What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH22

Chapter 22: The Consequences of Seduction

Suddenly, the heavy crunch of boots sounded just outside the tent.

Pei Xiqing instantly scrambled off his lap, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. Feeling incredibly guilty, she snatched up her damp tactical coat and practically threw it over her shoulders.

Duan Xiaolin calmly picked up his heavy military windbreaker from the floor. As he stood up, Ling Lang and his squad pushed through the tent flaps, having just returned from their perimeter sweep.

Ling Lang’s gaze paused on Pei Xiqing for a fraction of a second before he casually asked, “Have you eaten?”

Pei Xiqing shook her head.

“There’s plenty of rations in the trunk. Help yourself.”

“Okay.”

“How’s that burn on your hand doing?”

Pei Xiqing looked up, meeting Ling Lang’s gaze beneath his messy white hair. She forced a polite smile. “Much better. Thank you.”

As she spoke, she could feel Duan Xiaolin’s intense, unwavering stare burning into the side of her face.

Her smile instantly froze.

Oh no…

Ling Lang paused, his eyes darting between the two of them. He could clearly sense that the atmosphere between his brother and the half-mutant girl was completely bizarre. But right now, the impending mutant threat took priority. “Brother,” Ling Lang said, shifting his focus. “The reconnaissance team made a massive discovery. I need you to see this.”

Duan Xiaolin gave a curt nod and followed Ling Lang out of the tent.

Pei Xiqing let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She walked over to the G-Class and was rummaging through the supply crates in the trunk when Long Yan approached. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Anything light is fine.”

“Let’s make a massive pot of congee, then,” Long Yan suggested, hauling a heavy sack of rice from the back of the SUV. “We have plenty of rice, and we can throw in some preserved vegetables and cured meat. The boys just got back from a heavy sweep; they’re going to be starving and dehydrated.”

“But they won’t feel full just eating congee, right?”

“Don’t worry, they’ll definitely inhale a mountain of roasted meat alongside it,” Long Yan laughed, helping her carry the supplies toward the campfires.

As they walked, Pei Xiqing noticed a dark smear on the sleeve of Long Yan’s combat uniform. Her brow furrowed in concern. “Sister Long Yan, are you hurt?”

Long Yan glanced down and waved it off. “Oh, that? It’s fine. It’s just mutant blood. Some infected civilian got too close during the sweep, and I got splashed.”

“Please be careful,” Pei Xiqing urged nervously. “If that blood seeps into an open wound on your skin, you’ll be infected.”

Long Yan smiled warmly at the girl’s genuine concern. “Are you really worrying about me right now? Thank you, but I don’t have any open wounds. Plus, this tactical uniform is lined with ballistic weave—it’s practically impervious to slashing and tearing. A little mutant blood isn’t going to breach my defenses.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Come on, let’s get cooking.”

Pei Xiqing helped Long Yan start the heavy campfire and set up the massive iron cauldron. Shortly after, Fu Feng and Nie Bin jogged over to assist with the prep work.

As she stirred the pot, Long Yan addressed the squad. “Everyone worked incredibly hard today. Eat whatever you want tonight and rest up. But the moment you finish your shift, stay on high alert. The local horde could launch an ambush at any time during the night.”

“Understood!”

Pei Xiqing crouched next to the bubbling cauldron, idly poking the burning logs with a thick stick. “Sister Long Yan… did the squad manage to destroy the ‘zombie source’?”

Long Yan’s expression darkened. “That thing is an absolute nightmare to deal with. It acts like a highly aggressive, infinitely replicating rogue cancer cell. It constantly grows. If you destroy one cluster, another one immediately sprouts to replace it. As long as the infected mutants aren’t completely eradicated from the area, the source cannot be fully eliminated. And if the source isn’t eliminated, it will just keep producing concentrated viral spores, polluting the land and infecting more survivors.”

“That sounds impossible. Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s just what we do,” Long Yan shrugged. “It’s the duty of an ability user.”

Pei Xiqing suddenly noticed the heavy iron lid rattling violently. “Quick! Throw the cured meat in! The water is boiling over!”

