I Have the Aura of a Supporting Character in Yuri Novels - Chapter 57

A fierce wind howled, and snowflakes swirled. The cold of winter made human survival even more difficult. Outside, the ground was covered in several inches of snow, so no one went out unless it was an emergency.

Burning firewood crackled in an iron basin. Liu Ye saw the flames weakening and casually tossed in a new piece of wood. In his other hand, he was rotating a sweet potato over the fire. He’d been eating them for days, but the sweet scent of the roasted potato never got old.

Tonight was a sleepless night. Tang Zixi was flipping a skewer of chicken wings, their fat sizzling as cumin seeds roasted them to perfection. Her gaze remained on the chicken wings, but she was still aware of the people around her. When Zhu Yun’s head started to nod with sleep, Tang Zixi offered her shoulder as a pillow.

Seeing this, Liu Ye lowered his voice and said, “Aren’t you going to wake ‘Grandma’? The chicken wings are ready.”

Although no one said it out loud, they all knew that Zhu Yun was the team’s greatest hero. The fact that they could eat canned fruits and meats was all thanks to her. So, it was completely normal in their eyes for their leader, Tang Zixi, to show such favoritism.

Who could bear to mistreat a person who was always smiling, well-behaved, and a healer?

Tang Zixi calmly continued to roast the chicken wings. Having a small fire to cook on was something every night watchman did. No one wanted to stand guard while cold and hungry. Therefore, Tang Zixi had made special arrangements, allocating extra supplies to those on night duty.

She touched her face with her fingers, making sure it was just the right temperature and not too cold for Zhu Yun before gently touching Zhu Yun to wake her up.

“Zhu Yun, wake up.”

Tang Zixi’s warm, soft fingertips felt like a small flame that wouldn’t burn Zhu Yun. She instinctively pressed her cheek against the palm of Tang Zixi’s hand, her dark hair falling between Tang Zixi’s fingers. She had a strong desire to cling to this warmth.

Zhu Yun’s face was small, fitting perfectly in Tang Zixi’s hand. Tang Zixi felt the softness under her fingertips, and a hint of longing and a deep, barely noticeable obsession filled her eyes.

“Mmm, is it ready?” The tempting aroma stimulated Zhu Yun’s appetite. She groggily opened her almond-shaped eyes and saw Tang Zixi’s deep gaze. For a moment, she felt like the fragrant roasted chicken wing skewer, and Tang Zixi was waiting for the perfect moment to eat her up.

Zhu Yun smiled. She wasn’t afraid of Tang Zixi’s intense stare.

She sat up straight, her hair slipping from between Tang Zixi’s fingers. This loss of intimate contact made Tang Zixi feel a little disappointed.

Zhu Yun grinned and thoughtfully offered the chicken wing skewer to Tang Zixi’s lips, making an “ah” sound to signal her to open her mouth.

Tang Zixi shook her head. “You eat it.”

Zhu Yun’s eyes widened, and her brows furrowed. She pressed the roasted chicken wing against Tang Zixi’s lips and said fiercely, “Eat it quickly! One for you, one for me, no nonsense!”

Tang Zixi had no choice but to take a small, hesitant bite of the chicken wing. The skewer was still in Zhu Yun’s hand, making Tang Zixi feel a little helpless as she daintily nibbled at the chicken wing.

Zhu Yun’s smile suddenly brightened. She saw some sauce on Tang Zixi’s lips, and she chastised Tang Zixi with a look. Wiping the sauce with her finger, she said, “You’re so clumsy.”

Tang Zixi stared at her intently, her mind replaying how close Zhu Yun’s finger was to her lips. Just a little more, and she could have held it in her mouth.

This random thought instantly made Tang Zixi’s fair-skinned ears turn a deep crimson.

She sat there, frozen, with her long eyelashes lowered, waiting for Zhu Yun to finish wiping her lips.

