What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH340-342

Chapter 340| Chapter 341| Chapter 342

Chapter 340: Kiss If You Like Me 

There were simply too many snowballs. Once one ruptured, the sheer kinetic force and the awakening parasites inside caused a chain reaction, shattering the surrounding spheres one after another.

They didn’t even need to actively break the remaining obstacles.

The monstrous parasites inside simply smashed through their icy prisons, bursting out into the freezing air and immediately launching a frenzied assault on the humans.

Ling Lang swung his saber in a brutal, sweeping arc, severing a parasite cleanly. The massive corpse crashed into the snow at his feet.

Qiu Chao had been scurrying closely behind him, using him as a human shield. The moment the beast fell, he immediately squatted down, pulling out a scanner to study the fresh corpse.

Ling Lang pushed his goggles up onto his forehead, looking down at him in exasperation. “No, seriously, buddy, where is your knife? I specifically remember Pei Xiqing giving each of us a custom blade before we left the base.”

Qiu Chao didn’t look up from his scanner. “Why would I need to use my knife when you’re right here acting as my meat shield? If I fought, wouldn’t that make you completely useless?”

“…”

Ling Lang gritted his teeth. “Good job. Excellent logic.”

Qiu Chao curled his lip. “Besides, I don’t want to use the beautiful saber Sister Xiqing gave me so soon! It’s practically a collector’s item. I need to take good care of it.”

Ling Lang raised his bloodied sword, fully intending to smack the scientist with the flat of the blade, but after a second thought, he lowered it.

“You know what? You’re right.”

After confirming he had “saved” Qiu Chao from the immediate threat, Ling Lang seamlessly holstered his sword and unslung his heavy machine gun.

Qiu Chao scrambled up, staying practically glued to his back. “Wait, no! Why aren’t you using your knife if you can?! You’re just wasting perfectly good bullets!”

“Get lost.”

The brutal melee lasted for more than an hour before the waves of enemies finally thinned out, bringing the battle to a temporary, exhausted end.

The group formed a tight, defensive circle. Leaning tiredly against the armored vehicles, they managed to light a sturdy campfire in the center.

Long Yan and Leng Huayi were busy assembling a portable barbecue rack over the flames, preparing to cook.

Sanshe and Huihua dragged the massive, severed corpses of two specific parasites toward the fire.

Huihua wiped his brow. “These two specific variants are entirely edible. There haven’t been any significant mutations in the quality of their meat. We just ran a chemical scan; the viral levels in their tissue are incredibly low, and the vast majority of the pathogens died the moment the hosts were killed.”

Squatting beside the carcasses, Huihua pulled out his heavy hunting dagger and expertly began processing the thick hide, carefully carving off the prime cuts of edible meat.

Zhang Tian walked over, squatting down beside him. “Brother Huihua, you’ve survived out here in these mountains for a long time, so you definitely have the experience to back this up. Honestly, if it were just us, we’d still have a massive prejudice against eating parasite meat. We probably wouldn’t dare touch it.”

She pulled out her own knife. “Here, let me help you prep.”

“There was no other way,” Huihua explained gruffly as he sliced. “When my fellow blacksmiths and I first fled up here into the mountains, we survived entirely on wild vegetables. We practically gnawed the bark off the trees every day just to fill our stomachs, and we spent hours digging deep into the frozen dirt just to find a few roots. But after a few months, it wasn’t enough to sustain us. The cold burns too many calories. So, some of the braver guys in the camp finally took the risk and tried eating the flesh of these specific, thick-skinned parasites.”

“At first, two of the brothers did get violently ill after eating it raw. But after we developed some specialized disinfection and high-heat cooking methods, we found that the meat tasted absolutely no different from standard chicken, duck, or fish. It’s actually really good.”

He paused, adding a serious caveat. “But it has to be consumed in strict moderation. You absolutely cannot eat too much of it at once; otherwise, the residual viral load will build up and overwhelm your body’s ability to break it down.”

Zhang Tian nodded in understanding. “Got it. I used to be the designated cook for my scavenger squad out in the wild, so I’ll help you prep the cuts.”

“Thank you.”

Noticing the distinctive, custom-forged dagger strapped to her waist as she worked, Huihua paused, a look of sudden recognition crossing his face. “Ah. So you’re the friend Xiqing was talking about.”

“Huh?”

“I forged that specific dagger a while ago,” he explained. “I made several specialized blades and gave them all to Xiqing. She mentioned she wanted to gift them to her closest friends to keep them safe, but I didn’t expect to see one of them on you.”

Zhang Tian chuckled, drawing the blade. “So you were the master blacksmith who made this! It handles beautifully. The balance is perfect. You’re amazing.”

“They’re just basic forging techniques,” Huihua said modestly. He picked up a massive chunk of meat from the parasite’s thigh, expertly slicing it away from the bone before turning around to hand it off to the cooks.

He found himself face-to-face with Long Yan.

Long Yan crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him with a cool, perfectly calm expression. “Looks like you don’t need my help after all.”

Huihua froze, instantly flustered. “I do!”

“Oh?” Long Yan raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “It certainly looks like I have nothing to do here.”

“Can… can you cut the meat?” he stammered awkwardly. “Slice it really thin? Like the cuts we used to use for hot pot?”

