I Have the Aura of a Supporting Character in Yuri Novels - Chapter 56

A woman’s voice, soft and slightly playful with an upward lilt, seemed to be constantly cooing. However, at this moment, no one was enchanted by the voice. Instead, they were deeply shocked by Zhu Yun’s explanation. They never imagined that their own abilities could be stolen. Today it was Old Wu; what about tomorrow?

Everyone was pondering this question. No one wanted to experience the feeling of going from a powerful individual to an ordinary person. So, the short-tempered Wang Wu kicked over his chair and shouted, “Miss Zhu, we’ve never even seen those people’s faces. I hope those bastards don’t let me catch them!”

Zhu Yun locked her gaze on the somber-faced Zhao Yuan. She smiled faintly, not missing a chance to dig a hole for a certain someone. “Old Wu isn’t the first person I’ve seen in this state. I can say for sure this was done by the same person. Let’s call this ability ‘Devour.’ The last person whose ability was devoured was also a healer. I suspect his ability hasn’t been fully mastered yet; he’s just looking for test subjects. Once he can skillfully use the ability, he can take anyone’s powers. It’s a bit scary, isn’t it?”

[Xiao Zhu, you’re giving the male lead, Ling Chengze, extra drama. There was no ‘last’ ability user. Old Wu should be the first victim.]

Zhu Yun teasingly replied, “If I don’t give Ling Chengze extra drama, how can I make him a public enemy?”

The Devour ability was indeed terrifying and Ling Chengze’s biggest trump card. This was why he always hid his identity as a dual-ability user, only claiming to be a psychic. But now that Zhu Yun had encountered Old Wu, a victim of this ability, she had a new idea.

In the original plot, when Ling Chengze’s Devour ability was exposed, he was already one of the strongest in the base. Having an extra ability would only increase his power, and no one would dare to scheme against him. Zhu Yun’s plan was to corner him before he became too powerful, trapping him so he could never escape the grasp of all the other ability users.

His opponent was not Zhu Yun alone but all the ability users.

With a light smirk, Zhu Yun planned Ling Chengze’s future. When System 857 saw her sweet smile, its antennas couldn’t help but tremble.

System 857 thought Zhu Yun was going to use an overt scheme but she was cleverly resorting to a covert one! And her idea could crush Ling Chengze so completely that he could never recover. It was a case of being made and broken by the Devour ability.

Zhu Yun told everyone her deduction. Tang Zixi’s eyes flickered. She hadn’t misheard Zhu Yun—she had definitely heard the words “healer.”

Tang Zixi wasn’t concerned about Old Wu, who was unconscious on the bed. If it weren’t for Zhu Yun’s visit, she would never have come to save him. Her gaze remained fixed on Zhu Yun, her conviction strengthening: she had to protect Zhu Yun and make sure she wasn’t harmed by the insidious villain lurking in the shadows.

Zhu Yun suddenly felt a hand pat her head. She looked up, puzzled, and furrowed her brows. “What is it?”

Tang Zixi silently shook her head, as if the gesture had been unintentional.

Zhu Yun shot her an annoyed glare. This person who barely spoke was so annoying, acting all deep and aloof. In the room, wasn’t she the one who was always eager to feed her snacks? A hypocritical woman, and a prude!

While she was complaining about Tang Zixi, she didn’t know that Tang Zixi had already decided to stay by her side at all times. Even on missions, she would bring Zhu Yun along. It was Zhu Yun’s own idea of giving Ling Chengze extra drama that led to this. So, whenever Zhu Yun wanted to sleep in but was packed up and taken on a mission by Tang Zixi, she couldn’t help but curse herself. Why did she come up with such a bad idea? Now she couldn’t even sleep in.

But those were future events. For now, Zhu Yun just thought Tang Zixi was being bothersome.

