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

Chapter 232: I Don’t Like This Joke

Pei Xiqing replied calmly, “It’s not that there is some deep, unspeakable secret. He doesn’t necessarily require a grand justification for his actions. Even if he did provide a detailed reason, I’m afraid most people wouldn’t possess the capacity to understand it.”

“You’re right.” Fu Yan let out a succession of heavy sighs, his brow knitting tightly together. It was easy to read the intense internal conflict and hesitation anchoring his thoughts.

“Marshal, if there are no further matters requiring my presence, I will take my leave.”

“Wait,” Fu Yan called out, halting her progress toward the door. He looked up, his tone shifting into a deeply serious register. “There is one more critical variable I must disclose to you.”

“Please go ahead.”

Fu Yan leaned forward, his expression dead serious. “In roughly one month, the parasite strain will launch an all-out offensive against humanity—breaching the perimeter even before the zombie hordes execute their next migration. The resulting escalation will dwarf anything we have faced before. It will be an absolute hell on earth.”

Pei Xiqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. “How can your intelligence network be so certain that we have exactly one month left?”

“One month represents the precise biological reproduction cycle of the parasitic variants,” he explained, tapping his desk. “Our laboratory teams have finally mapped the exact patterns of their mutation. The strain initializes by embedding itself within an active zombie carrier. From there, it must systematically cycle through four distinct hosts, consuming exactly one week per incubation. Once it completes this fourth rotation, the viral payload multiplies exponentially, using the final host’s biological mass to detonate a localized swarm.”

“So, once this month expires, humanity hits its absolute deadline?”

“Not necessarily. I still maintain a degree of confidence in the combined containment strategies of Xiaolin, Ling Lang, and our frontline commanders.” He let out a cold snort, his pride as a military strategist flaring. “One month is merely their biological timeline, not our expiration date. Those parasites don’t possess the structural capability to overthrow our primary bases in a mere thirty days.”

Pei Xiqing studied his worn features. “Then what exactly is the Marshal implying…?”

“Man proposes, but God disposes.” Fu Yan tapped the polished mahogany table with his finger, the vibration causing the tea in his cup to ripple unsteadily. “And Xiaolin is the absolute lynchpin holding the balance between our success or total failure.”

When Pei Xiqing emerged from the high-security executive building, a sleek armored vehicle was already idling at the perimeter gates.

The man stood beside the door, clad in an immaculate, tailored suit. His posture was perfectly straight, radiating the unyielding strength of a solitary pine tree. Pei Xiqing hadn’t expected him to intercept her tracking logs so quickly.

“Brother Duan.”

Duan Xiaolin immediately reached out, capturing her hand and rubbing her fingers between his palms. “Why are your hands so cold?”

“The climate has been dropping sharply over the past few days,” she murmured, leaning into his space. “Why don’t you wear more layers yourself, Brother Duan?”

Despite her complaints, his large hands were incredibly warm, sending a comforting rush of heat up her sleeves.

“I am entirely unlike certain people who only focus on superficial appearances,” he teased smoothly.

Pei Xiqing playfully punched his shoulder. “You’re the only one who can stay this warm in a freeze. Your entire body radiates heat from the inside out. I honestly don’t fathom where your system generates that much thermal energy.”

He looked down at her through his lenses, a dark, wicked glint in his eyes. “Do you truly not fathom the source of my heat?”

Pei Xiqing’s cheeks flushed a sudden crimson. “You are utterly shameless.”

He likely possessed a full intelligence brief of her conversation with Fu Yan the exact second she stepped off the elevator. She followed him into the rear cabin of the vehicle, settling into the plush leather seat before asking quietly, “Does the Marshal truly hold your capabilities in such high regard?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then how would you define the dynamic? Are the two of you allies or bitter rivals?”

“Why don’t you guess?” he murmured, leaning back against the headrest. “If you operated as the supreme marshal of a dying base and found yourself entirely devoid of trustworthy assets, what executive actions would you employ?”

