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

Chapter 277: Are You Qualified?

In the dead of night, the storm raged on. The wind and rain battered the black umbrella, each violent lash echoing like stones striking against a hollow heart.

Amidst the thick darkness, the man holding the umbrella slowly turned around. Thunder boomed, and blinding flashes of lightning tore across the sky, making it almost impossible to keep one’s eyes open. Yet, Lin Ziyan looked up, meeting the man’s gaze with arrogant confidence.

The canopy of the black umbrella obscured the upper half of the stranger’s face. The man stood half a head taller than Lin Ziyan, his exposed jawline exuding a cold, sharp edge.

Lin Ziyan didn’t recognize him at all. But he remembered Ma Mengjia mentioning something earlier. Some outsiders had visited her old village. This couple must be them.

He also recalled her saying that while in the village, this man had spent his time farming. He was always running out to the fields, obsessing over a vegetable patch. In the apocalyptic wasteland, the only people who resorted to manual farming instead of combat were weaklings—those whose superpowers were too pathetic to survive on the battlefield.

If this farmer knew what was good for him, everything would go smoothly. Lin Ziyan wouldn’t make things too difficult for them—after all, that wife of his was undeniably gorgeous. But if he was stubbornly ignorant of his place, well, Lin Ziyan wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty. It wouldn’t be his first time murdering someone.

He chuckled. “So? Have you thought about my offer?”

He continued smoothly, “My girlfriend hasn’t been at headquarters for long, and she doesn’t know many people here. Since she and your wife are from the same village, I’m sure they’ll get along wonderfully. And don’t worry, I’ll personally look out for the two of you here in the capital. I’ll make sure you live comfortably.”

Lin Ziyan studied the man standing before him. Despite his assumptions, this man’s imposing demeanor was absolutely nothing like that of a mere country bumpkin. A cruel hint of malice crept into Lin Ziyan’s smirk. Oh, he would definitely make sure this couple was taken very good care of at headquarters.

Duan Xiaolin tilted the umbrella back slightly, his cold eyes slowly dropping to meet Lin Ziyan’s gaze against the backdrop of the flashing lightning.

Lin Ziyan finally caught a clear glimpse of the man’s face. He froze for two seconds, an instinctive jolt of fear forcing him to take a step back. “You’re…”

“Who is Lin Yong to you?” the man asked, his voice deathly calm.

Lin Ziyan bristled, his arrogance returning. “You have some nerve! How dare you refer to my grandfather by his full name!”

Duan Xiaolin’s lips curled into a faint, freezing smile.

In that instant, Lin Ziyan was struck by the terrifying illusion that he was being targeted by a venomous viper slithering out of the dark. The fine hairs on his arms stood on end. It must just be the freezing weather in this godforsaken place, he told himself.

The man didn’t say another word.

Just then, the tinted window of the car beside them rolled down, revealing Pei Xiqing’s pale, anxious face. She was holding the little girl tightly. “Brother Duan, this child has a dangerously high fever. She’s burning up. We need to get to the hospital right now.”

Fevers weren’t uncommon in the apocalypse, and most survivors could easily weather them. But this child’s condition was clearly critical; she was already on the verge of shock. If they didn’t get her medical attention soon, she would die.

Duan Xiaolin cast an indifferent, dismissive glance at Lin Ziyan. “Let’s head to the hospital first.”

He turned and took a few steps toward the car before pausing. Over the roar of the rain, he said, “Lin Yong and the rest of the Lin family are going to deeply regret having a grandson like you.”

“What did you just say?!” Lin Ziyan’s eyes widened in fury. “What the hell kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

He lunged forward to grab the man’s shoulder.

Duan Xiaolin merely raised a hand to block him, turning his head slightly. “We can continue this conversation later.”

Lin Ziyan scoffed, completely failing to grasp the danger he was in. “Who the hell wants to talk to a lowly farmer like you? Do you think you’re even qualified?”

Duan Xiaolin didn’t break his stride.

Suddenly, an astonishing, crushing pressure slammed down onto Lin Ziyan’s shoulders. It felt like an invisible mountain had been dropped directly on top of him, completely stealing the air from his lungs.

