The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 80.1

“Senpai and I won’t be going in,” Tang Jing said after modifying the side quest.

They were standing on a highway, and in the distance, they could see the structures of the S City base. The massive complex spanned hundreds of miles, its tallest lighthouse flashing a signal light.

The details were hazy, but they could make out figures moving near the city walls. The exact situation wasn’t clear, but based on the radio broadcasts, those figures were likely survivors who had fled from all over the country, now undergoing entry inspections.

Su Zhen used binoculars to observe the scene at the city gates. His expression darkened when he noticed the numerous makeshift tents set up outside.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Yuanhua approached him.

“Something’s off,” Su Zhen replied. “The people living in those tents, they can’t be infected.”

The infected would show symptoms within ten minutes, but judging by the state of the tents, these people had clearly been there for a long time.

That left only one possible explanation, the base was implementing a tiered system.

Tang Jing and the others peered through their binoculars and saw a fight break out in the tent area. The city defense team intervened, but even after they separated the brawlers, the tension remained palpable.

“What do we do now?” Zhou Tiantian asked nervously, her eyes fixed on the base. She wanted to go in, but the grim expressions on Ah Jing and the others’ faces made her hesitate.

Su Zhen tightened his grip on his backpack straps. “I’m going to check it out. If things look bad, I’ll find a way to leave.”

“I’m coming with you,” Ye Yuanhua insisted. There was no way he’d let Su Zhen go alone.

” I’ll go too,” Zhou Tiantian said after a brief pause.

That left only Tang Jing, Xu Yushu, and the little zombie baby behind, just as they had originally planned.

“Then Senpai and I will head to the factory up ahead,” Tang Jing said.

Ever since leaving A City, she had been studying the map, planning their next move. At the time, she hadn’t yet received the system prompt allowing her to modify the side quest, but she still needed to get Zhou Tiantian into the base.

Her initial plan had been to find a relatively safe place to settle Xu Yushu and the little zombie baby before escorting Zhou Tiantian to the base.

Now that the quest could be altered, they could skip the escort mission entirely. Zhou Tiantian would go with Su Zhen and Ye Yuanhua, while Tang Jing and Xu Yushu would head in the other direction.

“Be careful,” Su Zhen said, adjusting his glasses. “If I’m not mistaken, mercenaries from the base might have already been there or might still be there now.”

The factory wasn’t far from the base. Before the apocalypse, it had been a machinery plant, but now it was abandoned. Most of its parts had likely been scavenged for the base.

“Got it,” Tang Jing nodded. “You guys stay safe too.”

No one could say for sure what the actual situation inside the base was.

The two groups parted ways at the fork in the road one heading toward S City’s base, the other toward the machinery factory.

Since mercenary teams frequented the area, there were hardly any zombies left on the road. They had probably all been cleared out. The nearby cities had likely been scavenged multiple times by these mercenaries.

It was daytime, and mercenary groups were leaving the city gates on missions. To avoid being spotted, Tang Jing led her senior and the little zombie baby along a secluded path.

The journey was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects from the grass.

Having absorbed a large number of crystal cores, Tang Jing’s perception had grown significantly stronger. She could now detect any zombie activity within a one-kilometer radius with absolute clarity.

Her senior’s perception was even sharper, just one step away from reaching the advanced level. Above advanced zombies were the most terrifying of all, the Zombie Kings. As for what lay beyond Zombie Kings, Tang Jing hadn’t lived long enough to find out during her first attempt in this world.

Back then, her senior hadn’t been Senior Shi, so she hadn’t felt much about it. But now that Senior Shi’s soul inhabited this body, Tang Jing refused to let her face any danger.

As if sensing her emotions, Xu Yushu tugged at her sleeve, her mostly red eyes with just a hint of blue gazing at her as if asking what was wrong.

“It’s nothing,” Tang Jing said, patting her head. Noticing a fallen leaf on her hair, she reached out and plucked it off.

The little zombie baby, perched on Tang Jing’s back, blinked his big eyes. Seeing Tang Jing affectionately patting the big zombie’s head, he imitated her by plucking a leaf and placing it on his own head, then showing it to her.

Tang Jing couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I’ll take yours off too.”

The three didn’t linger long and soon arrived at the spot where they had left their car.

On the map, the factory wasn’t far from the base, but in reality, it would take half a day’s drive to get there.

By evening, Tang Jing finally reached the vicinity of the factory.

Based on her perception, she could sense people inside at least six, likely a mercenary group.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Tang Jing turned the car in another direction, eventually finding a hidden house where they could stay for the night.

Perhaps because the house was small and dilapidated, no mercenaries had bothered with it. After covering the car with branches, Tang Jing closed the door.

As zombies, they didn’t need to eat. Xu Yushu and the little zombie baby replenished their energy by absorbing crystal cores.

The house had a stove, plenty of firewood, and a well in the backyard. After skimming the leaves and dust from the well’s surface and confirming the water was safe with her perception, Tang Jing boiled two pots of water, planning to give herself, her senior, and the little one a proper bath.

While she tended the fire, her senior sat beside her, nuzzling her head against Tang Jing’s shoulder like an affectionate lover.

No one would ever guess she was a zombie from behind, they looked like a sweet couple.

The little zombie baby sat on a pile of straw nearby, absorbing crystal cores.

Once the water was ready, Tang Jing found a wooden tub in the house, scrubbed it clean, disinfected it, and then bathed her senior first.