“Cultivate new talent, win over fractured factions, or deploy massive bribes?” Pei Xiqing immediately shook her head, dismissing her own theories. “No, those methods are far too unstable given the current structural deficit.”

“Precisely. Therefore, the only viable route is to forge a temporary alliance with entities who happen to share a parallel trajectory. He and I function simultaneously as tactical allies and deep-seated rivals.”

“The allies are protecting the headquarters,” she analyzed softly, “while the rivals are contesting…”

“From my perspective,” Duan Xiaolin interrupted, his voice dropping into a calm, chilling flat line, “there are no true allies on this board. There are only opponents waiting to move.”

Pei Xiqing detailed the exact parameters of the Marshal’s plea. “He explicitly requested that I use my influence to persuade you to unite your enforcers with the base’s regular army. What is your executive decision?”

“That depends entirely on the specific methods my wife intends to employ to persuade me.”

As the words left his lips, his large hand smoothly slid down to rest against her lower back, his fingers applying a meaningful, possessive pressure through her coat.

“Don’t be so frivolous,” she whispered, her heart skipping a beat. He was truly becoming increasingly unprincipled behind closed doors. Steeling her expression, she forced the conversation back on track. “You haven’t extracted your primary objective from the high command yet. Securing every single core won’t be a simple transaction.”

“Then we shall simply execute your blueprint and allow the board to simmer a little longer,” he murmured.

“When did I ever instruct you to delay the extraction?” Pei Xiqing protested, looking at him with a faux-aggrieved pout. “If an external operative overheard you, they’d assume the administrative delay was entirely my fault. Stop shifting the blame of your global strategies onto a blameless woman. The moment a campaign hits a bottleneck, history always defaults to blaming the woman.”

“Blaming the woman again?” The man’s tone instantly shifted into dangerous amusement. He nipped at her waist with his fingers, his interest thoroughly piqued by her phrasing. “It appears that specific observation stems from personal experience.”

Pei Xiqing’s breath hitched instantly. Damn my reckless mouth. How on earth had that slipped out so effortlessly?

Duan Xiaolin pinched her chin, tilting her face up to meet his dark green gaze. “Hmm? Care to elaborate?”

“Ahem…” Pei Xiqing quickly buried her face into the crook of his neck, attempting to physically dissolve the tension. “Let’s not exhume ancient history. There is absolutely no utility in reviewing old grievances.”

If she allowed him to unpack the original owner’s chaotic romantic timeline from the novel’s early chapters, his obsessive jealousy would flare, and he would spend the entire night nitpicking her responses until she was completely breathless.

Duan Xiaolin’s hand smoothed down the long strands of her hair, his touch surprisingly tender. “I am not attempting to assign blame to you. I take back my previous teasing.”

He paused, his voice dropping into a low, resonant register. “If the directorate demands a scapegoat for the delay, they are welcome to lay the entirety of the fault at my doorstep.”

“Who would even dare to challenge you?” she retorted softly.

“I previously calculated the logistical misery required to survive the initial outbreak,” he murmured, his fingers tightening slightly around her waist. “But I hadn’t properly estimated just how many systemic injustices you were forced to endure before our paths crossed.”

Pei Xiqing went completely still for a second. She hadn’t anticipated that his mind would interpret her complaints through a lens of profound protective distress.

In the original novel’s trajectory, the original host had been forced to deploy every desperate, manipulative trick just to navigate the collapse of civilization. The exact second her survival schemes were exposed to the light, the opportunistic men she had associated with immediately discarded her, pushing her forward to absorb the lethal consequences of their collective crimes. The factions had branded her a toxic, parasitic vixen, yet those elite hypocrites had been infinitely more corrupt, hiding behind their polished masks while she drowned.

“Such anomalies will never manifest within your perimeter again,” Duan Xiaolin stated, his voice absolute as he clasped her hand securely in his leather glove. “You have my word.”

