It's Hard to Be the Female Lead's Best Friend (Apocalypse) GL - Chapter 15

Zombie crystal cores come in different colors; F-class cores are gray, and if they’re mid or high-tier, the core will be relatively larger. The palm-sized core in Gu Qingli’s hand was a high-tier F-class core.

However, Cheng Ziyu couldn’t understand why the female lead, who had always been hiding her strength, suddenly revealed it tonight.

Gu Qingli used scissors to cut open the outer layer of gel, then rinsed it with the remaining water. A gray, irregularly faceted crystal core emerged: “This is a zombie core. Ability users can absorb it to enhance their abilities or replenish energy.”

Qin Qingyan’s eyes lit up. She reached over Shu Jingyun, snatched it, and bounced it in her hand: “So this is a crystal core! How peculiar.”

The core’s edges were a bit sharp, and it felt incredibly hard. Qin Qingyan handed it back to Gu Qingli: “Sister, you wanted to search for food alone earlier because you wanted to hunt zombies and get these cores, right?”

“These will be very useful later,” Gu Qingli didn’t deny it. Her eyes held an apologetic look, appearing docile and regretful: “It was my fault for hiding it from you.”

“It’s okay, I forgive you.”

Gu Qingli smiled gently, then put away the crystal core, her gaze, clear as a mirror, fixed on Cheng Ziyu: “At noon, you said there was danger. How did you know? Tell me the details.”

“At first!” Cheng Ziyu thought for a moment. “No, I think it was about half a month ago. I would unconsciously hear some sounds, sometimes even when I was sleeping. This afternoon, I suddenly heard ‘danger,’ and then I heard the zombie say ‘food.'”

“Nothing else?” Qin Qingyan’s eyes were curious.

Cheng Ziyu shook her head.

“Perhaps your ability hasn’t been fully awakened yet,” Gu Qingli’s charming eyes flickered, seemingly doubtful about Cheng Ziyu’s unknown ability. “Or perhaps you simply can’t control this ability.”

“Really?” Cheng Ziyu’s little heart raced. She squeezed her hands excitedly: “I’ll try it.”

She looked around. On the room’s windowsill, a cactus was still alive and well. Cheng Ziyu’s heart stirred, and she pricked up her ears, listening carefully.

Sure enough, she heard the “rustling” sound again!

But besides the rustling, there was nothing else.

Cheng Ziyu was slightly disappointed: “Still no good.”

Gu Qingli saw her shoulders slump, her crestfallen expression like an abandoned kitten. She couldn’t help but smile gently and say: “Alright, take your time with abilities. I’ll stand watch tonight, you two get some good rest. Tomorrow, we’ll head to North City.”

Cheng Ziyu frowned. She felt the plot was a little off. The female lead should be heading to Jing City now to meet the male lead. Why North City?

This did somewhat resemble the direction a compass would point.

North City would establish a new district base later. The person who established the base was the villain Zhou Sisi in the book. Her family had always competed with the Xie family for rare earth resources, but the male lead, the Xie Group, had a research institute, making them relatively more powerful.

Zhou Sisi also got to know Gu Qingli because of this. In the novel, she always valued Gu Qingli’s opinion.

At the beginning of the apocalypse, Zhou Sisi often had contact with Gu Qingli. They would occasionally form a small team until both their bases were established, and then conflicts between them gradually arose, leaving the female lead in a dilemma.

In the end, the two became adversaries, and conflicts constantly created friction. The author then labeled Zhou Sisi as a villain. Zhou Sisi was very strong; she was a time ability user, which was why she looked like a girl in her early twenties even at forty-five. Even when the female lead brought about the apocalypse, she was the last one to die.

As for the male lead, he escaped to space with the survivors and lived happily ever after with two other female supporting characters. This was one of the reasons why Cheng Ziyu wanted to bash the scummy author to death, which was why she couldn’t help but send a negative review.

“Not going to Jing City? But aren’t they establishing a base there? Wouldn’t it be better to go there?” Qin Qingyan asked directly.

