“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 35

Updated: April 1, 2025

“Check.”

Jin Buning muttered softly. The red envelope unfolded in front of her, the countdown still ticking away. A line of bold red text flashed urgently across the paper.

[In three minutes and twenty-nine seconds, a major traffic accident will occur ahead. The host must race against time to rescue an important supporting character.
Reward for success: +10 stamina.
Penalty for failure: Death.]

The message was brutally straightforward and full of traps. It didn’t even specify who this “important supporting character” was, as if daring Jin Buning to figure it out on her own.

She calculated the distance quickly, spotting the intersection up ahead. It looked like an ordinary junction, the kind that couldn’t possibly be the site of a “major traffic accident.” She wanted to doubt it, but the Love App’s predictions had been too accurate before she had no choice but to believe.

“Uncle, I’m not feeling well. Could you pull over for a bit?”

The driver looked at her in surprise, then frowned. “Young Miss, we can’t stop here. It’s not a parking zone.”

His eyes in the rearview mirror were puzzled, perhaps even judging her as another spoiled, unreasonable heiress.

Realizing she was pushing him, Jin Buning compromised. “Then slow down. As much as you can.”

The driver sighed but obeyed, easing off the accelerator. Seeing how pale she looked, he cracked open the back window, hoping the breeze might help.

“Don’t open the window. Just slow down.”

He hesitated. “Miss, if you’re really feeling unwell, we can switch lanes and head to the hospital.”

Jin Buning clutched her chest, gasping deliberately. “No, I can’t wait that long. I can’t breathe. Call emergency services now.”

The driver was clearly baffled. Her behavior seemed erratic, unreasonable, but the Zhen family paid well, so he reluctantly picked up his phone and dialed for help.

“What’s the emergency?”

Before he could respond, Jin Buning snatched his phone, ending the Bluetooth connection. Her tone was calm but urgent. “There’s going to be a major traffic accident ahead. Many people will be injured.”

She glanced at the timer—thirty seconds left. When the countdown ended, this stretch of road would turn into a disaster zone. She had no powers, no special strength to stop it. All she could do was try to summon help.

“Miss, are you sure? We haven’t received any reports of.”

The emergency dispatcher’s doubt was cut short by a deafening screech. The driver slammed on the brakes, and in the next heartbeat, a speeding truck lost control, skidding across lanes before crashing into nearby cars.

One collision led to another. The entire intersection erupted into chaos. Horns blared, glass shattered, and metal screamed against metal. Jin Buning’s car was hit on the driver’s side, the impact sending a violent jolt through her body.

Her ears rang from the noise. Dizzy, she tried to focus, hearing only fragments of the voice still coming from the phone.

“Miss? Can you hear me? Where’s the accident?”

She turned, but the driver beside her was slumped against the wheel, unconscious and bleeding.

Forcing herself out of the wreck, Jin Buning stumbled onto the street. The scene was horrific twisted cars, thick smoke, people crying or frozen in shock. Some were helping, others only stood and stared, filming with their phones.

The irony stung her. Death was all around, yet so many simply watched. She wanted to condemn them, but deep down, she knew until moments ago, she had been just as detached.

“I’m at Fortune Avenue Intersection,” she said into the phone, regaining her composure. “There’s been a pile-up. A truck lost control.”

“Understood. Rescue teams are on their way. Miss, I heard the crash earlier. Are you alright?”

His sudden concern threw her off. For a moment, that simple human kindness felt foreign. But there was no time for emotion. She tossed the phone aside and started running toward the worst of the wreckage.

The truck had overturned, leaking fuel. The surrounding cars were crushed together like paper, some already on fire. People screamed, bled, and begged for help.

She activated the system’s scan.

Not it.
Not this one either.

Profile after profile flashed before her eye, E-level characters, all unimportant in the system’s eyes. Her heart sank. She couldn’t save everyone; the mission’s twenty-minute timer meant she had to make a choice.

And that choice was killing her.

Then she saw a woman, drenched in bl00d, clawing frantically at a mangled car door. Her desperation was raw, animal-like. Jin Buning followed her gaze and saw the small child trapped inside.

Her chest tightened. It wasn’t the target, but she couldn’t walk away.

“Damn it,” she muttered, and ran to help.

The woman stared in shock as Jin joined her, but didn’t hesitate. Together they pried at the warped metal, hands slipping on bl00d and oil. Inside, the little girl was unconscious, her head bleeding heavily. There was no time.

“Don’t just stand there!” someone shouted from the crowd. “Help them!”

That snapped the bystanders into motion. A few rushed forward, lending their strength, their tools, their panic. The mother’s sobs filled the air.

“Please… hold on, my baby, please…”

The metal wouldn’t budge. Every second felt like an eternity.

Five minutes left.

Jin Buning’s arms trembled. She knew what this meant she hadn’t found the “important NPC.” And when the timer hit zero, she would die.

If only she had real power she could change everything.

Her mind flickered to the system’s store. Yes, there had to be something, anything that could boost her strength. Desperation drove her to open it. And as if the system had read her thoughts, a new one-time skill appeared.

Invincible for One Minute
For sixty seconds, all stats increased by 300%.
Cost: 100 memory fragments.

Her pulse pounded. A hundred fragments—it was everything she’d saved. But what use was hoarding them if she didn’t survive?

“Confirm purchase.”

People turned to stare. She didn’t care. The moment the words left her mouth, power flooded her veins. Her eyes sharpened, her body thrummed with energy.

She stepped forward, gripped the car door, and ripped it open with her bare hands. Gasps erupted around her. Jin Buning ignored them, reaching carefully inside to lift the small girl out.

“Easy now…” she whispered.

The child blinked weakly, her lips pale. “Sister… is this heaven?”

Jin Buning froze.

Name: Baili Tu
Age: 10
Role Evaluation: A-tier Important Character

Her heart skipped. The girl who had almost passed over the child she had saved on instinct was the one. And not just anyone. Baili Tu… the beloved niece of Baili Ruobing.

[Mission Complete: Saved Important Supporting Character “Baili Tu.”]
[Reward: +10 stamina.]
[Bonus: For showing compassion, a reward granted the Beginner Disguise Skill.]

More messages flashed before her eyes, but she could barely process them. The little girl was safe in her mother’s arms now, murmuring softly, “Mom, I’m fine.”

The woman broke down completely, clutching her child and sobbing. Others around them wept too, the tension giving way to relief.

Sirens blared in the distance. The rescue teams had finally arrived.

Jin Buning exhaled slowly. Her vision blurred as the rush of power faded. Every muscle screamed in exhaustion.

She took a few unsteady steps backward, trying to stay upright only to stumble straight into someone’s arms.

The person smelled faintly of cold cedar and wore impeccably neat clothes. Jin Buning wanted to apologize, but before she could speak, the backlash from her skill overwhelmed her.

Everything went dark.

And she collapsed.