In the first year after the meteorite crash, the virus overflowed, zombies roamed, and temperatures fluctuated wildly. The entire world had turned into a living hell.
Four battered cars, reeking of blood and dented from collisions, sped down the highway.
Hong Zhengyuan turned on the windshield wipers. Bloodstains and fragments of zombie flesh sprayed outward, revealing a wild and rebellious face. He tapped the steering wheel impatiently, looking into the rearview mirror as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
“Boss…”
A pair of eyes slowly appeared in the rearview mirror—starry eyes beneath sword-like brows, with pupils as deep as ink. When the man looked up at him, Hong Zhengyuan faltered for a moment, but he couldn’t help himself: “You shouldn’t have saved her just now!”
Once the first sentence was out, the rest flowed easily. Hong Zhengyuan let out a long breath, as if venting days of pent-up frustration. “We ran into her right after we defected from the base. You had a strange look on your face, and we thought you’d taken a liking to her. Who knew that as soon as her dad opened his mouth, we’d find out she’s the ex-girlfriend who dumped you!”
He punched the steering wheel to vent his anger. “People back at the base used to say you’d been dumped, and we all thought they were joking. Who would’ve thought we’d run into her by such a coincidence? She broke up with you because your family fell on hard times, but now that she sees us carrying guns, she’s clinging to us again. Her dad got bitten and still acted like a saint, rushing forward to ‘save’ you once. Damn him! With your special ability, it’s impossible for a zombie to even get close to you. He just used that ‘debt of gratitude’ to foist his daughter on us. No one is more calculating than he was!”
He spoke rapidly and incessantly. In the back seat, Jin Xiao frowned. “Just drive the car!”
Hong Zhengyuan instinctively tensed up. He shifted his gaze to the woman sitting next to Jin Xiao. “Are you still afraid she’ll hear? Just now, she insisted on escaping with us in high heels, which led to you getting scratched by a zombie while trying to save her. And her? She just fainted the moment blood splashed on her… Besides, let her hear! Forget about just now—how many times have you been injured because of her this past week alone?”
Along the way, this woman had done nothing but complain that the food was bad or the sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable. Relying on that “debt of gratitude,” she practically expected them to worship her. This was the freaking apocalypse; they were struggling just to stay alive. How could they afford to let her live like a pampered young lady?!
Hong Zhengyuan licked his canine tooth and gave a cold, dark smile. “If it weren’t for the fact that supernatural ability users don’t mutate when scratched by zombies, I would have pressed my gun against her head long ago.”
At this, his gaze finally fixed like a nail on the person beside him.
The woman leaned against the car window, covered by a large coat that hid most of her body. Only a trail of black hair escaped from beneath the hem. The strands swayed against her fair calves, following the movement of her bright red dress.
She was lucky she was unconscious; otherwise, there was no telling how much he would have lost his temper.
Jin Xiao gritted his teeth, expressionlessly tightening a cloth strip around his injured arm. “We’re almost at the official base. I promised her father I would get her there safely.”
Blood seeped through the bandage, but there was no flicker of emotion in his eyes. It was as if he were bandaging a mere paper cut, and as if he were speaking of someone who was just a casual acquaintance.
Hong Zhengyuan rolled his eyes. He knew his boss definitely wasn’t harboring lingering feelings; it was just his nature to be stubbornly honorable about his promises. Unless Meng Siyao committed some unforgivable atrocity, they would have to keep putting up with her until they reached the official base.
Thinking of this, he instinctively wanted to smoke a cigarette to calm down. However, remembering that they couldn’t open the windows to let the blood scent out, he cursed irritably. Just as he was about to tell Jin Xiao to give up on this foolish sense of responsibility, his nose suddenly twitched.
Perhaps it was because he hadn’t consumed sugar in a long time, but amidst the thick scent of blood, he suddenly caught a faint sweetness. It was like milk mixed with sweet syrup smeared right under his nose—a delicate, light fragrance. His throat moved instinctively. “Boss… are you secretly eating candy?”
Jin Xiao paused. He didn’t smell anything; the scent of blood on him was already strong enough. “They say you have a dog’s nose, but I think it’s a pig’s. Next time we scavenge a store, I’ll have Chi Jing save some extra candy for you when he finds it.”
Hong Zhengyuan couldn’t help but look back. “Hey, how can you question my sense of smell? I’m certain there’s a sweet scent in this car. And it’s definitely not ordinary candy. Candy nowadays is sickeningly sweet; it doesn’t smell this good. If you’re really hiding some, I understand, brother—just let me have a lick, okay?”
Jin Xiao scolded with a laugh, “That sounds disgusting. Just drive the car!”
