The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 18

Xiao Wen huddled in a corner of the room, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

The shelter was packed with people, their faces pale with shock, worry, and fear. To avoid being discovered, their cries and reassurances were kept to a low murmur.

The lights were all turned off to prevent attracting the light-sensitive Xenomorphs. The only light came from a sliver of moonlight filtering through a narrow window high up on the wall.

Xiao Wen felt deeply unsettled, even a little regretful.

He wasn’t having a sudden change of heart; he was worried about his own safety.

Just as Xie Zhitian had suspected, he was determined to suppress the Modified Humans, emotionally manipulate Luo Yang, and make her his. That’s why he had put so much effort into the case involving Jasmine.

Before the truth was even investigated, he frantically spread rumors, hinting that Jasmine was the killer. He also tried to hide evidence to frame her for murder.

If only Xie Zhitian hadn’t stayed behind to investigate the crime scene, he would have followed his plan: find an excuse to send Bai Yang away, go into the bedroom himself, and hide any clues that might complicate the situation, like the coded lockbox only Jasmine could open.

But it didn’t matter. The things in the lockbox probably weren’t useful anyway. What could an ignorant young girl possibly collect? He just needed to stay calm and continue to sow discord.

After arriving in Sector Z, Xiao Wen had secretly used his points in the system to buy fresh pig’s blood. He mixed it with Xenomorph attractant he had prepared beforehand and placed it on a tree at the border, right at the air vent. The attractant was highly volatile, and as soon as the wind picked up at night, it would spread far and wide.

He painstakingly spread a rumor that the modified human might attract Xenomorphs. This way, if any Xenomorphs got close, his words would be proven right, and Jasmine’s existence would stir up even more public discontent.

The attractant was hidden in the tree’s canopy, completely concealed by the dense foliage, so no one would ever discover what he had done. Most Xenomorphs couldn’t get past the city walls, and any that approached would be quickly eliminated by the Modified Humans stationed nearby, posing no threat to his safety.

Everyone would simply see this incident as a normal Xenomorph appearance and wouldn’t suspect a thing. Once it was all over, he could quietly go and clean up the evidence. Even if the device were found, who could prove it was his?

Xiao Wen had exhausted a great deal of energy to make his plan perfect. But fate had other ideas; his bait had caused the entire Sector Z to be in danger.

Xiao Wen didn’t care about anyone else; he only cared about whether he could get out of this alive.

Although he had been a transmigrator for a while, this was the first time he had faced Xenomorphs directly. The impact was far greater than he had imagined, leaving him so terrified his legs felt weak.

Sector Z was near the border and had several underground shelters. As soon as the alarm sounded, Xiao Wen immediately hid inside. People kept pouring in, and before long, he saw a familiar figure.

Xiao Wen’s eyes lit up. “Bai Yang!” he called out in a low voice.

Bai Yang hurried over. “You’re here. I’m glad you’re okay.”

He had just helped the prison staff seal all the doors to prevent Xenomorphs from entering. He had looked for Xiao Wen everywhere and was starting to get worried when he couldn’t find him, never expecting that Xiao Wen had already entered the shelter ahead of him.

Xiao Wen smiled, glancing behind him. “Where’s the young miss?”

Bai Yang’s expression was complicated. “Uh… I heard she said she was going to the battlefield with Luo Yang to take a look.”

Seeing the look of shock on Xiao Wen’s face, he quickly added, “You know how the young miss is; no one can stop her when she sets her mind to something.”

Xiao Wen found himself completely unable to understand the young miss’s intentions. Was the spoiled young miss having a tantrum and trying to get him to play the hero? Playing with her life like this was just brainless!

He sighed. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten so close to Luo Yang and made the young miss jealous and angry.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

Bai Yang looked at him as if he were an idiot, completely unaware of what Xiao Wen was getting so conceited about. He felt that the young miss and Luo Yang were genuinely close now, so why couldn’t Xiao Wen see that? Was this what was meant by “a man of undeserved self-confidence,” as often mentioned in patriarchal literature?

He thought for a moment and said tactfully, “Don’t worry. The young miss has been very close to Luo Yang lately. Luo Yang will protect her. No matter what kind of Xenomorph it is, it’s no match for Luo Yang. With her there, the problem will usually be solved in less than two hours.”

Xiao Wen nodded. “That’s good to hear.”

He didn’t want anything to happen to his two targets. But Luo Yang was naive and kindhearted; she would likely save Xie Zhitian’s life.

Xiao Wen secretly began to scheme again.

Since Luo Yang had no problem dealing with the Xenomorphs, he would go and bring her a weapon when the battle was about to end. This way, he could ensure his own safety while pretending that he hadn’t fled the battlefield but had only been delayed because he was looking for a weapon for Luo Yang.

