《I Conquered the Villain Boss After Transmigrating Into a Novel》


 CH 1

    Chapter 1 Transmigrated into a Novel


    The icy lake water rushed forth from all directions and poured into Jiang Ran¡¯s mouth and nose uncontrollably, waking her up from an exhausted sleep.


    Jiang Ran didn''t understand what she was going through, and her body instinctively began to struggle.


    However, the tattered cotton padded jacket on her body was weighed down by the lake water, causing her to sink to the bottom of the water.


    What happened? Shouldn''t I be in the dormitory? Could someone have thrown me into the artificial lake behind the dormitory while I was asleep?


    Won¡¯t I die? At this rate, I¡¯ll definitely die!


    The girl tried her best to hold her breath. She pulled off the restraints on her body in a panic, and tried to swim to the surface of the water with her last strength.


    The lake above Jiang Ran¡¯s head was dark like a thick curtain, and no light could be seen. After depleting the last of her strength, she still could not reach the water surface to get fresh air. Jiang Ran¡¯s strength finally gave out. She exhaled the last breath, and sank to the bottom of the water.


    There was a soft splash, and a white shadow swam towards her. At the last moment before she lost unconsciousness, a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.


    "Cough, cough!" The cold air rushed into Jiang Ran¡¯s lungs. She subconsciously raised her hand to cover her mouth, coughing up tears.


    "You''re awake." A voice beside Jiang Ran said coldly, "I thought you were dead."


    Jiang Ran opened her eyes in a daze. She saw a small wooden hut that was ventilated on all sides, and she was lying on a wooden board without any bedding. A girl with a high ponytail stood at the door a few steps away.


    The girl had delicate eyebrows and eyes, but the disgust in her eyes was blatant, making her look a little mean.


    ¡°You...¡± Jiang Ran struggled to sit up. "Who are you? "


    Wasn''t I supposed to be looking for information in the dormitory to prepare for the debate tomorrow? What is the situation now? Why would I appear in such a place? Also, I¡¯m wet and dripping with water. Wasn¡¯t it a dream that I fell into the water just now?


    "You actually asked who I am?" The girl covered her mouth and giggled as if she had heard some hilarious joke. "Jiang Ranran, did you lose your mind after falling into the water?"


    The ominous feeling became stronger. Jiang Ran asked hoarsely, "What did you call me?"


    "You, Jiang Ranran!" The girl pointed at Jiang Ran with a finger, and then at herself. "I¡¯m Yi Xi. Have you really forgotten?¡±


    Jiang Ran, "..." Wait, did I hear it correctly? Who did this girl say I am? Jiang Ranran? What did this girl call herself? Yi Xi?


    Jiang Ran lay back on the wooden board again, raised her hand to cover her eyes and muttered, "I must have become too obsessed with reading novels. Wake up now, wake up now! Yes, this must be a dream. It¡¯ll be fine once I wake up..."


    Yi Xi didn''t hear what Jiang Ran was muttering about. Yi Xi tucked her stray hair behind her ear and said impatiently, "Since you''re awake, I''m going back to report to Captain Xie and Captain Luo."


    After taking two steps, Yi Xi looked back at the girl lying motionless on the wooden board. She hesitated for a moment before she said, "Jiang Ranran, don¡¯t mind me for reminding you. Xie Chengzhi has already chosen Luo Rui. No matter how much you do for him, you¡¯re just a clown in his eyes. Stop wasting your efforts."


    The girl''s tone was sarcastic. Jiang Ran obviously knew nothing about Xie Chengzhi, but she still felt a dull pain in her heart.


    Jiang Ran placed her hand over her chest and sat up slowly. Xie Chengzhi? Oh, he was the hero of the original novel. At the thought of this, Jiang Ran couldn''t help but complain inwardly. It''s bad enough to have transmigrated into a novel, but why must I become one of the numerous female supporting characters who is not even the main female supporting character?


    The original character, Jiang Ranran, was a sophomore in Shenmu City. Because of her outstanding looks, she got noticed by the hero, Xie Chengzhi, and became his girlfriend. Subsequently, the disaster broke out, and Xie Chengzhi fled with Jiang Ranran. Jiang Ranran''s family was wealthy, and she had been living a pampered life since she was a child. She could not take care of her daily life while they were fleeing. Although she tried her best to help, it always backfired, and she became a hindrance.


    Just when Xie Chengzhi was about to give up on Jiang Ranran, he met the heroine, Luo Rui.


    As a superhuman with wood-type abilities, Luo Rui was gentle, kind, virtuous, generous, strong, and brave... In short, Xie Chengzhi soon fell deeply in love with Luo Rui, and completely cast Jiang Ranran aside.


    As an ordinary person, Jiang Ranran, who had no right to speak, did not dare to say anything about her boyfriend''s betrayal. She risked her life to save Luo Rui several times so that she could follow Xie Chengzhi.


    Jiang Ran remembered that Jiang Ranran fell into the water this time because she was helping Luo Rui to lure a group of zombies away. Fortunately, Xie Chengzhi rescued Jiang Ranran, or she would be dead now.


    At the thought of this, Jiang Ran sighed softly. Jiang Ranran might have saved Luo Rui out of selfishness, but in any case, she had saved Luo Rui several times. However, on the way to the Xiling Base, Luo Rui didn''t speak up for Jiang Ranran when the villain boss took a fancy to Jiang Ranran and took her away by force.


    All of Jiang Ranran''s scenes ended here. It was only briefly mentioned at the end of the novel that after Luo Rui killed the villain boss, ¡°the crazy girl raised by him committed suicide" to tell readers Jiang Ranran''s ending.


    Jiang Ranran committed suicide in the end... and went crazy at the villain¡¯s side... Jiang Ran sighed again. Why must she transmigrate into an apocalypse novel? She had read so many Mary Sue novels! Didn''t she deserve to experience a wonderful life with all kinds of good-looking men? How horrible!


    "Ranran!" When Jiang Ran was complaining, sounds of a girl''s footsteps approaching quickly were heard. The person opened the door and stared at Jiang Ran with big eyes. "Ranran, it''s great that you¡¯re fine!"


    Luo Rui... a name automatically popped up in Jiang Ran¡¯s mind. Jiang Ran silently sized up Luo Rui who was crying so hard.


    "Ranran, thank you for saving me." Luo Rui squatted in front of Jiang Ran, reaching out to hold her hand. However, she withdrew her hand calmly after seeing Jiang Ran¡¯s pale complexion, and continued to wipe her tears. "I told Chengzhi that if you died, I¡¯d definitely die of guilt."


    "Luo Rui." Ignoring the girl''s tears and apology, Jiang Ran hugged her arms tightly and said in a low voice, "I''m cold. Are there any clothes that I can change into?"


    Since Jiang Ran fell into the water, no one had changed her wet clothes for her. It was totally pure luck that she didn''t freeze to death.


    "Well..." Luo Rui said earnestly with reddened eyes, "Ranran, you too know the rules of our team. You have no contribution value now, so our team can''t provide you with extra clothes."


    Luo Rui said it matter-of-factly. The corners of Jiang Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. Jiang Ran stared at the heroine and didn''t respond immediately.


    So, even though Jiang Ranran lured a group of zombies away so that Luo Rui could lead the team here safely, it wasn¡¯t considered a contribution? How interesting.


    "But Luo Rui, the team could evacuate because I lured the group of zombies away. Isn''t that considered a contribution?" Jiang Ran asked slowly in a flat tone, "Then what kind of action is considered a contribution to the team?"


    "Lured the group of zombies away?" Luo Rui showed a hesitant expression. "Everyone thought that you got lost and fell into the lake..."


    "Lost?" Jiang Ran raised her eyebrows, "Luo Rui, I fell into the lake because I was lost¡ª¡ªyou told those people that?" Only Luo Rui knew the reason why she fell into the lake. What a pity.

 CH 2

    Chapter 2: You deserve to be slapped


    Luo Rui¡¯s instincts told her that Jiang Ran''s attitude today was different from before. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Jiang Ran for a moment, then smiled and stood up. "I said that."


    Luo Rui admitted her despicable behaviour outrightly.


    "Jiang Ranran, Chengzhi has already broken up with you, don''t you understand? Even if you continue to pester us and follow us, Chengzhi will not continue to like you." The girl¡¯s expression was cold and arrogant. She looked condescendingly at Jiang Ran. "Do you think that you can win everyone''s favour and gain everyone¡¯s acceptance by luring the group of zombies away for the team? Don''t waste your efforts."


    Unaccustomed to this angle of looking up, Jiang Ran struggled to get up, without any intention of yielding. "Just because of this, you want Jiang Ranran to die?"


    This was how it was written in the novel ¨C Luo Rui had to resort to some unscrupulous means to get rid of Jiang Ranran, who was a hindrance.


    Unscrupulous? What a joke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die. I merely don¡¯t want you to pester Chengzhi anymore.¡±


    "Since you have so much confidence in your Chengzhi, why did you use such underhanded means to set me up?" Jiang Ran sneered. "He¡¯s just a jerk. Do you think I''d care about him?!"


    She would meet a tragic ending if she followed this team. Since that was the case, it would be better to have a falling-out now and go their own way in the future.


    "Jiang Ranran, have you lost your mind after you hit your head?" When Luo Rui heard the girl''s agitated words, she frowned and looked at the girl. "Aren''t you the one who has been pestering us shamelessly..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, there were footsteps approaching again. Luo Rui''s disgusted expression instantly disappeared and was replaced by concern. "Ranran, I know you¡¯re blaming me for not saving you in time, but I also have my own responsibility as the captain. I can''t..."


    "Luo Rui, Xie Chengzhi is here." Interrupting the girl''s drama, Jiang Ran raised her eyebrows and smiled. "I''ll help you make it more convincing. How about it?"


    Luo Rui was puzzled. "What?"


    Before she could react, Jiang Ran shook her hand unceremoniously, and slapped Luo Rui hard on her cheek.


    A crisp sound of smack was heard. The impact of the slap sent Luo Rui falling to the ground after staggering two steps.


    "This is to pay you back for scheming against me." Without Jiang Ranran, the entire team would have become the zombies¡¯ meal. Compared with their lives, a mere slap was an insignificant payback.


    Jiang Ran¡¯s slap was forceful. Luo Rui covered her face, her ears were buzzing, and the smell of blood spread in her mouth.


    She slowly raised her eyes, looked at Jiang Ran, and enunciated each word, "Jiang! Ran! Ran!" This wretched woman! It was bad enough that she pestered my boyfriend, but how dared she beat me?


    Jiang Ran showed no fear as she met the girl''s furious eyes. It was because she knew very well that Luo Rui would swallow all her anger the moment the guy stepped into this small shabby hut.


    Sure enough, the door of the wooden hut was pushed open again, and the guy leaned forward and said, "Ruirui, dinner is already... Ruirui?!"


    The handsome guy had an ugly expression on his face. He rushed to Luo Rui''s side and helped her up: "Ruirui, you¡¯re..."


    "I slapped her." Before Luo Rui could complain, Jiang Ran spoke first. "With this hand." She shook her wrist, "Xie Chengzhi, you''d better take your little girlfriend back to have some medicine applied, lest she become disfigured."


    "Jiang Ranran!" When the guy heard her justified tone, his handsome face turned ugly. He asked angrily, "Why did you slap Ruirui?!"


    ¡°Forget it, Chengzhi. It¡¯s my fault...¡±


    "You heard it. She said it was her fault." Jiang Ran interrupted Luo Rui before she could speak about her grievances. Jiang Ran shrugged. "Look, the person who was slapped is fine about it, so why are you being so fierce?"


    Luo Rui, ¡°...?¡±


    Xie Chengzhi: "...??" The anger in the guy''s eyes was replaced by doubt. He frowned and looked at Jiang Ranran, hesitating. Was this girl in front of him Jiang Ranran? Why did she feel... kind of different?


    "If there¡¯s nothing else, can you please go out?" Jiang Ran said, "Oh, it¡¯d be even better if you could give me a change of clothes."


    "Dream on!" A hindrance like her wants supplies after slapping someone? Fat hope!


    Xie Chengzhi left the wooden hut angrily with his lover in his arms. After they returned to the living room, they met their teammate, Zhou Jian, who was leaving the kitchen. The young girl exclaimed when she saw Luo Rui¡¯s face, "Ruirui, your face..."


    "Xiaozhou, please help me get some ointment."


    ¡­¡­


    Back in the room, Luo Rui covered her face and sobbed with reddened eyes. "Chengzhi, will I be disfigured?¡± She sobbed, ¡°I just wanted to see if Ranran was better. I didn''t expect her to be so hostile to me..."


    "Stop crying." Feeling sad for his girlfriend, Xie Chengzhi gently embraced her and said in a low voice, "The wound on your face will be fine once the medicine is applied. Don''t worry."


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. When have I ever lied to you?¡±


    When the two of them were being lovey-dovey, Zhou Jian came upstairs with the ointment. "Captain Xie, Gu Yunqing is looking for you. It seems to be about the arrangements for the night shift..."


    "I''ll go downstairs right away." When he passed by Zhou Jian, he instructed, "Take good care of Ruirui."


    As the captain of this team, Xie Chengzhi tried to maintain the imposing manner of a captain in the cooperation with other teams.


    ¡°I got it!¡±


    After sending Xie Chengzhi away, Zhou Jian applied the medicine for Luo Rui. "Ruirui, didn''t you go and see Jiang Ranran? The wound on your face..."


    "Ranran slapped me." Luo Rui sighed and said helplessly, "It¡¯s my fault for snatching Chengzhi away. She should hate me."


    "She slapped you?" Being close with Luo Rui, Zhou Jian felt angry for her friend. "You¡¯ve been protecting her along the way, yet she slapped you just because of Xie Chengzhi? Besides, she and he aren¡¯t married. It¡¯s her fault for being unable to salvage her relationship with her boyfriend. That woman is really pushing her luck!¡±


    "That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m sure Ranran didn''t do it on purpose." Luo Rui comforted her friend. "Besides, she got lost today, and I didn''t go to rescue her. She..."


    "She wandered and got lost. What does it have to do with us?" Zhou Jian muttered. "It would¡¯ve been good if she really died. Yet, someone had to be meddlesome and saved her..."


    Luo Rui appeared more helpless. "Zhouzhou, you can say this in front of me, but don''t let other people hear it, okay?"


    "I know." Zhou Jian smiled. "Do you know who gave me the ointment?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    "Captain Gu!" Zhou Jian said with a laugh, "As soon as he heard that you were injured, Captain Gu asked his teammate to bring me the ointment. Do you think he¡¯s interested in you..."


    "Don''t talk nonsense." Luo Rui patted her friend''s arm. "Chengzhi will be angry if he hears about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll say no more...¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After Xie Chengzhi and Luo Rui left, Jiang Ran walked around the shabby wooden hut, opened the door, and went outside.


    The place where they settled down was a three-storey private residence, and the small hut where she was in was a storeroom behind the yard for storing sundries.


    The moment the door was opened, the cold wind of early winter rushed in, and the wet clothes clung to Jiang Ran¡¯s body. Jiang Ran shivered and forced herself to leave the shabby hut.


    If memory served her right, the juncture when Jiang Ranran fell into the water happened to be when their team met the villain boss¡¯ team ¨C it was at this point in the novel that the villain boss had his eyes on Jiang Ranran, and her life became more tragic.

 CH 3

    Chapter 3: Or I¡¯ll Kill You


    The small storeroom was some distance away from the backyard. As soon as Jiang Ran stepped out of the wooden hut, she saw a figure staggering towards this direction from not far away.


    The night was foggy, and she couldn''t see very clearly. Hence, she contemplated taking two steps closer to say hello.


    However, her body seemed to react before her brain did, and when she became conscious of what she was doing, she had already run to the backyard door.


    That thing... Jiang Ran could not help but look at the slow-moving and staggering figure again. Her heart skipped a beat. It was a zombie!


    That zombie seemed to have caught a whiff of the fresh flesh and blood in the air. It turned its head and finally looked in Jiang Ran''s direction.


    Jiang Ran was instantly alarmed and pushed hard at the closed back door.


    It didn¡¯t budge.


    They locked the back door?!


    After two hard slams, the back door made a heavy creaking sound, but it remained shut.


    "Darned it, these people are really..." There was an injured person in the storeroom, and yet they locked the back door without thinking about that? Jiang Ran sneered angrily. As expected, those people all wished that Jiang Ranran would die soon... Since they all wished that to happen, all the more reason that she couldn¡¯t let them get their way.


    The zombie approached step by step.


    Jiang Ran took two steps back and sized up the structure of the yard and the small mansion ¡ª the outer wall was not too high, and two classical windows were built on the wall as decorations. If she climbed from the window to the wall, how would she get off?


    Or... Her gaze fell on the balcony that was connected to the wall, and she made a decision.


    Since she couldn¡¯t go down, she would climb straight to the second floor. Just now, Xie Chengzhi said that dinner was ready. Everyone must be eating on the first floor now.


    While no one was around, she could find a few changes of clothes.


    Upon making up her mind, Jiang Ran decisively climbed up to the window and tried her best to climb to the top of the wall.


    The moment she hung on the wall, the zombie walked to the corner of the wall and reached out to grab her feet.


    "Argh..." Jiang Ran kicked off the shoes which the zombie was clutching, and huddled against the wall. As she watched the hideous corpse move slowly at the corner of the wall, her blood ran cold.


    What a close shave. She almost died.


    If Jiang Ranran hadn''t woken up and left the small shabby hut, she would have been trapped in the hut and bitten to death by this zombie that caught a whiff of flesh...


    As Jiang Ran looked at the persistent zombie wandering around in the corner, she picked up a tile and threw it at the zombie¡¯s head.


    A thud sound was heard. There was a hole in the zombie''s head, but the zombie was still standing.


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    Jiang Ran leaned against the wall and carefully moved towards the balcony on the second floor.


    Her body gradually became numb, and the cold wind seemed to crack the skin on her cheeks. Jiang Ran gritted her teeth and moved her stiff hands and feet. After what seemed like forever, she finally reached the balcony of the room on the second floor.


    She climbed on all fours into the balcony.


    Before she could heave a sigh of relief, the glass door connecting the balcony to the room was pulled open, and a tall and straight figure appeared in sight.


    The young man was wearing a white turtleneck sweater, paired with smoky grey trousers and a long woollen coat, giving him a clean and neat appearance.


    His light brown eyes were clear and bright, reflecting her sorry state.


    When he saw her, he opened his eyes slightly wide, revealing a puzzled expression.


    ¡°You...¡±


    "Professor Si, Professor Si, are you there?" At the same time the man spoke, there were knocks on the door of the room, and Jiang Ran heard Luo Rui''s voice coming from outside the door. "Professor Si, Captain Gu asked me to come up and tell you that dinner is ready."


    For some unknown reason, Jiang Ran suddenly got up and pounced on the young man, knocking him to the ground under his stunned gaze.


    She pressed down on him, covered his mouth tightly and threatened in a low voice, "Don''t move! Don''t tell her I''m here! Or I''ll kill you!"


    Luo Rui continued to knock on the door. "Professor Si, Professor Si, are you there? Professor Si?" The girl turned the doorknob twice before giving up. "Could he have gone out..."


    The sounds of footsteps faded, and while Jiang Ran heaved a sigh of relief, she looked down at the person whom she had pinned to the ground.


    The young man maintained the posture of being pressed down by her and blinked innocently.


    And then...


    Not knowing whether it was intentional or not, he licked her palm.


    As if being scalded, Jiang Ran suddenly withdrew her hand and crawled away from him on all fours.


    "I-I''m sorry!" She clasped her hands, lowered her head, and apologized, "I''m not a bad person. I''m a member of Luo Rui''s team, but I had a fight with them just now, so I don''t want her to know that I''m here. "


    "Oh." The young man sat up slowly, and his pair of light brown eyes rested on Jiang Ran without blinking.


    He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, but remained quiet.


    Noticing his small movement, the palm he had licked felt hot again. Jiang Ran was on the verge of tears. "I didn''t pounce on you on purpose. I just-just..."


    Halfway through her speech, she suddenly remembered how Luo Rui addressed him just now.


    Jiang Ran, "..." What did Luo Rui call him? Professor Si? This man is...


    Her hair stood on end. Jiang Ran stared blankly at the man in front of her and murmured, "You-you¡¯re... Si Xu?"


    "Yeah." Without asking how she knew his name, the young man nodded and admitted, "I am."


    Jiang Ran, "..." Her body, which was numb from the cold, trembled uncontrollably, causing her to stutter, "Prof-Professor Si, I''m sorry. I really didn''t mean it! I''m sorry..." Please don¡¯t kill me.


    Good grief, had she known earlier that this was Si Xu¡¯s room, she wouldn''t have dared to climb in whatsoever.


    Jiang Ran was on the verge of tears.


    Was this the so-called fate? She had fallen out with Luo Rui and the others, but she still ended up in the big villain''s hands? She even pounced on him... and threatened him... She was courting death!


    "Yeah." His reply still sounded cold.


    Unable to tell his mood, Jiang Ran continued to apologize, "I''m sorry to have bothered you. I''ll leave right away..."


    She''d better get out of here quickly before this strongest fighter took any action.


    "Wait." The man who had been uttering only single-word answers suddenly spoke. When Jiang Ran heard his deep voice, it made her shiver uncontrollably.


    "Prof-Professor Si, I..." She¡¯s doomed. She¡¯s going to be killed.


    How unlucky of her to have somehow transmigrated to this wretched place and become one of the female supporting characters. She was ostracized by her teammates, chased by zombies, and now, she had offended the villain boss ¨C¨C She wished she could go home. Would she be able to go home after she died? If that was the case... Jiang Ran gave up explaining and said in a choked voice, "Professor Si, just kill me."


    Huh? She seems like she¡¯s going to cry? He hasn''t said anything yet... Si Xu stood up with a puzzled expression on his face. "Wait a minute."