Before he finished speaking, the small “bundle of person” next to him suddenly moved. Hair tumbled out from under the coat as she slowly lowered it. In an instant, it was as if a piece of milky candy hidden in a jar had suddenly seen the light of day—a burst of sweet fragrance filled the cabin.
It was sweet but not cloying. Hong Zhengyuan inhaled a lungful, and it even dispersed the scent of blood on Jin Xiao.
Hong Zhengyuan froze, looking at the back seat with some hesitation. Then, realizing something, he whipped his head back and cursed, “Shit, she’s wearing so much perfume!”
Jin Xiao also knitted his brows. He didn’t remember when Meng Siyao had put on perfume, but considering she refused to throw away the cosmetics in her bag even while being chased by zombies, it was possible. Besides, the wind outside was strong and the scent of blood was heavy; who would be able to smell her perfume out there?
Thinking this way, the fresh, sweet fragrance from a moment ago seemed to turn into poison, and he scowled.
When Tang Nai first opened her eyes, she saw two men. One was glaring at her through the rearview mirror as if he had a deep-seated grudge against her, while the other looked indifferent, as if she were just a piece of wood stuck in the back seat.
She slowly revealed her face. “Mr. Xi, are these the male protagonist and the male supporting character you mentioned?”
【Yes, Host.】 A mechanical voice appeared in her mind: 【They are the male protagonist Jin Xiao and the male supporting character Hong Zhengyuan from “Step Aside, Zombie, Let Me Handle This.” This book tells the story of a supernatural ability user squad led by the male protagonist. Due to a disagreement in ideology, they defected from their original base. On their way to the official base, they save the female protagonist, and the group goes on an adventure killing zombies.】
【Jin Xiao, the male protagonist, is a powerful supernatural ability user. The female protagonist, Gu Qing, is an assassin with a golden finger. And you are Meng Siyao, the female supporting character from the original text—all beauty and no brains, constantly causing trouble, arrogant, willful, and a total dead weight.】
“Oh.”
【Meng Siyao was the male protagonist’s girlfriend in college. She dumped him because she looked down on his family’s decline. To her surprise, after the zombie virus broke out, she ran into Jin Xiao, who had already become a supernatural ability user. Her father “saved” the male protagonist’s life just to get her into his squad. Who would have thought she would use that “debt of gratitude” to do whatever she wanted? She mocked others, was picky about food and clothes, and offended everyone in the team. In the end, she reaped what she sowed; she was killed by the male protagonist in front of the base for trying to push the female protagonist into a horde of zombies.】
Tang Nai: “Thank you for the explanation, Mr. Xi. So, what is my mission?”
【Your mission? It’s very simple.】 The System’s voice carried a sense of weariness, as if it had said this a thousand times: 【Deepen your persona as the female supporting character and continue your death-seeking behavior. When nothing is happening, complain of headaches or fever; when something is happening, be picky and demanding… Strive to become the target of public criticism, make the male protagonist loathe you, highlight the female protagonist’s independence and strength, and thereby make an outstanding contribution to pushing the plot forward!】
Feeling the weight of her responsibility, Tang Nai unconsciously straightened her back. Her coat slipped from her collar, and a clearer, sweeter fragrance flowed into the surroundings like syrup spilling from a jar. Jin Xiao and Hong Zhengyuan frowned simultaneously, turning their faces away slightly.
It was as if the scent on her body was toxic.
Tang Nai was startled and quickly shrunk back, wrapping herself tightly in the coat. As a milky candy that had mysteriously gained a spirit, she was always careful about her scent so as not to cause trouble for others.
She didn’t remember exactly when she had gained a spirit; she only remembered stumbling through human society once she became sentient. She had gone through many sets of parents and lost many friends, and by the age of twenty, she still hadn’t integrated into human society.
The reason she agreed to do the System’s mission was so she could truly become human.
She turned her face toward the car window and whispered in her mind, “But Mr. Xi, I’ve never acted before. If I make any mistakes, please give me more guidance.”
【It’s not hard. Based on the reputation survey I did before you crossed over, most people described you as ‘delicate,’ ‘fussy,’ and ‘difficult to please.’ So, you just need to play yourself.】
Tang Nai paused, then said softly, “I will work hard, Mr. Xi.”
Hong Zhengyuan turned the steering wheel, glancing at Tang Nai in the rearview mirror. He remembered that before they fled, they had urged her several times to take off her high heels. She refused to listen, making a scene and saying they were high-end goods her father had bought her. She almost hit them with her bag over those shoes, and in the end, she caused Jin Xiao to get hurt. Why was she so quiet now?
Tsk. Seeing her trying to hide her face in the gap of the car window, she must be feeling guilty for the trouble she caused.
Thinking about how he had mistaken the perfume on her for a pleasant sweetness, he knitted his brows in disgust.
