The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 79.1

“Senpai, are you okay?” Tang Jing helped Xu Yushu up from the rubble.

Xu Yushu was covered in dirt but had no visible injuries, which eased Tang Jing’s worry.

Xu Yushu sniffed the air, pressing her nose against Tang Jing’s shoulder, catching the scent of blood. Her blue eyes, tinged with red, locked onto Tang Jing as she let out a low, anxious whimper.

“It’s alright, I’m fine.” Tang Jing smoothed Xu Yushu’s disheveled hair and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “The wound isn’t serious. It’ll heal soon.”

Xu Yushu stared at her for a moment, then suddenly turned and sprinted away.

“Senpai!” The abrupt departure left Tang Jing stunned. By the time she reacted, Xu Yushu had already vanished.

With the city’s underground now teeming with the giant tree’s sentinels, Tang Jing feared Xu Yushu might be silently eliminated if she ventured out alone.

Su Zhen, however, understood why Xu Yushu had bolted. He stopped Tang Jing and said, “Don’t worry. She went to find crystal cores for you.”

Last night, while the group had been absorbing crystal cores, Xu Yushu had watched intently especially Tang Jing. Su Zhen had even noticed a faint smile curl Xu Yushu’s lips after Tang Jing absorbed two cores.

It seemed that Xu Yushu, despite being a zombie, had developed her own reasoning and intelligence.

Su Zhen was curious to see just how advanced a zombie’s intellect could become at higher levels or even at the Zombie Emperor stage.

Tang Jing couldn’t shake her concern for Xu Yushu, but searching for her in such a vast city would be futile. If Xu Yushu returned and found Tang Jing gone, they might miss each other entirely. Reluctantly, Tang Jing agreed to follow Su Zhen and the others into the supermarket first, waiting for Xu Yushu to come back on her own.

The giant tree that had attacked them earlier had fallen silent whether out of fear of their fire or simply toying with them, they couldn’t tell.

Either way, their only option now was to find a place to rest.

The group settled on a clean spot, sitting on the floor as they ate bread from their backpacks. They discussed their next steps while waiting for Xu Yushu’s return.

As dusk approached, Tang Jing, who had been standing by the window overlooking the city, finally spotted Xu Yushu in the distance.

Her figure looked disheveled, but no other zombies were chasing her.

Tang Jing rushed downstairs.

“Senpai.” Just as she reached the ground floor, Xu Yushu returned and handed her a satchel.

Curious, Tang Jing took it.

Hearing the commotion, Su Zhen and the others came down as well.

“Senpai!” Zhou Tiantian was thrilled to see Xu Yushu back. After all, her combat prowess was the highest in the group, and her presence significantly boosted their safety.

“What did she bring back?” Su Zhen noticed the unfamiliar bag in Tang Jing’s hands clearly something Xu Yushu had retrieved.

When Tang Jing opened it, her eyes widened in surprise. Her first instinct was to check Xu Yushu for injuries.

“What is it?” Su Zhen took the bag and was equally stunned upon seeing the contents. “She collected this many?”

“Crystal cores?” Ye Yuanhua asked.

“Ah?” Zhou Tiantian let out a small gasp of surprise.

Su Zhen chuckled in amazement, “I didn’t expect Xiaoshu to know how to bring back packaged crystal cores.”

Xu Yushu’s gaze turned toward Tang Jing. Though her expression remained unchanged, Tang Jing couldn’t help but feel like she was seeking praise.

Smiling, Tang Jing reached out and gently stroked her hair, complimenting, “You’re amazing, senior!”

Xu Yushu narrowed her eyes in contentment, resembling a little kitten, almost purring with delight.

The group made their way back upstairs. Tang Jing first helped Xu Yushu change into clean clothes, tidied her hair, and only after everything was in order did she lead her out.

The little zombie baby toddled over and wrapped his arms around both their legs. Tang Jing bent down and picked him up.

Su Zhen teased, “You three really look like a family of three.”

Tang Jing laughed, “I think so too.”

The crystal cores Xu Yushu had brought back numbered at least several dozen. It was unclear if she had raided a zombie nest, but there were so many mostly pink primary-level cores, with a few blue intermediate-level ones mixed in.

“So, are we absorbing them now?” Zhou Tiantian asked eagerly.

After absorbing a crystal core the previous night, she had gotten a taste of its power. Seeing how many cores her senior had brought back, she was itching to try again. Would absorbing another core grant her the same ability as A’Qing and the others manifesting a crystal core in her mind?

With a crystal core, she could unlock her latent potential whether in speed or strength. Either would be a lifesaving skill for her.

Tang Jing and Su Zhen exchanged a glance and unanimously decided to proceed with the absorption now.

Outside, a zombie was waiting for them. Whether they could successfully escape the city was uncertain. It was better to enhance their abilities before the big battle, giving them a fighting chance.

Since they were still new to absorbing crystal cores, they didn’t dare jump straight to the intermediate blue ones. Instead, they carefully laid out the pink cores in front of Xu Yushu. After absorbing the red core the night before, her awareness had heightened. She no longer needed Tang Jing’s step-by-step guidance, she knew exactly what to do.

She briefly absorbed each core before setting it aside, carefully controlling the amount.

Once she had activated all of them, the four of them began dividing them equally.

Xu Yushu, however, seemed displeased with this arrangement. She pushed the few blue cores in the middle toward Tang Jing.

Su Zhen smiled and said, “You should take them. After all, she collected these cores for you.”

“Alright,” Tang Jing replied without hesitation, pocketing the blue cores her senior had given her.

Each person received five pink cores. To prepare for any emergencies, two would absorb the energy while the other two kept watch.

