I Transmigrated as the Protagonist and Was Kidnapped by the Villainous Omega - Chapter 8

Pupu piloted the mech and landed it steadily. But when she saw the unfamiliar woman standing next to Ling Yuexi, her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Yuexi-jie, who’s that?” Pupu was wearing her bunny mask. She hadn’t turned on her voice modulator, so her own naturally sweet voice rang out.

“Cheng Su.”

“Oh… Are we bringing her with us? Sister Ziyuan won’t like that.”

“I don’t care.”

“Oh.” Pupu obediently operated the mech, lifting the motorbike with one hand, and the other hand slowly reached out toward the two women.

Su Cheng struggled a bit before climbing onto the mech’s mechanical arm. Ling Yuexi followed and sat down beside her, tapping her fingers against the mech. “Let’s go. Fly steady.”

Pupu stole another curious glance at the two of them before slowly lifting the mech off the ground.

The moment the mech began to rise, Su Cheng lost her balance a little. Just as her body tilted backward, a cold hand suddenly wrapped around her waist.

She froze. What the hell? She was being held—by the villainess?!

She sneaked a glance at Ling Yuexi. The woman was staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened, completely calm.

But that hand around her waist… hadn’t moved at all.

Wait. Could Ling Yuexi actually have feelings for her?

No way. Villainous leaders aren’t that easy to fool—especially not when she was a broken, unmarkable pseudo-Alpha.

Probably just afraid she’d run off.

Hu Ziyuan had already parked the car and was waiting for them by the edge of the cliff. Below was a pitch-black abyss—how Ling Yuexi had survived down there was a miracle.

She waited a while before finally hearing the distant hum of the mech rising. As she peered over the cliff edge, her jaw dropped in shock.

Ling Yuexi was sitting on the mech’s shoulder, one arm intimately wrapped around a filthy, messy-haired woman.

Once the mech reached the top, it landed with a thud.

Su Cheng, however, was now facing a different problem: getting up was easy, but getting down was a whole other story. One wrong move, and her legs would be ruined.

Ling Yuexi gave her a sidelong glance. When Ling Yuexi saw Su Cheng’s troubled face, her childlike, sugary voice rang out: “Regretting it already?”

Su Cheng nearly jumped. Su Cheng was still trying to figure out how to get down when the unexpected voice startled her. She turned to look at Ling Yuexi. Even though the woman had a smiling face mask on, Su Cheng could feel she wasn’t amused.

“Of course not! I’m just scared of pain, that’s all.” Su Cheng grinned and even gave Yuexi a playful nudge with her dainty little fist.

Ling Yuexi chuckled. “Pain’s good. It keeps you awake.”

Su Cheng: Psycho alert! “Haha, you’re really good at joking, Yuexi-jie…” She took a deep breath and was just about to jump down when the arm around her waist suddenly tightened.

Her vision spun. The next thing she knew, her feet were off the ground.

Ling Yuexi had picked her up. Princess-carry style.

!!!

Su Cheng was stunned. It was the first time in her life someone had carried her like this—she was so shocked that she forgot to breathe.

Ling Yuexi leapt down gracefully, landing as steady as ever.

Hu Ziyuan stared like she’d seen a ghost. Her voice practically cracked. “Where’d you pick up that stray?!”

Ling Yuexi gently set Su Cheng down and turned off the voice modulator. Her tone was calm and aloof. “Found her.”

Hu Ziyuan: “What?! Are you insane again? Are you picking up random people now? Do you even know who that woman is?

Standing stiffly beside them, Su Cheng was filled with nervous energy. Her brain was spinning, scrambling to come up with something to say. Just as she opened her mouth, a hiccup interrupted her.

Ling Yuexi: “…”

Hu Ziyuan: “…”

Everyone froze. The air was suddenly… chicken-quiet.

Pupu looked at Su Cheng with admiration in her eyes.

Hu Ziyuan had been ready to unleash a storm of questions, but that hiccup just completely derailed her.

Su Cheng covered her mouth, her face bright red. Damn it, it’s all Yuexi’s fault! That damn princess-carry scared the breath out of me, and it came back at the worst moment!