Pei Xiqing shifted her gaze toward the window, her chest tight with an overwhelming rush of genuine emotion. “Brother Duan… although it’s entirely true that I harbored a myriad of hidden, selfish calculations when I initially engineered our introduction out in the badlands… right now, I truly love you with everything I have.”

Duan Xiaolin’s expression darkened instantly. Without a word, his large palm came down in a sharp, sudden smack against her bottom.

Smack!

“How dare you articulate such reckless nonsense,” he growled.

Pei Xiqing burst into a bright, breathless laugh, rubbing her hip as she looked up at him. “You are authorized to tease me ruthlessly, yet I am prohibited from making a lighthearted confession?”

Duan Xiaolin pinned her chin with his slender fingers, his grip tightening against her cheek just enough to deliver an unyielding, dangerous warning. “I do not appreciate that specific joke.”

Chapter 233: Can’t Do It

Pei Xiqing knew he hadn’t used his full strength, but she still couldn’t help but frown slightly.

“……I’m sorry.”

The man’s tone carried a rare hint of cruelty. “I don’t care why you approached me back then. Now, as long as you are by my side, nothing else matters.”

“Brother Duan…” Pei Xiqing held his hand gently, her usually clear, sincere eyes clouding over with a layer of guilt. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. It was just a joke. If I truly hadn’t liked you back then, I would never have approached you or tried to win you over. I just wouldn’t have done it.”

In order to survive, the body’s original owner had made a habit of currying favor with powerful men. But she was not the original owner, after all. There were certain things she could understand out of survival instinct, but simply could not bring herself to do.

Even if she were to die in a horde of zombies, she still had her own bottom line. If she hadn’t been genuinely moved by him, she would never have acted the way she did, no matter the circumstances.

Duan Xiaolin watched her expressions closely, easily reading her thoughts. She was gripping his hand tightly with anxiety, completely refusing to let go.

Slowly, he relaxed his grip, and his features softened. In the blink of an eye, he had returned to his usual indifferent self.

Duan Xiaolin rarely had major mood swings. Compared to those who flew into a rage at the slightest provocation, his anger was always quiet, cold, and ruthless. Pei Xiqing had been genuinely startled by his sudden emotional shift just now.

It seemed he truly cared about this matter. He was not a man you could tease about his affections.

Thinking about it from his perspective, she realized that if he had said something similar to her, she probably would have been sick with anger.

Pei Xiqing gently tugged at his tie, leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of his lips. “Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

Duan Xiaolin closed his eyes, his voice flat. “You really deserve to be punished.”

Feeling thoroughly guilty, Pei Xiqing wisely kept her mouth shut.

The moment the car ground to a halt, the driver up front discreetly slipped away.

As Duan Xiaolin opened the passenger door, Pei Xiqing noticed a small case sitting in the console box next to her, housing two pristine crystal cores. Before she could ask, the man stood outside her window and said, “Grab the case and come inside.”

“Oh, coming.”

Pei Xiqing followed him into the house, cradling the small box. The moment they stepped across the threshold, he locked the door behind them.

Trying to lighten the heavy mood, Pei Xiqing asked casually, “Who gave you these two crystal cores?”

“Shadow tracked down a few leads over the past few days.”

“He’s been working hard.”

“He delivered the dagger as well,” the man added. “Ma Mengxiang loved it. Shadow mentioned she intends to keep it on her person for the rest of her life.”

“That’s wonderful.”

The man shed his suit coat, unbuckled the expensive watch from his wrist, and placed them both on the table. “Keep the cores safe.”

“Are you certain you want to leave such valuable items with me permanently?” she asked, looking up. “What if I accidentally lose them?”

“Then we’ll just give them to Qiu Chao.”

“To him? I haven’t seen him once since we arrived at headquarters.”

