The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 81.1

On their way to the base, Tang Jing and her group took the opportunity to eliminate some zombies along the road.

The senior controlled the zombies, while Tang Jing and the little zombie baby handled the cleanup.

By this point, absorbing energy no longer required the tedious process of digging out crystal cores, they could now absorb them directly from a distance.

The low-level zombie crystal cores were absorbed by Tang Jing and the little zombie baby, while the rare high-level cores were reserved for the senior.

One day, the three of them worked together to eliminate an evolved rose. The plant stood over ten meters tall, with flowers as large as two basketball courts combined. Its fragrance permeated the air for miles around.

The scent induced hallucinations, luring people irresistibly toward the rose, where they would silently become its fertilizer.

Tang Jing nearly fell victim to it, but fortunately, the senior stopped her.

Perhaps it was out of habit from the days when they used to tie ropes around their waists, but even now despite the senior’s intelligence being no different from a normal person’s she insisted on binding herself to Tang Jing with a rope. She had even managed to find a red cord to tie around their waists.

And it was precisely because of this red cord that the senior noticed Tang Jing being drawn in by the rose’s hallucinogenic fragrance.

After they destroyed the rose and dug out the crystal core hidden within its bloom, they were surprised to find it was a black crystal core.

But considering the piles of bones scattered for miles around, it made perfect sense.

This evolved rose didn’t even need to move, its scent alone was enough to lure prey to it.

While Xu Yushu absorbed the black crystal core, Tang Jing and the little zombie baby patrolled the area. Whenever a zombie approached, the two of them worked together to eliminate it.

By the third year of the apocalypse, zombie levels had risen significantly, and ordinary zombies had already been phased out.

As zombies grew stronger, humans had also evolved into energy users ever since the effects of crystal cores were publicly revealed.

The sudden onslaught of zombie hordes caught all the bases off guard.

Now, panic spread through the base. Riots broke out daily in the outer city, keeping the city defense force swamped with work. Ye Yuanhua hadn’t been able to visit the lab to pick up Su Zhen for days.

Su Zhen had recently been working on a zombie antidote, a drug that could turn zombies back into normal humans.

When he first proposed the idea, many dismissed it as mere bravado and doubted its feasibility.

But after he successfully developed the human antidote, those critics fell silent because he had indeed achieved results.

For days, he had been pushing himself to meet deadlines, even working through the night. His body was on the verge of collapse.

On this day, when Ye Yuanhua finally managed to visit him, he found Su Zhen collapsed in the lab, the place in complete disarray.

When Su Zhen woke up again, he was disoriented. Seeing a tall, blurry figure by his bedside, he steadied himself and called out, “A-Yuan?”

Ye Yuanhua, who had been dozing off, immediately snapped awake. “How are you feeling? Any discomfort?”

Su Zhen shook his head slightly and asked, “What day is it?”

“Three days later. You’ve been unconscious for three days.” Ye Yuanhua’s voice was a mix of worry and frustration. “Research is important, but your health matters more. If I hadn’t gone to check on you, who knows if they would’ve just injected you with stimulants to force you awake and back to work.”

Since they entered the base, their personal freedoms had been severely restricted especially for Su Zhen. Despite his high status within the base, the higher-ups constantly pressured him to develop various pharmaceuticals. Even an iron-clad body couldn’t withstand such demands.

“It’s already finished,” Su Zhen said, holding his hand and smiling. “Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”

“According to projections, the zombie horde will reach S City in a week. When that happens, our city defense unit will be swamped. Su Zhen, I’m worried about you. I don’t feel safe leaving you alone in the lab.” Ye Yuanhua had been dwelling on this for a long time.

Inside the base, he felt Su Zhen was unsafe everywhere only by his side could he truly rest easy.

“I’ll be with you that day,” Su Zhen replied. “The antidote for infected flora and fauna is complete. My mission is effectively done.”

He had done his part for humanity. If he left now, no one would have the right to criticize him.

“Mm.” Ye Yuanhua nodded. Having Su Zhen by his side was the best possible outcome.

