The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 58

Smooth and finely-veined marble round tables were set with delicate bone china plates, arranged with exquisite dishes.

The food was steaming, and both its appearance and aroma were impeccable. In today’s economy, which has yet to recover, such a spread was considered luxurious.

“Why aren’t you eating? You’ve been busy all morning, aren’t you hungry?”

Zhou Quan spoke with a gentle smile, looking at the woman seated opposite him. “Or… is the food not to your liking?”

Ning Ximing didn’t respond to his cordiality. She sat bolt upright, not leaning into the soft chair’s backrest, as if afraid of soiling herself. Her hands were placed in her lap, her expression cold, with no intention of eating.

She said, “What do you want from me, Commander? You might as well just get to the point.”

“It’s nothing, really. I just want to talk about your future,” Zhou Quan said, seemingly unbothered by her attitude, his tone mild. “Once things are successful with ‘Xiao Bai,’ what are your plans? Or rather… is there a position you’d like?”

Ning Ximing’s eyes flickered for a moment. She immediately understood the hidden meaning in Zhou Quan’s words.

As soon as she arrived in the district, she was ambushed by Zhou Quan and forced to stay in this dark, sunless place without any assigned position. After spending these past few days with him, she had come to see what kind of person he was. Once the xenomorph (alien modification plan) was complete, Zhou Quan would surely silence a large number of people to prevent any leaks.

In short, Zhou Quan was testing her, hinting that she had only two choices:

Either obey him and be used by him, becoming a puppet for life; or be silenced and buried underground with the others.

But she was never one to be afraid of death.

Seeing that Ning Ximing was slow to respond, Zhou Quan tried to coax her. “Xiao Yang, you’re still young with a great future ahead of you. Why insist on butting heads and making things difficult for yourself?”

Since arriving at the underground palace, Ning Ximing had never truly displayed her strength, yet there was a powerful aura of a formidable person about her, which made many people wary of her even without her lifting a finger. It would be a shame for someone so capable to die.

It would be better to find a way to keep her in his camp. Her family was also in this district, so he wasn’t afraid of being unable to constrain her.

Ning Ximing looked at him coldly. “Commander, my surname is not Yang.”

Zhou Quan said “Oh,” and gave an awkward laugh. “Look at my memory, I was so distracted that I forgot about your name change.”

Before Ning Ximing arrived in the district, he had repeatedly read her personal file, and he subconsciously kept calling her Yang Zhao Di, or “Xiao Yang.” He found it very confusing that the first thing she did upon arriving was to submit a name change application.

It’s just a name, right? She’d used it for 30 years, was it really worth going to all that trouble to change it? And wasn’t it tradition to take the father’s surname, the continuation of the family line? Wasn’t that a given?

For Ning Ximing to even change her surname was a bit too much. If his daughter were to do that, he would break her legs. But thankfully, he only had a beloved son.

Furthermore, after being deployed to the underground palace, no one knew who Ning Ximing was. She had directly used her new name and was very insistent that he use it as well.

It was just a name, and Zhou Quan didn’t want to get caught up in such a trivial matter, so he went along with it. It was just that today his mind was preoccupied with how to ensure the experiment went smoothly, so he inadvertently used her original name.

Zhou Quan urged, “Xiao Ning, tell me which direction you’d like to develop in. I think our cooperation has been quite successful and is worth continuing, don’t you think? Besides, with your brother’s accident, your family must also hope you can achieve something great. You have to consider them, too.”

Ning Ximing lowered her head and was silent for a moment before speaking calmly. “Alright, I’ll think about it.”

Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang pushed open a door and walked along a dim corridor toward the exit of the underground palace.

It was lunchtime, so there weren’t many people in the hallway. On their way, the two of them knocked out two patrolling guards, tied them up, and dragged them into an empty room nearby.

Xie Zhitian hid around the corner of a wall, peeking out.

The exit of the underground palace was an important location, so there were still four guards on duty. Perhaps because it had always been peaceful here, the four men looked bored, lazily leaning against the wall, chatting, and occasionally yawning. Their weapons were piled in a corner, untouched.

Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang exchanged a glance, then their figures flashed forward like a gust of wind. Before the terrified men could make a sound, anesthetic darts had already sunk firmly into the backs of their necks.

The two tied up the guards and then walked up the stone steps. Soon, they heard the light sound of footsteps. It was Tang Zhuoran, who had brought people to infiltrate the underground palace.

Tang Zhuoran walked at the front, the dim lights from the walls illuminating her beautiful face.

In her hand, she held a sharp long knife, its blade gleaming silver, very beautiful—clearly a top-quality weapon.

Although they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, their communication had never stopped, so they didn’t feel like strangers.

Xie Zhitian skipped the unnecessary pleasantries and smiled. “Everything going smoothly?”

Tang Zhuoran nodded and asked in return, “And for you two?”

Xie Zhitian replied, “All good.”

She lowered her voice. “Luo Yang and I are going to the experimental area to clean up the xenomorphs. You don’t need to follow us. Go check on the hostages. There are a lot of modified humans in the rest area. Xiao Xia will be fine.”

Although Tang Zhuoran hadn’t mentioned Xia Fufeng, Xie Zhitian knew she must be extremely worried. The physical damage and mental stimulation a modified human experienced could lead to mutations. Tang Zhuoran was already sensitive, and she didn’t want anything to happen to her. Letting her go to Xia Fufeng would give her true peace of mind.

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhuoran’s expression softened slightly.

She turned to the girl behind her and said, “Fu Xin, lead everyone to the experimental area to eliminate all xenomorphs. Once you get there, follow Ms. Xie and Ms. Luo Yang’s instructions. Understood?”

