I Transmigrated as the Protagonist and Was Kidnapped by the Villainous Omega - Chapter 30

Tang Jin stared blankly at the people around her. Some of those faces were familiar; some weren’t.

The sky hung low with clouds, and a fine drizzle was falling. At the crosswalk, the green light suddenly lit up. People, heads down, walked with clear umbrellas through the rain.

Their expressions were indifferent, their steps hurried.

She stood in the center of the intersection, dressed in a white uniform. Raindrops trailed down her chin, and her black military boots stepped on the wet ground without a sound.

She looked like a wandering soul, walking against the tide of the crowd.

Suddenly, zombies appeared in the distance.

Those once indifferent faces were instantly thrown into panic. People ran wildly in all four directions, surging like a flood and clogging the road.

The gray scene was instantly stained red with bl00d.

She snapped back to her senses.

The people on the outer edges were being mauled by the zombies. Those who were further inside the crowd trampled over each other in a frenzy.

If this went on, no one would make it out alive…

“Don’t panic!” she shouted, helping up someone who had fallen.

But it was like her voice didn’t exist. The crowd was deaf to her cries, pushing and shoving as if their lives depended on it.

Someone shoved her hard from behind. Tang Jin’s footing gave way, and she fell to the ground.

How…? Her stance was usually solid…

She tried to get up, but people just kept surging past her. It was like the crowd was trying to swallow her whole.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

Just as panic set in, a pale, delicate hand suddenly reached toward her and pulled her up.

The moment Tang Jin looked up, the world fell silent. Time seemed to freeze—the people, the rain, everything.

Even the raindrops were suspended in midair, hanging there without falling.

Before her stood a girl in black, wrapped tightly from head to toe. Her face was obscured, with only a pair of large, violet eyes visible.

There was something familiar about those eyes… as if they had met before…

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the girl suddenly spoke, her voice as clear and gentle as an oriole, “Hey, what’s your name?”

Tang Jin jolted awake, her eyes snapping open as she was pulled out of the dream.

Her head was groggy. Had she been dreaming just now?

She tried to recall what had happened in the dream, but her mind was a mess—nothing came to her.

The room was dim. It took her a moment to adjust before she could see clearly.

Wooden ceiling. Wooden walls. Wooden tables and chairs…

Everything was made of wood. Everything was unfamiliar.

This wasn’t Longyu. Then where was she?

Wait… wasn’t she supposed to be out on a mission?

She shifted slightly and suddenly realized there was something fastened around her neck. The gland at the nape was locked down. There were also cuffs on her wrists.

Has the enemy captured her?

Her brow slowly furrowed. Just as she was about to forcefully break free, a familiar voice came from the corner of the room.

“Tang Jin, don’t freak out. Just listen to me first—”

A figure stepped out from the shadows, approaching her slowly. The handsome face became clearer with each step.

“…It’s you?”

Her hair was different, and her clothes had changed. Even the tattoo on her forehead was hidden under a headband.

It had been a long time, but she recognized her instantly.

“Chao Feng.” Supporting herself, Tang Jin slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard, frowning slightly. “You better explain.”

It seemed like she had been in this room for a while, waiting for her to wake up. Probably had a lot to say.

Back in Longyu, when she was suddenly ambushed, she had already wanted to ask—what was going on? But when she went looking the next day, she found that Chao Feng had vanished without a trace. Even her bedroom had been emptied.

When Mo Mei discovered it, she was stunned. Staring at the empty room, she muttered, “Did she… elope?”

Tang Jin had always thought she hid her emotions well. Even when Su Cheng vanished for so long and suddenly returned in the middle of the night with an Omega, she hadn’t shown the slightest bit of dissatisfaction. She even made a conscious effort to maintain their personal space.

She didn’t want to make things hard for Ah Cheng (Chao Feng).

Just like she never dared to confess the feelings in her heart. She knew that confessing her feelings would only burden them both.

Why make things so awkward?

