The Post-Apocalyptic Rival Who Crashed My Wedding with a Baby - Chapter 4

Indeed, Lin Qitong was no ordinary person.

She was, in fact, a “transmigrator”. Someone who had traversed worlds into the pages of a book.

As a veteran webnovel fanatic, Lin Qitong’s favorite pastime during her holidays was scouring the Green River App for a good story, then curling up on her sofa to read the day away. Recently, she had fallen deep into the rabbit hole of “Post-Apocalyptic Parenting” novels and couldn’t pull herself out.

Specifically, she considered the novel Destined Post-Apocalypse (GL) to be the pinnacle of the genre; her ultimate “White Moonlight” story.

The plot followed Jiang Weiqing and Shen Qingyu as they evolved from bickering rivals into lovers raising a child together. It was hilarious, yet the world-building was so immersive that it avoided the cloying, overly-sweet fluff typical of other stories in the genre.

Even more unique were the author’s imaginative settings, which deviated significantly from standard post-apocalyptic tropes.

In this world, humanity consisted of more than just “Normies” and “Espers.” There were also “Beast-shifters,” products of advanced technology. Dragon City’s Research Institute led the charge, developing two primary serums: the Esper Serum and the Beast Serum.

Since natural-born Espers were a rare minority, those who accumulated enough mission points could purchase these serums to trigger latent potential and guide their own evolution. Despite the similar names, the two serums were worlds apart in effect and price.

The Esper Serum was cultured from the blood of existing Espers; the stronger the source, the greater the potential it unlocked. It was categorized into five grades: S, A, B, C, and D. The higher the quality, the higher the success rate. Even through official channels, a D-grade serum cost a staggering 2,000 mission points.

For the impoverished masses, the only option was the much cheaper Beast Serum. In fact, 2,000 points were enough for only the lowest-tier Esper serum and could buy a top-shelf S-grade Beast Serum.

However, the Beast Serum was derived from mutated ferocious beasts. It was incredibly dangerous, and the process of assimilation was excruciating. Stories of “Normies” being tortured to death by the pain during the transformation were common. Even those who successfully transitioned into shifters were gaining the ability to transform and harness bestial strength and suffered permanent side effects. They would retain animalistic features like ears or tails, and the more they mastered their power, the more their human reason would give way to animal instinct. Eventually, they would fully “beastialize,” losing all human logic.

Naturally, anyone with a choice preferred the former. But in this brutal wasteland, how many people actually had the luxury of choice?

Lin Qitong had loved the book’s smooth prose and tight pacing so much she had re-read it countless times. Her only grievance was that her own name happened to be identical to that of a “cannon fodder” character in the story.

In the original plot, Jiang Weiqing and Shen Qingyu both fell in love with the “cannon fodder” Lin Qitong at first sight, which served as the catalyst for the rest of the story. Even so, the coincidence bothered her. She had often daydreamed about what it would be like to enter the book, replace Shen Qingyu, and be with Jiang Weiqing herself.

It was a ridiculous fantasy, until a systemic voice whispered in her ear: “I can fulfill that wish, provided you complete the tasks.”

Under the System’s guidance, Lin Qitong successfully transmigrated. She focused solely on completing missions to earn “System Points,” which she then exchanged for stat boosts in beauty and favorability. She had zero interest in fighting zombies or becoming a wasteland powerhouse. To make her life easier, she had simply maxed out her family’s favorability toward her.

However, she never imagined that she would “slip up in the shallows.” Because of those maxed-out favorability stats, her family’s protective nature was now sabotaging her progress.

As Lin Yue’s words cancelling the engagement echoed in her ears, a system interface flashed before her eyes. A red triangular warning symbol blinked incessantly in the “Missions” tab.

The cold, mechanical voice announced:

[Main Quest: Get Engaged to Jiang Weiqing — FAILED!]

[Penalty: -2 Beauty Points; -2 Family Favorability Points for each family member.]

Lin Qitong felt a physical pang of heartache. One point cost a hundred System Points to buy. Failing this one task was effectively a loss of 800 points. Since she’d arrived, she had worked tirelessly just to save up a total of 1,000 points.

Seeing Qitong’s face turn pale, Lin Qing patted her head comfortingly. “It’s okay, Tongtong. If the engagement is cancelled, it’s cancelled.” She paused, then added with a slight, guilty rub of her nose, “Anyway, people like Jiang Weiqing are a dime a dozen.”

She said it to be supportive, but she knew it wasn’t true. Jiang Weiqing was exceptional—stunningly beautiful and terrifyingly strong. She was a Level 5 Water-type at such a young age, not to mention her legendary team. There were only four S-Rank squads in the world, and Jiang Weiqing’s “Longyu Squad” was one of them.

Xu Banmeng, thinking Lin Qing was hinting at her, nodded vigorously. “Sister Lin Qing is right, Qitong. There are plenty of outstanding people right here beside you.”