During these months on the run, Tang Jing had made it a habit to bathe her senior and the little zombie baby before herself whenever possible. If conditions allowed, she always prioritized her senior, then the little one, and finally herself.

Xu Yushu was already accustomed to Tang Jing bathing her. She stood still, letting Tang Jing undress her before settling into the tub.

Tang Jing washed her hair first, then moved on to her body.

With plenty of well water today, she indulged a little, boiling extra pots to ensure everyone could wash thoroughly.

The bathwater wasn’t wasted either, she used it to wash her dirty clothes.

After absorbing the crystal core, her strength had increased. After wringing out the clothes and giving them a good shake, they were already half-dry. By leaving them to air overnight, they’d be completely dry by morning.

If not for the zombies, life now would feel like stepping back into ancient times no electricity, no appliances.

Tang Jing busied herself late into the night, preparing the bed so she could finally get a good night’s sleep.

Being close to the base, coupled with her heightened perception and the presence of her senior sister and the little zombie baby, she could sleep soundly without worry.

And so, she slept exceptionally well. When she woke the next day, sunlight streamed in, and for a moment, she felt dazed, as if she had returned to peaceful times, living in a countryside retreat with her senior sister.

But one look at her senior sister’s crimson-tinged blue eyes told her that was impossible.

“Morning, Senior Sister.”

“Grr.” Xu Yushu made a sound, acknowledging her greeting in her own way.

While Tang Jing and her companions had spent a comfortable night, Su Zhen and the others weren’t so fortunate.

When they arrived at the base’s city gates, they found a checkpoint had been set up, with two separate entrances. One side had very few people, and at first, they didn’t understand why the crowd wasn’t dispersing to the other side. Later, they learned that the second entrance was reserved for special individuals.

Such as soldiers, scholars, researchers, and energy users.

At the mention of “energy users,” Su Zhen and the others exchanged glances.

If they weren’t mistaken, energy users referred to people like them, those who had absorbed energy crystal cores.

They didn’t act rashly, instead observing the other entrance while remaining in the long queue.

They watched as a few ordinary people passed the energy test, received a black card, and were then respectfully ushered into the city by the guards.

Zhou Tiantian clenched her fist and decisively stepped out of line, heading toward the special entrance.

Su Zhen grabbed Ye Yuanhua’s arm and whispered in his ear, “Stay in this line. I’ll go over there. We’ll regroup inside the city.”

Su Zhen never trusted surface-level harmony, especially in this apocalyptic world.

He was eager to study the plant and animal samples in his backpack, but if he entered as an ordinary survivor, he’d never gain access to a lab.

However, he could enter as a researcher. As for his identity as an energy user, it was best to keep that hidden if possible.

Ye Yuanhua immediately understood and gave a subtle nod, staying in line while Su Zhen headed for the special passage with his backpack.

Zhou Tiantian registered her information, writing “energy user” in the occupation field.

The registrar’s eyes flickered at the words and instructed the nearby inspector to test her.

As Zhou Tiantian underwent the energy test, Su Zhen approached as well.

The registrar smiled at him. “Sir, please register your information first.”

“Mm.” Su Zhen picked up the pen and filled out the form. Under occupation, he wrote “biochemical researcher.”

The registrar stood up enthusiastically. “Ah, Professor Su! May I see your credentials?”

The registrar didn’t dare offend someone of his expertise, but there were always imposters or those who fabricated identities. Naturally, they had to verify everything carefully.

The virus outbreak was sudden, and Su Zhen couldn’t possibly carry his credentials with him. Fortunately, he still had his work ID, which contained the magnetic chip granting access to the research institute. A quick scan of the ID on the detector displayed his information on the computer screen.

The registrar stared at the personal details and career history on the screen, stunned into silence for a long moment.

Meanwhile, Zhou Tiantian’s energy level test results came out Level 3. In the base, Level 3 was considered mid-to-high among energy users, placing her among the stronger individuals.

Seeing two such powerful individuals appear in quick succession, the registrar hurriedly said to the tester, “Stay here and keep watch. I’ll take them to the registration office.”

The tester knew exactly what she was up to but simply responded with an “Oh,” not bothering to comment further.

After all, the head of the registration office was her brother-in-law. With that connection, the registrar could practically swagger around the city gates.

Su Zhen and Zhou Tiantian followed the registrar toward the registration office.

Along the way, the two kept observing their surroundings, especially Zhou Tiantian, who was so absorbed that she nearly fell behind several times and even bumped into a squad of mercenaries preparing to leave.

The mercenary captain’s eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful Zhou Tiantian.

Three months into the virus outbreak, most people wore expressions of fear and confusion, their skin rough and weathered.

But this girl in front of him had bright eyes and fair, delicate skin as if she had been well-protected and cared for.

Zhou Tiantian was like a dazzling sight, drawing attention from the moment she entered the base. Especially near the city gates, where mercenaries gathered before heading out on missions, many eyes were drawn to her.

“Hey there, little beauty, come over here to big bro!”

“Sweetheart, let me take care of you.”

“Look at that soft skin bet her sugar daddy is that pretty boy next to her.”

The “pretty boy” they referred to was Su Zhen.

Su Zhen adjusted his backpack and took a few steps to the side, putting some distance between himself and Zhou Tiantian.

Ignoring the catcalls, Zhou Tiantian kept her head down and walked forward.

But she moved too quickly and collided with someone, startling her into wide-eyed surprise.

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