Category: Female Lead Was Coaxed Away by the Villain Again [Quick Transmigration]

Chapter 48: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (17)

“A University?” Si Xu frowned. “Why would it be connected to A University?”

Jiang Zhiyan also wanted to know why this guy wouldn’t let go of A University.

“Bold hypothesis, careful verification.”

“So, what’s the basis for your bold hypothesis? What are the common points between these two incidents?” Si Xu asked, looking down at Jiang Zhiyan, who had nestled against her. She gently smoothed Jiang Zhiyan’s hair.

“The mission to explore A University is also assigned to our team. If you’re curious, you can join them.” Si Xu continued.

“My ability isn’t very useful to them.” Xue Lin said.

Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt Si Xu didn’t want this matter investigated further either. Jiang Zhiyan held Si Xu’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

They exchanged glances, and Si Xu gave her a reassuring look.

News of Chen Yang’s entire team being wiped out had already spread before Jiang Zhiyan and the others returned. The investigation team was already there.

Because they died on the road not far from their destination, they had to queue for questioning by the lie detector.

“Those with connections sure are treated differently. So many people died before, and they didn’t bother investigating.” Lao Yang complained, rolling his eyes. “Heh, and now they’re starting to investigate.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at him curiously, wondering what had happened before. If his resentment could solidify, it would probably be strangling the leader in front. The others pretended not to hear and didn’t respond.

She figured that the base management probably didn’t care how Chen Yang died, but rather about the skinny man, whose ability was indeed very useful. The hidden meaning of “ability transfer” was: making ordinary people into evolved humans.

The lie detector could distinguish between truth and lies.

“Oh no, oh no, Host, what if you’re exposed? Did you just, you know, them all?” The system couldn’t help but mutter, watching the queue get shorter and shorter. “I feel like my mechanical heart is about to explode.”

“I won’t be exposed.” Jiang Zhiyan reassured it.

“Host, although you seem confident, but what if things go wrong?”

“If things go wrong, just watch the show.”

System: …

It was Lao Yang’s turn.

“Do you hate Chen Yang?” The questioner asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you want to kill him?”

“Yes.”

The surrounding people turned to look at him.

“Did you kill him?”

“No, how could I kill him with my shitty ability!” Lao Yang rolled his eyes. “I can’t even tell which one is him!”

Jiang Zhiyan was next. She looked at the lie detector nervously and smiled at the questioner, whose voice instantly softened, unlike the impatience they showed towards Lao Yang. Lao Yang, standing beside her, rolled his eyes again.

“Do you know Chen Yang?” The questioner asked.

“We’ve met.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded. “But I don’t know him well, only met once.”

“Do you hate him?”

“Yes, he’s too greasy.” Jiang Zhiyan made a disgusted face.

“Did you want to kill him?”

“Why would I want to kill someone?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned and shook her head.

“Did you kill him?”

“I’ve never thought about killing anyone.” Jiang Zhiyan covered her mouth, looking at Si Xu pleadingly. “Senior, I’m remembering it again, I’m definitely going to have nightmares.”

“Next.” The questioner ticked the box on the form and said gently, “We have an evolved human with the ability to erase memories here, you can go see them.”

Jiang Zhiyan ran to Si Xu’s side, noticing Xue Lin looking at her again from the corner of her eye.

“I really want to kill him.” Jiang Zhiyan stared at Xue Lin expressionlessly. He smiled at her, then looked away.

The system felt speechless, recalling Jiang Zhiyan’s earlier statement, “I’ve never thought about killing anyone.”

“How did you pass? How did you manage to pass?” The system was truly baffled.

“My ability is to manipulate people’s perceptions, and his ability level isn’t as high as mine.” Jiang Zhiyan was exasperated. “Are you an artificial retard? Can’t you even figure this out?”

“Please don’t resort to personal attacks! That’s too much!” The system protested.

All twelve of them passed the lie detector test. They wasted two hours here before returning to the team leader’s dormitory.

“We also know about what happened today. Did you hear any sounds? Or see anyone? Someone in their team deduced that it was done by a human.” The team leader asked.

“No.” Si Xu shook her head.

“That’s really strange.” The few of them exchanged glances.

Qian Rongrong leaned back in her chair and said casually: “Who cares who did it, whoever it was, they saved us, they’re our benefactor. If they don’t want to come forward, then they don’t want to, why bother trying to find them?”

“Deduce? Is there a fortune teller here?” Jiang Zhiyan asked curiously.

“Yes, Team Six, their captain’s ability is deduction.” Yu Wenyu said, then immediately shut his mouth, realizing he shouldn’t have spoken.

“Can he tell fortunes about relationships?” Jiang Zhiyan asked shyly, looking at Si Xu, and hooked Si Xu’s pinky finger with hers.

Si Xu slapped the back of Jiang Zhiyan’s hand.

“No, he can only do one reading a day, how could he use it on something so trivial?” The team leader waved his hand, looking at Jiang Zhiyan. “It’s the apocalypse! Think about something else, young lady.”

“What’s so trivial about it?” Jiang Zhiyan sighed inwardly, exasperated. She felt like this world was constantly against her. She asked innocently, “Why can’t he just directly deduce who did it?”

“He said it’s a heavenly secret.” The team leader chuckled.

“Oh, so that means he can’t figure it out.” Jiang Zhiyan rubbed her temples and slumped on the table. “I hope they don’t mean us any harm.”

“They probably don’t.” Xue Lin said, resting his chin on his hand.

Jiang Zhiyan nodded: “That’s good, though I don’t think I should trust your intuition too much.”

After leaving the team leader’s room, Xue Lin sent Jiang Zhiyan a private message request.

Si Xu frowned at Xue Lin, blocking Jiang Zhiyan: “Is there something you can’t say here?”

“Some private matters. Don’t worry, Si Xu, I really don’t like her.” Xue Lin said. “I just want to understand a few things.”

Si Xu opened her mouth: “But she hates you.”

Qian Rongrong nudged Jiang Zhiyan and whispered: “Did she just indirectly admit something?”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t say anything, glanced at Qian Rongrong, and then gave a giddy, shy smile.

Qian Rongrong also giggled.

Xue Lin looked at the two acting strangely behind Si Xu, wondering what he had just said to make them laugh like that.

“Senior, I’ll go with him. If I don’t, he’ll probably just bother me again. Senior, you must wait for me, let’s go back together.” Jiang Zhiyan tugged on Si Xu’s hand, then followed Xue Lin.

It was the same familiar pavilion, the same familiar seats.

Jiang Zhiyan rested her chin on her hand and looked at Xue Lin expressionlessly. Facing this person, she couldn’t be bothered to feign any emotions.

“I suddenly remembered something.” Xue Lin’s gaze was fixed on Jiang Zhiyan’s face. “At A University, I felt like I almost died several times. Someone saved me, I saw a rock fly through the air and kill an alien right in front of me. I kept thinking I was seeing things.”

Others might not have noticed, but Xue Lin was being carried at the time, so he saw some details that others couldn’t.

Jiang Zhiyan nodded: “Really? And then?”

“And then today, on the road, I noticed the bloodstains on the rocks, some distance away from the severed limbs. And Junior, you disappeared for a long time.” Xue Lin said firmly. “You know what I mean.”

“You think it was me?” Jiang Zhiyan pointed at her own face. Seeing that he didn’t deny it, she put on a shocked expression, then chuckled dryly. “You think highly of me, you have quite the imagination, but since you’ve already decided it was me, I have nothing to say.”

Xue Lin’s expression remained unchanged, just staring at Jiang Zhiyan.

She stood up and tapped the table twice: “Senior Qian just said, since that person doesn’t mean us any harm, there’s no need to investigate their identity, especially during these times. Besides, you just said that person saved you, it wouldn’t be good to repay kindness with ingratitude.”

“I just want to confirm their stance.” Xue Lin said.

“Didn’t you just say it? They don’t mean us any harm.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled. “Perhaps that is their stance.”

Xue Lin’s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded thoughtfully.

“Would you still be asking around like this if they really meant us harm?”

“How can one be afraid of death when seeking the truth?” Xue Lin looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “Junior, you lack academic spirit.”

Jiang Zhiyan was momentarily speechless. This person was truly unusual.

The apocalypse had driven too many people crazy.

“Since it’s not Junior, then it’s not Junior.” Xue Lin stood up. “However, Junior’s acting is really good, I should learn from you.”

His tone was suggestive.

Jiang Zhiyan clenched her fists. She could snap this guy’s neck with one hand, without even using much force.

“Maintain this spirit, you’ll reincarnate sooner and have a better life.” Jiang Zhiyan left the pavilion. “But it really wasn’t me, you’re researching in the wrong direction, better correct it quickly. Because I do have malicious intentions towards you. You’re annoying, do you feel it? Your sixth sense, my malice towards you.”

“Host, what are you two even talking about?” The system didn’t understand. “Your character setting just collapsed by 20%.”

“I don’t want to explain.” Jiang Zhiyan hurried towards Si Xu.

Xue Lin looked at Jiang Zhiyan’s retreating figure, suddenly feeling confused. Although he thought it was definitely Jiang Zhiyan, she was right, her malice towards him was indeed very strong. If Jiang Zhiyan had that kind of ability, killing him shouldn’t be a problem, after all, she even fooled the lie detector, but why didn’t she kill him?

Could he really be wrong?

Chapter 47: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (16)

The last time Chen Yang felt a strong sense of life-threatening danger was at the very beginning of the mutation, and now he felt it again from Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes.

She nimbly dodged his attack and rapidly closed in. Someone behind him fired a gun, the bullet grazing her.

She didn’t seem afraid at all, her approach not slowing down in the slightest, not even pausing. She barely avoided each bullet, and it was unclear whether they were just bad shots, or if Jiang Zhiyan was dodging them.

Chen Yang’s body was completely distorted, no longer human-shaped. He tried to trap Jiang Zhiyan, but she somehow pulled out a knife and sliced off his outstretched arm.

The pain made him dizzy, and he stared at Jiang Zhiyan. This shouldn’t be happening. His body, when his ability was activated, was almost like liquid. Even if it was severed, it could be reattached. But after being cut off by Jiang Zhiyan, he couldn’t feel his arm anymore.

Bright red blood sprayed onto the ground, his severed arm landing on the hot asphalt, and he could almost smell the burning flesh.

To prevent Jiang Zhiyan from continuing to attack, Chen Yang was forced to deactivate his ability.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Zhiyan was standing right in front of him.

“I heard you want us dead?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Chen Yang took two steps back, leaning against the car, and looked at Jiang Zhiyan in terror, forcing a laugh: “I think there might be some misunderstanding between us.”

“I don’t think so, after all, even with your right arm severed, your left hand can still gesture.” Jiang Zhiyan flicked her wrist, and the fan flew out, the person who was about to attack from behind the car collapsing.

Chen Yang watched as the fan sliced through two people’s throats and then flew back into Jiang Zhiyan’s hand.

His gaze fell on the fan. It didn’t look like something humans could currently produce. He lowered his head, a greedy and inquisitive look in his eyes.

The others who wanted to attack stopped and exchanged glances, ceasing their resistance for the time being.

The gap in strength was too great, they had to think of other ways to survive.

They had seen this girl at the base before. She looked delicate and fragile, as if she had never experienced any hardship, but who would have thought she was like this? Her attacks were too fast, as if she had done this many times before.

“You can’t kill me.” Chen Yang leaned against the car, staring at Jiang Zhiyan. “One of our team members can monitor people’s life status and see how they die. Before I came out, I asked him to use his ability on me. If you kill me, he will immediately receive a notification, and you and your team members won’t be able to return to the base. The other members of your team at the base will also be in danger.”

“Let me live, and with my connections at the base, I can make your lives very comfortable.” Chen Yang continued. “I can make sure every member of your team has a decent weapon.”

The expressions of the others turned ugly. They didn’t have anything to bargain with, and Chen Yang’s words clearly showed that he wasn’t planning to save them.

Although they knew what kind of person Chen Yang was, they still felt angry.

“Boss, Boss, my ability is very powerful, I can transfer all their abilities to you, can you please spare me?” A skinny person scrambled out of the car, looking at Jiang Zhiyan ingratiatingly. He dropped to his knees and kowtowed twice.

“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.” His voice trembled, looking terrified. “I’m really, very useful, Chen Yang’s team was able to level up so quickly all thanks to my ability.”

Jiang Zhiyan frowned. Looking at him like this, she thought she had traveled back to ancient times. His words also made her feel very uncomfortable. How many people had they killed?

She looked down at the back of his head and asked, feigning interest: “Oh? How does it work?”

“You just need to place your hand on the corpse. Whosever ability you like, we can arrange it, I’m very useful, really.” He crawled towards Jiang Zhiyan. Reaching her feet, he suddenly reached for her ankle. Jiang Zhiyan lifted her foot and stomped his head into the asphalt.

Jiang Zhiyan chuckled: “Interesting.”

She applied a little pressure, the five fingers of his hand, which had transformed into knives, flailing uselessly in the air. Flames and electricity erupted from his body, but to no avail. He quickly went still. The others’ veins bulged.

