thrilled by this bizarre stroke of luck, she was more than happy to be lazy and avoid fighting.

Pei Xiqing took the device, staring at the walkie-talkie in a daze.

This wasn’t just a short-range radio; it possessed long-range communication functions. It was just a bit battered—likely dropped and exposed to too much wind and sand over the years.

Holding the communicator tightly in her hands, she fell into a deep silence.

Ling Lang rubbed his throbbing forehead and slowly opened his eyes inside an isolation room at the capital headquarters.

Looking down, he realized his torso and arms were heavily wrapped in thick white bandages. Gritting his teeth, he aggressively tore off the restrictive gauze wrapped around his arm and sat up, a fierce, dark look in his eyes.

It was just a minor injury, and I actually passed out, he thought bitterly.

But the moment he sat up, someone smacked him hard on the back of the head.

He rubbed his messy white hair and snapped his head up.

Long Yan stepped away from the chair beside his bed, crossing her arms with a cold sneer. “So, you’re finally awake. We explicitly agreed you’d retreat after dark, yet you sat out there waiting into the third day until you almost died. If I hadn’t brought an extraction team back in time, you would have bled out in the wilderness. Do you realize that?”

Ling Lang rubbed his temples. “I was waiting for someone. There had to be a price. Besides, I lost track of how many days had passed… Did she…”

Long Yan cut him off. “Do you have any idea what you looked like when we pulled you out of there?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Long Yan frowned deeply. When they had found Ling Lang, he had been completely delirious, instantly mistaking her for Pei Xiqing the moment she grabbed him. His condition had been so critical that it took two heavy doses of tranquilizers just to stabilize his vitals.

“You! Can you please be a little more careful with your life?! Do you really think you’re invincible just because you can survive in the wild for a while? If you had been bitten just once while exhausted, you would have never made it back here!”

Ling Lang was still a bit dizzy, but his physical injuries had largely healed thanks to his high-tier ability. He raised his head, looking Long Yan directly in the eyes. “Sister, just tell me. Is Pei Xiqing back? Did you bring her back too?”

Long Yan’s expression softened into something grim. “When I rushed back to the coordinates with the reinforcements from headquarters, I only saw you falling from that tree. As for the rest… I didn’t see any trace of her.”

Ling Lang sucked in a sharp breath.

Without another word, he violently ripped the remaining bandages off his chest. He stood up, marching toward the door. “I’m going to find my brother.”

Chapter 119: What a Mess

“Wait a moment.”

Long Yan called out to him.

Ling Lang paused and looked back. He was already halfway out the door.

“Given Brother Duan’s current condition,” Long Yan said, “I’m afraid he won’t be able to go out and look for Xi Qing anytime soon.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means his ability is highly unstable right now and requires strict observation. If we act rashly, something disastrous might happen.”

Ling Lang narrowed his eyes, confused.

Half an hour later.

Inside the headquarters’ general aviation command building.

Long Yan led Ling Lang to a heavily guarded laboratory. The security here was absolute; no one could enter without top-level clearance.

After inputting the primary access codes, the two walked down a sleek, blue-lit corridor straight out of a sci-fi movie. They pushed open a second set of doors at the end, continued inward, and finally stopped in front of a massive, heavy transparent door.

Inside the chamber, Qiu Chao—wearing safety goggles and a sterile mask—stood by a window, diligently recording data. Hearing the movement, he glanced back. He pressed a button on the console next to him, and the heavy door hissed open.

Long Yan handed Ling Lang a set of protective clothing and gloves, gesturing for him to put them on.

Seeing Ling Lang, Qiu Chao scoffed. “You were out cold for two whole days. Have your abilities regressed? You used to bounce back from injuries this bad in just a single day…”

Ling Lang ignored the jab. “Where’s my brother?”

“In there.” Qiu Chao gestured toward the inner chamber.

Through layers of reinforced glass and screens of scrolling real-time monitoring data, Ling Lang saw the man lying quietly inside a specialized medical pod.

Duan Xiaolin’s sharp, handsome features were visible, and even with his eyes closed, he carried a faint aura of cold indifference. A thin layer of frost coated his pale skin.

“What’s going on? Why is he like this?”

Qiu Chao explained, “Brother Duan’s ability vanished before, as you know.”

“I know.”

“Well, the supernatural energy inside his body has resurfaced.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? Why is he still locked in there?”

