Male Lead, Please Don’t Covet the Mob Character Cannon Fodder (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 25

After finishing his shower, Qingshi stepped out of the bathroom only to find that Jia was no longer in the room. He let out a sigh, thinking that it was better this way; at least he would not have to look at him and feel irritated.

With a haggard face, Qingshi wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep. However, the eerie state of the base kept circling in his mind. He found a new combat uniform and a spare heavy energy gun, preparing to go out and investigate.

Was all of this a trick played by Bai Lin, or had something truly happened?

Qingshi first went to the nearest guard duty room. It was empty, and the monitoring equipment screens were all black.

He then headed toward the base power room. Along the way, he discovered traces of a struggle: pits in the walls from energy gun fire and splatters of blood.

Oddly enough, despite such large areas of bloodstains, he did not find a single corpse. Had someone cleaned them up?

Opening the door to the power room, Qingshi saw a complete mess, as if someone had knocked things over or overturned them in a panic.

He visited other areas as well. He could find traces of human activity, but he could not find a single living person.

Qingshi pondered. If there was no one in the base now, then who had opened the door to the confinement room?

At this thought, he turned on his heel and ran toward the central control room.

The door controls for the confinement room were located in the central control room. If anyone was left, they must be there!

Panting, Qingshi entered the central control room password. Although he was nervous, his hand remained steady.

The large door slowly opened, revealing a figure sitting in a chair with his back turned.

Looking at the familiar silhouette, Qingshi called out tentatively, “Vincent?”

“Captain, long time no see.” The person in the chair stood up and turned to face Qingshi. It was Vincent, his face wearing a smile.

Seeing a familiar face, the tension in Qingshi’s heart eased slightly. He asked in confusion, “Vincent, why are you here? What happened to the base? Where is everyone else?”

Hearing this, Vincent showed a distressed expression. “It is a long story. Not long ago, a strange infectious disease broke out in the base. Almost everyone became infected. Bai Lin took the few healthy individuals and left the base overnight.”

Qingshi frowned and repeated, “A strange infectious disease?”

“Yes. Snake-like things would crawl out of the infected people. Those snakes would crawl through the ear canals into the brains of healthy people. They eat human brain tissue and live inside their minds,” Vincent continued with a look of horror. “Those whose brains have been eaten look no different from usual in their appearance, words, or actions. It is impossible to tell them apart.”

Qingshi felt an indescribable terror from his description. “Then how was it discovered later?”

Vincent sighed and continued, “It was a researcher named Xiao Ai. He said he saw a snake crawl out of his roommate’s brain. At first, everyone thought he was crazy and talking nonsense. Then, one day, he secretly turned on the base’s biological interference meter. Everyone was shocked to find snakes suddenly crawling out of many people’s bodies. That day was too chaotic.”

“Did no one try to investigate the source?” Qingshi asked.

Vincent shook his head. “By the time it was discovered, the base had basically fallen. Bai Lin, the man in charge, ordered the base to be abandoned and evacuated.”

“However, I heard people say that this might be retaliation from ‘Fuxi.’ He summoned those snakes. After all, we not only imprisoned him but also experimented on him.”

This explanation did seem to have some merit.

Qingshi lowered his eyes in thought.

“You said Bai Lin ordered an evacuation, so why are you here? Are you not infected? Is there anyone else besides you?”

Vincent lowered his head to report. “I was locked in a separate room by Bai Lin at the time. By the time I broke the lock and got out, the base was already in this state. Everything I just told you is what I saw in the central control room’s surveillance records.”

“While I was looking through the records, I happened to see the footage of you walking into the confinement room, but there was no record of you coming out afterward. So, I guessed you might still be inside and opened the confinement room door.”

“I see,” Qingshi rubbed his forehead. “Pull up the footage from when the infection broke out for me to see.”

“Alright.”

Before Vincent could even sit down, the lit monitoring screen suddenly captured Jia’s figure. He was chasing something.

As the image moved from far to near, Qingshi saw that Jia was chasing a person. It was a newcomer to the guard team who had once been on his squad, Wu Feng.

The high-definition camera at the corridor corner clearly showed Wu Feng’s face full of terror. He fled under the camera and fell dramatically. Jia took the opportunity to catch up, grabbed Wu Feng’s head with his large hand, and brutally twisted it right off.

Arterial blood sprayed out, hitting the camera and obscuring most of the screen.

While Qingshi and Vincent were solemn due to this cruel and bloody scene, an emerald green vertical pupil suddenly appeared in the remaining part of the camera’s view. That look seemed to say, “Found you!”

Vincent slumped into his chair, his face slightly pale. “Captain, what do we do? He seems to have found us.”

From the surveillance screen, Jia was rushing toward the central control room at high speed.

Qingshi pulled his heavy energy gun from his waist. “There is no other way. Let’s do it.”

“Alright!” Vincent also drew his gun, preparing to join the fight. However, the moment the gun was pulled out, Qingshi kicked it several meters away.

“Captain, what is the meaning of this?” Facing the dark muzzle of the gun, Vincent raised his hands with a confused expression. “Are we not going to take action against ‘Fuxi’?”

“Your performance was impeccable, but,” Qingshi answered expressionlessly while holding the gun, “next time, remember to hide your tail before pretending.”

“Captain, what are you talking about?” Vincent’s eyes were still filled with confusion.