Zhao Yuan lit a cigarette with a flick of his finger and took a drag, squinting. He had completely forgotten the dangers of second-hand smoke; in the apocalypse, who knew how long they would live? Even second-hand smoke became precious.

But Tang Zixi wouldn’t tolerate his smoking. When their eyes met, hers held a murderous glint. Zhao Yuan gave an awkward smile. “Captain Tang, you smoke too, don’t you?”

Tang Zixi replied plainly, “Zhu Yun can’t stand the smell.”

Zhu Yun, who was just named, nodded obediently. “That’s right, I don’t like the smell of anyone’s smoke except Captain Tang’s.”

It was a convoluted sentence, but Zhao Yuan just smiled wryly. “Fine.”

He felt he must be crazy. Zhu Yun had openly shown her blatant favoritism, and he wasn’t angry at all. He must really have a masochistic streak.

“I think I might have seen the person Miss Zhu mentioned, but…” he trailed off, then smiled at Zhu Yun’s confused look. “He’s a bit taller than me, probably over 180cm.”

Zhu Yun kept a straight face, showing no guilt about her exaggerated claims. She pressed on, “Height isn’t the point. Does he walk with his feet pointing outwards? And is there a lackey with a long, horse-like face, who looks shifty and sly?”

Wang Wu laughed. He pointed to himself. “Miss Zhu, does that lackey look even more shifty than me?”

Zhu Yun nodded decisively, and Wang Wu burst into a fit of laughter.

Zhao Yuan stubbed out his cigarette. “Wang Wu and I were in two separate teams today. When I saw his distress signal, I rushed back. To clear the horde of low-level zombies, I used my ability and released a few fire dragons, since I thought the factory was empty. But one of the fire dragons was blocked. The light from the fire let me see their faces clearly, and they looked just as Miss Zhu described. Bow-legged, and with a horse face.”

Zhu Yun clapped her hands. “It matches! I mentioned earlier that there was another victim before Old Wu, right? Those three used to be on the same team.”

Zhao Yuan lowered his brows. “Miss Zhu, do you remember their names?”

“I do. One is Ling Chengze, and the horse-faced one is Ma Yinghong.” Zhu Yun had been waiting for this moment. The stage was set, and the main characters’ names were ready to be revealed.

Zhao Yuan crushed the cigarette between his fingers, a cold smile on his face. “Alright, I’ll remember those two names.”

He didn’t doubt Zhu Yun’s intentions. This matter seemed to have nothing to do with her. She was just an observer sharing what she knew. Who would have thought that Zhu Yun had a grudge against Ling Chengze?

Zhu Yun smiled, her eyes crinkling. Zhao Yuan was not as capable as Tang Zixi, but he was still a formidable figure. He had managed to form a team and gain people’s trust in the apocalypse. She would leave him to be a thorn in Ling Chengze’s side.

She hadn’t lied about Old Wu’s situation. The one who did this was indeed Ling Chengze. This kind of peculiar wound could only be caused by him. After all, the Devour ability, the male lead’s trump card, was his alone.

Zhu Yun successfully built up hatred for Ling Chengze, feeling a sense of satisfaction. She waved at Zhao Yuan, and the places where she’d waved her hand quickly healed.

The injured people were very lucky this time and hadn’t been infected with the virus.

Tang Zixi hadn’t forgotten the last time Zhu Yun overused her abilities. She was worried that this time, with so many people, Zhu Yun would get tired. Luckily, the scene Tang Zixi feared didn’t happen.

She sighed in relief, and the relaxed expression on her face piqued Zhu Yun’s curiosity. She crooked a finger, beckoning Tang Zixi closer. Her peripheral vision also caught sight of Gu Shuyi, who was sulking. It didn’t matter to Zhu Yun whether the woman was in a good or bad mood. If she had the guts, she would have left the team to get some peace of mind. Unfortunately, Gu Shuyi didn’t have the courage.