    Jiang Ran, "..." Wait a minute? Does he have to wait before killing her?! This man is indeed a big villain!


    The young man left the room, but before Jiang Ran could heave a sigh of relief, he returned.


    He closed the door casually and put a bag of things on the bed. "Change into them."


    Jiang Ran said, "Huh?" The girl got up in a daze and walked to the bed in trepidation. She opened the bag ¡ª it was a full set of women''s winter clothes, from lingerie to down jacket, and from socks to scarf... Everything needed was available.


    Jiang Ran was dumbfounded. "... Professor Si?" What does he mean? Isn''t he the villain boss? Doesn¡¯t he have unpredictable moods? Didn''t he treat Jiang Ranran as a toy and drive her crazy... Could it be that Si Xu isn¡¯t the kind of person she thinks he is?


    "Your clothes are wet." After Si Xu finished speaking, he turned around and stopped looking at her.


    His intention was obvious. He wanted her to change her clothes.


    Jiang Ran took the clothes hesitantly. However, when she saw that the man had no intention of going out, she hid in a corner and began to change her clothes.


    Forget it, I¡¯ll change out of the wet clothes first. If he wants to kill me later, so be it!

 CH 4

    Chapter 4: Your Savior


    Si Xu...


    After murmuring this name again, Jiang Ran began to change her clothes with her stiff fingers.


    The final boss in the original novel was the head of the laboratory in Xiling Base, the only survivor of the first batch of experimental subjects, and the strongest fighter in the novel.


    The supreme commander of Xiling Base was Shen Lang of the Shen family, who was also Jiang Ranran''s grandfather. Because of Si Xu''s capriciousness, the Shen family had a long-standing grudge against him. And later, because Si Xu held Jiang Ranran against her will, Shen Lang finally found an excuse to attack Si Xu.


    In the siege that defeated Si Xu, Luo Rui played a vital role. After killing Si Xu, Luo Rui gained the approval of the Shen family by virtue of this achievement and became Shen Lang''s adopted daughter.


    As for Jiang Ranran, after Si Xu''s death, she didn''t wait for the Shen family to rescue her. She committed suicide ¨C¨C she had finally waited until the man who controlled her life died, and yet she chose to commit suicide...


    The more Jiang Ran thought about it, the more she felt that the girl''s behavior was weird. Maybe it was because the author wanted to pave the way for Luo Rui, so Jiang Ranran could only become cannon fodder?


    But no matter what the reason was, this villain boss seemed to be a little different from what she thought.


    The difficulty of moving her fingers made the whole process of changing clothes extremely difficult for Jiang Ran. The silence made her feel insecure. Jiang Ran whispered her gratitude, ¡°Well, Si Xu, thank you.¡±


    No matter what the reason was for this person to help her, she should be grateful for the favor. She still remembered this clearly.


    When Si Xu heard the girl''s words, he turned his head to look at her ¨C¨C she had just taken off her wet clothes and there was no trace of excess fat on her back. Her skin was fair and her curves were soft... Si Xu averted his gaze calmly and turned back to the front again.


    ¡°I fell into the water and my clothes were wet...¡± Because she had made no contribution to her team, she couldn¡¯t exchange for a fresh change of clothes.


    ¡°I know.¡± The corner of the young man''s mouth twitched slightly. ¡°I fished you out from the water.¡± After a pause, the man added, ¡°I was on the way.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He fished her out from the water? Wait, the white figure that she saw before she lost consciousness was Si Xu, not Xie Chengzhi?!


    Jiang Ran was completely stunned.


    So... this was what actually happened? It turned out that this was the truth!


    No one had ever told Jiang Ranran who saved her. That led Jiang Ranran to believe until the end that her savior was Xie Chengzhi, and she even misunderstood that Xie Chengzhi still loved her. Hence, she was determined to repay Xie Chengzhi for saving her life.


    Actually, that person wasn¡¯t Xie Chengzhi at all. It wasn¡¯t him at all.


    That made sense. Luo Rui was bent on getting rid of a huge hindrance like Jiang Ranran. How could she possibly let Xie Chengzhi know that Jiang Ranran had fallen into the water? Moreover, even if Xie Chengzhi knew, he might not rescue Jiang Ranran.


    It was Si Xu who saved Jiang Ranran ¨C¨C their affinity began right from the moment he jumped into the water and grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°You... saved me?¡±


    ¡°I was on the way.¡± Emphasizing on that again, Si Xu said, ¡°I saw that your team was in a hurry to escape and no one cared about you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Ran sniffed and whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The man accepted her gratitude as a matter of course. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Just as Jiang Ran was about to speak, the door of the room was pushed open. At the same time, a large men''s coat fell on her body, covering her body before she had time to get dressed.


    ¡°Luo Rui said you weren¡¯t in your room. You¡¯re...¡± The man¡¯s yelling came to an abrupt stop.


    Jiang Ran wrapped Si Xu''s coat tightly around her and she looked at the speaker.


    The man put his hand on the door to keep it open. His eyes were as round as copper bells, his mouth moved and he murmured in disbelief, ¡°Si Xu, you win. You¡¯ve hooked up with a beautiful young girl without anyone¡¯s knowledge...¡±


    When Si Xu heard his friend''s blunt words, he frowned and said coldly, ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The man snapped out of his thoughts, apologized twice and quickly left the room. ¡°I''m leaving. You guys carry on, carry on. Just pretend that I haven''t been here, hahaha.¡±


    Si Xu was no longer interested in conversing. He picked up the cigarette on the table. ¡°You change your clothes. I''ll go out and have a smoke.¡±


    Jiang Ran said, ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Outside the door, Gu Yunqing did not leave as expected. When he saw Si Xu come out, he immediately approached Si Xu with a smile on his face. ¡°Is she that girl?¡±


    Si Xu, with a cigarette in his mouth, asked vaguely, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is she the one whom you took the trouble to rescue?¡± Gu Yunqing tsked twice. ¡°This is the first time you¡¯ve cared about the fate of an insignificant person. Si Xu, have you taken a fancy to that girl?¡±


    Si Xu frowned. ¡°Taken a fancy?¡±


    ¡°Hey, let me tell you. You aren¡¯t young anymore. You should consider keeping a woman by your side.¡± Gu Yunqing said, ¡°I think that girl is quite young and she looks pretty. If you like her, you can keep her first.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Si Xu did not reject Gu Yunqing''s suggestion, but he did not agree either.


    ¡°Hey, let me tell you. Women are the most adorable creatures in the world ¡ªespecially when they whine. I assure you that they¡¯re more interesting than your work in the laboratory...¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Si Xu raised his eyebrows. ¡°...Well, it can be done, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Have you really taken a fancy to that girl? I remember that she seems to be from Luo Rui''s team. Just wait, I''ll settle it for you.¡±


    Gu Yunqing said, patted him on the shoulder again and went downstairs.


    After smoking a cigarette, Si Xu returned to the room. Jiang Ran had already changed her clothes and was standing by the bed with his coat in her arms. She was staring into space.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed your clothes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The young girl, who had changed into new clothes, revealed a satisfied smile and handed the coat back to him. ¡°Si Xu, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    Instead of saying, ¡°You''re welcome,¡± he said, ¡°I know.¡±


    It was the first time Jiang Ran heard someone respond to others'' gratitude like that. She found it interesting. ¡°Oh, by the way, my name is Jiang Ran. ¡®Jiang¡¯ as in the rivers, lakes and seas, and ¡®Ran¡¯ as in dyes.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m Si Xu.¡± Even though the girl had clearly called him by his name, he still introduced himself formally. ¡°I''m your savior.¡±


    Jiang Ran looked up at him, not understanding why he emphasized on that sentence.


    ¡°So, from now on, your life...¡± The man paused for a moment and said seriously, "belongs to me."


    Those words sounded like a vow between lovers, but Jiang Ran knew that he didn¡¯t say those words out of lust and passion, but out of instinctive possessiveness ¨C¨C Si Xu was an extremely possessive pervert. This was Jiang Ranran¡¯s evaluation of him in the novel.


    Certainly, Si Xu also said those words to Jiang Ranran. Jiang Ranran, who believed herself to be deeply in love with Xie Chengzhi, fell out with Si Xu on the spot...


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Ran, who had no objection to this, nodded and consciously accepted the man¡¯s sovereignty. ¡°This is what it should be. You saved me in the first place. My life will belong to you from now on.¡±


    If not for Si Xu, she would have died in the icy cold lake.


    At the thought of that, Jiang Ran couldn''t help but size Si Xu up secretly again.


    When she was reading the novel, she had a bad impression of the villain boss because the author focused on describing how Luo Rui had thought of Si Xu as someone who had unpredictable moods and killed innocent people... But now that Jiang Ran had real contact with Si Xu, she couldn''t help but begin to wonder if Luo Rui had poor judgment.


    He seemed to be a very gentle person.


    Si Xu was pleased with the girl''s answer. He smiled slightly, his light brown eyes reflecting her figure. ¡°If you break today''s promise, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Jiang Ranran, ¡°...¡±

 CH 5

    Chapter 5: It Should Be Considered My Contribution Value


    If you break today¡¯s promise, I¡¯ll kill you.


    Jiang Ran didn¡¯t doubt the truth of Si Xu''s words. She nodded stiffly. She was wrong. This villain boss was really terrifying...


    Satisfied with the girl''s reaction, Si Xu sized her up, put on his coat again and turned around. ¡°Dinner is ready. Let''s go downstairs.¡±


    Jiang Ran didn¡¯t move.


    It wasn¡¯t because she wasn¡¯t hungry. However, if she went downstairs now, she would encounter Luo Rui and Xie Chengzhi... That would be really awkward. Moreover, Luo Rui''s little sidekick would definitely make things difficult for her.


    She would rather be hungry than be at someone¡¯s mercy.


    ¡°Huh? What''s the matter?¡± Si Xu tilted his head to look at Jiang Ran questionably when he saw that she didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°I...¡± Jiang Ran hesitated. ¡°I won''t be going downstairs.¡±


    Looking at the girl''s obviously malnourished face, Si Xu raised his eyebrows. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to...¡± Not wanting to lie, Jiang Ran said truthfully, ¡°I don''t want to cause you trouble ¡ª as I said just now, I¡¯m on bad terms with Luo Rui, my former captain, and teammates ¡ª we had a quarrel just now and I even slapped Luo Rui. If we go downstairs now...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Interrupting the girl''s explanation, the man grabbed her slender wrist and walked out.


    ¡°Huh?¡± No? What did he mean? Jiang Ran followed passively for two steps, trying to free her hand, ¡°Si Xu, I really...¡± I don''t want to go downstairs!


    ¡°I said, no.¡± The man repeated with a slightly cold tone.


    Jiang Ran was taken aback and reflexively shut up.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t causing me trouble.¡± Sensing her sudden trembling, Si Xu explained patiently, ¡°In this world, no one can force me to do things that I don''t want to do. Thus, there¡¯s no such thing like causing me trouble.¡±


    In other words, if he had found her troublesome, he wouldn''t have taken her downstairs at all.


    The young man''s slender and strong fingers were tightly wrapped around Jiang Ran¡¯s wrist. As she couldn''t break free, she could only follow him downstairs.


    ¡°Besides, no matter what the situation is, you have to eat.¡± Si Xu continued to speak, ¡°Going against food is a very stupid thing to do.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°... Yeah.¡± Boss, you¡¯re right, I had been shallow.


    The young girl complied obediently and followed him with wilted spirits like a frostbitten eggplant, looking downcast.


    For some reason, Si Xu suddenly felt his mood improved.


    With an assertive attitude, Si Xu led the girl to the living room. Some girls who were chattering and laughing revealed strange expressions on their faces when they saw Jiang Ran.


    Well, there were no girls in Gu Yunqing''s superhuman team, so these girls were from another team.


    Being instinctively aware of the environment, Si Xu simply glanced at the girls. Just with that glance, he had a general idea of the girls¡¯ superhuman abilities and levels. He led Jiang Ran around them.


    ¡°Wait, Jiang Ranran.¡± Zhou Jian was surprised to see Jiang Ran here. She raised her hand to stop Jiang Ran. ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±


    The girl put her hand between Jiang Ran and Si Xu, forcing Jiang Ran to stop in her tracks.


    Si Xu turned around and frowned slightly, but he did not let go of the girl''s wrist.


    Jiang Ran had wanted to hear what Zhou Jian had to say, but the grip on her wrist suddenly tightened. Jiang Ran staggered uncontrollably for two steps and was pulled into the arms of the young man.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± With one hand on Jiang Ran''s shoulder, Si Xu asked on Jiang Ran¡¯s behalf. ¡°Go on and speak.¡±


    Zhou Jian, ¡°...¡± Zhou Jian was a little dazed as she stared blankly at the young man''s chiseled face.


    What''s happening here? When did Jiang Ranran become so familiar with this Professor Si?


    Facing Si Xu''s light-brown eyes that showed no trace of emotion, Zhou Jian moved her mouth, but she couldn''t make a sound.


    ¡°If you have nothing to say, we''ll go in first.¡± After Si Xu finished speaking, he dragged Jiang Ran away.


    Jiang Ran didn¡¯t get to say a word throughout the whole process, ¡°...¡±


    After taking a few steps, she whispered, ¡°Si Xu, thank you.¡±


    If her guess was right, Zhou Jian must have wanted to confront her for Luo Rui¡¯s sake. If it were the Jiang Ranran from before, she might have swallowed her anger and let it go when Zhou Jian bothered her. But if it were Jiang Ran, she would probably end up in another quarrel.


    The smile at the corner of Si Xu''s lips became more obvious and he snorted softly, ¡°I don''t like rude people.¡± That girl suddenly rushed forward to stand between the two of them. He was in a good mood today, so he didn''t hold it against her.


    Oh, that was why he looked happy every time she thanked him.


    Well, Jiang Ran suddenly felt that this villain boss was a little adorable. What was going on?


    Watching the two of them walk into the dining hall, Zhou Jian murmured, ¡°Why is Jiang Ranran with Professor Si...¡±


    Zhou Jian didn¡¯t know much about this Professor Si. She only heard from Gu Yunqing that he seemed to be a superhuman with space-type abilities but without any combat power. She presumed that he came with the team as a logistics staff. But even if he wasn¡¯t a powerful person, an ordinary person like Jiang Ranran was still unworthy of him... The point was, she had locked the back door. How did Jiang Ranran get in?


    Zhou Jian decided to go to the back door to see if someone opened the back door and let Jiang Ranran in.


    ¡­¡­


    After waiting in the dining room for a while, Luo Rui and Gu Yunqing came in together. Jiang Ran didn¡¯t know what Gu Yunqing said to Luo Rui, but when Luo Rui looked at her again, she had a strange expression in her eyes.


    ¡°Ranran, I didn''t expect you and Professor Si to have such an affinity...¡± The girl sat down opposite her and smiled slightly. ¡°Since it¡¯s your preference, I have no objection to your choice.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Not understanding what Luo Rui was saying suddenly, Jiang Ran looked at Gu Yunqing questionably, and then at Luo Rui.


    ¡°Guys.¡± Xie Chengzhi was leading people to check the situation around the small mansion and Luo Rui spoke as the deputy captain, ¡°Come here. I have something to announce.¡±


    There weren¡¯t many people in their team and they quickly gathered after hearing Luo Rui''s words.


    ¡°Captain Gu came to talk to me just now and I found out that Professor Si likes our Ranran very much.¡± Luo Rui adopted a parental attitude and smiled gently. ¡°Since Professor Si likes Ranran, Ranran will follow Professor Si from now on.¡±


    In just two sentences, Jiang Ran was sold to Si Xu as though she was a commodity to be traded.


    ¡°Ranran, you¡¯ll be protected when you¡¯re with Captain Gu and the others in the future.¡± Luo Rui sighed, ¡°I had been worried at first because our team had too few superhumans, and they were not capable enough to protect your safety ¡ª if something like what happened today happens again, you¡¯ll be sad and I¡¯ll feel terrible as well... Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Luo Rui was threatening her ¨C¨C if she refused, what awaited her would be the outcome she suffered today.


    Jiang Ran squinted at Luo Rui.


    Indeed, in the current world, ordinary people without awakened abilities or a strong background were like commodities to the superhumans and they could be traded freely. Any objection would only lead to more cruel treatment.


    It was obvious from Luo Rui''s words that Jiang Ran was used to exchange for benefits with Gu Yunqing, but people in the team didn''t think there was any problem with that.


    Luo Rui thought that she could finally be free from Jiang Ran''s entanglement and compared with Xie Chengzhi, who was obviously talented, a mere superhuman with space-type abilities like Si Xu was of no use.


    Having finally been able to trample the girl under her feet, Luo Rui was in a good mood and her tone became softer. ¡°Ranran, although you won¡¯t belong to our team in the future, we¡¯re still going to Xiling Base with Captain Gu. If there¡¯s any problem during the journey, you can come back and approach me...¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Luo Rui had thought that the girl would be peeved and object to it ¡ª certainly, if she appeared to be unwilling and angered Gu Yunqing because of that, Luo Rui wouldn''t help her out ¡ª but surprisingly, Jiang Ran merely responded calmly, ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Luo Rui, didn''t you just sell me in exchange for considerable benefits for yourself? It¡¯s a fact that you sold me. Don''t make it sound as if you¡¯re reluctant ¨C¨C


    it sounds disgusting when you say it and it sounds even more disgusting when I hear it.¡±


    Luo Rui, ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, by the way, there¡¯s one more thing.¡± After leaving Luo Rui at a loss for words, Jiang Ran said slowly, ¡°Since benefits have been exchanged for the team after selling me, shouldn''t that be considered my contribution value?¡±

 CH 6

    Chapter 6: I¡¯ll Follow You from Now On


    Are you still thinking of the contribution value at a time like this? Luo Rui stared at Jiang Ran for a long time and slightly raised the corners of her mouth. ¡°Of course, Ranran, this is your contribution to the team. Naturally, it''s your contribution value ¨C¨C what do you want?¡±


    ¡°What can I exchange for my contribution value?¡± Jiang Ran laughed mockingly. ¡°If I can only exchange for a piece of bread...¡±


    If you can only exchange for a piece of bread, you have the dignity to give it up, don¡¯t you? Luo Rui smiled slightly, but before she could answer, Jiang Ran continued to speak, ¡°Give me a piece of bread then.¡±


    Luo Rui, ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°But of course, I made such a huge contribution. I suppose I can exchange for more than just a piece of bread, right, Deputy Captain Luo?¡±


    Now, Jiang Ran was the abandoned person in a desperate situation, but Luo Rui had the illusion that she was being forced into a sorry state.


    The girl took a deep breath and asked patiently, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Can I take my pick?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Looking at the silent Si Xu beside Jiang Ran, Luo Rui stood up. ¡°Yes, you can. Come with me.¡±


    The girl walked outside and Jiang Ran got up to follow her. She subconsciously looked at Si Xu, who was drinking water quietly.


    Meeting her gaze, Si Xu put down his glass and said seriously, ¡°The first choice is medicine. If there isn¡¯t any, pick food ¡ª snacks are also fine. You can kill time eating snacks on the road afterwards.¡±


    Jiang Ran made an okay gesture and followed Luo Rui out.


    Gu Yunqing, who had watched enough of the show, saw Jiang Ran leave, and he leaned close to Si Xu with an inquisitive expression on his face. ¡°It seems that you really like that girl? That girl might be quite beautiful, but Si Xu, you aren¡¯t a shallow man who cares only about looks ¡ª tell me, what do you like about that girl?¡±


    When Si Xu heard his friend''s question, he tilted his head and thought for a while before he blinked. ¡°I...¡±


    Gu Yunqing looked expectant. ¡°What, what?¡±


    Si Xu said, ¡°I think I¡¯m just a shallow man who cares only about looks.¡±


    Gu Yunqing, ¡°...¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The team''s public supplies were all in the car. Luo Rui led Jiang Ran to the parking lot and opened the car door.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s here. Take your pick.¡± Luo Rui said, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it according to the situation and see what you can take away.¡±


    Jiang Ran glanced around the car and saw the small backpack piled up in the corner ¡ª that was Jiang Ranran¡¯s backpack. When the team was formed, Luo Rui asked everyone to hand over their supplies. Jiang Ranran gave her only backpack to the team.


    Luo Rui followed her gaze and a sneer flashed across Luo Rui''s eyes. ¡°That''s yours. If you want, you can take it away.¡± The useful stuff in that backpack had already been transferred to another place. Zhou Jian was supposed to dispose of the backpack, but Zhou Jian didn''t have time to throw it away.


    Luo Rui found it an eyesore. If Jiang Ran wanted to take that item with her, Luo Rui would definitely not object to it.


    Jiang Ran took the backpack and checked it. She found a key in the innermost pocket of the backpack. ¡°I want to take this with me.¡±


    ¡°You want to exchange your contribution value for this item?¡± Luo Rui didn''t care what the key was for. She closed the car door quickly. ¡°Okay, from now on, Jiang Ranran, you and we are even.¡±


    Her contribution value was only enough to exchange for this key? Hah. Jiang Ran couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with Luo Rui and nodded. ¡°We¡¯re even.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Ranran.¡± Seeing that she was about to leave, Luo Rui stopped her. ¡°You¡¯ll follow Si Xu with peace of mind from now on, won''t you?¡±


    Knowing what she wanted to say, Jiang Ran sneered. ¡°Don''t worry, I''m not a fool. I''ve died once. I won''t continue to pester your Xie Chengzhi.¡±


    The two of them looked at each other for a moment and Luo Rui smiled coldly. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll keep your word.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    On the way back, the two girls happened to meet Xie Chengzhi and Yi Xi who had finished their inspection.


    The guy greeted Luo Rui first, and then looked at Jiang Ran with a complicated expression. ¡°I heard from Zhou Jian about your matter ¡ª have you really decided to go to Gu Yunqing''s team?¡±


    She had decided? Did she have a choice? Jiang Ran rolled her eyes, not wanting to answer such an idiotic question.