None of the people present were good, but they were still terrified by Jiang Zhiyan’s actions.

The system sighed, Jiang Zhiyan was completely on a different level. It was really curious about her mental state.

Jiang Zhiyan was even more terrifying than the aliens. Some wanted to run, but Jiang Zhiyan’s stones seemed to have eyes. The remaining people started pleading for their lives, pledging loyalty, and demonstrating their value.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t spare a single one. Rather than believe that trash could be reformed, it was better to just kill them and eliminate the problem at its root. Soon, only Chen Yang was left. Of course, she wasn’t planning on letting him go either.

“That person will know how you die, right?” Jiang Zhiyan smiled at Chen Yang, severing the tendons in his hands and feet. “Why would you think that in this situation, I would need to do it myself?”

She knocked him unconscious and threw him beside the car.

Jiang Zhiyan left the road and returned to the shopping mall, which was huge. With only twelve of them, the probability of encountering each other wasn’t high. She went to the commercial street behind the mall, found a supermarket there, and filled a shopping cart.

Shortly after she left, a group of aliens gradually gathered there.

The system finally realized that the aliens’ sole purpose in this world was to be scapegoats for Jiang Zhiyan and help her dispose of bodies.

“Even if it was the aliens who killed them, Chen Yang’s state isn’t right.”

“Whatever, as long as they can’t trace it back to me, it’s fine. Not right or not, plenty of people die in strange ways during the apocalypse, and no one cares, right?” Jiang Zhiyan twitched her lips. “That ability transfer, how many of those deaths do you think were caused by humans?”

Jiang Zhiyan pushed the shopping carts to the entrance of the mall one by one.

“Where did you go? We couldn’t find you.” Qian Rongrong, seeing Jiang Zhiyan, waved and said softly, “We thought something happened to you, you scared us to death.”

“I just wandered around here.” Jiang Zhiyan twirled, showing off her new dress. “Picked out some new clothes.”

Qian Rongrong gave Jiang Zhiyan the middle finger: “Tell us next time. Si Xu went looking for you several times… I’m going to take a look too, it’s not convenient to wash clothes, and the clothes we’re wearing are starting to stink.”

“Sorry, I didn’t plan on going shopping at first, then I’ll go find her. But I did activate my ability, so it’s normal that you couldn’t find me…” Jiang Zhiyan turned and went into the mall.

Si Xu was on her sixth round of searching, and this time, she saw Jiang Zhiyan immediately. She was like a beacon, a 800-watt lightbulb in the darkness.

Jiang Zhiyan waved at Si Xu, then deactivated her ability, running towards her cheerfully.

“Senior, I heard you were looking for me.”

“Yes, I couldn’t find you, I’m glad you’re okay.” Si Xu glanced at Jiang Zhiyan. “Did you change your clothes?”

“You noticed at a glance, Senior Qian didn’t even notice just now.” Jiang Zhiyan twirled, then asked shyly, “Senior, do I look good? How is it?”

“You look good.” Si Xu nodded. “Anything else you need to get? I’ll go with you.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked around: “No, I’ve got everything. Senior, do you want to look around? I’ll accompany you!”

She couldn’t leave yet, she didn’t know if the aliens had been dealt with.

“Okay.” Si Xu nodded, and Jiang Zhiyan leaned close to her, affectionately hugging her arm.

The system, looking at Jiang Zhiyan, felt like it was about to split in two.

About five hundred meters away, on the road, a group of aliens mercilessly crushed the cars and corpses.

The person who had been chatting and laughing at the base suddenly widened their eyes and started coughing violently: “Chen Yang is dead.”

The people around him looked at him in shock.

…

This mall was the first place raided by their base, so it was still mostly full. Even after filling the vehicles and piling things on the roofs, there were still many items left.

And they were quite lucky, there were almost no aliens here. There had been a few originally, but after Jiang Zhiyan lured them away, this place was completely clear.

On their way back, they saw the carnage on the road and stared wide-eyed in shock. The driver subconsciously slowed down.

“That looks like Chen Yang’s car.” Lao Yang opened the window. “It is, I see their team’s logo. Fuck, they really came to cause trouble for us, hahaha, but I didn’t expect them to be dead! Dead here! Serves them right!”

He excitedly slapped the car window: “Oh man, I haven’t been this happy since the apocalypse started. I’m going to exchange points for a bottle of wine tonight to celebrate.”

“How did they die?” Qian Rongrong also opened the window and looked out, then quickly pulled her head back in, the scene too bloody.

“No signs of resistance, looks like they were crushed.” Xue Lin said. “It seems like they died before encountering the aliens.”

Jiang Zhiyan, listening to Xue Lin’s voice on the walkie-talkie, frowned. This person’s sixth sense was terrifying.

“Look at the redhead’s head, the wound on his neck is very clean.” Xue Lin continued. “Looks like it was done by a human.”

“Indeed, some of the bones are also broken very cleanly.” Lao Yang said.

“Ew, why are you looking at such disgusting things? They’re dead, let’s just go. Since they’re all dead, there must be something terrifying here.” Another person said, quickly closing the window.

Jiang Zhiyan leaned against Si Xu, closed her eyes tightly, and shuddered: “Xue Lin, stop describing it, I’m scared just listening to it. Senior, I’m definitely going to have nightmares tonight.”

“Xue Lin, that’s enough, it has nothing to do with us. Let’s find a gas station first and then go back.” Si Xu put her arm around Jiang Zhiyan’s shoulder.

“Do you think this is related to the incident at A University?” Xue Lin asked.

Chapter 46: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (15)

All morning, Qian Rongrong looked at Si Xu with a ghostly expression, becoming even angrier when Si Xu didn’t notice her at all.

“What happened?” Jiang Zhiyan asked curiously. That look was hard to ignore.

Qian Rongrong let out three dry laughs, then indignantly described Si Xu’s cruel and inhumane actions that morning. She didn’t expect any real comfort from Si Xu’s fan, but she also didn’t expect Jiang Zhiyan to burst out laughing after hearing it.

Qian Rongrong stared at Jiang Zhiyan expressionlessly, her speechlessness almost tangible.

“Sorry, Senior Qian.” Jiang Zhiyan finally calmed down, but the smile on her face was still obvious. “Senior was very gentle when she woke me up this morning. She probably took it out on you because she was annoyed with me, sorry.”

Qian Rongrong stared at Jiang Zhiyan, unable to detect any hint of “sorry” in her expression.

“Are you showing off your love?” Qian Rongrong asked seriously.

“How could I be so mean?” Jiang Zhiyan widened her eyes innocently.

“I think you are that mean, you’re very mean!”

System: Hahahaha.

Qian Rongrong stormed off, grabbing someone else to complain to.

After the first two days, fewer people came looking for Jiang Zhiyan and Si Xu. Seeing Si Xu’s recent training intensity, many guessed she wanted to form her own team, so they didn’t bother wasting their breath.

Many thought she was delusional, after all, reaching level five wasn’t something you could achieve just by training. Evolution was still quite mysterious, they hadn’t grasped the rules yet, but the general consensus was that they needed to go out and fight aliens.

But they couldn’t go out without a team.

Si Xu still hadn’t reached level five. Although she felt like she was on the verge of a breakthrough, she couldn’t quite get there, and she didn’t understand what she was missing.

Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t surprised. After all, according to the plot, Si Xu only reached level five after joining a team. She was originally annoyed that Si Xu was going to join the male lead’s team again, but now Yu Wenyu was very well-behaved, avoiding them whenever he saw them and even sending someone else to handle any communication.

“A male lead who keeps his distance from the female lead is a good male lead.”

“Are you even speaking human language?” The system was speechless.

“I never do.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled.

All twelve of them from A University eventually joined Yu Wenyu’s team. Those who initially wanted to join larger teams changed their minds after learning about certain situations in the past few days.

The leader of Yu Wenyu’s team gave Si Xu and her group a lot of flexibility, only mentioning things not written in the manual during team meetings.

“Each outing requires a minimum of ten people, so if you don’t want to team up with us, you can also act independently. But I still suggest bringing a veteran.”

“This is our team’s logo. Our team currently has three vehicles. Every time you go out, make sure to fill up the tank before returning.”

“Team ranking is based on contribution points. This is the contribution points form. We currently can only earn contribution points by collecting supplies.”

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at it. High contribution points were mostly earned by capturing aliens alive, which wasn’t easy now, but some teams had already managed to do it. She wondered what their abilities were.

After the meeting, everyone introduced themselves, and Jiang Zhiyan matched the faces with the people on the flyer.

She had to admit, this team’s abilities were quite… underwhelming. The flyer definitely embellished quite a bit.

For example:

Quantify Alien Levels – Fast Counting

Efficient Camouflage – Color Changing

Heavy Blow – Increase Own Body Weight

…

It reminded Jiang Zhiyan of online dating jokes.

Although everyone tried to control themselves, their expressions still betrayed their true thoughts, exchanging glances, the atmosphere slightly awkward.

“Our team’s main strength is our good atmosphere.”

“Yes, yes, after all, it’s the apocalypse, everyone is anxious, a good atmosphere is very important.” Xiao Li, the kind healer, said.

Everyone chuckled dryly.

“So what’s his ability?” Si Xu pointed at Yu Wenyu.

Yu Wenyu looked up, and said hesitantly, “My ability might injure teammates when activated, so I usually don’t use it.”

“Oh, so it’s basically useless.” Jiang Zhiyan commented.

Yu Wenyu looked at Jiang Zhiyan, wanting to retort, but in the end, closed his mouth. Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t wrong, it was indeed useless. He visibly deflated.

“A blow straight to the soul.” The system couldn’t bear to watch.

The twelve new members were all going out tomorrow. According to the plot, Yu Wenyu should be leading the team, but because Jiang Zhiyan was there, he flatly refused, saying he’d rather live in the ruins of A University than take them out.

Although Jiang Zhiyan seemed to have no offensive power, he was truly afraid of her. After the meeting, he ran away.

Si Xu’s decision to join Yu Wenyu’s team made the other teams speechless, and they made harsh remarks, saying she would regret this decision.

“So young, still doesn’t understand what resources mean at a time like this.”

“So old, talking like an old fart.” Jiang Zhiyan retorted.

The speaker, who had already left, turned around, took a long look at Jiang Zhiyan, sizing her up and down, then sneered: “Forget it, I hope you can still survive with your good luck.”

“Do you rely entirely on luck to survive?” Jiang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and asked.

“You’re quite the talker, little girl.”

“Greasy.” Jiang Zhiyan frowned.

The other person gave a disdainful smile and walked away: “I hope your mouth can always be this tough.”

“Impressive.” Qian Rongrong gave a thumbs-up.

Jiang Zhiyan snorted and gave Si Xu a look that said “see what I did for you.” Si Xu pinched the flesh on her arm.

“Offending him isn’t a good thing.” Someone whispered. “Chen Yang is petty. Someone offended him before, and he blocked their way outside, that person didn’t make it out of the horde of aliens. Be careful tomorrow.”

“What’s his ability?” Si Xu asked.

“Level six, body transformation. I haven’t seen it myself, but I heard from others that it’s very disgusting.” The person waved their hand. “Come with me, I have some information for you to look at, some information we’ve gathered about abilities. If you’re in a large team, and you have connections, you can directly ask for the registration list. People like us can only inquire ourselves.”

He sighed. “But the good thing about our team is that we’re pretty laid-back. The larger teams are under a lot of pressure. It’s the apocalypse, as long as we can survive, it’s fine. Sigh, who knows when we’ll die, why bother working so hard?”

“Thank you.” Si Xu nodded.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at the person. There were really quite a few slackers in this team.

Si Xu and the others spent the entire afternoon looking through the information, after all, there were over two thousand people, several thick stacks of documents. Si Xu pulled out some people to pay attention to, their abilities quite special.

“Sigh, it should be a time for unity.”

“That’s just how people are. Those people probably already think they’re superior.”

Jiang Zhiyan rested her chin on her hand.

“Pay attention, stop spacing out.” Qian Rongrong handed her some documents. “By the way, can your ability make them not notice you?”

“Probably.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Then I better take a closer look.” Qian Rongrong immediately said.

“Jiang Zhiyan, you were too impulsive today, you should hold back a bit in the future.” Someone in the corner said worriedly. “You’ve already made an enemy just after arriving.”

“It’s fine.” Si Xu said. “Don’t worry too much.”

Early the next morning, the twelve of them gathered at the meeting point. They were going to a shopping mall in the city center to search for supplies. Because of Si Xu’s ability, she was assigned a gun and a bullet.

Two veteran team members were accompanying them.

One was Lao Yang, a middle-aged man who had been with the team since its inception. His ability was X-ray vision. Evolving directly caused problems with his eyes. Now, everything he saw was in X-ray mode, his ability always active, and he couldn’t turn it off. He saw everyone as skeletons, but he could now distinguish between males and females by looking at their skeletons. Because of his ability, he often scared people.