A hint of weariness still lingered in Zhu Yun’s eyes, but her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were bright and pure. She seemed more beautiful than before, with excellent color that made her lips appear even redder, giving the impression that they were perfect for kissing.

Her looks weren’t as stunning as Tang Zixi’s. Gentle and sweet, her soft beauty was usually overshadowed by Tang Zixi’s more striking features. However, at this moment, the dynamic between them had shifted. No matter how gorgeous Tang Zixi’s features were, Zhu Yun’s smile could soften them, giving Zhu Yun the upper hand.

On the side, Liu Ye, who was gnawing on his sweet potato, looked at them with sharp eyes, his mind working quickly.

This was so strange. How powerful was their leader? When they first met Zhao Yuan, he thought Tang Zixi, being a woman, was an easy target to mess with. But didn’t their leader beat him down? After that fight, Zhao Yuan never acted arrogantly again. That battle also stopped anyone else from trying to steal their supplies. Nobody wanted to die. So, why did such a strong leader act like a mouse in front of a cat when she saw Grandma?

Liu Ye felt a new wave of respect for Zhu Yun. Look at her skills—she could even tame their leader. It was definitely a smart move to be her sidekick!

Liu Ye was overjoyed. He continued to gnaw on his sweet potato, trying to control his eyes from looking at them. After all, their leader was known to hold grudges. The more he enjoyed the show now, the more miserable he’d be later. He had to know his limits. That was the mark of a good sidekick!

But their leader’s expression was pretty cute, hahaha!

“One for you, one for me. That’s fair.”

Zhu Yun bit into the other chicken wing. Tang Zixi’s composure was gone. The thought of them eating from the same skewer made her blush uncontrollably. Even the corner of her mouth, which Zhu Yun had just wiped, tingled with a strange sensation.

“Your face is so red.”

Tang Zixi pretended to be calm. “The fire’s too hot. Liu Ye, your fire-building skills aren’t what they used to be.”

Liu Ye looked up blankly, pointing to himself. “Me?”

Tang Zixi nodded. “Yes.”

“…”

Liu Ye offered a fake smile. “Ah, yes, yes, you’re right.”

Their leader had changed. She was now blaming him! What “fire’s too hot”? She was clearly embarrassed!

Zhu Yun, of course, saw right through it. She tilted her head back and laughed heartily.

Oh my goodness, teasing Tang Zixi was so much fun.

Her eyes softened slightly as she looked at Tang Zixi, her lips curving into a smile.

What a silly person.

Her laughter was delightful, and seeing her so happy, Tang Zixi’s lips couldn’t help but turn up as well.

It was a cold night. The wind rattled the windowpanes outside, but as long as people were together, there was hope for survival.

Just then, Zhu Yun’s gaze out the window grew cautious. She tugged on Tang Zixi’s arm, communicating with her through her eyes.

Little Zhu, the alarm has sounded!!

The Licker is still 2,000 meters away from you!

1,500 meters!

1,000 meters!

Shit, it’s running way too fast!

Tang Zixi didn’t have Agent 857 giving her a heads-up, but she had a feeling something was wrong. The movement of the zombies outside had become very quiet. This silence was not a good sign in the apocalypse. The quieter it was, the more sinister it felt.

She stood up. Liu Ye seemed to have noticed something was off, too. Without wasting any time, he quickly knocked on his teammates’ doors, saying in a low voice, “Something’s not right. Everyone, wake up.”

Zhu Yun nudged Tang Zixi, urging her, “Don’t get distracted worrying about me. You must protect yourself. I can protect myself.”

She said this because she was afraid Tang Zixi would get careless out of concern for her. Judging by Agent 857’s screams, this Licker was a very difficult monster to deal with.

After speaking, she called out “Godmother,” and the puppet immediately opened its eyes and came to her side. The puppet had been pretending to sleep before, but now it didn’t have to anymore.

