The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 97

Dusk fell, and the setting sun cast a soft, blood-red glow that stained a small patch of lingering snow by a broken bridge.

Crumbling buildings were everywhere, with scattered tiles and rubble littering the ground. The broken walls had jagged gaps, their outer plaster long since peeled away, exposing bare bricks. The road was uneven and crisscrossed with cracks, and withered, yellowed weeds poked out from the stone seams, swaying listlessly in the cold wind. It was a scene of utter decay and desolation.

“The conditions here are very tough, especially in the winter. It’s the hardest time of the year. So, everyone, please be sure to stay warm while you work and don’t let yourselves get frostbite…”

The speaker was a young, sweet-looking girl with cheerful pigtails and a bright smile that became a vibrant spot of color in the otherwise bleak landscape.

Xie Zhitian listened to the girl’s introduction while taking in the surrounding scenery from the bus window.

At this moment, she, Luo Yang, Xia Fufeng, and Tang Zhuoran were all on a moving bus. The bus was packed with fully armed cyborg warriors, making it feel a bit cramped. The girl with the pigtails stood at the front, her smiling introduction of the current situation making the atmosphere feel almost like a tour.

The city they were in was called Youcheng, the northernmost and most desolate part of the country, and the first area to be abandoned after the apocalypse began.

Due to the uneven distribution of spacetime rifts, the frequency and number of aliens appearing varied greatly from region to region. Youcheng had a large number of rifts, and with aliens running rampant, human living space was squeezed to the limit, making survival nearly impossible. Those who did manage to survive had no choice but to abandon the city and seek a living in other areas.

Later, the situation improved. As the spacetime rifts closed, the number of aliens gradually decreased. But because Youcheng was abandoned so early, even after the rifts had closed, the residual alien population here was still far greater than in other regions.

However, even this desolate land still held immense value. There were large, untapped iron ore deposits near Youcheng, which were incredibly precious at a time when the entire country was focused on developing its economy and restoring production.

After repeated discussions, the government finally made a decision: to send the military to clear out the aliens in and around Youcheng, reopen the iron mines, and accelerate the restoration of production.

This effort took about three months and had already made significant progress. Although Youcheng still looked desolate, it was no longer crawling with aliens, making it impossible for humans to approach. This reawakening city was once again incorporated into the national map, renamed District 0.

The reopening of the iron mines was imminent and soon put on the agenda. Districts 53 and 54, the two closest to Youcheng, became the main forces for this project.

To reassure the public and allow the workers to focus on their jobs without worry, the central government dispatched a number of cyborg warriors to help clear out the remaining aliens and protect Youcheng. This group included the four women: Xie Zhitian, Luo Yang, Xia Fufeng, and Tang Zhuoran.

The cyborg warriors came from various districts. After a brief rest in District 53, they traveled light to Youcheng to assist with the iron mining.

The girl with the pigtails was named Yisha. She was a former resident of Youcheng who now lived in District 53 and was one of the guides the district had arranged for the warriors.

Yisha glanced out the window and slightly raised her voice. “We’ll be at the base in about fifteen minutes. Everyone, please get your belongings ready to get off the bus. I’ll be your assistant for the next month, so if you have any questions, you can report them to me. I’ll contact the district to find a solution and make sure you’re well taken care of.”

According to the Queen’s arrangements, the cyborgs assigned to District 0 would rotate every month. Since District 0 was still under reconstruction, the working location had no strong walls to block aliens, making the work more dangerous and demanding than in other places. So, after their month of work, everyone could return to District 53 to rest at the highest standard of treatment before returning to their respective districts.

Someone raised their hand and asked, “Miss Yisha, how many people are at the base now?”

Yisha’s tone was cheerful. “There are already over three hundred warriors at the base, and several more groups will arrive tomorrow, bringing the total to five or six hundred. Besides, there aren’t many aliens left around here, so even without walls, the danger isn’t that high. Everyone, please relax and don’t worry too much.”

Ever since her hometown began to rebuild, she had been in high spirits. She was filled with gratitude for these people who were helping to rebuild Youcheng, and she had volunteered to be a guide.

A warrior in the front row laughed and said, “Miss Yisha, an ordinary person, isn’t worried, so why should we be?”

Another companion immediately agreed, “Exactly! You underestimate us. We should be punished with a drink.”

“Alright, when the work is done and we go back, I’ll treat everyone to a big meal!”

Yisha’s eyes crinkled with her smile. “But I can’t drink too much. Three or four glasses at most. Please be easy on me.”

“How can we let you pay? We’ve already bothered you enough.”

“But Yisha, when we go back, could you take us shopping? I found the winter clothes here to be quite pretty…”

The girls chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere in the bus was so pleasant that it seemed to lessen the desolate feeling outside the window.