Lin Ziyan immediately struggled to break free, but the oppressive force ground him down until his face drained of color and the veins on his forehead bulged violently. He desperately tried to summon his superpowers, but for some reason, he couldn’t push back against this invisible weight at all. Worse still, he horrifyingly realized that this man wasn’t even using an active superpower to suppress him!

“Whether I am qualified or not is irrelevant,” Duan Xiaolin murmured. He paused deliberately, his faint smile inexplicably chilling. “All that matters is that you, and the entire Lin family, will never recover from this.”

Lin Ziyan’s eyelids twitched violently.

By the time the suffocating pressure vanished and he finally regained his senses, the car had already sped away into the storm.

Ma Mengjia hurried over through the rain. Seeing his pale, shaken expression, she quickly asked, “Brother Lin, what’s wrong?”

Lin Ziyan’s expression darkened into a furious scowl. He grabbed her by the arms and demanded, “What is that man’s actual background? Tell me everything!”

Ma Mengjia was stunned, her mind going blank at his sudden aggression. “Why are you yelling at me? What happened…?”

“Just speak!” he roared.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Terrified by his relentless questioning, she stammered out a disjointed account of everything she knew about Duan Xiaolin’s time in the village.

After listening to her frantic explanation, Lin Ziyan suddenly burst out laughing. “Hahaha… hahahaha!”

He had genuinely thought the man was some terrifying hidden VIP, but it turned out he was just some glorified traveling merchant. In the brutal hierarchy of the apocalypse, merchants held a status even lower than most refugees.

Ma Mengjia was thoroughly frightened by his manic laughter. “Brother Lin, what’s gotten into you? What did Brother Duan say to you just now?”

“None of your damn business.” Lin Ziyan turned and swaggered back into the restaurant. “I want to see who ends up groveling on the ground first—him, or me.”

Half an hour later, Pei Xiqing gently touched the little girl’s forehead as she lay in the hospital bed. Her temperature had dropped slightly, but her condition was still precarious, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. Fortunately, they had arrived in time for emergency treatment.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Pei Xiqing carefully tucked the blanket around the sleeping child and turned to leave the ward.

The hospital corridors were absolutely packed with desperate patients, but miraculously, a few pediatric beds had still been available when they rushed in. Standing in the hallway, she could look through the windows and see the chaotic, overcrowded scenes playing out in the adjacent medical wings.

The sudden, violent storm had caused a massive spike in illnesses across the capital. It seemed this torrential rain had brought something far worse than just freezing temperatures.

The entire hospital staff was completely overwhelmed and stretched dangerously thin, though the pediatric ward remained relatively quiet. She glanced up and down the corridor before turning to Shadow. “Where did Brother Duan go?”

Shadow straightened his posture. “He had a minor matter to take care of. He will return shortly. Shall I escort you home first?”

“No need, I’ll just wait for him here. I should go see if I can find some hot food for the little girl anyway.” The child looked to be no older than ten, and her small body was covered in old scars. She had likely never known a single peaceful day since she was born, forced to wander and survive abandonment in this extreme apocalypse.

Shadow quickly stepped in to stop her. “Actually, I believe Brother Duan already went to secure some food. He will be back soon.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

“Well… okay then. I’ll go speak with the doctor about her follow-up treatment plan. Make sure you let me know the second he gets back.”

Shadow nodded respectfully.

As soon as she disappeared into the doctor’s office, Shadow couldn’t help but clench his fists, the knuckles cracking sharply. He turned his gaze toward the dark, secluded alleyway at the back of the hospital.

The pavement down there was slick with fresh blood. The torrential rain was constantly washing it away, but the crimson flow seemed endless, forming a winding, gruesome trail toward the drains. Looking further down the alley, several brutalized men were being silently dragged away by the terrifying, masked operatives of Franlun.

A cold smirk twitched at the corner of Shadow’s lips.