    ¡°Jiang Ranran.¡± Seeing her disdain, Yi Xi said coldly, ¡°Do you know what going to Gu Yunqing''s team means?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Ran said casually, ¡°But Deputy Captain Luo has already reached an agreement with Captain Gu, so I have to go, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xie Chengzhi looked at Luo Rui, puzzled. ¡°Ruirui?¡±


    ¡°I accepted Gu Yunqing¡¯s request.¡± Luo Rui looked as though she was put in a difficult position. ¡°Captain Gu came to me and said that Professor Si liked Ranran very much. As long as we¡¯re willing to make the exchange, he can guarantee the safety of our team and escort us to Xiling Base...¡±


    ¡°So, you sold Jiang Ranran?¡± Yi Xi continued to say, ¡°Luo Rui, don''t you know what Gu Yunqing meant when he said ¡®liked¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Faced with the questioning from her teammate, Luo Rui¡¯s eyes reddened slightly and she said sadly, ¡°I was just thinking. Since there¡¯s a way to keep everyone in the team safe, as the captain, I have to give it a try ¨C¨C moreover, even if Captain Gu goes back on his word, we won''t lose anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yi Xi mocked, ¡°You won¡¯t lose anything indeed.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Interrupting the quarrel between the two women, Xie Chengzhi put his arms around Luo Rui''s shoulders and patted Luo Rui comfortingly. ¡°Ruirui did the right thing. As the team leaders, our responsibility is to protect the safety of the entire team. Even if it means sacrificing for it...¡±


    ¡°Have you said enough?¡± Jiang Ran wasn¡¯t interested in this guy''s lengthy speech. Anyway, he was simply trying to make excuses for Luo Rui now! ¡°If you haven''t said enough, you go on. I''ll leave first.¡±


    Jiang Ran yawned, said goodbye politely and walked around the three of them toward the main door.


    It could only be said that Xie Chengzhi was indeed Luo Rui''s hero. No matter what happened, he would always stand by Luo Rui''s side without hesitation. Thinking about it, Jiang Ran was rather envious, hah.


    However, she didn''t expect Yi Xi to speak up for her. She thought Yi Xi didn''t like her. After all, that woman had always talked to her with cynicism.


    ¡­¡­


    Regarding Jiang Ran''s returning empty-handed, Si Xu didn''t express any opinion.


    After dinner, Jiang Ran helped to clear the tableware. When she returned to the living room, she found that Si Xu was the only one left, and the night watchman was gone too.


    ¡°Si Xu, where are the others?¡±


    ¡°I told them to rest.¡± Si Xu sat on the sofa and threw two pieces of dry firewood into the brazier to make the fire a little hotter. "Are you cold? Come here."


    The firelight reflected on the man''s face, dividing it into well-defined boundaries, making the outline of his whole face a bit sharper.


    Jiang Ran looked at his innocent-looking face and slowly moved to sit beside him.


    ¡°You''ve been keeping watch here all night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Si Xu said, ¡°We have to hurry on with our journey tomorrow. Since we have a place to sleep tonight, I let them have a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going next?¡±


    ¡°Wuzhong City. I don''t know if any team from other bases has gone there. It so happens that we¡¯ll pass by there on the way back. Gu Yunqing suggested that we go and check it out.¡±


    Wuzhong City, like Shenmu City, was a provincial capital city. If the supplies in that city had not been taken away, it would be cost-effective for their team to make a detour there.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a provincial capital, wouldn''t the population be dense?¡± A large population meant that there would be many zombies. ¡°Will it be dangerous?¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t.¡± Si Xu said, ¡°They¡¯re just zombies.¡±


    His tone was calm, showing his disregard for the zombies. If Jiang Ran hadn''t known his strength, she would have dissed him unceremoniously.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not afraid of zombies.¡± She said, ¡°You¡¯re powerful.¡±


    To be honest, it sounded like flattery. Jiang Ran blushed after she said that.


    Si Xu was unmoved, but he agreed with her words. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m powerful.¡±


    This man wasn¡¯t humble at all. Fiddling with the burning wood with the pliers, Jiang Ran said, ¡°They sold me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you were sold to me.¡± Si Xu said matter-of-factly, ¡°You can just follow me from now on. You don''t have to go back to your former team.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Ran propped her hands on her chin, looked at him and smiled slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you from now on.¡±

 CH 7

    Chapter 7: Ranran Had a Bad Temper


    In the early morning of the next day, when Gu Yunqing''s team started organizing the supplies and was preparing to leave, the members of Luo Rui''s team came downstairs in twos and threes.


    Looking at her team members who had been rejuvenated, Luo Rui went to thank Gu Yunqing in person.


    ¡°Captain Gu, thank you for your understanding last night. Our team members have been rejuvenated." Luo Rui said politely and then added with a wry smile, ¡°Since the disaster broke out, it had been rare to get a good night''s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t mention it.¡± Gu Yunqing smiled nonchalantly. ¡°If you want to thank anyone, just thank Si Xu. He was on duty last night.¡±


    Weren''t you afraid of any accident in the middle of the night by arranging a superhuman with space-type abilities to be on duty?


    Luo Rui''s smile remained unchanged, but her mind was spinning rapidly.


    Could it be that Professor Si had some secret weapon that they didn''t know about, which made Gu Yunqing feel so relaxed with him being on watch?


    ¡°Where¡¯s Professor Si? I¡¯d like to thank him personally.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t a timid person and the first thing she chose to do when she encountered a problem she didn''t understand was to seek an answer. However, to understand a person thoroughly, necessary contact was inevitable.


    ¡°Si Xu?¡± Instructing his team members to check the goods loaded on the five large trucks again, Gu Yunqing replied casually, ¡°I think he¡¯s still in the living room. I didn''t see him come out.¡±


    In the living room? Luo Rui thanked Gu Yunqing, then turned and walked toward the living room.


    Si Xu was in the living room? But when she came out just now, she didn''t notice that there was anyone in the living room.


    Jiang Ran, who couldn''t stay awake for the entire night, was carried back to the room to rest by Si Xu. Perhaps because it was a long-overdue rest for her body, when Jiang Ran woke up, the sky was already bright.


    Jiang Ran stared at the ceiling in a daze, only to realize later that she wasn¡¯t in her dormitory.


    She could faintly hear people talking downstairs and her tense mind slowly relaxed. Looking out of the window, she could see the team that was loading the trucks and preparing to leave.


    Jiang Ran quickly got out of bed, washed up hastily and went downstairs to find Si Xu.


    From the looks of the current situation, she could only choose to follow Si Xu for the time being. As for Si Xu... he seemed to be a little different from what she originally thought. As long as she could arrive at Xiling Base without incident, Jiang Ran would have someone to rely on once she made contact with the Shen family.


    As for what would happen afterwards... Forget it, forget it, she wouldn¡¯t think about that now. It was still unknown whether she could survive until she reached Xiling Base!


    ¡­¡­


    Luo Rui walked to the living room and indeed saw Si Xu sitting on the sofa, looking down at a book.


    He had kept watch here all night in such a state yesterday?


    ¡°Professor Si.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Hearing someone calling him, Si Xu glanced at the girl who was talking, then continued to look down at his book. ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    The girl hesitated for a moment before she said, ¡°Thank you for last night.¡±


    ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡± Si Xu was puzzled.


    ¡°Captain Gu told me that you were the one who kept watch yesterday...¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± Si Xu explained, interrupting the girl''s gentle words of gratitude, ¡°I didn''t do it for you either.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Of course she knew that he didn''t purposely watch the night for her team, but since she came here to thank him, shouldn''t he be polite? What did he mean by his outright denial?


    ¡°Do you still have anything else to say?¡± When Si Xu saw that the girl had no intention of leaving, he reminded her, "Gu Yunqing''s team is about to leave. If you want to travel on the road together, you''d better pack up quickly.¡±


    Si Xu''s tone was flat. It was considered an order to evict the guest.


    This was the first time since apocalypse that she was humbled in front of a man.


    Luo Rui was someone who got stronger with every setback. Furthermore, she didn''t come to find Si Xu just to thank him.


    Recalling her secret thoughts, she bit her lower lip and whispered, ¡°Professor Si, Ranran...¡±


    When Jiang Ran was mentioned, Si Xu finally looked her in the eye. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sure enough, this man cared about Jiang Ranran very much. Luo Rui had an unconscious smile in her eyes and she feigned concern. ¡°Ranran has a bad temper. I suppose she must have been spoiled by her parents since she was a child. She often lost her temper when she was with Chengzhi. In the future... please bear with her ¡ª if she does something that makes you angry, you can tell me. I¡¯ll communicate with her...¡±


    The girl spoke gently and considerately. Apart from bluntly revealing that Jiang Ranran had a bad temper, she also tactfully told Si Xu that Jiang Ranran and Xie Chengzhi were once a couple.


    No man could tolerate his woman thinking about another man, right?


    After Si Xu heard her words, he revealed a thoughtful expression as she expected.


    Good, this Professor Si looked like a smart person at first glance. After the way she put it, he would definitely guess that Jiang Ranran still cared about Xie Chengzhi ¨C¨C he was merely a superhuman with space-type abilities. She wasn¡¯t worried that he would hurt Xie Chengzhi. However, Jiang Ranran was an ordinary person. It was unknown whether she could withstand his anger.


    After waiting for a while, Si Xu finally spoke and said in a deep voice, ¡°Does Jiang Ran have a bad temper?¡±


    Huh? Was that his only concern?


    ¡°Actually, her temper is quite okay.¡± If she had disparaged Jiang Ranran, it would be too obvious and would cause backlash. Hence, Luo Rui didn¡¯t say further on the topic. ¡°She was a girl from a rich family. It¡¯s quite cute of her to have a bit of a temper.¡±


    Was that cute? Si Xu nodded and smiled, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s quite cute.¡±


    Luo Rui, ¡°...¡± Why did this man react this way? That''s right. After all, he had just acquired the woman. It was normal for him to pamper her.


    Jiang Ran was devoted toward Xie Chengzhi, but was forced to follow this guy by her. How could Jiang Ran possibly be nice to him? By that time, that stupid woman would go ballistic at slight provocation ¨C¨C when that happened, would this guy still call her cute? Hah.


    ¡°Your name is Luo Rui?¡±


    Luo Rui was deep in her thoughts when she heard the man''s deep voice and she nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why do you care about Jiang Ran?¡±


    This question... Luo Rui frowned and asked him instead, ¡°Ranran is my teammate. As the deputy captain, shouldn''t I care about her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s no longer your teammate. Besides, you are rivals in love.¡±


    ¡°The two girls are rivals in love¡± was what Gu Yunqing told him last night ¨C¨C that fellow usually liked to gossip in the team.


    Si Xu might not quite understand the complicated relationship between girls, but since they were enemies, there was no need for Luo Rui to care about Jiang Ran.


    Si Xu said, ¡°You gave Jiang Ran to me because you hate her, yet now you pretend to care about her and inquire about her. Isn''t it tiring to force yourself to do this?¡±


    What was this person talking about? It was fine that everyone was clear about this kind of thing. Why must he point it out calmly?


    No one had ever said such a thing in front of her before!


    Luo Rui stood there blankly, feeling the shame of being exposed for the first time in her life.


    She wanted to refute the man''s words ¨C¨C she could have countless reasons to refute him, but for some reason, she couldn''t say a single word.


    In the end, the girl just glared at the young man in embarrassment and said, ¡°How could you act this way?¡± Then, she turned around and ran out of the living room.


    Si Xu, ¡°...¡±


    He didn''t understand why the girl felt aggrieved. The man who thought he was just being honest was a little unhappy. That woman named Luo Rui doesn¡¯t seem like a smart person. I have to tell Jiang Ran to stay away from her in the future.

 CH 8

    Chapter 8: Sweet and Naive


    After Luo Rui fled from the living room, Jiang Ran walked out slowly from the corner of the stairs.


    Si Xu put away his book after he heard the movements, got up and looked at her. ¡°You¡¯ve woken up ¡ª do you want to eat something?¡±


    ¡°No need...¡±


    ¡°Rumble~¡±


    Jiang Ran¡¯s words of refusal and the sound of her stomach protesting sounded at the same time and she crinkled her face in embarrassment.


    The whole team was preparing to hit the road and she was the only one who had slept until now. She didn''t want to delay everyone''s schedule, but her stomach couldn''t stand the hunger and protested.


    ¡°Don''t you want to eat?¡± Si Xu''s tone sounded a little puzzled, but he complied with her wish. ¡°Let''s go out then.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...?¡±


    Wait, wait! Did she hear something wrong? Didn''t this guy hear her stomach rumbling? At a time like this, shouldn''t he ignore her refusal and considerately let her eat first before leaving?


    Recalling the guy''s words and actions since she met him last night, Jiang Ran was suddenly stupefied.


    A weird idea came to her mind. To confirm her idea, she reached out her hand and grabbed Si Xu.


    The man stopped. ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Si Xu.¡± She looked at him and said seriously, ¡°I''m hungry. I want to eat breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The man didn''t ask her why she rejected his suggestion just now or accused her of being capricious. He replied calmly, ¡°There are hot steamed buns in the kitchen. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°I''ll help you get...¡±


    To confirm her guess, Jiang Ran wore a shy expression on her face and her tone was ambiguous. ¡°No need. I don¡¯t want to trouble you...¡±


    ¡°Oh, if you want to go by yourself, the kitchen is over there.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    Sure enough, this guy... When she was reading the novel, she was curious about this. Si Xu wasn¡¯t bad-looking and he had provided for Jiang Ranran for so long without asking for anything in return, but Jiang Ranran was still full of hostility toward him ¨C¨C now, it seemed that this guy was really... How should she put it? Simple? Or perhaps she should say he was insensitive to people¡¯s moods and had no romantic cells in his body!


    However, looking into the man''s clear, light brown eyes which were as bright as jewels, Jiang Ran tried to hold back her laughter. She failed to do so and burst out laughing.


    Oh my God, why is this man so adorable? Isn''t he the kind of... sweet and na?ve person that only exists in TV dramas?!


    Si Xu was clueless. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Jiang Ran''s tone returned to normal. ¡°I have no sense of direction. Can you accompany me there?¡±


    She was trying to sound him out, but she could guess his reply after she asked him that.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sure enough, Si Xu said, ¡°I''ll accompany you there.¡±


    Jiang Ran followed the man to the kitchen and along the way, she heard the team members they encountered greet him politely.


    The words Luo Rui said just now suddenly appeared in her mind.


    Luo Rui came to tell Si Xu those words to remind Si Xu of the entangled past between Jiang Ran and Xie Chengzhi. Why did she do that? To sow discord between her and Si Xu? Was that necessary? Luo Rui already had Xie Chengzhi. Why did she still do that?


    ¡°Si Xu.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°What Luo Rui said just now ¡ª the relationship between me and Xie Chengzhi ¡ª I dated him when I was studying. Later, when the disaster broke out, we fled from Shenmu City together and met Luo Rui. After he and Luo Rui became a couple, we broke up."


    ¡°...¡±


    Si Xu didn''t say anything. Jiang Ran thought he minded her past. She raised her hand and said, ¡°He and I had a pure relationship. We only held hands. I¡¯m telling the truth!¡±


    Si Xu moved his gaze to her hand emotionlessly and Jiang Ran shivered for no reason, worried that he would directly twist her arm off in the next second.


    ¡°Si Xu, I was blind back then. I don''t like him at all now and I won''t like him in the future!¡± She bit the bullet and continued to express her sincerity, ¡°I have you now. You¡¯re so good-looking, powerful and kind to me. I only have you in my heart now. I mean it!¡±


    When Si Xu heard those words, he looked away and the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile. ¡°Okay, I believe you.¡±


    Huh? Jiang Ran, who was prepared to make a lengthy speech to express her loyalty, choked on her words and silently put down her hand. This man is really easy to coax. Jiang Ranran couldn''t even handle such a sweet and na?ve guy. It goes to show that she was really a fool.


    ¡°If you break today''s promise...¡± She was dissing in her mind when Si Xu added, ¡°I¡¯ll break your legs and throw you into a pile of zombies.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡± Boss, stay cool. Don''t be so scary. This will tarnish your image as a sweet and na?ve guy!


    ¡­¡­


    After breakfast, Jiang Ran walked out of the kitchen and happened to bump into Yi Xi who was walking toward her from the opposite direction.


    The woman stopped a few steps away from her, sized her up with her dark eyes and remained quiet.


    Jiang Ran felt uncomfortable being stared at by her and had no choice but to strike up a conversation. ¡°Thank you so much for last night.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thanking me?¡± Yi Xi sneered and said sarcastically, ¡°I¡¯m not worthy of your gratitude ¡ª after all, you¡¯re now the woman of the captain of the superhuman team at Xiling Base.¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Jiang Ran corrected her embarrassingly.


    Yi Xi raised her eyebrows, lowered her voice and mocked further, ¡°What do you mean by no? He didn''t sleep with you last night?¡±


    ¡°Not the captain.¡± Jiang Ran said helplessly, ¡°I have nothing to do with Gu Yunqing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s not Gu Yunqing but Si Xu, right? That Professor Si.¡± Yi Xi curled her lips in disdain. ¡°A superhuman with space-type abilities... Hah, your taste in men has really gotten worse.¡±


    After Yi Xi finished talking, she walked past Jiang Ran and went to the kitchen.


    Looking at the woman''s back, Jiang Ran felt puzzled.


    The original novel didn''t focus much on Yi Xi. She remembered that Yi Xi died in a zombie attack before they reached Xiling Base.


    When Yi Xi was alive, she wasn¡¯t close to the people in the team and Jiang Ranran was no exception.


    However, in yesterday''s situation, Yi Xi rebutted Luo Rui for her...


    What was she thinking?


    Unable to guess what the woman was thinking, Jiang Ran simply shook her head. Tracking Si Xu¡¯s movements, she went to the main door to find Si Xu.


    ¡­¡­


    Finally, after personally checking the five large trucks loaded with supplies and confirming that nothing was wrong, Si Xu looked at Gu Yunqing and nodded.


    Gu Yunqing waved his hand. ¡°Get into the trucks and get ready to set off.¡±


    He looked at Luo Rui and Xie Chengzhi who were waiting at the side and said, ¡°Si Xu and I will lead the way. Your team will follow Deputy Captain Song Rong. Is that okay?¡±


    Luo Rui had no objection. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Gu Yunqing was a superhuman with fourth-level abilities. Leading the way was a piece of cake for him. They were glad to be escorted.


    After making arrangements for the team, the two of them were about to find and liaise with Song Rong when they saw Jiang Ran coming down the steps and walking this way.


    The girl was wearing a pink and white down jacket, with a black cashmere blanket draped over her shoulders. Her long, straight black hair hung softly over her shoulders, making her delicate face appear only as big as a palm...


    When her beautiful face came into sight, Xie Chengzhi paused in his tracks and there was a flash of surprise in his eyes ¨C¨C he couldn''t remember how long it had been since he saw a clean and neat Jiang Ranran.


    Since they started fleeing, Jiang Ranran had been wearing dirty and tattered clothes, huddling in the corner of the team with a pale face.


    He almost forgot that the girl in front of him was once the belle of their faculty ¡ª a one-in-a-million beauty.


    At the thought of that, Xie Chengzhi felt a strange indignation and shame in his heart.


    As Jiang Ranran''s ex-boyfriend, Jiang Ranran''s transformation now seemed to be a silent accusation of his incompetence ¨C¨C look, your ex-girlfriend had become so glamorous after she left you!


    Obviously, Jiang Ranran saw him too.


    However, unlike her fervent passion for him in the past, the girl just nodded at the two of them and walked past him.


    When Xie Chengzhi saw how nonchalant the girl was, the indignation and shame in his heart were instantly replaced by anger.


    Xie Chengzhi clenched his fists. That woman merely relied on her body to exchange for a short period of peace. How dare she flaunt her superiority in front of him?!

 CH 9

    Chapter 9: Only I Can Protect You


    Luo Rui naturally noticed that Xie Chengzhi had slowed down his pace.


    The girl glanced at her boyfriend, then looked back at Jiang Ranran.


    In just a moment of thinking, she developed an idea in her mind.


    She called Jiang Ran''s name, ¡°Ranran!¡±


    Jiang Ran didn¡¯t expect to meet the hero and heroine as soon as she left the house. Jiang Ran nodded at the two of them and her gaze fell on Si Xu.


    The man''s black coat was casually unbuttoned and the hem of his clothes was rolled up by the wind, forming an irregular arc in the air ¡ª looking like a crane that was about to take flight.


    Obviously, he didn¡¯t have a muscular and strong build, but for some reason, he gave her an inexplicable sense of security. It seemed that as long as he was around, it didn''t matter even if the mountains and rivers collapsed.


    As if he had telepathy with Jiang Ran, Si Xu, who was talking to Gu Yunqing, looked at her sideways.


    A smile appeared in his indifferent light brown eyes. He tilted his head, waiting for her to approach.


    Jiang Ran subconsciously quickened her pace.


    Then...


    ¡°Ranran!¡±


    Luo Rui''s voice came from behind her. She subconsciously stopped and turned to look at Luo Rui.


    The moment the girl stopped and turned around, Gu Yunqing could clearly feel the sudden bad mood surrounding Si Xu.


    The corner of his mouth twitched. He opened the door of the passenger seat and got into the car.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Gu Yunqing wound down the window, leaned on it and whispered, ¡°If you don''t like it, go and bring her here.¡±


    He heard from their team members that Jiang Ran and Xie Chengzhi used to be a couple. By letting them interact with each other, wasn¡¯t Si Xu afraid that their relationship would rekindle?


    After all, Jiang Ran was indeed quite pretty. And as for Xie Chengzhi, well, men were more or less creatures that cared about looks.


