The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 10

Xiao Wen almost thought he’d heard wrong. “What?”

But the woman in front of him looked at him with disdain, not even giving him a proper glance, truly treating him like a dog to be dismissed.

“There are so many people gathered downstairs. If someone comes up and messes with the scene, that would be bad.”

Xie Zhitian spoke frankly and matter-of-factly. “What’s wrong? Do you have an issue with that?”

Xiao Wen’s presence was a liability; she didn’t want him to be near the crime scene. With Ren Meng there earlier, Xiao Wen didn’t dare to act rashly, but now that Ren Meng was gone, it would be bad if he tried to tamper with anything.

In the original novel, Ren Meng was an excellent leader, her assistant Bai Yang was an upright man, and Xiang Nan was completely obedient to her. So as long as she sent Xiao Wen away, there was nothing to worry about.

Xiao Wen ground his back teeth. “No issue. I’ll follow your arrangements, Miss.”

A lightbulb went off in his head, and he spoke sincerely again, “But Miss, I’m just a fragile man. I can’t fight anyone, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop those people.”

Xie Zhitian instantly understood. After the apocalypse, the overall physical condition of men had become much weaker than that of women. Although Luo Yang was injured, among the people in the room, the one with the highest combat ability was still Luo Yang. Xiao Wen was feigning weakness, wanting Luo Yang to go to the door with him to stand guard, so he could use the opportunity to get closer and earn her favor.

Her disgust for Xiao Wen grew stronger. She had met all kinds of people, but she had never encountered a man as self-absorbed as this, one who was constantly calculating against others every single moment.

From Luo Yang’s perspective, however, Xiao Wen had never done anything to harm her; instead, he had always been showing her kindness. He had even taken a risk to secretly visit her when the original owner had locked her in the basement.

Xie Zhitian felt a premonition, and sure enough, the next second, Xiao Wen spoke with a pitiful tone, “How about Luo Yang comes with me…”

Her eyes narrowed as she was about to pressure him and refuse, but then she heard a clear voice from the person beside her.

“No, I can’t go.”

Xiao Wen couldn’t believe it. What was wrong with Luo Yang? She had rejected him two times in a row. She’d rather stay with the Miss who was always targeting her than go with him?

He tried his best to control his tone. “Why?”

Luo Yang stood one step behind Xie Zhitian and said earnestly, “Because I promised the Miss first. I must keep my word.”

Xiao Wen was fuming but helpless. He could only go to the door dejectedly.

[Successfully stopped protagonist Xiao Wen’s PUA behavior. His points have been frozen by 4.]

[Protagonist Xiao Wen’s current available points: 831.]

Xie Zhitian looked at the two lines on the anti-strategy system panel and fell into thought.

Sure enough, she was still concerned about what had just happened.

When Xiao Wen had targeted the modified humans and she had refuted him, the system also notified her that she had successfully stopped his PUA behavior.

This meant that Xiao Wen’s request to severely punish Jasmine and lock up the other modified humans was a means of PUAing Luo Yang.

So, what was the connection between targeting the modified humans and PUAing Luo Yang?

Xie Zhitian thought for a moment and understood the key.

If the modified humans were really locked up and treated harshly with food and provisions, wouldn’t that give Xiao Wen the perfect opportunity to show off in front of Luo Yang?

For example, he could deliver food and water, show concern, and then add his own spin about how he spoke up for the modified humans in front of Ren Meng…

Luo Yang would definitely be very moved after hearing this, and her favorability toward Xiao Wen would increase.

Thinking of this, Xie Zhitian couldn’t help but frown.

If her guess was correct, then Xiao Wen was truly rotten to the core. To achieve his goals, he would stop at nothing, even sacrificing the interests of innocent people.

Xie Zhitian looked around. While the others in the room were busy with the search and not paying attention to her, she quickly took the original book out of her space and gently slid her finger across the flyleaf, writing the numbers “1551.”

She wanted to ask Xiao Yi why such important information was not included in the book. If the content she had was incomplete, she would need to be more careful in the future.

