The Post-Apocalyptic Rival Who Crashed My Wedding with a Baby - Chapter 24

“This is…” Jiang Weiqing frowned deeply, picking up the mysterious black stone and giving it an experimental squeeze.

The stone, which looked incredibly hard, yielded under her grip. But as soon as she let go, it sprang back to its original shape instantly.

“It seems to be a memory metal capable of immediate restoration,” Shen Qingyu observed. “Traditional memory metals usually require a specific temperature range to change shape or revert to their original state. This… doesn’t seem to match our current level of technology.” Though she used the word “seem,” her tone was certain.

“Not even the Research Institute can achieve this?” Jiang Weiqing’s brow remained tight as dark theories began to brew in her mind.

“No,” Shen Qingyu shook her head. She knelt down to examine the damaged data display panel.

Calling it “damaged” wasn’t quite accurate. The panel had been blown apart from the inside; it was clearly the work of a self-destruct mechanism. Shen Qingyu pursed her lips, recalling the green threads she had seen earlier connecting the back of the puppeted zombies’ heads.

If the main plant was the server, then the zombies were networked computers—capable of operating independently and, more importantly, transmitting data back.

“This was a surveillance device, wasn’t it?” Jiang Weiqing tapped the panel, and a crooked camera lens fell out from the wreckage. She frowned. A plant, no matter how mutated, wouldn’t just “scavenge” high-tech gear for fun. Someone had the power to tame a Level 4 mutated plant and set up a surveillance network.

She blinked rapidly, not daring to follow that line of thought any further. Shen Qingyu met her gaze, the same suspicion reflected in her eyes. Neither spoke the truth aloud; they simply buried their questions deep within their hearts.

Jiang Weiqing stood up and stomped her foot heavily onto the ground, crushing the data panel into fine dust and ensuring its destruction was absolute. As for the mysterious black metal, Shen Qingyu carefully tucked it away. Instinct told her it was a rare material that might prove useful later.

With the threat eliminated, they headed back and soon reunited safely with Lin Yunxia and the others.

“Captain! I knew you’d be fine,” Miao Jialing chirped, resting her chin in her hands.

Lin Yunxia, ever meticulous, scanned the two women and the baby. Seeing no wounds, her racing heart finally settled. “Captain, you look so full of energy. Did the fight give you a second wind?”

An Songyu rubbed his chin, looking puzzled. Jiang Weiqing knew exactly why: she had successfully absorbed the Level 4 Water crystal and advanced to a Level 5 Esper. Her spirit was naturally at its peak. She simply chuckled and offered a vague reply. “Of course. That’s why I’m the Captain, right?”

It was a transparent brush-off, but An Songyu just rolled his eyes and didn’t press further, knowing this wasn’t the time for an interrogation.

“Does anyone have food?” Jiang Weiqing asked, rubbing her stomach. Now that the adrenaline had faded, the hunger was hitting her harder than the fatigue.

The team immediately produced their rations. Lu Yan even pulled out a piece of her prized dried fish and handed it over with a huff. “Since you’re the Captain, I guess you can have this, meow.”

Jiang Weiqing looked at it with a grimace. Unless she was starving, she usually avoided anything with such a fishy smell, especially since she already had bread and crackers in her hand. But as the scent of the dried fish reached her nose, a strange thing happened: her mouth began to water, and her throat moved involuntarily.

It smells so good… Why did it smell so appetizing when she usually loathed fishy food? Despite her confusion, her hands moved on their own. In seconds, the fish was gone.

Lu Yan let out a series of shocked meows. “Captain, I thought you hated dried fish!” She had only offered it because she assumed Weiqing would turn it down.

Jiang Weiqing scratched the back of her head, feeling equally strange about her sudden change in taste. “I don’t know why, but it suddenly tastes delicious.”

She looked at Lu Yan and arched an eyebrow. “Give me a few more. I want to taste them again.”

“Nothing strange about that,” An Songyu said dismissively. “I used to hate cilantro—thought it smelled like soap. But hey, now I love the stuff.”

