The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 42.1

Everyone present felt a chill after Xie Zhitian’s words.

The flame in the glass lamp flickered, casting a murky shadow on the black and white text.

Luo Yang looked a little anxious, “Captain Tang, have all these people already gone?”

Tang Zhuoran said, “The first batch of five people has already gone, and the second batch of three was originally planned to leave in about five days. Of course, I don’t intend to let them go on an adventure again. I will use the excuse of insufficient manpower in our district to delay their departure. We can also use this opportunity to infiltrate District 7 and rescue our companions who went before.”

As she spoke, she took out an envelope from her pocket and pushed it in front of everyone, “This is…”

“In about five days? This time aligns almost perfectly with when Tang Zhuoran leaves the district in the original text. As expected, Tang Zhuoran went missing because of this matter. District 7 is probably a deep, dangerous place. There’s a high possibility that Tang Zhuoran died during this mission, but the book didn’t mention it specifically. Otherwise, Xie Zhitian couldn’t think of any other reason why Tang Zhuoran, such an excellent person, would disappear without a trace. The fact that she would die on this mission shows how dangerous it is.”

Xie Zhitian’s heart tightened, and her face changed as she opened the envelope. Lines of graceful handwriting came into view.

“Captain Tang,

We have arrived at District 7 and are about to officially begin our infrastructure work.

My late father was an excellent infrastructure worker, and I miss him very much. It has always been my dream to take on infrastructure work like my father. I will definitely seize this opportunity to make some achievements. Everything is well here, the pay is generous, so there’s no need to worry.

Thank you very much for your continuous care, Captain Tang. I wish you all the best and a happy life.”

Xie Zhitian read the letter carefully and looked up at Tang Zhuoran, asking, “Is there something wrong with this letter?”

Tang Zhuoran nodded, “He Yuzhu’s deceased father was indeed an infrastructure worker, and his professional ability was not a problem, but his character was questionable. He Yuzhu once told me that her father had multiple affairs during his marriage, which led to the breakup of their family. She had no affection for her father, so it’s impossible for her to miss him.”

Xie Zhitian mused, “So, this letter might have been secretly sent out by He Yuzhu through some means. She didn’t dare to write too clearly, so she used obviously incorrect personal information to hint that she is currently being coerced?”

Luo Yang said, “It’s also possible that the people in District 7 forced her to write a letter to report her safety. She couldn’t explicitly state her current situation, so she could only use this method to hint.”

Tang Zhuoran affirmed their speculation, “Both situations are possible, but what is certain now is that there must be something wrong with the work in District 7. So we will never let the other modified humans be transferred there. We’ve also sent people to secretly investigate District 7 several times these days, but we haven’t found any trace of the first batch of modified humans. We have no idea where they are now.”

“And just as Miss Xie speculated, the animal anomalies seem to be linked to District 7. We are still investigating this, and the research department is also working overtime. I believe we’ll have results soon.”

A hint of worry flashed in Luo Yang’s eyes, “What about the modified humans who have already gone…?”

District 7 went to great lengths to recruit modified humans, so they probably wouldn’t kill them directly. But even if they are still alive, they must be in great danger.

Tang Zhuoran said, “This is a problem we’ve been discussing recently. The preliminary plan is for me to take two other modified human fighters to replace the three modified humans who originally passed the District 7 review, and we will go to investigate what is happening in District 7.”

“Currently, there are only a few usable cameras in the whole country, photos are not widespread, and network communication is not as good as before. So they were not required to submit photos when they applied. We will try our best to modify our appearances, so we should not be discovered.”

Although Tang Zhuoran spoke in a lighthearted manner, Xia Fufeng immediately realized the danger involved. She bit her lip, “Zhuoran, what can I do to help you?”

Tang Zhuoran seemed to have already thought about it and replied, “When modified humans are transferred between districts, a staff member from the original district usually accompanies them to handle the handover procedures and identity verification. The three of you can pretend to be staff members from District 14 and go with us. We will be responsible for going deep into enemy territory, while you will be our support outside. We won’t send too many people initially to avoid tipping them off. If the situation becomes urgent and we have insufficient manpower, we’ll continue to send more people.”

Although Xia Fufeng was worried about Tang Zhuoran, she knew that this was the only kind of work she could handle. She nodded a little nervously, “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

Tang Zhuoran looked at her, and her gaze softened a little, “It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry.”

She asked Xie Zhida and Luo Yang, “What do you two think?”

Xie Zhida looked at Luo Yang and found that the other person was also looking at her. She suddenly felt that they were thinking the same thing.