Cheng Ziyu nodded in agreement: “Exactly, it’s better if we go to Jing City.” She had to make sure the female lead met the male lead as soon as possible, otherwise those little bitches would steal him.

Gu Qingli stroked Qin Qingyan’s head, but then her gaze turned cold as she swept her eyes over Cheng Ziyu: “If you want to go to Jing City, go by yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you beforehand. Not only is Jing City a long way, but we don’t know what will happen along the way. As for the base… do you think you’ll get good treatment?”

Cheng Ziyu wanted to cry without tears. Of course, it would be top-tier treatment, with the male lead there. No, wait, given the female lead’s attitude now, she would only receive differential treatment.

“Alright then, but tonight, let me and Cheng Ziyu stand watch. You’ll have to drive tomorrow, so you can’t stay up late,” Qin Qingyan nodded obediently, instantly transforming into a fangirl.

Cheng Ziyu wanted to cry. She looked at Qin Qingyan with a face full of resentment. It was fine if she didn’t continue the fight, but why did she have to stay up all night too?

Anyway, Gu Qingli had already activated her ability, so she wouldn’t get tired even if she stayed up for days! *She felt sorry for herself!*

“Alright then!” Gu Qingli’s lips curved, she lowered the computer chair and lay down, closing her eyes to rest.

Cheng Ziyu sighed helplessly.

Although she wasn’t entirely clear what her ability was, she had indeed awakened one, and her physical strength was indeed slightly better than before, but only slightly. She still couldn’t shake off the title of “sports dud.”

So even if she stayed up, she should be a little stronger than Qin Qingyan: “I’ll take the first half of the night, you take the second half.”

“That’ll be so boring. Let’s just stay up together! We can sleep in the car tomorrow morning.”

“Whatever you want.”

Cheng Ziyu was too lazy to bother with Qin Qingyan. If she ruined her health, it wasn’t her responsibility. She rubbed her stomach, feeling a bit hungry, and took out a biscuit and soda to eat.

Qin Qingyan, however, took out a plate and placed it on the bedside table, then took out slices of bread and jam. Cheng Ziyu watched her spread it, then take out a sausage to make a simple sandwich.

“It’s the apocalypse, and you’re still eating so meticulously,” Cheng Ziyu said, chewing her dry bread.

Qin Qingyan took a bite of her sandwich, intentionally licked her lips sweetly, and made a very satisfied expression: “Mm, delicious.”

Cheng Ziyu couldn’t help but swallow. Although she had these things in her own backpack, once she’d said it out loud, she couldn’t bring herself to imitate the other person.

“Knock, knock…”

Cheng Ziyu frowned, hesitating whether to open the door, until she heard a “It’s me.” A bitter smile touched her lips, and she dropped her bread to open the door.

Dai Xiaoya’s expression was still indifferent, showing no guilt towards Cheng Ziyu. She handed her the tray: “For you, eat it while it’s hot.”

“No need, take it away.”

Dai Xiaoya smiled: “Whatever you want.”

Cheng Ziyu saw her turn to leave and finally couldn’t help but ask: “Why did you do that?”

Dai Xiaoya didn’t turn back, her desolate figure indicating that their friendship had come to an end: “I always thought you and I were the same. Meeting you in this world, I wouldn’t be alone anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Cheng Ziyu didn’t understand at all. “Just say what you mean directly. Why use such despicable methods?”

Dai Xiaoya smiled softly, her laughter gradually growing louder. She covered her eyes with one hand and shook her head, then turned and walked away: “Do you know why I took such good care of you? I was always very insecure. I’m like you, without parents, but I was lucky to have a grandmother who loved me. But she got sick, and I needed money, which is why I kept borrowing from you.”

Cheng Ziyu still couldn’t understand: “Didn’t I lend you money?”

Because of that, she had lived very frugally for two months.

“Enough, don’t be so hypocritical with me.” Dai Xiaoya slammed the tray down, scattering food everywhere. “You had 800,000 in compensation but kept saying you had no money. I was only 150,000 short of being able to get my grandma a kidney transplant and save her.”