Lin Yunxia nodded. “It happens quite often.” She used to hate celery herself, but now she ate it without a second thought.

Lu Yan’s face darkened. She pulled out two more pieces and said firmly, “That’s it. I’m out. Don’t ask for more, meow.”

“Don’t be so stingy,” Weiqing grumbled. They had spent hours catching fish and drying them for Lu Yan’s emergency rations. Lu Yan made a pained face and produced one final piece. “Fine! This is the last one. I mean it, the absolute last one, meow!”

Jiang Weiqing: “…”

It’s just a few pieces of fish. Why act like I’m taking your literal life blood? Regardless, she took it and ate it happily.

On the other side, Chen Huawei saw Shen Qingyu return unharmed and couldn’t hide his joy. “Goddess Qing! Are you hungry? I’ll make you dinner!” He spoke loudly, clearly trying to get a rise out of Jiang Weiqing.

Hutong rolled his eyes. “Are you sure about that?” Chen’s cooking was notorious; even Hutong, who ate almost anything, couldn’t stomach it.

“I can boil instant noodles, can’t I?” Chen snapped, his eyebrows narrowing. He knew his limits, but he refused to let the Goddess feel neglected when Jiang Weiqing was getting all the attention. He was convinced he could be a one-man support team.

Shen Qingyu stopped him before he could start. “It’s alright. I’m going to cook for the baby.”

With a series of thuds, she produced several bags of seafood. Frozen shrimp, crabs, seaweed, dried scallops, abalone, sea fish… a massive, varied bounty.

Chen Huawei gasped. “Goddess, are you a Space Esper too?” Then he looked at the ingredients with concern. “Can the baby even eat this?” To him, a two-year-old should be on formula and light mush.

“I’ll make seaweed soup,” Shen Qingyu said. “If I stew it long enough, it’ll be soft enough for her.”

Last night, the baby’s “octopus lineage” had been triggered by Jiang Weiqing. The child would have an intense craving for the ocean now; if she didn’t have this soup, she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Though confused, Chen Huawei helped prep the ingredients. Hutong looked at Duan Muyu. “Boss, can I go help?” He swallowed hard. There was so much food—surely they wouldn’t mind sharing a bite. Even as the head of a research institute, Duan Muyu didn’t often see such a variety of fresh seafood.

Duan Muyu blinked and nodded. “Let’s all help. It’ll kill some time.” She looked at the little toddler who was smiling at her and felt her own heart soften slightly. I’m not doing this for the baby, she told herself. I’m just bored.

Shen Qingyu watched them with a smile, stroking the child’s head. Perhaps the apocalypse wasn’t just about betrayal and schemes.

Jiang Weiqing watched the feast being prepared, licked her lips, and shamelessly walked over. “Shen Qingyu, since you have so much, can I borrow a few fish?” Fearing a rejection, she added a generous offer: “I’ll pay you back double later.”

Hearing “double,” Lu Yan’s eyes lit up. She lunged into Jiang Weiqing’s arms. “Captain! Captain! I have dried fish! I’ll trade with you! Just pay me back double later, meow!”

Jiang Weiqing didn’t even look at her, shooing her back to the ground. “No thanks.”

Lu Yan grew desperate, waving a piece of fish like a seasoned salesperson. “Are you sure? Two for one—you can’t lose, meow!”

But Lu Yan didn’t realize that over-enthusiasm can often dampen a buyer’s desire.

Jiang Weiqing was a prime example of this. She didn’t even look at Lu Yan, her gaze remaining fixed firmly on Shen Qingyu. “Those terms… are you satisfied with them?”

Shen Qingyu nodded. She knew that Jiang Weiqing’s craving for seafood was likely even deeper than the toddler’s. She tossed over a bag of sea bounty. “Take whatever you want.”

Shen Qingyu’s magnanimity made Jiang Weiqing let out a silent breath of relief. She blinked rapidly and muttered, “Thanks.”

