It's Hard to Be the Female Lead's Best Friend (Apocalypse) GL - Chapter 24

The still morning arrived again. Zombies, invigorated by the sunlight, scattered in search of breakfast.

Although Shu Jingyun’s injuries hadn’t fully healed, she could move freely. Cheng Ziyu’s hand wounds had also scabbed over, and as long as there wasn’t strenuous activity, she was fine.

Gu Qingli handed Shu Jingyun a small pouch: “It has crystal cores inside. If your ability is depleted, put a crystal core in your mouth.”

“Okay.”

Gu Qingli turned and handed Qin Qingyan a pistol: “You don’t know how to use a gun. Don’t take it out unless absolutely necessary.”

“Hehe, got it,” Qin Qingyan replied, taking it.

Cheng Ziyu’s eyes never left Gu Qingli. She had been bothered by her speculation from the night before, but with some contradictory points added in, she wasn’t so sure about her guess.

“Here.”

Cheng Ziyu took the small backpack Gu Qingli handed her. It felt heavy. She opened it and saw that besides a few crystal cores, there was also water and bread: “Suddenly, I feel like spatial abilities are so convenient.”

Gu Qingli was not modest: “And they’re good for showing off.”

“That sounds weird coming from you,” Cheng Ziyu slung the backpack on. “You’ve lost your ethereal charm.”

Gu Qingli rolled her eyes.

Qin Qingyan, watching their interaction from the side, stroked her chin. She felt that the two of them had suddenly become a little closer, especially Gu Qingli’s attitude, which wasn’t as targeted as before.

“Before we set off, try to see if you can control some flowers and trees,” Gu Qingli said, pointing to the money tree planted in the flowerbed outside the house.

Cheng Ziyu walked to the small tree. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, closed her eyes, and carefully felt for it. A cool breeze swept across her face, the small tree’s branches and leaves swayed gently, then finally returned to stillness.

She opened her eyes, blowing out her cheeks, extremely frustrated and depressed: “What’s going on? What kind of useless ability is this?”

“Don’t worry, learn slowly,” Qin Qingyan, finding nowhere to hide her gun, casually tucked it into her cleavage.

“Never mind, let’s go!” Gu Qingli shook her head.

Cheng Ziyu followed behind them. A patch of clover next to the money tree suddenly swayed, then jumped out of the flowerbed, bouncing along behind Cheng Ziyu. The moment she stepped out, it leaped onto her backpack.

Most of the cars on the road were damaged. Even the intact ones were out of gas. Qin Qingyan siphoned gas from several cars, barely collecting one liter.

She rinsed her mouth, spitting out a mouthful of clear water: “If I keep siphoning like this, I’ll die of disgust.”

“Proceed as planned.”

“Okay.”

Qin Qingyan drove, while Cheng Ziyu and Gu Qingli sat in the back. Cheng Ziyu would always secretly glance at Gu Qingli’s profile. The graceful curve perfectly displayed an imposing aura, just as she had felt when they first met: a delicate yet cool and handsome older sister figure; seemingly easy to get along with, but upon interaction, she realized it wasn’t so.

She wanted to understand the other person but didn’t know how.

Cheng Ziyu unconsciously touched the photo in her pocket. The touch reminded her of the night before when Gu Qingli had gently touched her tailbone area. That tingling, fleeting sensation once again swept through her body.

If she were to touch a little deeper, what would that feel like?

Gu Qingli leaned against the car door, her long legs crossed, one hand supporting her chin. Her shimmering eyes watched Cheng Ziyu like an idiot, sometimes laughing, sometimes making a bitter face.

“Cheng Ziyu.”

“Hm?” She looked sideways.

“Do you have any other photos at home?”

Cheng Ziyu clutched her pocket. The doubts she had dismissed resurfaced: “I don’t think so… Why do you ask?”

Gu Qingli smiled faintly, “You’re luckier than I am.”

