After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The moment Xu Man collapsed, Zhou Yutao quickly grabbed her, but due to her leg injury, she lost her balance and fell to the ground with Xu Man.

Zhou Yutao was beneath, Xu Man on top.

Fortunately, they landed on a dirt path, so while the fall was painful, it didn’t cause serious injury.

“Yutao, are you okay?” Lin Sha asked anxiously from the side. She hurried over, pushed Xu Man aside, and helped Zhou Yutao up.

Zhou Yutao’s face was pale, drenched in sweat, but she remained calm. “Sha, grab your knife. There are two zombies—one for each of us.”

In truth, her earlier claim of safety was a lie to Xu Man.

In the apocalypse, there was no such thing as absolute safety.

The figures approaching from the village were two zombies. After carrying her for hours, Zhou Yutao could tell Xu Man had reached her limit, so she asked to be put down.

Sure enough, the moment she was set down, Xu Man fainted.

Compared to Chen Xing’s group, two zombies were far easier to handle.

But who knew if there were only two?

“No, you’re injured. If you get scratched by a zombie and get infected…” Lin Sha protested. “Yutao, let me deal with the two zombies. Don’t worry about me or Xu Man—just find a place to hide.”

Lin Sha, a pampered heiress, had never faced anything like this. Though she was fitter than most Omegas and hadn’t been idle these past days, taking on two zombies at once was unthinkable.

But for both personal and practical reasons, Yutao couldn’t come to harm. Lin Sha had no choice but to steel herself.

At the very least, she could buy her friend some time to escape.

If only Qi Rui and Xu Si could find them.

Knowing it was unlikely, Lin Sha resolved to act, a glint of determination in her eyes.

That was what true friendship meant—willing to die to give a friend a chance to live.

Zhou Yutao shook her head. “No, I can’t leave. Sha, if I go, you and she will definitely die.”

Lin Sha’s eyes reddened. “But if you stay, we’ll just die together.”

“Dying together? That’s not so bad,” Zhou Yutao said, pulling the knife from Xu Man’s waist and smiling.

There was no trace of fear in her eyes at the prospect of death.

The two zombies, infected in their prime, were fast and charged toward them quickly.

There was no time for Lin Sha to hesitate. Since Zhou Yutao refused to leave, she had no other choice. Dodging a zombie’s claw, she raised her knife and aimed for its head.

She missed, and the zombie’s attack grew fiercer, forcing Lin Sha to retreat clumsily.

On Zhou Yutao’s side, her leg injury left her pinned to the ground by the other zombie. As it lunged to bite, she jammed her knife into its mouth.

Both were in dire straits, and a wave of despair washed over Lin Sha.

Maybe they really would die here together, she thought.

At that moment, a gunshot rang out, and the zombie on top of Zhou Yutao collapsed.

Before Lin Sha could process what happened, the zombie chasing her fell too, its head blown apart by a single shot.

A middle-aged female Alpha holding a hunting rifle ran up, her gun aimed at Zhou Yutao on the ground.

Lin Sha’s heart nearly stopped.

For a moment, she thought this woman was one of their pursuers.

But the female Alpha spoke. “You’re injured. Did those monsters scratch you?”

Zhou Yutao remained calm. “No, I was hurt by people.”

The Alpha examined Zhou Yutao’s leg wound, then glanced at Lin Sha before lowering her gun and extending a hand to Zhou Yutao. “Miss, there are monsters everywhere now. What are you doing here?”

Her voice carried a thick rural accent.

Her clothes and weathered complexion marked her as a villager.

Zhou Yutao quickly assessed the situation. With a subtle glance, she avoided the Alpha’s outstretched hand, braced herself with her knife, and slowly stood, enduring the pain.

She moved to Xu Man’s side. “My girlfriend, my best friend, and I were out having fun when we ran into monsters and got chased by people. In a panic, we ended up here.”

Her explanation was half-true, half-false.

The Alpha, unsure whether to believe her, showed a flicker of sympathy. “That’s rough. Is your girlfriend okay? My house is in the village—it’s relatively safe. Want to come treat your wounds and figure out your next move?”

Zhou Yutao narrowed her eyes slightly but nodded. “Thank you. May I ask your name?”

The Alpha gave a hearty laugh. “Just call me Sister Li.”

Zhou Yutao probed cautiously, “Sister Li, were you out here for something?”

Sister Li shook her head with a sigh. “No food at home. My daughter’s practically starving. I had no choice but to come out and try my luck, maybe hunt a rabbit or something.”

“Didn’t find any rabbits, and I used up my last two bullets.”

“But you’re safe, and that’s what matters.”