Anyway, she could communicate with Xiao Yi with her mind, and no one else would notice.

But Xie Zhitian waited and waited, and Xiao Yi didn’t appear. She traced the numbers on the flyleaf several more times, but there was still no response. Xie Zhitian was puzzled, but then she remembered the other party’s lazy work ethic and felt it was completely reasonable.

“Miss, what are you doing?”

A pleasant voice suddenly came from behind, and Xie Zhitian was startled, feeling as if she had been caught slacking off.

She immediately put the book back into her space and stared straight ahead. “Nothing. I’m… I’m examining the body.”

Her gaze refocused on the blood-soaked wound on the back of Zhao Jie’s head.

Luo Yang blinked and knelt down beside Xie Zhitian.

She pointed to a clay pot not far away. “Miss, Zhao Jie was likely struck on the head by this and died.”

She felt a little strange.

She had clearly just seen the Miss holding that book with a cover titled The Self-Cultivation of a Glamorous Beauty, her finger tracing something on the pages. How had it suddenly disappeared?

Maybe she was just seeing things.

Xie Zhitian looked in the direction Luo Yang pointed.

It was a thick, dark brown clay pot. It looked handmade, with a very rough, uneven surface and sharp edges. The edges were stained with blood, and the shape matched the wound on the back of Zhao Jie’s head.

Xie Zhitian nodded. “Yes, I think so too.”

She looked up at the cabinet next to it. “It looks like a crime of passion, not premeditated murder.”

The faint dust marks on the cabinet matched the shape of the bottom of the pot. This suggested the pot had been sitting there for a while before being suddenly picked up and used as a weapon today.

Additionally, there were two small broken objects on the floor, and the cabinet was knocked askew, not flush against the wall, suggesting that a struggle had taken place in the room.

Luo Yang also noticed these things and agreed. “It must have been a dispute between two people. During the physical conflict, Jasmine used the clay pot to strike Zhao Jie down.”

She was internally surprised. It wasn’t difficult to deduce these things, but it was perplexing that the Miss could also figure them out.

Could a person’s IQ also increase when they wanted to turn over a new leaf?

Xie Zhitian didn’t notice Luo Yang’s thoughts. She had seen too many bodies during the apocalypse and wasn’t scared at all. She immediately reached out and patted down the pockets of Zhao Jie’s clothes and pants, looking for any useful clues.

But Zhao Jie perfectly embodied the phrase “as broke as can be.” His pockets were empty.

Luo Yang suddenly spoke up from the side: “Miss, he drank alcohol.”

Xie Zhitian’s heart skipped a beat. “You smell alcohol?”

Luo Yang nodded gently. “There’s no mistake.”

Xie Zhitian leaned in to take a sniff but couldn’t smell any alcohol. The smell of blood was too strong, masking all other scents. Only modified humans like Luo Yang could distinguish it.

He drank alcohol… conflicts were indeed prone to happen after drinking.

As Xie Zhitian was pondering, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. “Miss, we found something!”

It was Xiang Nan’s voice.

Xie Zhitian quickly got up and saw Xiang Nan and Bai Yang coming out of the bedroom. Xiang Nan was holding a small, black box.

The box had a heavy, rectangular feel and was about the size of a palm. The lid was tightly sealed without any gaps. The lock was a six-digit combination lock. The whole thing looked very secure.

She was curious. “What is this?”

“Miss, this should be a military combination box.”

Bai Yang explained, “It’s a perk. Every soldier has one to store their important belongings. This kind of box is indestructible; it’s almost impossible to open it by force. Only the person who knows the password can open it.”

Xie Zhitian mused, “Using force isn’t appropriate.”

The combination box looked very sturdy. If they opened it violently, the contents inside might be damaged. And it was always wise to be cautious—what if there was a bomb or some other dangerous object inside?

Bai Yang asked, “Then what do you suggest, Miss?”

Xie Zhitian said, “After we’ve searched everything, we’ll go see Jasmine.”

“Jasmine can’t see anyone right now.”

Ren Meng folded her arms, her tone flat. “Please leave, Miss.”

“Why?”