The other was Xiao Tian, a girl in her second year of high school, from the same school as Yu Wenyu. She was quiet and didn’t like to talk. Her ability was to help others restore their energy, also a very sought-after ability. If she weren’t schoolmates with Yu Wenyu, she would probably be in another team.

Shortly after the three vehicles left, Chen Yang, the one Jiang Zhiyan had offended, also set off with his team. Their destinations were in opposite directions, but Chen Yang followed Si Xu’s team.

“Host, they’re following you. You’ve really caused yourself a big problem this time. Someone in their team hid their ability.”

“What?”

“Someone’s ability is ability transfer. Within five minutes of a person’s death, they can transfer the deceased’s ability. Chen Yang is coveting Si Xu’s ability.” The system sighed. “They were originally going to wait a while before acting, but you provoked them.”

Jiang Zhiyan and Si Xu were in the last vehicle. Jiang Zhiyan looked back, but she didn’t see any vehicles following them: “I remember now, someone in their team has a tracking ability.”

“What do we do now? Their average level is four, your highest level is four, and you only have a few people with offensive abilities.” The system said anxiously.

“It’s fine.” Jiang Zhiyan patted her pocket full of stones. “Aren’t I prepared? I provoked them because I’m not afraid of them.”

“I never doubted that you were afraid of them, I’m just worried about you… oh, I was looking forward to seeing you fail.” The system suddenly realized. “I shouldn’t have told you.”

Jiang Zhiyan yawned, leaning against Si Xu: “Keep an eye out for me, tell me if you see any vehicles following us.”

“No way!” The system snorted. “Say something nice, and I’ll consider it.”

“Then don’t look.” Jiang Zhiyan closed her eyes.

System: Aaaaaah!

It was also being manipulated by Jiang Zhiyan. Damn it, why was it always so soft-hearted?

Chen Yang’s team maintained a distance of three kilometers from Jiang Zhiyan’s, clearly planning to act after they reached their destination.

Jiang Zhiyan also thought this was a good idea. Three kilometers, they would arrive at the mall, and after splitting up with the others, she could just kill them halfway.

The aliens wandering around here weren’t very strong. Because of her special ability, Jiang Zhiyan separated from the others first, circling back to the main road from their blind spot.

She didn’t activate her ability and just stood by the roadside, quietly waiting for them to arrive.

“Brother Chen? Isn’t that the girl who dissed you yesterday?”

“Where? Let me see, standing over there? Don’t tell me she’s deliberately waiting for us.”

The people in the car laughed disdainfully.

“I want her ability. We’ll kill her later, and you can transfer her ability to me.” One person said. “She’s quite pretty, if she says a few nice words later, I’ll let her go.”

“A few nice words are enough?”

Jiang Zhiyan raised her hand, timed it perfectly, and three stones hit the rear wheels of the three vehicles.

“Fuck? What happened? The tires are blown!” The driver of the first vehicle tried to stabilize the car, but two more stones flew over. He couldn’t dodge in time and watched as the stones shattered the windshield, then he felt a sharp pain in his forehead and lost consciousness.

The out-of-control vehicle crashed into a tree by the roadside, forcing the other two vehicles to stop.

“Fuck! What was that? This isn’t what the intel said!”

Chen Yang quickly got out of the car, his arm stretching towards Jiang Zhiyan like rubber, then turning into a liquid as it reached her, aiming for her mouth and nose.

Chapter 45: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (14)

“What is he even talking about?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned. “I hate cryptic people the most, can’t he just speak clearly?”

Jiang Zhiyan was truly baffled. It was fine if he didn’t like her, but why repeatedly probe her? She wasn’t an alien spy, and why ask her about A University? Was he just guessing randomly, or was he really hinting at something?

Was there something wrong with his ability? She needed to study the script more carefully when she went back, she couldn’t just focus on the parts with Si Xu.

“Don’t mind him.” Si Xu sat down next to Jiang Zhiyan, looking at her pouting face. “Did you… go to the training ground just now?”

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiyan replied. “Did I disturb you? Because you didn’t come back all afternoon, I wanted to see if you needed anything, after all, you’re still injured.”

“It’s my fault for overthinking it, you have many people around you.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled bitterly. “Senior is so nice, there are always so many people around you, unlike me…”

Jiang Zhiyan lowered her head, looking a bit lost, wanting to fidget to relieve her nervousness.

“They were just trying to persuade me to join their teams, it’s not what you think.” Si Xu explained. “And…”

She looked at Jiang Zhiyan’s bangs covering her forehead, paused, and continued, “I think you’re great, but I’m not as good as you think, and you shouldn’t think so highly of me either.”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t speak, just looked up at Si Xu.

Since Si Xu wasn’t going back, Jiang Zhiyan followed her to the training ground. There were quite a few people there, basically all the evolved humans who weren’t out on missions. It was normal; after all, their ability level was tied to their lives and their treatment at the base.

“So diligent.” The system glanced at Si Xu in the distance, then at Jiang Zhiyan sitting in the shade. “Don’t you think you don’t fit in here?”

“Oh.” Jiang Zhiyan opened the script and searched for the segments related to Xue Lin. There were quite a few. She quickly skimmed through them. “Are there any detailed descriptions of Xue Lin’s ability?”

“What are you looking for?” The system asked. “His ability is just what it says, most of the time he’s thinking of ways to get you out of the team…”

“There must be a reason why he’s staring at me so intently.”

Finally, Jiang Zhiyan found a sentence with a very high repetition rate in the numerous segments: “Xue Lin sensed danger.”

The sentence itself wasn’t unusual, but after searching the entire text for the keywords “danger” and “sense,” she found that the most relevant results were related to Xue Lin.

“So he sensed danger from me? Is this a passive effect of his ability?” Jiang Zhiyan deduced. “That’s really troublesome.”

Her ability countered Xue Lin’s, but Xue Lin’s ability, in a sense, directly countered her true self.

She hated unrealistic worlds.

“Host, you should keep a low profile for a while.” The system offered its insincere comfort.

“Am I not keeping a low profile?” Jiang Zhiyan felt like she was practically buried in the ground in this world. “Forget it, a vague sixth sense can’t be used as evidence, and even if I said it out loud, no one would believe him. At most, tsk.”

System: ?

“Who was the one who said she hated cryptic people the most just now? As expected, everyone eventually becomes the person they hate the most.”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t finish her sentence, but the system could sense the thick malice and ill intentions in her tone.

It silently lit a candle for Xue Lin. This guy was quite clever, but compared to Jiang the Bully, he was still lacking. After all, Jiang the Bully was not only clever, but also immoral, with a very low bottom line.

“Sigh, you could have been a qualified vicious female supporting character.” The system sighed.

Jiang Zhiyan ignored it, looking at Si Xu in the distance. A group of people walked towards her, and after talking for a bit, glanced at Jiang Zhiyan and left.

Jiang Zhiyan: ?

Si Xu also glanced at her, their eyes meeting briefly. Jiang Zhiyan wanted to know what they had said, but she hadn’t seen their lips, otherwise she could have read them.

“Five hundred points.” The system’s voice appeared faintly.

“Ha, do I look like a sucker? If I want to know, I can just ask her directly.”

The corners of Jiang Zhiyan’s lips curled up slightly: “And do some things even need to be asked?”

She rested her chin on her hand.

“Host, you look particularly lovesick right now.”

“Oh.”

The system took a few pictures of Jiang Zhiyan and changed its mental communication background image to them. It hadn’t used this function before.

Jiang Zhiyan, when she didn’t want people to know what she was thinking, her expression was so neutral it made people want to punch her. When she did want people to know what she was thinking, they still wanted to punch her.

In short, Jiang Zhiyan was always punchable.

Si Xu trained until 8 pm. Before going back, she brought two buckets of water.

In just one afternoon, she had become close friends with two evolved humans with water abilities.

Because the ice had been broken in the afternoon, Jiang Zhiyan still wanted to walk with Si Xu, who took several steps to the side to avoid her.

“I’m dirty.” Si Xu said helplessly.

“But Senior smells nice.”

Si Xu had never met someone like this before and coughed awkwardly.

System: What a desperate and perverted thing to say.

Jiang Zhiyan and Si Xu opened the door and saw Qian Rongrong peeking out. Her gaze darted between the two, as if observing something, then she smiled knowingly.

“You’re back, together, good, good that you’ve made up.” Qian Rongrong stood up, then turned and went back to her room, glancing back every few steps. “I’ll leave the living room to you two, don’t worry, I’ll wear earplugs.”

She winked, a look of “I understand everything” on her face.

Probably afraid of being beaten up, Qian Rongrong quickly locked her door after entering her room.

“I’ll go shower first.” Si Xu said, carrying the buckets towards the bathroom. After taking two steps, she suddenly realized something was wrong with what she said, and turned to see Jiang Zhiyan blushing furiously.

They exchanged glances, Jiang Zhiyan nodding shyly: “Yes, yes.”

Si Xu: …

Si Xu fled into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

This was a disaster. She had just resolved one crisis, why was she caught in another?

What should she say? Should she just say she was taking a shower? But what if Jiang Zhiyan asked what she meant by that earlier statement? What if Jiang Zhiyan was just blushing and replied casually?

Jiang Zhiyan leaned against the sofa and couldn’t help but laugh.

“So what do you mean?” The system asked.

“Oh, just teasing her.” Jiang Zhiyan stood up, went back to her room, wiped herself down, changed into her pajamas, and sat back down on the sofa.

Si Xu lingered in the bathroom for a long time. Coming out and seeing Jiang Zhiyan in a camisole and pajama shorts, she froze.

“Ah, I’m so tired today, I’m so sleepy, good night, you should go to bed early too, the lights will be out soon.”

“Okay, good night, Senior, have a good rest… By the way, Senior, can you wake me up tomorrow morning?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Si Xu expectantly, sitting properly on the sofa, like an elementary school student.

“Okay.” Si Xu quickly nodded. “Good night.”

Jiang Zhiyan watched Si Xu’s retreating figure, the corners of her lips curling up slightly, then went back to her room, lay down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over herself.

“Si Xu, so wise and capable, how could she…”

“You don’t understand my charm.”

“Ugh.”

“Wake me up at 5:30 tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“To prepare in advance.”

System: …

“Don’t tell me you’re going to wake up and put on a full face of makeup.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

Jiang Zhiyan closed her eyes. Three minutes later, the system asked: “Are you asleep? How can you still sleep after sleeping for so long this afternoon?”

“How come you’re still not smart after being stupid for so long?”

“Fuck.”

“Shut up.”

The system didn’t want to wake Jiang Zhiyan anymore, it even wanted to draw something on her face.

But it didn’t have the guts.

Jiang Zhiyan woke up and styled her hair in a messy bun, lying on her side to show off her perfect right profile.

The system couldn’t bear to look: “Like a viper preening itself. What if she just knocks and doesn’t come in?”

Jiang Zhiyan muted it. Hearing footsteps outside, she closed her eyes.

Hearing the knock, Jiang Zhiyan’s heart skipped a beat. Could the system be right?

She didn’t move. After knocking three times without a response, Si Xu opened the door.

“Jiang Zhiyan?”

Si Xu called out, but Jiang Zhiyan didn’t move.

Jiang Zhiyan felt Si Xu approach. She stopped beside the bed, seemingly at a loss, then, after a moment’s hesitation, reached out and gently shook Jiang Zhiyan’s shoulder.

“Hmm…” Jiang Zhiyan opened one eye, looked at Si Xu with a confused expression, then burrowed further under the covers and yawned. “Senior.”

“Wake up.” Si Xu patted her again. A hand suddenly reached out from under the blankets and grabbed her hand. She froze, then felt Jiang Zhiyan nuzzle her hand with her cheek like a cuddly cat.

“Senior, sleep with me for a little longer, it’s still early.” Jiang Zhiyan’s voice was slightly nasal, drawing out the last syllable.

“It’s not early anymore, get up.” Si Xu pulled back a corner of the blanket.

Jiang Zhiyan curled up, feeling the light, and opened one eye to look at Si Xu with a harmless expression, like a mewing kitten.

“Senior, I can’t get up, pull me up.” Jiang Zhiyan stretched out her hand, her beautiful eyes slightly red. She did look sleepy, her eyes watery.

Si Xu took her hand and pulled her up. Who knew that after getting up, Jiang Zhiyan would immediately hug Si Xu’s waist, bury her face in Si Xu’s stomach, and nuzzle against her.

“Okay, I’m awake!”

Si Xu took a deep breath and rubbed Jiang Zhiyan’s head, unable to argue with someone who had just woken up: “Hurry up, I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Okay.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded.

Si Xu went out, closed the door, then went to wake up Qian Rongrong. She banged on the door three times. Opening it, she saw Qian Rongrong lying motionless on the bed, so she replicated two metal basins and clanged them together in front of her.

“Holy shit, Si Xu!” Qian Rongrong shot up from the bed.

Chapter 44: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (13)

Jiang Zhiyan gripped the railing tightly, her body trembling slightly, as if the slightest touch would make her collapse on the spot.

“I…” Si Xu felt like she had lost the ability to speak.

