The Zombie I Flirted With After Losing My Memory, Who Was Pretending to be an Alpha, Is Actually My Ex - Chapter 24.2

Chapter 24.2: Seeking a Mark

Ten minutes later, the doctor walked out excitedly holding the baby, only to freeze when she saw the door hanging precariously off its frame. Her smile stiffened.

“Boy or girl?” someone asked. The crowd couldn’t help but cast their gazes toward her; it was as if the child she held was their only glimmer of hope. Even the muscle-bound, stern-faced men in suits couldn’t help but soften their expressions at the sight of the infant.

“Ah? A girl, it’s a girl!” the doctor replied quickly.

“Take her back inside! Take the food from the doorway back into the office with you! Lock the door and don’t come out, go!” Yao Zhi’s voice rose as she saw the doctor dazed in place. Surprisingly, no one objected to this order.

“No, how can I…” The doctor was anxious. She was just an intern who had recently graduated, and she was overwhelmed by the scene.

“Protect the child!” With that shout, the already loose door finally collapsed, revealing the swarm of zombies behind it. The beastly roars terrified the baby, who began to wail.

Having finished up inside, Xie Jinbing stepped out just in time to see this. Without a word, she shoved the doctor and the baby back into the office. Noticing the food by the door, she kicked it inside as well, slammed the door shut with great force, and turned to support the others at the front line.

Every movement adhered to her clean and decisive style.

Teng Xi unsheathed her Miaodao. Utilizing the weapon’s exceptional length, she easily decapitated a zombie that had poked its head over the top of the barrier. With a flick of her wrist, the head rolled back into the horde.

Someone unscrewed a bottle cap and splashed a cup of boiling water at the zombies. The swarm immediately scattered like they had stepped on mousetraps.

Seeing that splashing water worked, the others pulled out their own bottles. Meanwhile, Teng Xi and Feng Sisi used their blades to slash at the zombies through the gaps.

For a moment, the cooperation was seamless. However, these small tricks were barely enough to hold back the endless tide. New zombies constantly filled the gaps, brandishing claws and baring fangs to break through the line.

Si Qinghan: “This isn’t a long-term solution.”

Teng Xi replied while fighting: “I figured that out. So, do you have a plan?”

Feng Sisi, cutting and slashing with tears in her eyes, cried out: “Can someone please come save us? Even if it’s a ‘reinforcement sent by a monkey’!”

Just as Feng Sisi finished speaking, a sound that didn’t belong to the roars of the horde drifted in from the distance. It was a buzzing sound similar to a lawnmower, though much louder at close range.

A few minutes later, the sound of gunfire erupted from outside the library. Several faint-hearted patients covered their ears and hid in the corners.

Teng Xi looked at Feng Sisi with utter piety: “I think calling you a ‘Wishing Well’ is the most basic form of respect I can give you.”

Feng Sisi: “…Shut up!”

To catch the attention of the rescuers, several doctors ran to the windows and screamed for help.

Several helicopters were hovering outside. People wearing goggles, combat gear, and carrying rifles began rappelling down. Using the rain as cover, they effortlessly took out the zombies huddled under the library eaves. After a careful search, they spotted a piece of cloth waving from a third-floor window. They signaled toward the floor, and more gunfire followed.

The doctors didn’t understand the signals, so they awkwardly mimicked them for Teng Xi and the others.

“Wait,” Teng Xi explained, though she herself didn’t understand why she could read military hand signals.

They only needed to hold out until the team arrived. The doctors continued to splash water. By a stroke of luck, the reading room had a water filtration system, so they weren’t in danger of running out.

Thermal weapons were indeed far superior to cold steel. In just half an hour, the rescuers reached the outside of the third-floor reading room. The group, who had been struggling for so long, finally let out a sigh of relief.

Another thirty minutes passed, and the remaining hundreds of zombies in the library were cleared out. The rescue team consisted of only fifty people, yet in just one hour, they secured the library without a single casualty.

“Reporting to the Young Lady: 41 survivors found,” a man in combat gear shouted into the helicopter.

The woman inside signaled her acknowledgment. A pair of military boots stepped out onto the ladder, followed by straight, slender legs clad in cargo pants. The woman emerged from the helicopter with a sharp high ponytail. Sunglasses covered half her face, but as she moved, one could catch a glimpse of the meticulously groomed straight eyebrows that gave her a heroic air.

As soon as she hit the ground, someone held an umbrella over her and led her toward the third floor.

“Everyone is here,” a man pointed to the crowd sitting on the floor.

The woman didn’t look at them. She walked straight toward the newly delivered mother and the infant in her arms.

“Don’t… please…” the mother’s voice was broken. She shrank back, and others stepped forward to shield her, trying to prevent the woman from approaching.

A man with a rifle saw this and moved to seize the baby for his mistress, but she waved him back with a gesture.

“I won’t hurt you,” the woman knelt down, looking at the mother. She pointed at the little thing in her arms. “May I see her?”

