The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 20

“Luo Yang, how are you holding up?”

Though the battle was gradually stabilizing, Xie Zhitian noticed Luo Yang had been a little absent-minded since she arrived. Feeling concerned, she couldn’t help but ask.

Luo Yang, still lost in her thoughts about Xie Zhitian’s recent strange behavior, was pulled from her jumbled mind and softly replied, “I’m fine.”

She looked at the scattered alien corpses around her, her heart filled with awe.

She never expected Miss Xie’s strength to be so formidable. She had barely made a move herself, and Miss Xie had already cleared away all the aliens that approached them, her movements as fluid and natural as eating and drinking.

If it weren’t for Miss Xie’s speed, leaving her no chance to act, she wouldn’t have been distracted on the battlefield.

Xie Zhitian instructed her, “Just stay put. Leave this area to me.”

Afraid that Luo Yang wouldn’t listen, she added, “You’ve only just started to get better. If you get hurt again, wouldn’t all our efforts be for nothing?”

Luo Yang was momentarily stunned, and the hand holding her long sword slowly lowered.

That’s right. Miss Xie had taken such meticulous care of her these past two days that her injuries had finally begun to improve. A relapse would only cause more trouble for her.

She looked at Xie Zhitian, who was handling the situation with ease, and instinctively knew that her suggestion was correct.

Miss Xie truly seemed like a different person. She felt like she had never even known her before…

Seeing that Luo Yang obediently stopped attacking and stood behind her, leaning on her sword, Xie Zhitian felt a little relieved. Luo Yang’s condition seemed stable, and she shouldn’t have reopened her wound.

She focused her mind and increased her speed. The other cyborgs, having finished clearing the nearby aliens, also came over to help. In no time, everyone worked together to completely clear out all the invading aliens.

As the last alien fell to the ground, Xie Zhitian added two more crossbow bolts to its throat for good measure, then lightly wiped the blood from the side of her face.

Just as she was about to take Luo Yang somewhere safe to rest, a crowd of people suddenly surrounded her. They were the same warriors who had fought alongside her.

“Miss, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I was almost grabbed by an alien’s claw just now. Thanks so much for blocking it with your crossbow bolt, Miss.”

“Me too, me too! As soon as Miss arrived, everything felt so much easier.”

“I never knew Miss was so good at fighting!”

…

During the battle, the warriors had gradually noticed Xie Zhitian’s presence. At first, some were displeased, thinking she was just there to cause trouble. Fighting in the middle of the night was already exhausting, and they’d have to spare a thought to look after her.

But to their surprise, not only did Xie Zhitian not hold them back, but she also performed exceptionally well. Instead, they were the ones who were being looked after.

Mutual aid on the battlefield forges an unbreakable bond, so as soon as the fighting ended, the warriors came forward to express their thanks. Among them were even a few people who had previously had a negative opinion of Xie Zhitian.

The crowd was so enthusiastic that Xie Zhitian felt a little embarrassed. She felt like she hadn’t done much, just lending a hand in a fight.

“Don’t mention it,” she smiled at the people around her. “You’ve all worked hard. I’ll just stand guard here. You should go back and rest.”

Even though the aliens were gone, it was safer to have someone stay and stand guard for a while.

Someone immediately said, “No way. We’ll stay with you.”

“Yeah, protecting the district is the guard’s duty. How can we just leave you here alone?”

Seeing their insistence, Xie Zhitian no longer pushed the matter. She asked, “Are there any monitors in this area?”

She wanted to find out what had attracted the aliens, but with the district’s power shortage, she didn’t have much hope.

As expected, someone answered, “No, Miss. The city wall is so huge. There’s no way we could have a full surveillance network like before the apocalypse. We’re lucky to even have an alarm system. Plus, surveillance equipment is very expensive now. Our district only has a few, and they’re all in the most critical, confidential locations.”

Xie Zhitian mused, “That makes sense.”

It seemed that most of the world she was in had no surveillance, which provided a lot of convenience for someone with impure motives like Xiao Wen.

This meant that even if she found the trap set by Xiao Wen, she would have no evidence to prove he did it, making any pursuit of the matter meaningless. It was better to just meet each challenge as it came, to face whatever came her way.

Another person asked, “Miss, why did you suddenly show up?”

Xie Zhitian’s gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Luo Yang.

