I Transmigrated as the Protagonist and Was Kidnapped by the Villainous Omega - Chapter 35

A powerful gun would be a great help to Hong Xiu Zhao. Ling Yuexi’s original trip home to retrieve this sniper rifle had been fraught with danger. But later events proved it was all worthwhile. Besides, this gun was the only thing her mother had left her…

“It’s been a long time since I returned here.” The person beside her suddenly spoke, interrupting her thoughts. The two cars had already entered the city, one after the other.

The streets were dilapidated, filled with crashed vehicles and mutilated corpses. Everywhere she looked, there were remnants of ruin, and the stench was nauseating. In the deadly silence, only a few raggedly dressed zombies shambled crookedly along the roadside.

Looking at the scene before her, Su Cheng felt a profound desolation in her heart. The original host’s memories surged like a tide, easily affecting her mood.

“You know, this used to be a cake shop,” she said, pointing to the corner as the car was about to turn into a small alley. She sighed. “The owners were a very kind pair of twin uncles, and their baking skills were exceptional.”

“Back then, I was such a brat. One time, my mom was late and couldn’t buy their chocolate cake, and I threw a huge tantrum right there on the spot.” In her memory, the original host’s mother was a very beautiful Alpha. She was usually very busy and rarely came home, so she entrusted the original host to the care of the Mo family next door. The two families had been friends for many years, knowing each other thoroughly. In a way, the original host and Mo Mei had grown up together as childhood sweethearts.

Likes cake…? Listening to her speak of the past, Ling Yuexi couldn’t help but imagine the scene in her mind. “How did you throw a tantrum?”

How did I throw a tantrum? In that regard, the original host was a bit like her own childhood self.

“…I sat on the ground and cried,” she said, grimacing. “Now, even crying wouldn’t help.” These streets were much like the world Su Cheng came from. The entire world had suddenly collapsed due to an unknown virus. All those beautiful, mundane, busy, and even hated days were gone forever.

“…There will be cake,” Ling Yuexi said, taking a deep breath and looking straight ahead, her voice resolute. “One day, humanity will rebuild its home.”

Following her memory, Su Cheng drove to a hidden spot near her old home and parked the car. Ling Yuexi slung her rifle over her back and put on her mask. Before Ling Yuexi could even make a move, Su Cheng, wielding her rake, worked with the four Betas to swiftly dispatch several low-level zombies.

They made their way, without incident, into the residential building. Since most people had fled outwards when the disaster erupted, and Dragon’s Domain had already passed through, the number of zombies in this area was significantly reduced. The group cautiously moved into the stairwell, holding their breath as they quietly ascended the steps to the tenth floor. The doors of several homes on the floor stood wide open, indicating the extreme haste with which people had fled.

Perhaps influenced by the original host, the closer she got to home, the more profound Su Cheng’s sadness became, a deep, aching pain. She glanced at the Mo family’s house next door, let out a soft breath, and finally stepped into the old house she had been away from for so many years.

The smell inside was unpleasant. A chair lay overturned in the living room, and glass cups and snacks were scattered on the table. Thick layers of dust covered everything in the house. Her feet made creaking sounds on the floor, and the rising dust made her throat itch. Su Cheng suddenly felt a sense of being in another lifetime. The original host’s memories churned in her mind, causing a severe headache. She couldn’t help but lift her piglet mask and fiercely pinch her brow.

“What’s wrong?” Ling Yuexi asked, noticing her pale face, a hint of worry in her voice. “Are you unwell?”

She was indeed unwell. The memories of two different childhoods mixed and intertwined in Su Cheng’s mind, clashing with each other. She could barely distinguish which belonged to the original host and which were her own.

“…No.” The headache suddenly lessened. Su Cheng thought it might just be a lingering side effect of transmigrating. She shook her head and continued to lead them towards the study. “Let’s hurry. The gun is in this room; my mom used to hide it in a secret compartment.”

“Good.” Ling Yuexi nodded. It’s better to return as soon as possible. Although the journey so far has been smooth, she has a bad feeling.

Su Cheng entered the study. The moment her foot stepped inside, she trod on scattered debris. Looking up, she saw that the vase that had once sat in the corner was now shattered into pieces, and many books were strewn across the floor. The entire room was in disarray, as if a thief had ransacked it.

The bookshelf that usually stood against the wall had been moved a short distance away. Inside the secret compartment behind it, there were only two empty hanging racks, nothing on them…

Time to put on a show again.