    Si Xu ignored Gu Yunqing''s words, but he wasn''t prepared to let Jiang Ran talk to the two of them. Si Xu raised his foot and prepared to go over.


    Unexpectedly, Jiang Ran, who had stopped, suddenly moved.


    She ran up to Si Xu in a few steps and looked up at him. ¡°Si Xu.¡±


    The man''s hostility dissipated and he responded in a low voice, ¡°Hmm?¡±


    She took off the blanket on her shoulders, folded it and handed it to him. ¡°I''m not cold now. You can put this away.¡±


    Si Xu took the blanket and put it back in his space, and Jiang Ran took advantage of the opportunity to stand beside him.


    Luo Rui, who had already walked toward Jiang Ran, could only quicken her pace. ¡°Ranran, I was calling you. Why did you run so fast?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t run.¡± Jiang Ran replied innocently, ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, I just communicated with Captain Gu and learned that their car is going to lead the way.¡± Luo Rui said generously, ¡°I was thinking. You don''t have any superhuman abilities. In face of any trouble, Captain Gu and the others will have to divide their attention to take care of you. Why don¡¯t you join us in the car behind?¡±


    Her reasoning was justified and Gu Yunqing couldn''t help but applaud her in his mind ¨C¨C after such an embarrassing situation last night, this woman could still say such a thing. She was really a scheming and tolerant person. Well, she probably was a woman who could achieve big things.


    ¡°Cause trouble?¡± Jiang Ran didn¡¯t want to be in the same car as Luo Rui, but she also didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for Si Xu. Jiang Ran looked at Si Xu hesitantly. ¡°Will I?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The man replied coldly. He grabbed Jiang Ran''s arm impatiently, opened the back door of the off-road vehicle and pushed her into it.


    This woman named Luo Rui... Looking at Luo Rui for the last time, Si Xu frowned slightly, becoming more and more displeased. It was bad enough that she doubted his ability, but she also tried to find an excuse to take back Jiang Ran who was given to him? How annoying.


    Swept by sharp eyes that seemed like a poisoned sharp blade, Luo Rui¡¯s body tensed subconsciously. When she recovered from her daze, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.


    What was going on? This feeling... Where did this man named Si Xu come from?


    Luo Rui invited Jiang Ranran to share a car with them for a reason.


    First of all, Si Xu knew the past relationship between Jiang Ranran and Xie Chengzhi. If Jiang Ranran agreed to her suggestion, Si Xu would definitely bear a grudge ¡ª would Jiang Ranran agree? Of course. That woman was so obsessed with Xie Chengzhi. How could she possibly refuse the chance to interact with him?


    Secondly, as she said, she made this invitation because Jiang Ranran was just an ordinary person and the job of leading the way was more dangerous... Now that they had decided to go to Xiling Base together, she didn''t mind displaying her magnanimity in front of Gu Yunqing.


    Lastly, she remembered that Jiang Yu in their team had always had designs on Jiang Ranran. As long as Jiang Ranran went with her, she could always find a chance to make it appear as if something was going on between Jiang Yu and Jiang Ranran.


    Her plan was perfect, but unexpectedly, Jiang Ranran didn''t immediately agree to her suggestion!


    Did that woman really have a change of heart and no longer like Xie Chengzhi? How could that be possible? Before last night, she was still pestering Xie Chengzhi... She was so crazy in love. How could she possibly have a change of heart overnight?


    Jiang Ranran... Whispering the name of her rival, Luo Rui walked toward Xie Chengzhi who was waiting for her.


    ¡°Ruirui.¡± Seeing that his lover had been rejected, Xie Chengzhi put his arms around her shoulders and comforted her gently, ¡°Don''t take it to heart ¡ª that woman is so stupid that she doesn¡¯t understand your kind intentions. Since she prefers to suffer, let¡¯s just leave her be.¡±


    It was dangerous for the team that led the way, not to mention that Gu Yunqing only arranged for one car to lead the way. If they encountered a group of zombies or mutant zombies on the road... There was already a superhuman with space-type abilities who had no combat power. Would Gu Yunqing still divide his attention to protect Jiang Ranran?


    Hah, since that woman wanted to die, just let her die.


    ¡°Well, I''m just a little worried about Ranran.¡± Luo Rui sighed. ¡°After all, that Professor Si doesn''t seem to be a good-tempered person and Ranran didn''t follow him voluntarily... I''m afraid that Ranran will accidentally provoke Si Xu and...¡±


    ¡°But she rejected your help.¡± Xie Chengzhi sneered. ¡°She¡¯s ungrateful. You don''t have to worry about her.¡±


    ¡°Chengzhi, I thought about it. Although my decision yesterday was for the team, it was indeed unfair to Ranran. I...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know you feel guilty... You...¡± Hugging his lover tightly, Xie Chengzhi placed a kiss on her forehead and sighed, ¡°are simply too kind.¡±


    Knowing that Xie Chengzhi didn''t suspect her actions, Luo Rui felt relieved.


    As Xie Chengzhi said, Si Xu didn''t seem to be a good-tempered person. Maybe Jiang Ranran rejected her suggestion because she was afraid that Si Xu would be angry?


    At the thought of this, the image of the two standing side by side suddenly appeared in her mind and the desire to trample Jiang Ranran into the mud again instantly became stronger.


    ¡­¡­


    Jiang Ran didn¡¯t know nor care about what Luo Rui thought. Jiang Ran was stuffed into the car by Si Xu and she could clearly sense the man''s displeasure.


    Not knowing how she had incurred his anger, Jiang Ran tilted her head to look at him, pursed her lips and asked seriously, ¡°Si Xu, are you... unhappy?¡±


    Unhappy? The man raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Am I?¡±


    The indifferent and emotionless words made Jiang Ran get goosebumps on her back.


    She bit the bullet and said, ¡°If you don''t like it, I won''t talk to Luo Rui and the others from now on...¡±


    Before she finished talking, the man¡¯s hostility dissipated silently.


    Jiang Ran, "..." Sure enough, it was because of Luo Rui and Xie Chengzhi.


    Having affirmed that, Jiang Ran continued to explain, ¡°I asked you just now because I was worried that I would cause you trouble. If you still had to divide your attention to protect me in face of danger, I thought it would be better to...¡±


    ¡°Jiang Ran.¡± When Si Xu heard that, he interrupted her and called her name lightly.


    Jiang Ran was stunned. ¡°Huh?¡±


    He looked at her sideways and said with a calm but serious tone, ¡°Remember, no matter what danger you encounter, the safest thing to do is to stay by my side ¨C¨C if I can''t protect you, then no one else in this world can protect you. Do you understand?"


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, don''t think about those nonsensical words. You just need to trust me and that would be enough.¡±

 CH 10

    Chapter 10: Most Powerful Fighter


    You just need to trust me and that would be enough.


    Jiang Ran¡¯s heart seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, making it difficult for her to breathe. Jiang Ran stared blankly into the man''s light brown eyes. It took her a long time to understand what he meant.


    Her cheeks began to get hotter uncontrollably. She hastily looked away and nodded vaguely. ¡°I got it.¡±


    Darned, why is this fictional character so good at teasing?


    Wait, isn¡¯t he a sweet and na?ve guy? Why is he so good with romantic talk?


    Or... She secretly looked at him out of the corner of her eye, but unfortunately, the man''s attention was no longer on her.


    He patted the back of the passenger seat, waited for Gu Yunqing to turn his head, and said, ¡°We can hit the road now. Let''s leave first.¡±


    The man glanced out the window. ¡°Looking at the weather, it''s likely to snow later.¡±


    Snowy weather wasn¡¯t suitable for traveling.


    ¡°Will it?¡± Gu Yunqing didn''t doubt his words. He tsked and sighed, ¡°We''ve been out for too long this time.¡±


    It had been more than three months, from early autumn to early winter. They were behind schedule by more than thirty days.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be troublesome if it really snows.¡± Xiling Base was located in the north. If the snow was heavy, they could only return to the base next spring.


    Ignoring Gu Yunqing''s harping, Si Xu leaned back on the seat, glanced at Jiang Ran who was in a daze and reminded her, ¡°Seatbelt.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Ran, who was still thinking about striking up a conversation with him, quickly pulled the seatbelt buckle.


    The man leaned back on the seat, exhaled softly, and closed his eyes.


    Jiang Ran said hesitatingly, ¡°Your seatbelt...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± He said calmly without opening his eyes, ¡°Don''t bother about me.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    Sensing her embarrassment, Gu Yunqing used the walkie-talkie to contact the other drivers. He said without looking back, ¡°Sister Ranran, ignore him. He¡¯s grouchy like this when he doesn''t sleep well.¡±


    He didn''t sleep well... oh, he was on duty last night.


    The car started and drove out of the small Western mansion.


    Jiang Ran glanced at Si Xu who was having a power nap and whispered, ¡°Are we going to Wuzhong City next?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Yunqing had opened a map and was drawing various symbols on it with a pen. ¡°Anyway, we have to pass by there when we go back, so we might as well check out that city as well.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°As you know too, all the bases are short of supplies after the disaster broke out, be it the basic necessities of life or the seeds of various crops that will be needed in the future ¨C¨C the laboratory staff might be working hard to study the virus in the hope of finding a reagent to contain the virus, but they¡¯re busy enough dealing with the wounded and treating the sick. We don¡¯t know how long it will take to solve the disaster.¡±


    ¡°It''s been half a year since the disaster broke out and many things are probably still within the expiry period.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Yunqing smiled. ¡°Thus, we must hurry.¡±


    Jiang Ran thought for a while and said, ¡°Will there be any survivors in Wuzhong City?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡± Gu Yunqing said, ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a base established in Wuzhong City and it¡¯s a provincial capital city. To survive in such a place for half a year...¡±


    It was almost impossible.


    Jiang Ran was silent.


    As someone who had just transmigrated into this novel, although she had the original host¡¯s memories of the apocalypse, she had never experienced it personally. Hence, until now, she had no particularly clear concept of the apocalypse.


    However, from Gu Yunqing''s tone, it could be seen that it was very difficult to survive in this world.


    After a moment of silence, Jiang Ran asked, ¡°If there are survivors, will you take them back to the base?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Gu Yunqing said, ¡°In this world, nothing is more important than human life.¡±


    After hearing such an answer, Jiang Ran asked tentatively, ¡°How do ordinary people in the base... support themselves?¡±


    There weren¡¯t many descriptions of ordinary people in the novel ¡ª compared with superhumans, ordinary people had limited supplies, and once any accident occurred, ordinary people would be abandoned... Just from these descriptions and the tattered clothes that the original host was wearing when Jiang Ran transmigrated here, she had a rough idea of how difficult it was for ordinary people to survive in this apocalypse.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yunqing looked at the nervous girl from the rear-view mirror and smiled. ¡°Don''t worry. As long as you follow Si Xu obediently and don''t cause trouble, he won''t treat you badly.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡± Wait, why did the topic suddenly turn to that?


    The car was moving steadily on the road. Jiang Ran looked back behind her ¡ª several trucks loaded with supplies were following closely behind.


    Xiling Base... Actually, she didn''t quite understand. As the person in charge of the laboratory in Xiling Base, Si Xu had no power conflict with the Shen family who was in power. Why did the Shen family have to kill Si Xu so that they could have peace of mind?


    The novel only emphasized that Shen Lang was worried that Si Xu was too powerful and he would be unable to restrict his power, thus making the position of the Shen family and the base passive... Why did Shen Lang have such worries? Were there other irreconcilable conflicts between Si Xu and the Shen family?


    Thinking about this, Jiang Ran couldn''t help but secretly looked at Si Xu ¡ª geez, his eyelashes were long and his nose was straight. He wasn¡¯t fierce at all when his eyes were closed. He looked like a child who had let his guard down... He looked so obedient.


    She was still in a daze when the man''s eyelashes fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes.


    Their gazes met each other.


    There was a clear light in his light brown eyes, like an undercurrent hidden under the calm sea. She couldn''t look away at all.


    Until Si Xu blinked. ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± Faint humor could be heard in his deep and hoarse voice.


    Was he laughing at her...?


    Jiang Ran hastily looked away. Well, he was an eyeful. She couldn¡¯t be blamed for being captivated.


    A car wasn¡¯t as comfortable as a bed after all. Si Xu couldn¡¯t have a good rest. He pressed the back of his neck with one hand, exercised his neck, then looked out of the window and suddenly frowned. ¡°Are mutant beasts following us?¡±


    ¡°Although I¡¯d like to answer no, unfortunately...¡± Gu Yunqing shrugged his shoulders and said in a resigned tone, ¡°They¡¯re mutant beasts.¡±


    Mutant beasts?


    After listening to the conversation between the two, Jiang Ran hurriedly looked out the window ¡ª fields stretched out on both sides of the road, with sporadic and slow-moving zombies moving about on the fields. However, at this moment, there were black shadows scurrying in the weeds. They were following closely behind the convoy.


    ¡°Are those... mutant beasts?¡±


    During the apocalypse, not only humans had mutated, but many animals and plants had also mutated due to the exposure to viruses.


    Compared to humans, the changes in animals were even more terrifying because unlike slow-moving zombies, after many animals were infected by the viruses, various body functions would be enhanced.


    For example, the mutant beasts that were following the convoy right now.


    ¡°Let me take a look...¡± Having already discovered the mutated beasts tracking them, Gu Yunqing opened the sunroof, took a pair of binoculars, and stood up to look behind.


    ¡°They seem to be mutated wolfhounds. One, two, three... six. That¡¯s not many.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Si Xu was disinterested. ¡°I suppose they must have been attracted by the smell of fresh flesh and blood."


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Gu Yunqing answered with a half-smile, ¡°After all, there are many beautiful ladies in our convoy.¡±


    ¡°Stop dawdling and kill them immediately.¡± Si Xu glanced at Jiang Ran who was looking behind intently from the window and said impatiently, ¡°Those creatures look disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I got it. I¡¯ll kill them right away...¡± Gu Yunqing responded while flexing his wrist and muttered, ¡°You just know how to order me around. Sigh, I¡¯m just a workhorse~¡±


    Before the man finished talking, he suddenly raised his hand ¡ª a tiny air flow was formed at his fingertips and it quickly transformed into the shape of a sharp blade.


    This was the first time Jiang Ran saw mutant beasts. She was looking intently at the moving black shadows when she vaguely heard the whistling of the wind outside the window. The leaping shadows were cut in half the moment they leaped.


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    After Gu Yunqing quickly cleared the mutant beasts following the convoy, he sat back in the car and patted his face. ¡°It''s so cold outside. Xiaochen, close the sunroof!¡±


    Jiang Ran sat properly again.


    The six mutant beasts that were tracking them were killed so easily that she didn''t even see clearly how he did it.


    Was this the strength of an experimental subject that came from the laboratory? Gu Yunqing was a superhuman with wind-type abilities. With such strength, were his abilities really only at the fourth level?


    If Gu Yunqing¡¯s abilities were allegedly at a higher level than just the fourth level, then... Jiang Ran quickly glanced at the silent Si Xu. Then how powerful exactly were the abilities of this person ¡ª the so-called most powerful fighter in the novel?

 CH 11

    Chapter 11: Why Are You Looking For Me?


    ¡°Jiang Ran.¡± When Jiang Ran was deep in her thoughts, she heard Si Xu''s voice.


    Jiang Ran turned to look at him subconsciously and asked puzzledly, ¡°Si Xu, what''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Come here.¡± He tugged at her seatbelt and motioned for her to come near.


    Jiang Ran moved to his side.


    Before she could ask her question, the man suddenly lay down on his side, using her legs as a pillow. He adjusted his posture and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Wake me up when the convoy takes a break.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh!¡± Because of Si Xu''s sudden action, Jiang Ran raised her arms reflexively and responded. She put down her arms slowly. ¡°Have a good rest.¡±


    He didn''t sleep all night last night... He must have been tired.


    Looking in the rear-view mirror at the man who had seized the opportunity to take advantage of the girl, Gu Yunqing sighed and whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re quite good at flirting...¡±


    Luo Rui had also noticed the mutant beasts following the convoy. Luo Rui, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, wound the window down and frowned at the ferocious beasts that were about to catch up with the convoy.


    ¡°Are they... not going to deal with them?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Xie Chengzhi, who was driving, took a look in the rear-view mirror and twitched his lips. ¡°Anyway, those creatures will stop when they¡¯re tired.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Even if the mutant beasts really wanted to attack, their car wouldn¡¯t be the first target.


    Gu Yunqing promised to protect their team and had arranged for their team''s cars to be in the middle of the convoy when they set off.


    There were superhumans from Xiling Base protecting them from the front and back, so even if there was an attack, they didn¡¯t have to worry too much.


    Luo Rui was about to wind the window up when she saw a sharp wind blade coming through the air, instantly cutting the mutant beasts into several pieces.


    ¡°It was Gu Yunqing." Yi Xi, who had been silent all this time, glanced at Luo Rui, who looked slightly pale, and said mockingly, ¡°Fortunately, that Captain Gu is a person who keeps his promises. Otherwise... hah.¡±


    Zhou Jian raised her eyebrows when she heard Yi Xi mention the matter from last night again. ¡°Yi Xi, I didn¡¯t know that you and Jiang Ranran are on such good terms.¡±


    Yi Xi smiled coolly in response to the question asked by an insignificant person. She leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes without answering Zhou Jian.


    Having been snubbed, Zhou Jian wanted to say more, but Luo Rui shook her head slightly.


    Zhou Jian shut up, feeling angry.


    Glancing at Yi Xi in the rear-view mirror, Luo Rui smiled cryptically.


    She knew the reason why Yi Xi taunted her and defended Jiang Ranran. She didn''t say it out only because she felt that this woman was really pitiful. She was so pitiful that it wasn¡¯t worth Luo Rui¡¯s effort to deal with her.


    However, even though she couldn¡¯t be bothered, Yi Xi kept pushing her luck and provoking her time and again. Hah, she guessed that it was time to give Yi Xi a reality check to wake her up from her fascination.


    The convoy traveled all morning. When it was close to one o''clock, Gu Yunqing gave the order to rest for an hour.


    Because they were on the road, the team simply distributed some canned food and bread to assuage their hunger.


    Gu Yunqing, who had opened the car door to take a breather, took the canned food from Song Rong. He looked back at Jiang Ran and asked silently, ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡±


    Perhaps because she hadn''t moved all morning, Jiang Ran wasn¡¯t hungry.


    She shook her head to express that she didn¡¯t need to eat.


    Gu Yunqing glanced at Si Xu who was breathing slowly and evenly, hopped out of the car and closed the door.


    A faint knock on the front car door was heard and Si Xu opened his eyes.


    When the man moved, Jiang Ran looked down at him. ¡°Oh, you''re awake.¡±


    Si Xu rubbed his eyes and sat up, humming vaguely.


    Obviously, the man had rested well and he looked quite pleased, leaning back lazily on the seat like a satisfied big cat.


    ¡°Captain Gu said to rest for an hour. Do you want to eat something?¡± Jiang Ran wanted to get out for a walk, but her legs were already numb because Si Xu had used them as a pillow all morning. Hence, she could only try to strike up a conversation with him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Si Xu pushed open the car door and looked back at her. ¡°Aren''t you going to get out of the car?¡±


    Recalling Si Xu''s character, Jiang Ran confessed with a slightly embarrassed expression, ¡°No, my legs are numb...¡±


    When the girl said that, she lowered her head slightly and looked a little shy. Si Xu realized belatedly that he was the one who had caused her inconvenience.


    The man was silent. He went around to the other side of the car and opened the car door. He leaned over to unbuckle the girl''s seatbelt. Then, he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her legs, and carried her out of the car.


    ¡°?¡± Suddenly falling into a warm embrace, the loss of balance made Jiang Ran wrap her arms around Si Xu¡¯s neck reflexively. She stammered, ¡°Si Xu, don''t bother... I''ll just take a short rest.¡±


    Si Xu looked down at the girl in his arms. He saw her flushed face and bewildered eyes. The corner of his mouth quirked up. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Si Xu, you fellow...¡± Gu Yunqing turned around and saw the man carrying the girl out of the car. He couldn''t help but twitched his lips in disgust. ¡°Once an old man who has never been in love falls into the ocean of love, he becomes really mushy. Tsk, tsk.¡±


    When Song Rong heard his captain''s muttering, he whispered, ¡°Does Professor Si really like that girl?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Gu Yunqing twitched his lips. ¡°That fellow has capricious moods. Maybe it¡¯s just a whim ¨C¨C but he¡¯s pampering that woman right now, so don''t offend him if you have nothing to do. Otherwise, if he hits the roof, he¡¯ll twist all of you up.¡±


    Song Rong laughed half-heartedly. ¡°Captain, even if I had tons of courage, I wouldn''t dare to mess with Professor Si...¡±


    No kidding, that guy was a devil who survived a bloodbath in the laboratory. Small fry like them wouldn¡¯t have the guts to provoke him.


    ¡°You don''t dare...¡± Gu Yunqing glanced at a group of people not far away and snorted, ¡°But someone does, haha.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    From a distance, Xie Chengzhi saw the man carrying the girl out of the car and gently placing her on the railing by the side of the road. He looked away, feeling even more disgusted.


    In just one night, Jiang Ranran could make that man pamper her. He didn¡¯t expect that woman to be quite good at using feminine wiles.


    The image of the girl pleasing the man uncontrollably popped up in Xie Chengzhi¡¯s mind. He subconsciously tightened his grip and crumpled the wrapper of the bread in his hand.


    Hah, when he thought about how he had once wooed a woman of loose morals like her, he felt disgusted.


    ¡­¡­


    After Si Xu placed her on the railing, Jiang Ran slowly unwrapped her arms from his neck.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Si Xu stood in front of her, blocking the sight of those in the team who were sizing her up.


    Jiang Ran massaged her legs and replied, ¡°Anything is fine.¡± She wasn¡¯t picky about food. It was fine as long as she had something to eat. She didn¡¯t feel hungry anyway.