“Senior, it’s okay, you don’t have to answer me.” Jiang Zhiyan forced a smile. “I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

Jiang Zhiyan lowered her head dejectedly: “It’s okay, Senior.”

She didn’t mean to force Si Xu to give her an answer right now. Looking at Si Xu’s flustered expression, Jiang Zhiyan knew she had achieved her goal.

After this series of moves, Si Xu’s mind was completely in disarray. She stared blankly at Jiang Zhiyan, wanting to speak several times, but Jiang Zhiyan didn’t give her the chance.

Jiang Zhiyan knew Si Xu had a soft spot for her, so in such a pitiful state, it would be difficult for Si Xu to reject her harshly, and Si Xu did have feelings for her.

Qian Rongrong returned, dragging her exhausted body, and collapsed on the floor. Her tail thumped against the ground, and for a moment, because of her exhaustion, she didn’t notice that the atmosphere between Jiang Zhiyan and Si Xu was even stranger than in the morning.

“Senior Qian, I have a great idea.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Qian Rongrong’s tail.

Qian Rongrong looked at Jiang Zhiyan questioningly.

“Does your tail create wind when you swing it?”

Qian Rongrong: ???

“Are you even speaking human language? I’m exhausted, and you still want to exploit me.” Qian Rongrong looked at Si Xu. “Si Xu, tell her, does she sound reasonable?”

Si Xu, her mind still a mess, looked at Qian Rongrong, not even hearing what she said, and replied casually: “You do need more training.”

“Huh?” Qian Rongrong pushed herself off the floor and moved away.

She didn’t want to interact with these two anymore, she was angry.

Even though they were having a lovers’ quarrel, they could still team up to bully her.

Well, she was still entertained.

Ten minutes passed quickly, followed by various comprehensive training sessions where they could use their abilities. Qian Rongrong felt slightly better.

Jiang Zhiyan’s ability was still incredibly useful, and her use of it had reached a new level. This ability, while called “atmosphere creation,” was actually about manipulating people’s perceptions. So while before she would run one lap and make people think she ran two, now she could pretend to have completed the entire training without doing anything.

Si Xu diligently completed all the training and continued to practice her ability during breaks. She replicated a hundred copies of the equipment that required queuing at the training ground.

Those who were trying to avoid training by waiting in line: …

“Host, it’s a good thing there are no surveillance cameras here.” The system complained.

“Even if there were, I wouldn’t be afraid. If they want to talk to me, they have to do it face-to-face, and as long as it’s face-to-face, I can fool them.”

The system was numb.

The morning training ended, and Jiang Zhiyan, looking exhausted, was supported by Si Xu as they walked back.

“You’re really shameless.”

“You’re one to talk.”

System: …

Indeed, how could Jiang Zhiyan possibly be embarrassed?

The two went to the bathroom to queue for showers. Evolved humans could shower every day, but only for five minutes each time. Ordinary people could shower twice a week.

There were six evolved humans with water-related abilities in the base, and a water recycling system had already been established, so although water resources were scarce, it wasn’t a critical issue.

Of the six water-based evolved humans, three were level six and three were level five, which showed how important water was. The two electricity-based evolved humans that Jiang Zhiyan brought had also started working. Because of their special abilities, they only needed to go out and search for supplies once a month.

After showering, Jiang Zhiyan was about to go back to sleep when she was called to another meeting.

“I’m speechless, why are there so many meetings?” Jiang Zhiyan complained.

This time, it was the head of the External Operations Department who called the meeting.

Hearing that they needed to select a group of people to investigate A University, Jiang Zhiyan took a sip of water and twitched her lips.

Recent photos of A University were circulated among the crowd, and Jiang Zhiyan shed tears of “grief.”

System: Crying so sadly now, when she was clearly so happy blowing up the school.

The other people from A University didn’t look too good either.

“My graduation thesis, my graduation thesis, aaaaaaah!” One person burst into tears, clutching their head. “I’ve already delayed my graduation for a year!”

“It’s fine, the university is gone.” The person beside them comforted.

The person cried even louder, looking as if they would faint.

System: …

“Host, what do we do now?” The system asked. “It seems we’ve done something terrible.”

“So next time, consider the consequences before making a decision, and have a backup plan.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Then what about now? How do we fix this now?” The system looked at the photo. Whoever took it had a good eye for composition. Behind the A University sign was a scene of complete devastation, desolate and miserable.

“Who do you think did it? During the meeting yesterday morning, they said the danger level at A University was very high, and today it’s completely gone.”

“A higher-level lifeform? The explosion was precisely contained within A University, not affecting the surrounding area at all.”

“Aliens fighting, and they chose Earth as their battlefield? They treat us like ants, so why was the explosion limited to that area? It was clearly intentional, not affecting the surroundings.”

…

People whispered among themselves, but no one volunteered to investigate A University further. Who knew if there were other dangers lurking there?

Si Xu, seeing Jiang Zhiyan’s red eyes, handed her a tissue.

“Thank you, Senior.” Jiang Zhiyan whispered. “I thought Senior would take this mission.”

“We don’t have a team.”

“Oh, right.”

In the end, it was Yu Wenyu’s team that accepted the mission. They needed to take on missions that others wouldn’t if they wanted to improve their ranking. Besides, they thought that if they could figure out what happened at A University, they might gain favor with the A University students.

As soon as the meeting ended, Yu Wenyu’s team set off.

Jiang Zhiyan went back to sleep. She wasn’t afraid of Yu Wenyu’s team finding anything. Under the power of the skill card, all the insects were turned into dust, and even if they found something, they wouldn’t connect it to her.

Si Xu went out for training again in the afternoon, having nothing else to do.

“Do you think Si Xu can reach level five in these few days?” The system asked curiously.

“I don’t know, but anything is possible with her.”

“Your mastery of stating the obvious is truly impressive.” The system was speechless.

Jiang Zhiyan yawned.

“By the way, Host, I think I need to give you a friendly reminder.” The system recalled something it discovered while bored earlier.

“What?” Jiang Zhiyan asked, eyes closed.

“Every night, someone uses their ability to count the number of people in the entire building. Last night, when he came to count, you weren’t there.” The system paused. “Do you think they can deduce when the explosion happened?”

Jiang Zhiyan opened her eyes: “But my ability can make people unaware of my presence.”

“Their ability is thermal imaging.”

Jiang Zhiyan: …

“Then we’ll talk when they come looking for me.” Jiang Zhiyan lay back down calmly. “I’ll just deny everything. I’ll activate my innocent aura, then it’ll be everyone else’s fault, how could a pitiful little thing like me have any problems?”

“Why even bother counting people, tsk.” Jiang Zhiyan was annoyed.

“You’re panicking, you’re panicking.” The system said excitedly.

Finally, Jiang Zhiyan! Is she finally going to get caught?

In the evening, Jiang Zhiyan went to the training ground. Si Xu was doing strength training, surrounded by many people. She was popular everywhere. When Jiang Zhiyan was a female lead, she had never been as popular as Si Xu.

“Host, what are you doing standing here? Why don’t you go over?” The system looked at Jiang Zhiyan hiding behind a tree. “Do you realize you look a bit creepy right now?”

“Let her know I’m secretly watching her.” Jiang Zhiyan said. “Besides, you think I’m creepy because you don’t like me. Other people would only find me shy and cute.”

“Disgusting.” The system rolled its digital eyes.

Jiang Zhiyan stood quietly behind the tree, looking at the men and women surrounding Si Xu, feeling slightly annoyed. She subconsciously tightened her grip on the tree trunk and only came back to her senses when she heard a crisp “crack.” Glancing at the crack in the trunk, she silently let go.

“Host, what did the tree ever do to you?”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t want to talk. After standing there for about ten minutes, Si Xu finally noticed her. However, like a startled deer, Jiang Zhiyan quickly ducked behind the tree and left.

“Host?”

Jiang Zhiyan ignored it, casually found a shady spot, sat down, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at the distant hillside. Perhaps because of the recent high temperatures, the leaves on the mountain were turning yellow, looking withered.

“Nine minutes and thirty-seven seconds.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Hmm?”

“That’s how long it took her to notice I was watching her.”

“You two were two hundred meters apart, and you were hiding behind a tree, only showing your head, and she was surrounded by so many people. It’s already impressive that she even saw you.” The system was speechless. “You’re having another one of your episodes, aren’t you?”

“Why can’t she just talk to me alone?”

“Talking to you alone might drive someone crazy, like me.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at the person sitting down in front of her, glancing at their legs: “Can you walk now? So fast? Congratulations, Senior.”

“Thanks to Junior Li, her healing ability has reached level three.” Xue Lin said. “What are you mimicking now, Junior Jiang? There are no weaknesses on you at all.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xue Lin, frowning: “You must have seen wrong, how is that possible?”

“Maybe, Junior, what do you think about the incident at A University?”

“Senior, please spare me, I’m just a slacker praying I don’t fail my finals, can’t you ask someone else these high-level questions?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xue Lin dejectedly. “It’s already so hot in the summer, it’s annoying.” She really wanted to kill this guy.

After realizing the person behind the tree was Jiang Zhiyan, Si Xu chased after her. Seeing Xue Lin, sitting opposite Jiang Zhiyan, smiling like a peacock, she stopped, then recalled what Qian Rongrong said in the morning.

“We’re just casually chatting, Junior, don’t treat it like a thesis defense, you can relax.”

“Senior, why do you always like talking to me? We’re not close at all.” Jiang Zhiyan frowned, then, as if suddenly realizing something, said hesitantly, “Senior, during these times of life and death, can you please put aside your romantic feelings?”

“What?” Xue Lin was stunned.

“I mean I don’t like you. And your methods of pursuing someone are terrible, annoying.” Jiang Zhiyan mustered her courage and slightly raised her voice, making sure Si Xu not far away could hear.

Xue Lin: ???

“Xue Lin, since Zhiyan has already said so, please keep your distance.” As expected, Si Xu walked over, looking at Xue Lin coldly. “We might have to work together in the same team in the future, it’s not good.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked up at Si Xu, pouted, tugged on the corner of Si Xu’s clothes, then let go.

“Junior might have misunderstood something.”

“Mm-hmm.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded. “I must have misunderstood.”

Jiang Zhiyan’s tone seemed to confirm something. Xue Lin looked at Si Xu, trying to explain, but in the end, gave up. Looking at their current posture, it was clear he was the outsider. He knew that no matter what he said now, Si Xu probably wouldn’t believe him.

He was certain, there was something wrong with Jiang Zhiyan.

Si Xu stood beside Jiang Zhiyan, putting her under her protection, and looked at Xue Lin.

“I just think Junior is very impressive, I admire her, that’s all.” Xue Lin said vaguely, nodding. “You two chat, I’ll take my leave.”

Chapter 43: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (12)

As expected, one shouldn’t casually agree with Jiang Zhiyan.

A person who usually treated its opinions like farts suddenly asked for its advice and actually listened to it. How could there not be a problem? Was that even possible?

The system was heartbroken.

It was forever young, forever being fooled.

And Jiang Zhiyan would forever be a scoundrel, never changing.

It should add “Don’t believe Jiang Zhiyan’s bullshit” to its core programming.

Jiang Zhiyan coughed: “Little Tong.”

“Stop pretending, you’re perfectly fine!” The system gritted its teeth. “I’ll take the blame, ha, I’ll take the blame, I’m just an AI, if anything happens, it’s your points that will be deducted anyway.”

The system suddenly felt enlightened. Having been with Jiang Zhiyan for so long, it should have learned to be shameless long ago. What did it have to do with it? It was just a tool trying to earn some extra cash.

“No, no, this is different.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled, pulling the blanket over herself. “You’ll understand later, Little Tong.”

The system felt a sense of foreboding. Hearing Jiang Zhiyan call it “Little Tong,” it felt like something bad was about to happen.

Early the next morning, Jiang Zhiyan got up. She stretched her arms, and upon leaving her room, she saw Si Xu already sitting in the living room. She immediately straightened up, presenting herself properly.

They exchanged glances.

“Morning, Senior.” Jiang Zhiyan greeted softly, tugging at the corner of her clothes. “Senior, are you coming to training with us this morning?”

“Yes.” Si Xu replied, then, feeling her response was a bit cold, added, “I think I can participate in training now too. I’ve already collected breakfast for the three of us, it’s on the table. There’s clean water in the bathroom, you can wash up.”

“Thank you, Senior.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled, nodded slightly, and quickly went to the bathroom.

Qian Rongrong drifted out of her room, her eyes unfocused. Although there was no internet or other entertainment, she still had trouble falling asleep.

She glanced at Si Xu on the sofa, shook her head, and sat down beside her: “What’s going on with you two?”

“I don’t know either.” Si Xu pinched the bridge of her nose. “She said she thought I found her annoying.”

“So do you find her annoying?” Qian Rongrong tried to suppress her gossipy expression, pretending to be a concerned friend, worried that Si Xu wouldn’t say anything if her expression was too obvious.

In these times, shipping CPs (romantic pairings) was her only source of entertainment.