Cheng Ziyu paused, then realized the female lead was an orphan. The male lead funded the female lead, also requiring her to intern in the lab after graduation, meaning the female lead probably had an affection-deficient personality.

Cheng Ziyu spoke earnestly: “Don’t worry, if no one loves you, my arms are open for you.”

Gu Qingli: “…” She just wanted to confirm some things.

“Sister Qing should be jumping into my arms, you’re not needed,” Qin Qingyan pouted, watching their every word and action through the rearview mirror.

“Yes, yes, I’ll let you have her.” She didn’t care.

The laughter and conversation inside the small car diluted the fear and oppression brought by the apocalypse, creating a stark contrast with the constant growls outside. The tall buildings by the roadside gradually thinned as the car moved quickly, leaving only single-story houses and five-story apartments.

Trees grew densely by the roadside, and a slight rustling sound gradually came. Shu Jingyun heard it and said uncertainly, “It sounds like gunshots.”

Qin Qingyan slowed down. As they got closer, a faint “thump-thump” of gunshots traveled from far to near.

Gu Qingli frowned: “It’s the suburban hospital.”

As soon as she spoke, three figures suddenly emerged from behind the trees. They were fully armed, pointing their guns at the small car: “Stop the car, please get out and submit to inspection. Put your hands over your head and let me see your hands.”

Qin Qingyan was undecided: “Should we get out?”

“Yes!” Gu Qingli said to Cheng Ziyu again, “Stay behind me.”

Cheng Ziyu nodded, following behind Gu Qingli and raising her injured hands. The soldiers’ attention was immediately drawn, overlooking the others.

The three soldiers cautiously approached. One of them pointed his gun at her: “What’s wrong with your wounds? Were they scratched by zombies?”

Cheng Ziyu pursed her lips. Indeed, they were scratched by zombies!

Gu Qingli simply said: “She’s an ability user, she won’t be infected. You can rest assured.”

“Then show me.”

“Uh… I can’t use it right now.” At a critical moment, her ability really failed her.

The three men exchanged glances, then nodded and said: “Then there’s nothing we can do. You’ll have to come back with us for a test. Once we confirm you’re not infected, we won’t make things difficult for you, of course.”

“Okay, but our car…” Qin Qingyan was reluctant to part with the car; the gasoline inside was hard-earned.

“Confiscated,” one of the soldiers pushed Qin Qingyan, saying impatiently, “Alright, hurry up.”

The few of them were pushed forward.

Cheng Ziyu looked around. Soldiers were clearing nearby zombies, and occasional gunshots rang out. Two snipers were perched on top of a nearby apartment building, covered with gray cloth. Their movements were neat and orderly, clearly indicating a large team; but it wasn’t the military.

Because these people, despite their uniform equipment, wore a variety of clothes, indicating they were likely mercenaries.

Visually, there should be hidden deployments all around.

Fires burned around the hospital. Many people gathered around the flames, eating grilled meat and drinking cocktails. This was considered a high privilege in the apocalypse, clearly indicating a very wealthy employer.

These people were still setting up tents and defensive structures, but it looked like an expansion, as there were already large-scale tents not far away, and even the buildings parked nearby were equipped with large searchlights.

Cheng Ziyu frowned. According to the novel’s description, any team with such strength currently would primarily be the government; but the government was ruled out, leaving only the male lead, Tian Huixiuen from Japan, and the villain.

Which team could they be?

The few of them were led to a temporarily built wooden house. Two soldiers stood guard outside the door. One of them confiscated all their backpacks and daggers.

Only Qin Qingyan’s gun, tucked into her chest, remained: “Hey, we still have the crystal cores we painstakingly gathered inside. It’s a bit too much for you to take those too, isn’t it?”

“We’re providing you with shelter, food, and water. Consider these as service fees.” The soldier ignored the accusation, took the backpacks, and left.

Another soldier pushed Cheng Ziyu: “You go inside. You can come out after staying for 24 hours.”