The mother hesitated, but seeing no further forced movements, she carefully handed the child over. The woman didn’t take the baby; she just leaned in close, as if truly only “looking.”

It wasn’t until a familiar scent hit her nostrils that the woman stood up. That specific pheromone—she would never forget it.

The woman walked toward the window but was stopped halfway by a patient pulling on her pant leg: “Are you the reinforcement the monkey sent that Sisi-sister talked about?”

The woman looked down, radiating an aura of cold detachment. A doctor quickly pulled the patient’s hand away, apologizing profusely.

“It’s fine. I won’t hurt you,” the woman said again, her tone as casual as if she were talking about the weather. She walked to the window and stared into the distance.

“Young Lady, the Alpha has awakened,” a subordinate reported from behind, referring to Cheng Shi in the corner.

“Good. Take them back first. Once she’s cleaned up, bring her to see me.” The woman’s gaze never left the window. She watched a few small black dots in the distance. Behind her was the noise of the survivors packing their things under the direction of the subordinates.

Finally, a subordinate asked: “Young Lady, shall we search the rest of the hospital?”

The small black dots outside had run onto the bridge, gradually leaving her line of sight. She withdrew her gaze. “Yes. Everywhere except Section A.”

Moving away from the window, the woman’s lips curved into a silent message: My dear sister, I didn’t expect you to make ‘friends’ in just a few days. But you’d better move fast. The virus won’t wait for you to finish your playtime.

On the bridge, Feng Sisi was still annoyed: “Why can you guys hold her, but I can’t hold the little cub?”

Teng Xi said bluntly: “Because I’m her god-mother. You’re a muscle-bound Alpha; don’t go poking her with your hardness. Didn’t you see the kid cries the moment she sees you?”

This group consisted of Teng Xi and the others who had slipped away during the chaos. Before leaving, everyone had taken turns holding the newborn. As it turned out, she was only quiet in Teng Xi’s arms, silently sucking her thumb in an adorable fashion.

Feng Sisi was resentful but had no grounds to argue, so she quickened her pace.

Behind the library was a river that cut through the hospital. Only the bridge provided passage to their destination—Section A of the Red House Mental Hospital.

Beneath the bridge was a horde of zombies taking shelter from the rain. The sight was enough to make one’s skin crawl. They wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

The rain grew heavier, making the road exceptionally slippery and the mood irritable—especially for Xie Jinbing. Since leaving the library, her face had been dark. She ignored Teng Xi’s attempts to talk and ran ahead at high speed; the others were in danger of losing her if they weren’t careful.

“Dr. Xie, slow down!” Si Qinghan called out, helping Yao Zhi who had nearly slipped.

Instead of slowing, Xie Jinbing ran even faster.

The buildings of Section A were in sight. With only a hundred meters to go, Teng Xi wanted to call out to Xie Jinbing to discuss the safest entry point. She grabbed the wrist of the sprinting Xie Jinbing, only to be startled by a pair of crimson eyes.

“Sister Xie, you…” Teng Xi frowned. Moving closer, she could faintly smell the sweet scent of pheromones, though it was quickly washed away by the rain.

“Which way are we heading next?” Yao Zhi and the other two reached them, but the pair in front of her suddenly sprinted out several more meters.

“What’s wrong?”

Before Yao Zhi could finish her sentence, Xie Jinbing gripped Teng Xi’s wrist and charged straight through the main gates of Section A.

“Crap! Have they lost it?” Si Qinghan cursed under her breath. The three didn’t dare linger and followed them inside, only to find the pair had already vanished. They were immediately met by lunging zombies.

Teng Xi was led by Xie Jinbing through a series of twists and turns. Any zombie blocking the path was effortlessly swatted aside by Xie Jinbing with a single palm—it was a different kind of “unobstructed passage.”

“Boom—“

The door slammed shut behind them. Teng Xi unsheathed her Miaodao and cleanly dealt with two zombies in the room. An access card slipped from Xie Jinbing’s trembling hand. The remaining logic in her brain was screaming, but she still pinned Teng Xi against the door and pressed her body against her.

“Sister Xie…” Teng Xi swallowed hard. She was still holding her sword in a combat stance, her body too stiff to move. Ever since learning she was an Omega, every movement felt like sexual harassment.

Xie Jinbing breathed heavily against her ear, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on her, making Teng Xi’s cheeks burn.

“Why? The suppressants didn’t work, and your eyes…” That beautiful peach-blossom gaze was now clouded with a faint black mist, rippling around her pupils like water. They looked exactly like the eyes of the pregnant woman.

Teng Xi could clearly feel the body in her arms trembling. A deepening scent of sweet orange radiated from the nape of her neck, attracting Teng Xi—and the zombies outside.

“Sister Xie… wait a moment…”

Teng Xi spoke with difficulty, pinning the head that was nuzzling into her neck.

“Xi Xi…” Xie Jinbing looked up blankly, her hot, moist breath fanning across Teng Xi’s ear. Her gaze remained fixed on Teng Xi’s lips, touching them sporadically in a way that made Teng Xi’s skin crawl with itchiness.

