I Pursued My Scummy Ex’s White Moonlight – Chapter 4

Apocalypse Outbreak

Dense dark clouds frightened every household into bringing in their bedding. The wind howled, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. A private car lost control and crashed into the roadside railing. Its front was smashed in, and a plume of bluish smoke rose from it. A kind-hearted young man ran up to pull the car door, but it was too severely deformed to budge.

Gasoline from the car flowed onto the ground.

The young man wasn’t scared; instead, he turned his head and shouted for passersby to help. But just then, sparks flew from the front of the car, frightening everyone away. Seeing this, the bus driver quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran off the bus to help.

Many people on the bus also took out their phones to film this heartwarming rescue scene.

Everyone’s attention was on the crashed car, but Su Wenwen kept staring at the man inside it. The distance was too great for her to see the specific situation. Figures moved around the car, but not many people went up to help. After all, the prerequisite for acting courageously for a just cause was to ensure one’s own safety. Most people steered clear when they saw the brilliant sparks.

The bus driver released the safety pin on the fire extinguisher, and white smoke billowed towards the flames. Soon, the white mist dispersed.

The villain stood up at this moment. Su Wenwen quickly grabbed her wrist and said, “Wait, you can’t get off the bus now.”

Seeing the villain stunned, Su Wenwen didn’t explain much. She held onto the villain simply because the main storyline had bound her to her; ensuring the villain’s safety and then quietly completing missions was the most reasonable and optimal approach.

“Not going to help?”

Su Wenwen smiled. She hadn’t expected the current villain to be so warm-hearted, not as unapproachable as she appeared. She said, “The fire in the car is already out. It’s only a matter of time before the person is rescued. Besides, with that designer outfit you’re wearing, you’re not really dressed for helping.”

The villain came from a wealthy family. The company Helian Yun worked at was one of the villain’s family assets. So, even when wearing inconspicuous clothes, they were at least mid-to-high-end brands.

That black women’s suit, high heels, and tight black skirt all highlighted the villain’s cold, glamorous, and noble aura. Judging by her attire, she probably intended to return to the company after getting off the bus.

The villain said nothing and sat down again.

【Beep: Blackening Value -1】

【Hidden Main Quest Triggered: The villain feels mentally and physically pleased by the Host’s touch. So, give another loving hug to speed up pursuing the villain! (Time-limited mission: Must be completed before leaving the bus, otherwise it will be considered a failure, and you will suffer the misfortune of a cannon fodder passerby until the mission is completed and the effect is removed.)】

Su Wenwen was completely bewildered by this mission. To say it was simple, it was practically child’s play—a hug would complete it. But to say it was difficult, she wasn’t familiar with the villain, so how could she hug her?

Also, what was this ‘misfortune of a cannon fodder passerby’? The mission didn’t specify. She opened the villain’s Blackening Value panel and—good heavens—it was actually 1089.

Su Wenwen checked the explanation for the Blackening Value. It increased with negative influences and decreased with positive ones. Su Wenwen’s main task was to lower the villain’s Blackening Value.

Each time a main quest was completed, the Blackening Value would decrease by an additional 1 point. An ordinary person’s Blackening Value was at most 100; exceeding this number meant they could be classified as a bad person. At this rate, unless Su Wenwen was exceptionally lucky, it would be difficult to lower the villain’s Blackening Value to 100 even by the time she died.

Although Helian Yun had cheated¹ on Su Wenwen with the villain, judging by the villain’s behavior, she clearly detested Helian Yun. The enemy of an enemy is a friend, so hugging a ‘friend’ was still acceptable.

Su Wenwen lowered her head, pondering whether to forcibly hug the villain or find an impeccable excuse to do so. To prevent the villain’s Blackening Value from increasing, she felt finding an excuse would be more agreeable.

She was completely unconcerned with what was happening outside the bus. Just when she was completely unprepared, a hand suddenly slapped against the bus window, startling Su Wenwen. She quickly looked over.

“Don’t just stand there dazed, come down and help!”

Several men on the bus, seeing the driver extinguish the fire, rolled up their sleeves and got off to help. With everyone working together, the jammed and deformed car door was finally pried open. The man inside was slumped over the steering wheel, his condition unknown.

The man was dragged out and laid flat on the ground.

His head was covered in blood, obscuring his face. There were also some white spots on the top of his head, and something resembling brain matter was oozing out. The man’s neck had many blisters, and the skin around them was bluish-green.

Su Wenwen’s expression immediately turned grave.

According to the book’s setting, the virus that caused the apocalypse outbreak came from extraterrestrial microorganisms. The continuous heavy rain a while ago was actually virus-laden rain, invading specific genes. Calculating the time, those people’s genes had already begun to change. People with stronger resistance might mutate a few hours or a day later, but most people would mutate at this very moment.

“Looks like he’s beyond saving,” someone on the bus said. “What a pity, he looked so young.”

Scarcely had the words faded when the bus driver noticed the man on the ground twitch. He then squatted down to check the man’s injuries.

Sitting in the bus, Su Wenwen involuntarily held her breath. Even though she was mentally prepared, the moment the man sat up, her heart still pounded uncontrollably.

The man opened his eyes. They seemed to be covered with a translucent layer of latex, making his originally clear eyes turbid.

Without any warning, the man grabbed the bus driver. His strength was immense; the driver, also a man, couldn’t break free and was bitten on the neck.