He knew Luo Yang’s weapon had been lost a few days ago, and she had been detained by Xie Zhitian since then and hadn’t had a chance to apply for a new one. Also, Luo Yang’s wounds hadn’t healed, and she would be exhausted after the fight, so he could also bring her some medicine and other supplies. Bringing help when it was most needed would surely be the most touching gesture.

Thinking this, a smile unconsciously appeared on Xiao Wen’s face, and he happily began browsing the points store.

“Young miss, where are you going? I’ve been looking for you for ages.”

A somewhat familiar voice sounded from behind. Xie Zhitian turned her head and saw a sweating Ding Yu.

He quickened his pace, walking side by side with Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang, panting. “You can’t go that way. That’s the city wall. The nearest shelter is only five hundred meters from here, just a left turn ahead. Young miss, follow me.”

Xie Zhitian didn’t respond to his words but asked, “How did the Xenomorphs get in?”

Ding Yu replied, “I heard they are rare evolved ones with the ability to fly. They flew right over the city wall. More than a dozen Modified Humans have already rushed to the battlefield. Please go to the underground shelter immediately and do not go out until the Xenomorphs have been cleared.”

Before Xie Zhitian could answer, Luo Yang spoke. “Young miss, you go with Ding Yu. I have to go to the battlefield to help. I can’t take you to the shelter.”

The longsword was on her back, its blade bright and gleaming. She had gone back to her room to get it just now.

Originally, Luo Yang had planned to take Xie Zhitian to the shelter after getting her weapon and then head to the battlefield alone, but Xie Zhitian insisted, saying she had been training, practicing combat and fighting, and had long wanted to get some experience on the battlefield.

The young miss’s mind was always difficult to change. Moreover, Luo Yang was worried about her comrades at the front and didn’t have time to argue with her, so she reluctantly agreed to let Xie Zhitian follow for now, planning to hand the willful young miss over to a passing guard later.

Xie Zhitian looked at Luo Yang.

Her eyes were still as clear as a mirror, without any hint of fear or retreat, as if she were simply going to do something that was her duty.

She wanted to remind Luo Yang that her wounds hadn’t healed yet, but she opened her mouth and couldn’t say it.

That reason wouldn’t stop Luo Yang, Xie Zhitian thought.

But at the very least, she could be with her and prevent her from getting hurt again.

She asked Ding Yu, “Roughly how many Xenomorphs have invaded?”

“There must be over a hundred.” Ding Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead. “It’s a nightmare. It’s been a long time since so many Xenomorphs gathered in one place, and evolved ones at that.”

Xie Zhitian asked, “Could someone have deliberately used Xenomorph attractant?”

“Attractants do have that effect, but I remember they were banned from being sold last week.”

Ding Yu was startled for a moment, then immediately dismissed the idea. “Besides, who would be so bored as to attract Xenomorphs? What good would that do them? It’s impossible for anyone to do that, young miss.”

“You’re right,” Xie Zhitian said.

A flicker of darkness passed through her eyes.

Sure enough, as soon as people heard about it, they all felt it couldn’t have been man-made. So everyone’s only thought was how to clear out the invading Xenomorphs, not to investigate whether someone was behind it. And now the scene was probably in ruins from the Xenomorphs, making it impossible to investigate.

But as she listened to Ding Yu’s words, she suddenly realized something else.

Even though Xenomorph attractant had been banned last week, Xiao Wen had transmigrated before then. If he really possessed Xenomorph attractant, it meant he had purchased it before Jasmine’s case.

In other words, Xiao Wen had wanted to suppress the status of Modified Humans from the very beginning, to make it easier to emotionally manipulate Luo Yang.

A normal person who wants to win someone over would pursue and treat them well, making them dependent and unable to leave. But Xiao Wen wanted to win someone over by suppressing and destroying them, making them lose self-confidence and have to depend on him. Jasmine’s case was just a trigger; even without Jasmine, he would have found someone else.

At this point, the three of them had reached a fork in the road. A left turn led to the shelter, while going straight led to the city wall. The edge of the wall was blurry in the night, and the sky above reflected the firelight, glowing with a dark red hue.

Xie Zhitian stopped walking. She looked in the direction of the city wall, her long hair fluttering in the night wind.

“Young miss.” Seeing her suddenly stop, Ding Yu urged her anxiously. “Don’t just stand there. Follow me. We’ll be there in a minute.”

Luo Yang also spoke with a more serious tone. “Young miss, you must go to the shelter now, or your life will be in danger.”

Xie Zhitian didn’t answer. She lowered her head, glanced at the ground, and then bent down to pick up a palm-sized stone slab.

Luo Yang frowned. “Young miss, don’t…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence because she saw Xie Zhitian lightly snap the stone slab, which was at least two centimeters thick, in half.

“Luo Yang, I can definitely help you.”

Xie Zhitian casually threw the broken slab to the side, looked at her, and smiled. “Take me with you.”

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