Transmigrated as the Villainous Love Rival of the Abusive Novel's Heroine [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Leaving Zhe Yu and the children hidden deep within the dense forest, Yun Qianxue crept out alone to observe.

Off-road vehicles kicked up sand and dust at the foot of the mountain, and over forty men jumped out, shouting. Leading them was a one-eyed man in his forties. At the sight of him, Yun Qianxue’s pupils constricted sharply.

Back when she was on the experimental table, she saw this man every month delivering equipment marked with the Kanya logo to the laboratory.

“Enemies on a narrow road,” Yun Qianxue murmured to herself. She truly hadn’t expected to encounter them so early in this life.

“Search! They can’t have run far!” The one-eyed man ordered his brothers to sweep the mountain. He smashed the windows of the two empty cars, carefully inspecting the contents.

Their Young Mistress had given a death order: they must capture Yun Qianxue and retrieve the peach blossom wood hairpin she carried.

Yun Qianxue watched as those men began their search with extreme speed; they were clearly professionally trained. Furthermore, they were well-equipped. If they couldn’t outrun them, there would be only one path left: death.

Yun Qianxue carefully withdrew from her vantage point and ran swiftly back to where Zhe Yu and the others were hiding.

Meanwhile, Qi Ming, who was waiting obediently at the hiding spot, suddenly reached out to his sister. “An An, candy. Give it to Brother.”

An An didn’t know why, but she knew her brother was right. She could feel it. Qi Ming took the four pieces of candy An An handed over, placed them in his backpack, and pressed them down firmly with clothes.

He had seen it: a bearded man picked up a piece of candy An An had dropped and used it to find them. His mother’s neck was cut, and An An was thrown off a cliff. Sister Ah-Xue killed many people, but was shot while trying to protect him and An An. Later, he saw the sky filled with thunder and fire amidst a pool of blood.

Sister Shaoqing destroyed everything. Many, many people died in the fire, followed by a severe cold… the boundless ice and snow buried the God-Abandoned Era.

Blood flowed from Qi Ming’s eyes, and he couldn’t stop it from gushing from his nose and mouth as well.

“Qi Ming! Stop looking! Stop now!” Zhe Yu held her son in panic, placing a large handful of crystal cores in his arms. Those transparent cores turned to powder the moment they touched Qi Ming. The speed of his bleeding gradually slowed until it stopped. However, his eyes became hollow, and he was unable to see for the time being.

The moment Yun Qianxue stepped into the hiding spot, the pungent smell of blood made her heart skip a beat. She instinctively drew her miao dao.

“We’re fine, it’s Qi Ming…” Zhe Yu said, cradling the child and stroking his pale face with heartache. Before the apocalypse, Qi Ming could see things, especially right before death, when the visions became more detailed. But the price was high. If it weren’t for the replenishment from zombie cores, he might have died already.

“Cover the bloodstains first. We’re going to play a game of guerrilla warfare.” Deftly concealing the traces of their presence, Yun Qianxue intentionally tried to ease the tense atmosphere.

“Ah-Xue, why are they trying to catch us?” Zhe Yu panted, sweating profusely as she ran with Qi Ming on her back and An An in her arms. They clearly hadn’t offended anyone, nor had they exposed their supplies. Why were they being targeted?

Carrying three backpacks, Yun Qianxue wiped her sweat and didn’t stop for a second. Her gaze was sharp. “I’ve dragged you into this. These people are almost certainly after me.”

“?” Though she didn’t know the reason, Zhe Yu said displeasedly, “Don’t say such things. There’s no such thing as ‘dragging us into it.’ If it weren’t for you and Xiao Yin, the three of us would have been dead long ago.”

How could they blame this girl? She wasn’t the type to bite the hand that fed her.

“Watch out!” The lush vegetation hid danger. Zhe Yu, her vision blocked by shrubs, nearly stepped into empty air and fell off a cliff.

Without scouting tools or a detailed map, and being unfamiliar with the mountain, they had accidentally walked into a dead end. The cliff dropped straight down hundreds of meters into a river. This cliff face was very long and far from the opposite side; taking a detour was impossible. If they turned back now, they would likely run right into their pursuers.

“Sister, An An can help.” The usually quiet and small An An reached out a soft hand and gently tugged at Yun Qianxue’s clothes.

Yun Qianxue lowered her head and stroked An An’s hair, asking softly, “An An, is there a way?”

An An, enjoying the touch, nuzzled Yun Qianxue’s palm and raised her hand. Her bright eyes squinted as a pale gold spherical protective shield appeared around them.

“Mama, An An needs the sparkly stones.” An An gently kissed Zhe Yu’s cheek. She wiped the sweat from her mother’s forehead, her sensible behavior making one’s heart soften.

Zhe Yu’s throat was dry. She forced a smile and kissed An An’s forehead with heartache. She placed all the remaining cores into An An’s arms and warned uneasily, “If you can’t hold it, don’t force yourself.”

“An An knows,” the six-year-old girl smiled softly. “An An is very obedient.”

Yun Qianxue had a bad feeling about this. “An An, are you asking us to jump from here?” she asked, looking into the child’s clear eyes.

An An didn’t lie; she nodded obediently. “Yes, jump. An An will protect everyone!”

Listen to how well-behaved and sensible she was. But, “We can’t do that, An An.” Yun Qianxue gently pinched An An’s cheek. Even with a shield, the impact of the fall would be immense and would likely be entirely reflected onto An An. That force would cause her body to collapse completely.

