It's Hard to Be the Female Lead's Best Friend (Apocalypse) GL - Chapter 21.1
Shu Jingyun surveyed her surroundings and realized that Cheng Ziyu was gone. She lowered her head in silence, her expression conflicted, seemingly unsure whether to turn back and look for her.
Finally, she punched a tree trunk and turned back to search for the person.
The silent surroundings were filled only with the rustling of wind. In front, zombies aimlessly patrolled by a small tree. Cheng Ziyu quietly retreated, hiding behind the tree.
Her right hand hurt terribly. A trickle of bl00d oozed from the bandage. Just now, she had been too anxious to notice the pain, but once she calmed down, faint throbbing pain caused tears to quietly stream down her face.
She sobbed softly, unsure if the tears were due to fear or pain. She pulled up her damp clothes, using a clean corner to wipe her eyes.
She was afraid of being alone. Since childhood, she had always been alone, always waiting; only to be met with their departure. Cheng Ziyu even thought that this world was so bad, it would be better to die sooner and find release earlier.
Unintentionally, Cheng Ziyu touched her bulging pocket. She took out what was inside, looking at the compass in her hand, remembering what the old woman had said.
Don’t be afraid, don’t lose your way.
She tightened her grip on the compass and put it away again: “I finally met the female lead; I won’t give up easily.”
As she looked around in confusion, she saw the tree branches forming an arrow again. Although she didn’t understand why this tree moved, she could feel its goodwill, as if it just wanted to guide her. Cheng Ziyu pondered for a moment and finally decided to run in the direction the branches pointed.
The surrounding scenery flashed by one by one. Following the path guided by the small tree, she didn’t encounter a single zombie.
Cheng Ziyu grew more and more tired as she ran. When she stopped to rest for a moment, a figure flashed in her mind: “Gu Qingli, I wonder if you’ll worry about me.”
“Cheng Ziyu…”
A familiar, clear yet gentle high-pitched voice echoed through the forest. This was also the catalyst for her tears to overflow again. At this moment, her uneasy heart finally settled, like a warm stream moistening her.
So, you worry too.
Cheng Ziyu had originally wanted to force herself not to cry, but she wanted to learn from Qin Qingyan and shamelessly hug Gu Qingli and act spoiled, to close the distance between them.
So!
She cried out loud and ran towards the drenched Gu Qingli, throwing herself into her arms without a second thought, clutching her tightly: “Wuwu… I’m scared…”
Cheng Ziyu was covered in mud, and hadn’t bathed in days, the foul smell causing Gu Qingli to frown deeply; yet, she didn’t push away the person in her arms. Instead, she gently comforted her.
“It’s alright, I’m here.”
“Can you not leave me behind in the future?”
Gu Qingli paused, not answering. Instead, she gently patted her back: “Stop crying, let’s go back first.”
Cheng Ziyu neither nodded nor let go.
“Will you let go first, please?”
“No!”
Warm breath brushed against Gu Qingli’s neck, a tingling sensation shot straight to her brain. This made her slightly uncomfortable, and her patience began to wane: “If you don’t let go, do you believe I’ll chop off your hands?”
Cheng Ziyu immediately let go, her tearful eyes filled with resentment.
The female lead was too difficult to handle.
Cheng Ziyu had no choice but to dry her tears. Because her palms were somewhat dirty, she unknowingly smeared her face, making her look like a neglected house cat, dirty but pitiable.
Gu Qingli looked away and handed her a pack of tissues: “Even little kids know not to rub their eyes with dirty hands. Have you regressed to three and a half years old?”
Was the female lead despising her intelligence?
Hehe!
Little did she know, Cheng Ziyu was deliberately feigning helplessness.
She took the tissues and wiped her face: “Thank you.”
She saw Gu Qingli looking left and right, her eyes not meeting hers. Noticing this, she felt a little strange in her heart. Was she so dirty that she couldn’t be seen by others?
“Let’s go!”
A few zombies slowly swayed over in the distance, scattering left and right. Their mouths were never closed, and the liquid dripping from their mouths indicated their hunger.
Gu Qingli pulled the dawdling Cheng Ziyu and turned to run out of the forest. Their palms were tightly clasped, feeling each other’s warmth and softness.
Cheng Ziyu unconsciously curled her fingertips.
Gu Qingli felt the subtle change in her palm. She knew Cheng Ziyu was just afraid of being left behind; this made her feel needed.
Gu Qingli hid her slightly flustered eyes.
Her hand slowly loosened, but Cheng Ziyu clutched it tightly, refusing to let go.