The driver let out a bloodcurdling scream. The man forcibly tore away flesh and skin; an artery ruptured, and blood gushed out like a spring. The white t-shirt was half-stained red in an instant, and soon, only his legs were twitching faintly.

Everyone was stunned into place by this sudden scene. Someone quickly called the police, while another, having found a mop from somewhere, started hitting the man, but they still couldn’t separate him from the driver.

Soon, police sirens wailed from far to near. The police car didn’t stop here; it crashed directly into a shop ahead, shattering glass. Half of the car’s body remained outside the shop. Two people were unfortunately killed on the spot.

Following that, more out-of-control vehicles sped recklessly on the road, and sounds of wailing and crying filled the air.

In the distance, two cars collided head-on, happening to block an oil tanker. The three vehicles piled up, and a large amount of oil leaked out, igniting instantly upon contact with sparks from the cars.

The deafening sound brought the people on the bus back to their senses. Someone shouted, “Is… is it the end of the world?”

“Run!”

No one knew what was happening, but hearing someone shout like that, instinct drove them to rush out of the bus and run towards the safest place—their homes.

Half the people on the bus fled, while the other half were on their phones. The man suspected of being infected was also still on the bus.

Su Wenwen stared at the man for a moment. He was currently paralyzed by excessive fright, sitting motionless. She then glanced at the villain beside her.

The villain clutched her phone nervously but hadn’t lost her composure; her sharp gaze continuously observed the surrounding changes, calm and collected.

Su Wenwen’s idea of hugging her for comfort instantly vanished.

Outside the bus, the driver, now completely cold, slowly stood up. Because half his neck had been chewed off, it could hardly support the weight of his head, which lolled to one side of his shoulder as he staggered towards the bus.

Someone noticed the driver’s appearance and exclaimed in terror, “A ghost!”

Everyone huddled together in panic. The villain suddenly stood up, strode quickly to the bus door in her high heels, and manually pulled it shut, just in time to block the driver.

The driver’s pair of grayish-white eyes stared at the villain, filled with resentment and murderous intent. He pounded on the bus door, trying to break in.

Then, it turned and pounced into the panicking crowd. The originally vibrant, multicolored world before their eyes was suddenly stained with thick red blotches. All beauty was destroyed, transformed into a messy, abstract painting.

“Grandpa, I’m scared.”

“Be good, don’t be afraid.”

A four or five-year-old girl, witnessing such a hellish scene, trembled and hid in an old man’s arms. The old man kept repeatedly trying to make calls, but none would connect.

Seeing the old man, Su Wenwen also took out her phone to call her family.

Her mother answered, happily asking when she would be back. Apparently, because their village had few people, it hadn’t been affected yet, but the appearance of infected individuals was only a matter of time.

Su Wenwen told her mother to turn on the TV and watch the news, briefly explained what was happening there, and then urged her parents not to go out under any circumstances.

“Mom, don’t worry. I have food stocked at home. I’ll come find you when it’s safe,” Su Wenwen reassured her mother.

But her mother still felt she would only be at ease if she came to find her. Su Wenwen had to plead and persuade to finally convince her mother. In the few minutes she was on the phone, the number of infected outside increased, and fresh blood was everywhere.

Afraid her mother would hear the screams, Su Wenwen gave a few brief instructions and ended the call. Immediately after, she received a call from her best friend.

Her best friend had listened to Su Wenwen’s advice and hadn’t gone to work with her parents today. She called not only to thank her but also to express concern that Su Wenwen might be unsafe alone outside.

Su Wenwen said, “I’m as cunning as a fox; you don’t need to worry about me. Remember to lock your doors at home, and don’t open them no matter who knocks.”

“Sharp? How are you sharp? I told you Helian Yun was no good, but you never listened to me. Forget it, we agreed not to mention her. Just be careful yourself, hide at home and wait for rescue. If you run out of food, I’ll figure out a way to get some to you.”

“Mm…” Mentioning Helian Yun made Su Wenwen’s heart ache with frustration; she really wanted to poke out her past self’s eyes.

She looked out the car window.

Just like in her previous life, the apocalypse came too suddenly. The large-scale, concentrated outbreak caught many people off guard. Su Wenwen had a cold at the time and stayed home, thus escaping the calamity. If she had been on the streets then, she definitely wouldn’t have survived.

The living grew fewer and fewer; everyone was running for their lives. Some people hid in shops, locking the glass doors behind them. Others couldn’t get in and were pounced on by the infected from behind. But even those hiding in the shops were not spared; the transparent glass was soon covered with a layer of bright red blood.

All rescue hotlines were unreachable.

The people in the bus didn’t dare go out either. They randomly opened web pages, all of which were live streaming videos of this incident. Clicking on one, they saw a reporter riskily tracking and interviewing. A corpse that had seemed thoroughly dead suddenly sprang up, pounced on a passerby, and started tearing at them. The reporter and cameraman contacted their station leaders while running, then found a relatively safe place to continue reporting.

“Currently, these mutated individuals all carry an unknown virus. All citizens must stay at home and avoid contact with these groups. Absolutely do not get bitten. We will continue to follow up and report on the specific reasons for today’s disaster…”

Immediately after, an infected person appeared behind the reporter, and the screen shook before abruptly cutting off. Those who watched the video turned ashen-faced and kept muttering, “The dead have come back to life! This is the apocalypse! The zombies from the movies have really appeared!”

Under these circumstances, it was indeed the apocalypse. The infected could also be simply called zombies; after all, no more fitting term could be found.

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