“No.” Si Xu figured that she must have been too obvious when she played dumb yesterday, and Jiang Zhiyan saw through it, but she couldn’t tell Qian Rongrong this.

Si Xu looked at Qian Rongrong, who was barely containing her excitement, and sighed inwardly.

“Then just tell her, be a little closer to her.” Qian Rongrong lowered her voice. “I think if you take the initiative once or twice, Junior will come back.”

“She’s probably also waiting for you to make a move. If you continue to be so cold and distant, she might really think you dislike her, and then you two will go your separate ways.” Qian Rongrong shook her head and instinctively reached out to pat Si Xu’s shoulder, then quickly retracted her hand when Si Xu dodged.

“Tsk.” Qian Rongrong looked at Si Xu, surprised that she was still so alert even at a time like this. “Junior is quite popular, look at how much attention Xue Lin is giving her.”

Si Xu: ?

“But Junior’s sexual orientation doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Xue Lin, so you still have plenty of opportunities.” Qian Rongrong watched Si Xu’s expression, feeling smug.

Hahaha, she’s anxious, she’s anxious!

Si Xu said instinctively: “Don’t talk nonsense, I don’t feel that way about her, and I don’t think she feels that way about me either.”

After saying that, she caught a glimpse of a flash of fabric from the corner of her eye and her heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously clenched her fists.

She felt inexplicably guilty, hoping Jiang Zhiyan hadn’t heard.

“She doesn’t have feelings for you.” The system said.

“How could she not have feelings for me, she’s just holding back.” Jiang Zhiyan leaned against the wall. “Didn’t you hear what she said? She thought I didn’t have feelings for her either, which means she can’t properly discern her own feelings, nor can she discern mine.”

“You really are…” The system was shocked. It really wondered when Jiang Zhiyan would finally encounter a situation she couldn’t smooth over.

“For adults, it’s normal to be more reserved with their feelings, it can’t be like in high school.” Jiang Zhiyan continued.

Qian Rongrong found that the atmosphere between Jiang Zhiyan and Si Xu was even stranger than last night. Jiang Zhiyan’s dejection was evident, looking as if she would cry at any moment.

Qian Rongrong turned to Si Xu, whose expression was also serious.

What happened? What did she miss again? This morning, when she came out to see them, they weren’t this serious. She hadn’t gone back to her room, so when exactly did she skip the plot?

There were many training tasks at the base, four hours in total, fully packed.

Jiang Zhiyan scanned the list and rubbed her temples.

“Do we have this much on the first day?” Qian Rongrong widened her eyes. “Ten kilometers? This will kill me!”

“If you can’t outrun an alien, then it really will kill you.” The person behind her said. “Hurry up, if you’re late, they’ll add another two kilometers.”

Qian Rongrong closed her eyes, her legs weakening, and she leaned against Jiang Zhiyan, putting her hand on Jiang Zhiyan’s shoulder.

“Junior, if I die, remember to collect my body.” Qian Rongrong said mournfully. As she spoke, she suddenly felt a chill and turned to see Si Xu glaring at her hand on Jiang Zhiyan’s shoulder.

She silently straightened up and lowered her hand.

Tsk, and she said she didn’t have any feelings.

Bullshit.

Qian Rongrong rolled her eyes twice.

Jiang Zhiyan noticed that not all evolved humans were here, such as those at level six.

In all games, the higher the level, the more difficult it was to level up. So although there was only a one-level difference between level six and level five, if quantified, there might be a huge gap between them.

Jiang Zhiyan created the illusion of “practicing diligently” while slacking off in the team. She tricked their perception, running one lap while they thought she ran two.

“I have to say, this ability is very suitable for me.” Jiang Zhiyan sighed. “Perfect for fishing in troubled waters, killing people, and stealing goods.”

“Heh.” The system sneered.

Qian Rongrong trailed at the back of the group, panting. She found Si Xu in the first group, then Jiang Zhiyan in the middle group, and her eyes widened.

She was the only weakling left!

She wiped away nonexistent tears and sped up. She couldn’t be last, the aliens would definitely catch the slowest one.

The sun was already up, sweat dripping from her forehead, stinging her eyes. She couldn’t wipe it clean, it just kept coming.

Jiang Zhiyan was also hot, so hot she wanted to go directly to the aliens’ home planet and blow it up.

After the ten-kilometer run, Jiang Zhiyan leaned against the railing. She wasn’t actually that tired, she didn’t feel anything, but she couldn’t stand out. And the ten-minute break was too precious, not resting was a waste of life. She looked at Qian Rongrong in the distance, who was already using all fours, showing some leopard characteristics, but she was still far from fully transforming into a leopard.

“Want some water?” Si Xu walked over with a cup. She was level four and received twice as much water as Jiang Zhiyan every day.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Si Xu, whose face was flushed, probably from the heat.

“Senior, what if your wounds open up?”

“I checked this morning, they’ve almost completely healed.” Si Xu handed her the cup.

Jiang Zhiyan stared at it for a moment, but didn’t take it: “I didn’t bring a cup.”

“It’s okay, drink.”

Jiang Zhiyan took the cup: “Thank you.”

She opened the cup, took a small sip, then handed it back.

“Enough?”

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded, her gaze settling on a group of people hurrying over in the distance. They called a few people and left the training ground, their expressions suggesting something serious had happened.

“Host, they’ve discovered the changes at A University.” The system said. Normally, it shouldn’t tell Jiang Zhiyan such information, but this time it involved itself.

Thinking back, it felt like Jiang Zhiyan had set it up. She had been planning to go to A University to eliminate those insects, asking it was just a way to make it take the blame.

“Oh.” Jiang Zhiyan replied. “It has nothing to do with me.”

“How do you think they’ll classify this incident?”

“A gift from the gods.”

“You’re really good at taking credit.” The system couldn’t help but complain.

Jiang Zhiyan yawned, watching as Yu Wenyu approached.

“I still want to try again.” Yu Wenyu stood opposite Jiang Zhiyan, keeping a distance from Si Xu. “Each team has the right to distribute internal resources. If you’re willing to join us, we can give you priority in resource selection, which is absolutely impossible in other teams.”

“But you’re in last place, what resources are there to choose from?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Yu Wenyu opened his mouth, the lines he had prepared all night rendered useless by Jiang Zhiyan’s single question.

The system, looking at Yu Wenyu’s expression, sighed: How pitiful.

“As I said yesterday, we’re a team with a lot of room for improvement.” Yu Wenyu stammered slightly, looking at Si Xu, hoping she would say something.

However, Si Xu looked at him with a strange and wary expression. Yu Wenyu seemed to realize something and moved away from Jiang Zhiyan. Si Xu’s expression softened, but Jiang Zhiyan’s already unfriendly gaze turned even colder.

Yu Wenyu: …

Just end me now.

What was going on with these two?

Unable to withstand the pressure of their gazes, Yu Wenyu excused himself and turned to leave, almost tripping, either because his legs were weak from training, or for some other reason.

“Senior, are you interested in him?” Jiang Zhiyan asked sullenly.

“What?”

“You were staring at him for a long time just now.” Jiang Zhiyan, as if having made up her mind, continued, “You don’t have feelings for me, could it be that you have feelings for him?”

Si Xu froze for three seconds: “No, I don’t know him well.”

“Oh.” Jiang Zhiyan turned away.

Si Xu stared at the back of Jiang Zhiyan’s head. As expected, Jiang Zhiyan had heard what she said earlier. She reached out to touch Jiang Zhiyan, but after hesitating for a few seconds, lowered her hand.

“Jiang Zhiyan.” Si Xu called out.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t move, the back of her head stubbornly still.

Si Xu hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly finding it difficult to speak: “Zhiyan.”

It was just two words, but it seemed to take all of Si Xu’s strength to say them.

Jiang Zhiyan’s lips curled up slightly: “See, she’s doing things she’s never done before because of me, she definitely has feelings for me.”

The system, looking at Jiang Zhiyan’s smug expression, then at Si Xu, wanted to bang its head against the wall.

It was still early in the game, how could Si Xu surrender so easily?

Knowing when to stop, Jiang Zhiyan turned to look at Si Xu.

“I didn’t let you sleep with me yesterday because I’m not used to sleeping with someone else.” Si Xu explained. “I didn’t mean anything else, don’t overthink it.”

“Then you can just get used to it.” Jiang Zhiyan muttered.

Si Xu blushed even more, looking at Jiang Zhiyan.

“Senior, why did you tell others that I don’t have feelings for you? Can’t you really feel it? Or is being liked by me something embarrassing, so you’re ashamed to tell others?” Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes reddened.

System: !!!

There it was, the guilt-tripping and playing the victim card combo.

Chapter 42: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (11)

At 7:30, the leader finally walked in with his assistant and bodyguards. He looked to be around forty, with an upright appearance and a friendly smile, and he was warmly welcomed by everyone. Whether it was genuine or just flattery was unknown.

This was the person in charge of personnel changes at the base, named Shao Fanghui. There weren’t many descriptions of him in the book, only mentioned twice.

Once was when he talked to Si Xu, and the other was when he tried to persuade Yu Wenyu not to leave the base.

He seemed alright, but Jiang Zhiyan instinctively felt that he wasn’t a good person.

Shao Fanghui gave a brief report on the supply search situation for the past week, praising the top three teams and encouraging the last-place team, which Yu Wenyu belonged to.

Jiang Zhiyan took a sip of water: “It seems like he doesn’t want us to join Yu Wenyu’s team, otherwise there’s no need to mention it specifically.”

She glanced back at Yu Wenyu. He and the people around him clearly looked very unhappy. Someone in the audience couldn’t help but snicker.

At the end of the meeting, Shao Fanghui formally introduced the twelve newcomers. Although three of them weren’t present, it didn’t lessen their significance.

Standing on the stage, Jiang Zhiyan felt the gazes from all directions. Her expression remained neutral, but she felt very uncomfortable: “That feeling of being treated like a piece of meat is back again.”

“Host, there’s someone winking at you below.” The system said.

“Can you pay attention to something more positive?” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “Forget it, there’s nothing positive here.”

When Shao Fanghui mentioned that Jiang Zhiyan was the least injured among the twelve, even more people paid attention to her, speculating about her ability.

Jiang Zhiyan let out a breath.

“Interested teams can extend invitations to them.” Shao Fanghui paused and continued, “Of course, you can also form your own teams, but the team leader’s level must be above five, and a team needs ten people to be formed. It’s best to finalize within five days. If you don’t, you’ll be assigned forcibly. Think carefully.”

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Si Xu. In the original text, Si Xu, impressed by the male lead’s performance, joined his team. Now that the male lead didn’t have any impressive performance, she didn’t know what Si Xu would choose.

Si Xu frowned. Jiang Zhiyan guessed that Si Xu’s original intention was to form her own team but didn’t expect the level requirement of five.

Feeling Jiang Zhiyan’s gaze, Si Xu looked over. After just a glance, Jiang Zhiyan looked away.

Si Xu frowned.

After the meeting, the people from A University went to Si Xu’s place for a small meeting. Each of the nine held at least five invitations, sitting in a circle, trying to gauge each other’s thoughts.

“I still want to form my own team.” Si Xu said.

“But you need to be level five.”

“There are still five days.” Si Xu tapped the table twice. “I can try. If I can’t make it, I’ll join Yu Wenyu’s team. If you have other ideas, you can choose your own teams.”

“Judging from the situation here, if we form our own team, it will be very difficult. We understand the rules on the surface, but we’re not familiar with the unspoken rules yet.” One person said carefully, looking at Si Xu. “It might be better to join a team temporarily.”

“Isn’t Yu Wenyu’s team too weak?”

“It’s not easy to stand out in a strong team, and it would be troublesome to leave later.” Xue Lin shook his head. “Joining a large team definitely comes with a high price.”

“You have a point, this is really troublesome. I want to go back and write my paper, I’ve never felt so happy about writing a paper before.”

“Thanks for reminding me, now I’m doubly miserable.”

Everyone chuckled wryly.

Jiang Zhiyan leaned against the sofa, seemingly spacing out.

“Junior, any thoughts?” Xue Lin looked at Jiang Zhiyan.

Jiang Zhiyan looked away, stared at Xue Lin for a second, then shook her head: “I’ll follow Senior.” What was wrong with this person, why suddenly call her out?

Si Xu looked at Jiang Zhiyan and breathed a sigh of relief.

The meeting didn’t reach a conclusion, not surprisingly, after all, choosing a team was a major decision affecting their future lives.

After sending everyone off, Si Xu stopped Jiang Zhiyan, who was about to return to her room: “You…”

Qian Rongrong, still in the living room, fake yawned and went back to her room.

“What’s wrong, Senior?”

“Are you angry?” Si Xu rarely felt guilty or uneasy, but now these emotions filled her heart, although she felt she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Si Xu blankly, then shook her head: “Why would you say that?”

“You…” Si Xu opened her mouth, all her preparations gone.

What should she say?

She had never encountered this situation before.

“You’re very quiet.” Si Xu finally managed to say.