“Yes,” Long Yan rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously asking if a Franlun operative—or worse, asking Captain Ling Lang’s second-in-command—if she knows how to use a knife to slice meat?”

Sitting nearby and taking a long drink of water, Ling Lang choked. ??? What does her attitude have to do with me?!

Huihua nodded eagerly. “Then come over here.”

He stepped aside to make room for her. “I’ll carve the meat into the large primal cuts, and you can process them into the thin slices. We’ll make a massive hot pot for everyone.”

“This freezing weather is definitely perfect for hot pot.” Long Yan nodded approvingly. She turned to Zhang Tian, who was still squatting on the ground. “Come over here and help me prep the wild vegetables for the broth.”

Zhang Tian couldn’t help but smile at the domestic scene. “Okay.”

Sitting a short distance away, Pei Xiqing had been chatting quietly with Ji Yao. Hearing the commotion, she couldn’t help but turn her head to watch.

Brother Huihua was actually cooking side-by-side with Sister Long Yan.

It wasn’t just her noticing the shift in dynamics. Qiu Chao and the others were also stealing not-so-subtle glances toward the makeshift kitchen area.

Qiu Chao sidled over, whispering conspiratorially. “I’m not trying to gossip or anything, but Sister Long Yan has always been incredibly arrogant and fiercely independent. Only an honest, incredibly steadfast man like Brother Huihua could ever hope to ground her.”

Ji Yao smiled, leaning back comfortably against the car tire with a bottle of water in her hand. “Then what kind of man do you think could ground me?”

“Someone exactly like Sister Ji Yao, of course!” Qiu Chao replied without missing a beat.

“Get lost.”

“If it’s not someone like Sister Ji Yao, then it has to be someone exactly like Xiqing!” Qiu Chao declared grandly. “Gentle, breathtakingly beautiful, and completely independent!”

Ji Yao smirked. “Do you really have a thing for Xiqing’s specific ‘style’?”

“Of course not!” Qiu Chao gasped, utterly oblivious to the trap he was walking into. “It’s not just me! Ling Lang is so hopelessly obsessed with her ‘style’ that he tosses and turns all night, completely unable to sleep!”

“Oh,” Ji Yao said softly. “So that’s how it is.”

Pei Xiqing coughed loudly into her hand.

“I’m completely serious! Don’t look at me like that, you have to believe me!” Qiu Chao insisted. “I genuinely admire people like you, Xiqing, but especially Ling Lang…”

As he spun around, fully intending to point dramatically at Ling Lang to prove his point, he froze.

Duan Xiaolin and Ling Lang were standing directly behind him.

Ling Lang was leaning casually against the car door, watching the scientist with highly dangerous amusement.

Duan Xiaolin was seated inside the open car door. His expression was perfectly calm, but the sheer, suffocating supernatural pressure radiating from him was terrifying. Even without saying a single word, he made the air feel incredibly thin and hard to breathe.

Qiu Chao: “…”

He aggressively slapped a hand over his own mouth.

“That came out completely wrong,” he squeaked through his fingers.

He frantically lowered his hand, backpedaling at lightspeed. “I misspoke! I completely misspoke!”

“Pfft! You know what, I’ve completely forgotten what I just said. My memory is terrible… Oh, wait! It looks like they’re finally heating the oil for the hot pot over there! I need to go supervise the spices!” Qiu Chao desperately tried to assure himself. “Yes, exactly. I’ve forgotten everything I just said. Come on, Ji Yao, let’s go check out what dishes they’re prepping!”

Ji Yao: “…”

She turned around and gave Pei Xiqing a highly exaggerated, sympathetic wink before following the fleeing scientist.

Pei Xiqing pinched the bridge of her nose.

You really have a talent for bringing up the absolute worst topics at the worst possible times, Qiu Chao.

She stood up, walking over to the car, and looked down at the man sitting inside. “Brother Duan, he was just making a stupid joke. You didn’t take any of that seriously, did you?”

The man’s dark eyes locked onto hers. He spoke slowly. “No.”

“That’s good.”

Ling Lang tilted his head, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Well, I took it very seriously.”

“Ah?”

“I’m definitely going to beat the living hell out of him later.”

Pei Xiqing couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you two fighting so often lately? Were you always like this back at the old headquarters?”

“I didn’t want to waste my energy bothering with him back then,” Ling Lang scoffed.

“So this is a recent development?”

“At the new base, I’m the commanding officer in charge of military operations and defense, and he’s the head of scientific research and logistics. There’s bound to be a lot of bureaucratic overlap. The idiot talks too much, so I naturally developed a habit of beating him up to shut him up.”

“Then you must have had a really difficult time during the reconstruction period,” Pei Xiqing sympathized.

“It wasn’t too bad,” Ling Lang said, pulling a data pad from his coat. “I brought some recent photos of the newly repaired base sectors. Do you want to see them?”

“I’d love to.” She was genuinely eager to see what the newly established sanctuary looked like.

Duan Xiaolin remained seated, asking calmly, “Who is currently in charge of the base’s scientific research division while Qiu Chao is here?”

“The military defense grid is being managed by my second-in-command and your Shadow operatives,” Ling Lang reported briskly. “The scientific research division is temporarily being overseen by Xia Jingyu.”