As they absorbed the energy, Xu Yushu and the little zombie baby stood guard nearby.

Tang Jing and Su Zhen went first again, ensuring that each group had someone capable of handling threats.

Fortunately, no danger arose while they were absorbing the cores.

Just as before, the sensation from the previous night wasn’t an illusion. After absorbing five cores, the crystal core in Tang Jing’s mind grew larger. This time, she could sense a connection with her senior, able to perceive her emotions.

Later, she tried sensing others again but could only detect the energy forms around her. Unlike with her senior, it wasn’t a two-way connection. It seemed this special connection was unique to her senior, though the reason remained unclear. Tang Jing didn’t have time to dwell on it and gradually extended her perception deeper underground.

Sure enough, she detected the tree roots still moving beneath the surface, though their range of motion was limited so subtle that those above ground couldn’t feel it.

Afraid of startling the roots, she kept her perception at a slight distance, tracing them forward to locate the tree itself. But after probing a certain distance, a sharp pain shot through her head, forcing her to withdraw her senses immediately.

Feeling her senior’s concern through their connection, she attempted to soothe her with her perception surprisingly, it worked.

When Tang Jing opened her eyes, she saw Su Zhen had also opened his. His face was pale, and he swayed slightly before Ye Yuanhua quickly steadied him. “Brother Su?”

“I’m fine,” Su Zhen murmured, his lips colorless as he leaned heavily into Ye Yuanhua’s arms. “I just scouted the tree’s location, it’s in the west of the city.”

They had entered from the east, meaning the tree lay at the opposite end.

“So its roots stretch that far?” Zhou Tiantian exclaimed in disbelief.

Though they’d known the city’s underground was tangled with roots, seeing it firsthand was still shocking.

Regardless, they’d have to head west tomorrow.

Noticing Su Zhen’s pallor, Ye Yuanhua offered him a core he’d saved earlier. “Brother Su, absorb this one.”

“No need. A night’s rest will be enough. You finish absorbing yours tomorrow’s going to be a tough fight.”

“I’m fine for now,” Ye Yuanhua insisted firmly.

Su Zhen gripped his wrist, tilting his head back to meet his gaze with unyielding intensity. “Ye Yuanhua.”

Ye Yuanhua stiffened, he hated when Su Zhen used his full name. It always meant he was angry.

“I…” Ye Yuanhua pressed his lips together, eyes brimming with worry. After months on the run, Su Zhen had grown even frailer.

Su Zhen took the core and pressed it to Ye Yuanhua’s lips, softening his tone. “Ayuan, I want us both to make it out alive.”

The towering man’s eyes reddened.

Meanwhile, Tang Jing opened her palm, revealing a blue core. “I spoke with my senior. She’s willing to lend this to you, just return it when you can after we leave the city.”

Zhou Tiantian’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the blue core.

Su Zhen turned to Xu Yushu sincerely. “Thank you.”

They desperately needed the boost, it would tip the scales in their favor.

The blue core’s energy was a hundred times stronger than the pink ones, more than their bodies could handle in one go. They’d have to absorb it in stages.

Even the little zombie baby received one, he was now a mid-level blue.

That night, everyone spent their time absorbing cores and resting.

At dawn, the group set out toward the west of the city.

Had Xu Yushu stirred up a nest of zombies yesterday? When they’d entered the city, not a single one had been in sight now, they were everywhere.

The car drove along the road, weaving through the hordes of zombies. Whenever one tried to approach, it would shrink back in fear upon sensing Xu Yushu’s intimidating aura.

After absorbing the energy cores, everyone’s perception of their surroundings had heightened. They could now sense the number of zombies nearby without even looking.

Halfway through their journey, the massive tree seemed to sense their intent. Roots burst from the ground, attempting to block their path.

“Ah Yuan!” Su Zhen called out.

Inside the car, Ye Yuanhua immediately leaned out the window, gripping a pre-prepared crossbow. The bolt was wrapped in flammable material soaked in oil. As he fired at the roots, friction with the air caused sparks to fly. By the time the bolt embedded itself into the root, flames erupted, setting the root ablaze.

Though there was no sound, the violent twisting of the root made it clear how much pain it was in.

The earth trembled as more and more roots surged toward them.

“Go, now!”

The car accelerated, speeding toward the direction of the massive tree.

Trapped in a city surrounded by the tree’s reach, they had no chance of escape. Their only option was to fight, to confront this monstrous plant head-on. It was the first time any of them had encountered a creature of such scale in plant form, and they were determined to investigate.

Of course, Su Zhen was the most eager to study it.

The severed finger from the ape-like zombie they had encountered two days prior was now preserved in a jar by Su Zhen. Once they reached the base, he planned to apply for lab access to conduct experiments on these plant and animal zombies.

The further west they drove, the more roots they encountered. The road became increasingly pockmarked, forcing their car to swerve erratically. Eventually, it became too much, and the group abandoned the vehicle, carrying only essential supplies as they sprinted forward.

Thanks to the energy cores, everyone’s physical abilities had improved significantly. Even Zhou Tiantian, who had always been the weakest in the group, could now keep up with Tang Jing and the others.

In the distance, they saw the towering tree, its countless roots writhing through the air, lashing out at them.

Yet Tang Jing and the others moved with agility, slipping through gaps in the roots, closing in on the tree.

As they drew nearer, they could see the countless corpses hanging upside-down from its branches. A wave of nausea washed over them.

“This is disgusting,” Zhou Tiantian muttered, her face paling as she fought back the urge to vomit.

Tang Jing and the others weren’t faring much better.

“No wonder there were so few zombies in the city, they’re all here,” Tang Jing said through gritted teeth.

The tree had grown to this size by absorbing the energy cores from the zombies’ brains.

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