Xu Qingtian stood up suspiciously, her limbs moving nimbly, though still a bit weak. She wiped the wound on her neck again. “Why has it turned red? I… I really wasn’t infected?”
Xu Qingtian breathed a sigh of relief, but when she looked up, she saw a zombie horde slowly approaching their position.
“Ah, so many zombies! It’s high noon right now—zombies fear the sun the most. How can this be?”
Hua Wuyan frowned in exasperation. “You idiot, what are you yelling about? Who told you zombies fear the sun? Zombies are just less active at noon—it’s not like they’ve turned vegetarian.”
“Senior Nanying said so.”
“You believe the words of a scumbag like him? Killing him would dirty my hands.”
With disgust, Hua Wuyan kicked Jiang Nanying fifty meters away toward the zombie horde that was slowly closing in on them. “Stinking and in the way.”
The bright yellow urine beneath Jiang Nanying sent the zombie horde into a frenzy, and they all converged on him.
The grinding of teeth against bone, the tearing of flesh and sinew—both sounds filled the air around them, leaving Xu Qingtian limp and utterly devoid of the courage to move.
Seeing Hua Wuyan about to leave, she plucked up her courage and moved closer, only to be glared back by a single look.
“Senior sister, you have a weapon in your hand. Could you escort me to the safe base?”
This Hua Wuyan seemed to have stumbled upon some kind of fortune—not only had she survived, but her strength had also grown greatly.
The blade in her hand looked extremely sharp too. There was no way she could fight her right now.
Earlier, they had already passed by her house along the way—her parents and older brother weren’t home at all. In a disaster like this, they were likely in grave danger.
If she wanted to survive, she had to reach the safe base first.
Once she got to the base, she would find Jiang Nanying’s parents. Now that Jiang Nanying was dead, his parents would surely extend their love for him to her and protect her as well.
And when that time came, all she had to do was tell them that Hua Wuyan had killed Jiang Nanying—they would never let this murderer go!
Hua Wuyan had initially planned to agree outright, since her mission was to arrive at the base at the same time as Xu Qingtian.
But seeing the barely concealed scheming look in Xu Qingtian’s eyes, she swallowed the words that were about to leave her mouth.
“You want to go to the base?”
In the book, Jiang Nanying’s parents were high-ranking officials at Linjiang City Base. If she went to the base now, how could Xu Qingtian possibly pass up such a perfect opportunity to take revenge on her?
Her strength had yet to recover. The base was a socially complex area in the post-apocalyptic world. If she wanted to freely strip Xu Qingtian of her Opportunity Points there, her current strength simply wasn’t enough.
Strength was the foundation for resolving all conflicts. What she wanted was complete, overwhelming dominance.
“Wuyan, I’m begging you. Don’t worry—once we reach the base, I won’t say a word out of line. I’ll pretend I never saw anything today.”
She summoned the System.
“System, is there a time limit on the mission to arrive at the base together with Xu Qingtian?”
[No.]
“Good.”
[Host, what are you planning to do?]
“The situation at the base is complicated. With my current strength, it’s better to play the lone wolf and develop quietly. So I’ve decided—I’m not going to the base for now.”
[But there are major opportunities at the base. Are you sure you don’t want to head there immediately? Those major opportunities can grant the Host a substantial return in Opportunity Points in a short amount of time.]
“Great rewards always come with corresponding difficulty. Moreover, the Linjiang City base is a Defense Shelter, and its owner must possess formidable strength—I have to be on guard.
With my current strength, I need to be more cautious when I can’t guarantee my own safety.”
What she needed most right now were Crystal Cores and Opportunity Points.
There were quite a few airdrop crates scattered throughout Linjiang City. On her way to find them, she could also kill zombies to stockpile Crystal Cores—killing two birds with one stone.
【Your analysis makes sense, Host. I respect your choice. However, the plot is ever-changing. From the moment you entered this book world, the butterfly effect has already been set in motion. The longer time passes, the greater the changes. Please improve your strength as soon as possible and complete the System’s quests early.】
The surrounding zombies seemed to have lost interest in Jiang Nanying’s body and began to close in again.
Xu Qingtian was so frightened that she pressed closer to Hua Wuyan.
With Xu Qingtian’s hands braced against Hua Wuyan’s shoulders, the two stood one in front of the other, and Hua Wuyan could even feel Xu Qingtian’s breath on her.
Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling surged uncontrollably from the depths of her heart.
She desperately wanted to protect this soft, delicate beauty, Xu Qingtian.
【No! The Host is being influenced by the Female Lead’s Luck Aura rules, developing a protective and pitying desire toward the Female Lead.
Host, snap out of it! You can’t let the Female Lead’s Luck Aura affect you, or no matter how many opportunities you fight for, you’ll only become a stepping stone for the Female Lead.
This is bad, this is really bad. If the Host gets charmed by the Female Lead, my consciousness will be wiped out. I finally found a Host who can handle things and has a brain—I can’t fail now!
Host, wake up! If you don’t snap out of it, we’re both done for!】
Just as the feeling of pity arose in Hua Wuyan’s heart, a sudden jolt shot through her subconscious. Combined with the System’s frantic shouts, she immediately realized something was wrong.
What was going on? She had scoffed at Xu Qingtian, even wishing she could kill her on the spot to be done with it.
But now, why did thinking of her stir up a soft, protective desire in her heart?
Had she been bewitched?
She herself possessed the Natural Alluring Physique, so she knew all too well the feeling of being bewitched by mere gestures.
The ability to make people feel a sense of closeness without realizing it, to lower their guard, and finally open their hearts.
This Female Lead’s protagonist halo in the book was truly hard to guard against.
If she hadn’t been naturally vigilant, she would have ended up collecting opportunities only to serve as a wedding dress for the Female Lead.
She immediately shook off the Female Lead and took several steps back to maintain distance.
Sure enough, as long as she stayed far enough from the Female Lead, the bewitched feeling disappeared.
“System, this is urgent. How do I resist the Female Lead Halo?”
【The Natural Alluring Physique! Although the Female Lead Halo has a strong attraction on those nearby, in essence, it’s all just bewitchment.
As long as the Host restores the Natural Alluring Physique, not only can you resist the Female Lead Halo’s effect on you, it will also help with future Providence Quests!】
Hua Wuyan immediately flipped through the System Mall. “Exchanging for the Natural Alluring Physique costs three hundred Opportunity Points?”
【Host, as long as you break through to the Qi Condensation Stage, your physique can break through a sliver of the Heavenly Dao Shackles and restore your original Natural Alluring Physique.】
“Then what are we waiting for! Let’s go kill some zombies!”
【The number of zombies closing in is growing. Host, take care of the zombies first, then we’ll figure out the rest.】
Hua Wuyan’s expression shifted, and she turned and delivered a swift knife-hand strike to knock Xu Qingtian unconscious. She still needed to keep the girl around to help her complete the mission—if Xu Qingtian ran off while she was busy fighting zombies, who would she turn to for help?
After Xu Qingtian fell unconscious, the feeling of being bewitched weakened considerably compared to just moments ago.
She had to hurry!
Gripping her long blade tightly, she charged straight into the zombie horde and began swinging.
Thanks to the reach advantage of her weapon, most zombies had their heads severed or were pierced through the temple with a single strike before they could even get close.
A step up from last night—she could now take down a zombie within two moves.
One, two, three…
Ninety-five.
Ninety-six.
Ninety-seven.
For nearly an hour, she swung the long blade without pause. The soreness and numbness in her arms made her frown, but what irritated her even more wasn’t the physical exhaustion.
“Damn, nearly a hundred zombies and all they dropped was 15 Crystal Cores.”