They were so close they could clearly smell each other. Floating in this lingering, intimate atmosphere, the world around them seemed to become distant and unreal. All she could feel was the body heat of the person in front of her and that sticky, thread-like affection.

“Nnh… not here…” Teng Xi’s voice was hoarse. She forced herself out of the muddy pit of ambiguity. The zombies were pounding on the door behind her, the vibrations making her back go numb.

At least not here. It was too dangerous.

Teng Xi struggled to retain her last sliver of reason, quickly scanning the room. Truthfully, she didn’t even know where Xie Jinbing had dragged her; they had stumbled through so many turns.

This was the outer ring of a high-containment laboratory. Through an air shower corridor nearby, they could enter the inner ring. The outer ring provided complex support systems—ventilation, filtration, and waste treatment—offering total life support for the inner ring. This was why Xie Jinbing had come here.

After assessing the situation, Teng Xi bent down to pick up the dropped access card. She just didn’t know if Sister Xie’s clearance level was high enough for the inner ring.

After whispering a few soothing words to Xie Jinbing, Teng Xi stepped toward the inner ring’s access system, only to have her hem tugged.

“Xi Xi…”

Teng Xi looked back, and her mind suddenly exploded.

Xie Jinbing was crying! Tears like priceless pearls fell continuously from the corners of her eyes. Her eyes were red, and her small face was full of grievance. Especially as she murmured those two words, she looked like a pathetic little rabbit.

Teng Xi was certain that if Xie Jinbing asked her to jump into a swarm of zombies right now, she would do it without hesitation.

Beauty is a snare, beauty is a snare, Teng Xi cursed herself inwardly.

Seeing Xie Jinbing about to cling to her again, Teng Xi simply scooped her up in a princess carry and walked toward the access point.

The system used card swiping and iris identification. Teng Xi had to coax her gently several times before Xie Jinbing would look into the lens.

“Identification passed. Please note: You have entered Red House Laboratory No. 003. Please strictly follow…”

The mechanical voice and the whirring of the air shower helped Teng Xi regain some logic. Looking at the person in her arms, whose skin was visibly flushing red, she noticed something odd: the pheromones that should have been released uncontrollably during heat weren’t that thick, and the black mist in her eyes was flickering. None of this was normal.

She had to be fully prepared. Not only did the suppressant she gave Xie Jinbing fail, but the temporary mark she had provided this morning had faded in such a short time. There was only one way left, but did she really have to do it? Teng Xi narrowed her eyes; all of this was beyond her understanding.

The air shower ended, and the door opened. Inside, the equipment was neatly arranged; there were even computers beeping as they processed data. This extreme normalcy felt strangely eerie.

Teng Xi gently placed her on a padded stool. Her movements were incredibly tender, but the moment her hands left, Xie Jinbing clung to her again. Her grey-skinned arms were terrifyingly hot, wrapping around Teng Xi’s neck like a boneless snake. She writhed restlessly, attempting to alleviate her discomfort by soaking up the tiny bit of Alpha pheromones Teng Xi was leaking.

Teng Xi’s throat felt dry. As Xie Jinbing’s lips brushed hers again, she held her head firmly. Xie Jinbing was forced to arch her back, her head tilting back from the forceful kiss. One of Teng Xi’s hands protected the back of her head, pinning her against the edge of the table, while the other gripped her slender waist to prevent her from falling.

After a long time, the kiss ended. The pheromones inside Xie Jinbing were temporarily soothed, and she looked dazed.

“Be good. Wait for me here for a moment.” Teng Xi kissed her forehead gently.

There was a warehouse in the outer ring of the laboratory. It contained not only experimental tools but also various types of food, making one wonder about the actual purpose of this lab.

Teng Xi spent half an hour moving all the supplies to the inner ring. It took some effort to operate the computer to turn on the ventilation and filtration systems. Finally, she reinforced the door, ensuring they could stay inside for half a month without issue.

As she moved in the final crate of drinking water, Teng Xi stood nervously in the air shower corridor. The whirring sound disturbed her messy thoughts; she nervously toyed with her trench coat.

She both looked forward to seeing the person inside and feared what would happen next. What if she regretted it after waking up? What if she only needed a way to ease her physical pain? After all, they had known each other for less than a month.

Teng Xi bit her lower lip. For the first time, she felt time passing so slowly. The thoughts in her mind had expanded several times over, giving her a headache.

The air shower system finally finished. The door opened to reveal the person standing quietly in front of it.

“Sister Xie…”

Before Teng Xi could finish, she was yanked inside by Xie Jinbing. The cardboard box she was holding hit the floor with a loud crash. Mineral water bottles scattered and rolled everywhere, just like her reason.

The door behind them closed slowly. Teng Xi was shoved hard against the door, her back erupting in pain.

“Sister Xie, you…”

Xie Jinbing gave her no chance to speak. She tilted her head up to get close; their breaths intertwined, stained with intimacy and ambiguity. Her voice was hoarse:

“Xi Xi, I am your girlfriend… why do you want to forget me…”