“The zombie virus in his system was incredibly severe. Even the strongest ability user couldn’t withstand it, let alone Brother Duan, whose powers hadn’t fully recovered when he was infected with such a potent strain,” Qiu Chao said grimly. “We barely made it back in time. If I had administered the serum even a second later, the effects of the medicine would have completely worn off.”

Ling Lang’s hands dropped to his sides, clenching into tight fists. “Has my brother woken up yet?”

“He did,” Qiu Chao nodded. “Five years ago, both you and I witnessed Brother Duan’s power firsthand. We all know how terrifyingly strong he was. The truth is, the Qiong Snake didn’t actually disappear during these past five years. It has been dormant inside his body the entire time. It just expended so much energy during that massive battle that it couldn’t be summoned.”

Long Yan chimed in, “That’s exactly why we have to keep Brother Duan heavily sedated and confine the serpent within this insulated isolation room. The Qiong Snake isn’t just a standard elemental superpower. It possesses its own self-awareness and is fiercely loyal only to its host. But its power is too immense, making it incredibly difficult to control. And… after what happened a few days ago, the Qiong Snake has fully awakened, and it’s even more aggressive than it was five years ago. No one can rein it in except its master, Brother Duan.”

If it broke out, half the building might be leveled. The destructive power of the Qiong Snake was immeasurable.

This was especially dangerous because Duan Xiaolin had been severely triggered, and his physical body had not yet recovered. If he rashly unleashed the Qiong Snake in his current state, it would cause irreversible damage to his own body.

“There’s one more thing,” Qiu Chao added. “We have to figure out exactly what makes his ability so erratic.”

“What a pity! If Pei Xiqing were here, we could run some tests and experiments. We might actually find some answers.”

Qiu Chao analyzed, “I conducted a physical exam on her a while back. Her latent abilities are incredibly complementary to the Qiong Snake. Actually, it’s more accurate to say her energy complements any powerful ability. It all depends on her willingness to help someone amplify their powers. Obviously, the only person she’s willing to help is Brother Duan.”

He frowned, looking doubtful. “However, I have no idea what she did to make the Qiong Snake inside Brother Duan so volatile.”

“It’s like a powder keg ready to explode at any second. I’m guessing it has everything to do with Brother Duan watching her walk away into that zombie horde with his own eyes. That alone was enough to make the Qiong Snake completely lose its temper. Regardless, no one dares to go near him right now. We just have to wait for Brother Duan to absorb and digest the energy himself, but that’s going to take time.”

Long Yan retorted, “Isn’t that obvious?”

Anyone who had to watch the person they loved walk alone into a sea of zombies for their sake would go absolutely berserk.

Fortunately, Pei Xiqing was a zombie and wouldn’t be attacked, but her situation still wasn’t great.

If it were up to Long Yan, simply killing Xiao Yue would have been letting him off too easy. If she had her way, hypocrites like Xiao Yue and his messy, self-righteous squad would be carved into pieces.

They never lifted a finger to help the base, but the moment things got critical, they stirred up absolute chaos. The extraction plan had been finalized perfectly. She was supposed to take Pei Xiqing and retreat—not to the capital headquarters, but to a secluded safe house Brother Duan had prepared specifically for them. Afterward, Ling Lang and Duan Xiaolin would have wrapped up the loose ends at the base and joined them. She never expected such a disastrous wrench to be thrown into their plans.

As the only person fully aware of the original plan, Long Yan could only let out a heavy sigh.

Xiqing, Xiqing… if you had known Brother Duan never intended to bring you back to the headquarters, you probably would have been much happier pursuing your freedom with him.

She was genuinely worried about the girl. There had been no news of her for days.

She wasn’t worried about Pei Xiqing being eaten by zombies; she was worried she would be tricked or exploited by the vicious rogue teams wandering the wilderness.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Long Yan saw Ling Lang turning on his heel, heading straight for the exit.

She quickly stepped forward and called out, “Hey! I’m warning you, don’t be impulsive. You just woke up, and your body hasn’t fully healed. Don’t go out there and do anything rash.”

“I’m going to look for someone,” Ling Lang shot back. “What do you mean by ‘doing something rash’?”

“Looking for someone? Where exactly are you going to look? Do you even know where she is?”

“My brother is stuck here recovering. I’m the only one who can do this.”

“The wasteland is massive! Are you just going to run around blindly like a headless fly?”

“It’s better than sitting here waiting to die!” Ling Lang argued. “Won’t I be even more anxious when my brother finally wakes up and realizes she’s still missing?”