She said, “Captain Tang, I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to replace the modified humans who signed up. You are the general captain of the Guard in District 14, and many people know you. Even if you are disguised, there is still a chance that your identity will be exposed.”

Tang Zhuoran understood this in her heart, but her work principle was to be the first to face danger. If a certain task was the most dangerous, she would definitely be a part of it.

She replied, “It is precisely because I am the general captain of the Guard that I have the responsibility to protect my subordinates. If they are in danger, I have to stand with them.”

Xie Zhitian said, “But Captain Tang, if your identity is exposed, the three of you will face greater danger. The best way is to let newcomers who have never performed cross-district missions take on this role. For example… Luo Yang and me?”

Tang Zhuoran’s eyes paused slightly, “You two?”

If they were just ordinary newcomers to the Guard, she would have refused without hesitation. But these two people in front of her made her hesitate.

Xie Zhitian’s observation skills and logical reasoning are very strong. As an ordinary person, she can effortlessly fight against the aberrations, which is very rare. She has never performed a mission outside before, so no one in District 7 has probably heard of her, let alone seen her appearance.

And Luo Yang is smart, perceptive, and has extremely strong combat power. She was just assigned to the Guard in District 16 from the army and hasn’t had many opportunities to show herself, so many people have only heard her name and don’t know what she looks like.

If Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang were to do it… it might be feasible.

But they are reinforcements from other districts, so it seems a little inappropriate to give them the most dangerous mission.

Luo Yang saw the looseness in Tang Zhuoran’s eyes and struck while the iron was hot, “Captain Tang, you and Xiao Xia can be our support outside, and Tiantian and I can replace two of the modified humans. As for the other spot, we can say that she changed her mind at the last minute and doesn’t want to go. The reduction in manpower will make the other party feel it’s a pity and subconsciously hope that the two of us won’t have any more problems. The verification of our identities will also not be too strict.”

Xie Zhitian added, “Captain Tang, you don’t have to worry about the physical examination. My physical fitness is very good. In the last few physical examinations, my indicators were indistinguishable from those of a modified human.”

Generally, the physical indicators of modified humans are much better than those of ordinary people, and the difference is obvious. But to determine whether a person is a modified human, a genetic test is required. Genetic testing is expensive, so modified humans usually only undergo ordinary physical examinations.

Tang Zhuoran was not surprised by this. In the apocalypse, a very small number of people, without genetic modification, have evolved their abilities. Since Xie Zhitian can easily defeat an aberration, she should be one of these lucky people.

She was silent for a moment and asked, “But this matter is very dangerous. Do you two know what you are about to face?”

“No, but no matter what it is, it doesn’t matter.”

Xie Zhitian smiled, her tone candid, “I hope Captain Tang can trust our abilities. We will come back alive, and we will bring the others back alive too.”

In the original text, Tang Zhuoran didn’t come back, most likely because her identity was exposed and she was killed. Tang Zhuoran’s ability was not the problem, which means that the division of labor itself was unreasonable. Now that there is a chance to save her, Xie Zhitian  will never let Tang Zhuoran take on this role and take risks again.

Tang Zhuoran looked at her, with a hint of emotion in her eyes. She nodded, “Okay, I promise you. But since we’re going to cooperate, both sides must be open and honest with each other. So there’s one more thing I must confess to you.”

Xia Fufeng realized something immediately, “Zhuoran, you…”

Tang Zhuoran gave her a reassuring look and said directly, “Actually, I am a defective product.”

Xia Fufeng got angry, “Can you stop talking about yourself like that? That was a long time ago. Why bring it up now?”

Tang Zhuoran smiled faintly, “Don’t be angry, it’s just the truth.”

She met the surprised eyes of Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang and continued, “I have a flaw in my qualifications. Although my combat power is very high, compared to other modified humans, I seem to be more prone to mutation due to intense emotional fluctuations.”

“In the years of fighting aberrations, I mutated twice, and once I even implicated my teammates, causing them to get injured. Later, I underwent systematic treatment and learned to control my emotions, trying to take everything lightly. With the help of related drugs, I am relatively stable now. If you are worried about this, you can stop our cooperation at any time.”

Xia Fufeng couldn’t stop her, feeling both distressed and anxious. She looked at Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang with worried eyes, fearing that they would be scared and would not go on the mission with Tang Zhuoran.

Xie Zhitian has seen it all, from the apocalypse to transmigration. After a brief moment of shock, she quickly accepted this setting. When she was eating with Luo Yang in the small restaurant, she heard Zhang Di’s hint that Tang Zhuoran had a disgraceful past. It seems that he was referring to this matter.

