After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

An off-road vehicle sped out of the forest, coming to a stop in front of a food processing plant on the outskirts of a town.

They had temporarily escaped danger, but everyone in the vehicle felt heavy-hearted.

They all knew that the people hunting them would soon track them down.

The off-road vehicle carried six people: Xu Si, Qi Rui, Xu Man, Zhou Yutao, Zhou Yutao’s friend Lin Sha, and an injured team member, Little Tiger.

They had gotten separated from the others and didn’t even know if Zheng Rong and the rest, who stayed behind to cover their retreat, were still alive.

Worse still, the vehicle was almost out of fuel, and all their supplies were in the other cars.

All they had in this vehicle were a few bottles of water and some snacks, which they had eaten during their day on the run.

Back at the Starlight Community, the zombies near Zhou Yutao’s villa had been drawn by a loud noise, and another group of armed men had stormed in. The situation was dire, and by the time they reacted, they had already been separated from the group.

The only silver lining was that the weather was decent that day, and they hadn’t encountered any zombie hordes along the way.

But that group of pursuers was like rabid dogs, relentlessly chasing them.

It seemed they wouldn’t stop until Zhou Yutao was dead.

Xu Si and Qi Rui got out of the vehicle and checked the food processing plant. After finding no significant threats, they quickly returned.

“There were only two zombies in there, and we’ve taken care of them,” they reported.

“Professor Zhou, Madam Boss, Xu Si and I will try to lure those guys away and find a gas station to refuel. Stay here and wait for us. We’ll be back soon to pick you up.”

“Little Tiger, protect Professor Zhou and the others.”

No one objected to Qi Rui’s plan.

Except for Xu Si. He didn’t want to leave Xu Man’s side. From childhood, no matter where Xu Man went, at least one of their group of six had to be with her to protect her.

“Why don’t I stay here, and you and Little Tiger lure them away?” Xu Si asked directly.

Qi Rui paused for a moment. “Little Tiger is injured, Xu Si. You know how strong those guys are. Right now, only the two of us have a chance of holding them off.”

There was another important reason: at least one of their people had to stay with Professor Zhou.

Unless they were all dead.

Leaving Professor Zhou with Xu Man was a last resort.

Xu Si wanted to argue, but Xu Man nodded. “Xu Si, go.”

Xu Si had no choice but to comply.

He knew that lingering any longer would be dangerous. If those pursuers caught up, none of them might escape.

Xu Si and Qi Rui drove off, while Xu Man, Zhou Yutao, Lin Sha, and Little Tiger entered the food processing plant.

The place looked like it had been looted. All that remained were severed limbs and empty food wrappers—no food.

They had eaten a little in the vehicle earlier, so they weren’t too hungry.

They found a hidden corner and hunkered down.

From the moment the bomb exploded in the front yard of the villa, Xu Man had been tightly holding Zhou Yutao’s hand, and even now, she didn’t let go.

Until Zhou Yutao’s voice sounded in her ear: “Manman, can we switch hands?”

Only then did Xu Man realize she had been so nervous that she had gripped Zhou Yutao’s hand until it turned red.

She hadn’t expected that after dealing with Sun Xiahe, their first conversation would be about this.

Blushing, Xu Man let go of Zhou Yutao’s hand, too embarrassed to grab her other one—especially under Lin Sha’s cold gaze.

Though Lin Sha said nothing, Xu Man couldn’t shake the feeling that her look meant: ‘You’re taking advantage of our Yutao, aren’t you?’

She didn’t have that intention. After hearing Qi Rui’s words, her only thought was to protect Zhou Yutao.

Of course, deep down, she did want to be close to her.

Right now, with Zhou Yutao half in her arms, it did seem a bit like she was taking advantage.

But smelling the peach-like fragrance on Zhou Yutao, Xu Man couldn’t bear to pull away. In this cramped corner, there was no way to put distance between them anyway.

At that moment, Xu Man felt a bit grateful that on the night she and Zhou Yutao had been intimate, they had both taken suppressants to mask their pheromones.

Otherwise, if Lin Sha knew about their relationship, she’d probably want to tear Xu Man apart.

As Zhou Yutao’s friend, their vibes were similar, and Xu Man felt a little intimidated.

Mostly, though, she felt guilty.

Xu Man’s gaze lingered on Lin Sha a bit too long, causing Zhou Yutao’s expression to cool.

Without making a sound, Zhou Yutao leaned closer to Xu Man’s neck and, without hesitation, bit down.

Xu Man nearly jumped from the pain, mixed with an indescribable tingling sensation—after all, the neck was a sensitive spot.

She looked at Zhou Yutao in disbelief.

How could Zhou Yutao do something like that in front of others? Wasn’t she afraid of someone noticing their relationship?

Xu Man was a nervous wreck, but Zhou Yutao calmly pulled away from her neck.