While no one was looking, Zhu Yun stuck a Thunder Talisman on the puppet, giving herself another layer of protection.

Oh no! It’s here!

As soon as Agent 857’s voice fell silent, Zhu Yun heard the sound of a building collapsing, accompanied by a man’s painful screams.

In an instant, the noise spread throughout the entire street.

Zhu Yun’s location was on a street far from the busy commercial district. They lived in a storefront with a two-story design, a feature of this street. Since it wasn’t a bustling area, there were not many zombies. Compared to the zombies roaming the crowded districts, this place was considered safe. Also, this location was a certain distance from the factory where Zhao Yuan had first encountered the Licker. So, when the others living here heard Tang Zixi and Zhao Yuan’s warnings, they didn’t take them seriously. They thought, “How could that Licker possibly come here? Zhao Yuan only ran into it at the factory because he was taking a risk to find supplies in a zombie-infested area. We’re not going anywhere, so how could we run into a Licker?”

So, at the moment the Licker broke through the window, the man who was killed by its wet tentacles was filled with deep regret. If he had listened to the warnings and arranged for someone to stand guard, perhaps their fate wouldn’t have been this way.

The Licker’s face was festering. You could only tell it was once human by its eyes. Now, it had asymmetrical arms growing from its back, constantly stretching and retracting, as if they wanted to break free from its body, making it look particularly gruesome and terrifying.

It opened its mouth wide, emitting a stench a hundred times more foul than sewer water. It shrieked, and a tentacle as thick as a grown man’s arm shot out, smashing into the humans who were running in chaos. It was focusing its attacks on the ability users, because it liked the smell they gave off.

It jumped down from the ceiling, creating a deep crater where it landed. When its hands and feet moved away, a mangled corpse could be seen at the bottom of the crater.

The Licker was agile. The ability users were no match for it. A few insignificant attacks enraged the Licker. It tilted its head back and swung a sticky tentacle, wrapping it around the ability users who were standing together. They screamed in panic, their faces red and purple. As the tentacle tightened, their internal organs were crushed. Unable to fight back, their skulls or chests were pierced one by one by the tentacle. The Licker was searching for abilities, which it needed to enhance its power.

It leaped again, bursting through the broken wall and heading for the next location. It was very satisfied with this area because it smelled many delicious treats.

But as soon as the Licker emerged, it was met with a ferocious fire dragon. It couldn’t dodge the attack and took the hit head-on. This made the Licker shriek in rage. This time, its mouth opened wide, revealing sharp, dense teeth that made one’s scalp crawl.

Zhao Yuan cursed in disgust, “F*ck, what kind of ridiculous thing is that?!”

The Licker charged forward, its hands turning into feet as it scrambled up the wall, leaping through the air.

It was single-mindedly focused on killing Zhao Yuan, ignoring everything else. However, countless spatial blades appeared out of thin air, forcing it to dodge in another direction. But it was no match for the speed of the spatial blades. From the moment Zhao Yuan attracted the Licker’s attention, Tang Zixi had already calculated the Licker’s escape routes, and her spatial blades were hidden in every one of them.

With a series of roars, the Licker’s arms that it used to block the spatial blades were all severed and fell to the ground, twitching and oozing a black-green blood. This made everyone present feel a chill down their spine.

Liu Ye rubbed his arm. “Holy shit, without those arms, it looks even more disgusting, like a wriggling worm.”

Gu Shuyi decisively used a lightning bolt to strike the Licker’s back. Soon, the smell of cooked meat filled the air, but no one felt hungry at this moment. They all wanted the Licker to die as quickly as possible.

The Licker staggered and fell to the ground. It hadn’t been hit squarely. Its front half was on the ground, while its back half was propped up, ready to fight at any moment.

Suddenly, it shot into the air, making a last desperate attempt to break through the front line of ability users and escape.