“Trust me, we haven’t reached the point where An An needs to take such a risk.” Yun Qianxue put down her backpack and took out a coil of long rope.

The rope was long enough to reach the other side. She could tie it to an arrow and shoot it across. However, she couldn’t secure it that way. She tied one end of the rope to a tree and, stripping down to the essentials, walked to the edge of the cliff. She took a deep breath, preparing to climb down manually.

Zhe Yu panicked. She set the two children down and grabbed Yun Qianxue. “No! It’s too dangerous! You can’t go!”

“Calm down.” Yun Qianxue patted the hand that was gripping her so hard it hurt. Her round apricot eyes were unnervingly calm. “I don’t want to die; I have a promise I haven’t fulfilled yet.” So she had to go down; she had to find a way to live. As long as she could hold out until Yin Shaoqing arrived, they would survive.

“I want to live more than anyone.” So she wouldn’t do anything she wasn’t sure of.

The calluses on her palms scraped painfully against the back of Zhe Yu’s hand. Ever since Zhe Yu took over the daily chores, Yun Qianxue had been training her body ruthlessly. She couldn’t put all her bets in one place; though she trusted Yin Shaoqing, the unexpected always happens.

And look, here it was. Her foresight had saved her many times, and this time was no exception.

The moment she actually stepped off the cliff, Yun Qianxue’s legs shook, and her heart hung in her throat. Her hands and feet were cold, and her head buzzed. To say she wasn’t afraid would be a lie, but there was no retreat. She exhaled, took a deep breath, and gritted her teeth as she slowly climbed down.

The cliff was steep, but fortunately, there were footholds. Though Yun Qianxue’s foot slipped on loose rocks several times, she was agile enough to catch other spots. However, bloody scratches appeared on her hands, waist, legs, and even her face. Especially her palms; the raw skin had to grip the jagged rocks firmly. Small pebbles embedded themselves in the wounds, bringing heart-piercing pain.

She gritted her teeth and let the sweat fall into her eyes, making them sting with salt, but she didn’t dare stop. Her arms began to ache and turn numb; if she stopped, her hands would shake until she lost her grip. She didn’t want to die.

As she descended further, Zhe Yu could no longer see her. She could only pray with worry and anxiety. Qi Ming had fallen into a deep sleep, and An An held her mother’s finger to comfort her. Zhe Yu had never hoped for Yin Shaoqing’s arrival more fervently. Sooner, faster… arrive like a deity descending…

Yun Qianxue didn’t believe in gods; she believed in her own judgment. Yin Shaoqing had only just left; she wouldn’t be back until nightfall at the earliest. Thus, she wouldn’t waste time or opportunity on useless prayers. She preferred to take action and grip her fate with her own two hands. Rectifying errors, turning the tide.

The way down was difficult, but the way up would be much easier. Fortunately, the river below was only knee-deep, and two-thirds of the cliff on the opposite side was a gentle slope. It was no wonder she had such strength; she had modified her bow to nearly 200 pounds, with a range of over 300 meters, just enough to get the rope to the other side. That slope increased the distance between the two banks.

As for her bow… in her previous life, no one but her could draw the bows she modified. Along with the increased range, she was thankful for her excellent eyesight—otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to see prey three hundred meters away. Her “monstrous strength” was also a weapon that allowed her to survive the apocalypse.

Climbing up with great difficulty, Yun Qianxue’s hands were shaking uncontrollably. She forced herself to tie the rope firmly to a tree and waved to Zhe Yu on the other side. Good, there was still time.

Seeing that Yun Qianxue was safe, Zhe Yu breathed a sigh of relief. She took out another coil of rope and tied the children and backpacks to herself. Using a simple carabiner on the guide rope, she slid across. Of course, she had to pull herself along by hand for the second half. The children and luggage were too heavy, causing the rope to sag into a deep arc.

Yun Qianxue cut the rope on her end, letting it drop to the other side. Even if those men climbed down using that rope, she doubted they would dare descend the final hundred-meter gap where the rope didn’t reach. By the time they climbed over, the four of them would already be hidden.

“Ah-Xue… whew… we didn’t leave… didn’t leave a mark… pant pant… can Shaoqing find us?” Zhe Yu asked, dizzy with exhaustion as she followed the lead of the person in front.

The dense forest was stiflingly hot. Yun Qianxue wiped her sweat, the wound on her face beginning to throb again. She let out a long breath and said firmly, “No need. She can find us.”

On their journey, there were many times they should have drifted apart. But that woman seemed to have a little radar specifically for detecting Yun Qianxue’s position; she would always find her at the first opportunity.

Naturally—because unknown to her, the fat cat was broadcasting her every move in real-time.

“The mantises have surrounded the cicada on the mountain. The cicada is hidden well; Host, you can take your time catching up.” The fat cat hid inside Yin Shaoqing’s hoodie, its fur ruffled by the wind. Its host truly had wind beneath her feet; her wind-attribute ability accelerated her running speed. After it warned her that the female lead was in danger, the host had been rushing back frantically.

She hadn’t shown a smile the entire way. Especially after seeing the two smashed-up cars, she looked as if possessed by a vengeful ghost. The oriole following behind had turned into a falcon, spreading its wings to pierce the clouds amidst the gale, spiraling down with the sound of thunder.

In the gloom of the sun-obscuring clouds, those hunters would eventually become her prey. Especially after they hunted someone they shouldn’t have touched…

Support