“Xia Jingyu?” Pei Xiqing exclaimed in surprise.

Ling Lang shrugged casually. “You didn’t expect she’d be able to make a comeback, did you?”

He glanced over at Duan Xiaolin. “This arrangement was entirely my idea. Honestly, Xiao Yue wouldn’t have let her return to any position of power so easily. Her latent supernatural abilities are actually highly compatible with deep scientific research. Turns out, she wasn’t completely obsessed with Qiu Chao, nor was she deeply in love with him to the point of dying for him. She’s focused on the work now.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Pei Xiqing smiled. “I genuinely hope she can live a good, fulfilling life there.”

“She knows your true identity, Xiqing,” Ling Lang warned seriously. “If she decides to hold a grudge, she could leak that information to the remaining purist factions within the base. If that happens, you’re doomed.”

“She probably wouldn’t do that,” Pei Xiqing reasoned, thinking back to her terrifying encounter with Xia Jingyu in the Third Base’s underground dungeon. Xia Jingyu had actually helped her a great deal back then. “If she truly wanted to report me, she wouldn’t have bothered going back to Qiu Chao. She would have gone directly to the old headquarters command structure to expose me while she had the chance. She actively chose not to leave the dungeon when she could have. Maybe she never really intended to expose me at all. I’m willing to assume the best of her intentions.”

Ling Lang chuckled, shaking his head.

“You’re an idiot.”

“You’re not exactly a genius yourself, okay?” Pei Xiqing shot back playfully. “Otherwise, how could you have nearly been gutted by that parasite’s tail just now?”

Ling Lang puffed out his chest indignantly. “Look at me. Am I injured right now? I dodged it perfectly! It was almost a hit, but ‘almost’ doesn’t count in combat! I can’t be expected to teach you proper battlefield evasion tactics, can I?”

“Yes, yes, yes. You’re practically invincible.”

Ling Lang coughed awkwardly. “I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m starving.”

With that, he turned and marched toward the makeshift kitchen to ‘help’ with the cooking.

A moment later, the entire group of operatives had gathered around the cooking station, completely infuriating Long Yan.

“What are all of you doing crowding around here?! You’re just getting in the way and causing trouble! Back off!”

Pei Xiqing smiled warmly, looking away from the chaotic, domestic scene.

She turned back to the car. “Brother Duan, you genuinely didn’t expect them to follow us, did you? Are you surprised they came?”

Duan Xiaolin let out a soft, genuine chuckle. “Yes. I am.”

“None of them have given up on you. And neither will I,” she said, her eyes curving into affectionate crescents. “So you aren’t allowed to give up on yourself either, okay?”

The man reached out, gently pinching her cold cheek. His fingertips traced the soft curve of her smile, eventually coming to rest gently at the corner of her eye. “I promise.”

“With all of us here to protect you, you won’t get hurt anymore.”

She leaned casually against the open car window, looking down at him with eyes overflowing with profound, undeniable love.

In the dim light of the snowstorm, her eyes looked as though they were filled with a thousand brilliant stars.

She stared at him, her bright, beautiful smile speaking volumes without her needing to say a single word. In that moment, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Duan Xiaolin’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. His voice dropped to a dangerously low, husky whisper. “Baby. Get in.”

Pei Xiqing blinked. “Hmm?”

She tilted her head slightly, confused. “What are you doing?”

“Get in the car.”

The man pushed the passenger door open for her.

Curious, Pei Xiqing climbed inside.

Before she could even fully settle into the seat, she heard the heavy locks on the doors click shut. In the next second, the man’s large hand gripped the back of her head, pressing her firmly against the passenger window as he leaned over the console and kissed her fiercely.

His actions were incredibly forceful and overwhelmingly dominant, leaving her absolutely no room to retreat.

The thick, armored windows of the off-road vehicle were tightly closed, perfectly muffling the noisy, chaotic sounds of their friends cooking and arguing just a few yards away outside.

Pei Xiqing was caught entirely off guard, feeling instantly dizzy and intoxicated by the sudden, intense kiss. She tried to lean back and create a small distance to catch her breath, but the man’s hand tightened securely on the nape of her neck, while his other hand easily caught both of her wrists, pinning them gently but immovably against her chest. His thin lips brushed against the corner of her mouth before capturing her lips again with undeniable, possessive force.

They exchanged an incredibly passionate, breathless, and deeply intimate kiss.

Pei Xiqing was kissed until she genuinely felt like she couldn’t breathe.

When he finally released her lips, her chest was heaving noticeably. She rested her forehead against his shoulder, gasping softly for air right next to his ear.

Duan Xiaolin wrapped his arm securely around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest and settling her comfortably into his embrace.

Pei Xiqing tried desperately to steady her racing heart and recover her breath.

But she couldn’t stop her cheeks from burning fiercely, and her entire body felt as though it had been set on fire.

She couldn’t calm down for a long time, eventually feeling a little annoyed by her own intense reaction. “I feel like I’m literally burning to death.”

It was especially intense right where the dormant viral totems rested on her back. If there had been a literal fire inside her, her heavy winter coat would have been incinerated by now.

Unable to help herself, she lightly smacked his chest. “You are way too much! Just wait until the others come over here to get us. Let’s see how you manage to step out of this car and face them without looking incredibly suspicious.”