“Wang Wu, Wei Jin, now!” Zhao Yuan shouted their names the moment he saw the Licker trying to run. Wei Jin didn’t need to be told twice. He immediately used his wood-element ability. Several vines shot out from the ground, weaving a massive net that completely covered the area. Even if the Licker broke through one layer, there would be another to stop it.

Wang Wu was not to be outdone. He put all his strength into using his vines to bind the Licker’s hands and feet, lifting it completely off the ground.

Wang Wu gave Wei Jin a triumphant look, but before he could speak, the Licker twisted its body and broke free from his vines. It no longer wanted to escape; it wanted to kill these people.

The flesh-colored Licker charged forward like a bolt of lightning, moving so fast that no one could react.

Suddenly, a massive electric shock, even more powerful than Gu Shuyi’s, struck its head. This was clearly the puppet’s doing. At the same time, a bullet shot forward and “bang!” it pierced through the Licker’s eye. The scream this time was even more agonizing than when its arms were severed.

The ground shook. The Licker used its other eye to lock onto Zhu Yun, who was standing by the window, and let out a loud roar.

My precious, how did you turn a pistol into a sniper rifle?!

Zhu Yun raised an eyebrow, blowing on the smoking gun barrel. “Don’t ask. Just know it’s a gift. I’m a f*cking genius.”

Don’t mess with it too much. It’s targeting you now!

Zhu Yun had just become the person the Licker hated the most. Its eyes were its weak point, which it had protected well before. But Zhu Yun’s single shot had blinded it. How could the Licker stay calm?

She wanted to take out its other eye, too, but there were too many people in front. Zhu Yun couldn’t find a clear shot, so she gave up.

“Let it stare. I don’t believe Tang Zixi can’t protect me.”

You’re asking for it. You’re a sick beauty. Why couldn’t you just hide and be quiet? You had to fire that shot and attract its hatred. You’re going to be the death of me!

Zhu Yun smiled sweetly. She dared to do this because she had confidence. Zhao Yuan’s team alone couldn’t kill the Licker, but now they had Tang Zixi. Plus, the Licker hadn’t gotten the upper hand against them before, so Zhu Yun was even more certain it couldn’t escape. So she said, “Okay, okay, I’ll be a good girl and not move around too much. I’ll stay safe.”

Don’t think I don’t know you’re deliberately giving Tang Zixi ideas.

Zhu Yun leisurely smoothed the small blanket on her legs. “I can’t be too conspicuous. I know too much about the canned goods and the devouring ability. It’s bound to arouse suspicion. I could only use this method to tell her.”

Do you think Tang Zixi will be suspicious?

“Not her. I just want to keep a low profile.” Zhu Yun was mainly too lazy to come up with another excuse for how she knew the Licker’s weakness. Even if she told Tang Zixi, she wouldn’t be suspicious, but it was tiring to keep telling lies.

Zhu Yun watched the situation outside. Her shot had just given Tang Zixi an idea.

Tang Zixi narrowed her phoenix-like eyes. The slight upward curve of her eyes carried a sense of pressure. The objects around her became distorted, which was the fluctuation caused by her spatial ability. In the blink of an eye, Tang Zixi was suddenly in front of the Licker. Before the Licker could react, a sharp and cold spatial blade pierced its other eye.

She elegantly dodged, disappearing into the air. The next moment she was back in her original position.

Zhu Yun saw this and stroked her chin, murmuring, “I just realized that a spatial ability is great for assassinations.”

My dear, wake up. Not every spatial ability user can do that!

Zhu Yun chuckled and continued to watch the show.

Zhao Yuan looked back at Tang Zixi in horror. “Damn it, you were a long-range player, but you suddenly turned into a close-range fighter?! Are you even human?!”

Everyone understood the principle of “strike while the iron’s hot.” Every ability user was now throwing their full power at the Licker. They were just one final step away from finishing it off, and only Tang Zixi could guarantee the one-hit kill.

