Chapter 38: Volume 1, Chapter 38: Black-bellied x Arrogant (2)

He glanced at the man's knuckle-defined fingers, Jiang Zhi inhaled and exhaled, stood up to avoid his hand, her weak, unsteady voice carrying determination.

"No need!"

She was now on her own, just as Yu Xiaochun said—no one would help her, and she no longer expected anyone to.

In this perilous apocalypse, only she herself.

She gritted her teeth, forced her steps, and caught up with the group.

Xie Wuchen stared deeply at his fingers hovering in midair, the dark red corners of his lips slowly curling upward.

As the team neared the off-road vehicle, dozens of infected surged from all directions; they had little time left, and these zombies had to be cleared quickly.

Wen Shuangshuang, upon seeing Jiang Zhi approach, grabbed her and pulled her behind, shouting sternly: "Stay put, don't run around!"

Luo Heng had Wen Shuangshuang look after her; even though Wen Shuangshuang disliked Jiang Zhi, she still obeyed Luo Heng's words.

Jiang Zhi's gaze swept over the nearby people, finally landing on a zombie not far ahead, twitching with movement.

The story's plot was about to begin; the original host pushed the female lead, Wen Shuangshuang, into the zombie horde.

For the selfish, fearful original host, this was quite normal; he was not only selfish but also extremely envious of Wen Shuangshuang.

The only two females, Wen Shuangshuang's ability was archery, far surpassing her brick; moreover, the female lead's own ability was outstanding, something the original host could never match no matter how he tried.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Jiang Zhi gripped the brick in her hand, lifted her eyes, and warily stared at the zombie ahead.

Sure enough, not long after.

A zombie took advantage of Wen Shuangshuang's lapse, lunging at them like a wolf or tiger.

The few guys beside them realized it was too late; the zombie lunged at Jiang Zhi, who was hiding behind Wen Shuangshuang.

Jiang Zhi had long been prepared; she raised the brick and smashed it hard into the zombie's head.

Wen Shuangshuang only heard a "pa-da" sound behind her; when she turned, a zombie lay motionless at her feet.

Meanwhile, the girl before her exerted all her strength, her pale face flushing with excitement, the red at the corners of her eyes not yet faded.

Wen Shuangshuang pressed her lips, turned, and continued clearing the incoming zombies, yet in her heart she formed a different impression of the girl.

After they cleared those zombies, they hastily boarded the off-road vehicle; Yu Xiaochun leaned out the window, closed his eyes, and used his earth-wall ability.

They narrowly escaped the long street crowded with the zombie horde, everyone slumping in their seats, panting heavily.

Sitting in the back, Jiang Zhi took out a tissue from her pocket and carefully wiped the brick; ahead, Song Xuefeng's voice sounded.

"Shuangshuang, are you alright? That was too close just now."

Song Xuefeng recalled that scene, his face darkening; if Jiang Zhi had then pushed Wen Shuangshuang out to block the zombie, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Yu Xiaochun also chimed in: "Luo-ge, you shouldn't have let Shuangshuang look after her—people like her, if dead, are dead; keeping her alive is just a disaster."

The ever-silent Luo Heng glanced at Yu Xiaochun, brows slightly furrowed: "Xiaochun, we're all teammates; why say such things?"

Yu Xiaochun knew his boss was a righteous man; suppressing his anger, he glared fiercely at Jiang Zhi behind him.

"She performed quite well." Xie Wuchen, sitting in the second row resting, suddenly spoke, instantly drawing everyone's attention in the car except Jiang Zhi's.

Xie Wuchen's voice was light and warm, casually dropping that sentence.

Yu Xiaochun exclaimed in surprise: "Xie-ge, are you being sarcastic?"

Xie Wuchen lifted his eyelids; his peripheral vision swept over the girl in the back seat earnestly wiping the brick, his eyes hidden beneath messy black hair carrying a smile.

"No."

Wen Shuangshuang then said: "Alright, Xiaochun, can you stop? The zombie tide just passed; I want to rest."

Yu Xiaochun pouted, confused: "I don't get why they're like this; before, they never paid so much attention to that miss."

Jiang Zhi lifted her gaze from the brick, sensed the tense atmosphere in the car, glanced around blankly, and locked eyes with the man sitting ahead.

Xie Wuchen gave her a gentle smile.

Jiang Zhi frowned slightly, averted his gaze, and lowered her head to look at her brick.

What does Xie Wuchen want! He keeps smiling at her, and the smile feels fake.

Compared to what the girl thought, Xie Wuchen found it highly amusing inside.

In his previous life, he certainly hadn't forgotten her memory of pushing Wen Shuangshuang toward the zombie pile for his sake.

But now, she not only didn't push, she even killed the zombie that lunged at her herself.

Even.

Those eyes, which should have been stained black, suddenly changed.

They became clear and clean, as if they could see through all his thoughts.

Xie Wuchen rested his slender fingers on the window edge, tapping intermittently; the pleasure and excitement hidden deep in his dark pupils kept surging.

Luo Heng's sortie from the base wasn't just for supplies; most importantly, he sought a virus researcher.

Only he could develop an antibody drug to resist the virus; the base's senior officials sent many teams to find him, but none succeeded.

But in the male lead Luo Heng's heart, he clearly knew that this researcher existed.

Therefore, to save the world, the male lead left the base alone, formed a small team—these very people.

Nightfall blurred, shrouding the entire city in haze.

Their off-road vehicle stopped in a town; after clearing nearby zombies, they would rest there for the night.

It was a small clothing shop; its door was a pull-down roller shutter, capable of blocking all light and sound inside.

Song Xuefeng's storage space held several barrels of water; he fetched a basin for Wen Shuangshuang to wash up.

Jiang Zhi also wanted water to wipe her body, she gazed longingly at Wen Shuangshuang and went to the shop's washroom.

Heat accompanied the virus ravaging the land; water sources were extremely scarce, but those with water-element abilities could conjure water out of thin air.

Jiang Zhi couldn't hold back; she shifted her steps, walked up to Song Xuefeng, and stammered awkwardly: "Can, can you give me some water?"

Song Xuefeng treated Wen Shuangshuang especially gently, but toward other girls he was somewhat aloof; he glanced at her and perfunctorily said: "Water is very scarce; I have no extra in my space to give you."

Jiang Zhi heard the sound and, feeling dejected, returned to her original spot.

Xie Wuchen, who had come over at some point, sat beside her and lowered his voice: "I have water; do you want some?"

Unsolicited kindness is either deceit or theft.

Jiang Zhi eyed him warily, clutching herself tightly, and said coldly, "I have nothing to give you!"

Except for the bricks I conjured.

Xie Wuchen saw her reaction and gave a light laugh: "I don't need anything from you."

Jiang Zhi lifted her gaze, her lovely brows and eyes full of confusion, and asked, "Then why are you giving me water?"

Xie Wuchen leaned forward slightly, his posture elegant and his voice pleasing: "Boys ought to take care of girls more."

Gentlemanly and gentle.

Very much like the male supporting role in a drama.

Jiang Zhi stared at his slender, deceitful eyes that could fool any girl, she blinked in a daze, then snapped back; a faint blush rose on her cheeks, and her voice came out stiff and unfriendly.

"Don't, don't think I'll thank you!"

She took the water basin from his hand and strode away.

Just that her steps were a bit uncoordinated.