“Oh.” Jiang Zhiyan looked down at her shoes. “I thought Senior found me annoying, so I tried to be quiet.”

Si Xu frowned again: “Why would you think that?”

“Intuition, I also think I’m too annoying. Senior has always liked quiet.” Jiang Zhiyan bit her lip, took a deep breath, and spoke quickly, “Senior, you go rest first, I’m going to rest too, I have to wake up early tomorrow morning, I’m afraid I won’t be able to get up, I heard they make you run three kilometers if you don’t.”

She quickly ran into her room, closed the door, and locked it.

Si Xu looked at the closed door, pursed her lips, stood in the living room for a while, then returned to her room.

Jiang Zhiyan stood by the window: “How’s the situation at A University?”

“That cockroach-fly monster laid a lot of eggs.”

“Do you think it’s better if I take care of it, or should I leave it alone?” The lights in the room suddenly went out, and several screams rang out from outside. Jiang Zhiyan glanced at her watch, 9 pm, this was the time when the power to the evolved humans’ building was cut off every day.

“Better to take care of it.” The system was surprised, Jiang Zhiyan rarely asked for its opinion. It was so moved it almost cried. “The male and female leads are too weak right now, if they die at its hands, it’ll be over. Besides, it has already laid eggs, the…roach-fly might go back, but the eggs probably won’t.”

“I hate insects.” Jiang Zhiyan took out her fan, fanned herself, and opened the window. “I don’t know how we’re going to survive the summer without AC, it’s so hot… Who’s paying for the teleportation?”

The system paused: “I’ll file a request, you go first. If we wait a few more days until they hatch, it’ll be over. This base hasn’t dealt with the ground situation.”

Jiang Zhiyan returned to A University. It had only been about a day, but the place had completely turned into ruins. Thinking about the supplies they had gathered, she felt a pang of heartache.

She went straight to the auditorium, which had completely collapsed. A roach-fly was nesting where the auditorium used to be, looking even bigger than before.

The scattered corpses on the ground were gone, probably eaten.

Jiang Zhiyan stared at the roach-fly for a while, then flicked her fan. The system watched as the fan transformed into a Tang Dynasty sword.

“So disgusting, file a request for a free shower for me.” Under the moonlight, Jiang Zhiyan saw clusters of white eggs around the roach-fly, covering the grass next to the auditorium. The eggs were the size of stools, and she could vaguely see something moving inside.

“I’ll try my best.” The system replied.

Jiang Zhiyan used a skill card, enveloping her entire body. The sword pierced the roach-fly’s head, green fluid splattering several stories high, the stench overwhelming. The roach-fly struggled violently, its two antennae spinning like windmills. The larvae inside the eggs, sensing the female’s distress, started struggling, trying to emerge early.

“I don’t even want this sword anymore.” Jiang Zhiyan complained, cutting off the flailing antennae and slicing off two wings, then stabbing the head again. She gripped the hilt and forcefully sliced the creature open from head to tail, sparks flying as the blade scraped against its shell.

The roach-fly shrieked before dying, countless multi-legged insects swarming towards them, larvae crawling out of the eggs, densely packed.

Jiang Zhiyan stood on the roach-fly’s corpse, twirling her sword: “This is insane.”

She split the sword into two and plunged into the swarm of insects, one slash per insect. If Xue Lin were here, he would have noticed that every slash landed precisely on their weak spots, not a single one missed.

However, her focus wasn’t on the multi-legged insects, but on the eggs on the ground. She slashed through them, a string of eggs with each swing. Although it wasn’t difficult to deal with them, because she also had to deal with the multi-legged insects, her speed wasn’t very fast. “Scan the school and see how many eggs there are in total.”

“Yes!” After scanning, the system fell silent. “Ah… Host, you see for yourself, the red dots are all eggs.”

After seeing the scan results, Jiang Zhiyan stopped. The red dots covered the entire school, most of them underground, extending fifty meters deep. No wonder this thing came up, there was no more room to lay eggs below.

She suddenly lost all motivation. Even if she split herself into a hundred, she couldn’t possibly deal with all of them.

“Let’s just destroy it, remember to reimburse me.” Jiang Zhiyan bought a skill card worth 5,000 points, set the timer, walked out of the school gate, and said rather sentimentally, “Goodbye, my dear alma mater.”

System: …

A violent explosion erupted, centered on the skill card, but it was silent and without flames, so it didn’t attract any attention. All the insects instantly evaporated. Because the ground below was hollowed out, the ground caved in. In just a minute, A University disappeared, unrecognizable.

Jiang Zhiyan exhaled, cleaned the Tang Dynasty sword three times before putting it away, returned to the base, and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted: “The first thing we do in the future is scan, you, as a system, should have this awareness.”

“Okay…” The system, seeing Jiang Zhiyan’s exhausted state, felt a bit embarrassed.

Jiang Zhiyan continued: “Also, you asked me to do this, so if any problems arise later, you take the blame.”

System: ???

Chapter 41: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (10)

Perhaps consciously, perhaps unconsciously.

Jiang Zhiyan’s hair spread across the pillow, her fair skin flushed slightly, her lips parted slightly as if in silent invitation. She looked like an unguarded strawberry cream cake in the midst of the apocalypse.

However, there was a hint of aggression in her eyes, making Si Xu feel a flush of heat.

“I don’t know, Senior’s bed just feels more comfortable.” Jiang Zhiyan turned on her side and yawned.

Si Xu came back to her senses, realizing Jiang Zhiyan was answering her earlier question.

She understood what Jiang Zhiyan meant. However, she only had one option: play dumb and refuse.

“Do you want to switch rooms with me?” Si Xu asked.

Jiang Zhiyan’s disappointment was evident, like a wilting flower. She shook her head, looking at Si Xu pitifully, her voice low: “Then I’ll go back to my room, Senior. Call me when it’s time for the meeting tonight.”

“Okay.” Si Xu nodded, avoiding Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes. If she looked any longer, she was afraid she would soften and let Jiang Zhiyan stay.

Jiang Zhiyan left, the system’s raucous laughter echoing in her ears. It replayed their conversation, its sarcastic tone and laughter incredibly annoying.

“Hahaha, didn’t work, did it? ‘Oh, Senior, your bed is so soft.’”

“‘Do you want to switch rooms with me?’”

“You’re so dense! She was clearly too embarrassed to let me stay. If she directly let me stay, it would mean she didn’t think much of it. She’s playing dumb because she has other thoughts, otherwise she could have used another excuse to refuse.”

“You’re just too confident…” The system said reasonably. “That wasn’t a hint, it was a blatant invitation. She’s probably playing dumb to avoid embarrassing you. It’s called a polite refusal.”

The system checked Si Xu’s heart rate, which had clearly increased, now gradually returning to normal, but still higher than usual.

It decided not to tell Jiang Zhiyan, in case she got too proud.

“What’s your system ID again?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Hmm? C18798.”

“Oh.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded, committing it to memory.

System: ?

It had a bad feeling about this.

The tasker meeting started at 7 pm. Jiang Zhiyan lay in bed all afternoon. When Si Xu called her out, she quietly followed, barely speaking. Qian Rongrong glanced at the two several times.

How did the atmosphere change so much after she took a nap?

Qian Rongrong narrowed her eyes, something was definitely up.

“Jiang Zhiyan and I are starting training tomorrow. Si Xu still has another day off.” Qian Rongrong looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “We have to wake up at six tomorrow morning. I haven’t woken up this early since graduating high school.”

Jiang Zhiyan sighed, her face crumpled in mock despair.

“I heard the training is intense.” Qian Rongrong rubbed her temples. “I’m just a weak woman who can’t lift anything heavy. Xu Xu, come and see us, okay?”

After saying that, Qian Rongrong looked at their faces, observing every detail.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Si Xu expectantly, then lowered her head, saying nothing.

Si Xu hesitated for three seconds: “If I’m free, I’ll go.”

“That’s great, are you happy?” Qian Rongrong went around to Jiang Zhiyan’s side and bumped her shoulder.

Jiang Zhiyan stumbled sideways, bumping into Si Xu. Si Xu steadied her.

“Thank you, Senior.” Jiang Zhiyan whispered, then moved away from Si Xu, lowering her head, acting very demure.

“Qian Rongrong is still using such outdated methods.” Jiang Zhiyan sighed.

“It’s nice of her to create opportunities for you.” The system was speechless. “But what are you doing?”

“Chasing someone too persistently isn’t good, everything needs moderation. Her mind must be a mess right now.”

“Saying so much, isn’t this just playing hard to get?”

The system checked Si Xu’s data. Her mind was indeed a mess. After the three of them left, she had glanced at Jiang Zhiyan several times. Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t speaking, and Si Xu didn’t know how to break the ice.

Just now, when Qian Rongrong created the opportunity for Jiang Zhiyan to bump into her, Si Xu was happy, thinking this awkward atmosphere would change, but it didn’t, and it became even stranger. Now she didn’t know how to speak even more.

Qian Rongrong stroked her chin, observing the two, truly unable to understand what they were arguing about.

“What are you two doing now?” Qian Rongrong couldn’t take it anymore, this atmosphere was suffocating.

“Nothing, don’t overthink it.” Jiang Zhiyan smiled and ran ahead. “Let’s hurry, I think we’re going to be late.”

Qian Rongrong frowned and looked at Si Xu, who didn’t speak, her gaze just fixed on Jiang Zhiyan.

If it were someone else, Si Xu might be direct, or she might ignore them completely. She didn’t have anyone she particularly cared about. Apart from her family, there was hardly anyone she considered indispensable. So, when it came to interpersonal relationships, she was always very casual. If someone talked to her, she would respond. If someone deliberately acted up in front of her, she would just pretend not to see it. She didn’t hold grudges, but she also didn’t bother to go out of her way to maintain relationships or please anyone.

But Jiang Zhiyan was different.

She didn’t want to treat Jiang Zhiyan like that.

Si Xu thought of what happened during the day and rubbed her temples.

They entered the auditorium just before seven. Many people had already arrived, but many hadn’t. The people checking attendance weren’t surprised, seven o’clock was just a general concept. There weren’t many seats, so many benches were added. Si Xu and the others’ seats were in the front. Today, the base personnel would introduce them to other evolved humans, making it easier to form teams in the future.

Jiang Zhiyan sat down next to Si Xu, looked at her, wanted to say something, then closed her mouth, sitting quietly beside her.

Si Xu, who had been prepared to respond, frowned.

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll just ignore you later?” The system felt that Jiang Zhiyan’s game would backfire.

“She’ll ask me.” Jiang Zhiyan held her cup, which was half-filled with water, took a sip, then rested her chin on her hand, waiting for the meeting to start.

She seemed to be spacing out but was actually carefully observing every person passing by. The system helpfully labeled each person’s level. Almost everyone held their heads high and walked with a confident stride. Some even had a few lackeys following behind them, looking very impressive. They swept their gazes across those sitting in the first row, sizing them up without any pretense, as if appraising goods.

Xue Lin and the others also arrived, in wheelchairs, with casts on either their arms or legs, looking rather dispirited. He raised his hand and greeted a few people.

Nine of the twelve survivors were present.

“Staying here from now on?” Xue Lin’s wheelchair was placed in front of Jiang Zhiyan and Si Xu. He turned around and lowered his voice, rubbing his temples. “Many people came to recruit me today. There seem to be… many factions here.”

This was putting it mildly, Xue Lin wanted to say “divided,” but there were other people here, it wasn’t appropriate.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Si Xu, who lowered her eyes, looking at the table: “We can only stay here for now.”

“I’ll follow you.” Xue Lin said. “The others also said they want to follow you.”

Si Xu looked up at Xue Lin: “Why?”

Xue Lin pointed at his eyes: “I’ve always had good judgment, and it’s even better now.”

“Then what about me?” Jiang Zhiyan asked curiously, leaning forward.

Xue Lin stared at Jiang Zhiyan for three seconds, then shook his head: “I still don’t understand. Your ability is also very powerful.”

“Just surviving.”

“Being able to survive is already very impressive now, Junior, don’t underestimate yourself.” Xue Lin looked at Jiang Zhiyan. In just five seconds, the weaknesses on her changed seven or eight times, clearly teasing him, or perhaps hiding something.

Although Jiang Zhiyan hadn’t done anything yet, Xue Lin still felt a strange dislike towards her. He always felt that Jiang Zhiyan was even more dangerous than those aliens.

Jiang Zhiyan noticed Yu Wenyu entering from the corner of her eye. She hadn’t seen him clearly in the car before, but now, looking at him, he indeed looked very young. He had two new knives and seemed to have recovered, talking and laughing with the people around him. Seeing Jiang Zhiyan and the others, he walked over and greeted them.

“Any progress with the aliens at the university?” Si Xu asked directly.

Jiang Zhiyan was very satisfied with Si Xu’s businesslike attitude, clearly not giving Yu Wenyu any special treatment.

Yu Wenyu shook his head and said apologetically: “Couldn’t find anyone willing to go over there, but don’t worry, those aliens haven’t shown any intention of coming to the base for now. Maybe there’s something at the university that’s particularly attractive to them.”

