The Villainous Female Side Character Pretends to Be an Omega in the Apocalypse and Raises a Cat - Chapter 23

Influenced by the kitten’s bodily instincts, Meng Qinghe fixed her gaze on the ant queen’s antennae.

In her eyes, the antennae resembled a cat teaser, and at this moment, her fear of ants had completely vanished.

Meng Qinghe raised her paw to touch the antennae.

The moment she made contact, a powerful mental surge, like an electric current, pierced through her fingertips and struck her brain directly.

“Meow!”

The kitten let out a startled cry.

Chi Yingdong immediately turned to look at the kitten, only to find it collapsed on the ground, its eyes vacant and staring blankly ahead.

Meng Qinghe realized her soul had detached from the kitten’s body and was now standing face to face with a woman.

The woman was exquisitely beautiful, every feature of her face appearing as if meticulously sculpted by the creator.

However, she still retained some ant-like characteristics, slender antennae extended from her forehead, trembling gently with each breath.

Behind her, a pair of incomplete thin wings hung limp and powerless, their transparent wing membranes clearly veined and still shimmering with a faint golden halo.

One could imagine how stunning those wings would have been if they hadn’t been broken.

Meng Qinghe unconsciously swallowed hard. “Are you… the ant queen?”

The woman opened her eyes, her pupils composed of countless hexagonal crystals, a compound eye structure.

At first, those crystals were dull and lifeless, but as her consciousness gradually returned, they began to gleam with light.

She gave a slight nod, confirming Meng Qinghe’s earlier question.

Meng Qinghe met the ant queen’s compound eyes and seemed to sense a maternal kindness within them.

“What’s happening to me?”

Meng Qinghe voiced her confusion as she glanced around.

About a meter away, she saw Chi Yingdong gently patting the kitten’s body and calling out to it.

Meng Qinghe looked down at her own hands.

They were nearly transparent, allowing her to see the floor through them.

Had she died again, or was her soul simply out of its shell?

The ant queen’s tone was gentle as she reassured Meng Qinghe, “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to return to your body soon.”

Only then did Meng Qinghe relax and carefully observe the ant queen.

The ant queen’s lips curved into a faint smile, her voice soft. “You are not a being of this world.”

Her words were slow and certain.

Meng Qinghe stared at the ant queen in astonishment, instinctively retorting, “How do you know that?”

The ant queen replied softly, “Because I am like you.”

Like you.

What did that mean?

Meng Qinghe’s hands, hanging at her sides, tightened imperceptibly.

Naturally, the ant queen noticed Meng Qinghe’s tension and spoke slowly, “There’s no need to be nervous. I mean you no harm.”

Her mental energy transformed into a large hand that gently patted Meng Qinghe’s shoulder, soothing her emotions.

“Your soul hasn’t fully merged with the kitten’s body yet. Touching my antennae and being influenced by my mental energy caused you to leave its shell.”

The ant queen’s explanation was unhurried as she clarified the reason for all that had happened.

Under the influence of her gentle voice, Meng Qinghe gradually let down her guard and asked, “Then can I still go back?”

The ant queen smiled faintly. “Of course.”

As soon as the ant queen finished speaking, Meng Qinghe felt the hand that had been patting her shoulder suddenly pull her, thrusting her back into the kitten’s body.

Amid a dizzying whirl, Meng Qinghe awoke inside the kitten’s body.

Lifting her head, she met Chi Yingdong’s anxious eyes, and ripples of emotion stirred within her heart.

During the time she was separated from the kitten’s body, Meng Qinghe’s greatest fear was that she wouldn’t be able to return and would never again be able to touch Chi Yingdong.

Unconsciously, she had already come to regard Chi Yingdong as a close family member.

“Meow.”

Meng Qinghe raised her paws to cling to Chi Yingdong’s arm, nuzzling against it with a sense of dependence.

Chi Yingdong breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Only she knew how panicked she had been earlier.

She cradled the kitten in her arms, and the fluffy little creature nestled snugly against her chest.