“He’s usually buried in the Franlun laboratories. I’ll take you to see him tomorrow…” He paused, reconsidering. “No, let’s make it a few days from now.”

“Are you still swamped with work?”

“Indeed.” He sat down on the sofa, his eyes narrowing slightly as he locked his gaze onto her. “And more importantly, I have a personal score to settle with you.”

Pei Xiqing’s eyelids twitched.

She immediately set the case down and sat beside him obediently. Seeing that he still didn’t react, she leaned in close. “Let’s go see him tomorrow. Handing the crystal cores over to Qiu Chao is a top priority. Leaving them in my hands makes me incredibly nervous—I feel like someone’s going to break in and steal them. I won’t even dare close my eyes at night. It’s much better to hand them over early so I can sleep in peace. Brother Duan wouldn’t want me losing sleep, right?”

Duan Xiaolin glanced down at her. Pei Xiqing put on her most pitiful, wide-eyed expression.

He let out a dark sneer. “This matter isn’t going to end that easily. I intend to take my time settling things with you tonight.”

Pei Xiqing let out a quiet sigh. It seemed there was no escaping his punishment tonight.

Upstairs in the medical facility, Qiu Chao stepped out of the isolation ward, pulling his mask down. Behind him, the test-subject zombies were screaming and rattling their iron cages. As he pushed an empty gurney out, a cleanup crew was already wheeling a fresh batch inside.

He leaned against the corridor wall and lit a cigarette, feeling completely drained, both physically and mentally.

Long Yan hurried up the stairs, clutching a thick stack of laboratory files. She brushed right past him, but stopped and took two steps back.

“Qiu Chao, what are you doing standing here looking like an idiot? Don’t tell me you’re trying to imitate Brother Duan by smoking like that. When Brother Duan smokes, he looks rugged and handsome. When you do it, you just look pretentious.”

Qiu Chao shot her a look. “Brother Duan is putting on an act, too.”

“If you’ve got the guts, why don’t you go say that to his face?”

Since he was inside the secure Franlun sector, Qiu Chao wasn’t wearing his tactical mask; he had crumpled it up and tossed it into a nearby hazard bin. Seeing her smirk only fueled his irritation. “Why do you have to come up here and mock me every single day? I am buried in work, and you’re the only one idle enough to wander around causing trouble.”

“Oh, stop whining.” Long Yan thrust the documents into his hands. “There are a few anomalies in this latest screening report. Go run a diagnostic on it.”

“Are you trying to kill me with overwork? You throw absolutely everything onto my desk. Is everyone else in Franlun dead?”

“Pretty much,” Long Yan joked. “You division heads in Franlun are the only ones who actually seem to hold the grid together. You all wear identical masks, no one knows each other’s names, and it’s impossible to find anyone when things go sideways. As for someone in your position, you’re like a phantom—never showing your face. Aren’t you all basically ghosts anyway?”

Qiu Chao bit down hard on his cigarette filter, grithing his teeth. “What a disaster. Every single piece of dirty work in this capital gets dumped on my shoulders. What kind of terrible luck is this?”

“Look on the bright side. The parasite outbreaks on the surface are hitting a critical threshold, so command will have to mobilize eventually. Besides, leaving you in charge of the lab was Brother Duan’s explicit directive. He left you here because he trusts your capabilities. Don’t go getting depressed on us now.”

Qiu Chao ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking thoughtful. “Could it be… that I truly am exceptionally brilliant, and that’s why Brother Duan relies on me so heavily?”

Long Yan rolled her eyes. “Sure, let’s go with that. No need to look into it any further.”

“Excellent. I’ve stuck by Brother Duan this long; surely a promotion is on the horizon. Once I move up, I’ll put my subordinates on the front line and make them do all the heavy lifting.”

“Just get to work. The Marshal wants the results within the hour.”

“Got it.” Qiu Chao snapped a fresh mask from the dispenser and pulled it over his face. “Don’t underestimate my efficiency. It’ll only take me ten minutes.”