“…How could this happen!?” Su Cheng exclaimed in disbelief as she grabbed a handful of her hair and strode forward. Her wide eyes were filled with surprise and anger. Which damn thief?! To find something hidden so deeply!” Her performance was full of emotion, sincere feelings, and powerful intensity, as if every strand of her hair was acting.

“Shh!” The Betas quickly went to pull her back. “Keep it down, Cheng Su, you’ll attract zombies!”

“…Oh, my apologies.” She clutched her forehead, feigning immense grief. “I was just momentarily distraught… I had wanted to present a grand gift to the leader, but… sigh, I’ve caused everyone to come here for nothing.”

“You can’t blame yourself for this; none of us expected it.”

“Exactly, maybe it was just people from Dragon’s Domain who came back to search and happened to find it.”

“That’s right, you had good intentions.”

Everyone surrounded her with words of comfort. Su Cheng shook her head and waved her hands, maintaining her self-reproachful demeanor. When the effect was sufficient, Su Cheng was about to call for everyone to return, but then she saw Ling Yuexi standing in front of the secret compartment, frowning. “…Is this rack really for guns?” Gun display racks were usually made of perforated metal, but these racks inside were made of solid wood. Two long hanging racks, each supported at both ends, looked more like a sword stand.

Her heart skipped a beat. When Ling Yuexi asked her a question, Su Cheng finally realized what the problem was. This was truly careless… But she couldn’t—couldn’t completely blame herself! A typical person, who is filled with expectation and has endured hardship while traveling “thousands of miles” to retrieve a gun, would likely feel disappointment, surprise, or anger upon finding an empty display rack. Why would you care what kind of rack it is?!

“Uh, yes…” Steadying herself, Su Cheng began to forcefully patch up her story. “My mom, you see, she’s very peculiar. You noticed this is a sword stand, right? Indeed, her actions are spontaneous.”

“You see, this solid wood display stand is also quite exquisite, isn’t it? She loved it so much at the time, she bought it without a second thought. Besides, this stand can also hold a gun; their uses are similar, so she never bothered to change it.” Forgive me, original host’s mother; truly forgive me. The situation is urgent, so I have to use you as a shield for now!

She can do that? Ling Yuexi looked at Cheng Su with surprise. She had initially found it hard to understand, but as her gaze swept over her, she suddenly felt a sense of relief. Sometimes, a child’s way of thinking can reflect the thoughts of their parents.

“…Alright. Since the gun has been taken by someone else, let’s evacuate as soon as possible.” Ling Yuexi pursed her lips, secretly feeling quite disappointed, though her voice was always cold, and with her mask on, it was hard to tell. Quickly adjusting her emotions, she said to Su Cheng, “Is there anything else you want to take from home?”

Anything to take? She didn’t have anything significant to take. Food items were all rotten, so it would just be clothes… grab some to take back; whoever fits them can wear them.

“Nothing much. Everyone, just search around freely,” Su Cheng turned to the Betas behind her. “See if there’s anything useful. Take it if you can; let’s not go back empty-handed.”

“That’s right, that’s all we can do.” The others nodded, then dispersed. Ling Yuexi remained in the study, but Su Cheng unconsciously went to the second bedroom—the original host’s room.

In the small but cozy room, many photo frames hung on the wall, mostly pictures of the original host and her mother. In each commemorative photo, the two, one large and one small, wore similar types of clothing—Tang suits, Hanfu, crowns, and Western dresses. They both had the same mischievous smile. From one year old to seven, the little girl gradually grew, but the long-haired woman always carried her on one shoulder…

“When you turn eighteen, let’s see how you’ll carry me.”

“That’s easy; you carry me then~”

Her eyes welled up, and Su Cheng instinctively clutched her mouth. Ling Yuexi gave a light pat on her shoulder. She stood behind her, looking out the window. “…Let’s leave quickly. I have a bad feeling.” It seemed too quiet here. Even if the zombies were gathered at the highway entrance, they usually roamed around, and there should still be a small number of zombies in the city. How could only a few appear and then none at all? Dragon’s Domain couldn’t have possibly wiped out half the city’s zombies, could they? And the number of corpses was clearly off.

“Okay.” Su Cheng quickly rubbed her eyes, feigning normalcy, and nodded. “Let’s go now.” Ling Yuexi, worried, didn’t even look at the photos. She simply pulled Su Cheng out of the room.