    ¡°Is toast okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Instead of getting food from the team, Si Xu took out a packet directly from his space and stuffed it into her hand, along with water and a packet of spread sauce.


    Jiang Ran took the toast and reflexively checked the production date.


    Noticing her small action, Si Xu raised his eyebrows. ¡°The flow of time in my space is completely static.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, don''t worry about the expiry date.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    She spread the sauce with a small spoon, glanced at the young man beside her and raised her hand in front of him. ¡°Here, this is for you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Si Xu took a bite from her hand indifferently. ¡°Hmm...¡± He revealed a satisfied expression.


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡± Is he going to let her feed him the whole slice of toast?


    Just as she thought, Si Xu didn''t notice her hesitation at all and ate the whole slice of toast slowly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    When Jiang Ran saw him licking the corners of his mouth like a cat, she pursed her lips to keep her smile from being too obvious. Oh, it''s really the same as having a pet! He¡¯s absolutely obedient when he¡¯s eating!


    She spread another slice of toast with the sauce and continued to feed it to Si Xu.


    The man continued to eat obediently.


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡± No way, he¡¯s really adorable!


    When she tried to feed Si Xu a third slice of toast, he shook his head. ¡°You eat it. I''ll go and check the surroundings."


    ¡°Huh?¡± Knowing that he was going to check the surroundings as a precaution, Jiang Ran nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Glancing at the barren fields behind Jiang Ran, Si Xu asked her, ¡°Can you move your legs now?¡±


    Jiang Ran stretched her legs. ¡°They¡¯re fine now.¡±


    ¡°Go back into the car after eating.¡± Si Xu raised his chin. ¡°Be careful when I''m not around.¡±


    He was showing his concern for her... Jiang Ran¡¯s heart felt warm, turning into a puddle of water, with ripples appearing at a slight touch. Jiang Ran ignored the temperature rising on her cheeks and replied vaguely, ¡°Okay.¡±


    After getting Jiang Ran settled down, Si Xu walked toward Gu Yunqing. After a brief exchange of words, he walked around the convoy and along the side of the road.


    Watching Si Xu''s back disappear at the bend of the road, Jiang Ran looked away and started to eat her lunch.


    After Jiang Ran quickly ate two slices of toast and drank half a bottle of water, she jumped off the railing contentedly, planning to get back into the car.


    ¡°Hey, Ranran.¡±


    Hearing someone beside her calling her name, Jiang Ran stopped in her tracks. She looked at the guy walking toward her and asked puzzledly, ¡°You¡¯re...¡±


    He looked familiar, but she couldn¡¯t remember who he was.


    The guy didn''t expect Jiang Ran to ask such a question. He frowned impatiently, but still said patiently, ¡°I''m Jiang Yu. We were in the same team. How could you not know me?¡±


    Jiang Yu? Oh... Jiang Ran remembered who this person was.


    This guy liked Jiang Ranran, or more specifically, he liked Jiang Ranran''s body. When they were in the same team, he took liberties with Jiang Ranran. Later, Jiang Ranran followed Si Xu. Jiang Yu thought that Jiang Ranran was a woman of loose morals and almost raped Jiang Ranran...


    At the thought of this, there was a flash of disgust in Jiang Ran''s eyes and her tone became much colder. ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡±

 CH 12

    Chapter 12: You Bear Your Own Consequences


    Since Jiang Yu thought that he had a good relationship with Jiang Ranran, he naturally ignored the disgust in Jiang Ranran''s tone.


    ¡°I heard Luo Rui talk about you. I''m sorry that I didn''t stand by your side last night.¡± Jiang Yu said as he reached out to pat Jiang Ran''s shoulder, ¡°Don''t be sad. Actually, I don''t want to hand you over to another man either...¡±


    Jiang Ran didn''t hide her aversion to him. She took two steps back to dodge the guy''s hand and said coldly, ¡°You can talk, but hands off. I don''t like people touching me. Besides, I don''t know you well.¡±


    Her attitude was cold and the guy''s outstretched hand froze in the air. However, he had long been used to teasing girls. Instead of making him back down, Jiang Ran''s cold and unyielding attitude aroused his suppressed fire.


    ¡°Ranran, I know you¡¯re blaming me for not speaking up for you last night.¡± He naturally took two steps forward and continued to touch Jiang Ran''s shoulder. ¡°You ought to be angry. After all, I...¡±


    ¡°Don''t touch me.¡± There was a cold glint in the girl''s eyes and before the guy''s fingers could touch her, she lifted her foot and kicked him hard on the knee.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± The girl had kicked quickly and hard. Caught off guard, the guy''s knee gave way and he almost fell to his knees.


    Holding his painful knee, he growled out Jiang Ran''s name with a ferocious expression, ¡°Jiang! Ran! Ran!¡±


    He had coveted Jiang Ranran''s beauty for a long time, but he didn''t dare to make it too obvious before because of Xie Chengzhi in the team.


    However, as long as he didn''t go too far, Xie Chengzhi would turn a blind eye. And Jiang Ranran never dared to speak up every time she was teased ¨C¨C at that time, he was waiting for the day when Xie Chengzhi completely abandoned Jiang Ranran.


    In the end, Xie Chengzhi and Jiang Ranran broke up, but Jiang Ranran was taken away by another team.


    He felt it a pity that he didn¡¯t get to have the girl first and secretly lamented that he should have made his move earlier.


    When he was eating just now, he had been paying attention to Jiang Ranran ¡ª he saw the superhuman with space-type abilities carrying her out of the car, and her feeding him obediently and talking to him in a soft voice ¡ª she was so docile. It must be a lot of fun to be with such a well-behaved and docile woman... The point was, Jiang Ranran was also beautiful.


    Luo Rui seemed to see through his thoughts and reminded him, ¡°That man is just seeking novelty. When he gets bored of Ranran, she¡¯ll still return to our team.¡±


    When Jiang Yu heard this, he immediately snapped out of his thoughts.


    Yes, Jiang Ranran was just an ordinary person, a plaything which that man had asked for. As a plaything, she had no worth other than being a plaything.


    When that man was completely bored, Jiang Ranran would be cast away mercilessly by him.


    When that happened, the only way out for her would be to return to their team.


    ¡°Sigh, Ranran is quite pitiful.¡± Luo Rui was still talking, ¡°She must have felt jittery after being forced to follow that kind of man. Unfortunately, I have an awkward relationship with her, so it¡¯s not suitable for me to comfort her...¡±


    Luo Rui and Jiang Ranran were rivals in love. It was indeed unsuitable for Luo Rui to comfort her.


    After hearing what Luo Rui said, Jiang Yu¡¯s eyes couldn''t help but wander to Jiang Ranran again.


    Jiang Ranran was eating... She seemed to be in a bad mood with her head down. Yes, how could she be in a good mood when she had to serve that man first before she ate?


    At the thought of this, he simply said to Luo Rui, ¡°I''ll go see her,¡± and walked toward Jiang Ranran.


    Women were fragile creatures, especially this kind of helpless woman who had no ability to survive... As long as he gave her a little comfort and support now, she would be grateful.


    Although he couldn''t have Jiang Ranran immediately, when that man got tired of her, she would still end up as his plaything.


    However... He felt some regrets in his heart. After all, she was a woman who had been with another man. Even if he had her, he wouldn¡¯t feel a sense of accomplishment unlike if he had her first.


    He thought a lot and even fantasized about the girl hugging him and weeping bitterly, but he never expected that she would kick him directly.


    The dull pain in his knee reminded him of how hard the girl had kicked him. He massaged his knee and gritted his teeth. ¡°You bitch!¡±


    As he spoke, he reached out to grab her arm.


    This woman merely had a new master. Did she think that she had become an overdog? She was still a man''s plaything! She should count her blessings that he came over to show her concern. How dared she kick him!


    Accustomed to women''s submissiveness in the past, Jiang Yu completely lost it after being provoked by Jiang Ran''s sudden counterattack. He completely forgot that she no longer belonged to their team.


    Jiang Ran didn''t take the man''s anger to heart at all.


    No matter what Si Xu thought about her, at least he still cared about her now.


    As long as Si Xu still cared about her, Gu Yunqing wouldn''t let this guy get his way with her.


    Besides, she wouldn''t mind giving the guy another kick to sober him up.


    When Gu Yunqing, who was watching the drama, saw Jiang Yu reaching out his hand to touch Jiang Ran, he kicked Song Rong without hesitation. ¡°Go and protect Sister Ranran now! Don''t let that idiot touch her.¡±


    Song Rong said, ¡°Huh? Captain, why can''t you do it?"


    ¡°Just do it as you¡¯re told¡± Before Gu Yunqing finished talking, Jiang Ran had already kicked the man in the knee.


    Gu Yunqing¡¯s hand froze in mid-air. He tsked twice. ¡°That girl has become a lot bolder after following Si Xu.¡±


    ¡°Captain, aren''t we going to intervene?¡±


    ¡°Of course we must!¡± Gu Yunqing rolled up his sleeves and murmured, ¡°Listen, Si Xu''s possessiveness has reached a perverted level. If he sees this, he¡¯ll definitely...¡±


    Before Gu Yunqing could finish complaining, Jiang Yu''s outstretched hand was forcibly stopped before it could touch Jiang Ran''s arm.


    In the next second, there was a subtle twist in the air and the guy watched helplessly as his arm twisted 360 degrees and then returned to its original position, using his elbow as the fulcrum.


    Blood spurted out.


    Jiang Yu stared blankly at his flaccid arm and was stunned for three seconds before he let out a painful scream.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    Holding his arm, Jiang Yu curled up and howled miserably.


    His blood spread and Jiang Ran, who was also stunned, snapped out of her daze, and subconsciously staggered two steps back. She fell into a man''s warm embrace.


    She turned her head.


    She didn¡¯t know when Si Xu came back. His light brown eyes weren¡¯t looking at Jiang Ran. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the guy curled up on the ground, struggling.


    When Si Xu looked at the wailing guy and the blood that was about to spread to his feet, Si Xu''s lips that were pursed into a line suddenly curled slightly into a faint smile.


    He... was smiling?


    In an instant, Jiang Ran¡¯s hair stood on end.


    She subconsciously wanted to escape from Si Xu¡¯s embrace, but the man suddenly put his arms around her shoulders and restrained her tightly in front of him.


    ¡°Si-Si Xu...¡± Jiang Ran sensed the man''s anger and she called his name with a trembling voice.


    The man didn''t answer, nor did he look down at her.


    ¡°Look.¡± Gu Yunqing sighed. He was not surprised by the scene in front of him. ¡°This is the outcome of making Si Xu angry... Sigh, it''s really terrible.¡±


    Song Rong, ¡°...¡±


    Also alarmed by the unexpected event here, Luo Rui, Xie Chengzhi and the others walked over here immediately.


    ¡°What...¡± Xie Chengzhi and Jiang Yu were close friends. When Xie Chengzhi saw his friend''s miserable state, he said angrily, ¡°What''s going on?!¡±


    As he spoke, he reached out to help Jiang Yu to his feet.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯d advise you not to touch him now.¡± Gu Yunqing spoke just in time to stop Xie Chengzhi''s movements.


    Luo Rui pulled Xie Chengzhi back and looked at Gu Yunqing coldly. ¡°Captain Gu, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Gu Yunqing said with a grin, ¡°Si Xu hasn''t said that this guy can leave, so...¡± His smile got brighter. ¡°None of you is allowed to touch him, otherwise you bear your own consequences."


    This wasn¡¯t a threat or a taunt, but a normal reminder.


    Gu Yunqing knew very well that anyone who defended Jiang Yu now would only end up the same way as Jiang Yu.

 CH 13

    Chapter 13: Why Didn¡¯t You Stop Him?


    ¡°Captain Gu, Professor Si, I don''t know what Jiang Yu did to make you so angry." Luo Rui, who didn''t see how Jiang Yu was injured, thought it was Gu Yunqing who attacked Jiang Yu. Her expression was grim and unyielding. ¡°Now, you¡¯ve taught him a lesson. If his wound isn¡¯t treated, he¡¯ll die soon.¡±


    ¡°Since he knows he¡¯ll die, why did he covet a woman who doesn''t belong to him?¡± Gu Yunqing sneered. ¡°Since he made the move, he must be prepared to be taught a lesson by others.¡±


    Sure enough, it was because of Jiang Ranran... Luo Rui looked at Jiang Ranran, humbled herself in front of Jiang Ranran and said earnestly, ¡°Ranran, if Jiang Yu did something bad to you, I apologize for him. Please don''t be angry. Chengzhi and I will teach him a good lesson...¡±


    Tsk, what a useless fool. I told him to seduce Jiang Ranran, yet he ended up getting himself in trouble. What an idiot!


    The guy was in such a miserable state that the rest of the team couldn''t bear to see it anymore.


    Zhou Jian whispered, ¡°Even if Jiang Yu went overboard, you¡¯ve taught him a lesson already ¨C¨C you should show mercy.¡±


    Yi Xi glanced at Jiang Yu, then at Jiang Ranran. ¡°Jiang Ranran, enough is enough.¡±


    The others were also chattering, pleading for mercy, apologizing, or persuading.


    The members of Gu Yunqing''s team wisely stayed away. Song Rong moved his lips and was about to speak when Gu Yunqing grabbed his wrist and shook his head.


    He looked thoughtfully at Jiang Ran, who was trapped in Si Xu''s arms, with curiosity on his face.


    Would Jiang Ran intercede for that guy? If she did... Gu Yunqing could almost anticipate the outcome awaiting the woman.


    Jiang Ran couldn''t hear what those people were saying at all. There was only blood in her eyes and the wailing of the guy in her ears.


    The scene of blood spurting out kept replaying before her eyes and her body trembled uncontrollably. At this moment, she finally understood what kind of existence the so-called apocalypse was.


    Si Xu still held her shoulders tightly, refusing to give her any retreat.


    If she didn¡¯t stop Si Xu, Jiang Yu would die.


    With this realization, Jiang Ran licked her lips and looked up at Si Xu. ¡°Si Xu, I...¡±


    The man''s deep, light brown eyes met her gaze and there seemed to be a cryptic smile in his eyes. It was as if he was expecting something, but it also seemed as if he was rejecting something.


    His eyes... were really clear and bright.


    Jiang Ran sighed in her heart and raised her hand to place it lightly over Si Xu''s arm that was crossed in front of her. ¡°He tried to bully me. Why didn''t you stop him?¡±


    Jiang Ran finally spoke, but she asked that question instead.


    The people who were pleading slowly quieted down.


    Luo Rui said in a helpless tone, ¡°Ranran, you misunderstood. Jiang Yu merely has a foul mouth. Actually, he means you no harm. We¡¯re all teammates...¡±


    ¡°He means me no harm?¡± Jiang Ran''s conflicted heart calmed down instantly. Without looking at the guy on the ground whose voice was weakening, she enunciated, "So, is that what all of you think?¡±


    Luo Rui¡¯s gaze met Xie Chengzhi¡¯s and then she spoke again, ¡°Ranran, I know you¡¯re a kind and good girl. After today''s incident, Jiang Yu must have learned his lesson. He won¡¯t pester you shamelessly in the future...¡±


    ¡°Besides me, there will still be other victims.¡± Jiang Ran interrupted Luo Rui and said, ¡°Today, it happened to me. Tomorrow, it could happen to another innocent girl.¡±


    Jiang Ran turned her face to the side to show that she didn¡¯t want to intercede for Jiang Yu.


    After making her stance known, Jiang Ran could feel the arms that had restrained her loosen a bit.


    She exhaled silently, knowing that she had made the right decision.


    Luo Rui didn''t expect Jiang Ranran to have such an attitude. It was so different from her previous personality. Luo Rui frowned and finally turned her gaze to the man who had his arms around Jiang Ran. ¡°Professor Si...¡±


    She smiled bitterly. ¡°Jiang Yu is already in this state. Can you...¡±


    Without waiting for Luo Rui to finish her words, Si Xu smiled softly. ¡°Okay.¡±


    The very clear and faint laughter revealed the joy in the man''s heart.


    Ignoring Luo Rui and the half-dead Jiang Yu, Si Xu carried Jiang Ran, avoided the blood on the ground and walked to the side of the car.


    Gu Yunqing had seen enough of the drama and he called out to Luo Rui, ¡°Alright, alright, you guys can move him away. The smell of blood is so strong that it¡¯ll definitely attract zombies.¡±


    Luo Rui, ¡°...¡± Who caused this strong smell of blood in the first place? Since you knew there would be a smell of blood, why did you injure his arm this way?


    ¡°By the way, Luo Rui,¡± Having a good impression of the woman, Gu Yunqing kindly reminded her, ¡°Jiang Ran did you guys a favor. You should thank her properly.¡±


    After Gu Yunqing finished talking, he clapped his hands and said loudly, ¡°Break is almost over. Pack up and get ready to leave!¡±


    After helping Jiang Yu to treat his wound briefly, Zhou Jian sighed. ¡°I''m afraid his arm is crippled. Fortunately, the bleeding has stopped and his life is saved.¡±


    Luo Rui had a lamentable expression on her face. ¡°It''s my fault ¨C¨C I was worried that Ranran would be sad, but it was inappropriate for me to comfort her. Jiang Yu heard what I said, so he went to ask Ranran about her situation. Who knew... Sigh.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Ran has gone too far!¡± Zhou Jian said angrily, "Because she has someone to back her up now, she¡¯s starting to flaunt her superiority! I really don''t know what Gu Yunqing sees in her. He actually fancies such a disgusting woman.¡±


    ¡°You can''t say that. Ranran doesn''t have the right to speak...¡±


    ¡°But she could have interceded!¡± Zhou Jian sneered. ¡°Yet, what did she do? She wasn¡¯t even willing to intercede. She just stood idly by. Jiang Yu could have died.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After Zhou Jian finished talking with righteous indignation, the other people in the car agreed with her.


    ¡°That''s right. No matter what, our team had protected her for so long.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s so ungrateful! When they abandon her in the future, don¡¯t let her come back to our team!¡±


    ¡°She has gone too far!¡±


    The team members expressed their opinions one after another, but Luo Rui¡¯s mind was on another matter.


    What did Gu Yunqing mean by his words? Jiang Ranran didn''t intercede at all. Why did he say Jiang Ranran did them a favor?


    Also, glancing at Jiang Yu''s crippled arm, Luo Rui was puzzled.


    Was Jiang Yu''s injury really caused by a superhuman with wind-type abilities? It was such a weird wound... If it wasn''t Gu Yunqing who injured him, who could it be? Si Xu?


    No, that was impossible. She had sensed that Si Xu was a superhuman with space-type abilities and had no combat power at all.


    Darned, since last night, many things seemed to have gotten out of her control, putting her in a passive position.


    ¡­¡­


    The convoy proceeded with the journey. Xiaochen went to rest and Song Rong took over the task of driving.


    Because he was with his own team, Gu Yunqing talked freely, ¡°Si Xu, you just checked out the place. What¡¯s the situation ahead?¡±


    ¡°There was a group of zombies. I¡¯ve killed them.¡±


    Si Xu said as he pulled Jiang Ran, who was huddled in one corner, to sit on his lap. He looked down at her and there seemed to be a gentle light in his flirtatious eyes. ¡°You seem to be shaking badly?¡±


    With the man''s hands on her back, Jiang Ran straightened up subconsciously and stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯m okay... I guess?¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to tremble, but her body couldn¡¯t stop trembling. Fine, she admitted that she was frightened by the scene just now.


    She had seen a lot of scenes involving murder and arson in dramas and movies, but this was the first time she saw someone''s arm being broken in reality.


    Until now, there was still a faint smell of blood around her nostrils.


    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± The man stroked the girl''s back with his fingers and he lowered his voice, asking in a persuasive way, ¡°Do you think that scene just now was scary?¡±


    Jiang Ran nodded honestly.


    Si Xu continued to ask, ¡°Are you scared of me?¡±


    When Si Xu asked this, his slender fingers slowly stopped on the tender and fair back of the girl''s neck, caressing it gently.


    It was true that she was scared, but was she scared... of him? Jiang Ran shook her head.


    Si Xu paused in his movements and his flirtatious eyes crinkled up even more. However, this time, there was a completely harmless, gentle smile in his eyes.


    He wrapped his arms around her and said in a low voice, ¡°Rest. I''m here.¡±


    Jiang Ran obediently leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Si Xu.¡± Unable to fall asleep, Jiang Ran closed her eyes and spoke vaguely, ¡°I was indeed scared just now. It was the first time I saw something like that... I was just... scared of that kind of scene.¡±


    Her fear had nothing to do with Si Xu who protected her. She simply reacted physically to the fear of that scene.


    ¡°Si Xu, thank you for protecting me.¡±


    Si Xu¡¯s cruel means or vicious methods mattered nothing to Jiang Ran.


    When Jiang Yu forced Jiang Ranran, no one ever stepped forward to reproach him, nor anyone asked Jiang Ranran if she was willing.


    Everyone just watched the fun, and even laughed and chatted while drinking beer.


    No matter what method Si Xu used, at least he protected her.


    Even if in the eyes of everyone, Jiang Ranran was just an accessory of Si Xu and a plaything he owned, he still taught the person who bullied her a lesson.


    Jiang Ran expressed her gratitude bluntly. Si Xu hummed uncomfortably in response to her gratitude.

 CH 14

    Chapter 14: Winter Had Arrived


    In the evening, the convoy traveling along the country road arrived at a small village.


    Unexpectedly, the outskirts of the village were surrounded by a tall fence. Sharp wooden stakes protruded from the fence and several struggling zombies hung on the stakes.


    Si Xu, who was playing with Jiang Ran¡¯s hair, suddenly looked up and said coldly, ¡°Stop the car!¡±


    Song Rong stepped on the brake reflexively.


    Gu Yunqing used the walkie-talkie to contact the convoy behind first, then turned around and asked Si Xu, ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°There are things on the ground.¡± Si Xu patted Jiang Ran on the shoulder, placed the sleepy girl on the seat, opened the door and got out of the car.