Shu Jingyun saw the two running hand in hand like desperate lovers. She was stunned for a moment, then composed herself and waved to them, signaling them to run this way.
The few of them sprinted, the zombies behind them maintaining a constant distance. Although they successfully ran out of the small woods, there were still zombies blocking the way in the alley.
“Run north, Qingyan will meet you at the intersection,” Gu Qingli fully released her hand, a small knife in her grip. “Go there and wait for me first.”
Cheng Ziyu pursed her lips. Before she could react, Shu Jingyun dragged her away. The anxiety in her heart made her look back repeatedly as Gu Qingli was gradually surrounded by zombies.
The rushing zombies were all burned by Shu Jingyun’s flames: “My ability won’t last much longer.”
Shu Jingyun’s breathing began to become erratic.
Cheng Ziyu’s eyes were firm, and she started running with long strides.
“Roar—”
Gu Qingli raised her small knife. A dozen zombies charged at once. She dodged left and right, like a fish playing in water. Each dodge was accompanied by a zombie falling to the ground.
Gu Qingli’s speed with the knife was incredibly fast. To avoid being touched when zombies rushed in, she chopped at their heads with every strike. In no time, only a few zombies remained.
Her tone was arrogant, but her demeanor showed no pride: “Good, it seems my ability has finally improved a bit. Although it hasn’t recovered to its peak, it’s enough for self-preservation.”
Gu Qingli was about to take care of the remaining zombies in one go when suddenly, an alarm blared in her mind. She felt a cold chill down her back. Without thinking, she rolled on the ground.
“Bang—” A long gunshot echoed.
The zombie’s head burst open, splattering Gu Qingli with foul bl00d. She stood up, her cold eyes following the bullet’s trajectory: “Sniper.”
From a very distant tall building, a window flashed with light.
Gu Qingli pursed her lips, then turned and pressed herself against the wall, avoiding the sniper’s line of sight. Another deafening gunshot rang out, and a zombie’s head burst open again. The bullet’s power didn’t diminish, piercing the ground and raising a cloud of dust.
Gu Qingli didn’t show off. She turned and moved through the alley. Another gunshot hit a wall beside her, sending dust flying.
“Bang—”
Cheng Ziyu had just gotten into the back seat when the gunshots made her heart pound. They didn’t know where the shots came from, nor if the person was an enemy or a friend.
Qin Qingyan was fidgety: “No more waiting.”
Cheng Ziyu thought she was going to abandon Gu Qingli and was about to curse her for being ungrateful, but then she saw Qin Qingyan get into the driver’s seat. She connected two wires, stomped on the accelerator, and sped into the alley.
The alley was very narrow. Qin Qingyan wasn’t a good driver, constantly hitting the walls left and right. The car was mangled in no time. She honked the horn, yelling, “Sister Qing, I’m here! I’m coming to pick you up!”
The zombies were attracted first. They crowded in, some chasing the car, others getting run over as soon as they showed their faces.
“Bang—”
A bullet hit the car’s front, striking the engine, causing thick smoke to billow from the front. Qin Qingyan immediately cursed in fright: “What the hell does this person want?”
“Bang—” A large hole appeared in the wall.
The small car escaped danger. Qin Qingyan stomped on the accelerator and pulled the lever to speed up. At a cross-alley, she found Gu Qingli. Shu Jingyun leaned over the passenger seat and opened the door. Gu Qingli bent down and darted in, pulling the door shut behind her.
Her fluid movements were comparable to a martial arts master.
“Bang—” The rear of the small car was penetrated.
Qin Qingyan stomped on the accelerator, and the small car rapidly shot forward.
In the distant high-rise building, Jimi exhaled a cloud of thick, murky smoke, mixed with the smell of gunpowder, forming an unpleasant odor: “They ran away, what a pity.”
“Boss, didn’t Young Master Xie want us to bring Miss Gu back alive?” one of his subordinates behind him asked timidly.
“Heh!” Jimi flicked the cigarette butt from his fingers, dropped it on the ground and stepped on it, then put away his firearm: “It’s the apocalypse now. Even if Gu Qingli dies outside, what can Young Master Xie do?”
“But…”
“Alright, if Gu Qingli doesn’t die, those two beauties won’t let us go. Do this cleanly, Young Master Xie won’t find out.”
“Yes.”
Jimi scratched the back of his head and handed the firearm to one of them: “You few continue to chase. I’ll take the others to the gas station to block them. They’ll need gasoline if they want to leave.”
“By the way, they are girls after all. If they lose the will to resist, remember to treat them gently.” A lewd smile slowly curved on Jimi’s lips.
“Understood, Boss.”
Upon hearing this, all the men became eager.