“Miss, your girlfriend’s passed out, and you’re injured. Let me help her.”

With that, Sister Li lifted the unconscious Xu Man.

Having just been saved and hearing about Sister Li’s daughter, Lin Sha felt a growing sense of trust. She helped support Xu Man and followed Sister Li toward the village.

“Yutao, looks like we got lucky this time, meeting a good person. Once Madam Boss wakes up, we can go find Xu Si and the others,” Lin Sha said.

Zhou Yutao didn’t respond, only cautioning her to stay alert.

Sister Li’s house wasn’t far—a few minutes’ walk. The village was eerily quiet, with severed limbs scattered on the roads and many wooden houses damaged.

Even this remote village hadn’t escaped the zombie virus. Its spread was faster than Zhou Yutao had imagined, and they still didn’t know its source.

Were there other survivors?

Zhou Yutao scanned her surroundings.

“Here we are. Come in,” Sister Li said, pushing open the door of a brick house. She set Xu Man on a chair and beckoned Zhou Yutao and Lin Sha, who were still outside.

Inside, a girl of about seven or eight, tears still in her eyes, clearly having just cried, ran to Sister Li and hugged her. “Mom, I’m so hungry. Did you find any food?”

Sister Li, guilt written on her face, gently patted the girl’s head. “No, sweetheart. I ran into these aunties who were hurt. Be good, and later I’ll go to the back hill to dig some wild vegetables for us to eat.”

“No! I don’t want vegetables. We’ve been eating them forever, and they don’t fill me up. Mom, you said you’d find me some meat!”

Hunger was unbearable for anyone, especially a young child who didn’t fully understand.

She only knew to turn to her mother, believing her to be all-powerful.

From their conversation, it seemed Sister Li had been telling the truth.

Still, Zhou Yutao found it odd.

Having spent time in the countryside, she knew most villagers stockpiled food—rice, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, noodles—things that lasted long. They also raised poultry and grew their own vegetables.

The apocalypse had only begun a few days ago. It didn’t make sense for them to be reduced to eating wild vegetables.

Recalling the surroundings, Zhou Yutao hadn’t seen any edible crops in the fields or any poultry. Perhaps they were hidden.

Lin Sha, less suspicious, saw the girl’s pitiful state and rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a pack of crackers and handing it to her.

The girl’s face lit up as she took the crackers. “Thank you, Auntie!”

“You’re welcome,” Lin Sha said, patting her head.

Sister Li looked uneasy. “You don’t have much food yourselves. If you give my daughter your crackers, what will you eat?”

Lin Sha waved it off. “It’s fine. We’re not hungry right now. Besides, you saved us, and we haven’t properly thanked you.”

Sister Li lowered her head. “I was just passing by,” she mumbled.

Her voice was so soft Lin Sha didn’t catch it, but she didn’t dwell on it.

Her main concern was Zhou Yutao’s leg injury.

“Sister Li, do you have any alcohol or anything like that?” Lin Sha asked after helping Zhou Yutao sit.

Sister Li shook her head. “No. We had some, but it was all stolen. The first day those monsters appeared, all our food, drinks, and medicine were taken.”

“These past days, several groups of thugs came through. They didn’t leave us any chance to survive.”

“I’ve got my daughter. There’s nothing I can do but hide.”

“We’re the only ones left in the village. Everyone else fled or died. I can’t go far with my daughter.”

Her voice was thick with anger.

The scrutiny in Zhou Yutao’s eyes softened.

That explanation made sense.

She sensed no hostility from this woman. In fact, something about her felt familiar.

Zhou Yutao’s gaze shifted to the unconscious Xu Man.

Like her, even in the apocalypse, she clung to her humanity.

When Zhou Yutao learned Xu Man hadn’t killed Sun Xiahe and had even left her food and water, she felt uneasy but not surprised.

If Xu Man were someone without a moral compass, they wouldn’t have gotten into her supermarket that day in the apocalypse. She wouldn’t have needed to seduce her… and earlier, Zhou Yutao would likely have been abandoned.

The apocalypse was like a mirror. Some people reflected humanity; others, monsters.

As Lin Sha said, they were lucky this time to meet someone human.

Zhou Yutao refocused and asked Sister Li, “Do you have a fire?”

Sister Li, puzzled, nodded.

She smoked, so she had plenty of lighters, and they still had some firewood. The looters didn’t take those—food and essentials like medicine were their targets. One lighter was enough for them.

Zhou Yutao set down the larger knife and drew a dagger.

Her intent was clear: she needed to remove the bullet from her leg.

It wasn’t in a critical spot, but if not treated promptly, it could cause serious complications.