    Gu Yunqing followed him out of the car, walked two steps forward, and saw the obstacle lying on the road ¡ª a row of sharp and small nails buried in the soil were protruding. They were inconspicuous, but posed a big problem for the convoy.


    Si Xu looked around with squinted eyes and said flatly, ¡°Don¡¯t stop talking. There are people watching us from the observation deck over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Yunqing arched his eyebrows and shouted as per Si Xu¡¯s instruction, ¡°We are a team from Xiling Base. We¡¯ve passed by here on the way back. I hope you can let us pass through!¡±


    The night wind carried Gu Yunqing''s voice far away and soon, the other party responded.


    A small door that only allowed one person to enter and exit was opened on one side of the tall fence. Several men walked out from inside and stopped a few steps away.


    ¡°Dude, excuse us. We merely want to pass through from here. I wonder if you can remove these nails temporarily." Gu Yunqing smiled politely. ¡°If you find it troublesome, our team can do it ourselves, and we promise to help you put them back after our convoy passes through.¡±


    ¡°You guys... came from Xiling Base?¡± The man standing at the front was wrapped in a thick padded jacket and had a cigarette in his mouth. He glanced at Si Xu and Gu Yunqing, and then at the convoy behind them. Are those all supplies?¡±


    Knowing what the man implied, Gu Yunqing said with a smile, ¡°If you need anything, you can tell me. If our team has it, we may agree to use it in exchange for the toll.¡±


    ¡°In exchange for the toll?¡± There was undisguised greed in the man''s eyes. ¡°I can have whatever I want?¡±


    Gu Yunqing smiled faintly. ¡°It has to be something that we have.¡±


    ¡°Oh, in that case...¡± The man was trying to exploit these passers-by when he saw the door of the off-road vehicle open. A young lady got out of the car and stood by the door, quietly looking in their direction.


    She¡¯s really... beautiful! The man''s eyes widened involuntarily, wanting to see more clearly. The girl¡¯s beauty was secondary. Most importantly, she was clean and neat.


    After the man occupied this village and established a base here, there were many women around him. However, those women were always frowning, or dirty and skinny, unlike this young lady in front of him, who was clean and spotless.


    She wasn¡¯t a superhuman, but she had gotten out of the car. Was she a plaything of one of these two men? Or was she shared by the team?


    Sensing the man¡¯s gaze, Si Xu turned his head and motioned to Jiang Ran.


    Jiang Ran walked up to Si Xu hesitantly.


    What was the situation now? In the novel, didn''t the convoy return to Xiling Base without incident? Why was there suddenly this inexplicable episode?


    Could it be that some events had changed because of her transmigration?


    The girl came closer and the greed in the man''s eyes became more obvious. ¡°If you really want to exchange something for the toll, how about using this woman as the exchange?¡±


    Gu Yunqing thought he heard wrongly. ¡°Huh?¡± This guy would rather want a woman than supplies? Was he that desperate for women?


    ¡°I want her.¡± The man pointed at Jiang Ran, with explicit greed in his eyes. ¡°Give this woman to me and I''ll let you pass through.¡±


    What? Jiang Ran was startled when she heard that. Si Xu called her over specifically. Was he thinking of using her as an exchange? Such a thing wasn¡¯t impossible. After all, she couldn¡¯t figure out Si Xu''s thoughts at all...


    At the thought of that, she reflexively grabbed Si Xu''s hand and looked up at him.


    When Jiang Ran¡¯s slightly cold and soft fingers tightly wrapped around Si Xu¡¯s, he looked at her in surprise and happened to look into the girl''s teary eyes.


    Was she feeling uneasy?


    Si Xu was dazed for a moment. Thinking that she was frightened by the ugly men opposite them, he gripped her hand to comfort her and pulled her behind him, blocking the man from sizing her up.


    ¡°I see.¡± Gu Yunqing said in a resigned tone, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s nothing more to discuss then.¡±


    He and Si Xu exchanged glances and turned around to leave.


    Passing through this village was a shortcut, but it did not mean that they must take this route.


    They could make a detour without causing too much trouble.


    They could have barged through, but it was the apocalypse now. Survival was tough for everyone. There was no need to cut off people''s livelihoods.


    Seeing that they were about to leave, the man hurriedly said, ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily need to have her.¡±


    Gu Yunqing stopped in his tracks.


    ¡°Well, it''s not easy for everyone in this kind of world. What supplies do you have? Leave some behind as the toll and I''ll let you pass through.¡± The man glanced at Jiang Ran, looked at Gu Yunqing, and laughed heartily. ¡°It''s night time now. It¡¯s not convenient for you to travel at night. Why don¡¯t you stay overnight and leave tomorrow?¡±


    Since the other party had given in, Gu Yunqing compromised as well. ¡°If it¡¯s not a bother to you, we have that intention too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no bother. We depend on this for our livelihoods.¡± The man seemed to imply something. He instructed the person beside him and that person immediately ran to the village.


    ¡°My name is Lei Tang. I¡¯m the current person in charge of this small base.¡± The man introduced himself.


    Gu Yunqing shook hands with the man in a familiar manner. ¡°My name is Gu Yunqing.¡±


    Si Xu was expressionless. ¡°Si Xu.¡± He had no intention of introducing Jiang Ran.


    While they were talking, the man running errands came back and forth, lifted several stone slabs, and laid them on the nails.


    ¡°It''s done, Boss.¡±


    Gu Yunqing called out to the convoy to go into the village. Si Xu didn''t get into the car. He led Jiang Ran into the village on foot behind Lei Tang.


    The village was very quiet and only a few houses had lights on. Upon hearing the movements, some people looked out from the windows while some people came out of their doors to greet Lei Tang.


    Jiang Ran followed Si Xu closely, trying not to look left and right. However, wherever she looked, she had an inexplicable feeling that something was out of place.


    Unlike the brick and tile houses on the outskirts of the village, Lei Tang took them to a small western-style building.


    ¡°This is my residence. It¡¯s also where our base receives guests.¡±


    After Lei Tang said that, he looked specifically at Jiang Ran, trying to see something in the woman''s eyes, but she just lowered her eyes and didn''t look at him at all.


    After getting the convoy settled down and leaving people to watch the night, Gu Yunqing brought the rest of the team over.


    ¡°Oh, this villa is rather beautiful,¡± Gu Yunqing praised generously. ¡°It seems that I can sleep well tonight. Thank you for the hospitality, Brother Lei!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Lei Tang said modestly, but there was a smug expression in his eyes. ¡°All of you are my guests. Please come in.¡±


    Gu Yunqing and Si Xu exchanged glances, then Gu Yunqing followed Lei Tang into the house.


    Si Xu didn''t move, so Jiang Ran naturally didn''t move either.


    When Zhou Jian passed by Jiang Ran, she glanced at Jiang Ran and snorted loudly to express her disgust.


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡± She was no longer in Luo Rui''s team. Why did this woman still dislike her so much? How baffling.


    All the people in the team went in. Jiang Ran peered inside and asked, ¡°Aren''t we going in?¡±


    ¡°I''m tired after driving all day.¡± Si Xu put his arm around her waist. ¡°Walk with me.¡±


    There were no lighting facilities in the village, so when the sky was completely dark, the place was almost pit black.


    A gust of wind blew past and something cold fell on Jiang Ran¡¯s cheek and melted into water.


    Jiang Ran opened her eyes wide and reached out to catch a falling snowflake.


    ¡°It''s snowing,¡± she murmured. The disaster broke out in midsummer, and now half a year had passed, ushering in the first snow in winter.


    Winter had arrived.


    She wondered how many zombies and people would die after winter passed.

 CH 15

    Chapter 15: Take Good Care Of Her


    As Jiang Ran dwelled on it, she missed her original world even more. Although she was an orphan in that world and had no relatives, everyone in the orphanage, where she grew up in, was very gentle... That was a heartwarming world, which was completely different from this place.


    Si Xu, who was very sensitive to emotions, naturally felt Jiang Ran''s sudden depression. However, since the girl didn''t say anything, he didn''t have the intention of probing.


    After walking along the smooth road for a while, the convoy parked on the side of the road came into view.


    ¡°Professor Si!¡± The team members who stayed behind to watch the night also saw Si Xu and immediately walked up to meet him. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I came to have a look.¡± Si Xu glanced at the team members who were on night watch duty and said, "Will there be a rotation of the people on guard in the second half of the night?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain Gu has made the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± There were slight noises behind Si Xu and he frowned slightly before he lowered his voice, ¡°Stay vigilant... at night.¡±


    Si Xu came here purposely to tell them to be careful... Everyone in the team was smart and immediately understood what Si Xu meant.


    ¡°Roger, Professor Si.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°The man named Si Xu took the girl to the convoy and then wandered around the village.¡± The speaker was a guy with dyed blond hair. He was not old, but he spoke in a mature way, ¡°Boss, I saw that girl. She¡¯s really pretty... But the girls in their team are all quite good-looking...¡±


    He said, revealing a lewd smile on his face.


    ¡°Several of them are superhumans.¡± Lei Tang sneered. ¡°I heard from them that they came from Xiling Base, so they must be a professionally trained superhuman team.¡±


    ¡°Is it difficult to deal with them?¡±


    ¡°Haha, are you so easily intimidated?¡± Lei Tang got up and patted the guy on the shoulder. He said proudly, ¡°Have you forgotten how many superhumans we¡¯ve dealt with? What¡¯s the big deal about a trained superhuman team? All it takes is a packet of drugs to knock them out and put them at our mercy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± After the blond guy finished talking, he recalled Jiang Ran''s appearance again and suddenly got up. ¡°Boss, I was thinking. That man merely has space-type abilities and no combat power. Why not I kill him first...¡±


    ¡°What''s the hurry?!¡± With a slap on the back of the guy''s head, Lei Tang clicked his tongue. ¡°Now that they¡¯re already in the trap, are you still afraid that they¡¯ll run away? What if your plan accidentally backfires? That Gu Yunqing seems to be a powerful character. All of us might not even be his match.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don''t take unnecessary risks, okay?¡±


    The blond guy reluctantly said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay, it''s almost time for dinner. Let''s play host to the guests!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After walking around the village and grasping a general understanding of the situation, Si Xu took Jiang Ran back to the villa.


    As soon as they entered the door, they saw women with different appearances chatting and laughing together.


    When Jiang Ran saw these people, she finally understood why she felt something was out of place.


    In this village, except for this villa, there were only men or children in the other households...


    ¡°Have-have they kept all the women by their side...¡± Jiang Ran felt incredulous. She couldn¡¯t help but diss them in her heart. ¡°Are these men thinking of keeping a harem of women like the emperor did in the past?


    However, Jiang Ran soon noticed that the people who chatted and laughed were all young women with outstanding looks or figures, while those who were busy working were older women.


    Seeing people walking in, the women who were gathered looked at Si Xu and Jiang Ran. When they saw Si Xu, they flashed their warm smiles and walked up to him.


    ¡°Did you come here with Captain Gu?¡± A woman smiled enchantingly and stretched out her hand to grab Si Xu''s hand. ¡°Come in now~¡±


    ¡°Don''t touch him.¡± One step faster than the woman, Jiang Ran slapped her hand away and said angrily, ¡°I don''t like the smell of perfume on your body.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The back of the woman¡¯s hand turned red. The woman rubbed her hand, looked at Jiang Ran and giggled, ¡°It doesn''t matter if you like it or not, as long as he likes it.¡±


    ¡°If I don''t like it, he won''t like it too.¡± Jiang Ran put on a tough attitude, protecting Si Xu from being groped by the women. ¡°We¡¯ll go in by ourselves. We don''t need you to lead the way.¡±


    Si Xu passively followed the girl inside, but he didn''t resist or feel unhappy. He merely raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly. ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± Jiang Ran muttered as she let go of the young man with a blushing face. ¡°I merely... don''t like the smell of perfume on them.¡±


    Did she hate those girls? Not really.


    Those girls were all ordinary people. In the current world, it wasn¡¯t easy to live a stable life ¨C¨C they merely made what they thought was the best choice, just like what she did.


    She didn¡¯t hate them, but... she didn¡¯t like them either.


    ¡°Oh, I don''t like them either.¡± Si Xu''s tone was indifferent. ¡°They¡¯re like walking pieces of meat. They gross me out.¡±


    If the woman''s hand had touched him, she would have become a corpse by now.


    There he went with that tone again... Jiang Ran pursed her lips tightly and whispered, ¡°Let''s go in, Si Xu.¡±


    A group of people from the team were already waiting in the dining room. Gu Yunqing was chatting with Lei Tang. From their expressions, it seemed that they were getting along quite harmoniously.


    When Lei Tang saw Si Xu, he said hello, and then said to the woman standing next to him, ¡°Didn''t you see that there are two more guests? Bring two more chairs in!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The woman responded in a panic and quickly left the dining room to carry the chairs in.


    Jiang Ran didn¡¯t know whether it was intentional, but the two extra chairs were separately placed on both sides.


    ¡°Let us chat among ourselves as men. Women shouldn¡¯t get involved. Let them play by themselves.¡± Before Si Xu could speak, Lei Tang laughed boldly and said, ¡°If you let her sit here, she probably will feel awkward.¡±


    The corner of Gu Yunqing¡¯s mouth twitched. He rested his chin with one hand, waiting for Si Xu''s reply.


    Si Xu didn''t sit down immediately. He looked at Jiang Ran beside him and asked her in a low voice, ¡°Do you want to go over there?¡±


    Jiang Ran glanced at the extra chair ¡ª it was placed between Luo Rui and Yi Xi¡¯s seats.


    She hesitated. ¡°Can I stay here?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Si Xu replied with a simple word and glanced at Song Rong who was sitting next to the empty seat. Song Rong hurriedly squeezed to the side to make room for an empty seat. ¡°Move your chair. Didn''t you see Professor Si and Sister Ranran standing there?¡±


    Si Xu sat down next to Gu Yunqing. Jiang Ran thanked Song Rong and sat down next to Si Xu.


    Lei Tang, ¡°...¡±


    The man curled his lips and teased, ¡°It seems that she¡¯s a new plaything. Do you like her that much?¡±


    Jiang Ran knew that the man was assessing her and she frowned a little uncomfortably when she heard the word "plaything". Hence, in the apocalypse, were women without awakened abilities just playthings in the eyes of such men?


    ¡°She¡¯s not a plaything.¡±


    Si Xu replied flatly. He took a sip from the glass in front of him before putting the glass in front of Jiang Ran.


    ¡°Dude, what are you doing?¡± Lei Tang was displeased when he noticed Si Xu''s little action. ¡°Are you suspecting that I¡¯ve drugged the tea?!¡±


    Since Si Xu and Jiang Ran came in, they had been the focus of everyone''s attention, and Si Xu''s action was naturally noticed by many people.


    Luo Rui was no exception.


    At first, she was still wondering about the underlying meaning of the man''s action, but when she heard Lei Tang''s question, she suddenly understood.


    Was Si Xu helping Jiang Ranran to check whether the tea was drugged?


    ¡°I¡¯m not suspecting you.¡± Si Xu poured himself another glass and drank it with his expression unchanged. ¡°She''s not a superhuman. There are some things that superhumans can touch, but she can''t.¡±


    It was like the case with the zombie virus. Superhumans would not have any problems after any contact with the virus, but ordinary people would mutate into zombies.


    Hence, he must isolate everything that might harm Jiang Ran intentionally or unintentionally.


    After all, this woman belonged to him. He must take good care of her.

 CH 16

    Chapter 16: Why Are You Alright?


    The plan went considerably well. Lei Tang didn''t bother to hold it against Si Xu. He clapped his hands and after a while, girls filed in and started serving the dishes.


    He¡¯s really acting like an ancient emperor. Jiang Ran sighed a little as she watched the girls move in an orderly manner.


    She should feel lucky that at least the person she met after transmigrating was Si Xu. If it were someone else, she wondered the kind of fate that would be awaiting her.


    As she thought about that, she couldn''t help but look at the people around her again.


    Si Xu didn''t join Lei Tang and the others in their chat, but ate quietly.


    Noticing Jiang Ran¡¯s gaze, Si Xu silently put the fish that he had deboned on the plate into her bowl.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You need to eat more,¡± Si Xu said matter-of-factly. ¡°You¡¯re too skinny. Your former team didn''t take good care of you.¡±


    If the girl gained more weight, she would be more comfortable to hold.


    Si Xu''s voice was not loud. It was just loud enough for Luo Rui and Xie Chengzhi to hear him.


    Xie Chengzhi¡¯s expression turned gloomy. He put down his chopsticks with a thud and stood up. ¡°I''ve finished eating. Thank you, Brother Lei, for your hospitality.¡±


    After Xie Chengzhi finished saying that, he left the dining room and walked to the room arranged for him.


    Luo Rui awkwardly said goodbye to Gu Yunqing and Lei Tang, and chased after Xie Chengzhi.


    Not realizing that his words had inadvertently angered others or even noticing the two people who left, Si Xu continued to pick food for Jiang Ran. ¡°This brisket with potatoes tastes good.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Back in the room, Xie Chengzhi kicked the wall. He felt as though the anger welling inside him was about to boil over.


    It was bad enough that darned man took his woman away, but he even mocked him in front of so many people!


    He didn¡¯t take good care of Jiang Ranran? Hah, why should the team support Jiang Ranran for nothing in return? They had done her a great mercy in not throwing her into a group of zombies!


    Darn it!


    ¡°Chengzhi.¡± When Luo Rui entered the room, she saw the guy scratching the wall angrily. She frowned, walked over to hold the guy''s hand, and said softly, ¡°Don''t be angry, Chengzhi. It''s not worth it being angry with that kind of person.¡±


    ¡°I''m not angry with that man¡¯s words.¡± Not wanting Luo Rui to misunderstand that he still loved Jiang Ranran, Xie Chengzhi casually made an excuse. ¡°Ruirui, all along, we¡¯ve at least protected Jiang Ranran''s safety. But look what happened in the end. Now that she''s in another team, she acts as though we mistreated her in the past ¡ª she¡¯s so ungrateful and despicable!¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s ungrateful.¡± Luo Rui agreed with him and said, ¡°Therefore, you shouldn''t let this kind of person spoil your mood, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Besides, who knows what¡¯s in store for the future? It''s still unknown who will have the last laugh.¡± Luo Rui''s voice was filled with unconcealable resentment. ¡°Let them laugh today. There will always be a day when they cry in the future.¡±


    ¡°Ruirui...¡± In order to comfort him, his kind little girlfriend said such remarks against her will. Xie Chengzhi''s anger dissipated and he hugged Luo Rui tightly. ¡°Don''t say such things. I know you don''t mean it."


    Luo Rui was the kind of person who would sacrifice everything for the team. Even when he had become entangled with Jiang Ranran, and Jiang Ranran had not awakened any abilities, Luo Rui was still willing to let Jiang Ranran stay with them... Such a kind Ruirui shouldn¡¯t be affected by his negative emotions.


    Si Xu wasn¡¯t interested in Lei Tang and Gu Yunqing''s chat content. When Si Xu saw that Jiang Ran was full, he left the dining room with her first.


    ¡°Hey, Brother Gu, that friend of yours is really haughty." After drinking a few glasses of wine, Lei Tang was slurring his words, ¡°It must be tedious to travel with such a person, right?¡±


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Gu Yunqing''s voice sounded indistinct as if he was drunk, but his eyes were clear and sober. ¡°Si Xu isn¡¯t good at expressing himself. Actually, he¡¯s quite a nice person.¡±


    ¡°He seems to be a superhuman with space-type abilities?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, space-type abilities ¨C¨C just like Doraemon. You can have whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°We have a superhuman with space-type abilities in our base too, but his level isn¡¯t high enough to store anything."


    ¡°This kind of thing can¡¯t be rushed. As time passes and his ability level increases, his abilities will be useful."


    ¡°You¡¯re right ¨C¨C what¡¯s Si Xu¡¯s ability level?¡±


    ¡°Him?¡± Gu Yunqing frowned and thought for a long time before he muttered, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. Anyway, the space that comes along with his abilities is quite useful.¡±


    Lei Tang nodded. In other words, that man''s space-type ability level should be quite high. But no matter how powerful he was, there was no way for him to surpass the third level in half a year... Even if he was a genius and had third-level space-type abilities, it would be easy to deal with him. After all, he had no combat power.


    ¡­¡­


    When Jiang Ran returned to the room, a thin layer of snow had accumulated on the balcony. After taking a shower, Jiang Ran wrapped her coat around her and ran to the balcony to create two footprints.


    Well, it was said that the first person to leave footprints in the snow would have good luck.


    She closed the glass door of the balcony contentedly, turned her head and bumped into the young man. He immediately carried her in his arms.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Ran¡¯s hands came in contact with delicate skin. She looked at his collar which was unintentionally tugged loose during his movements, and she turned her head to the other side with a blushing face.


    Wait... She didn''t think too much last night because Si Xu was watching the night. However, she was in a room with a bed today... She couldn''t help but think ¡ª what was Si Xu going to do? Would he...


    Thinking about what might happen next, Jiang Ran¡¯s body tensed up and various thoughts raced through her mind.


    If Si Xu really wanted to... She might not be averse to him, but she didn¡¯t have feelings for him either... In her perception, at least in her current state now, there was no way she could do that kind of thing with someone she had no feelings for.


    ¡°Well, Si Xu, I...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Um, what are you going to do? Are you going to rest?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    When they were on the bed, the young man didn''t have any intentions of letting go of her. He held her in his arms like a doll, feeling contented.


    The young man made no further moves and Jiang Ran heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that Si Xu was only interested in her, but not to that extent yet.


    While she was thinking about that, she felt slender fingers pinching her waist through the light material of her pajamas. Jiang Ran froze and almost jumped out of bed.