Cheng Ziyu’s heart went cold. Although she had told Dai Xiaoya that she received 800,000 in compensation after her father’s death, she had never told her that the money had been swallowed by her aunt and uncle: “I…”

Dai Xiaoya tightly gripped her shoulders, her smile growing colder: “Do you know why I took such good care of you?”

Cheng Ziyu was hurt by the grip but didn’t resist.

“Because you were more pitiful than me, so I helped you. But now, I’m like you, all alone.” Dai Xiaoya’s expression became increasingly agitated. “You should be like me, but why can you still smile, even when I’ve betrayed you, why…”

*Why?* Because she had promised her father that she would always smile, always be happy. That was their agreement.

“So noisy!”

Gu Qingli rubbed her eyes, her languid expression showing annoyance. Yet, her slender fingers powerfully gripped Dai Xiaoya’s wrist, easily pulling it away: “My little kitten has been taken care of by you. Now, it’s none of your business. If you want to throw a fit, please do it elsewhere. Don’t disturb my sleep.”

Gu Qingli’s world-weary eyes were filled with undeniable authority. Her domineering yet relaxed demeanor made Cheng Ziyu’s heart pound like a startled deer, especially when Gu Qingli looked at her with a fleeting smile, like an invisible hook, firmly latching onto her heart.

She was just too cool!

Dai Xiaoya’s face turned pale from the pain. After her wrist was released, a faint finger mark was still visible. She rubbed her wrist, realizing that the beautiful girl in front of her was not to be trifled with. She glared, composed herself, and turned to leave.

“Thank you!”

Gu Qingli leaned in, lowering her body and putting her arm around Cheng Ziyu’s shoulder. Her eyes reflected Cheng Ziyu’s image completely, yet somehow felt a little eerie: “Don’t be too quick to thank me. You can accompany me for an experiment sometime.”

Cheng Ziyu’s mind was completely absorbed in their mingling presence. She felt the air was a bit oppressive, perhaps due to the female lead’s overpowering aura: “What… what experiment?”

Gu Qingli pursed her lips and smiled, patting her shoulder reassuringly: “Don’t worry, it won’t kill you.”

“Okay… okay!”

Cheng Ziyu returned to the room with a mix of apprehension and unease. Gu Qingli acted as if nothing had happened, lying in the chair with her eyes closed, resting.

Qin Qingyan had watched their interaction, feeling a tiny bit strange inside, but mostly excited, though she didn’t understand why she was excited.

Cheng Ziyu stood by the window, keeping a distance from Gu Qingli. The restless feeling in her heart gradually smoothed out with the breeze. She thought back to Dai Xiaoya’s words, and the bitterness deep inside her remained stubbornly present. Their friendship, after all, couldn’t withstand the temptation of money.

Qin Qingyan noticed this and casually walked over to her: “Honestly, I’m a little envious of you. At least you have an ability, while I’m still just an ordinary person.”

Cheng Ziyu snapped back to reality. She was somewhat surprised that Qin Qingyan would say something like that to interrupt her self-pity. The fact that she could say it directly also indicated that she was simply genuinely envious.

This supporting female character also seemed different from how she was written in the book, feeling more honest and understanding.

“Don’t worry, you might also have one later,” Cheng Ziyu’s heart grew increasingly chaotic, fearing that the plot was veering off course.

“Tell me, how do these abilities come about? Is it like in novels? Can you get an ability by being bitten by a zombie?” Qin Qingyan thought she was just trying to comfort her.

“You can try it,” Cheng Ziyu smiled. Besides self-activation, there was also a certain chance of activating an ability by being infected by a zombie, but the latter was too dangerous.

“Boring… I’m going to sleep.”

Cheng Ziyu: “…”

What about standing watch together?

Cheng Ziyu shook her head, looking out at the dark night sky. The city was plunged into darkness, and the starlit sky, without the glare of city lights, appeared clear and brilliant.

Zombies on the roadside swayed idly, looking somewhat lazy in their movements, only because there was no prey to be found. Once prey appeared, they would surely become more agitated than anyone else.

“Rumble…” Flashes of lightning appeared.