Xie Zhitian pointed to Bai Yang, who was holding the box behind her, and insisted, “This is Jasmine’s personal item. There might be important clues inside, and only Jasmine can open it.”

“Jasmine is still unconscious. The doctors in the district are conducting a detailed and comprehensive examination to determine if her body has undergone a certain degree of mutation. This is for the safety of the district, and not a single step can be skipped. Before the examination results are out, Jasmine cannot see anyone, even if she wakes up.”

Ren Meng lowered her eyes. “Leave the box here. As for what happens next, we’ll handle it. You don’t need to get involved, Miss.”

Xie Zhitian pondered. “How long will Jasmine’s physical examination take?”

Whether Jasmine had mutated was related to the nature of the case, and it was a crucial thing to confirm. So, the physical examination was an important part of it and could not be rushed.

She understood, so she could wait.

Ren Meng said, “All the results will be out tomorrow morning.”

Xie Zhitian said, “Then I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

Ren Meng’s eyes narrowed, a look of scrutiny flashing in her eyes. “Miss, you seem very concerned about this case.”

Xie Zhitian replied calmly, “Miss Ren, this is what I should be doing. From now on, I will also take on my responsibilities as a district administrator. Please guide me.”

Ren Meng was stunned for a moment before she came back to her senses.

Xie Zhitian had the title of a district administrator but had never done any work. Previously, Xie Zhitian’s parents, being busy with their own affairs, had once told Ren Meng to guide the Miss. If she felt she was capable enough, she could hand over some of the district’s affairs to her.

Ren Meng had tried, but she had failed.

This Miss was truly a hopeless case, only interested in eating, drinking, and having fun. She was never around. So Ren Meng slowly let the matter go.

Just like today, she had repeatedly asked Xie Zhitian to leave because she felt Xie Zhitian was not qualified to handle a murder case in the district.

But when she heard Xie Zhitian say those words with a firm tone, she was surprisingly moved.

“Miss Ren, are you listening?”

Xie Zhitian, seeing Ren Meng not responding for a while, couldn’t help but urge her. “In any case, I will definitely come back early tomorrow morning. At that time, please let me see Jasmine.”

She was prepared to be rejected again, but to her surprise, Ren Meng hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

“Z District, Building 8. Jasmine will be taken there after she finishes her examination.”

Ren Meng seemed a little unaccustomed to discussing work with Xie Zhitian, her tone a bit unnatural. “Miss, you can go there around eight in the morning tomorrow. If the situation permits at that time, I will arrange for you to meet.”

Xie Zhitian was very pleasantly surprised. “Miss Ren, I’ll see you then.”

Because the progress was smooth, Xie Zhitian was in a joyful mood on the way back, but she didn’t forget to think about her next plans.

Based on the distance between District A and District B, Districts A and Z were probably very far apart.

It was currently noon. There were more than 20 hours until 9 a.m. tomorrow.

During this time, she needed to find a map of the district and a drivable car.

These two things shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish. She remembered there was a garage in her backyard…

As Xie Zhitian was thinking, a cool voice came from beside her.

“Miss.”

Xie Zhitian looked at the person beside her. “What’s wrong?”

Luo Yang lowered her head slightly, her eyes cast in the shadow of her bangs.

Her tone was gentle and full of doubt. “Why are you speaking up for the modified humans?”

Xie Zhitian thought for a moment, then quickly smiled. The next second, she seemed to trip on something and swayed, about to fall forward.

Just as she expected, she didn’t fall but was caught in a warm embrace.

Luo Yang reached out and easily caught her. The doubt in her eyes deepened. “Miss, you…”

Xie Zhitian held onto her arm and straightened up, speaking softly, “Luo Yang, why did you help me?”

Luo Yang was momentarily stunned, and she answered truthfully, “Because you were about to fall.”

The faint warmth of the other person’s skin still lingered on her arm. When the Miss had leaned on her, there was a pleasant, light fragrance, like the smell of sunshine.

“It’s the same for me,” Xie Zhitian said, smiling at her. “When I see someone about to fall, I want to help them up.”

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