In truth, neither Lin Sha nor Little Tiger noticed Zhou Yutao’s little action.

Lin Sha was too focused on Xu Man, while Little Tiger was busy checking their surroundings for safety.

Even if they had noticed, they’d probably just blame Xu Man.

This time, Xu Man’s attention returned fully to Zhou Yutao. Satisfied, Zhou Yutao looked up, about to feign concern and ask if Manman needed medicine for her “injury,” when her expression suddenly darkened.

Someone had entered the plant—and it wasn’t Xu Si or Qi Rui.

“Star Bro, that female Omega earlier was untouched. What a shame you didn’t try her.”

“Tch, still savoring it, huh? Too bad you went too far and killed her.”

“Heh, it’s been a while since I’ve had an Omega. I couldn’t hold back.”

“No big deal. We’ll catch a few more. In the apocalypse, female Omegas are everywhere.”

“But the untouched ones are rare.”

“True.”

“Come on, don’t you know Star Bro has a favorite Omega? Stop talking about this in front of him.”

“Only you perverts enjoy that stuff. Nothing beats the thrill of killing. You didn’t see the looks on those kids’ faces when they died—so fascinating.”

“Pfft, you’re the real psycho, worse than us!”

The men’s laughter echoed through the food processing plant. From their footsteps, it sounded like there were over a dozen of them.

Their conversation sent chills down Xu Man’s spine.

These people were worse than zombies.

No, they could hardly be called human.

“Wait, someone’s been here,” a somewhat familiar voice said. “Look, there are tire tracks.”

The moment he spoke, the men’s laughter stopped, and their faces turned serious.

“Star Bro, should we check inside?”

“Go take a look. Be careful.”

Xu Man’s mind buzzed as her eyes widened.

She recognized that voice—it was Chen Xing, the original male lead. He wasn’t dead and seemed to have become the leader of this group of monsters.

They couldn’t let Chen Xing find them here.

She didn’t dare imagine what would happen to Zhou Yutao if she fell into their hands.

“We have to go,” Xu Man whispered, her left hand trembling as she gripped Zhou Yutao’s. Her right hand, however, steadily held a knife.

The food processing plant didn’t offer many hiding spots. If Chen Xing and his group came inside, they’d eventually be found.

Fortunately, their hiding spot was near a back door.

Whether Xu Si and Qi Rui would find them later was no longer a concern—they couldn’t wait for them.

Without hesitation, Zhou Yutao, Lin Sha, and Little Tiger followed Xu Man toward the back door.

But their luck seemed to run out. A few steps in, a steel plate from above crashed down. It didn’t hit anyone, but the noise alerted the three men who had just entered the plant.

“Star Bro, there’s someone!”

“And two pretty female Omegas!”

A burly man shouted toward the outside.

Two other men, guns in hand, rushed toward Xu Man’s group. “Stop! Don’t move!”

Little Tiger had no choice but to fire at them.

The gunfire enraged the men outside, and a dozen armed men stormed in.

Knowing he couldn’t escape, Little Tiger fired while shouting to Xu Man, “Madam Boss, take Professor Zhou and go! Don’t worry about me!”

Tears welled in Xu Man’s eyes. She gave Little Tiger a deep look, fighting back an inexplicable urge to cry, and pulled Zhou Yutao toward the back door.

Lin Sha reacted quickly, staying close to Zhou Yutao.

They finally made it out through the back door.

Xu Man instinctively glanced at Zhou Yutao, only to notice she had been shot in the leg and was bleeding heavily. Yet Zhou Yutao only frowned slightly, not making a sound.

“Yutao, you…” Xu Man’s breath nearly stopped in fear.

The gunfire inside the plant quieted.

It seemed Chen Xing had realized the escaping group included Zhou Yutao and ordered his men to capture her alive.

Now wasn’t the time to talk. Acting faster than her thoughts, Xu Man hoisted Zhou Yutao onto her back, chose a direction opposite to where they came from, and ran.

Her mind was blank, driven only by one thought: Zhou Yutao couldn’t die. She had to protect her, even if it cost her own life.

Xu Man no longer cared about Lin Sha’s fate, but fortunately, Lin Sha kept up, her years of fitness paying off.

Xu Man never knew she had such strength. Carrying Zhou Yutao, she ran faster than she thought possible.

But she didn’t dare stop, terrified that if she did, Chen Xing would catch Zhou Yutao.

She didn’t know how long she ran, her entire body numb.

Until Zhou Yutao’s voice came from behind, “Manman, we’re safe now. Put me down.”

Only then did Xu Man notice they had reached a small village. She could vaguely see figures in the distance—zombies or people, she couldn’t tell. Her vision blurred, and the moment she stopped, her strength gave out.

As Zhou Yutao’s voice echoed, Xu Man’s vision went black, and she fainted.