Luo Yang had not joined the others in the circle. Instead, she stood quietly at the outer edge of the lively group, her eyes downcast, lost in thought.

The scene looked a little lonely. Xie Zhitian didn’t even have time to think before her body was already honestly pushing through the crowd and walking toward her.

“Because I happened to be nearby and came over to help,” she said warmly to the others while standing next to Luo Yang. “Besides, Luo Yang insisted on coming even with her injury, and I was worried about her.”

Luo Yang was momentarily stunned. “I’m fine…”

Xie Zhitian had so naturally expressed her worry for her in front of others, which made a faint, warm, and unfamiliar emotion well up inside her.

Xie Zhitian’s gentle treatment these past two days had often made her doubt herself.

Was Miss just toying with her, like a naughty child’s prank? But now, Xie Zhitian had openly said it, with so many people hearing her. It probably wasn’t a lie, was it?

Luo Yang blinked. She then thought of Xie Zhitian’s earlier words, “You can try to rely on me,” and felt as if something inside her was slowly melting and disintegrating.

Xie Zhitian stood right beside her, just a step away. Her figure was tall and graceful, and her long, narrow eyes were filled with a smile. She laughed and chatted with the crowd, and her whole person seemed to be glowing.

From time to time, she would turn her face and whisper a few words to Luo Yang, as if afraid of leaving her out.

The others, seeing the harmonious atmosphere between the two, had their own thoughts.

—The rumors always said that Miss spent her days eating, drinking, and having fun, oblivious to the suffering of ordinary people. They also said that she deliberately targeted Luo Yang and made her suffer.

Now that they’d seen it, it was clear that rumors couldn’t be trusted. Perhaps Miss’s personality used to be a bit arrogant and unreliable, but she wasn’t a truly evil person. As long as she had changed, that was all that mattered.

Everyone chatted happily, and the scene was lively. Not far away, a figure was rushing toward the city wall.

Xiao Wen heard a report that the crisis had been resolved and immediately hurried over.

He was carrying a wooden box in his arms, which held a short knife—a weapon he had just exchanged for 50 points from his conquest system’s store.

Xiao Wen had repeatedly hit a wall with Xie Zhitian and had barely been able to get near Luo Yang, so he hadn’t earned any points in a long time. 50 points was not a small amount for him, but to win Luo Yang’s heart, he gritted his teeth and exchanged for it.

The scene was a mess, with bent trees and bodies everywhere. Xiao Wen saw that the big tree where he had placed the meat to attract the aliens had been broken in the battle, and he couldn’t help but feel relieved.

With the tree broken, the device, being so small, must have either been swallowed by an alien or trampled into the dirt during the fight. There was nothing to worry about.

Now, all he had to do was run over, out of breath, and give the weapon box to Luo Yang, telling her that he had painstakingly found it and came here to bring it to her despite the danger. That would be a complete success.

He had even brought some medicine and bandages, which he was sure would move Luo Yang immensely.

Thinking this, Xiao Wen sped up. With the city wall not far away, he immediately saw Luo Yang and Xie Zhitian standing together.

Both of them had their backs to him, talking to a few people in front of them.

The warriors were patrolling the nearby city walls in small groups, occasionally cleaning up the ravens and bats that stupidly flew toward them.

Xiao Wen called out “Luo Yang,” and as she turned around, he threw the weapon box with what he thought was a very cool basketball-like motion. He was already imagining Luo Yang catching the weapon with a surprised expression and exchanging a knowing look with him.

How could that not captivate her? What girl wouldn’t be moved?

However, the weapon was heavier than he expected, causing his hand to slip. The box flew toward Xie Zhitian instead.

Xie Zhitian was chatting with someone, and the surroundings were a bit noisy. She heard someone call out from behind her, but couldn’t make out the words. As she turned around, she saw a dark, unknown object flying straight toward her face.

Xie Zhitian’s eyes narrowed. Just as she was about to dodge, the person next to her moved even faster. Several flashes of cold light appeared, and the sound of clanging metal rang out. The flying weapon, box and all, was sliced into pieces and fell lifelessly to the ground.

Luo Yang held her long sword in front of her, protecting her. She turned her face to look at Xie Zhitian. Her eyes held a faint layer of killing intent, but her voice was gentle. “Miss, are you hurt?”

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