The man smiled, utterly unrepentant. “Then let them see.”

“You might not have any shame, but I still have plenty of mine!”

She was genuinely terrified that Qiu Chao would suddenly press his face against the frosted glass of the car window. After all, that was exactly the kind of obnoxious thing Qiu Chao would do.

Pei Xiqing poked his chest in reprimand. But, seeing that the men outside were still distracted by the food and had absolutely no intention of coming over anytime soon, she couldn’t help but reach up, cup the man’s handsome face in her hands, and peck him hard on the lips several times in retaliation.

Duan Xiaolin leaned forward into her touch, a slow, devastating smile spreading across his face. “Aren’t you afraid of being embarrassed?”

“Why should I be afraid of being embarrassed when I’m kissing my own husband? I dare to love, and I dare to hate. If I love you, I’m going to kiss you.”

“That sounds like a very strange life philosophy.”

“You’re the one who’s strange!”

Pei Xiqing continued to bicker playfully with him in the warm, secluded cabin of the car for a while longer. Surprisingly, no one came over to bother them.

It seemed the entire squad was thoroughly immersed in the joy of eating hot pot in the middle of a blizzard.

Eventually, Pei Xiqing gently pushed his chest. “Come on, let’s go outside and eat something. We’re all exhausted. Honestly, surviving that massive ambush in the last hour felt more tiring than driving for the entire day.”

Duan Xiaolin nodded, opening the door and helping her out of the car.

The rich, savory aroma of spiced meat and boiling broth was already thick in the freezing air.

As soon as they walked over to the campfire, Qiu Chao looked up from his bowl and immediately started teasing them. “Wow, you guys are done so fast?”

“What do you mean, ‘so fast’?” Pei Xiqing asked defensively.

“I’m talking about Brother Duan! He was so fast?!”

“…”

“?”

Pei Xiqing glared at him. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Qiu Chao nearly choked on a piece of hot meat. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

Ji Yao chuckled softly from across the fire. “Some people just have incredibly dirty minds. They constantly think about all sorts of messed-up, inappropriate things, and they don’t feel a shred of shame casually blurting them out. I’m afraid there’s simply no hope for them.”

Qiu Chao lowered his head, coughing violently to cover his panic.

Pei Xiqing finally understood the implication. She couldn’t help but ask in exasperation, “Brother Qiu Chao, what on earth goes through your head every single day?!”

“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s a complete misunderstanding! I definitely didn’t mean it like that, Brother Duan! Please, don’t misunderstand me!”

“I think it’s best if I stay far away from you for a while,” Pei Xiqing muttered, stepping silently away from the scientist. “I feel like if I talk to you for a few more minutes, my brain might actually get contaminated.”

“Don’t worry about him. The food here is incredible, come sit over here,” Duan Xiaolin said. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to his side. “Sit right next to me.”

Pei Xiqing looked up at him, her eyes curving into a smile. “Okay.”

Duan Xiaolin took a moment to glare icily at Qiu Chao. “Eat your food quietly, and eat a lot of it. I highly suggest you don’t speak so quickly in the future.”

Qiu Chao: …What did I even do to deserve this?!

Pei Xiqing leaned comfortably against the man’s broad shoulder, smiling secretly to herself.

The reunited group shared a massive, incredibly sumptuous meal around the fire.

By the time they finished, it was almost eight o’clock in the morning, but the sky above hadn’t lightened in the slightest. The heavy clouds and the relentless blizzard made it look no different than the dead of night.

Everyone gathered tightly together around the dying flames, turning on their heavy-duty flashlights as they began to discuss their next route.

Ling Lang traced a path on a topographical map. “Brother, do you actually know where our final destination is?”

“No idea.”

“So… we’re essentially just driving blindly in this general direction, right?”

Duan Xiaolin nodded calmly. “That is correct.”

Having absolutely no destination and no clear objective made everyone feel incredibly anxious.

“Brother, if the natural disasters are actively tracking you, then there has to be a specific origin point and an inevitable conclusion to this,” Ling Lang reasoned. “We’ve been driving aimlessly for hours, and every path ahead of us seems completely blocked.”

“Let’s just focus on getting over this massive mountain range in front of us first,” the man advised steadily. “There will definitely be a clearer path once we cross the peaks. The ‘destination’ we’re searching for might actually be very close.”

“He’s right,” Long Yan agreed. “Take this mountain range in front of us… there’s no telling how many lethal dangers it hides. Even if it doesn’t lead us to the direct source of the anomaly, crossing it means we’ll slaughter a massive amount of parasites and zombies, effectively eliminating a huge number of potential threats to the new base.”

Everyone nodded in unison, steeling themselves for the grueling journey ahead.

Pei Xiqing listened to their tactical planning quietly. Suddenly, she blurted out, “I know exactly where we’re going.”

“What?!”

“You know?!”

Everyone’s eyes immediately snapped to her in shock.

Pei Xiqing nodded firmly.

“Yes. I know exactly where the source is.”

Chapter 341: No Matter What the Cost 

The end of the story lay just beyond the snow-capped mountains—the ocean tide, a new hope, the culmination of everything.

