What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH60

Chapter 60: Don’t Touch Me

When Ling Lang arrived at the central base tower, the search team was already conducting a thorough sweep of every floor. A guard at the entrance saw him approaching and stepped forward to halt him. “Captain, this is a routine inspection.”

Ling Lang raised his arm carelessly. “Go ahead.”

A few soldiers quickly checked him over, then stepped aside. “You’re clear, Captain. Please go through.”

“Did you find anything?” Ling Lang asked.

“Not yet, but we heard the spy has already been caught and is inside the Chief Judge’s office. Right now, we are checking for any accomplices. We have to verify everyone one by one to make sure a second spy hasn’t sneaked in.”

“The Chief Judge’s office?” Ling Lang’s brow furrowed. “And then?”

“The Chief Judge is likely conducting the interrogation right now. It won’t be long before the spy cracks and confesses everything.”

Ling Lang let out a silent sneer.

A spy?

She was clearly just an idiot who had panicked and run the wrong way.

Still, thinking about the whole situation, he had to admit that Pei Xiqing was surprisingly brave and clever. She had actually figured out how to operate the base’s main control panel on her own.

Ling Lang took the elevator upstairs.

When he reached the designated floor, he saw the office door tightly shut. He raised his hand to push it open, but his fingers paused in mid-air.

He stopped.

He leaned his back against the wall instead.

There was no telling what was running through his mind, but he ran a hand through his white hair in sheer annoyance, looking thoroughly frustrated and depressed.

If it were anyone else’s office, he would have barged straight in and dragged her out. But the man inside was the person he respected most in the world.

Ling Lang let out a heavy sigh. The irritation in his chest grew stronger, and his face clouded over.

Right then, the heavy door suddenly slid open from the inside.

Duan Xiaolin stepped out, calmly adjusting his cuffs. He cast a flat glance at his younger brother. “You’re here.”

Ling Lang straightened up. “Look, brother, you aren’t actually going to interrogate her, are you? I can testify for her. She isn’t a spy. She just… took a wrong turn.”

The man replied evenly, “I know.”

“Then she’s clear?”

“I have already ordered the security team to delete her facial recognition records.”

“I just came from Long Yan’s station. I asked her to clear the logs on her end too.”

“Good. Report to my office shortly. I have a deployment for you.”

“Where is she?”

As Ling Lang spoke, his eyes involuntarily caught a faint, dark mark on his brother’s Adam’s apple. It flashed in the light for a split second before being hidden beneath his neatly adjusted collar.

Ling Lang’s mind went entirely blank. He didn’t even process whatever his brother said next, his thoughts spiraling into a total mess until a hand waved directly in front of his face, snapping him out of it.

Pei Xiqing was standing there, holding Xiaobai’s lead. Her eyes were full of confusion. “What are you daydreaming about?”

Ling Lang collected himself and looked down at her. Her face was still flushed as she idly patted the dog. He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth and let out a sharp, defensive laugh. “Ha! What’s it to you? I’m just annoyed looking at you.”

“Is that so?” she said, tilting her head. “I heard everything you just said to Brother Duan.”

Saying this, she lowered her eyes, a bit embarrassed.

What had happened in that office just now was a total disaster. She had almost crossed a very dangerous line with him. Fortunately, she had used a bit of charm to divert his attention, forcing him to deal with the guards who wanted to arrest her as a spy first. After a lot of coaxing, she had finally made the stubborn tyrant compromise and let her off the hook for now.

Ling Lang paused, then muttered, “…Troublemaker.”

Pei Xiqing patted the hound’s head and sighed. “When are you going to fix that habit of saying one thing and thinking another?”

“Who’s saying one thing and thinking another?”

“You.”

“No, I’m not,” he shot back, looking away. “If it weren’t for my brother, I wouldn’t waste my time worrying about you.”

Pei Xiqing offered a soft, knowing smile.

Ling Lang was incredibly stubborn, but he had a genuinely good heart.

She didn’t know why Duan Xiaolin was so sensitive about her interacting with him. In her eyes, she and Ling Lang were simply good friends. She wanted to keep their dynamic completely ordinary, without letting any complicated reasons create a rift between them.

How she had treated him on the road was exactly how she would treat him now.

Besides, Ling Lang hadn’t expressed any hidden feelings to her. For all she knew, he was truly just looking out for her for Duan Xiaolin’s sake. If she refused his kindness or showed any immediate displeasure, she would just be an ungrateful jerk.

“Xiaobai seems to like you too. Do you want to pet him? Didn’t you say you were going to help me walk him?”

Ling Lang hesitated for a few seconds before slowly crouching down. He extended a hand toward the reanimated Husky.

Xiaobai didn’t back away; instead, he stepped forward and actively nudged his nose against Ling Lang’s palm.

Ling Lang froze for a half second, then began to stroke the thick fur. “Yeah. Good boy.”

“I’m sorry you had to run all the way up here for nothing,” she said gently.

“I told you, I’m not looking to pick a fight with you.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Pei Xiqing playfully nudged her shoulder against his. “Captain Ling Lang is exceptionally generous. You wouldn’t hold a grudge against me.”

The light physical contact made Ling Lang flinch. He jumped to his feet instantly, backing away. “You—you! Don’t touch me.”

“What’s wrong? Are you injured?” Pei Xiqing was taken aback, her hands freezing in the air. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Ling Lang stared down at her face. His skin suddenly turned incredibly pale, and without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away in a frantic rush, looking completely embarrassed.

Pei Xiqing was left standing in total confusion.

Is he actually injured or not?

Ling Lang marched halfway down the corridor before suddenly spinning back around. “…What did my brother just say I needed to do?”

Pei Xiqing pointed blankly toward the upper tier. “I think he ordered you to go upstairs because there is a major case for you to take charge of. He also told you to gather the rest of the teammates… Did you really not hear him?”

Ling Lang violently averted his gaze. “It’s all this stupid dog’s fault. It keeps making noise. Starting tomorrow, I am personally taking it out for intense military training every single day.”

Pei Xiqing looked down at Xiaobai.

The hound seemed to understand the threat, dropping his ears and lying flat against the floorboards in total grievance.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, at least you finally found a way to burn off his endless energy.”

Ling Lang cleared his throat. “What about you? Do you need me to escort you back to the villa?”

“No need,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m staying right here. After all, I’m technically still a captured spy.”

Although the accusation was a bit ridiculous, it wasn’t entirely baseless. Who would have guessed that a regular civilian girl could casually override a high-clearance military console? Even she hadn’t expected her cells to clear the firewall.

“There’s no need to play the criminal. You can leave this floor whenever you want.”

“No, go ahead and manage your deployment.”

In truth, a major part of her decision was because of the quiet “reminder” Duan Xiaolin had breathed into her ear before stepping out to face his brother.

Wait here until my shift logs clear.

It was glaringly obvious that the tyrant intended to handle her transit personally.

He wanted to walk home with her.

As for what would happen once they locked the villa door behind them… her processors simply didn’t dare to think too deeply about it.

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