Ling Yuexi paused for a moment before speaking again, now serious: “She’s the one who saved me.”

Hu Ziyuan stiffened, then turned a suspicious gaze toward Su Cheng.

Her hair was in a wild disarray, and her clothes were in tatters. She lacked any noticeable curves, with her chest and rear appearing flat. Only her face was barely passable.

She sniffed the air, her nose twitching slightly. Then, with a few quick steps, she appeared before Su Cheng and reached out to the back of her neck.

No scent of pheromones. An abnormal gland. With her medical expertise, the conclusion was obvious.

Hu Ziyuan withdrew her hand and let out a mocking laugh. “Are you joking? Just look at her, a defective A like her…”

“Hu Ziyuan.” Ling Yuexi cut her off, her tone cold. “Defective or not—that’s not for you to decide.”

Hearing her full name called out, Hu Ziyuan realized Yuexi was truly angry. Could it all be due to this wandering woman? The more she thought about it, the more infuriated she became. “I’m against bringing her back, no matter what!”

Ling Yuexi gave her a sideways glance, then suddenly smiled. “What are you so afraid of? She’s in our hands now. What can she possibly do?”

Despite her statement, Hu Ziyuan still sensed that something was… off.

Seated in the armored vehicle, Su Cheng pondered how to begin her undercover mission. The first step: locate the enemy camp. In the original novel, “Hong Xiu Zhao (Red Sleeve Order)” had kept itself well-hidden in the early chapters. That was precisely how they were able to secretly develop and grow their strength without anyone noticing.

Ling Yuexi caught a glimpse of Su Cheng gazing out the window. “Feeling anxious?”

Su Cheng flinched. All she did was look around! How could Ling Yuexi be so sharp, seeing through her with a single glance?

She blinked and smiled, saying, “Of course I am. I can’t wait for us to return home, husband and wife, together.”

Ling Yuexi couldn’t help but laugh. “Husband and wife? You wish. I only brought you back because I pitied you.”

“Haha, and I’m happy to wish for it,” Su Cheng teased, leaning closer. “You held me, bit me, and now you want to pretend it never happened?”

Ling Yuexi shoved her away. “Shut up!”

At the driver’s seat, Hu Ziyuan perked up, ears twitching as she shamelessly eavesdropped through the rearview mirror. What did she just hear? Hugging? Biting?

Did Ling Yuexi do that? And with a defective A?

Seeing Ling Yuexi so flustered, Su Cheng felt a surge of glee. At last, she gained the advantage! Tugging her collar down, she said smugly, “Look at this bite mark—deep, isn’t it? Does this scene sound familiar to you?

Ling Yuexi turned to look out the window, arms crossed, refusing to meet her gaze.

Su Cheng laughed out loud and finally sat back properly. Now she could freely memorize the route without raising suspicion.

The vehicle traveled for a long time before finally leaving the desert. Despite her sharp mind, Su Cheng only managed to memorize fragments of the path.

After some time, they entered a peach grove.

But… how could this be?

In the original book, a virus outbreak had devastated the natural world. Species had become extinct; the land turned to desert, barren and lifeless.

Even in Longyu, only a fraction of soil had been preserved—cultivated by research personnel to produce a limited amount of food for the elite.

And even then, the rations were meager. As a member of “Dawn,” Su Cheng herself only ate two meals a day.

Since arriving in this world, this was the first time she had seen a peach tree…

Su Cheng pressed herself against the window, with eyes wide as she stared at the scenery flying past.

Then, a bold thought crossed her mind.

Was it possible that, within her lifetime, humanity would develop a cure for the virus—and restore life to this broken world?

The first rays of dawn painted the earth in soft gold. Outside the car window, the world was a living landscape painting, verdant and full of life.

The armored vehicle climbed a mountain path and entered a hidden village. Su Cheng was temporarily placed in a ramshackle straw hut. Not long after, someone brought her a simple meal. Her injuries were treated, and a splint was fixed to her right leg.

Sitting alone in the room, Su Cheng looked around. A line from an ancient poem came to mind: “The fierce autumn wind tears my thatched roof apart.” Instinctively, she glanced up at the roof above her. She wasn’t sure if the thatch could hold out.