She remembered the final destination Xiao Yue and Pei Yanting had reached. It was a new world, brimming with hope.

But she and Duan Xiaolin could never go there.

They weren’t the protagonists of this world, though that didn’t diminish their fierce obsession and desire to live. And so, they headed toward the most polluted place on the map: a living hell on earth, overrun by parasites and rampant zombies.

Pei Xiqing glanced sideways at the man beside her. “Brother Duan, just follow your instincts. Wherever you choose to go, that will be our destination. If we stay stagnant, nothing will change. Why don’t we just go here?”

She pointed a slender finger at a solid red cluster on the map.

Blue meant bare survival, orange meant caution, green meant safety, and red meant extreme danger.

The red zone wasn’t just crawling with vicious zombies; it was a breeding ground for countless mutated parasites. Over time, all the most terrifying and abhorrent monstrosities had gathered there. In this specific region, crimson had completely swallowed every inch of the map.

Everyone stared at the spot she indicated.

Someone drew a sharp breath. Another chuckled out loud.

Ling Lang wiped the dark blood from his saber and sat down nearby, casually bending one leg. He let out a soft scoff. “So this is the place? When are we leaving?”

Qiu Chao analyzed the route. “We only have one way forward right now. We have to keep moving and cross the dozen or so snow-capped mountains ahead of us. We’ll reach the red zone, but the area is massive. Sister Xiqing, do you have a specific spot in mind?”

Pei Xiqing shook her head.

“That’s fine, let’s just go.” Qiu Chao clenched his fists. “Who’s afraid of a few monsters, right Ling Lang?”

Ling Lang picked up his gun and smoothly loaded the magazine.

“Of course. I actually wanted to bring my troops here back when I was leading the army, but it was just too dangerous, and the military’s situation wasn’t optimistic. I had to prioritize the entire army’s survival, so I put it off.” He quickly packed his gear, dusted off his pants, and stood up. “We can leave whenever you’re ready. I’m with you to the end.”

As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward Pei Xiqing. It felt as though those last words were meant solely for her.

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. “Alright, no problem. If you’re determined to take this path, we’ll gladly accompany you to the end. We’re going to completely crush this dead zone! We have to take it down!”

The red area was a ticking time bomb hanging over all their heads, packed with every disgusting strain of the virus imaginable. It had to be dealt with sooner or later.

With the general route decided, everyone began outlining a specific battle plan. Having fought side-by-side for so long, they didn’t need to say much; a simple gesture or a brief look was enough for them to understand each other’s thoughts.

Long Yan looked up and asked, “Xiqing, what exactly is your special ability?”

Pei Xiqing straightened her posture. “My ability… seems to provide some kind of boost, but I’m not entirely sure about the details. Brother Duan actually knows better than I do.”

She turned to ask Duan Xiaolin, “How did it feel when I bit you before?”

“Incredible,” the man replied evenly. “Part of it directly enhances and strengthens the physical abilities of an awakened user, and the other part manifested as the Qiong Snake.”

Qiu Chao clapped his hands together.

“Excellent.”

He explained, “I’ve examined the condition of the Qiong Snake, and it has adapted perfectly to her body. It can even match the level of power Brother Duan displayed previously, though the exact limits will depend on her own performance in battle.”

“Got it,” Pei Xiqing nodded.

Once the others scattered to prepare, Qiu Chao discreetly tugged at Pei Xiqing’s sleeve.

She was still packing up. Just as she was about to carry the sleeping bags back to the vehicle, she turned around and saw him hesitating, looking like he had something awkward to say.

“What’s wrong?”

Qiu Chao leaned in and whispered, “Next time we fight, can you…”

“Can I what?”

“Can you sneakily bite me?”

Pei Xiqing stared at him blankly. “Huh?”

Qiu Chao tapped his arm excitedly. “If you bite me, my superpowers will get a massive boost. I might even be able to upgrade! It worked exactly like that when you bit Brother Duan. Think about it—his powers were completely gone, but who knew your bite could restore them?”

“That was just luck, and I really couldn’t control myself back then. After I bit him, he started mutating into a zombie. At that time…” Thinking back to the gruesome scene, Pei Xiqing grimaced. “I had to physically scrape the infected flesh off him with a knife to clear the virus. Could you handle that?”

Qiu Chao froze, stunned for a moment.

“Oh. So that’s how it works.”

“Yeah.” Pei Xiqing nodded. “Honestly, I haven’t bitten many people. Brother Duan was the first, and he endured an unimaginable amount of pain. I can’t just bite anyone casually. If you seriously want to try upgrading your powers, you need to be mentally prepared. And if you inject the cure serum too early, my virus won’t have time to properly stimulate the latent abilities in your body, rendering the whole thing useless.”

“…Is that so?” Qiu Chao paced a tight circle, his mind racing. “The zombie virus in your system is gone now, but Substance X remains. When you bit Brother Duan, you weren’t transmitting the zombie virus—you were transmitting Substance X, which mimics it. That’s what caused him to exhibit symptoms of zombie transformation.”

He looked at her intently. “Your true superpower is this substance itself. Substance X resides inside you, and your body will continue to synthesize it.”

“Then why do I still need crystal cores?”

“Because your body doesn’t yet have the ability to produce this substance entirely on its own. It needs the raw energy from the crystal cores to assist the process.”