Meanwhile.

After three days and nights, Xu Yushu finally absorbed the black crystal core.

Tang Jing and the little zombie baby quickly ran over. Seeing that Xu Yushu’s pupils had turned a dark brown, nearly indistinguishable from a normal human’s, Tang Jing smiled. “Senior, does this mean you’re now the Zombie Emperor?”

“Xiao Jing.” Xu Yushu stared at her intently, her eyes brimming with unrestrained affection even shedding tears. Her fingers traced Tang Jing’s face with lingering tenderness.

Tang Jing caught her hand and pressed it against her cheek, grinning. “I’m here.”

“Ah, ah!” The little zombie baby clung to Tang Jing’s leg, calling out.

Now, the little one could manage single syllables.

“Alright, you too.” Tang Jing sighed helplessly and picked him up, exchanging a warm smile with Xu Yushu.

Just as the three of them were basking in the moment, the sound of approaching vehicles reached them from a distance. Instantly, they tensed.

Tang Jing pulled a woolen hat from her pocket and quickly tugged it over the little zombie baby’s head, covering most of his eyes. Then, gripping Xu Yushu’s hand, she turned to face the incoming convoy.

Three cargo trucks rolled toward them, each bed packed with mercenaries holding guns barrels aimed directly at Tang Jing and the others.

Sensing danger, Xu Yushu immediately spread her arms, shielding Tang Jing and the little zombie baby behind her.

“Senior, don’t move yet,” Tang Jing whispered in her ear.

They still didn’t know whether these people were friend or foe. If allies, all the better. If enemies even fellow humans, they wouldn’t hesitate to strike.

“Lou Jing!” A bright, enthusiastic voice rang out.

Tang Jing followed the sound and scrutinized the woman, finally recalling who she was. In the apocalypse, she and Xu Yushu had mostly roamed outside, encountering very few humans and Feng Man was one of them.

“Feng Man-jie.”

Feng Man walked over with a grin. “I thought you might’ve forgotten me.” She studied Tang Jing, Xu Yushu, and the little zombie baby in Tang Jing’s arms, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “Don’t tell me you’ve been living in the wild this whole time?”

It wasn’t unheard of for people to survive outdoors, but those were usually groups of five or more. Over the past two years, during their missions, they’d seen plenty of such groups.

But a duo like Lou Jing and Xu Yushu? This was a first.

It went to show, these two were far more capable at survival than any of them.

Feng Man said with a serious expression, “According to the latest message from the base, the zombie horde is coming. They’ll arrive within the next two days. You can’t stay out in the wild anymore. The base has sent word that during this critical time, you can temporarily stay there so we can fight the zombie horde together.”

“The continuation of human civilization is our shared goal,” Feng Man added.

Tang Jing nodded and glanced at the three cargo trucks. She could tell that the people in one of them were likely survivors living in the wild, just like them.

With a formidable enemy approaching, humanity had to unite and stand together against the threat.

Tang Jing said, “We’ll go with you.”

Feng Man patted her shoulder and laughed heartily. “Come on, sis will take you to the base. I’ll treat you to good food and drinks, you must have gone a long time without meat, right? At the base, Professor Su has developed healthy soil and even raised some livestock like pigs, cows, and sheep for food.”

“Professor Su?” Hearing the familiar surname, Tang Jing couldn’t help but wonder if it was Su Zhen.

“Professor Su Zhen. When he first arrived at our base two years ago, no one expected he’d invent so many things. Take the zombie virus antidote, for example, he developed that. I heard he’s now working on an antidote for infected plants and animals. Though many doubt he can pull it off, we firmly believe in him.”

“After all, who would’ve thought the zombie virus antidote could be developed? Yet Professor Su made it happen, didn’t he?”

Her tone was unmistakably that of an adoring fan.

“You really admire Professor Su?” Tang Jing asked.

“Absolutely! Everyone in our mercenary group is a fan of his, and there are plenty of supporters in the base too.” Once she started talking about Professor Su, Feng Man couldn’t stop.