Fu Xin responded, “Yes.”

Xie Zhitian handed a map to Tang Zhuoran. “This is a layout of the underground palace that I drew myself. The hostages are marked in the rest area. You should go now. We’ll handle the xenomorph cleanup.”

She thought for a moment and then added emphatically, “Xiao Xia is really amazing. If it weren’t for her, the people who were captured would have been tortured by Zhou Quan, and they might have even lost their lives. It’s thanks to her saying she could make the xenomorphs obey that we bought ourselves some time. If you see her, praise her a little. She’ll be very happy.”

Upon hearing Xia Fufeng’s name, Tang Zhuoran’s eyes softened, and she said “Okay.” The group’s figures quickly disappeared into the corridor. She, too, turned and, following the map’s instructions, swiftly headed toward her destination.

Since becoming a modified human, she had been through countless battles, seen many dangerous situations, but none had made her feel as helpless as this one.

Although she showed no signs of it on the surface, Tang Zhuoran was consumed by anxiety. To prevent her emotions from fluctuating too much, she had taken a double dose of tranquilizers before coming, trying to keep her mind as calm as possible.

Xia Fufeng had grown up pampered and hadn’t experienced many hardships. Even in the apocalypse, she was like a flower blooming in the mud—clean, pure, gentle, and beautiful. Tang Zhuoran even began to regret not being able to convince Xia Fufeng to stay safely in the district back then, which would have prevented her from getting into such a dangerous situation.

With these thoughts, Tang Zhuoran quickened her pace and soon reached the rest area.

The layout here was very much like a prison, with rows of small, cramped rooms. The corridors crisscrossed, separating each room.

The rest area was already in chaos. The guards were knocked out, their hands and feet tied securely, lying lifelessly against the walls. The doors to the cells were wide open, and the modified humans were slowly making their way out. They had been tormented for days, and many had reached their limits, needing the support of their companions to move forward.

Tang Zhuoran looked around but didn’t see any sign of Xia Fufeng. Her anxiety grew.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind her. “Captain Tang!”

She turned around and saw He Yuzhu hurrying toward her, followed by three other companions from District 14.

He Yuzhu looked ecstatic, as if she had seen a family member. “You’ve come! I knew you would come to save us!”

“Where’s Xiao Xia? Have you seen her?”

Tang Zhuoran didn’t have time for pleasantries and asked directly, “And Zheng Lin and Liu Yunna, the girl with the injured face, it’s very obvious, have you seen them?”

Xie Zhitian had told her that she had arranged for Zheng Lin and Liu Yunna to protect Xia Fufeng and had even described their appearances to make them easier to identify.

But she hadn’t seen anyone.

“Xiao Xia? You mean Miss Xia?”

He Yuzhu was stunned. “I haven’t seen her. I thought she had already been rescued… Liu Yunna did come by earlier, though. She knocked out a guard, took the keys, told us the way out, and then she and a few companions left in a hurry.”

Tang Zhuoran’s heart sank. She knew Xia Fufeng had always wanted to test herself and become a strong person who could protect those around her. She worked hard, trained every day, and insisted on being a part of this operation. Given her personality, she would never abandon others and run away by herself.

But He Yuzhu said she hadn’t seen Xia Fufeng come. That meant that before reaching the rest area, Xia Fufeng had been taken away by some irresistible force. Zheng Lin had gone to save her first, and Liu Yunna, after releasing people, had also rushed off with more people to find her.

But the fact that the two of them went to look for her at least meant that Xia Fufeng’s death hadn’t been confirmed, otherwise there would be no point in going to find her.

The thought of the word “death” sent a chill down Tang Zhuoran’s spine.

Connecting such a cold word with the vibrant and lively Xia Fufeng made her feel as if a rock was stuck in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

At this point, He Yuzhu and her companions also realized what was happening. “Something happened to Xiao Xia? Captain Tang, we came late, and our physical condition is still okay. Let’s all split up and look for her.”

Tang Zhuoran steadied herself. Just as she was about to say “okay,” a jarring broadcast suddenly blared from above.

“Captain Tang of District 14, Tang Zhuoran, are you there?”

It was a slightly hoarse male voice, full of malice and accompanied by static. It echoed throughout the rest area.

Tang Zhuoran’s expression hardened. It seemed Zhou Quan’s subordinates weren’t all useless; at the very least, they had found some information about her and Xia Fufeng.

She listened intently.

“If you want to save your companion, come to the rest room on the second floor of the underground palace. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

“Remember, you must come alone and without any weapons. Otherwise, your companion will die.”

Then there was a rustling sound, followed by a loud “clunk,” as if someone had been pushed and had hit the microphone.

“Little girl, say a few words to Captain Tang.”

But no one answered him. The male voice grew angry. “Speak up!”

After a few muffled thuds, there was an uncontrollable cry of pain. The volume was deliberately kept very low, as if she was afraid of someone discovering her location and rushing over.

He Yuzhu and the others were now in a panic. “Captain Tang, that’s Zhou Quan’s voice! I heard this underground palace has a lot of traps and is very dangerous. You absolutely cannot go alone… I’ll go get Su Qing and Qiao Yu. We can think of a way together.”

She had separated from Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang early on, so she didn’t know their real names. Although she wasn’t very familiar with the two of them, she inexplicably felt they were reliable, and when faced with trouble, her first thought was of them.

“No, there’s no time.” Tang Zhuoran’s eyes darkened slightly. She handed the long knife in her hand to He Yuzhu. “Please hold on to this for me.”

Without waiting for a response, she moved like a swift breeze, disappearing from everyone’s sight in an instant.

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