Long Yan and the boys quickly dumped the heavy slabs of meat into the cauldron. Pei Xiqing grabbed a massive iron ladle and began stirring the thick stew with everything she had.

A while later, Ling Lang and Duan Xiaolin finished their tactical briefing and walked over to the fire. Looking into the massive cauldron, Ling Lang burst out laughing. “What the hell is this? A giant pot of slop? Why is everything just thrown in together?”

“Yep,” Pei Xiqing replied, tossing the ladle aside and dusting off her hands.

Ling Lang grabbed a tactical stool and sat down. “It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten a mess like this. Reminds me of basic training. Have you ever eaten something like this?”

“I practically lived off it in the university cafeteria,” Pei Xiqing replied honestly. “Back then, I didn’t have much money, so I always ordered the ‘big pot’ specials. They just mixed whatever leftovers they had together. It was cheap, filling, and surprisingly delicious.”

Before making it big in her past life, she had struggled intensely. She had worked three part-time jobs just to afford her college living expenses. Even after finally breaking into the entertainment industry, she had to grind her way up from the absolute bottom as an extra just to earn a slightly higher paycheck.

Ling Lang raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I didn’t expect you to have that kind of background. Honestly, I assumed you were some spoiled, high-society princess who never had to work a day in her life.”

Pei Xiqing narrowed her eyes. “Are you mocking me or complimenting me?”

“Take a wild guess.”

Pei Xiqing rolled her eyes. “Definitely mocking me.”

“Bingo.”

…

Pei Xiqing ignored him, turning slightly toward the man sitting in the heavy canvas chair next to her. Suddenly, a steaming bowl of hot congee was handed directly to her. Startled, she looked up at Duan Xiaolin. “…Is this for me?”

He gave a slight nod. “Eat it while it’s hot. The wind is picking up, and the temperature is dropping rapidly. It’ll freeze in a few minutes.”

As he handed her the bowl, his knuckles lightly brushed against the back of her hand, sending a sudden, startling ripple of electricity through her skin.

Pei Xiqing subconsciously lowered her head, staring at the bowl. “Thank you.”

She took it, blowing on the surface before carefully taking a sip. The savory, rich flavor exploded on her tongue. She couldn’t help but squint happily. “Wow. That is genuinely delicious.”

“Big pot stews always have a unique flavor,” Long Yan smiled, serving herself a bowl. “Right? Hits the spot.”

“Mhm.”

When Pei Xiqing finally looked up, Duan Xiaolin had already averted his gaze, staring into the dark wasteland.

She swallowed a bite of tender meat and slowly, cautiously, slid her stool closer to him.

His broad, imposing frame was the perfect windbreak against the howling desert gale. If she didn’t sit in his shadow, the violent wind would blow a layer of gritty sand directly into her soup.

Duan Xiaolin easily noticed her subtle movement. Behind his glasses, a faint, unreadable glint flashed in his eyes.

Pei Xiqing ravenously finished her small bowl in just a few bites. Without a word, Duan Xiaolin took the empty bowl from her hands, refilled it from the cauldron, and handed it back.

Ling Lang stared at the exchange in utter disbelief. “Did you seriously just ask my brother to serve you food? Do you have any idea who he is in Franlun? If the High Council ever heard about this, he’d be the laughingstock of the syndicate.”

…

Duan Xiaolin’s expression remained perfectly impassive. “You consider this serving? I simply handed her a bowl.”

Ling Lang let out a soft, skeptical hum. “Then why don’t I get that kind of treatment?”

“If I handed you a bowl, would you actually have the courage to eat it?”

…Ling Lang fell silent.

It was a well-known, terrifying fact: you never accepted unprompted ‘gifts’ or ‘favors’ from the operatives of Franlun. It usually meant you were either about to be violently interrogated, or you were being sent to a subterranean black site to suffer for the rest of your miserable life.

He was genuinely terrified his brother had poisoned the soup just to teach him a lesson.