“Understood.”

Qiu Chao took a deep breath, his resolve hardening. “I can endure it. When the time is right, you have to secretly bite me. I’ll be able to gain a massive surge in strength in a terrifyingly short amount of time. It might finally push my stagnant abilities to the next level.”

As he rambled, he became entirely immersed in his own fantasies.

“When that happens, Long Yan and Ling Lang will have to look at me with newfound respect, hahahaha! I’ll swoop in to save the day, pull you all out of danger, and everyone will be forced to call me Brother Qiu Chao! But seriously, when you bite me, be discreet. Don’t let the others see. Oh, by the way, does the bite itself hurt? Does it bleed a lot? I imagine it’s the kind that draws blood instantly. And when exactly is the optimal window to inject my serum…?”

He babbled on, eventually turning around—only to find thin air. Pei Xiqing was no longer standing behind him.

Looking past the spot where she’d just been, he saw she was already sitting in the car.

“Hey! Wait, I wasn’t even finished talking! Why are you in such a rush?!”

…

Inside the vehicle, Pei Xiqing watched the snow-covered scenery rapidly receding outside her window. She took a bite of the hot instant noodles Zhang Tian had just handed her.

“I didn’t expect the snow up ahead to be this thick.”

From the back seat, Zhang Tian agreed. “Exactly. Compared to this wasteland, the snow back at the base was nothing. Totally not worth looking at.”

He then scooped up another boiled egg and dropped it into her bowl. “Come on, Xiqing! Eat an egg!”

Qiu Chao, sitting nearby, complained, “Hey, how come I didn’t get an egg?”

Zhang Tian rolled his eyes. “…Are you really comparing yourself to someone who just gave birth? You go push a baby out, and I’ll immediately put every single egg in this team into your bowl.”

Pei Xiqing laughed. “In that case, Brother Qiu Chao, you’d better get to work. Maybe you can invent a potion that allows men to get pregnant. Then you won’t even need to find a partner—you can just handle it all yourself.”

Qiu Chao grimaced. “…Forget it.”

They called it “instant noodles,” but in reality, the bowls were packed to the brim with hearty chunks of meat, fresh vegetables, and an egg. It was a richer meal than they usually ate back at the base.

Pei Xiqing swallowed a mouthful and said, “Honestly, I feel like my body has mostly recovered. Absorbing those crystal cores right after giving birth restored a huge amount of my energy.”

“You still need to be careful,” Zhang Tian warned. “Until we reach our final destination, you should just stay in the car. Don’t push yourself fighting the stray parasites along the way. Leave the grunt work to us.”

“Alright.”

“Here, take this extra piece of beef.”

Swaying with the motion of the off-road vehicle, she ate half of her portion and carefully fed the other half to Duan Xiaolin, who was driving steadily beside her.

The journey ahead would take at least ten hours.

Eventually, the rhythmic bumping of the car lulled the exhausted passengers to sleep one by one. Pei Xiqing was among them, sinking deeply into her seat as sleep overtook her.

She didn’t know exactly when the car finally rolled to a stop.

Ling Lang was quietly counting his spare bullets in the passenger seat when a sudden knock on the window startled him.

He looked up to see Duan Xiaolin standing outside in the snow.

Ling Lang immediately pushed the door open and stepped out. “Brother.”

Duan Xiaolin looked at him intently. “Do you remember what I told you back at the Sixth Base?”

Ling Lang’s expression turned serious as he nodded. “I remember.”

He fell into step beside the older man.

Duan Xiaolin rarely smoked, but he now held a lit cigarette between his lips, taking a slow, deep drag as he led Ling Lang deeper into the freezing woods ahead.

They walked in silence for about ten minutes before Duan Xiaolin finally came to a halt.

A few wisps of light-gray ash drifted down to the snow near his boots.

Without warning, the spectral form of the Qiong Snake surged from his arm, plunging into the earth and violently dragging a massive, hidden monster out from under the frost.

Ling Lang reacted instantly, sending his flying sword slicing through the air to strike the parasite’s vital spot. Working in perfect tandem, the two men killed the beast in seconds.

Duan Xiaolin tossed over a heavy dagger.

Catching it deftly, Ling Lang crouched down and sliced open the parasite’s thick belly, digging through the gore to extract a faintly glowing crystal core.

Wiping a splatter of dark blood from his forehead, Ling Lang inspected the haul. “Mid-to-high tier.”

Not incredible.

But far from useless.

To condense a core of this grade, the parasite must have devoured countless humans and zombies, constantly mutating and growing stronger in the desolate wasteland.

Since Ling Lang had struck the killing blow, the oppressive severity of the surrounding “natural disaster” didn’t instantly spike. The karmic backlash seemed significantly reduced, lacking the suffocating pressure Duan Xiaolin usually suffered when he harvested the cores himself.

“Brother, let me be the one to do this from now on,” Ling Lang urged. “Don’t keep doing it yourself.”

The man shook his head slowly. “It’s already too late for that.”

“Can’t we face this curse together?!” Ling Lang burst out, his voice thick with emotion. “We finally reunited! Everyone from the old Franlun team is here—me, Sister Long Yan, and even Brother Huihua has returned! Let me handle the dirty work from now on. You just need to focus on surviving!”