The six of them only packed a few pieces of clothing. They descended the stairs quickly, ran out of the complex, and reached the car.

“I’ll drive,” Ling Yuexi said, considering her driving skills much better than Su Cheng’s. She handed her the sniper rifle she had been carrying on her back. After everyone got in the car, she turned the steering wheel and sped off.

How did she manage to obtain the gun so easily? Su Cheng was slightly surprised, having expected to put in more effort.

“Do you know the way?” Holding the sniper rifle, she composed herself and looked ahead. “At the next intersection, turn left.”

“Okay.”

The two cars, one after the other, rapidly retreated along the same path. Just past the next intersection lay the boundary of District Eleven. The uneasy feeling hadn’t dissipated. Before Ling Yuexi could ponder it further, she had just turned the car around, and her brows furrowed instantly.

Ahead, about ten meters away at the intersection, a large group of zombies was blocking the road, a dense, dark mass stretching for hundreds of them…

“So many?!” Both exclaimed in unison. Ling Yuexi immediately slammed on the brakes and sharply turned the steering wheel.

Of course, Su Cheng’s exclamation was fake. The gathering of so many zombies was because of that small black pill. The Lure Pheromone Pill, as the name suggested, could attract zombies with a special scent. It was an essential item for Dawn members whenever they went to an infected zone. Tang Jin had carried a few when she was captured, and Su Cheng had secretly gotten them before she was searched.

The car behind, seeing the situation was dire, also hastily turned around. The horde of zombies, hearing the sound, immediately turned and clawed their way towards the group.

“Hold on tight.” Ling Yuexi only had time to say this much. She floored the accelerator, twisting the steering wheel to make a U-turn. The zombies behind pursued relentlessly, and even some from the front began to close in. Ling Yuexi sped furiously, disregarding direction, driving only toward paths with fewer zombies. The car swayed violently from side to side, throwing Su Cheng around. Before she could steady herself, Ling Yuexi slammed on the brakes, and with a “bang,” Su Cheng directly hit her head on the front windshield.

“Oh, for f*ck’s sake…” Was this retribution for her mischief?

“Get out!” The path ahead was blocked by several crashed cars. Ling Yuexi decisively chose to abandon the vehicle and run.

“Wait! This way!” Su Cheng, rubbing the large bump on her forehead, hastily jumped out. She slung the gun onto her back and led the group down a narrow side path, her words quick and clear. “I know of a safe shelter ahead; we can go in there to hide.” Zombies were gradually closing in from both front and back. Everyone had no time to think and could only follow her for now.

…

“Just… keep going. At the streetlamp… turn right and you’ll see it.” The six of them had been running wildly for a long time. Su Cheng was “gasping for breath” from exhaustion, looking for an opportunity to fake a fall or something to drop the gun when no one was paying attention. With so many zombies chasing them, there was no time to pick it up.

Thinking this, she deliberately slowed her pace, gradually widening the distance between herself and the others. Ling Yuexi turned her head and, not seeing the familiar figure, paused. She quickly spun around to look for her.

Su Cheng glanced back at the zombies, calculating the distance was just right, and then lunged forward. “Oh—”

“…Oh?” Her voice rose. The expected fall didn’t happen. Before the gun even left her hand, a slender, fair hand, quick as lightning, snatched her up.

“Are you alright?” Ling Yuexi gripped her hand tightly, not lingering. She pulled Su Cheng along with brute force. “Hold on, we’re almost there.”

“…” She just turned her head; how did this person get here in an instant?

“O-okay!”

Now, with Ling Yuexi holding her, slowing down was impossible. Ling Yuexi seemed to have boundless strength, dragging Su Cheng along while running incredibly fast. In no time, they caught up with the Betas ahead.

Running wildly, the group turned right at the lamppost, and indeed, saw a sign ahead with the large characters “Shelter” and an arrow pointing to the entrance. Ling Yuexi sped up, pulling Su Cheng directly towards it, pushing hard on the heavy door with both hands.

Gasping for two ragged breaths, Su Cheng was truly exhausted this time. But she knew she couldn’t waste any more time, so she too lunged forward to help. The four Betas were running towards them. Ling Yuexi and Su Cheng, gritting their teeth, pushed with all their might. The heavy iron door slowly moved, finally opening a crack.

The next second, a pungent, rotten smell assaulted them. Before either could react, a gray, lifeless object shot out, clamping onto Ling Yuexi’s wrist.