Through the fabric of her clothes, Chi Yingdong could clearly feel the kitten’s steady heartbeat, thump after thump, gradually syncing with her own.

Unconsciously, she tightened her arms, pulling the kitten closer.

Only when she felt the warmth in the crook of her arm did she gain a sense of reality, the reality that the kitten was still by her side.

The embrace was a bit too tight, and the kitten let out a confused meow, lifting its emerald-green eyes to look at Chi Yingdong.

Chi Yingdong met its gaze seriously and said sternly, “You can’t go around touching everything next time.”

Meng Qinghe tucked her paws behind her back and let out an obedient meow, agreeing.

On the operating table, the ant queen’s eyelids fluttered slightly.

Xu Chuyao, who had been closely monitoring the ant queen, immediately noticed this subtle reaction and called out loudly, “She’s awake.”

The ant queen opened her eyes, waited a moment for her mind to fully clear, and then tried to push herself up on the operating table. However, she discovered that after lying down for so long, her body had stiffened, her joints feeling as if they were sealed with resin, making movement difficult.

After struggling to sit up, the ant queen’s compound eyes first landed on Xu Chuyao, who was closest to her, then quickly glanced in the direction where Meng Qinghe was.

“Hello,” Xu Chuyao called out tentatively, “Can you understand me?”

The ant queen shifted her gaze back to Xu Chuyao, her two antennae gently swaying.

Then, a gentle female voice echoed in the minds of the three people present, “Thank you.”

Hearing the slightly familiar voice, Meng Qinghe’s eyelashes fluttered.

She still had many questions she wanted to ask the ant queen, like how she knew Meng Qinghe wasn’t from this world.

And she thought about the ant queen’s earlier human form, could she also return to a human appearance?

Chi Yingdong, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes slightly.

The fact that the other party could directly invade her mind and communicate telepathically indicated that the ant queen’s ability level far surpassed her own.

At the same time, Chi Yingdong couldn’t help but feel relieved that the ant queen bore no ill will toward them.

Chi Yingdong walked toward the ant queen, still holding the kitten.

She had gained more understanding of this laboratory and Qiao Ying than in her previous life.

Now, she urgently wanted to confirm whether Qiao Ying had known about the impending apocalypse long ago.

Chi Yingdong asked, “Do you remember when you first came to this laboratory?”

The ant queen nodded, then shook her head, “I don’t remember very well.”

Chi Yingdong didn’t press further.

Meng Qinghe heard faint sounds, her ears twitching as she perked them up to listen carefully.

It was the sound of ants moving.

A rustling noise, growing closer and more dense.

Ants were surrounding them, a great many of them.

Meng Qinghe instinctively tugged at Chi Yingdong, wanting to warn her of the possible danger.

“Don’t be afraid, they are my subjects,” the ant queen’s voice echoed in their minds once more. “They have brought the person you wish to see.”

No sooner had she spoken than a group of soldier ants carried in a person wrapped in silk netting, resembling a “mummy.”

Shortly after, several more “mummies” were brought in.

Chi Yingdong glanced at the “mummies,” then looked questioningly at the ant queen.

“I’m sorry,” the ant queen’s voice carried a note of apology.

“Your friends were lying unconscious on the ground, and my subjects mistook them for food and brought them back.”

With just two simple sentences, the ant queen stated that the ant colony had not harmed Xu Luo and the other two.

Chi Yingdong rubbed the tip of his nose, feeling the embarrassment of having his thoughts seen through.

After the ant queen woke up, she withdrew the psychic energy she had placed on Xu Chuyao, who was no longer under her influence.

Knowing that the person wrapped in the silken web could be her mother, she immediately began tearing at it.

The silken web was unusually tough, remaining intact no matter how hard she pulled.

The little girl knelt helplessly beside the “mummy,” softly sobbing.

Just then, a flame ignited from within the “mummy,” spreading outward and consuming the silken web.

Xu Luo’s voice came from beneath the web, “Don’t cry, my dear. Mother is fine.”

Hearing Xu Luo’s voice, Xu Chuyao wept with joy.