Zhu Yun’s breath brushed against Tang Zixi’s ear, like a playful spring breeze, carrying the scent of flowers, causing Tang Zixi to turn her head slightly, wanting to distance herself from the breath.

“Why the long face?”

Tang Zixi said candidly, “I was afraid you would faint.”

Zhu Yun looked at her expectantly, the sweetness in her smile enough to drive away the winter chill.

She said, “You were worried about me?”

Tang Zixi nodded in a dull manner. Anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence would say something flattering at this moment, but Tang Zixi’s thoughts were sometimes very simple. She only needed to answer Zhu Yun’s question clearly. So, after a long wait, Zhu Yun only got a calm expression in return.

Zhu Yun sighed in annoyance and took the initiative to guide her. “You care about me, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then that means I’m a little important, right?”

Tang Zixi didn’t argue. It was true.

Zhu Yun’s eyes sparkled, and her cunning expression made her look lively. She said, “Since I’m an important person, and you care about me, shouldn’t you listen to me more?”

Tang Zixi was emotionally stunted, not stupid. A smile played on her lips. “When have I ever disobeyed you?”

Zhu Yun let out an “er,” and it seemed… that was actually true.

But humans are greedy, how could they know when to stop?

Zhu Yun wouldn’t give up. “That’s just a tiny bit of obedience. Now you need to increase that tiny amount!”

Tang Zixi raised her eyebrows. “That’s not impossible.”

Zhu Yun was secretly thrilled. Yay! Success!

“However…”

Zhu Yun’s smile instantly vanished. Sometimes, she really hated hearing the words “however” and “but.”

Tang Zixi gently stroked her hair, her voice becoming soft, a change from her usual indifference. She said in a gentle voice, “That depends on your performance.”

“?”

Wow, how did this person get so smart?

Zhu Yun immediately turned on her, addressing Gu Shuyi. “Push your great-grandmother back.”

Gu Shuyi suppressed the urge to curse and walked so heavily that she threatened to stomp the building down. Zhu Yun wouldn’t tolerate this and shot her a warning look. “If you lose, act like you’ve lost. Don’t make me look down on you.”

Gu Shuyi gritted her teeth. “Great-grandma, you can rest assured!”

Following Zhu Yun’s orders, she snatched Tang Zixi’s position, lifted her chin, and left without a word.

Tang Zixi was about to stop her, but Zhao Yuan came up to her. Tang Zixi could only say, “Be careful, I’ll be right back.”

Zhu Yun huffed proudly. Who cares if you come back or not? Don’t come back if you have the guts.

As soon as they went outside, a strong wind blew snowflakes into Gu Shuyi’s face. She awkwardly brushed them off her head, then looked at Zhu Yun, whose face was buried in a scarf. She knew without asking that Zhu Yun must be very warm.

“Did the captain give you your scarf and hat?” she asked bluntly.

Zhu Yun, unsure if she was showing off or deliberately provoking her, even pulled out her mittens and put them on. She held up her fluffy fingers and said, “Yeah, remember we found canned goods last time? Captain Tang rewarded me with them.”

Gu Shuyi felt a surge of bitterness. She couldn’t retort. She couldn’t possibly brag to Zhu Yun that she would find supplies and get rewarded by the captain. Supplies were so scarce now that finding food was as difficult as reaching the heavens. Gu Shuyi wouldn’t do something so futile.

Zhu Yun noticed her silence and rolled her eyes. “If I get the chance to get another hat and scarf in the future, I’ll give them to you.”

Gu Shuyi pointed to herself in surprise. She truly hadn’t expected Zhu Yun to say that. For a moment, she was so flustered she couldn’t speak.

She doesn’t seem that annoying after all…

With this thought, Gu Shuyi went back and took the initiative to deal with the zombies that were causing trouble. After seeing the power of a genuine lightning-element user’s lightning strike, Zhu Yun realized it was different from her Heavenly Lightning Talisman. She gave a thumbs-up. “Very good.”