If she truly liked her, they would’ve been together long ago.

Some things didn’t need to be said—she already understood them well.

Being her “sister” at least allowed her to keep that closeness. As for the feelings she shouldn’t have… She would keep them hidden deep inside.

But even so—why did Acheng still move out? Without saying a word? 

Tang Jin remembered her conversation with Mo Mei.

“Mei-jie, don’t be sad just yet,” Seeing her dazed and downcast, Tang Jin said, “Something about this isn’t right.”

She’d heard from Mo Mei that Chao Feng came back last night.

And she brought an Omega? From where?

People from Mantingfang would never be allowed to take one out.

“Mei-jie, what did that Omega look like?”

Her appearance?

The lights had been on last night—Mo Mei saw her quite clearly. She recalled carefully, “I didn’t see her face. She was wearing a mask—just a simple smiling-face design… She had long silver hair and was very skilled…”

That person had leapt out of her room holding Acheng’s Tang blade…

Her appearance…?

Even though she was reluctant, Mo Mei forced herself to recall the details. That Omega had been wearing… what again?

All she could clearly remember was that Acheng had tied her hair up in a high ponytail. Compared to her usual loose hair, it made her look even more striking—absolutely beautiful…

“Any other features?” As she spoke, Tang Jin walked over to the table and casually grabbed a napkin, beginning to sketch.

“Let me think…” Realizing she’d gotten sidetracked, Mo Mei rubbed her temples, trying to refocus—but her thoughts wouldn’t obey, scattering even further.

Acheng had smiled at that person so gently. Her deep-blue eyes sparkled—full of affection.

She smiled at her too and was gentle to her too… But the feeling in her eyes was different.

There was friendship and sibling warmth—but not love.

Never love.

She saw Su Cheng hold her, hug her, pull her close—and then kiss her…

“I… I can’t remember…” Her chest felt heavy. She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her emotions.

Willing to let go was one thing. Seeing it with your own eyes was another.

Only now did she realize—she wasn’t as free and easy as she thought.

“It’s alright.” Tang Jin assumed she wasn’t feeling well and grew concerned. “Do you want to go to the infirmary?”

“…I’m fine.” Mo Mei shook her head. “Probably just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Then I won’t disturb you anymore. Rest a bit longer. If anything comes up, call us—Yu Fei and I are both here.” Seeing how pale she looked, Tang Jin didn’t press further.

Mo Mei nodded. After a long pause, she asked quietly, “Will Acheng… come back?”

“Of course. She’s just… busy right now. It’s not convenient.”

Is that so…? But she couldn’t shake the bad feeling in her heart…

“Oh, right.” Just as she stepped out the door, Tang Jin suddenly remembered something. She held up the napkin and asked, “Was this the mask?”

Mo Mei looked at the paper. Inside a big round circle were three random curves marking the eyes and mouth and two smudges of color on the cheeks…

The drawing looked like something a three-year-old might scrawl.

But…

The features were there—especially those cheek smudges. It matched that mask almost perfectly…

“Yes,” Mo Mei said, puzzled. “… You’ve seen her before?

*****

Seen her?

More like… been chased by her—gun blazing.

Murderous, accurate, ruthless.

Everyone in Dawn knew that the mask belonged to the infamous boss of Hong Xiu Zhao.

…

Inside the wooden cabin, the candle flame flickered faintly.

Tang Jin looked seriously at Su Cheng. So… what exactly are you doing?

“I’m undercover.”

This small wooden hut was something Su Cheng had fixed up quickly. She had checked every corner carefully—no surveillance.

“That ambush back then—I didn’t have a choice.” She pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, letting out a sigh. “You know the saying: no pain, no gain. I had to win their trust.”

“You’ve fought them before—you know how strong their weapons are. If we went head-on, we’d lose a lot of people.”

“That’s why I took this mission…”

“What about me?” Tang Jin shook her cuffed hands. “Was I just something that could be sacrificed as well?”

You…?