“You’d better not be bragging to me.”

The moment Qiu Chao disappeared back into the laboratory, Ling Lang strode down the corridor, his heavy boots echoing off the concrete.

Long Yan turned to him, surprised. “What are you doing here? Why the sudden visit? Aren’t you supposed to be drilling the new recruits at the garrison?”

Noticing the heavy military saber gripped tightly in his hand, Long Yan raised an eyebrow. “What’s with the blade? Are you planning to challenge Qiu Chao to a duel, or just looking for a sparring partner? The guy has been awake for three days straight; he won’t be any match for you. How about—”

Long Yan’s voice cut off abruptly.

As her eyes locked onto the immaculate craftsmanship of the hilt and the distinct, hand-carved markings running along the scabbard, she froze, entirely speechless.

Ling Lang stood tall in his formal officer’s uniform, looking remarkably imposing. “What is he working on inside?”

“A diagnostic report.”

“Then I’ll wait here until he finishes.”

Long Yan remained silent for a long moment, her eyes never leaving the blade. Finally, she managed to find her voice. “Where exactly did you unearth a masterpiece like that?”

Ling Lang’s fingers tightened instinctively around the hilt. “This is no masterpiece,” he explained quietly. “It’s a debt.”

Chapter 234: Doing Better Than Him

Long Yan’s brow furrowed sharply. “What the hell? Where did you get that?”

“I’m giving it to Qiu Chao,” Ling Lang replied. “Sister Long Yan, why do you care so much anyway? Do you like it?”

“Bah! As if I’d like that thing.”

Ling Lang couldn’t help but laugh. “Then why are you jumping straight to scolding me? Personally, I think this military blade is excellent. The balance is great, the craftsmanship is incredibly fine—honestly, it’s miles ahead of the standard issue gear manufactured at the base.”

“That’s only because you’ve never seen anything truly high-quality.”

“Oh? So Sister Long Yan has seen better?”

“I haven’t.”

“Then why are you jumping to conclusions so fast?”

“I don’t have time for your nonsense,” Long Yan huffed, crossing her arms. “These cold weapons don’t carry any latent genetic energy. Without superpowers infused into the metal, they’re nothing more than toys.”

Ling Lang stared down at the weapon in his hand. “When you’re completely out of ammunition and rations, a blade like this is the best lifeline you can ask for.”

More importantly, it was a gift from Pei Xiqing. It was the first time she had ever given him anything. The only downside was that she seemed to have distributed them to absolutely everyone.

He glanced back at Long Yan. “Sister, didn’t you get one?”

Long Yan blinked, utterly bewildered. “Get what?”

“A gift.”

“……What?”

Before Long Yan could process the question, the laboratory door hissed open. Qiu Chao emerged, his face deathly pale from exhaustion. He thrust a newly updated diagnostic file into her hands. “Here. Take it.”

Ling Lang casually raised the custom military weapon.

Qiu Chao blinked. “What’s this?”

“It’s for you.”

“Since when are you so generous?”

“It’s from Pei Xiqing.”

Qiu Chao’s brain briefly short-circuited. His very first instinct upon seeing the weapon was to look around nervously. “Brother Duan… does he know about this?”

Ling Lang arched an unruly eyebrow. “Do you honestly think he doesn’t?”

“Well, this is a bit awkward…” Qiu Chao muttered. “If Brother Duan didn’t sign off on it, I’d feel terrible taking it…” Even as the words left his mouth, his hand shot forward with lightning speed and absolute precision, snatching the weapon.

Long Yan let out a sharp laugh. “If Brother Duan hadn’t cleared it, do you really think this thing could have been carried into this building?”

“Exactly! It’s precisely because I know Brother Duan is aware that I actually dare to keep it, understand?” Qiu Chao drew the blade slightly, turning it beneath the corridor lights to examine the steel. “The craftsmanship is superb, the edge is flawless… but why does this pattern look so incredibly familiar?”