Thanks to Shen Qingyu’s generosity, Jiang Weiqing was finally able to eat her fill. Once everyone was fed and satisfied, they put the journey back on the schedule.

An Songyu held up a thick, weathered map. “Captain, where to next?” Most of the road infrastructure had been destroyed after the collapse, but the general layout of the land remained the same. The map was just enough to point them in the right direction.

Xu Bairan studied the map seriously before offering his opinion. “Captain, I think Lingshui Village or Haishui Village would be good.” He was still mindful of the fact that the Captain owed Shen Qingyu fish, so he prioritized two coastal towns. Where there was a sea, there would surely be fish.

Lingshui Village… The familiar name sent a jolt of surprise through Jiang Weiqing, and her brow furrowed. Wasn’t that the name of the place in the hallucination?

Beside her, Shen Qingyu froze mid-motion while feeding the baby, then slowly resumed as if nothing had happened.

Seeing Jiang Weiqing hesitate, Miao Jialing thought she was dissatisfied and added, “These two coastal towns to the west aren’t bad either. They’re larger, so we might run into a wider variety of marine life.”

At the mention of marine life, Lu Yan’s mouth began to water. She reached out a claw to hook onto Jialing’s sleeve, clearly voting for the variety option.

Meanwhile, Little Black had quietly extended a wing, brushing it almost accidentally against the baby’s soft cheek. The raven then carefully placed a small gold bead into the child’s hand. The baby gripped it curiously and stuck out her tongue, intending to give it a lick.

Terrified the girl would swallow it, Shen Qingyu quickly intervened. “Baby!” she barked.

The sharp tone made the toddler pout, but she obeyed, dropping the gold bead into Shen Qingyu’s hand. She then reached out both arms toward Jiang Weiqing. “Mama!” she chirped, looking as if she’d been wronged and wanted Weiqing to take her side.

The sight instantly brought back the scenes from the dream. The warmth of that “family” was truly hard to forget. Jiang Weiqing bit her lip and made the final call. “Let’s go to Lingshui Village.” She wanted to see for herself if this was just a coincidence or the village from her memories.

******

“Xiaotong, we’re about to reach the city ahead. You must stay right behind us.” Lin Wenguang stared through the car window at the approaching road signs, his brow deeply furrowed.

Beside him, Xu Banmeng nodded in cautious agreement. “Qitong, you can’t push yourself like you did last time.” The adoration and worry in her eyes were plain for anyone to see.

Xu Banmeng’s teammates, knowing her feelings for Lin Qitong, began playing wingmen.

“Exactly. Qitong, you have to stay behind our Captain.”

“I bet the Captain will protect you like a precious treasure.”

“She won’t let a single hair on your head be harmed.”

Lin Qitong lowered her head, a blush creeping onto her face. She shook her head gently. “I’ll be careful.”

The others, not satisfied with her reaction, continued to tease.

“Qitong, you’re so beautiful, you must have so many suitors.”

“What do you think of our Captain, Qitong?”

“I’ve heard Wood and Earth attributes are a perfect match.”

Listening to the non-stop matchmaking, Lin Qitong blinked, a flash of annoyance crossing her eyes. These people were truly exhausting. What kind of person is Xu Banmeng? Could she ever be compared to a protagonist like Jiang Weiqing? Even if the engagement had failed, she would never settle for someone like Xu Banmeng.

However, she maintained her gentle, soft smile. She bit her lip and turned a pleading look toward her brother. “Brother, I…”

Seeing his sister’s distress, Lin Wenguang stepped in. “That’s enough, all of you. Qitong can like whoever she wants.” He shot a disdainful look at Xu Banmeng. “These tricks might work on someone as innocent as Qitong, but they don’t work on me.”

It was obvious Lin Wenguang believed Xu Banmeng had orchestrated the whole thing. After all, her feelings for his sister were an open secret.

Xu Banmeng’s face turned red. “Brother, you’ve got it wrong. I didn’t do anything.”