He genuinely didn’t know whether to laugh at Lin Ziyan’s sheer, suicidal stupidity or to feel a fleeting ounce of pity for the Lin family. Lin Ziyan had actually dared to send his thugs to tail them to the hospital. Did that arrogant fool honestly believe Franlun was an organization to be trifled with?

Chapter 278: The Symbol

About ten minutes later, Duan Xiaolin returned to the ward carrying a hot meal.

Pei Xiqing was in the middle of feeding the sick child her medicine when she heard his footsteps. Turning around, she asked brightly, “Brother Duan, what delicious food did you manage to buy?”

The man placed the insulated lunchbox on the bedside table. “Some warm porridge and nutritious fruit. It’s suitable for children.”

“Perfect.”

She reached out to take it, but paused. The man had already pulled up a chair beside her and casually picked up a paring knife. With deft, incredibly gentle movements, he began peeling an apple. For a moment, she was utterly mesmerized by the elegant precision of his hands.

By the time she snapped out of her daze, he had already peeled the apple perfectly. He cut off a small slice and fed it directly to her, leaving the rest on a plate for the child.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked softly.

Pei Xiqing accepted the bite of apple, chewing thoughtfully. “I think having a daughter would be wonderful, too.”

Duan Xiaolin paused slightly, the sterile hospital light glinting off his silver glasses. “I will love any child you give birth to.”

After receiving the IV drip and her medication, the little girl’s condition had improved significantly. She obediently ate the large pieces of apple, finishing the plate clean.

The hospital had dedicated caregivers for the pediatric ward, and it was getting late. It wasn’t convenient for them to stay any longer.

Pei Xiqing waved warmly to the little girl. “I’ll come see you again tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay! Bye-bye! I’ll be waiting for you, big sister!”

In the car ride back to the villa, Pei Xiqing leaned heavily against the man’s chest, teetering on the edge of sleep. In her drowsy state, she suddenly remembered the confrontation between Ma Mengjia and Lin Ziyan at the restaurant earlier.

“What exactly is the background of Lin Ziyan’s family?” she murmured.

“His grandfather is a high-ranking official with direct ties to a Marshal,” Duan Xiaolin replied smoothly.

“Oh… that’s awful,” she mumbled.

To think that the person Ma Mengjia had sacrificed everything to cling to was a man like that. Then again, she had made her bed. Could a man who only swooped in to claim her the second he heard she was pregnant truly possess any genuine love for her?

Duan Xiaolin gently rubbed the back of her neck. “You’ve worked hard today. Let’s get you home so you can get a good night’s rest.”

“Mhm… okay.”

She was utterly exhausted. Having been thoroughly tormented by Duan Xiaolin the entire night before, her legs still felt weak every time she walked. Soothed by the rhythmic hum of the engine and the warmth of his hand, Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but snuggle deeper into his embrace and drift off to sleep.

When they arrived, Duan Xiaolin carried her inside and gently tucked her into bed.

Ten minutes later, he emerged from the bedroom.

Shadow was waiting silently by the front door. “Brother Duan.”

The man lowered his eyes, quietly pulling the bedroom door tightly shut behind him. He casually adjusted his cuffs, his demeanor shifting into something entirely cold and detached. “Where is he?”

“Still at the restaurant.”

“Bring him in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Meanwhile, Lin Ziyan was still lounging in the restaurant’s luxurious private room. He had his arms wrapped around several female waitresses and was just leaning in to kiss one of them when his father, Lin Yan, suddenly burst through the door.

Looking up with a face full of extreme annoyance, Lin Ziyan snapped, “What is it? What’s wrong now? I did exactly what you asked and brought that pregnant woman back to secure the Lin family bloodline. What more do you want from me? Are you really going to nag me just for hugging a few women while she’s in the restroom?”

Lin Yan glared at him fiercely, his face pale. “The Chief Judge wants to see us! Get up, hurry!”

“The Chief Judge?” Lin Ziyan sat up slightly, waving the waitresses away. “What does Franlun’s Chief Judge want with me? If he needed to see someone, he should have summoned you or Grandpa. Why is he looking for me?”

Lin Yan lunged forward, grabbing his son forcefully by the ear. “Get up! We are going over there right now! Move!”