Duan Xiaolin took another drag of his cigarette, exhaling a plume of white smoke into the freezing air. “I will never regret what I did for the woman I love. No matter the cost.”

From forcibly ripping crystal cores out of human bodies, to slaughtering countless horrors in the wild just to harvest their power for her—he didn’t regret a single sin he had committed.

“Brother…”

“Enough,” Duan Xiaolin interrupted smoothly. “You’ve learned the method. If something unexpected happens to me, you’ll be the one to take over harvesting the cores for her.”

He looked at Ling Lang with calm, steady eyes. “I know you can do it.”

Ling Lang gripped the crystal core so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Dammit, brother! I want you to live well! If you’re gone, Xiqing… I’m afraid she won’t be able to carry on alone. You know her temper—if she sets her mind on doing something reckless, I won’t be able to stop her!”

“I have already arranged for what happens next. Your only job is to be ready to supply her with the cores.”

“Brother!”

“There’s nothing more to say.”

The man dropped his cigarette, crushing the embers beneath his boot, and turned back.

Ling Lang stood frozen in the snow, staring at Duan Xiaolin’s retreating back with an expression of agonized helplessness.

When the man returned to the vehicle, Pei Xiqing had already woken up.

She was leaning against the half-open car window, resting her chin on her arms. She looked languid, but the chill of the air gave her expression a crisp, focused edge.

Duan Xiaolin approached. “Do you want to step out for a bit?”

Pei Xiqing nodded. “I was just waiting for you.”

The man reached out and took her hand, helping her down. The others in the car were still resting, so the two of them set off on a slow, aimless walk through the pristine snow.

Gripping his hand tightly, Pei Xiqing gazed out at the vast, endless expanse of white surrounding them. “Time really flies, doesn’t it? In the blink of an eye, the world turned into this. I remember when the apocalypse first started, things were ruined, but nothing on this scale. These mutated natural disasters are truly terrifying… capable of changing the entire planet in an instant.”

She pulled out her phone, snapping a few pictures of the icy, desolate beauty around them.

Finally, she turned the camera toward Duan Xiaolin.

“Come here!”

Men didn’t exactly have a natural sense of how to pose for a camera.

But with his sharp features, he looked undeniably handsome no matter the angle.

Flipping the lens to the front-facing camera, she hugged his arm tightly, pressing close, and snapped a selfie.

“You’re not even smiling,” she complained softly, looking down at the screen.

“Let’s try again.”

Obliging her, Duan Xiaolin took the phone from her hand, raising it higher for a better angle.

Pei Xiqing leaned in close and flashed a cute peace sign.

She was much happier with the photos this time.

In the picture, they were pressed warmly against each other. The smile she gave to the camera was incredibly tender and harmonious.

She squeezed his arm tighter, her voice softening. “Brother Duan… we are husband and wife, but we’re also a team. Our fates are bound together. Ruirui is waiting for us back at the base. We’re going to make it home safely, right?”

“We will.”

“So no matter what happens, I want to be by your side. Don’t ever try to shoulder everything alone and leave me behind. A natural disaster is just a natural disaster. Even if the sky collapses, I want to be standing under it with you. And even if God tries to separate us, we’ll find a thousand ways to claw our way back to each other.”

She tilted her head up, her clear eyes meeting his. “Do you believe me?”

He reached out, his warm fingers gently brushing against her freezing cheek. “I believe you.”

“So, promise me you won’t ever lose hope. I refuse to be the girl who just cowers behind your back whenever danger strikes. I’m going to face the wind and rain right beside you.”

Duan Xiaolin’s lips parted slightly, as if there was a heavy confession lingering on the tip of his tongue. Sensing the shift, Pei Xiqing smiled brightly and tugged him toward the camp. “Hurry up! It looks like everyone is waking up. Let’s go check on Sister Long Yan and Brother Huihua. I wonder if they’ve finally reconciled yet. Some things just need to be dragged out into the open! If they’re still beating around the bush, I don’t mind giving them a forceful shove from behind!”

Duan Xiaolin held his ground, pulling her back against his chest and wrapping his thick coat around her shivering frame.

“You worry entirely too much about other people’s personal matters,” he murmured.

“I can’t help it, she’s Sister Long Yan!”

“Try worrying about me more instead.”

Pei Xiqing playfully rolled her eyes, a teasing smile on her lips. “Have I ever told you about the love story I saw in my dream?”

“No.”

She held up her gloved hand, tapping her fingers playfully as she thought. “Hmm… let me figure out where to start, so you can easily understand.”

Chapter 342: Disobedient 

Duan Xiaolin said patiently, “You can start whenever you’re ready.”

Pei Xiqing stood on her tiptoes, leaning in closer to him. “Then I’ll keep it short. Actually… you could say that there is another time and space. Even if we get separated in the future, we will definitely find each other and meet again.”

He caught on quickly. A faint smile graced his lips as he murmured, “I suppose this is what Xiao Yue was trying to tell me back then.”

“Him? Don’t worry about him. I’m the only one standing in front of you right now.” She gently cupped his face with both hands. “Look at me, okay? The past is the past. He doesn’t matter anymore.”

The man gently took her hand, pressing a tender kiss to the back of it in response.