“Who are you calling ‘Brother’?” Lin Wenguang sneered. “Don’t act so familiar.” He took Lin Qitong by the hand and led her to a different vehicle.

Their two teams totaled fifteen people, spread across five vehicles, so there was plenty of space. Once the Lins were gone, Xu Banmeng’s teammates began to grumble indignantly.

“The nerve of that guy. Calling him ‘Brother’ was just being polite, yet he acts like a big shot in front of the Minglin Squad,” a woman with a red afro complained, chewing her gum loudly to vent her anger.

“Lin Wenguang is as much of a sister-con as the rumors say,” a tall woman in a black combat suit added. She was nearly two meters tall, standing out in any crowd, yet she was remarkably thin.

“And Lin Qitong… she didn’t even say a word to help our Captain,” the red-haired woman snapped. If they didn’t know their Captain was head-over-heels for her, would they be this nice to her?

A round-faced woman tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to quiet down.

“It’s not Qitong’s fault. She just doesn’t want to hurt me,” Xu Banmeng said, her voice small as she defended the girl. Her teammate, Lin Xixi, let out a cold snort. “Captain, hasn’t she hurt you enough already?”

Since accepting the S-Rank mission, the two squads had formed a brief alliance to head to Chonghai Base. Because of her feelings, Xu Banmeng often gave the best food and supplies to Lin Qitong, only to receive a flimsy “thank you” in return. Lin Xixi couldn’t help but think bitterly that the food the Captain had given away was worth enough to buy the loyalty of two beautiful women, yet Lin Qitong kept acting so aloof.

Xu Banmeng felt a pang of hurt at the blunt words. Qitong accepted everything she gave, but their relationship hadn’t moved forward an inch. Plus, Lin Wenguang was always there to interfere in their rare moments alone. Xu Banmeng knew the situation wasn’t right, but she had never been in love before; she could only give everything she had like a small, desperate animal, hoping to eventually move Qitong’s heart and displace Jiang Weiqing.

She steadied her voice. “Alright, stop talking. Xiushan City is just ahead. The Research Institute has confirmed the Golden Osmanthus trees here have mutated. We have to find the main body to root out the problem.”

The team’s expressions turned serious. Everyone knew that before the apocalypse, the flowers of Xiushan were famous which now meant the danger level was off the charts. They entered the city like a group facing a grand enemy.

They expected to see a wall of zombies and a forest of mutated wood. Instead, they found empty streets and withered trees. Something or someone who’s powerful had already been through here and cleared the way.

Lin Wenguang jumped out of the car with his gun drawn, suspicious. “Is this a hallucination?” According to their intel, the tree here was intelligent and capable of weaving complex dreams. He had to be careful.

Lin Qitong activated her Wood-type power to inspect a withered trunk. She rubbed a petal between her fingers. “Brother, these trees are truly dead. Hallucinations can be woven, but vitality cannot be faked. Some powerful Esper must have gotten here before us and cleared them out.”

Xu Banmeng gasped. “I wonder who it was. To be this strong…”

Her teammates nodded in agreement. Lin Wenguang looked at the footprints on the ground and let out a cold snort. “Who says it was just one person? It was likely a squad like ours.” Even so, he knew in his heart that even if he and the Minglin Squad combined their strength, they might not have achieved such a clean sweep.

Xu Banmeng sighed. “I wish that squad had also taken the S-Rank mission for Chonghai.” Her Minglin Squad was only A-Rank; taking an S-Rank mission was a stretch, but she had her own reasons. She knew she had to prove herself to win Qitong’s heart and the family’s approval. Plus, in the wasteland, if you didn’t fight for resources, you didn’t survive.

“If we had a team like that helping us, the success rate would be much higher,” Lin Wenguang admitted. Looking at the battle traces, he felt a genuine sense of admiration. He’d be willing to give up three years of his life just to meet such an expert.

He had no idea that the captain of that very squad was the same Jiang Weiqing he had always looked down upon.

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