Gu Shuyi coughed a few times. “Just average.”

Zhu Yun pretended not to see her triumphant grin, remaining unfazed and nestled in her wheelchair.

My dear, when did you become so kind?

Zhu Yun calmly said, “This move is called ‘flattery can kill.’ Whether I’ll get a hat and scarf in the future is another matter. I’ll just give Gu Shuyi a promise for now. It’s a win-win.”

Why did you suddenly decide to give her a promise?

Zhu Yun said seriously, “I’m afraid that if I provoke her a few more times, she might flip my wheelchair over.”

Hahahahaha, you deserve it! That’s what you get for being rude to Tang Zixi.

Zhu Yun shrugged. The unromantic System 857 would think that was rude. Forget it, she wouldn’t explain it to it.

Her departure also took away Tang Zixi’s gentle demeanor. She looked at the frozen pears and meat Zhao Yuan handed her, and she refused the box of cigarettes he offered. She said, “What do you want to talk about?”

Zhao Yuan rubbed his hands together like a fly, smiling obsequiously. “Miss Zhu’s abilities just now stunned all of us. I’m not an ignorant person. Miss Zhu’s ability is definitely superior to Old Wu’s. So, Captain Tang, seeing as our two teams have been getting along for so long, in the future, can we seek Miss Zhu’s help for injuries?”

In the bitter cold of winter, getting injured meant either toughing it out or relying on a healer. Now that Old Wu was a goner, Zhao Yuan naturally had to find a backup plan for his team members.

Before Zhu Yun acted, he had thought all healers were like Old Wu. But after witnessing Zhu Yun’s abilities, he realized that Old Wu was simply incompetent and couldn’t compare to Zhu Yun.

Tang Zixi said plainly, “That depends on Zhu Yun’s personal will. Asking me is useless.”

Zhao Yuan’s mouth twitched. “Aren’t you the captain?”

Tang Zixi took his payment, subtly showing off. “It’s normal for you not to understand. After all, Zhu Yun is a member of my team.”

Zhao Yuan rolled his eyes behind her back. What are you showing off about? As if no one else has a healer on their team.

Wait, Old Wu was useless, so his team didn’t have a healer anymore…

He let out a long, envious sigh, lit a cigarette, and his face became serious.

Wang Wu came up to him and asked, “Boss, what should we do with Old Wu?”

Zhao Yuan’s expression was cold. “When Old Wu wakes up, tell him that if he does his share of work, I’ll let him eat. If he acts all high and mighty like before, I’ll send him to the heavens.”

In the past, he had dealt with many of Old Wu’s messes because he was an ability user. Now, Zhao Yuan was in no mood for that.

Wang Wu nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Old Wu’s past actions were inhumane.”

Zhao Yuan flicked his cigarette ash and squinted, giving Wang Wu instructions. “Don’t bring up the past. From now on, tell the brothers to keep their eyes wide open. Don’t be lustful when you see a woman. Tang Zixi next door is not to be trifled with, and Gu Shuyi is a lightning-element user. Now with Zhu Yun, they are off-limits.”

“Got it, got it. We’ll definitely listen to you, boss.”

Tang Zixi, who was on her way back, heard Zhao Yuan’s words as she returned. She walked right in, making Zhao Yuan flinch. As she entered on the cold wind, Zhao Yuan thought he had said something that offended her. Just as he was about to fawn over her, he heard Tang Zixi ask, “Tell me about the situation with the Licker.”

She had a nagging feeling she had forgotten something on the way, and after some thought, she realized she had forgotten to ask about the Licker.

When Zhao Yuan heard her mention the Licker, he instinctively brought his hand to his mouth, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. “That thing has thick skin and is extremely fast. I can say that most wind-element users can’t keep up with it. It can also crawl on walls and is completely unpredictable. You can get hit before you know it.”

