What to Do, I've Been Targeted by the Villain Again [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 29

A long-prepared seduction plan ended before it even began.

Today, the group arrived at their designated resource-gathering location and stepped out of the vehicle together.

Even after numerous outings, the sight of the once-bustling commercial district now reduced to a desolate, chaotic wasteland still weighed heavily on their hearts.

The air was thick with the stench of rotting corpses—inescapable, unavoidable. Just a month ago, this place had been filled with the mingling aromas of various street food stalls, making mouths water with every step.

Online forums used to joke about joggers needing to detour around this area, but now…

They wished this were just a nightmare, yet no matter how hard they pinched themselves, they couldn’t wake up.

Everyone’s expressions were grim, and even Xu Sangning grew slightly more serious.

Only Ji Tangmian remained blissfully unaware—though, given her character, she wasn’t expected to be on high alert anyway.

Ji Tangmian was more than happy to stay in character. She clung tightly to Xu Sangning’s arm, trembling and squeezing her eyes shut, refusing to look at the zombies around them.

The group formed a protective circle around Ji Tangmian as they advanced, swiftly dispatching any zombies that drew near. Xu Sangning, however, did nothing but cover Ji Tangmian’s mouth.

The others didn’t mind that Xu Sangning wasn’t fighting.

While staying silent didn’t guarantee safety from zombies, a single scream would undoubtedly attract every undead creature in the vicinity.

Remembering how Ji Tangmian’s shrieks had once led to casualties back at the base, they wholeheartedly approved of Xu Sangning’s actions. Some even shot her encouraging glances, silently urging her to press harder—anything to keep Ji Tangmian from making a sound.

When Ji Tangmian had initially insisted on bringing an extra person along, they’d been reluctant.

Now, they’d already decided that from this point forward, they’d always ask Ji Tangmian to bring Xu Sangning with her. They even silently wished the two would never break up.

Keeping Ji Tangmian’s mouth shut saved them so much trouble.

Pressed against Xu Sangning, Ji Tangmian stumbled forward in a daze, relying purely on instinct.

This was way too close!

Her lips were practically touching Xu Sangning’s—by rough estimation, she was kissing Xu Sangning again, and it was a long, lingering one at that.

System: You’re getting more and more perverted.

Ji Tangmian: I’m just comforting myself in my head. What’s your problem?

Ji Tangmian stole a cautious glance at Xu Sangning.

Xu Sangning wasn’t looking at her, her attention fixed on scanning their surroundings for threats.

Ten minutes later, they entered the mall.

But there was no time to relax—the number of zombies inside was no fewer than outside.

The only silver lining was that many of them were trapped behind counters.

The floor was littered with corpses, both human and undead, the white tiles stained with dried bl00d.

The stench was even worse here, with plump white maggots writhing over some of the bodies.

Ji Tangmian wanted to peek, but this time, Xu Sangning covered her eyes as well.

Given Ji Tangmian’s personality, if she saw this, she’d definitely start screaming. Better to spare her the sight.

This wasn’t a plot-critical moment—no need to invite unnecessary trouble.

The mall’s basement level housed a supermarket. After clearing most of the zombies on the first floor, they cautiously descended the stairs. Once below, they split into three smaller teams to gather supplies and eliminate any remaining threats.

The strongest lightning-type ability user was assigned to Xu Sangning and Ji Tangmian’s team.

Perhaps because there were too many zombies in this area, the supermarket still had quite a few supplies left.

Unfortunately, there was no spatial ability user among them, so they couldn’t take everything—only a portion.

Ji Tangmian was quite enthusiastic when gathering supplies, frantically sweeping items into the shopping cart.

As she approached a large pillar, Xu Sangning suddenly grabbed her by the collar and yanked her back. The moment she did, a zombie emerged from behind the pillar, its hand swiping at the spot where Ji Tangmian had just been standing.

Clearly, the zombie had been hiding there, waiting for Ji Tangmian to get close.

Xu Sangning covered Ji Tangmian’s mouth and quickly retreated, staring at the zombie with its sunken eye sockets. Its eyes were pitch-black, yet Xu Sangning inexplicably sensed a flicker of “disappointment” in its gaze.

The first batch of zombies with rudimentary thinking abilities had appeared.

The lightning-type ability user struck it down, and its already decaying body instantly turned into a pile of charred bones.

Xu Sangning exchanged a glance with the others, their expressions grave.

Zombies developing the ability to think was not good news for humanity.

Xu Sangning lowered her gaze.

In this world, zombies weren’t an entirely new species—they did possess cognitive abilities, and they would only grow smarter over time.

However, zombies in this world couldn’t reproduce. They could only expand their ranks by converting humans. Yet, paradoxically, humans were also their food. Zombies that fed on humans were more likely to evolve thinking abilities.

Mindless zombies wouldn’t starve if they didn’t eat humans, but those with cognitive abilities needed to consume energy—otherwise, they would regress, reverting to mindless monsters. Naturally, they resisted this fate, desperate to separate themselves from their brainless counterparts.