Tang Zixi didn’t waste time. She stood up, ready to go in for the kill. However, she felt another attack coming and immediately used her spatial jump to evade it.

She didn’t let the person hiding in the shadows get away, either, silently shooting a spatial blade at them.

“Who’s there!” Tang Zixi snapped.

Without anyone noticing, a group of strangers had blended into the battle. Tang Zixi’s invisible spatial blades separated them from the group, causing the people around them to silently take a few steps back.

The man who had been keeping his head down finally looked up. Blood dripped from his arm, which hung at his side, “drip, drip, drip” onto the ground.

The moment he appeared, Zhao Yuan pointed at him and said, “Captain Tang, this is the f*cker with the out-turned feet I saw that day! Look, and that big horse-face behind him!”

Ma Yinghong knew instantly who he was talking about and his face darkened. “You say that again! See if I’ll let you get away with it.”

Zhao Yuan spit on the ground and immediately threw a fire dragon, but his ability died out the moment it left his hand. This was because Zhao Yuan had been hurt in the head by a mental ability. He clutched his head in pain and crouched down, unable to muster any more ability.

Tang Zixi’s cold gaze swept over the man with a smirk. She didn’t say a word and immediately went to retrieve the Licker’s crystal core.

“Captain Tang, this Licker is one our base has been hunting. We lost a lot of people in the process. We badly wounded it, but it managed to escape. So, Captain Tang, wouldn’t it be a bit unethical for you to take the crystal core our base has its eyes on?”

Zhao Yuan, still holding his head, cursed, “You little brat, you’re full of it! What the hell are you talking about? Which of your eyes saw this Licker was badly wounded? It was perfectly fine! If it weren’t for us, do you think you’d still be standing here talking nonsense?”

Tang Zixi’s lips curved into a slight smile. She turned back to look at the arrogant man and said coldly, “Are you trying to threaten me with your base?”

He was a handsome, dashing man in a jacket, with broad shoulders and long legs—there was nothing to fault about his appearance.

Ling Chengze’s eyes flickered, and he smiled. “Does Captain Tang know of the Rong’an Base?”

Of course, Tang Zixi had heard of the base. It was backed by the government and completely managed by the military. She saw the pride in Ling Chengze’s expression and her eyes filled with even more mockery.

She let out a cold snort, raised her hand, and conjured a spatial blade. Right in front of Ling Chengze, she personally severed the Licker’s head. But the head didn’t fall to the ground; it disappeared. They heard a “bang,” like a watermelon being smashed and juice splattering. When they looked behind Tang Zixi, who was slowly walking away, a flower of blood had bloomed out of thin air. In her hand, she was holding the shining crystal core.

Tang Zixi tossed the crystal core up and down, saying, “You want to threaten me with your base? You’ll have to see if you have the ability to do so.”

Ling Chengze’s face darkened, but he maintained his smile. He said softly, “This crystal core is very important to our base. I ask that Captain Tang reluctantly part with it.”

She put the crystal core into her spatial storage with a flick of her hand. As she walked past him, she left him with a mocking remark, “Then come and take it.”

“Don’t be so ungrateful!” Ma Yinghong had been holding back for a long time. Seeing Ling Chengze being humiliated again and again, he couldn’t stand it anymore.

Hearing this, Liu Ye rushed forward and kicked him. Flames burned in his hands, and he said with a fierce expression, “Buddy, don’t be a pain in the ass. Watch out, my fire doesn’t have eyes. It might just burn you to death.”

Just then, Zhu Yun, who had been watching the show for a while, made her appearance.

She was still smiling sweetly, but the malice in her eyes gave her delicate features a hint of coldness.

The puppet pushed her out the door, and she laughed lightly. “Long time no see.”

Zhu Yun’s smile caught everyone’s attention. In the next second, she aimed her gun at Ma Yinghong, her lips curling into a grin. “Horse-face, time to die!”

You fcking motherfcker, die for me!

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