That was really an accident…!

But that definitely wasn’t something she could say out loud.

Even she didn’t know how things ended up like this. Before leaving, all she thought about was how to stop the Hong Xiu Zhao.

Ahem. Clearing her throat, Su Cheng looked away slightly. “Er… don’t worry. I’ll send you out as soon as I get a chance.”

“…That doesn’t sound very comforting.”

“Just bear with it for now.” She patted Tang Jin’s shoulder and said seriously, “Pretend to go along with them. They won’t mistreat a prisoner.”

Tang Jin touched the collar around her neck. “Yeah, it’s leather.”

Though her gland was locked, the collar itself was soft and didn’t chafe her skin.

She anticipated that the Hong Xiu Zhao would chain her in iron and cast her into a dark dungeon if they caught her. But this—being placed in a wooden hut—meant her chances of escaping weren’t bad.

Still, was the way Hong Xiu Zhao treated prisoners always this lax?

“W-well, it just shows they’re still humane!” Su Cheng covered her face, remembering what happened earlier and wincing.

God knew how mortified she’d been when she had to pull out that kind of… equipment in front of two Omegas!

“Cheng Su! T-this is… what?!”

Hu Ziyuan had thought it was some kind of treasure. She rushed over, only to see those big characters: “Training Gear.” Even the slowest person would get it in an instant.

You actually made Tang Jin wear that!?

She’s always been so ascetic—how, how could she possibly…

Just imagining the scene made Hu Ziyuan’s face instantly flush bright red.

“Don’t underestimate this thing.” Su Cheng tried to act calm, bracing herself and spouting nonsense. “The electric shock level is intense. Think about Chaofeng—she’s an S-rank Alpha. Ahem… anyway, this is all we have right now…” She glanced over at Ling Yuexi. “Uh, I’ll put it on her myself—”

“Step aside, I’ll do it.” Suddenly, Hu Ziyuan, who had just been lurking nearby, shoved her aside and rushed over.

The grin on her face couldn’t be wiped off no matter what.

…

“Anyway, just stay here for now and don’t expose me,” Su Cheng said, turning her back to Tang Jin and lifting her long hair. “My name here is Cheng Su, and I’m posing as a ‘defective A.’” Turning back around, she continued, “I’ve already drawn a map of Hong Xiu Zhao’s base, but I still don’t know their full strength.”

For an organization that stormed into Longxiao Palace and broke through the defenses of three major corps, there’s no way they’re as simple as they seem.

The village was full of ordinary people—yet that only made it more clear how powerful their weapons must be.

What else was hidden in the Water Curtain Cave? How many more mechas did Hong Xiu Zhao have? How many weapons had yet to be revealed?

Until she found those answers, she couldn’t rest easy.

This time spent living among them had been the happiest period since Su Cheng transmigrated.

It was nothing like the apocalyptic hell she had imagined.

Sometimes, waking up to the sunlight outside her window, she would even think—living here isn’t so bad.

But the bullet wound near her heart was still there.

Three months ago, right after she’d transmigrated, Ling Yuexi had ambushed her while Chaofeng was returning from a mission.

That shot nearly took her life.

The ending of the original book was like a thorn stuck in her heart. Every time she wavered, it pricked her, making her hesitate.

On many nights, Su Cheng lay awake, unable to sleep.

“I already have a plan. I can use it to feel out their true strength,” she said, lightly rubbing the pendant at her neck, eyes lowered. “So, you and I will have to endure a little longer.”

“…Do you need my cooperation?” Tang Jin looked at her, surprisingly calm.

She was always like that—composed, unfazed, even after being tricked. If it were someone else, Su Cheng would’ve been slapped a dozen times by now.

“You just…” The thought of Hu Ziyuan made Su Cheng’s lips twitch. “Just bear with it.”

???

Seeing her confused expression, Su Cheng was about to explain more, but Tang Jin suddenly raised a finger to her lips in a “shhh” gesture.

“Someone’s coming.”