The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 27

A vast wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see, extending to the horizon. Unattended for a long time, it was overgrown with weeds, presenting a slightly faded, grayish-yellow hue.

A heavy truck drove steadily on the road that cut across the wilderness, its cargo box full to the brim. The autumn wind carried a hint of coolness, seeping through the cracks in the windows, making the temperature comfortably pleasant.

Xie Zhitian squinted her eyes contentedly and said to the person beside her, “It’s past twelve o’clock, I’ll take over driving in a bit.”

They had set off at nine in the morning, and the journey was already halfway through. Before they left, Xiaoxiao rubbed against them, meowing incessantly. Xie Zhitian’s heart softened, and she was almost impulsively tempted to take the cat with her.

But she reconsidered. She didn’t know what the situation was like in the 14th district, and it would be inconvenient to carry out a mission with a cat. So, she entrusted Xiaoxiao to Xiang Nan, repeatedly telling him to take good care of her.

“No need, I’m not tired yet.”

Luo Yang’s eyes were fixed on the road ahead, her arm resting loosely on the steering wheel. Her black work pants outlined the contours of her long legs, and the metal on her combat boots shone with a faint cold light, giving her a dashing and casual look. “Tiantian, this distance is nothing to me. You just need to rest well.”

“That won’t do. We agreed before we left that we’d take turns driving, half each. Since we’re good friends, we should share the hard work. If you’re so distant, it will hurt my feelings.”

Xie Zhitian opened the lunch box in her arms and fed Luo Yang a washed strawberry. “Besides, you have to give me a chance to practice. Otherwise, my parents will start nagging me again when they see that I can’t do anything.”

Luo Yang found that this young lady was becoming more and more eloquent, and she couldn’t come up with a single reason to refute her. She nodded, ate the strawberry, and a sweet fruity scent instantly filled her tongue.

“Fine, I’ll drive for another half hour, then it’s your turn.”

“That’s more like it.” Xie Zhitian smiled, raised her hand, and tucked a strand of her long hair that the wind had messed up behind her ear. “Isn’t the strawberry sweet? Here, have another one.”

Compared to the peaceful and comfortable atmosphere in the driver’s cabin, Xiao Wen’s situation was exceptionally miserable.

In front of him were neat fences. The finger-thick metal bars were rusted and stained with some solidified mixture of unknown composition. Xiao Wen sat with his back against the cage wall, painstakingly moving his sore body.

He raised his arm a little too much and accidentally bumped into his neighbor next door. The other party immediately let out a series of “huffing” sounds to show their displeasure.

A sour and stinky smell assaulted him, and Xiao Wen pinched his nose, letting out a deep sigh.

That’s right, at this moment, he was with twenty pigs, enclosed in separate but adjacent iron cages, heading towards the 14th district.

He had never suffered such indignity in his life, but his current predicament was something he had begged for.

A couple of days ago, Xiang Nan suddenly came to ask him if he had any suitable part-time jobs to recommend. He asked why and found out that the young lady and Luo Yang had been assigned a mission and were going to leave the district for a while.

Xiao Wen immediately became anxious. His recent (strategy) missions had been difficult, and he hadn’t received any (points) for a long time. Now that his two sources of points were leaving with no fixed return date, wouldn’t he be left with nothing to live on?

So he made up his mind on the spot. No matter what, he had to go on this business trip with Xie Zhitian and her companion. Anyway, Luo Yang’s combat power was off the charts, so there was no need to worry about the problem of the (aliens).

After careful consideration, Xiao Wen took the initiative to find Xie Zhitian. Luo Yang was also there at the time. After hearing his request, the two looked at each other and then unanimously rejected his request.

Luo Yang’s reason was simple: “There are aliens outside the district. You don’t have the ability or experience to fight them. It would be very troublesome if we ran into them.”