“Hey.” He shot a glance at the rearview mirror, not even calling Tang Nai by “name.” “You’re finally awake. Do you have any idea that your death-seeking behavior almost killed Jin Xiao?”
Tang Nai froze, her eyes peeking out from the collar. It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her. She knew her current persona was that of a “wicked” woman, but she had watched so many TV dramas that she wasn’t sure which line would be best.
Should she say angrily, “What does it have to do with you?” or haughtily say, “I’ll do it again next time”?
In that moment of hesitation, Hong Zhengyuan thought she was too guilty to speak. He turned back with a cold laugh. “So you do know how to feel remorse. Do you know that we…”
Jin Xiao frowned and suddenly kicked him from the back seat. “Are you done yet? If you can’t drive, get the hell out and sit on the roof!”
There was a loud thud against the seat, and the whole car shook. Tang Nai couldn’t help but wobble. Hong Zhengyuan shrugged. “Fine, fine, go ahead and keep protecting her. But let me give you fair warning: next time, if she drags us down again, I won’t be doing you any favors.”
Jin Xiao didn’t speak. From beginning to end, he hadn’t spared Tang Nai a single glance, his eyes filled only with indifference and weariness.
Tang Nai thought that this mission wouldn’t be too hard. Since the male protagonist and male supporting character already loathed and ignored her, she just needed to be a bit more wicked to complete the task.
As the car swayed and the atmosphere remained silent, the walkie-talkie suddenly crackled: “Boss, Yuanzi, there’s a small town five kilometers ahead. We can stop there for the night.”
Jin Xiao looked up slightly and nodded to Hong Zhengyuan in the rearview mirror.
Hong Zhengyuan perked up. “Finally, a place to rest. Chi Jing, you just wait to pour my foot-washing water!”
Jeering voices came from the other side of the walkie-talkie.
“Sure, as long as you can find water.” The other person laughed softly. Water resources were exceptionally precious in the apocalypse; everyone knew it was a joke.
“How is the boss’s injury?”
“Don’t worry, four-eyes, he’s not going to die,” Hong Zhengyuan snorted.
Tang Nai kept her head down, focused on her own thoughts.
Since the apocalypse began, zombies had slaughtered indiscriminately. Survivors fled to nearby bases for protection, while zombies without food became increasingly restricted in their movements and gradually hid away. The closer they got to the town, the more desolate it became. In the early stages of the zombie virus outbreak, the small town had already become a ghost town. Abandoned and crashed cars were everywhere, and the shops on both sides of the road were in ruins. The blood had long since dried, leaving only the stench where zombies had crawled.
The cars stopped outside an abandoned building in the town, and everyone got out nimbly.
This group had just survived a slaughter. When they jumped out of the vehicles in unison, they still carried the scent of blood, like steel blades cutting through the air. These supernatural ability users had followed Jin Xiao for years; they were well-trained but also arrogant due to their talents, so their expressions were filled with impatience and ferocity.
At the very end of the group were three people without special abilities. Two women and one man—the female protagonist and her two friends.
Back then, Meng Siyao’s father had been afraid Jin Xiao would hold a grudge, so he used his life to get Meng Siyao onto the vehicle. He hadn’t expected that this squad wasn’t actually that cruel and would save the female protagonist’s trio without any conditions. This had caused Meng Siyao to fly into a rage, and she began targeting the three of them constantly. The trio, knowing she was Jin Xiao’s official ex-girlfriend, could only endure her behavior.
Seeing everyone gathering in front of the abandoned building while only Meng Siyao delayed coming down, the three looked at each other. The short-haired girl whispered, “Gu Qing, I bet you. She’s going to make a scene again. It must be because she caused the boss to get hurt, so she’s too guilty to get out of the car.”
The woman with the ponytail shook her head, telling her not to speak recklessly.
When everyone saw the wound on Jin Xiao’s arm, the irritation and hostility in their expressions grew. It was common knowledge that they wouldn’t be where they were today without Jin Xiao. Back at Taoyuan Base, they had been suppressed by those beasts who only knew how to pillage and kill. It was Jin Xiao who had immediately ordered and led their defection. It was no exaggeration to say Jin Xiao was their backbone. Now, seeing their boss injured multiple times because of that woman while they couldn’t even lift a finger to teach her a lesson, they felt incredibly stifled.
Seeing that the car door remained closed, some people let out impatient, cold snorts.
Hong Zhengyuan was the first to lose his temper. He kicked the car door.
“What is it, Miss Meng? Still refusing to leave the car? Do you want us to carry you down on our backs?”
Tang Nai was startled. She withdrew her gaze from peeking at the female protagonist and confirmed that the last button of her coat was fastened before opening the car door.
With a clack, the door opened, and a fresh, sweet scent instantly swept out with the summer breeze.