Hidden in the shadows, the tips of Pei Xiqing’s ears turned bright red, growing even redder as the freezing wind whipped past them.

Fortunately, Long Yan walked over, breaking the tension. Pei Xiqing quickly looked away and took another bite. “Are there medicinal herbs mixed in here? It tastes different.”

“Yeah,” Long Yan nodded. “I crushed up some of the newest experimental supplements developed by the base’s bio-division. They’re designed to rapidly enhance physical stamina and cellular regeneration.”

“I was wondering why it smelled like a mix of cured pork and a pharmacy.”

“Eat as much as you can.”

“Will do.”

Pei Xiqing was completely stuffed after two bowls. The elite operatives, however, were absolute machines. They inhaled five or six bowls each, tearing into massive roasted chicken legs on the side.

Standing up, she stacked her empty bowls. Stretching her arms above her head, she yawned. “I’m going to head to bed early.”

“Go ahead,” Long Yan said. “We’re hitting the road again at first light, so you need to rest. The boys aren’t going to stop until they’ve polished off this entire cauldron anyway.”

Clutching her heavy coat tightly around herself, Pei Xiqing walked over to the G-Class parked behind the tents.

She pulled the heavy armored door open and climbed into the backseat. Just as she was about to pull the door shut, a large, powerful hand clamped onto the frame, stopping it dead.

She looked up in surprise. Duan Xiaolin had silently followed her from the campfire. He stood just outside the vehicle, holding the door open with one hand. His towering, broad figure entirely blocked the entrance.

The rest of the squad was still loudly laughing and eating by the fire, completely oblivious. He had come over here entirely alone.

“Brother Duan?”

The man leaned down, his face mere inches from hers. His low, vibrating voice brushed directly against her ear. “I acted as a human shield against the sandstorm for you during dinner. Aren’t you going to thank me?”

Pei Xiqing blinked, her breath catching in her throat. Having his strikingly handsome, dangerous face so incredibly close was intoxicating. She was instantly enveloped by his terrifyingly powerful, overwhelming aura. Their breaths were practically mingling, and despite the freezing apocalyptic night, her body began to radiate an uncontrollable, feverish heat.

“Brother Duan…” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “How exactly do you want me to thank you?”

The faint, ambient moonlight reflected off Duan Xiaolin’s glasses, making it impossible to read his eyes. He looked simultaneously ruthless and unfathomable.

He didn’t answer. He just stared at her, waiting.

Pei Xiqing could feel a violent, terrifying thrill shoot straight up her spine. Slowly, almost magnetically, she closed the remaining microscopic distance between them. Tilting her flushed face upward, she gently pressed a light, fleeting kiss to the very corner of his mouth.

Her lips brushed against his cold skin for less than a second. She didn’t dare linger.

Duan Xiaolin’s lips curved into a faint, dark smile. He stared down at her, his eyes darkening by several degrees. The sheer, predatory oppression in his gaze was suffocating—the look of an apex predator staring down prey that had willingly walked into the trap.

His facial features were inherently cold and indifferent. The cabin of the G-Class was pitch black, illuminated only by the faint, silver moonlight cutting through the windshield. The shadows cast stark, sharp angles across the bridge of his nose. No matter how you looked at him, his deep, ruthless eyes possessed absolutely no connection to the concept of ‘tenderness.’

The operatives of Franlun were universally feared as cold-blooded executioners. This was a man rumored to have personally executed his own infected mother without a second’s hesitation. He was an interrogator who decided the life or death of thousands with a single stroke of his pen. Holding absolute power in a lawless apocalypse was never a sign of benevolence. To the wasteland, Franlun was a twisted savior, but also the ultimate target of public terror.

Facing a man this unimaginably dangerous, she didn’t dare think about the horrifying consequences of attempting to seduce him and being rejected.

But she was running purely on adrenaline and reckless courage.

Just this once.

“Mhm?” he hummed softly.

His voice was terrifyingly hoarse.

“What exactly are you doing?”

Pei Xiqing held his gaze, her voice dropping to a defiant, breathy whisper. “You’re asking me that when you already know the answer.”

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