“Okay, okay! I get it, let go!” Lin Ziyan stood up impatiently, swatting his father’s hand away. Grumbling under his breath, he followed his father out of the restaurant.

A moment later, Ma Mengjia emerged from the restroom.

Seeing the disheveled waitresses lingering awkwardly in the private room, she frowned. “What are all of you doing standing around in here? Why haven’t the dishes been served yet?”

The waitresses lowered their heads, exchanging hesitant glances. Finally, one spoke up nervously. “Commander Lin was just taken away by his father… Shall we still serve the food? Miss, will you be able to finish it all by yourself?”

“What?” Ma Mengjia’s eyes widened. “He was taken away by his father? Where did they go? Why didn’t they wait for me?”

She was currently the only pregnant daughter-in-law in the Lin family, and the entire household had bent over backward to accommodate her lately. How could they just leave her here without saying a single word?

The waitress stammered, “I… I think I heard them say they were going to see some Chief Judge. It sounded like an emergency.”

“Chief Judge?”

Ma Mengjia had never heard the title before. She had absolutely no idea what was going on. Panicking, she rushed out to the lobby and cornered Lin Ziyan’s remaining subordinates. “Hurry up and bring the car around! We need to follow them!”

The subordinates hesitated, glancing at each other uneasily.

Ma Mengjia immediately placed a protective hand over her swollen belly. “Are you really going to risk the Lin family’s heir getting into trouble?”

“Miss, it really wouldn’t be appropriate for us to intrude right now,” one of the men reasoned cautiously. “Young Master Lin and the Master likely have highly classified military matters to discuss…”

“Classified matters? What could possibly be so important that they need to discuss it in the middle of a storm at this hour? Even if it is official business, it’s just a formality! Do you honestly think there is anyone at headquarters who doesn’t treat the Lin family with the utmost respect?”

“But—”

“Enough! Hurry up, I need to go with them to see what’s going on. Brother Lin can just bring me home afterward. Tell the kitchen to pack up our food to go.”

None of the subordinates dared to outright disobey Ma Mengjia, especially when she aggressively weaponized the baby in her womb. Reluctantly, they brought the car around and drove her into the storm.

However, the further the car traveled from the commercial district, the more unsettling the atmosphere became.

Ma Mengjia sat in the backseat, her mind racing with paranoid speculations. She was completely devoted to Lin Ziyan, but she wasn’t blind. Those waitresses in the private room were absolute vixens. She hadn’t missed their messy hair and rumpled uniforms. They had clearly been trying to seduce Lin Ziyan the second she stepped into the restroom!

And this excuse about his father coming to get him… she was terrified that they were actually heading off to do something shady behind her back.

Her resentment grew, bitter thoughts clashing violently in her mind. It wasn’t until the driver up front spoke that she was snapped back to reality.

“This road… it seems to be getting more and more eerie,” the driver muttered nervously. “I don’t know why, but it feels wrong…”

Ma Mengjia peered out the rain-streaked window. The storm was raging fiercely, and the towering trees lining the desolate road looked like menacing, twisted monsters swaying in the darkness, completely blocking her line of sight. She couldn’t see a single building, but her heart inexplicably began to pound against her ribs.

“Are you sure they went this way?” she demanded.

“Yes. Their car is just up ahead, and we’re tracking their GPS signal.”

“Then keep driving. I want to see exactly what kind of place this is.”

A second later, the driver slammed on the brakes.

A terrifying figure stood directly in the middle of the road, barely a meter in front of the bumper. It was a man clad in a black raincoat, wearing a chilling, expressionless mask that gleamed under the washing rain. He stood there like an assassin emerging from the abyss, radiating an aura that promised to sever their heads at any moment.

Swallowing hard, the subordinate reluctantly rolled down the window. “Who are you?! Are you looking for death? Do you even know whose car this is?!”

Standing silently in the darkness, Shadow listened to a brief instruction through his earpiece. Without a word, he stepped aside, melting into the shadows to let the vehicle pass.