Qingshi said calmly, “If you had not mentioned that the snakes from the base infection crawled out of people’s brains, I might not have thought about it. But did you really think your tan-colored tongue could stay perfectly hidden in Vincent’s black hair?”

The confusion vanished from Vincent’s eyes. He lowered his hands, and the corners of his mouth curled into a wicked smile, as if he had shed a gentle coat to reveal an evil interior.

“Oh, how could I forget? Captain, you are a falcon; your eyesight is excellent.”

Qingshi’s cold gaze turned into sharp knives stabbing into Vincent’s eyes. “What do you, or all of you, want to do?”

“Haha, we just wanted to help you get revenge, Captain. Look at how badly you have been bullied.” Vincent’s gaze swept Qingshi from head to toe, focusing on the marks where his clothes did not cover. “How about cooperating with us to kill ‘Fuxi’?”

Qingshi’s expression was solemn and his gaze was like a sword. He did not want to waste any more words and pulled the trigger directly.

Bang!

The energy bullet pierced Vincent’s forehead, exited from the back of his head, and shattered a monitor screen behind him.

He fell backward onto the floor with his eyes open, his pupils dilating.

Qingshi lowered his hand, his face calm. He seemed to have no emotional reaction to personally shooting a former teammate, though the hand holding the gun at his side trembled slightly.

A triangular lizard head with protruding scales quietly crawled out from the back of Vincent’s head. Only half of its snake-like body remained, with its white spine exposed.

Yet, even like this, it could still move, showing its tenacious vitality.

Seeing this strange creature, Qingshi did not hesitate at all. He fired another shot, turning its head into a pulp.

The remaining section of the body twitched weakly a few times before lying motionless on the floor.

“Qing?”

Jia appeared at the door of the central control room, tilting his head to observe Qingshi inside the room. Wu Feng’s blood still remained on his body.

The crimson blood and pale skin formed a sharp contrast. Coupled with those beastly pupils, he looked beautiful, eerie, powerful, and indifferent.

Qingshi turned his gaze toward him and raised his hand to give him a shot without hesitation. An emerald blood flower exploded on Jia’s left chest. Through the breastbone, two beating hearts could be vaguely seen inside.

“Qing?” Jia clutched his chest and collapsed onto the floor. His eyes were full of confusion as he looked at Qingshi, not understanding why his mate had suddenly attacked him.

Qingshi looked up and closed his eyes to sort out his complex emotions. Then, he paced over to Jia and looked down at him from above. His thin lips parted slightly. “Jia, do you want to kill me?”

Jia shook his head. “Qing, mate, no, kill.”

Qingshi crouched down, slightly curling the corners of his mouth, and pointed the muzzle of his gun at Jia’s forehead. “But I want to kill you.”

“Why?” Jia was utterly lost.

“Heh. I, Ji Qingshi, have spent half my life believing I was extraordinary. In the end, I became an experimental subject just like you. As a Federation soldier, the blood on my hands belongs to teammates I once stood side by side with.” Qingshi gave a self-deprecating laugh, his eyes filled with infinite sorrow. “Today, you have only two choices: kill me or be killed by me.”

Jia felt the death wish in Qingshi’s heart, and his pupils contracted into vertical slits. “No, allowed!”

Qingshi pressed the muzzle of the gun against the skin of Jia’s forehead, deep blue eyes meeting emerald green. “Then do not blame me for being unkind.”

The moment before he pulled the trigger, Jia suddenly lunged and pinned Qingshi beneath him. The gun in Qingshi’s hand flew out, followed by several gunshots. Acrid blood sprayed onto Qingshi’s face.

The sound of disciplined footsteps approached as a large group of people suddenly appeared and surrounded them.

Jia’s face was cold as he scanned his surroundings. His mouth opened slightly to reveal his fangs, ready to attack at any moment.

Qingshi noticed the blood rolling down Jia’s back. He did not need to look to know how serious the injury was. Jia must have used his body to block all the gunfire just now.

“The two of you truly share a deep affection.”

Qingshi looked toward the sound of clapping. It was an experimental researcher about 175 centimeters tall. The face was unfamiliar; he must have arrived at the base after Qingshi entered the confinement room.

“Who are you?”

“You should have heard of me,” the man said with a smile. “My name is Xiao Ai.”

Hearing that name, Qingshi instantly recalled the person Vincent had mentioned who turned on the biological detector and exposed the infectious disease.

Seeing his current appearance as a leader, Qingshi narrowed his eyes. “You are also infected. Did you intentionally turn on the biological detector?”

“Good guess.” Xiao Ai’s eyes curved into a smile. As he spoke, the clothing at his abdomen shook, and a triangular lizard head with protruding scales poked out from within. “The sight of them fleeing in panic was truly hilarious.”

It was the same kind of creature that had crawled out of the back of Vincent’s head, only the one on Xiao Ai was exceptionally large.

Xiao Ai took a few steps forward with the creature, and two pairs of eyes landed on the disheveled Jia at the same time. “I have finally caught you, Jia! I have waited too long for this day.”

Jia’s cold gaze landed on Xiao Ai. He held Qingshi and moved his tail. Xiao Ai was startled and retreated several steps. The vacant-eyed people around them all raised their guns and aimed at the two of them.

“Heh.” Jia sneered at Xiao Ai.

Xiao Ai was successfully provoked. He commanded the parasites around him to attack. “Fire! Just leave them with one breath!”

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