She hadn’t expected the Red Sleeve camp to be this impoverished in its early stages. Weren’t they supposed to be technologically advanced? Couldn’t they have at least repaired the houses?

Not like that old man Qing Cang—he knew how to enjoy life. His Long Xiao Palace was nothing short of extravagant.

After a sleepless night, Su Cheng was truly exhausted. She decided to rest first. Once her body recovers, she will investigate further.

She slept straight through the evening. Outside, chatter broke her slumber. The hut’s inadequate insulation made every word distinctly audible.

“Did you hear? The Boss is having another episode.”

“Huh? Isn’t it still early? Why this soon?”

“Beats me. But this time it didn’t seem too bad—didn’t hear anything being smashed.”

“No, I heard she had a fever all day and still hasn’t woken up! The Second Boss is losing her mind!”

…

Does Ling Yuexi have a fever? She was perfectly fine on the way here.

Su Cheng quickly got up. At some point, someone had delivered clean clothes and even a pair of crutches. After a quick wash and tying up her hair, she grabbed the crutches and hobbled out.

Outside, a few women stood chatting. Su Cheng approached with a gentle smile. “Sisters, sorry to interrupt. I heard the Boss is ill—I’d like to visit her. Could you tell me where she’s staying?”

The woman gave her a thorough examination. Her beautiful face and charming smile made it difficult to resist.

“You must be the newcomer, Cheng Su, right? I’d suggest waiting a few days. When the Boss has one of her episodes, it’s terrifying. You might get hurt.”

Su Cheng thought to herself, I’ve already escaped death twice. I’ve seen her during an episode before—what’s the worst that can happen now?

“Thank you for the warning, sister. But the Boss took me in out of kindness. Now that she’s sick, no matter what, I have to visit her. Please show me the way.”

The women hesitated, clearly reluctant. But Su Cheng’s persistence wore them down, and they reluctantly led her toward Ling Yuexi’s residence.

Su Cheng followed on crutches, observing as they went. This mountain village was vast, yet sparsely populated. Though her gland was damaged, her eyes were still sharp. The women leading the way were all delicate and frail—clearly Omegas.

Strangely enough, she hadn’t seen a single person who might be an Alpha along the way…

They walked for quite a while before a small, secluded courtyard finally came into view. One of the women pointed from a distance and said, “It’s there. We’re not going any further.”

Su Cheng thanked them, only to see the group steal a quick glance toward the courtyard and hurry away as if fleeing a plague. She couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her head. “It’s not like Ling Yuexi is some kind of monster,” she muttered. “Look at them—more timid than me.”

She leaned on her crutch and strolled leisurely toward the courtyard. She found the place deserted and somewhat desolate. Ling Yuexi’s home turned out to be a straw hut too—slightly larger, with thicker, sturdier thatch.

Su Cheng pushed the door open. Inside, Hu Ziyuan, her long violet hair flowing loose, was seated at the bedside, taking a pulse.

Hearing the door creak, Hu Ziyuan stood up with a frown of surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“No need to shout,” Su Cheng said calmly, inching forward on light steps as if afraid to wake someone. “She was fine on thee road—how did she suddenly fall ill?”

She leaned over to look at the bed—and froze.

Ling Yuexi had removed her mask. She lay quietly on the bed, her silver scorpion braid undone and fanned out like silk. She resembled a serene beauty.

She radiated a crystal-clear radiance, akin to moonlight dancing on a cold river.

“Move, will you?” Pupu entered, holding a basin of water. Su Cheng was standing right in the way, lost in a daze.

“I’ll do it.” Snapping back to her senses, Su Cheng quickly reached for the towel, wringing it out over the basin.

She leaned her crutch against the bed and sat down, gently wiping the sweat from Ling Yuexi’s forehead. Even through the towel, she could feel the burning heat radiating from her skin.

Su Cheng put the towel aside and brushed aside the damp strands clinging to Ling Yuexi’s forehead. Her eyes dimmed as she murmured, “Her fever really is… unusual.”

Just as she was about to rise, a warm hand suddenly clasped hers.