Ma Mengjia let out a long breath of relief as the car accelerated forward again. She patted her chest, a smug smirk returning to her face. “Hmph. Just a bunch of bullies who prey on the weak. See? They chickened out after just a few stern words.”

A moment later, a massive, imposing building loomed into view through the rain.

It was an architectural marvel—mysterious and elegant, yet exuding a heavy, suffocating aura of absolute death.

Her eyelids fluttered nervously. Up ahead, she quickly spotted Lin Ziyan and Lin Yan stepping out of their vehicle. Overjoyed to have caught up, she immediately threw her door open and stepped out into the rain.

Fumbling with her umbrella, she was too slow to catch them before they disappeared through the grand entrance. She hurried to chase after them, but her footsteps abruptly halted in front of the massive stone sign by the doors.

She turned her head stiffly, her eyes locking onto the deeply engraved insignia.

It was a venomous snake slithering through the shadows, its design an intertwining of greedy gold and an eerie, toxic green. The symbol radiated a naked, terrifyingly pure murderous intent.

Franlun?

What on earth was this place?

Chapter 279: Standing at the Highest Point

Lin Ziyan followed his father, Lin Yan, with one hand casually stuffed into his pocket. Looking entirely unconcerned, he couldn’t help but complain as they walked, “Dad, why did you have to drag me along? This clearly isn’t the place for me.”

Lin Yan shot him a fierce glare. “You’re twenty-five this year, and you’re the only son of the Lin family. Sooner or later, you’ll be taking over my and your grandfather’s positions at headquarters. Yet here you are, completely clueless about how to establish yourself in the military or navigate high society! When the catastrophic natural disasters finally hit, how are you going to protect the Lin family? How will you ensure we keep our seats of power amidst the coming apocalypse?”

“Isn’t it simple?” Lin Ziyan casually kicked a loose stone at his feet. “Who would dare compete with us? We’ve survived years of this apocalypse and seen it all. Whether it’s natural disasters or total chaos, the Lin family has nothing to fear since we’ve already made it this far.”

With their family’s formidable strength and resources, even if a true cataclysm struck, they would simply climb to the very top by stepping on the corpses of the ants beneath them. That was the absolute rule of the end times: the strong made the rules.

He shrugged, not caring in the slightest. “No matter what happens, the Marshal will look out for us. He and Grandpa are old comrades-in-arms, after all.”

Lin Yan snorted coldly. “You’d better tone down that arrogance! It’s fine to spout that nonsense at home, but the people we’re meeting today are not the kind you can joke around with.”

Lin Ziyan picked at his ear, still thoroughly unbothered. “Seriously, though. What exactly does this Chief Judge want with me?”

“You’ll find out when we see him. There’s no point asking me; I don’t know either.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve never actually met this judge,” Lin Ziyan mused. “Dad, I heard he’s not just the Marshal’s favorite, but the absolute boss of Franlun. They say he’s ridiculously powerful. You must have met him, right?”

Lin Yan had indeed met the Chief Judge at a previous high-level meeting. Just the memory of it made him suppress a shiver.

During that assembly, the man had done something that shocked the entire headquarters: he had boldly demanded all the crystal cores in the base, right in front of the top-ranking brass and the Marshal himself. He hadn’t even spared the cores resting in the Marshal’s own hands, showing absolutely zero respect or hesitation.

Thinking back on this, Lin Yan’s expression grew even more grave. He had no idea why the Chief Judge had specifically summoned his son today. He was terrified that the arrogant brat might do something stupid or accidentally offend the man… if that happened, they would be in massive trouble.

Filled with a mix of trepidation and nervous excitement, Lin Yan entered the imposing Franlun building. Led by a silent, shadowy operative, they slowly made their way to the second floor. Lin Yan actually felt somewhat flattered just being allowed into the private reception room to wait.

Lin Ziyan, on the other hand, merely pursed his lips.

He couldn’t stand watching the mighty Lin family act so deferential toward an outsider. But, remembering that they were waiting on the Chief Judge of Franlun, he swallowed his complaints, restrained his temper, and sat quietly on the sofa.

Nearly half an hour passed. The hallway outside remained dead silent, without a single person in sight.