Xiao Wen heard the disdain in her tone. She just thought he had no combat power and would only be a burden when they met aliens. He secretly gritted his teeth, maintaining a smile, “There are far fewer aliens now, and no matter how fast they are, they can’t catch up to the truck.”

Luo Yang hesitated slightly, and Xie Zhitian spoke with a half-smile, “That’s true. The journey isn’t long, and we don’t plan to stop and rest midway.”

Xie Zhitian had never spoken in his favor recently. Perhaps it was a post-traumatic syndrome, but Xiao Wen’s heart would tighten unconsciously every time he heard her voice, preparing to be talked back to.

He clutched his chest and echoed, “The young lady is right. If we don’t stop to rest, we shouldn’t have a direct conflict with the aliens.”

Xie Zhitian didn’t pick on him right away this time, which was a little unusual. But he had a bad feeling that the trouble was coming.

Sure enough, the next second, Xie Zhitian spoke nonchalantly, “But a seven or eight-hour journey will be quite hard, so safe driving is very important. The truck we’re driving can only fit two people in the driver’s cabin; there’s no room for you.”

“That’s okay. Didn’t the young lady say she was sending a batch of pigs over?”

How could Xiao Wen be defeated by this little difficulty? He immediately patted his chest and declared, “Then I’ll go with the pigs. It’s just one more cage. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Luo Yang had never heard such a request before and opened her eyes wide in surprise. “With the pigs? You… you want to go that badly?”

Xiao Wen nodded firmly, “I want to get some experience. This hardship is nothing. As long as I can help you, I’m willing to do anything.”

Xie Zhitian seemed a little troubled after hearing this, but in the end, she was probably moved by his sincerity. “Okay then, but if you don’t behave, I’ll throw you off the truck. And remember, since you’re coming with Luo Yang and me, you are a servant, and you have to fulfill your duties.”

This was why Xiao Wen was here at this moment. Surrounded by pigs, the stench of livestock was pervasive, almost suffocating him. He had already been half-killed by the experiments he had to do recently, and now he had to suffer this hardship. It was truly unbearable. Xiao Wen couldn’t stand it and had to use some points to exchange for some mints to ease the unpleasant smell and avoid throwing up in the truck.

But even so, Xiao Wen was still glad he had come. To have persuaded the young lady and Luo Yang to let him come in such a short time, he was a genius. Now it was all good; he had another chance to (conquer) them. A servant is a servant, so what? Once he completely conquered these girls, what wouldn’t he have?

Xiao Wen glanced at the game panel, with 530 points remaining.

It didn’t matter, 500+ points could still be exchanged for a lot of useful resources. And when they arrived at their destination, the young lady and Luo Yang would surely feel sorry for his tired appearance, which would make it easier to conquer them. And if he was lucky, there might even be new targets in the 14th district. Wouldn’t he be winning big?

A man can be flexible. He would just endure for a while.

After the apocalypse, the country was divided into 77 districts. District 1 was the capital, the political and economic center of the country, located in the core position. The other districts surrounded District 1, distributed radially outward. The distance between adjacent districts ranged from dozens to hundreds of kilometers.

Compared to District 16, where Xie Zhitian and her companion lived, District 14 was closer to the capital. The internal structure of District 14 was similar to District 16, divided into several areas from outside to inside, separated by three high walls.

Xie Zhitian registered and, following the staff’s instructions, drove the vehicle all the way to the center of the 14th district.

She parked the car in an open space, pulled the door open, and jumped out. Then she walked to the other side and helped Luo Yang, who was about to get out of the car.

At that moment, she heard a sweet voice from behind her, “Are you, Xie Zhitian?”

Xie Zhitian’s heart fluttered slightly, and she turned around.

Under the shade of a tree not far away stood a petite figure.

It was a beautiful girl who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. She had fair skin, lively fox-like eyes, and a pointy chin. She had her hair in a neat bun, and wore a pink princess dress, like a real princess.

The girl waved at them, and the bow on her head swayed back and forth.

Xie Zhitian walked up and tentatively called out, “Xia Fufeng? Little Xia?”