Their minds could think, but their bodies continued to decay day by day.

The smartest zombies even attempted to find a way to survive, but their research couldn’t keep up with the rate of their physical deterioration.

After humans first discovered that zombies could think, some began to believe that zombies were a new species—that turning into one was a form of evolution.

Many who couldn’t endure the apocalypse embraced this idea, willingly leaving the safety of the bases to become zombies.

Yet, even by the end of the novel, zombies had never found a true path to survival.

Xu Sangning frowned slightly.

While zombies with basic thinking abilities should have appeared around this time, they weren’t supposed to be discovered so soon…

What had gone wrong this time?

She glanced at Ji Tangmian before looking away.

Whatever. It had nothing to do with her. She was just here to do a job—she only needed to focus on her own tasks.

The group loaded the vehicle with supplies, stuffing every available space to the brim.

No one had died, though a few were lightly injured. But Ji Tangmian quickly healed their wounds.

By all accounts, today’s mission had been a success—something worth celebrating. Under normal circumstances, everyone would have been silently cheering in the vehicle by now.

But after encountering that special zombie, the mood was somber. Their faces were grim, each expression darker than the last.

Ji Tangmian leaned against Xu Sangning, hugging her arm tightly. “I owe it all to Sangning today, or I’d have been in real trouble. How do zombies even have brains now? What are we supposed to do in the future?”

“If you’re scared, maybe you shouldn’t come out next time?”

“No way!” Ji Tangmian shook her head vigorously, as if trying to turn it into a spinning rattle. “I have to stay with you. What if you get hurt? What if we can’t make it back to the base in time?”

The others in the car: …

Why did they suddenly have to witness such affectionate displays during such a grim situation?

But after being force-fed a big bowl of “dog food,” their moods lightened slightly. They figured things would work out eventually—no use panicking. Just look at Ji Tangmian, so weak yet so carefree.

When the car was about three kilometers from the base, they encountered a roadblock.

Three vehicles and ten men who looked anything but friendly had the road completely sealed off.

“Probably here to loot supplies,” Xu Sangning frowned.

“How dare they!” The others looked furious. “We’re practically at the base already!”

“Blocking the road here means they’re deliberately targeting base vehicles. Returning teams carry supplies—if they can rob even one convoy, they’ll have enough to last days.” Xu Sangning pressed Ji Tangmian’s head down. “Don’t look up.”

“Okay.” Ji Tangmian obediently stayed still, lying across Xu Sangning’s lap with her eyes closed.

Xu Sangning watched as the man at the center of the group approached and knocked on their window.

When the window rolled down, a foul stench hit her—who knew how long it had been since these men last bathed.

“Heard you’ve been rescuing people everywhere? How about helping us out today—hand over your supplies.” The man smirked, tilting his chin arrogantly.

Xu Sangning scanned the ten men again. No wonder they dared to ambush them—five of them were ability users.

“Hey, is your team even legit? You all look so pretty—a whole car of pretty boys, all dressed up like it’s a fashion show in the middle of the apocalypse… Oh, and a girl too.” The man’s lecherous gaze swept over the car, lingering on Xu Sangning for three extra seconds.

The atmosphere inside the car turned icy.

Xu Sangning raised her hand, and two ice spikes plunged deep into the man’s eyeballs before exploding inside his skull.

The driver flinched at the burst of red, instinctively closing his eyes. Thankfully, Xu Sangning’s water shield blocked the spray of bl00d and brain matter.

The driver exhaled in relief.

The fight erupted instantly. Seeing the confrontation ahead, people from the rear vehicle jumped out, unleashing their abilities on the remaining attackers.

“Holy crap, Sister Xu, you’re a beast!”

Xu Sangning pressed her lips together, and a water serpent surged from her palm.

A chaotic mix of abilities clashed, the explosions triggering a frenzy among nearby zombies.

Xu Sangning was in an exceptionally foul mood.

This wasn’t even part of the plot—just unnecessary overtime work!

If this weren’t the apocalypse, she might have tolerated it. But working overtime during the end of the world? Xu Sangning’s expression darkened as more ice spikes shot out, piercing eye sockets and eardrums with precision. Heads burst open one after another, painting the scene crimson.

Ji Tangmian: AHHHHH! So cool, wuwuwu, I love her so much!

Still lying across Xu Sangning’s lap, Ji Tangmian secretly watched the live feed through her system, silently screaming in her head.

The people throwing vines nearby couldn’t help but whisper countless “holy shits” under their breath.

They had thought Xu Sangning was just a freeloader, but who knew she had some serious skills? Wasn’t it just yesterday that she awakened her powers? How much effort must she have put in to master them so quickly?

Xu Sangning glanced at the two remaining opponents and withdrew her hand. Her abilities had reached their limit—blowing up the brains of other power users was still pretty exhausting.

“You scared me to death,” Ji Tangmian said, pulling Xu Sangning’s hand and placing it on her own head. “Pet me.”