    ¡°You¡¯re still too skinny...¡± She heard the man sigh in a low voice. ¡°You need to grow plumper.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    The man buried his face in Jiang Ran¡¯s neck. His hot breath fell on her skin, causing a slight tremor. However, unlike Jiang Ran who was feeling jittery, Si Xu soon fell asleep with his arms around her.


    He had fallen asleep?


    Jiang Ran tried to move her body, but when she moved slightly, the hand around her waist immediately tightened a bit.


    Jiang Ran didn''t dare to move anymore.


    But she couldn¡¯t sleep when she was being hugged like this!


    ¡­¡­


    At night, the wind and snow hit the windows, making pattering sounds. There was a slight sound of footsteps passing through the corridor and heading straight for the room.


    As per Lei Tang''s instructions, the blond guy used the spare key to open the door of the room. He walked quietly to the side of the bed.


    On the bed, the girl was curled up in the quilt and sleeping soundly. Under the dim light, he could see the delicate contours of her face and the soft lines of her neck...


    Dazzled by the girl¡¯s beauty for a moment, the blond guy quickly snapped out of his daze and was stunned. Why is it that only the girl is here? Where¡¯s the superhuman with space-type abilities who¡¯s with her?


    ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± A faint, lazy and impatient voice came from behind. The blond guy jumped up like a frightened cat and took two steps back. He raised the dagger in his hand and aimed it at the man.


    On the balcony, Si Xu threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot. He pulled the coat wrapped around himself more tightly and looked up at the young guy who sneaked in. ¡°What brings you here at this late hour?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± The blond guy¡¯s eyes widened and he said in astonishment, ¡°Why are you alright?!¡±


    All the dishes were drugged and he watched the man eat the food with his own eyes. It stood to reason that the man should be asleep by now. Yet, why-why was he alright?!

 CH 17

    Chapter 17: Don¡¯t Get Up Earlier Than Me


    ¡°What should have happened to me?¡± Seemingly puzzled, Si Xu walked into the room from the balcony and closed the balcony door casually. ¡°I''m going to turn in for the night. Why are you still here? If you won¡¯t go out...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Was this person dim-witted? The blond guy was amused by Si Xu¡¯s words. And then he thought, this person was only a superhuman with space-type abilities. He wasn¡¯t afraid of this guy, so he straightened his back. ¡°I heard from Brother Lei that you¡¯re quite cocky. Today, I¡¯m going to...¡±


    Before he could finish talking, there was a crisp sound next to his ear. It sounded like the crisp sound of broken bones. His entire vision was spinning, and when he regained his thoughts, the door which should have been behind him was in front of him.


    The blond guy heard the man calmly finish his interrupted words.


    ¡°If you won''t go out, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah...¡± The blond guy really wanted to refute and scold him. His mind was filled with curses for the man, but when he opened his mouth, he could only utter an incoherent single sound.


    The door opened, and his body flew out of the room uncontrollably, hitting the corridor with a loud thud.


    Before he lost consciousness, he saw the young man walk to the door and gave him one last look before he closed the door.


    It was a cold gaze without a trace of human emotion that he had never seen in his twenty years of life ¡ª it was as though he wasn¡¯t taking the life of a human being but a life of little importance.


    Oh, was he going to die? How could that guy not let him finish his cool-sounding words? Previously, superhumans who were invited into the base by Brother Lei could not move after they were knocked out by the drug, and their faces would pale with fright after hearing what he said.


    He thought that today would be no exception ¡ª he had already dealt with so many superhumans. One more superhuman wouldn¡¯t have made much difference. He had long been used to it.


    However, why was this man alright? Why was he able to break his neck so... so calmly?


    After Si Xu closed the door, the door of another room opened. The man''s robust body fell to the ground with a snap like a kite with a broken string. He was lying in a row with his buddy.


    Gu Yunqing walked to the door, yawned, looked down at the terrified Lei Tang, and said with a smile, ¡°Brother Lei, I treated you like a brother. It''s really unkind of you to plot against me like this.¡±


    ¡°You, you, you, you, you, you can still move?!¡± Lei Tang¡¯s body was subdued by an invisible air current and he could not move. He stammered, ¡°You aren¡¯t drugged?!¡±


    No way, he obviously ate those dishes and drank the wine!


    ¡°You mean the drug you added in the dishes?¡± Gu Yunqing squinted and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re also a superhuman. Don¡¯t you know that ordinary drugs are useless to superhumans?"


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Those superhumans who passed by here before were all...


    ¡°Of course it''s possible. It''s just because your ability is too low.¡± Gu Yunqing smiled sarcastically, glanced at the corpse not far away, and tsked twice. ¡°You sent that guy to Si Xu''s room? Poor guy.¡±


    At Gu Yunqing¡¯s reminder, Lei Tang turned his head to look at the other side of the corridor and blurted out, ¡°Xiang, Xiang!¡± No way, this was impossible. Xiang was a superhuman with second-level abilities. How could he have died at the hands of a superhuman with space-type abilities?


    ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re lucky that you weren''t the one who went into Si Xu''s room, or you would be the one lying there now.¡± Gu Yunqing finished talking with a smile and clapped his hands. ¡°Okay, okay, Song Rong, get two people to deal with them. Those who are on the next shift, move it. Those who should rest, go and rest. It¡¯s rare to find such a good environment. Don''t let it be wasted.¡±


    In the early morning of the next day, Jiang Ran woke up from her sleep. When she moved slightly, she noticed the unusualness next to her.


    Si Xu had put one hand on her waist. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow.


    She stared at him blankly for a long time, then carefully removed his hand. She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up.


    She slept very well last night and had a dreamless night. However, her head throbbed a little after she woke up. Could it be that she had slept too soundly?


    Hearing slight movements, Si Xu opened his eyes and sat up slowly.


    The person in his arms was gone...


    His mood turned bad.


    He looked around, but didn''t see the girl.


    His bad mood became more obvious.


    Without thinking about the reason for his bad mood, the man lazily got up and changed his clothes.


    When Jiang Ran came in with the breakfast prepared in the kitchen, she happened to see Si Xu taking off his pajamas and getting ready to get dressed.


    Hearing the movements, Si Xu looked back at her and casually threw the pajamas in his hand on the sofa...


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    Looking away calmly, Jiang Ran put the tray on the table, put her hands to her mouth and let out a breath. ¡°The snow has stopped, but it''s cold outside. It¡¯s even colder than yesterday.¡±


    ¡°It''s really strange. When I went to the kitchen, I heard from the auntie who was preparing breakfast that Lei Tang and several others were missing...¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± His response was still lukewarm.


    This person was never curious about things he was not interested in. Jiang Ran put aside the news she heard in the morning and asked Si Xu, ¡°I don''t know what you like to eat. Auntie prepared steamed buns, steamed twisted rolls, and millet porridge.  I took some of each.¡±


    Si Xu sat down at the table. ¡°I''m not picky about food.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Ran served him the millet porridge and put the plate with the buns in front of him.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to eat?¡±


    ¡°I ate in the kitchen.¡± The girl said with a smile. ¡°I also went outside for a walk. The first footprint on the snow was mine ¡ª I¡¯ll be blessed with good luck!¡±


    Not knowing what that meant, Si Xu ate quietly without talking.


    Thinking that he was not interested in such a topic, Jiang Ran changed the subject. ¡°Si Xu, have you encountered any other survivors in Shenmu City?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. After all, it''s been half a year. There hasn''t been a base established there. The superhumans must have left there long ago. Ordinary people... probably have no chance of surviving.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Actually, if it wasn''t for Xie Chengzhi and Luo Rui, I might have died a long time ago.¡± Jiang Ran rested her chin on her hands, looked at Si Xu, and said to herself, ¡°In retrospect, I''m still a little grateful to them...¡±


    When Si Xu heard what she said, he frowned. So, what did she want to express? Was she trying to tell him how nice those two brainless people were to her? Or did she still think that he wasn¡¯t nice enough to her... Am I still not nice enough... to her?


    While the man was doubting himself, Jiang Ran continued to mutter, ¡°After all, without them, I wouldn''t have had the chance to meet you...¡±


    Si Xu, ¡°...¡± That was true ¡ª from this point of view, those two idiots had done something that suited his wishes.


    However, did this woman not realize that she had done something wrong? It was rather interesting to listen to her idle chatter, but he still needed to remind her of the matter that put him in a bad mood.


    ¡°Jiang Ran.¡±


    Jiang Ran was puzzled when she suddenly heard Si Xu call her name, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°In the future...¡± After a pause, Si Xu put down the small spoon, looked into the girl''s dark eyes, and said plainly, ¡°Don''t wake up earlier than me.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Jiang Ran blinked her eyes and became more puzzled. ¡°Why?¡± If he slept until noon, would she have to stay in bed until noon too?


    ¡°It¡¯s because it puts me in a bad mood.¡± Yes, he was very upset when he woke up to find that the hand warmer in his arms was gone.


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    Si Xu, ¡°...¡±


    Jiang Ran nodded in comprehension and accepted his request. ¡°Oh, I got it.¡±


    Si Xu was a possessive pervert ¡ª¡ª Jiang Ranran''s evaluation was probably right. This guy even controlled when she slept and woke up. Good grief... No wonder he didn''t win Jiang Ranran¡¯s heart in the end.


    But then she thought about it. No, Si Xu never wooed Jiang Ranran at all ¡ª to him, Jiang Ranran might only be a plaything to kill time. As long as she didn¡¯t push her luck, he couldn¡¯t be bothered with her. Even if she really angered him, he could also ruthlessly beat her up and throw her into a group of zombies.

 CH 18

    Chapter 18: Let''s Talk About Our Private Affair


    If Si Xu really liked Jiang Ranran, with his character, how could he possibly let Jiang Ranran suffer until she became insane by his side?


    Moreover, at the end of the novel, this guy seemed to have some involvement with Luo Rui? Although Jiang Ran wasn''t sure if it was a romantic entanglement, she still felt a sudden heartache.


    Si Xu''s mood brightened after he received Jiang Ran¡¯s response and his smile became gentler.


    Jiang Ran stared at him for a few seconds before she called him, ¡°Si Xu.¡±


    He looked up.


    ¡°You... What do you think of Luo Rui?¡± When Jiang Ran asked this question, she felt like a petty and resentful woman, but... she couldn''t help herself.


    If eventually, Si Xu really developed a crush on Luo Rui because of the powerful halo effect of her being the heroine, Jiang Ran would have to find a way out for herself first.


    Luo Rui? That brainless woman? This girl suddenly asked that question. What were her intentions?


    Si Xu couldn¡¯t be bothered to speculate on Jiang Ran''s intentions and said bluntly, ¡°I don''t have any opinion on insignificant people, but that woman is rather brainless. You should stay away from her.¡±


    Si Xu paused and added, ¡°She¡¯s also ugly.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...¡±


    For some reason, she suddenly felt her mood improved.


    After Jiang Ran snapped out of her thoughts, she secretly scolded herself, ¡°despicable.¡± Then, she paid no further heed to the problem that bothered her just now.


    ¡­¡­


    After breakfast, Jiang Ran briefly tidied up the room and went downstairs to the convoy to meet up with Si Xu.


    ¡°Hey, Sister Ranran, what a coincidence.¡±


    Jiang Ran just arrived on the first floor when she ran into Gu Yunqing and the others who came out of the dining room.


    Faced with the man''s enthusiastic smile, Jiang Ran also smiled back politely. ¡°Good morning, Captain Gu.¡±


    She had a good impression of Gu Yunqing. As for the people behind Gu Yunqing...


    Xie Chengzhi snorted coldly when he saw Jiang Ran. He hugged Luo Rui tightly and looked away from Jiang Ran. Luo Rui smiled gently and greeted her.


    ¡°Ranran, good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Faced with the woman''s gentle smile, Jiang Ran had to admit that she was far behind Luo Rui in terms of conducting herself ¨C¨C Luo Rui clearly regarded her as a rival in love, yet Luo Rui could still show such politeness when she saw her. Luo Rui was quite commendable in this sense.


    When Gu Yunqing saw Jiang Ran, it went without saying that he would ask about the other person, ¡°Why are you alone? Where''s Si Xu?¡±


    ¡°He went to check the convoy first.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, he isn¡¯t worried about leaving you all alone? Isn¡¯t he afraid that you¡¯ll be abducted by others?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll help you ask him this question.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t!¡± Gu Yunqing quickly waved his hands. He was beaten at his own game. ¡°Let me off. I''m afraid that I''ll be beaten to death by him.¡±


    ¡°No, he won¡¯t. Professor Si is a gentle person.¡±


    Gu Yunqing, ¡°...¡± This girl looked so innocent on the outside, but why was she so nasty on the inside? Wouldn''t it prick your conscience to say something against your will?


    ¡°...¡±


    Following behind the two, Xie Chengzhi stared at the girl''s back and did not look away for a long time.


    ¡°Senior, do you mean you want me to be your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Reject you? Why would I? I-I just don''t understand. What do you like about me...¡±


    ¡°Chengzhi, it¡¯s Valentine''s Day tomorrow. How do you want to spend it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not deliberately leading you on. It¡¯s just-it''s just that I think it''s better to wait until... until we get to know each other better...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can''t go home. What should I do? Chengzhi, I''m so scared...¡±


    ¡°Chengzhi, do you... no longer like me? I saw you and Luo Rui...¡±


    ¡°Chengzhi, shall we have a good talk? If you don''t like me anymore, tell me. Tell me... Is it that difficult to say that you don''t like me?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The girl''s tearful eyes kept flashing across his eyes. Xie Chengzhi took a deep breath and said, ¡°Jiang Ranran.¡±


    As soon as the man spoke, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.


    Gu Yunqing raised his eyebrows and said nothing. Luo Rui pursed her lips tightly. Only Jiang Ran remained expressionless. ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We should talk.¡±


    ¡°¡¯We¡¯?¡± Jiang Ran smiled faintly. ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°Me, you, and Ruirui.¡±


    He was Luo Rui''s boyfriend now. He couldn''t talk to Jiang Ranran alone, lest Luo Rui misunderstand.


    Moreover, what he wanted to say wasn¡¯t a secret that Luo Rui couldn''t know.


    When Luo Rui heard Xie Chengzhi''s answer, her tense body immediately relaxed. She glanced at Jiang Ran and gripped Xie Chengzhi''s hand as if declaring that this man was hers.


    ¡°The three of us?¡± Jiang Ran could probably guess what the guy would say. She shook her head. ¡°Whatever you want to talk about, you can talk about it here. There¡¯s no need to talk about it in private.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Glancing at Gu Yunqing who was watching the excitement, Xie Chengzhi said with a cold expression, ¡°It''s about our previous private affair. Are you sure you want to talk about it here?¡±


    Private affair? When he and Jiang Ranran were together, they didn''t even kiss each other. What kind of private affair could there be?


    Well, in this sense, Jiang Ranran was a rather conservative girl.  Perhaps... Jiang Ran dissed in her heart. Perhaps the author wanted the hero¡¯s character to be a devoted good man. In any case, it was a good thing for Jiang Ran now.


    There was no ¡°private affair¡± between them that could not be known to others.


    However, Xie Chengzhi made it sound so ambiguously as though they really had something going on in the past.


    They gave her to Gu Yunqing in exchange for benefits. In their eyes, Jiang Ranran was now Si Xu''s plaything. Despite that being the case, Xie Chengzhi spoke so ambiguously in front of Gu Yunqing. Did it not occur to Xie Chengzhi that it would cause trouble for Jiang Ranran if Si Xu heard about it?


    It didn¡¯t occur to him. He only thought about putting himself in a good light and protecting his Ruirui from harm.


    What a scumbag.


    Jiang Ran sneered. ¡°I don''t know there¡¯s any private affair between you and me that can¡¯t be said in front of Captain Gu ¡ª since it''s a private affair that outsiders can¡¯t be privy to, why are you involving Senior Luo Rui?¡±


    ¡°Ruirui isn¡¯t an outsider!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get it.¡±


    Jiang Ran replied, and just when Xie Chengzhi thought she had finally figured it out, he heard Jiang Ran say to Gu Yunqing, ¡°Captain Gu, please tell Si Xu that Senior wants to catch up with me. Tell him to come and listen to the conversation, lest he hear about it from others and misunderstand.¡±


    The corner of Gu Yunqing¡¯s mouth twitched. Holding back a smile, he said, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Senior Xie has involved Senior Luo so that she won¡¯t misunderstand.¡± Jiang Ran smiled slightly. ¡°I''m not single now. Of course I can''t let the person I care about misunderstand. Captain Gu, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Gu Yunqing made an ¡°okay¡± gesture. ¡°I promise to convey your message.¡±


    After Gu Yunqing left, Xie Chengzhi, ¡°...¡±


    The guy looked exasperated and blurted out, ¡°Jiang Ranran, what do you mean by this?¡±


    He was doing it for her own good. It was bad enough that she didn¡¯t appreciate it, but she even asked the man who took her by force to come...


    ¡°My intention is obvious ¡ª Have you forgotten I''m the plaything that you and Luo Rui gave to Si Xu in exchange for the safety of your team?¡± Jiang Ran sneered. ¡°I¡¯m just a plaything. What makes you think that Si Xu can tolerate me talking about ''a previous private affair'' with you?¡±

 CH 19

    Jul 8 Written By Pure Love7-9 minutes


    Chapter 19: He Can Completely Satisfy Me


    Xie Chengzhi was stunned and speechless at Jiang Ran¡¯s questioning.


    ¡°When you said in front of Gu Yunqing that you wanted to talk to me about our past, did you ever think about the kind of trouble I would face next?¡± Jiang Ran sneered. ¡°Senior, we¡¯ve already broken up ¡ª you have Senior Luo Rui. You¡¯re loving and fight alongside each other. I give you my blessing... As for me, I just want to seek protection with Si Xu now. Can you please watch your mouth and not cause trouble for me?¡±


    ¡°Ranran.¡± When Luo Rui heard Jiang Ran''s agitated speech, she became more certain that the girl still loved Xie Chengzhi. Luo Rui put on a helpless expression and said softly, ¡°We just care about you. We don¡¯t mean anything else...¡±


    ¡°You care about me?¡± Jiang Ran laughed, wrapped her fingers around her hair and said indifferently, ¡°If you care about me, stay away from me ¨C¨C I''m doing fine now. I¡¯m doing fine in all aspects. I don''t need your ¡®seemingly genuine concern¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Ranran, you don''t need to put on a tough front. You have to serve another man.  I know you must¡¯ve felt...¡±


    Would this woman cut it out already? Jiang Ran interrupted Luo Rui impatiently. ¡°I¡¯m not putting on a tough front. I''m really doing fine now.¡±


    She glanced at the two of them, her words implying something. ¡°After all, Si Xu is powerful. He can completely satisfy me ¡ª in every way.¡±


    That was the truth. After she followed Si Xu, she had gotten the best protection, whether it was food, clothing, shelter, transportation, or personal safety.


    ¡°Ranran, you...¡± Unable to believe that his conservative ex-girlfriend would make such a loose remark, Xie Chengzhi was dumbfounded.


    ¡°Have I made it clear enough? I don¡¯t need your unnecessary sympathy.¡± It wasn¡¯t real sympathy anyway ¨C¨C it was even more unnecessary to feign sympathy. It only made everyone frustrated.


    Ignoring the shocked expressions on Xie Chengzhi and Luo Rui¡¯s faces, Jiang Ran said slowly, ¡°As long as you don''t cause me trouble, I think Si Xu will always pamper me. Thus, please stay away from me in the future, thank you.¡±


    The girl was about to leave when she heard unhurried footsteps behind her.


    Si Xu was walking up the stairs slowly. When he saw Jiang Ran, there was a slightly confused expression on his face. ¡°Gu Yunqing said you were looking for me.¡±


    Jiang Ran ran over to hold his arm and replied in a voice that was heard by everyone present, ¡°It''s been resolved. I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you to come over here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡± Si Xu looked at the two people who were dumbfounded and held Jiang Ran''s hand. ¡°The convoy is ready to set off. Have you packed your things?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Ran left with him and praised him generously, ¡°Si Xu, you¡¯re so kind to me!¡±


    Si Xu, ¡°...¡± Sure enough, she shouldn''t be allowed to associate with those two brainless people. She was suddenly acting strangely.


    As the convoy drove out of the village, Jiang Ran looked back at the village as it faded from view and was puzzled. ¡°Si Xu, did something happen last night?¡±


    When they left, Lei Tang didn''t even come out to see them off, let alone take away any supplies... Oh, she hadn''t seen Lei Tang since she woke up that morning. She hadn¡¯t even seen the underlings who followed him.


    ¡°Lei Tang arranged for someone to spring a sneak attack last night, but it was thwarted.¡± Without concealing anything, Si Xu roughly explained what happened the night before and asked Gu Yunqing, ¡°What did you do to those people?¡±


    Gu Yunqing put away the map and turned to look at the two of them. ¡°Except for the one you killed, I locked all of them up in the cellar ¡ª whether they can survive depends on whether anyone can find them.¡±


    Si Xu killed someone last night? Jiang Ran glanced at Si Xu cautiously and lowered her gaze.


    Gu Yunqing, who had been observing Jiang Ran''s expression, continued to say, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve gotten someone to bury the dead guy in a random place.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Si Xu didn''t understand why Gu Yunqing emphasized that, but he didn''t take it to heart. ¡°Just deal with it as you deem fit.¡±


    Gu Yunqing wasn¡¯t surprised by such an answer. His attention wasn¡¯t on Si Xu either. He turned around and sat upright, looked at Jiang Ran through the rearview mirror and smiled. ¡°Sister Ranran, do you have anything else to ask?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Ran shook her head when she was suddenly called. ¡°Nothing ¡ª oh, I have one more question.¡±


    ¡°What''s the question? As long as I know the answer, I¡¯ll definitely clear your doubt.¡±


    ¡°From what you said, this wasn¡¯t the first time Lei Tang and the others did this kind of thing?"