The girl said “Eh” and then smiled. “It’s been years since we last saw each other. I can’t believe you still recognize me!”

She turned her head and looked at the truck. “Thank you so much for bringing so many things from so far away.”

“Don’t mention it.” Xie Zhitian also smiled. “My parents often talked about you when I was at home.”

In the original book’s setting, Xie Zhitian and Xia Fufeng knew each other when they were children. However, they were separated due to the apocalypse and lived in different districts with their parents.

Xie Zhitian had never seen a photo of Xia Fufeng, but the book described her as sweet and lovely, who liked to wear princess dresses. Plus, the girl called out her name directly, obviously knowing she was coming, which was how she made the deduction.

“How are Auntie and Uncle? I’ve been thinking about them too.”

Xia Fufeng’s smile was brilliant. She took Xie Zhitian’s hand and shook it twice. “You must be tired from the journey. I’ll treat you to a good dinner tonight, and we can catch up.”

“Don’t worry, they’re doing well.” Xie Zhitian felt a little guilty when she heard “catch up.” She withdrew her hand. “Maybe next time. We’re not here to have fun; we have official business to deal with.”

Xia Fufeng’s eyes widened in surprise. “You have official business to do? What official business?”

In her impression, Xie Zhitian was a hedonist who only liked to eat, drink, and have fun. She never did any official business.

It was then that she remembered Luo Yang behind Xie Zhitian and asked, “Who is this?”

Xie Zhitian took Luo Yang’s hand and introduced her, “This is Luo Yang, my good friend.”

Luo Yang looked at Xia Fufeng and gave a polite smile. “Hello, Miss Xia. I’m Luo Yang, a guard from District 16.”

“A guard?”

Xia Fufeng was stunned for two seconds, then became even more surprised. “Are you a cyborg?”

She recalled how Xie Zhitian had thoughtfully helped Luo Yang out of the car and looked a little confused. “Xie Zhitian, are you friends with a cyborg?”

Xie Zhitian frowned, displeased. “What’s wrong with being a cyborg? Luo Yang is a very important friend of mine. You don’t have a prejudice against cyborgs, do you?”

Her tone was a little aggressive, and Luo Yang, beside her, gently touched her arm, signaling her to calm down. So Xie Zhitian didn’t continue, but just reached out and held the other’s hand.

“No, no, I don’t have an opinion on cyborgs.”

Xia Fufeng saw that she had misunderstood and quickly explained, “You didn’t have any cyborg friends before, so I was just… a little surprised.”

She was surprised. The last time they met, Xie Zhitian said she didn’t like cyborgs. Why had she changed? But that was years ago; people change.

Xia Fufeng looked at the two close friends in front of her, and her confusion grew.

Luo Yang casually said she was thirsty, and Xie Zhitian immediately went back to the car to get water, telling Luo Yang to wait in the shade.

Why was this happening? Was Luo Yang going to melt if she was in the sun?

It was just her and Luo Yang under the shade of the tree. Xia Fufeng thought for a moment and then sincerely apologized to Luo Yang, “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to be rude just now. I’m not good at talking, and sometimes my mouth is faster than my brain. I hope I didn’t affect your relationship.”

Luo Yang smiled. “It’s okay, Miss Xia. Tiantian won’t take it to heart.”

Tiantian? Was she calling Xie Zhitian that?

Xia Fufeng was full of questions. She looked up and saw Xie Zhitian hurrying towards them with a water bottle. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is Xie Zhitian always like this?”

Luo Yang nodded. “Tiantian takes good care of me.”

She was a person who was easily satisfied. Xie Zhitian was so good to her that she had long forgotten all the unpleasant things from the past.

“I’ve never seen her act this way towards anyone…”

Xia Fufeng was lost in thought, and a bold idea suddenly popped into her head.

She leaned in and whispered, “Luo Yang, is Xie Zhitian perhaps trying to woo you?”

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