Long Yan sighed, exasperated. “Just wait a few more days. Brother Duan’s condition is steadily improving. Once he recovers, with the Qiong Snake back under his control, do you really think he won’t be able to track her down? Besides, Qiu Chao and I have already dispatched search teams to scour the perimeter of the incident zone. They’ve been searching for days with no results. Do you really think you can find her all by yourself?”

Despite her words, Ling Lang continued walking away.

Long Yan and Qiu Chao exchanged a helpless glance. There was no persuading him.

Qiu Chao shrugged nonchalantly. “Young, hot-blooded kids are all like this. Let him go. The only person capable of keeping him on a leash is Brother Duan.”

Long Yan rubbed her temples. “This kid finally managed to scrape his life back together, and now he’s throwing himself right back out there.”

“Relax, he’s a dual-ability user. He won’t die that easily.”

“I’m just afraid he’ll act impulsively and get reckless, just like last time.”

As she spoke, Long Yan couldn’t help but cast a glance back at the man resting quietly in the isolation chamber. After this entire ordeal, she finally saw the tangled dynamic between Pei Xiqing, Brother Duan, and Ling Lang clearly.

It was inevitable that she would recall the time out in the wild when she used to tease Pei Xiqing and Ling Lang…

She shook her head, burying her face in her hand. This is really an absolute mess.

As the three of them remained gathered in the laboratory, absolutely no one noticed what was happening down in the ward Ling Lang had just left.

Resting on the bedside table, wrapped up in the folds of his discarded snow-white hospital coat, the old communication radio he had casually tossed aside was quietly, persistently beeping.

Chapter 120: Stay Away from Them

Pei Xiqing pressed the interrupt button, staring at the battered walkie-talkie in a daze.

Is this thing completely broken?

She had been trying to get a signal for a long time without any success. Every survivor base in the apocalypse used its own isolated communication network and encrypted command codes. She only remembered Ling Lang’s personal frequency and had tried dialing it several times, but there was no response.

Just as she was about to try one last time, the device abruptly shrieked with a piercing burst of harsh static.

Tang Yitong covered her ears and leaned away. “Sister, that thing is definitely busted. Just throw it away!”

“What a pity,” Pei Xiqing murmured. She had originally wanted to call Ling Lang to check on his and Duan Xiaolin’s condition, but she hadn’t expected the transmission to fail entirely.

“It’s fine!” Tang Yitong reassured her brightly. “Once I reunite with my teammates, we’ll have access to the most advanced comms equipment in the wasteland. You can make as many calls as you want, to whoever you want! When my brothers make a call, people pick up instantly the second they see the ID!”

“Are they really that powerful?” Pei Xiqing smiled.

“Yep! We’re all in the same vanguard unit, and they treat me so well—always buying me delicious food and making me pretty dresses.”

“It sounds like you have a great dynamic in your team.”

“Hehe, of course we do. It’s definitely better than theirs, anyway.” Tang Yitong pointed back toward the distant firefight and covered her ears again. “They are so noisy! I don’t know when they’re finally going to stop shooting!”

Pei Xiqing smiled faintly. For now, contacting the capital would have to wait.

It was notoriously difficult to establish a secure connection in the wild anyway. Different devices required highly specific encryption protocols. Even if she did manage to broadcast a signal, headquarters might mistake her for a random scavenger or a trap and ignore the call out of caution. Plus, since she was broadcasting from a stolen S1 radio, it was a miracle they hadn’t just automatically blacklisted the signal.

She patted Tang Yitong’s shoulder. “Once we finish eating, let’s head up that ridge. I spotted a good vantage point earlier—it’s high up and offers shelter from the wind and rain. We’ll set up the tent there, far away from all that noise.”

“My thoughts exactly!” Tang Yitong cheered.

After nightfall, the temperature plummeted.

Tang Yitong had already wrapped herself tightly in a blanket and crawled into the thermal tent. Pei Xiqing remained outside, sitting by the dying embers of the fire with a coat draped over her shoulders. She gazed down at the distant valley, watching as the protagonist’s group finally finished off the zombie horde and hurriedly began treating their wounded.

Xiao Yue was among them.

After not seeing him for a few days, it was clear he had survived his poisoning, but he still hobbled around with a staggering, unsteady gait, looking like a frail man in his nineties.

From her high vantage point, Pei Xiqing could only vaguely make out his figure being supported by his teammates as he sat down. A sudden gust of wind swept past, extinguishing the last flicker of her campfire. She withdrew her gaze, turned around, and crawled into the tent to rest.

By morning, the sky was glaringly clear and sunny.