He subconsciously glanced up at Long Yan.

Long Yan merely offered a cold hum, tightly clutching her files as she turned on her heel and strode away down the hall.

Qiu Chao and Ling Lang exchanged a look, simultaneously shrugging. “Women,” Qiu Chao sighed. “Their minds are as deep and unreadable as the ocean floor.”

Ling Lang leaned casually against the doorframe. “Coming from you, that sounds like the voice of experience. You’re the one who’s been tangled up by women the longest.”

Qiu Chao waved his hand dismissively. “Drop it. I have zero mental energy and absolutely no interest.” He had spent years being relentlessly pursued by Xia Jingyu; now that she was gone, he finally had some peace and quiet.

“Alright, I have operational duties to attend to. I’m heading out.” His delivery completed, Ling Lang prepared to leave.

Qiu Chao called after him, “This has to be the work of Master Hui Hua. They’re incredibly lucky to have crossed paths with him. It’s exceptionally rare to see a piece forged by Hui Hua himself distributed like this.” Before Ling Lang brought this dagger, Long Yan had been the only officer in the entire base carrying one of his custom blades.

Ling Lang had barely taken two steps down the hall when Qiu Chao’s voice echoed out again. “It’s been an entire week since she arrived at headquarters. Have you really not gone to see her yet?”

Ling Lang froze. His footsteps halted for a fraction of a second, but he didn’t look back. Steeling his posture, he strode quickly down the corridor and vanished into the stairwell.

Qiu Chao pursed his lips, turning the beautifully crafted weapon over in his hands. “Coward.”

Ling Lang wasn’t the only one trapped by his own complicated attachments. Even the terrifying Chief Judge of Franlun couldn’t escape it.

The moment Ling Lang exited the Franlun Building, his personal vanguard rushed forward to meet him. “Major General, the Commander-in-Chief requested your immediate presence at the high command. He says there is an urgent matter to discuss.”

“What’s the agenda?”

“The Marshal didn’t disclose the specifics to our unit, sir. He simply stated you would understand once you arrived.”

“I suspect it’s directly tied to the ultimatum leveled inside the conference hall a few days ago,” Ling Lang sneered. He yanked open the car door and slid into the seat. “Let’s go.”

Ten minutes later, Ling Lang stood at the threshold of the supreme executive office.

Fu Yan happened to be returning from an outer sector. The moment he spotted the young officer, he strode over warmly, throwing an arm across his shoulders and clapping his back. “You’ve finally arrived, you brat. Come upstairs and share a pot of tea with me.”

Ling Lang followed him into the sprawling office, bypassing the small talk entirely. “What did the Marshal wish to see me about?”

“Sit down first. Have some tea.”

Clad in his formal Major General uniform, Ling Lang looked significantly more grounded and authoritative than he had during his wilder days in the wasteland. However, his collar buttons remained rakishly loose, and his handsome features still flashed with an untamable, defiant edge. “I’ll pass on the tea, sir. My schedule is packed with training deployments. Please detail the objective so I can execute it immediately.”

Seeing his rigid posture, Fu Yan sat down, resting his hands on his knees. “Xiaolin has demanded every single high-tier crystal core secured within our repositories. Are you aware of this?”

“I am.”

“What is your assessment?”

“My brother must harbor his own distinct tactical reasons for executing this extraction.”

“I transferred a few to your division earlier,” Fu Yan noted, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Those artifacts are exceptionally rare variables. Even a single core is priceless, and they may very well function as the absolute lynchpins of our future victory.”

Ling Lang remained dead silent.

Fu Yan pressed on, “Your own supernatural abilities require a structural breakthrough, do they not? You’ve operated as the base’s premier prodigy over the past two years—a rare dual-power user—but your metrics have been locked in a bottleneck for over six months. Those crystal cores possess the energy to force your breakthrough.”