He stared at Tang Zixi, his voice grave. “The most terrifying thing is that it has tentacles in its mouth. One of my men was wrapped up by it and eaten alive.”

Zhao Yuan gave a bitter smile. “It’s even more difficult than a Level 3 zombie. I’d rather fight a Level 4 zombie than that thing.”

“Oh, and that thing was lured over by someone.”

Tang Zixi’s gaze was sharp as she looked at Zhao Yuan. “So it could be used by someone a second time.”

Zhao Yuan smoked in silence.

Tang Zixi, having gotten the useful information, didn’t linger and turned to leave.

With a lot on her mind, Tang Zixi went straight back to the shop and said to Zhou Kuang, “You and I will be on night watch tonight. From now on, two extra people will be added to the night watch. There must be no slackening. Unless…” she looked at everyone in the room, her voice cold, “unless you all want to die.”

Wei Jin smelled the coming storm. He made a keen deduction. “Are you talking about the Licker, Captain?”

She handed the things in her hand to Liu Hua and then told everyone the information she had gotten from Zhao Yuan.

Zhou Kuang slapped his thigh and started cursing, and Liu Ye also cursed in anger. Liu Hua and the other teammates immediately started preparing meals. After all, if they didn’t eat their fill, they wouldn’t have the strength to fight.

“You guys talk first.”

Tang Zixi said this in a hurry and pushed Zhu Yun into the room. It was at this moment that Zhu Yun finally felt the pressure of an impending danger.

She looked up at Tang Zixi. “What’s wrong?”

With a ripple, a gun appeared in Tang Zixi’s hand out of thin air. She half-crouched in front of Zhu Yun. “Take this.”

Tang Zixi was glad that Zhu Yun had shown interest in this gun a few days ago. Tang Zixi had then taken Zhu Yun to practice shooting. The results of a few days couldn’t make Zhu Yun a sharpshooter, but practicing on humanoid targets like zombies had at least taught Zhu Yun not to miss. So, Tang Zixi was now giving this gun to Zhu Yun.

Zhu Yun took the gun. Seeing Tang Zixi’s serious expression, Zhu Yun comforted her. “We’ll be fine.”

Tang Zixi smirked and rubbed her hair. “I’ll protect you.”

This time, Zhu Yun didn’t argue. She probably saw Tang Zixi’s wariness towards the Licker. She smiled obediently and said sweetly, “Of course, I know you’ll protect me. But I also hope you’ll protect yourself. Only when you’re safe will I be safe.”

Tang Zixi placed her hands on Zhu Yun’s knees and asked with a smile, “Are you scared?”

Zhu Yun felt she might be a bit heartless. She wasn’t scared, but she was nervous.

She pouted her lips timidly and then nodded. “Mmm, scared.”

She held Tang Zixi’s hands. Her voice was soft and gentle. “But as long as I’m with you, I’m not scared. With a powerful ability user like you leading the charge and a special healer like me to assist you, it might be possible to take down the Licker. The Licker isn’t actually that scary to me. Do you know what I’m most afraid of?”

The gun lay on Zhu Yun’s lap. It was Tang Zixi’s partner in the modern world—cold but loyal. Now, by giving it to Zhu Yun, it was another way of protecting her.

Zhu Yun’s soft fingers held Tang Zixi’s firmly. Her beautiful face wore a hint of melancholy, which made Tang Zixi’s heart ache slightly for no reason.

She lowered her voice and asked, “What are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid of being abandoned again.”

“That’s the thing I’m most afraid of.”

Tang Zixi gave a soft smile, and the light in her eyes was gentle. “I won’t abandon you.”

Zhu Yun pursed her lips and smiled. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m important, right?”

Tang Zixi nodded again.

Zhu Yun lowered her head and held Tang Zixi’s face. Their eyes met, and she sweetly praised, “You’re so good. Can I pat your head?”

She’s so cute! I want to pet her! Ugh, I must have been blind to think she was a cold block of ice!

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