Lin Qitong was sensitive to the shifting tides of emotion; she knew exactly how Xu Banmeng felt about her. But in her eyes, Xu Banmeng didn’t hold a candle to Jiang Weiqing. She had no interest in her, but she kept her around as a backup.

She deliberately put on a wounded expression, her long lashes trembling as she radiated the fragility of a rain-beaten flower. “Banmeng, I’m sorry… I’m just so tired. I’d like to rest now.”

“Of course, Qitong. You get some rest,” Xu Banmeng said hurriedly, mentally kicking herself for being so impatient.

The grand, bustling ceremony ended not with a climax, but with a whimper.

Below the stage, Lin Yunxia was also reeling. She never expected the engagement to actually be called off. Suddenly, the communicator at her waist began to buzz and vibrate incessantly with incoming messages.

[Yunxia, where’s the Captain’s wedding?]

[We just made it back!]

Looking at the now-empty, ruined hall, Lin Yunxia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “These guys… their timing really couldn’t be worse.”

*****

500 Meters Outside Dragon City Base.

There stood a noodle stall—though “stall” was a generous term. It was a crude setup where two scorched-black benches were pushed together to make a table, with a row of plastic stools alongside. The table was empty except for the bowls left by previous customers. Four poles supported a patchwork canopy of tarps and floral tent fabric that served as a makeshift roof to keep out the rain.

Because the space was so cramped, the “kitchen” and the “dining area” were separated only by a thick earthen wall; customers could see the owner preparing the noodles through a small window.

The noodles weren’t the refined wheat or flour varieties of the old world, but “multigrain” noodles—a mix of corn, bran, flour, and potato. They were yellow, about the width of two fingers, and had a coarse, gritty texture, but they were remarkably filling. Since this was the outer perimeter of Dragon City, there was no rent, and the prices were cheap. One Level 0 soul crystal could buy three bowls was enough to feed a small family.

For a commoner in the apocalypse, a bowl of these noodles with a side of fried peanuts was the height of luxury.

“An Songyu, you lured us all the way back just to eat here?” Miao Jialing, dressed in traditional Miao ethnic attire, wrinkled her nose at the grimy surroundings. She turned to leave, the three silver bracelets on her wrist jingling as she moved.

“These noodles are cheap and filling. Everyone says so,” An Songyu said with a straight face.

Standing six feet tall with a massive, muscular build, he stood as straight as a spear. His tight clothes couldn’t hide his bulging muscles; he looked like a man you didn’t want to cross. Behind him followed a thin, pale young boy with a black cat perched on his shoulder.

The cat let out a yawn and shot An Songyu a look of pure disdain. The man’s stinginess was completely disproportionate to his size. Still, the cat’s nose twitched at the scent of fish; it decided not to protest for now.

Miao Jialing saw right through him. “Is it really necessary to be this cheap? Didn’t we just earn a ton of crystals on that last mission?”

As powerful Espers, their earning potential was immense. Wherever there were zombies, there were soul crystals.

An Songyu remained unfazed. “Just because we have crystals doesn’t mean we should waste them. Frugality is a virtue passed down by our ancestors.” He patted the boy, Xu Bairan, on the head. “Besides, Little Bai hasn’t tried multigrain noodles yet. It’s a good experience.”

Xu Bairan gave a shy, sweet smile and took Miao Jialing’s hand. “Sister Jialing, I wanted to try them. Don’t be mad at Brother Yu.” He paused, then added, “I wonder which hotel Weiqing-jie’s ceremony is at.”

The boy was sickly by nature; though he was fifteen, he was as small as a ten-year-old and always smelled faintly of medicinal herbs.

Miao Jialing, who liked Lin Qitong the least of anyone, pouted. “I don’t know which hotel, but I’m sure it’s ostentatious.” She couldn’t stand “Princess” types like Lin Qitong who obsessed over luxury.

Despite their grumbling, the team had rushed back specifically to make it to the engagement.

Hearing them talk, people at the neighboring tables joined in.

“Wait, you guys don’t know? The engagement was cancelled!”

“Yeah, heard Jiang Weiqing was two-timing. Some woman brought a kid and crashed the whole thing.”

“Heard she’s a Metal-type. Real fierce. Held a gun right to Jiang Weiqing’s head.”

“What a shame. Jiang Weiqing pissed off the City Commander so bad she’s been blacklisted. Her future is trashed.”

“Tsk, can’t blame her though. That other woman was gorgeous. No wonder Jiang Weiqing ran off after her.”

“I think someone said her name was… Shen Qingyu.”

An Songyu and the others traded looks of utter shock.

The little black cat, which had been dozing, snapped its yellow eyes wide open. It sat up on the table and spoke in a perfect human voice:

“Wait… isn’t Shen Qingyu the Captain’s rival? Meow?”

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