“You’ll probably need to finalize your teams in the next few days, because we’re going out to search for supplies in five days. You can consider joining us.” Yu Wenyu said. “Our team has a good atmosphere.”

“Ha, join you? Yu Wenyu, your highest level is only five, don’t drag others down with you.” Someone nearby scoffed. “You’re all a bunch of newbies, of course the atmosphere is good, hahaha.”

Yu Wenyu glanced at them but didn’t say anything, just placed a hand-drawn flyer on the table.

“I’ll consider it seriously.” Si Xu nodded.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Yu Wenyu, who, feeling her gaze, looked back at her questioningly.

“Did you prepare this flyer?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Yes.” Yu Wenyu nodded.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at the flyer in Si Xu’s hand again and said: “You seem very suited to helping people optimize their resumes.”

Yu Wenyu: ?

It took him a moment to realize Jiang Zhiyan was mocking him.

“You can consider it, our team has a lot of room for development.” Yu Wenyu nodded, then quickly left, turning to the person beside him. “Did I offend her when I brought them back that day?”

“I don’t think so, maybe she just doesn’t like you.” The person beside him replied.

Yu Wenyu recalled the hostility he felt in the car. Could it have been that girl just now? But he was just spacing out in the car.

He glanced back at the group in the distance and lowered his voice: “Their abilities are quite impressive.”

“Yeah, that’s why they’re so sought after.” Yu Wenyu’s companion patted his shoulder. “Normally, shouldn’t your face be very popular? What’s going on?”

Yu Wenyu thought of Jiang Zhiyan and Si Xu in the car and lowered his voice: “Those two girls seem to be a couple.”

“No wonder.” His companion suddenly realized. “So how do we attract them to our team? That Si Xu girl seems to be the leader. If we can get her to join, we can quickly reach fifty people and upgrade to a level two team.”

“I don’t know.” Thinking of Jiang Zhiyan’s comment, Yu Wenyu felt a bit defeated. Although he had indeed borrowed some resume optimization techniques for the flyer.

Jiang Zhiyan lay on the table; Si Xu was still looking at the flyer.

“Are you interested?” Xue Lin asked.

“No, I’m wondering why their team has twenty-six people, but only twenty-five abilities are listed.” Si Xu rested her chin on her hand. “Yu Wenyu’s is missing, that guy just now. Did he use his ability at the time? Why wasn’t it listed?”

“Either it’s incredibly powerful, or incredibly useless.” Qian Rongrong said. “As for his ability, I didn’t see it.”

Jiang Zhiyan rested her chin on her hand. The male lead’s ability could be considered powerful, but it was difficult to control. The ability was called Berserk. At max level, it could increase his attack power by 1000% for two hours. Currently, it could only increase it by 200% for five minutes. After the ability ended, he would collapse from exhaustion. This ability was very likely to injure his teammates, so it wasn’t listed, probably to avoid scaring people away.

After activating this ability, Yu Wenyu was basically waiting to die, so he didn’t use it often throughout the entire book. Every time he used it, he had to be carried back half-dead. However, later, Si Xu would replicate Yu Wenyu’s ability, and the aftereffects were much lighter for her, clearly showing that the female lead was the favored child.

“Most likely useless.” Jiang Zhiyan shook her head. “Choose carefully.”

However, after staying at the base for a while, they would definitely find out about Yu Wenyu’s ability, because upon entering the base, everyone had to deplete their energy, so it couldn’t be hidden. Clearly, this flyer was just to trick newcomers.

“It seems his resume optimization skills are pretty good, and he also has the deceptive skills of an unscrupulous HR manager.” Jiang Zhiyan commented. “Only eighteen years old.”

System: …

“That team is currently at the bottom, I advise you to find a good team, your life at the base will be much better.” A person sitting in the second row said. “You can check the team rankings, it’s posted on the bulletin board outside. That team, not only are they weak, their abilities are also pretty useless, only the flyer is flowery.”

“Thank you.” Si Xu nodded and put Yu Wenyu’s flyer aside.

“The competition is fierce.” The system sighed.

Chapter 40: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (9)

The male lead, Yu Wenyu, brought over twenty evolved humans and modern weapons. They weren’t here by chance, their base’s equipment had detected the anomaly at A University, and they were sent to investigate. If the aliens were above a certain danger level, they would seal off this area.

Yes, there were already safe bases now.

The male lead’s first appearance in the book was very impressive. He cooperated with Si Xu to kill an alien, his dual blades swift and powerful, incredibly handsome.

But now, because the monsters’ level far exceeded their current level, killing the boss was absolutely impossible. Not to mention the boss, they could barely handle the minions. And Yu Wenyu hadn’t even obtained his signature weapons yet. The knife he was currently using broke the moment it touched an insect’s leg.

Jiang Zhiyan clearly saw the shock in Yu Wenyu’s eyes. This blow was clearly a huge one for him.

However, she was a bit puzzled. Was this his first time seeing these multi-legged insects? There should have been similar aliens on their way here… did they not encounter any? After all, this group arrived without any casualties.

They drove out of the school. If Jiang Zhiyan hadn’t secretly killed many aliens, escaping would have been difficult.

As for sealing off the area?

The evolved human in Yu Wenyu’s team who could create barriers could currently only create a barrier the size of a soccer field. So they chose to trap the boss. However, the moment the boss’s tentacle touched the barrier, the barrier shattered, and another person in the car vomited blood and fainted.

“Yu Wenyu looks completely dumbfounded.” Jiang Zhiyan glanced at the male lead sitting in the third row. He was staring blankly at his broken knife, motionless, as if he had lost his soul. “His mentality is weak.”

“He’s only eighteen, just finished the college entrance exam this year. It’s normal to be depressed after seeing so many people die.” The system said gloatingly. “He’s the pure, enthusiastic puppy-dog type. Oh, and in the book, he even calls Si Xu ‘sister’.”

“He’s actually younger than me? And he stole half of my character setting?” Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes darkened. “If he dares call Si Xu ‘sister,’ I’ll cut out his tongue.”

Feeling the hostile gaze, Yu Wenyu looked up blankly, then lowered his head again, continuing to stare into space.

The system silently lit a candle for Yu Wenyu.

Jiang Zhiyan looked away and at Si Xu beside her. Si Xu’s expression wasn’t good, although she was trying to control it, her hands were still trembling slightly.

“Senior.” Jiang Zhiyan called softly.

Si Xu froze, then came back to her senses, wanting to smile at Jiang Zhiyan as usual, but she couldn’t.

“Senior.” Jiang Zhiyan called again and, avoiding Si Xu’s wounds, carefully pulled her into an embrace.

“Dirty.” Si Xu gently pushed Jiang Zhiyan, but without much force.

Jiang Zhiyan patted Si Xu’s back: “It’s okay, Senior, if you’re sad, you can lean on me.”

“Host, you should be the one crying your eyes out right now. Haven’t you forgotten you’re a ‘holy mother’?” The system reminded her.

“I haven’t forgotten, but I just want to chase my wife, and when she’s sad, how can I make her feel worse?”

Si Xu hadn’t shown her vulnerable side for days, but knowing that there were only twelve survivors, most of whom were unconscious, she couldn’t control herself any longer.

Even the strongest people had their breaking points.

Si Xu leaned against Jiang Zhiyan, burying her face in her shoulder.

Jiang Zhiyan felt Si Xu’s tears soaking her clothes, but she didn’t hear her cry out loud. Si Xu clutched Jiang Zhiyan’s clothes tightly, as if enduring something.

“Host, I think you should hide your abilities better. If she finds out you have abilities but didn’t use them much…”

“She won’t blame me.”

“Where do you get your confidence?” The system didn’t understand.

“Intuition.” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “And after entering the base, I’ll also participate in training, gradually getting stronger. It’s fine to become more powerful later.”

“Ha, what confidence?”

“That was to shut other people up. If they blame me, it will make things difficult for her.”

“You sure have a lot of excuses.” The system couldn’t help but complain.

Jiang Zhiyan hugged Si Xu, looking out the window, and inadvertently saw an alien running past the car. She sat up straight and frowned: “As expected, the aliens here are different from the ones at A University.”

If the ones at A University were also this batch, there might not have been any casualties. No wonder Yu Wenyu was so shocked when his knife broke.

“This is clearly targeting us.” Jiang Zhiyan paused.

“Or maybe just targeting you.” The system said.

Jiang Zhiyan frowned: “That’s really troublesome…”

“Walking Grim Reaper.” The system sighed. “Hopefully, this base can last a while.”

Because all twelve survivors were evolved humans, the process after entering the base was very smooth. The receptionist was exceptionally welcoming, taking those with minor injuries to be treated. Those with serious injuries had already been treated by the two healers on the way and were now directly hospitalized. The healer they brought also went to the hospital, having overexerted herself. She vomited a mouthful of blood as soon as she entered.

Si Xu didn’t have any major wounds, but she had many small ones, some even with exposed flesh.

Jiang Zhiyan sat beside her, frowning deeply.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.” Si Xu’s emotions had calmed down. She patted Jiang Zhiyan’s hand. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying.” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “I’m just feeling the pain for you.”

“It doesn’t hurt, it just looks scary.” Si Xu said gently.

Qian Rongrong, sitting beside her getting her wounds treated, wanted to cover her ears. She asked loudly: “Why don’t you care about me, Junior? I’m a big, living person sitting right here!”

“Does it hurt, Senior Qian?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Qian Rongrong, but kept glancing at Si Xu.

“It hurts like hell. I evolved again, I didn’t feel it while escaping, but now that I’m sitting down, my whole body hurts.” Qian Rongrong felt like her arms were about to fall off.

“Just bear with it, there’s nothing we can do.” Jiang Zhiyan sighed. “I believe Senior Qian can endure it.”

“Ha.” Qian Rongrong stood up, dragging her aching body next door. “It hurts even more being with you two. Cruel and inhuman lesbians, just let me lick my wounds in solitude.”

Si Xu: ?

Jiang Zhiyan: She didn’t deny it!

Although the apocalypse had only just begun, a strict class division had already emerged, mainly reflected in housing and other resource allocation.

Si Xu and the others underwent a series of tests. According to the base’s current standards, her ability level was level four, ranking among the top thirty in the entire base. She could apply for a 90-square-meter, three-bedroom apartment and bring two ordinary family members.

Jiang Zhiyan’s test results were level two. Normally, she could get a two-bedroom apartment, but she chose to stay with Si Xu. Qian Rongrong also moved in with them. Her test result was level three, but she didn’t want to live alone. Everyone else had already formed groups, and she was left on her own.

“Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you two.” Qian Rongrong winked at them and then chose the second bedroom, farthest from the other two rooms, and darted inside.

Si Xu tried to explain several times, but Qian Rongrong didn’t give her the chance, so she gave up.

“Her moving in is a disturbance, she’s clueless.” Jiang Zhiyan complained. “Why are there always third wheels?”

The base currently housed 30,000 people, 28,000 of whom were ordinary people. Evolved humans only accounted for a small portion. Before the apocalypse, this place was a retirement community for wealthy people, with complete facilities, surrounded by hills on three sides, with excellent air quality. After the apocalypse, the evolved humans added a few walls. This was only the first phase of the reinforcement plan. Their goal was to enclose the entire base with a protective shield to prevent aliens from falling from the sky.

Si Xu was supposed to go get her wounds treated every day, but Jiang Zhiyan volunteered to take over this task. If it weren’t for her character lacking the healing skill, she would have taken over the first time she treated Si Xu’s wounds.

“Senior, don’t worry, I’ll be very careful.” Jiang Zhiyan sat next to Si Xu, holding the first aid kit.

“I can actually do it myself.”

“But what about your back?” Jiang Zhiyan pouted. “Senior, I really know how to change bandages, trust me. The base hospital is so far away, I just want to help you.”

“I didn’t say I don’t trust you, I just…” Just embarrassed.

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“Thank you.”

Si Xu sighed softly, turning her back to Jiang Zhiyan and taking off her clothes. Jiang Zhiyan leaned closer, holding the edge of the bandage, her movements gentle.

Although she had seen them last time, seeing the dense wounds on Si Xu’s back again made her heart ache.

She wondered how the base was planning to deal with the pile of alien corpses. With the current level of the evolved humans, even mobilizing all the evolved humans in the base might not be enough. She was already thinking about teleporting back to eliminate them.

“Senior, bear with it.” Jiang Zhiyan helped Si Xu tie up her hair, her fingers brushing against Si Xu’s neck.

“Yes.” Si Xu lowered her head slightly, her voice muffled. Feeling the touch on her wounds, she shivered and bit her lip to prevent herself from making a sound.

It wasn’t pain, but a different sensation.

She hadn’t felt this way when others helped her treat her wounds yesterday.

Seeing Si Xu’s tense shoulder blades, Jiang Zhiyan’s movements became even more careful.

Neither of them spoke. Si Xu couldn’t see her back, but she could feel the breath on her skin, moving from her neck to her back, then slowly downwards.