Ling Lang stood up abruptly, his posture iron-straight. “Marshal, I harbor absolutely no interest in monopolizing those cores. A genuine breakthrough in genetic abilities is a rare milestone; it can only be achieved through raw, unyielding personal effort. Relying on external catalysts is a hollow shortcut that yields immeasurable biological side effects.”

Fu Yan studied his unyielding expression before offering a slow, calculated smile. “You see the board with exceptional clarity.”

“True strength is never easily claimed,” Ling Lang stated flatly. “There is no tactical utility in rushing the process.”

“A valid assessment. In that case, return the two cores I transferred to your custody last cycle, and I will have them delivered to Xiaolin.”

“Understood.”

Fu Yan watched the young general’s retreating back as he cleared the threshold, letting out a sharp, mocking sneer the exact second the doors closed.

Once his afternoon drills concluded, Ling Lang drove out of the high-security New District, carrying the two glowing crystal cores with him into the residential quarters of the Old District.

He parked his vehicle outside her designated bungalow, walking up the paved path with the case in hand. Standing before the heavy wooden door, a sudden wave of hesitation paralyzed him.

He raised his hand to knock, paused, and let his arm drop to his side. He repeated the sequence several times, his internal conflict clear, before finally steeling his resolve and rapping his knuckles against the wood.

“Who is it? Just a moment, I’m coming!”

The familiar, bright voice echoed clearly through the doorframe.

Ling Lang’s fingers instinctively clenched into tight fists at his sides, his chest tightening. A few seconds later, the lock clicked, and the door swung inward.

Pei Xiqing stood in the warm light of the hallway, a gargantuan white creature crouching directly at her feet.

Ling Lang’s eyes locked onto her face for a long, lingering heartbeat before he sharply averted his gaze, staring instead at the massive beast sitting on the floorboards. “What on earth is that…?”

“It’s Xiaobai. Don’t tell me you don’t recognize him?” Pei Xiqing laughed softly, dropping into a squat to scratch the pup behind the ears.

The moment the massive dog registered his scent, it lunged forward, throwing its heavy paws right at his chest. Ling Lang didn’t budge an inch under the sudden weight. Instead, his powerful hands caught Xiaobai’s massive forepaws mid-air, effortlessly lifting the giant pup slightly off the ground to inspect it.

He let out a sharp whistle. “Are you raising a pig?”

Pei Xiqing burst into a genuine laugh.

“How does he even consume this much mass?” Ling Lang muttered, turning the dog side to side. “It’s barely been a fraction of a cycle since we last crossed paths, and he’s already mutated into a boulder.”

“His daily rations consist entirely of prime meat and marrow bones, and he even managed to butcher a few parasites back at the black market waystation. It would be a biological miracle if he didn’t gain mass.”

“When we were out in the wild, I didn’t realize his growth trajectory was this steep. He genuinely handles like a prize hog now.”

Pei Xiqing arched her brows playfully. “Aside from his complete refusal to bite humans, his physical dimensions are indistinguishable from a tier-one parasite.”

“I doubt that,” Ling Lang noted, letting the dog’s paws drop back to the floor. “He doesn’t harbor baseline human aggression, true, but if you deployed a beast of this scale onto a frontline sector, his combat output would eclipse a standard military canine ten times over.”

“He won’t bite you either,” she smiled softly, stepping back to let him into the foyer. “How have you been lately?”

“Can’t you read the metrics?” Ling Lang gestured down toward his immaculate officer’s uniform.

Pei Xiqing’s smile widened. “It appears life at headquarters suits you well. Congratulations on ascending to Major General.”

“Since I chose to accept the mandate of this rank, I will ensure my performance eclipses absolutely everyone else on the board.” He looked down at her, his gaze firm, unshakeable, and completely indestructible.

He was going to do infinitely better than Gu He ever could.

Like this novel? Read Advance Chapters (PDF & EPUB Format)