Qin Qingyan had been holding back. She blocked Cheng Ziyu’s way: “Didn’t you say you could test? Is this your test?”

“Of course. If you have an opinion, we’ll lock you up too.” The soldier pushed her aside. The door of the small wooden house opened. It was dark inside, and a group of people huddled in the corner, their faces obscured by shadows.

Cheng Ziyu was pushed in before she could react.

Seeing this, Gu Qingli feigned worry, tears welling up in her eyes: “Brother, my sister is timid and afraid of the dark. Can I go in and accompany my sister?”

The soldier finally looked directly at Gu Qingli. Her clean face was flawless. Her sharp eyes, however, pleaded with tears. She was spotlessly clean, a rare beauty. In the apocalypse, such girls would have to rely on men to survive.

The soldier stroked his chin: “Little sister, it’s very dangerous inside. Why don’t you come back with big brother first? Big brother will help look after your sister. Once 24 hours have passed, big brother will bring her to see you.”

“No, I just want to be with my sister.” Gu Qingli’s eyes were firm, stubborn as a mule.

“Do you want to go in and die with her?” The soldier narrowed his eyes.

“Alright, let her in!” Another soldier patted his shoulder. His sunny smile was comforting. He looked at her sideways, “Remember to protect your sister!”

“What a shame, go on in!”

These soldiers had order. Although they were mercenaries, they didn’t dare to act chaotically. They had been told to maintain good relations with civilians, though they didn’t understand why.

Gu Qingli wiped away her tears and stepped into the wooden house.

Cheng Ziyu was grateful, but doubt resurfaced in her mind. Was the female lead truly reborn? And why would she risk danger to follow her in?

Qin Qingyan and Shu Jingyun were taken to the civilian area.

When the door closed, the only light disappeared, leaving only a faint glimmer through the cracks, like the only lifeline in the wooden house. They gazed at it greedily.

Cheng Ziyu was far from them, hiding in another corner. When Gu Qingli groped her way over, her heart warmed, and she couldn’t help but ask: “Why did you follow me in?”

“Afraid you’d cry.” Gu Qingli squatted in front of her, observing the outside through a crack in the wooden board; but her vision was limited, she didn’t see much.

One moment pushing her into the mouth of zombies, the next moment caring for her. Although she couldn’t fathom the female lead’s thoughts, Cheng Ziyu couldn’t help but curve her lips. This smile, perhaps even she herself didn’t realize how much affection it held.

She leaned against the wooden wall, closing her eyes, listening to the surrounding sounds.

Only a few soldiers remained on guard outside.

Gu Qingli observed for a while, unable to discern the origin of these people. She pursed her lips and whispered, “I hope it’s not him.”

Cheng Ziyu opened her eyes, having adjusted slightly to the darkness. She looked sideways at Gu Qingli’s pale face, which appeared particularly fair illuminated by a faint sliver of light.

If the female lead were reborn, shouldn’t she be clinging tightly to the male lead and getting rid of the girls around him?

Why did the female lead tolerate Qin Qingyan and not get rid of her, yet her path seemed to be moving further and further away from the male lead?

Could she have guessed wrong?

Gu Qingli sat leaning back, closing her eyes, wanting her eyes to adjust to the darkness as quickly as possible: “Cheng Ziyu.”

Here we go again, “Now what?”

“What kind of person was your dad?”

Why was she asking about her again?

It seemed Gu Qingli had been asking about her ever since she saw the photo. Cheng Ziyu suppressed her doubts, recalling her father: “He was a very gentle person. He was very hardworking and never complained. He was the best dad in the world.”

“Do you remember your childhood?”

“I vaguely remember after I was five. My dad and mom were already divorced by then.” Cheng Ziyu indeed only remembered things after she was five, but there was also a fuzzy memory in her mind.

It was a white world. In this world, many people came and went. There was only coldness there. Everyone was expressionless, like steel robots.