Pei Xiqing hadn’t explained everything in perfect detail, but she figured he understood enough. After all, Xiao Yue’s behavior right before his death had been undeniably strange. Duan Xiaolin had probably guessed the truth a long time ago, but since she hadn’t brought it up, he had chosen not to pry.

On their way back to camp, Pei Xiqing carefully observed his expression. Seeing that he wasn’t particularly shocked, she let out a silent sigh of relief.

By the time they arrived, Qiu Chao and the others had almost finished unpacking and setting up their temporary base. “Hurry up and come over here,” Qiu Chao called out. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

Pei Xiqing nodded, leading Duan Xiaolin by the hand as they went over to sit down.

In the midst of the apocalyptic wasteland, the concept of day and night blurred. The bonfire crackled, burning fiercely into the dark. Resting her chin in her hand, she watched the man through the dancing flames. Her bright eyes sparkled in the firelight, her smile softer than it had ever been.

When someone who wasn’t the protagonist forcibly seized their luck, stealing their halo and taking everything meant for them, the consequence was inevitable: the wrath of the natural disasters would hound them straight to hell.

The relentless calamities were a punishment for harboring such delusions, dragging the sinner into an abyss of endless torment.

It took them twenty grueling days to smash through every obstacle in their path and finally reach the red zone on the map.

Wearing a protective mask, Pei Xiqing stood in front of an operational screen, her fingertips flying across the console. Once she confirmed that the deployed drones had begun scanning the area ahead, she turned to the team behind her. “The scan is running. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Hefting a heavy shock cannon onto his shoulder, Ling Lang nodded. “Let’s move.”

This was the crimson zone—an area of extreme danger. The desolate landscape was crawling with mutated zombies and vicious parasites. Their ultimate goal was to eradicate the virus at its source.

The rest of the team mobilized immediately. Staring at the scanning signals lighting up her screen, Pei Xiqing instantly pinpointed hundreds of parasites lurking just beneath the surface. She quickly relayed the coordinates to the strike team.

“Copy that,” Ling Lang’s voice crackled over the comms. With a deadly flick of his blade, he slaughtered several emerging parasites and swiftly led his squad deeper into the zone.

Back inside the aircraft, Pei Xiqing froze. Her eyes locked onto an unusual cluster of bright spots blinking on the radar.

Is that… a crystal core resonance?

Staring at the signal, a heavy sense of dread washed over her. She quickly turned around to look for Duan Xiaolin.

He wasn’t there.

Panicking, she pulled up the external surveillance footage. Sure enough, there he was—walking directly toward the source of the anomaly.

The color drained from her face. She slammed the cabin door open and sprinted out into the wasteland.

If she wasn’t mistaken, those were Xiao Yue’s final crystal cores—the power meant for the world’s true protagonist. If Duan Xiaolin touched them now, he would be outright courting death.

She collided with several wandering zombies along the way, desperately hacking and fighting her way through the rotting horde. By the time she finally broke free, Duan Xiaolin was already standing over a massive parasite, his blade poised to dissect it.

“Brother Duan!” she screamed, her voice tearing through the desolate air. “Stop!”

The man paused for a fraction of a second at her shout. But his hand didn’t stop. He plunged his dagger into the beast’s chest, slicing it open and smoothly extracting the brilliantly glowing crystal core.

Pei Xiqing’s eyes widened in sheer horror.

She sprinted toward him like a madwoman, slapping his hand hard to knock the crystal core away. It hit the ground with a clatter. Frantically, she dropped to her knees, trying to shove the gleaming stone back into the dead parasite’s body.

But it was no use; she couldn’t put it back.

Her clothes were soaked in dark, vile blood. Terrified of the karmic backlash, she whipped her head around to look at Duan Xiaolin. To her utter disbelief, the man was still standing there, completely unharmed.

Her heart was hammering so violently it felt like it might burst from her chest. “Brother Duan, what are you doing?! Stop digging for these crystal cores!”

For the very first time, she completely lost her temper with him. “Why can’t you just listen to me?!” she demanded, her voice breaking.

Bending down, Duan Xiaolin calmly picked the discarded crystal core out of the dirt. “I was merely taking a gamble,” he said softly, examining the glowing stone. “I just didn’t expect my theory to be proven right.”

He looked at her, his tone soothing. “Since I managed to find this on my own, does it still count as going against the will of Heaven?”

Pei Xiqing bit her lip hard. “I’m not going to take any more of the crystal cores you give me.”

Duan Xiaolin let out a low chuckle. “Don’t worry about me. If just one or two cores were enough to kill me, then my life wouldn’t be worth much to begin with.”

“Behave yourself!” Pei Xiqing snapped, half-tempted to find a rope and physically tie him to her side to keep him safe.

“Alright, I’ll do as you say,” he conceded gently.

“Then come back to the ship with me right now.” She grabbed his arm tightly, refusing to let go.

Duan Xiaolin smiled, allowing himself to be pulled along. “Slow down, don’t trip.”

But as they walked away, hidden in a blind spot amidst the rubble, a pale red crystal core lay buried in the dust, pulsing with an unnatural, ominous light.

Without breaking stride, the man lowered his eyes, casting a casual, knowing glance toward the glowing spot. A faint smile touched his lips.

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