The bus rounded a corner and slowly began to climb a hill. Half of the setting sun had already been swallowed by the horizon not far away. In the view ahead, a cluster of low-lying, dark buildings gradually appeared, their black silhouettes outlined by the orange-red afterglow.

The base was located on high ground, making it easy to defend and more secure. It served as a resting place for the cyborg warriors and workers.

“That’s our base ahead. The buildings are temporary, so conditions are limited. Thank you for your hard work.”

Yisha felt the bus slow down as if to stop. She slightly reined in her smile and stressed, “But I need to remind everyone again: you must familiarize yourselves with the map. Our mine is divided into Zone A and Zone B. District 53 is only allowed to mine in Zone A, so everyone is only responsible for the safety of Zone A. You absolutely must not go to Zone B.”

“There are fences and signs between Zone A and Zone B. It might be hard to see at night, so please pay attention and don’t go to the wrong place.”

Everyone in the bus responded, “Understood, don’t worry.”

Compared to the orderliness of other districts, time seemed to have regressed a few centuries in Youcheng, returning to its most primitive state.

The trees along the road were long since bare of leaves, with only twisted, gnarled branches remaining, casting long, thin shadows. The snow covering the ground hadn’t completely melted yet, and it was still marked with messy animal footprints. A few crows flew overhead, their hoarse cries echoing. A fallen black feather swirled in the air before quickly disappearing into the wind.

In the last row of the bus, Xie Zhitian withdrew her gaze from the window and looked at the map in her hand.

Yisha had placed a map on each seat before everyone got on the bus. And Yisha had reminded them at the first opportunity not to go to the area marked as Zone B on the map.

Although Yisha hadn’t explicitly said why, everyone present knew the reason.

Youcheng’s location was somewhat awkward, situated between District 53 and District 54. District 53 belonged to Queen Hua Xian’s sphere of influence, while District 54 belonged to Commander Gu Hong’s. Both sides wanted a piece of Youcheng’s rich iron ore resources.

The chaos had just subsided, and a full-scale conflict was obviously unwise; it would only lead to a loss of public support. No matter what they did in secret, a superficial peace had to be maintained. After several rounds of negotiation, the two sides finally reached a consensus, dividing the mine into two parts and staying out of each other’s way.

“You know, I wonder how those people in Zone B dare to come to a place like this?”

Luo Yang leaned over and whispered to her, “Normally, male cyborgs have a hard time fighting aliens on the battlefield. In this situation, there’s no way they can guarantee anyone’s safety, right?”

They had found out before that over half of the cyborgs in District 54 were male. They could normally use remote weapons to clear out invading aliens while protected by the city walls. But Youcheng was clearly much more dangerous, and many situations required close-quarters combat.

Xie Zhitian also lowered her voice. “I’m curious, too, but since Gu Hong dared to send people, he must have a plan. He wouldn’t send them to their deaths. And while their combat power isn’t as good as ours, because most of the powerful and wealthy people were men before, the commander’s faction has accumulated a lot of wealth. When you have money, you can find a way to make things work.”

Luo Yang nodded. “That’s true.”

Xia Fufeng in the front row heard the commotion and angrily turned around, joining the discussion in a low voice, “I just think the people on their side have no good intentions. They’ll definitely try to scheme and plot…”

“Xia,” Tang Zhuoran gently called out, stopping her from saying more. “Don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet. Let’s take things one step at a time and deal with them as they come.”

Xia Fufeng also realized that if she kept talking, she would reveal some information she shouldn’t. She immediately obediently fell silent.

Niaogao, the kitten, was curled up in her lap and lazily rolled over. Its fluffy tail brushed against her palm, drawing her attention. She simply lowered her head and focused on petting the little fox.

Besides the official guard duty, Xie Zhitian and her companions had another important mission arranged by the Queen. They needed to keep a close eye on the movements in Zone B to prevent the other side from playing any tricks.

The mine was just beginning to be exploited, making it the most unstable and vulnerable time. Any mistake could lead to irreversible consequences.

To keep a low profile, Xie Zhitian and the others were once again using false names and had made some modifications to their appearances. They now looked like ordinary, clean-cut girls, not as striking as their original selves, so they wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.

Xie Zhitian looked at the approaching base, and her mind suddenly recalled the scene when the Queen had assigned them the mission.

At that time, Hua Xian was in their district for official business, so they could talk face to face without going through a third party.

“That’s a general summary of the situation. I know Gu Hong very well; he is a very greedy person. He won’t be satisfied with just half of the mine,” Hua Xian concluded calmly after explaining the situation in Youcheng. “He will find a way to seize the entire mine for himself, at all costs and by any means. This is bound to happen, so I need to send reliable people there to stop his schemes.”

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