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then, why didn''t you just kill them all, so that they won¡¯t have a chance to continue to harm others?¡±


    Gu Yunqing, ¡°...Sigh, I didn¡¯t know you''re quite ruthless.¡±


    Jiang Ran, ¡°...It was just a casual remark. You don''t have to take it to heart.¡±


    She really just said it casually.


    Si Xu killed one of them and this thought just suddenly came to mind ¨C¨C anyway, those people would only continue to harm others if they lived. They might as well... Of course, it was just a thought. She wouldn¡¯t dare to do it if she was asked to do so.


    ¡°It could be done,¡± Gu Yunqing said. ¡°But it''s not easy to deal with the aftermath after killing them.¡±


    ¡°Aftermath?¡± You would have dealt with the most powerful superhumans in that base. Would there be any other threats?


    ¡°That village''s defenses aren¡¯t strong and there are many ordinary people. The safety of the village can only be maintained by relying on Lei Tang and his group of superhumans to guard the village.¡± Gu Yunqing said, ¡°If Lei Tang is killed, the remaining ordinary people will have no chance of survival.¡±


    ¡°Can''t we bring them along with us...¡± Before she finished asking, Jiang Ran knew she had asked a stupid question when she saw Si Xu''s expression.


    There were more than a hundred ordinary people who were old, weak, sick, or disabled. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to bring all of them along.


    When Si Xu heard the girl''s question which she stopped asking abruptly, he curled up his lips and smiled silently. ¡°We could have brought them along.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°However, I don''t want to bring them along.¡± The young man still had a smile on the corner of his mouth, but the smile didn''t reach his eyes and his eyes were filled with coldness. ¡°I don''t like those people, so I don''t want to bring them along.¡±


    That was such a simple answer ¨C¨C just because he didn¡¯t like them, he refused to give a helping hand or care about their fates.


    He was like an almighty God, looking down coldly on this hell on earth that was heading toward destruction, and looking down on the humble lives that were struggling in this terrible hell.


    He was a man without any sympathy. Jiang Ran thought that perhaps Si Xu really couldn''t be restrained by normal people''s moral values ¨C¨C his actions and words had always followed his personal preferences.


    The pain, sorrows or joys of others were all irrelevant to him ¡ª it was fine as long as he was happy.


    He was a man who did everything based on his own whims.


    No wonder. It was not without reason that he became the big villain boss.


    Since Si Xu answered Jiang Ran''s question on his behalf, Gu Yunqing gave up on what he was going to say.


    He looked at the two people in the back seat who had suddenly became quiet and couldn''t help but sigh. Sigh, that guy, Si Xu, really didn''t know how to chat with girls. Look, he had caused an awkward silence again.

 CH 20

    Jul 13 Written By Pure Love8-11 minutes


    Hi guys, I will be busy for the next three weeks, I might only be able to upload only one chapter per week during this period. Thanks for understanding~


    Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)


    Chapter 20: Superhuman With Dual Elemental Superpowers


    The convoy headed north all the way. Due to the snow, the speed was slower than the day before. However, fortunately, they arrived at the outskirts of Wuzhong City before dark.


    The off-road vehicle stopped at the entrance of a small two-story villa. Gu Yunqing opened the car door and got out. He gestured to the team behind, and two team members got off from the modified truck. They followed him into the villa.


    The owner of the villa obviously left in a hurry. Jiang Ran could still see the uncollected clothes hanging out from the sunroom on the second floor, fluttering in the wind.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Ran blinked, wondering. It''s a bit strange...


    After the three of them went in, almost a minute passed, but no one came out.


    Si Xu, who had closed his eyes to rest his mind, slowly opened his eyes. He pushed the car door open and got out of the car.


    Hearing the movements, Jiang Ran, who was staring at the clothes on the second floor, quickly got out of the car behind him.


    Feeling a tug at his sleeve, Si Xu turned to look at Jiang Ran who had followed him. ¡°Go back to the car.¡±


    ¡°Si Xu, I think...¡± Jiang Ran pointed to the sunroom on the second floor. ¡°It''s very strange over there.¡±


    ¡°Strange?¡± Si Xu narrowed his eyes and looked at the sunroom on the second floor. He paused for two seconds, then raised and waved his hand in the air.


    The air twisted strangely, as if split by an invisible blade. Visible to the naked eye, the glass on the second floor shattered and fell to the ground.


    The loud commotion alarmed the people behind. Some superhumans got out of the cars and prepared to meet the unknown enemy.


    The glass scattered and a faint smell of blood wafted in the air.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Ran let out a low exclamation when she saw the situation on the second floor clearly.


    At the same time, a strong wind howled and rushed toward Jiang Ran.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Pulling the targeted girl into his arms, Si Xu looked at a point of nothingness in the sky and waved his hand down.


    A sharp sword slashed straight down, leaving a string of bloodstains in the air.


    After being slashed by Si Xu, that invisible shadow finally revealed its true colors.


    Jiang Ran looked at the huge creature crawling around frenziedly in the snow and blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s a chameleon?¡±


    What a large chameleon! It was almost two meters long. And it had a mouthful of fangs... It looked very ferocious.


    ¡°It''s a mutated chameleon.¡± Shaking off the blood on the sword, Si Xu instructed the team members who had gathered close. ¡°Remember to collect a blood sample before killing it. Give it to Shen Yao when we go back.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go in and have a look. Be careful and don''t be careless.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Ran, let''s go in.¡± Holding the sword in one hand, Si Xu glanced at the girl who looked pale. ¡°Don''t leave my side.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Without asking to stay and wait there, Jiang Ran obediently followed Si Xu and walked into the villa.


    Gu Yunqing and the others had not come out after so long. Did it mean that there was something more powerful inside?


    The villa occupied a large area. In addition to the spacious hall on the first floor, there was a kitchen, bar, study, entertainment room, movie hall and several guest rooms.


    After checking all the rooms but finding no sign of Gu Yunqing, Si Xu led Jiang Ran to the second floor.


    ¡°Huh?¡± At the corner of the stairs, Jiang Ran turned and looked at the first floor. Her eyes widened. ¡°Erm, Si Xu...¡±


    She didn¡¯t get any response.


    ¡°Si Xu, on the first floor...¡± Jiang Ran was beginning to say something when the man suddenly raised his hand to cover her mouth.


    Before she could snap out of her daze, she was forcibly pulled behind the screen at the corner by him.


    ¡°Don''t make any sound.¡± Si Xu whispered in her ear and when she nodded, he released her. ¡°It''s a zombie.¡±


    To prevent herself from screaming, Jiang Ran raised her hand to cover her mouth.


    Unlike the zombie she saw previously, this one looked more like a human being ¨C¨C its limbs were intact, it moved agilely and its clothes were neat.  Except for its two big white eyes without pupils and the bulging veins, it was almost impossible to tell him apart from normal human beings.


    Such zombies were probably mutants that had awakened abilities just like superhumans, right?


    If that was a mutant zombie, even if they hid here and didn''t make any sound, it was still useless ¨C¨C it can catch their smell ¨C¨C the smell of fresh flesh and blood.


    Jiang Ran looked back at Si Xu and asked him with her eyes what they should do next.


    Si Xu was also looking at her with surprise showing in his usually calm eyes.


    Huh? Why was he staring at her like that? Jiang Ran panicked at his stare. She began to wonder if he wanted to throw her out to feed the zombie.


    Neither of them made any sound. The zombie turned its body and sniffed around. Its big white eyes were staring straight at the direction where the two were hiding.


    It had found them.


    With this understanding, Jiang Ran''s eyes grew more fearful. She subconsciously clung to Si Xu''s body. It seemed that she could only find a sense of security this way.


    Si Xu raised his eyebrows when the girl took the initiative to cling onto him. The right hand that he was about to raise returned to its original position.


    It seemed that this thing had to do with Gu Yunqing and the others not having any news.


    Logically speaking, such a zombie with awakened abilities would not act alone. Why did it come here?


    There was no news from the people who went in. Outside the door, Luo Rui took Xie Chengzhi to find Song Rong. She glanced at the mutated chameleon that had died and asked in a low voice, ¡°Captain Gu and the others have gone in for so long. Could something have happened? Shall we go in and have a look?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Song Rong refused without hesitation. ¡°If Captain Gu and Professor Si can''t handle it, we¡¯ll die even if we go in.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Song Rong was a superhuman with third-level abilities. Why did it seem like he didn¡¯t even have the courage of ordinary people? ¡°If something really happened to them...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll retreat immediately.¡± Song Rong said, ¡°This is the order from Professor Si.¡±


    If Si Xu was defeated, it meant that the enemy he encountered was stronger than him. If that was the case, even if their current team of superhumans all charged forward, they would be no match for the enemy.


    ¡°Professor Si?¡± Why was it Professor Si again? ¡°Are you going to leave your companions in the lurch and run away?¡±


    Annoyed by the girl''s yelling, it was the first time Song Rong sounded a little angry when he spoke, ¡°What else can we do? Go in and die?¡±


    ¡°Besides, we don''t know what the situation is now. With Professor Si around, nothing will happen.¡±


    ¡°Professor Si only has space-type abilities. You guys...¡± These people seemed to rely more on Si Xu than Gu Yunqing? ¡°You¡¯re letting a superhuman with space-type abilities fight the enemy?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Song Rong''s gaze was a little strange when he looked at Luo Rui. ¡°Who told you that a superhuman with space-type abilities has no combat power? Besides, Professor Si does not only possess space-type abilities.¡±


    ¡°What...¡± He didn¡¯t only possess space-type abilities? Luo Rui blurted out, ¡°You mean Si Xu is a superhuman with dual elemental superpowers?¡±


    A superhuman with dual elemental superpowers meant that he had awakened two superpowers at the same time.


    While they were fleeing, they also met a superhuman with dual elemental superpowers. However, that person''s energy was completely unable to support his dual elemental superpowers. In the end, he could only give up on his weaker superpower and specialized in just one superpower.


    Even so, a superhuman with dual elemental superpowers was rare and valued for his combat power and as an object of research.


    ¡°Yeah. You''ve hung out with us for so long. Didn¡¯t you guys notice it?¡± Song Rong replied casually, ¡°Otherwise, why do you think that everyone in our team respects him so much ¡ª you don''t really think that it''s just because his space-type abilities are relatively rare, do you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Also, don''t underestimate space-type abilities.¡± Thinking of that man''s combat power, Song Rong¡¯s body trembled. ¡°That guy from your team... the guy who was taught a lesson for taking liberties with Sister Ranran, his wound is quite scary, right? Professor Si¡¯s biggest interest is twisting those who make him unhappy...¡±


    Luo Rui turned pale when she thought about how she had a misconception of Si Xu all along. Was that Si Xu actually so powerful?

 CH 21

    Jul 15 Written By Pure Love11-14 minutes


    Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)


    Chapter 21: A Reward For You


    ¡°The combat power of space-type abilities... how did he do it?¡± Unlike Luo Rui who was so panicked, Xie Chengzhi asked skeptically, ¡°The superhumans with space-type abilities that we encountered before were all trained as logistics personnel.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have space-type abilities, so I don¡¯t know.¡± Song Rong said vaguely, ¡°Captain Gu said it seemed to be some kind of space folding... I¡¯m not really sure.¡±


    After waiting for a while, there were still no noises inside.


    ¡°Why don''t we go in and have a look?¡± Xie Chengzhi suggested again.


    Song Rong shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s wait.¡±


    ¡°Wait... I don''t know how long we''ll have to wait.¡± Luo Rui held her boyfriend''s hand tightly and said to Song Rong, ¡°Chengzhi and I shall go in and have a look ¡ª we also have third-level abilities, so we can protect ourselves in the face of trouble.¡±


    After the girl finished talking, she and her boyfriend walked toward the front door without waiting for Song Rong to answer.


    Song Rong, ¡°...¡± Why did these two refuse to listen to persuasion?


    Within Jiang Ran¡¯s view, the zombie was walking toward the stairs step by step. Jiang Ran gripped Si Xu''s hand and her palm was wet with cold sweat.


    It had found them.


    Just like finding a prey that fell into a trap, that zombie was enjoying the fun of catching its prey.


    Si Xu... She stole a glance at the young man and saw Si Xu looking down at the sword in his hand. He was frowning slightly as he thought of something.


    He was distracted!


    Jiang Ran hastily tugged at his sleeve, trying to remind him that the zombie was coming.


    The door was pushed open once again, and Luo Rui and Xie Chengzhi walked into the living room.


    Startled by the sound of the door opening, the zombie turned around sharply and charged toward the two people who walked in.


    Despite the violent movements, Luo Rui and Xie Chengzhi were completely oblivious to the impending danger. They still walked into the living room, keeping their guard up.


    They... couldn''t see that zombie?


    Jiang Ran was stunned and subconsciously wanted to remind them, but Si Xu, who had seemed distracted beside her, suddenly moved.


    The man stepped out and followed the traces of the zombie''s movements. The moment the zombie touched Luo Rui, Si Xu raised his sword and cut off the zombie''s head swiftly.


    Blood spurted out.


    Luo Rui turned her head, just in time to see a headless body pouncing on her.


    The girl screamed in fright. Fortunately, she was pulled out of the way by Xie Chengzhi, avoiding being knocked down by the zombie. However, the zombie¡¯s smelly blood was splashed all over her.


    Si Xu shook off the blood on the sword and returned the sword into his space.


    Jiang Ran hurried down the stairs, avoiding the blood, and ran to him.


    The girl''s voice trembled slightly and she didn''t hide the concern in her eyes. Si Xu touched the top of her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Jiang Ran heaved a sigh of relief.


    Upstairs, when Gu Yunqing heard the noises, he poked his head from the corridor on the second floor. ¡°Hey, why are you all in here?¡± When he saw the headless zombie on the ground, he was speechless. ¡°Was there a zombie?¡±


    ¡°It was a zombie that had awakened mental abilities." Si Xu said, ¡°Did you find anything unusual upstairs?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Yunqing came downstairs, murmuring, ¡°No wonder I didn''t discover the zombie. It turned out to be because it had mental abilities... Sigh, how troublesome.¡±


    Ignoring his murmuring, Si Xu said, ¡°Since there are no problems, let''s clean up and use this as a temporary base.¡±


    ¡°Okay~¡±


    Song Rong arranged for some people to clean up. Si Xu chose a room first, and after asking Jiang Ran to go back to the room, he took Gu Yunqing to the side of the corridor.


    ¡°You didn''t notice that zombie at all?¡±


    Gu Yunqing had a helpless expression on his face when he was asked this question. ¡°As you know, where mental abilities are concerned, unless the superhuman has abilities higher than that of the other party, otherwise there is no chance of resistance at all.¡±


    Fortunately, users of mental abilities were rare, and it was not an easy superpower to cultivate.


    Gu Yunqing had always been straightforward when talking to Si Xu. ¡°If I¡¯d noticed that zombie, I wouldn''t have to wait for you to come in and kill it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the mental abilities of that zombie had affected your visual senses.¡± Si Xu said, ¡°I think it''s because of its abilities that it was able to pass through the defense line and show up here.¡±


    ¡°Defense line? Isn''t that...¡± Gu Yunqing stopped whatever he was saying abruptly. "Are you sure the zombie broke through the defense line?¡±


    ¡°I caught a whiff of that person¡¯s scent on the zombie.¡±


    ¡°Then you must be right.¡± Gu Yunqing gasped. ¡°I didn''t discover that zombie, which meant that its ability level was equal to or higher than mine ¨C¨C that person could control a zombie with such a high level of mental abilities. To what extent has that person''s superpower evolved? It''s only been half a year.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we must find him as soon as possible.¡± Si Xu smiled coldly. ¡°I don''t like to have a wild beast waiting to pounce on me when I sleep.¡±


    Gu Yunqing was silent.


    That person was indeed a potential hidden danger, but it would take time to track him down.


    ¡°Were you the one who cut off that zombie¡¯s head?¡±


    ¡°...How perverse.¡± If it was said that the zombie''s ability had mutated and evolved rapidly, wouldn''t Si Xu, who directly cut off the zombie¡¯s head with a sword, be considered more perverse?


    Being dissed by his friend, Si Xu arched his eyebrows. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with Gu Yunqing.


    ¡°You asked me here to talk. Is there any other matter?¡±


    "Nothing.¡±


    After the young man finished speaking, he left Gu Yunqing behind and went back to his room.


    Gu Yunqing stared at his back. He had a feeling that this guy had withheld something from him today ¡ª Although Si Xu was a selfish person, he had always been straightforward. Yet, he had hesitated to speak today. Could it be because of Jiang Ran?


    ¡­¡­


    Back in the room, Jiang Ran was carefully making the bed. When she saw Si Xu, she asked casually while she continued to replace the pillow cover, ¡°Is there any other problem in the villa?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Staring at the girl''s slender figure for a moment, Si Xu sat on the sofa and called her, ¡°Jiang Ran, come here.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Ran stopped what she was doing and walked up to him. ¡°Si Xu, what''s wrong?¡±


    The man raised his hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her to sit directly on his lap.


    ¡°Si-Si Xu?¡± Jiang Ran stuttered in fright, ¡°Why...¡± The sudden intimacy made her very uncomfortable ¡ª she had to restrain herself from giving him a slap reflexively.


    ¡°Jiang Ran, tell me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How did you find out that there was something wrong with the sun room?¡± Even he didn¡¯t notice the chameleon. How did she notice it?


    ¡°Oh, you mean that...¡± Jiang Ran got down to business and forgot the embarrassing situation for the time being. ¡°I was looking at the clothes hung in the sun room, but I saw those clothes swaying...¡±


    Swaying? Suddenly understanding what the girl meant, Si Xu didn''t respond, but listened to her as she continued.


    ¡°I looked around once more, but I didn''t seem to find any open windows. Thus, I found it strange." When Jiang Ran said that, she lowered her head slightly, and her ears felt a little hot. ¡°I just thought it was strange, but I didn''t see anything there...¡±


    "Well, you¡¯re smart to have noticed such small details.¡± With his fingers wrapped around the girl''s soft black hair, Si Xu wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her into his arms. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Huh?" There was something else? Forced to lean against the man''s embrace, Jiang Ran''s whole body stiffened. ¡°What-what''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°When you saw that zombie today, did you feel anything strange?¡±


    Zombie? Jiang Ran frowned and tried to recall. Was there anything strange? Speaking of which, there was nothing strange about the zombie, but Si Xu stared at her for a long time with a strange expression...


    ¡°That zombie... looked clean, unlike the zombies I saw before. It appeared more like a human.¡±


    That was the only thing about the zombie that she felt was strange.


    Si Xu laughed in a low voice and asked leisurely, ¡°Oh? Is there anything else?¡±


    Jiang Ran pursed her lips and continued to think about it. Then, she shook her head.


    ¡°Jiang Ran, you did a good job today.¡± Without asking her further questions, Si Xu changed the subject. ¡°You saved many of our lives.¡±


    This was the first time in Jiang Ranran''s memory that she had been praised since she started fleeing. In her previous team, she had also risked her life for her team members, but no one had ever thanked her, let alone praised her.


    Jiang Ran''s ears turned redder. ¡°It was just a coincidence... Actually, it¡¯s because you¡¯re powerful...¡±


    Otherwise, even if she found the mutant chameleon, they wouldn''t be able to kill it so easily.


    Moreover, if her instincts weren¡¯t wrong, the chameleon''s original target was her ¨C¨C Si Xu had protected her.


    Si Xu was in a good mood because of the girl''s murmuring. He asked her, ¡°What reward do you want?¡±


    Reward? Could she get a reward for a casual reminder? Not knowing what his so-called reward was, Jiang Ran asked, ¡°Can I ask for anything?¡±


    Amused by her "greediness", Si Xu replied solemnly, ¡°If I have it in my space.¡±


    Jiang Ran''s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Then...¡± She pursed her lips and blushed. ¡°Do you have milk candies in your space?¡±


    ¡°Milk candies?¡± There were too many things stored in his space. Si Xu closed his eyes and felt for a while, then took out a pack of White Rabbit milk candies. ¡°Do you mean this?¡±


    Looking at the familiar packaging that suddenly appeared in the man''s hand, Jiang Ran exclaimed, ¡°You really have them!¡±


    The girl''s delight was undisguised and the smile in Si Xu''s eyes became more obvious. He handed her the big pack of White Rabbit milk candies. ¡°You want this as your reward?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± After taking the milk candies, Jiang Ran''s big eyes crinkled in a smile. ¡°These used to be my favorite...¡± To be precise, Jiang Ranran liked these candies very much, and this body remembered the taste of milk candies.


    The girl''s dazzling smile was reflected in Si Xu¡¯s eyes. Si Xu was in a good mood and let her go. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡±


    The young man got up. ¡°I¡¯m going out to look around the place. You stay in the room and don''t run around.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Ran replied without looking up. She couldn''t wait to tear open the packaging and take out a candy from inside.


    It seemed that she really liked the candies. Her mind was filled with the candies and she even ¡°ignored¡± him.


    Shaking his head while smiling, Si Xu turned and walked off.


    ¡°Si Xu!¡±


    Just when he reached the door, he heard the girl call him. The young man subconsciously turned around. ¡°What...¡±


    Her slender figure rushed forward and her soft fingers touched his lips. Then, a sweet aroma of milk spread between his lips and teeth.


    Si Xu subconsciously bit the milk candy she fed him, blinking in confusion.


    ¡°This is the first reward I got.¡± Jiang Ran held the pack of milk candies and smiled softly. "The first candy should be given to the most important person.¡±


    After she finished talking, she unwrapped a candy, bit it, and said in a muffled tone, ¡°I''m going to share these with the others.¡±


    Then, she hummed a song and skipped out the door.


    Si Xu, ¡°...¡± Oh, it seemed that she was really happy. She didn''t listen to what he just said at all.


    However, the milky aroma between his lips and teeth became more intense and the man curled his lips into a smile.


    Since she was so happy, just let her be.