The weather had been miserable over the past few days, and this sudden shift felt like adding insult to injury. It meant the temperature was going to spike rapidly. Combined with the harsh wind and blowing sand, it was enough to roast a person alive in the wilderness.

Pei Xiqing didn’t know if it was her newly awakened abilities or the zombie blood running through her veins, but she actually felt perfectly fine. Tang Yitong, on the other hand, was miserable the moment she woke up. Her clothes were soaked with sweat before they had even started walking. She kept wiping her forehead and frantically fanning herself.

As Tang Yitong stuffed the thermal tent back into her heavy backpack, she panted, “Sister Qing, aren’t you boiling?”

Leaning coolly against a shaded rock wall, Pei Xiqing replied, “It doesn’t feel that hot to me.”

“Wow, you’re amazing! I feel like I’m being steamed alive!”

“You should really wear lighter clothes,” Pei Xiqing noted, holding out a hand. “Here, let me help you carry your backpack.”

“No way! This thing is heavy enough to strain my back muscles. You couldn’t even run properly yesterday, so don’t try to play the hero now.”

Pei Xiqing wiped a nonexistent bead of sweat from her face to play along. “What should we do, then? Let’s try to find you an umbrella.”

“An umbrella would be perfect!”

“Then let’s push forward to the abandoned city up ahead and take a look. Maybe we can scavenge one.”

Tang Yitong draped her coat over her head for shade, trudging forward while sweating profusely. “Sister Qing, did you hear that a new base is being established?”

“A new base? No, I haven’t heard.”

“There used to be five major bases. Now that Base Three is destroyed, there are only four left. This new ‘Base Six’ is apparently being fast-tracked to replace the void left by Base Three.”

“That fast?” Pei Xiqing was surprised. It hadn’t been long since the fires reduced Base Three to ashes—maybe a week at most. For another stronghold to emerge so quickly was practically unheard of.

“As survivors in the apocalypse, our soul’s mission is to continuously build infrastructure, establish safe zones, earn crystal cores, and push our limits!” Tang Yitong declared. “We all want to awaken a second ability and become dual-element users. If we stop moving forward even for a second, we’ll find that other ability users and rival squads will surpass us in minutes. To avoid being left behind in the dust, we have to constantly grind.”

Pei Xiqing chuckled. “You all are certainly working hard. Even in the apocalypse, there’s still intense ‘involution’.”

“Involution?” Tang Yitong blinked.

“It’s a term for that exact kind of relentless, hyper-competitive rat race you just described.”

“If that’s what it’s called, then Base Two is the absolute king of involution!” Tang Yitong groaned.

“Why is that?”

“Because Base Two is just one step below the capital headquarters, but it’s miles ahead of places like Base Three. We’re very strong, but we’re stuck right in the middle—neither moving up to the capital nor falling behind. It’s an awkward, frustrating position. So everyone there grinds themselves to the bone trying to earn a transfer to headquarters.”

Pei Xiqing didn’t comment further. This intense, competitive drive usually sprouted in factions that had achieved enough stability to look beyond mere survival and focus on power. She had seen it plenty of times before.

Tang Yitong continued to chatter amiably for the rest of the journey.

They finally arrived at the outskirts of the abandoned city right around noon. Ruins and debris littered the streets, but surprisingly, the pollution levels weren’t too oppressive. There were very few zombie corpses, and the streets and houses lacked the horrific, bloody decay typical of other dead zones. Parts of the city could even be considered reasonably clean.

Strolling through the streets, Pei Xiqing casually took photos of a few uniquely structured buildings with her phone. Meanwhile, Tang Yitong eagerly rummaged through the previously looted shops one by one.

When Tang Yitong finally regrouped with her, she gasped in delight.

Pei Xiqing was casually holding a sleek black umbrella.

“Ahhh! I knew you could find one!” Tang Yitong cheered, jumping up and down.

“Just got lucky,” Pei Xiqing smiled. She had literally taken two steps into an alleyway and spotted the UV-proof umbrella sticking out of a crushed cardboard box.

“This is fantastic! Now I won’t get roasted alive!” Tang Yitong beamed.

Pei Xiqing handed over the umbrella with an amused curl of her lips. “Make sure you hold on to it tight, then.”

“Yeah, yeah! I definitely will!”

Once Tang Yitong was happily shielded from the sun, Pei Xiqing adopted a slightly more serious tone. “I’m not in any rush, nor do I have a set destination in mind. This place is relatively quiet, and I plan to stay here for a while. So… if you have things you need to do or a squad you need to rendezvous with, I suggest you go on ahead without me.”

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