Eager to share more, Feng Man had her comrades in the truck move to the cargo bed while she took Tang Jing and her two companions into the cab.

Throughout the journey, Feng Man chatted nonstop, and Tang Jing learned a great deal about the base from her.

Though they still kept in touch with Su Zhen and the others, communication had become sparse. Mostly, Tang Jing had been taking her senior out to collect crystal cores, sometimes traveling so far that they couldn’t return in time and had to wait for the next opportunity.

As a result, they hadn’t heard much about the base in a while.

Tang Jing was pleased to learn that since the antidote was developed, the checkpoint inspections had been abolished, replaced by just an observation room. If someone was infected, they’d receive the antidote immediately and be kept under observation.

This was good news for her.

When they reached the city gates, specialized personnel from the city defense came to inspect them. Coincidentally, Ye Yuanhua was also on duty that day.

He was familiar with most of the mercenary group members. Spotting Feng Man’s convoy, he greeted her warmly, only to freeze in surprise when he saw Tang Jing and Xu Yushu. “Lou Jing! Xu Yushu!”

Now it was Feng Man’s turn to be surprised. “You know each other?”

Tang Jing nodded. “We fled here together from Z City back then.”

This was a piece of history Feng Man hadn’t heard from Ye Yuanhua, and she found it fascinating.

With so many people at the gates and conversations easily overheard, the group decided to find a tavern to sit down, eat, and catch up.

Ye Yuanhua hadn’t expected to see Tang Jing and the others at the city gates. He subtly glanced at Xu Yushu, surprised to find her looking completely normal.

“Brother Ye,” Xu Yushu greeted him.

“Ah,” Ye Yuanhua responded blankly.

Feng Man noticed the awkward atmosphere and asked with a smile, “What’s going on? Why are you spacing out?”

Afraid of drawing suspicion, Ye Yuanhua quickly snapped out of it. “It’s nothing. I just realized they haven’t changed much since we last met.”

Feng Man also glanced over and nodded. “True.”

After several rounds of drinks, Feng Man noticed the late hour and stood up. “Let’s call it a day. Next time,” She paused, remembering the impending zombie horde in two days, her expression turning serious. “After we survive the zombie horde, we’ll meet again.”

“Agreed!”

They made their vow, and Feng Man left first.

Originally, she had planned to help Tang Jing and the others find a place to settle, but Ye Yuanhua intercepted her, insisting that the city defense office could handle everything. Knowing his capabilities, Feng Man didn’t argue and left Tang Jing in his care before departing.

“Let’s go. Brother Su wants to see you. I was just about to contact you, perfect timing,” Ye Yuanhua said.

“How have you and Brother Su been lately?” Tang Jing asked.

“Everything’s fine.” Ye Yuanhua seemed to want to say more, but with so many people around, he kept it brief and hurriedly led them toward their residence.

Tang Jing noticed the anxious expressions on the faces of passersby, some even hollow-eyed with despair. At a street corner, she saw a group kneeling in prayer. The atmosphere was heavy, the news of the zombie horde weighing on everyone’s hearts like a millstone.

The walk left Tang Jing feeling somber.

Xu Yushu squeezed her hand and whispered, “Don’t look.”

Ye Yuanhua and Su Zhen lived in a standalone villa, a privilege reserved for high-contributing individuals. As deputy chief of the city defense office and with Su Zhen’s esteemed position, they more than deserved the accommodation.

The villa district had dedicated security guards who stopped them at the entrance. Ye Yuanhua showed his credentials and explained, “These are the people Professor Su requested. They’ll leave within an hour.”

After a moment’s consideration, the guard stepped aside to let them pass.

Ye Yuanhua led them to the villa and unlocked the door with his fingerprint.

Coincidentally, Su Zhen was coming downstairs just as they entered. He looked surprised. “What brings you here?”

Seeing his still-pale complexion, Ye Yuanhua quickly stepped forward and carried him down, settling him on the sofa. Su Zhen adjusted his glasses awkwardly but didn’t protest. After all, Tang Jing and the others were old comrades, no need for formalities. “Have a seat.”

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