Lin Ziyan, long out of patience, abruptly stood up. “Dad, are these Franlun guys deliberately trying to intimidate us? I just don’t get it. We have absolutely zero connection to their supervisory department. Franlun is an investigative branch; what business could they possibly have with the Lin family?”

Lin Yan’s expression turned incredibly complex.

He couldn’t voice the dark realities of what the Lin family had been up to recently. He and the old man had already formulated contingency plans in case Franlun ever caught wind of their operations, but he hadn’t expected the day of reckoning to arrive so soon.

Sitting here now, and remembering that Franlun had specifically summoned his son, he was at a total loss as to what their true angle was. All they could do was wait.

“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?” Lin Yan hissed.

“I’m going out to see what’s going on,” Lin Ziyan declared. “If we just keep sitting here, they’re going to make absolute fools out of us.”

“Sit down!” Lin Yan roared in a harsh whisper.

Lin Ziyan gritted his teeth, reluctantly dropping back onto the sofa.

Another agonizing ten minutes ticked by before the distinct sound of approaching footsteps finally echoed from the corridor.

Lin Ziyan’s patience had entirely run dry, but Lin Yan shot to his feet, slapping his son hard on the back. “Get up!”

Groaning, Lin Ziyan reluctantly hauled himself up, glaring impatiently at the doorway.

A few seconds later, the heavy door was pushed open. Qiu Chao popped his head in.

Seeing the father and son standing at attention, a wide, unmistakable grin spread beneath his mask. Although his features were obscured, the sheer amusement in his low chuckle was impossible to ignore.

Lin Yan immediately plastered on an obsequious smile. “Captain Qiu, what brings you here?”

“Brother Duan told me to come in and wait for him,” Qiu Chao said cheerfully.

“Ah, so it was the Chief Judge,” Lin Yan nodded quickly.

Qiu Chao strolled into the room, lugging a heavy metal suitcase.

Once the door clicked shut, Lin Yan maintained his polite smile. Meanwhile, Qiu Chao unlatched the suitcase and smoothly extracted a menacing syringe that was longer than a man’s forearm. Admiring the glinting metal, he casually asked, “Commander Lin, where has your young master been enjoying his free time lately?”

Lin Yan chuckled nervously. “Captain Qiu, you’re flattering him. This brat is hardly out living the high life. Hmph, I’m just thankful if he manages to go a single day without causing me a headache.”

“I’ve heard that ever since the rumors of the coming natural disasters started spreading, quite a few people have been resorting to extreme, unscrupulous means to ensure their survival,” Qiu Chao said slowly, his tone laced with meaning. “The Lin family, in particular, seems to have been incredibly busy lately.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that…” Lin Yan laughed dryly, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. “The Lin family has merely been working diligently under the Marshal’s orders. We’ve been coordinating disaster relief, reinforcing flood defenses, constructing outposts… we haven’t dared to rest for a single moment.”

Qiu Chao just smiled, offering no reply.

At that exact moment, the door swung open again. Qiu Chao immediately lowered the massive syringe.

The man who entered was tall and slender. He was dressed relatively casually, forgoing a tie, his unbuttoned black dress shirt giving him a dark, languid elegance. Flanked by the terrifying presence of San She, he cast a cold, indifferent glance across the room.

“Commander Lin, please take a seat.”

“Yes, of course,” Lin Yan replied instantly.

San She stood silently by the door, radiating such an overwhelmingly concentrated killing intent that it was almost impossible to look him in the eye. Just being in the same room as the operative felt like standing next to the Grim Reaper; the sheer pressure forced the air right out of their lungs.

But the very next second, the man who casually took the seat opposite them exuded a pressure infinitely more lethal with a single, sweeping glance.

Lin Ziyan watched in mounting horror as the man settled into the armchair, his sharp, handsome features bathed in the pale overhead light.

It was the farmer. The man from the alley.

By the time Lin Ziyan’s brain finally processed exactly who he was looking at, his legs had already carried him several steps backward in sheer terror. He stared at his father, his eyes wide with absolute, suffocating disbelief.

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