She closed her eyes, trying to think of other things to distract herself, but all she could think about were Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes, staring at her intently and passionately, that gaze gradually changing over time.

Si Xu clenched her fists and shifted uncomfortably.

It was all Qian Rongrong’s fault for spouting nonsense every day, otherwise she wouldn’t be thinking about such things.

“Do you want to do the front yourself, Senior?” Jiang Zhiyan suddenly asked.

“Yes!” Si Xu opened her eyes and replied instantly. Feeling her voice a bit too eager, she touched her ear and coughed to cover it up.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhiyan didn’t say anything, just pushed the first aid kit towards her.

Si Xu wasn’t as meticulous as Jiang Zhiyan, just wanting to finish quickly and wrap herself up in bandages. It was too strange, everything felt too strange right now. She wanted to know what Jiang Zhiyan’s expression was like, but she didn’t have the courage to turn around and look.

“Senior, why are you in such a hurry?” Hearing Si Xu’s suppressed gasps, Jiang Zhiyan covered her face. “Forget it, I’ll go out first. Call me when you’re done, Senior.”

“Okay.”

Hearing the door close, Si Xu breathed a sigh of relief, touched her face, then quickly pulled her hand away as if startled by the heat.

“She’s so cute.” Jiang Zhiyan sighed, sitting on the living room sofa, opening the manual issued by the base, and quickly scanning it, familiarizing herself with the general situation and rules.

Everyone took turns going out to find supplies. Evolved humans, because there were fewer of them, and because they needed to lead each team, went out more frequently. All resources in the base were centrally stored and distributed. If you wanted extra items, you could earn points by taking on additional tasks. Points were the common currency of this base.

“Evolved humans also have mandatory training every day, sigh.” Qian Rongrong walked in from the perimeter defenses, collapsing on the sofa with a bag of chips in hand. She had been eating this bag for a day.

“That’s good. We all evolved around the same time, but the strongest person here has already reached level six. They must have a decent training program.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Qian Rongrong. “Senior Qian is so powerful, you’ll definitely catch up soon.”

“You’re also evolved, Junior. You haven’t been injured much this time, you’ll definitely be even more powerful in the future.”

“Not as good as Senior, you directly evolved.”

Listening to their mutual flattery, the system, embarrassed, quickly muted them both.

“Yes, after all, they have no reason to notice a leaf on a tree.” Jiang Zhiyan leaned against the sofa. “It’s just a pity that my ability is only enough to protect myself.”

Jiang Zhiyan’s mood turned gloomy, and Qian Rongrong’s smile also faded. She put the chips aside.

Si Xu called out from the room. Jiang Zhiyan immediately stood up, said goodbye to Qian Rongrong, and went into the room, locking the door.

Qian Rongrong picked up the chips again, stared at the closed door, and took a bite.

When Jiang Zhiyan entered, Si Xu pulled the blanket closer, her cheeks slightly flushed. The two made eye contact, then Jiang Zhiyan calmly walked behind Si Xu and helped her wrap the bandages.

“I think the wounds should heal in two days.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“How are the others?” Si Xu asked.

Jiang Zhiyan recounted the situation of the other nine people one by one. She knew Si Xu would definitely ask, so she had already inquired beforehand. Six people had woken up, and three were still unconscious but recovering. Si Xu was relieved.

“I should have thought that something might emerge from underground too.” Si Xu was still thinking about this.

“Even if you had, it wouldn’t have been of much use. Song Lingqing exhausted all her energy just reinforcing the ceiling. And that insect’s level was clearly much higher than ours, reinforcing wouldn’t have helped.” Jiang Zhiyan tied a small bow with the bandage and flicked it with her finger. “Senior, don’t dwell on it.”

“You’ve matured a lot.”

“Because… I also want Senior to rely on me sometimes. I can’t always be useless. I wasn’t that childish to begin with, I was just acting like that in front of Senior.” Jiang Zhiyan lay down on Si Xu’s bed. “Ah, Senior, your bed is so soft.”

“Really? Aren’t our mattresses the same brand?” Si Xu quickly put on her clothes, turned to look at Jiang Zhiyan, and unconsciously tugged at the blanket.

Chapter 39: I’m a Vibe of Delicate Weakness (8)

The system thought Jiang Zhiyan was truly cunning. This move was like killing three birds with one stone: gaining everyone’s favor, capturing Si Xu’s heart, and having a delicious, satisfying meal.

After eating, Jiang Zhiyan swayed back to Si Xu and leaned against her, startling both Si Xu and the others.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Si Xu asked anxiously, putting her arm around Jiang Zhiyan’s shoulder.

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded. “I ate too much, my stomach is uncomfortable.”

Jiang Zhiyan took Si Xu’s hand and placed it on her stomach, yawning: “And I’m sleepy.”

Si Xu breathed a sigh of relief and massaged Jiang Zhiyan’s stomach.

For the next three days, Jiang Zhiyan and the other representative from the ordinary people kept eating the alien meat, trying various cooking methods. Apart from eating too much and getting bloated, they didn’t experience any other problems.

Because she was relatively free, Jiang Zhiyan even wrote a paper. It introduced which parts of E1 were the most delicious and suitable for different cooking methods, and compared it with other types of meat.

“What a demon, writing a paper even during the apocalypse. Thinking of my half-finished paper, I don’t even know if my advisor is still alive.”

Some people in the auditorium exchanged glances and fell silent.

They didn’t have much time to observe the two. The extra meat, after their first meal, was processed into jerky, and soon the exercise equipment next to the sports field was covered with rows of drying meat.

The longer the aliens were gone, the less time they spent outside the auditorium. Although no one said it out loud, everyone had a strong feeling that the aliens would return soon.

There were now 167 people in the auditorium, 39 of whom were evolved humans. More people, but not many more evolved humans. The groups were reassigned, and Si Xu’s team was starting to take shape. The eight people in their vanguard team were all evolved humans.

Six working vehicles were parked in the underground parking lot, and two more were outside the auditorium, loaded with supplies, prepared for escape. However, even with eight vehicles filled to capacity, they could only take about forty people. Some would definitely be left behind.

However, they didn’t know if the cars could outrun the second batch of aliens. Leaving might not be a good thing, staying might not be a bad thing.

They hadn’t been so anxious while busy at the school, but now, idle, their hearts pounded. Waiting for the aliens was more nerve-wracking than seeing them wandering around outside.

To keep everyone occupied, Qian Rongrong initiated the First A University Apocalypse Dawn of Tomorrow Dou Dizhu Tournament, the prize being a precious and complete bar of chocolate.

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t participate. She leaned lazily against Si Xu.

“It’s the middle of summer, and you’re still clinging to each other, aren’t you hot?” Qian Rongrong, passing by, said pointedly.

Jiang Zhiyan stared at Qian Rongrong for a moment, then shouted at the person powering the central air conditioner in the distance: “Senior Qian thinks it’s too hot! Is the AC broken?”

“No!” The emotionless power generator shouted back, their feelings complicated.

At first, they thought their electricity was the “smash aliens with lightning bolts” type of electricity and were worried they wouldn’t have a chance to use their abilities. In the end, they realized their electricity was the “power station” type, the “portable charger” type. There was no shortage of work for them. The air conditioner needed electricity, the refrigerator needed electricity, a bunch of phones were waiting to be charged, and occasionally they had to power the lab. Everyone needed them. Although they didn’t know what the signs of leveling up were, they could clearly feel themselves rapidly improving.

The Dou Dizhu tournament was in full swing, explosions (a move in the game) sounding left and right.

Jiang Zhiyan calculated the date, the time was almost here, tomorrow. Looking at the cheerful people in front of her, she wondered how many would still be alive tomorrow.

Early the next morning, aliens fell from the sky like meteors, crashing into the ground, jolting everyone awake. Hearing the sound, everyone immediately returned to their assigned posts as they had practiced, staying quiet. Some wanted to cry but held back their tears.

The auditorium shook violently, as if there was an earthquake. Some aliens crashed onto the roof, and the top few floors probably collapsed. They could feel many things hitting the ceiling, the noise constant. Fortunately, Song Lingqing had been working overtime to reinforce the entire auditorium; otherwise, most people here would have been crushed to death.

The air conditioning stopped working, and all the curtains were drawn, plunging the auditorium into darkness. Hearts pounded in the stifling heat. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the noise above finally stopped.

“Oh no, we haven’t collected the jerky yet!”

“Who cares about that at a time like this, be quiet!”

They fell silent again, listening intently to the sounds around them.

A few minutes later, a rustling sound came from somewhere. The evolved humans with good hearing tried to locate the source, the sound filling them with unease.

“The ground! Watch out for the ground!” Si Xu was the first to react, but it was too late. The ground cracked open, and a monster, as large as the entire auditorium, emerged, the people hiding there screaming as they fell into the darkness.

Ordinary people couldn’t see it, but evolved humans could. It looked like a combination of a fly and a cockroach. The antennae on its head twitched slightly, severing the bodies of several students. Blood splattered on the people nearby, and everyone quickly retreated.

Many fell into the pit during the retreat. Some tried to rescue them, but it was too late. The moment someone fell, countless small insects swarmed up like a wave, swallowing them whole. They couldn’t even scream.

They couldn’t go to the underground parking lot, this thing crawled out from underground, who knew what was down there? As for outside…

The situation outside wasn’t any better. The first person who ran out was immediately killed by the aliens waiting at the entrance.

These aliens were clearly much more ferocious than the previous batch. Even without making any sound or moving, they would still be caught.

“Senior, don’t worry about me, I can protect myself.” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Be careful.”

As she left, Si Xu looked back at Jiang Zhiyan several times. After confirming that Jiang Zhiyan was still being ignored by the aliens, she breathed a sigh of relief and went to save others.

The aliens lurking outside had slender, twisted bodies, over two meters tall. Jiang Zhiyan couldn’t tell if the things on the sides of their bodies were arms or legs. They looked like giant, upright centipedes, with eight eyes on their abdomens. Some of the more timid people fainted from fright.

“The weak spot is on the left side, below the second pair of eyes!” Xue Lin shouted. The bodyguard assigned to him carried him away at high speed, dodging several attacks with nimble movements.

“Sigh.” The system sighed. “This world’s plot is truly messed up. Newbies fighting level 50 monsters, and there’s even a level 80 boss that can summon minions, how are they supposed to fight this?”

“Heh.” Jiang Zhiyan sneered. “So, have they replied to you? Is the world consciousness behind this? The male lead should appear at this point, why isn’t he here yet?”

“No, this world’s consciousness isn’t awake. The male lead is on his way, he should arrive in about half an hour.”

“Half an hour, so slow, everyone’s going to be dead by then.” Jiang Zhiyan quickly located a few key people, stood in a blind spot, and started throwing hidden weapons. “But even if he comes, it probably won’t be of much use. Hopefully, he’s not coming here to die.”

To help Jiang Zhiyan find the key people quickly, the system marked them with small red dots. Small yellow dots marked other survivors, black dots were the monsters. The yellow dots were rapidly decreasing, while the black dots only decreased one every now and then. This was practically a one-sided massacre. Some people simply gave up on survival and sat on the ground, waiting for death.

Jiang Zhiyan could only protect a few people, she was realistic. Saving even one person was a win. For her, as long as Si Xu was fine, it was enough. She kept part of her attention on Si Xu, constantly watching her. Si Xu had improved a lot, actually exchanging blows with that ugly creature, her weapons were just not very good.

Jiang Zhiyan scanned her system inventory, picked a few decent items, and thought about how to get them to Si Xu naturally.

She glanced at the person being surrounded not far away, her fan flying out, a silver-black arc piercing through the hearts of six aliens. They collapsed, heavily injured. The person they had been attacking stared blankly at the sky, covered in their foul blood, then fainted.

Qian Rongrong kept running. She was terrified of insects, especially those with many legs. If it weren’t for her strong survival instinct keeping her conscious, she would probably have already fainted.

“If only I could fly.” She repeated this in her mind again and again.

As she ran, Qian Rongrong suddenly found herself slowly rising into the air. She discovered her arms had transformed into eagle wings. As she was momentarily stunned, her body suddenly plummeted. Seeing herself about to fall into the pile of insects, she desperately flapped her wings, trying to fly upwards. If anyone had noticed her at this moment, they would have seen her hands moving so fast they were a blur.

In times of crisis, people could always unlock hidden potential.

The two evolved humans who could generate electricity cooperated with two other evolved humans. Two of them controlled the water, the other two discharged electricity. Even if they couldn’t electrocute the insects directly, it still hindered their movements, although it might also injure their comrades.

The shield-bearer carried the healer, moving through the chaos. His shield had been broken several times, his face pale, his energy depleted. He was just barely holding on. The healer didn’t look well either, constantly healing her companions, the two protecting each other.

The smell of blood and decay permeated the entire school.

The survivors struggled to hold on, refusing to think about their most likely fate, hoping for a miracle.

Half an hour later, several vehicles entered the campus, heading straight for the auditorium.

Jiang Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief, put away her fan, and moved closer to Si Xu. The male lead had arrived. Although he was just a background character, she still needed to be wary.