Of course, Xie Zhitian had no opinion on Tang Zhuoran because of this. Modified humans have gone through many hardships. Even if something goes wrong, they should be protected and supported, not discriminated against.

She said with a smile, “I don’t mind. It’s my honor to cooperate with Captain Tang. And no one is perfect. Everyone has flaws, so there’s no need to demand too much of yourself.”

Luo Yang’s tone was sincere, “Me too. Captain Tang, please don’t talk about yourself like that. Take care of yourself and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Xia Fufeng was relieved and complained to the person next to her, “No one will mind. See? You just love to overthink.”

“No matter whether others mind or not, I cannot hide it.”

Although she had somewhat guessed their reaction, a warm feeling still rose in Tang Zhuoran’s heart. She suppressed the emotion and changed the subject, “Okay, it’s settled then. Xiao Xia and I will be outside support, and you two will go deep into enemy territory to see what the modified humans are doing. Communication has not been restored, so mobile phones are not usable. I will apply for communicators with the district, and we can conduct some simple code-based communication then.”

Luo Yang pondered, “But the people who went before have disappeared without a trace, so it’s very likely that they were locked up. If that’s the case, they will probably confiscate all personal belongings, and we won’t be able to bring weapons and communicators in.”

Tang Zhuoran’s expression was solemn, “Yes, this is a problem that needs to be solved urgently.”

She had even thought about implanting the communicator into her own body and then taking it out by breaking her flesh when needed. But now that someone else was going in her place, she still hoped to find a method that would cause less harm to the body.

Xie Zhitian looked at the people who were lost in thought and quickly made a decision. She said, “I also have something to confess. I hope you won’t tell anyone after you hear it.”

Luo Yang’s thoughts were drawn in, “What is it?”

Xia Fufeng was also curious, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Zhuoran and I are very tight-lipped.”

“Actually, a few years ago, I awakened a magical talent.”

Xie Zhitian spoke solemnly, “I have a personal space, which can solve the problem of carrying items. I just need to put the communicator into my personal space, and no one will find it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent. Xie Zhitian looked at the unadorned shocked faces of the people and realized that the concept of “personal space” had probably never appeared in this world before.

Luo Yang looked at her blankly, “Tiantian, what does personal space mean? Is it used for storing things?”

Her life experience was relatively simple, and she had never read novels that contained the concept of “personal space,” so she naturally didn’t understand it and could only guess.

Xie Zhitian explained, “Yes, it’s an invisible space that is independent of the current world. It can store many things, and it can also grow crops and raise animals. And because the environment in the space is special, if you put food in it, it can stay fresh indefinitely.”

Luo Yang couldn’t help but marvel, “How amazing. What a convenient function.”

Xia Fufeng couldn’t hold back anymore, “Personal space? Is that real? I think I’ve seen it in a novel once!”

When the apocalypse began, Xia Fufeng was only eight years old, not yet old enough to read novels. After the apocalypse, people were only concerned with survival, so books were left untouched and were destroyed in the battles with the aberrations. The types and quantities that were preserved were far fewer than before.

Xia Fufeng once accidentally got a book about the apocalypse, in which the female protagonist relied on her personal space to stockpile supplies and get through the difficulties with her teammates.

At that time, Xia Fufeng was so envious that she wanted to transmigrate into the book on the spot. In the apocalypse, being able to break through the limitations of physical strength, stockpile a large amount of supplies, and carry them wherever you go is such an incredible ability! Later, she recommended the book to a few older sisters and learned that it was a very popular concept in the past.

“It’s real. I can show you.”

Xie Zhitian answered seriously and skillfully summoned the panel of her personal space, “You can’t see the panel of my space, but you can each say a common item, and I can take it out now.”

Luo Yang thought for a while and said, “Then I want a piece of chocolate.”

Xia Fufeng said, “I want some potato chips!”

Tang Zhuoran went along with them and also made a request, “Then I’ll have a box of fever reducer medicine.”

Xie Zhitian said, “No problem.”

She searched on the panel and quickly took out the three items. Luo Yang was still in shock when she saw a large box of chocolates, a few bags of potato chips, and a few boxes of common fever reducer medicine appear out of thin air on the table.

She was a little at a loss, “Tiantian, how much stuff do you have in your space?”

“A lot, a lot.” Xie Zhitian smiled and handed her the chocolate, “Enough for us to use for hundreds of years.”

Xia Fufeng had already completely opened the bag of potato chips and spread them on the table so that others could share. Hearing Xie Zhitian’s words, she looked up and teased, “Does ‘us’ mean the four of us?”

Xie Zhitian was stunned for a moment, “Yes, yes, it’s the four of us.”

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