Female Protagonist’s Halo1
This night was destined to be an unpeaceful one. Of course, Ren Chenxi also slept restlessly. In a daze, she could faintly hear the roars of zombies and the howls of mutated beasts. Even in her dreams, Ren Chenxi had to relive the terror of being surrounded by mutated wolves.
Finally, a shrill, mournful howl startled Ren Chenxi awake. Upon waking, she still felt a bit listless, and perhaps due to her injury, her body felt a little cold. She subconsciously tightened the jacket draped over her, and only then did Ren Chenxi realize that it wasn’t her own. At the same time, the wound on her left shoulder, where the mutated wolf had bitten her, had already been bandaged.
Ren Chenxi remembered now. Before she passed out, it was Mu Ning who had run over to catch her. And the vehicle she was in now was probably their van, right? This wooden goddess2… did she carry me to the van and treat my wound?
Heh… It’s truly hard to imagine that such a cold person could have such a humane side.
Ren Chenxi smiled sarcastically and turned her head to look at her injured left shoulder. Hmm… so simple and crude! Besides the jacket draped over her, several of her own inner layers of clothing had been cut away. She probably cut off the parts soaked in blood? But with such a large bandage, if Mu Ning was the one who did it, she must be certain that I’m a girl now, right?
“Roar—”
Another roar came from outside the window. Hearing the terrifying sound, Ren Chenxi shivered and turned to check the situation outside. At the same time, she noticed that on the mini-map3, their area was once again densely packed with red dots4. Furthermore, scattered red dots in the surroundings were continuously converging on their position.
“…” I’d rather be back in my dream, facing the mutated wolves! At least in the dream, there were only mutated wolves. Now that I’m awake, I’m facing not just mutated beasts, but zombies too…
No! Wait, the situation outside might not be as bleak as I thought! This wooden goddess… is way too strong! Sh-she’s actually a 5th-order esper???
When Ren Chenxi had first met Mu Ning, she had just escaped from the jaws of death5, her eyes were still recovering from the bright light, and all her attention was on Mu Ning herself. At that time, she hadn’t paid any attention to Mu Ning’s level at all. Now, as she turned to look out the window, the first thing she noticed was Mu Ning standing guard in front of the van, taking out a swath of zombies with a single vine whip6.
Naturally, with such formidable combat power, it was hard for Ren Chenxi not to notice her level. And Mu Ning’s 5th-order esper rank made Ren Chenxi suck in a cold breath7.
A 5th-order! The mutated leopard and mutated wolves she’d encountered had been so difficult to deal with, and they were only 4th-order. This wooden goddess, how did she manage to jump to the 5th-order in just two years of the apocalypse? Could it be that because the wooden goddess was originally a conquest target for the player in a dating game, she existed as the female lead, and thus had the female protagonist’s halo to allow her esper rank to advance so quickly?
Then as the male lead, shouldn’t I have a male protagonist’s halo?
Ah, that’s not right, I’m not the male lead anymore! At most… I’m the male lead’s younger sister.
Still, even as the male lead’s younger sister, as the player, don’t I have a game system too?~
Ren Chenxi comforted herself while casting another envious glance at Mu Ning, who had just dispatched several more mutated beasts in an instant.
Sigh, my 100% sure hit skill is great, the cards in the lottery center8 are great, and the items in the Apocalypse Mall9 are even better, but it’s a pity I don’t have enough luck to draw good cards, nor do I have enough crystal stones to buy anything!
W-wait! Aren’t there a ton of ready-made crystal cores10 right here, just waiting for me to exchange them for crystal stones? With a powerhouse like the wooden goddess around, Ren Chenxi was certain that their safety was guaranteed for now. And with so many zombies and mutated beasts outside, as long as she threw even a small, harmless pebble at them, they would become “prey” she had hit. Then, any extra items they dropped would be hers and hers alone.
Although she felt a little embarrassed, Ren Chenxi was still eyeing those crystal cores greedily! Especially since many of these zombies and mutated beasts were 3rd-order!
Perhaps Ren Chenxi’s covetous gaze as she leaned against the window was too obvious, because Mu Ning quickly noticed that she was awake. Then, Mu Ning turned her head, said something to her companions, and pulled open the van door to get in.
“You’re awake? Does the wound still hurt?”
The wooden goddess greeted her so warmly the moment she got in, which made Ren Chenxi very uncomfortable. Still, she nodded politely, indicating that she was much better. Although the wooden goddess’s blackening value11 was so high, she just had to play the part of the male lead’s younger sister—oh, no, she didn’t have to play a part. She was Ren Muhui’s sister. All she had to do now was act like a stranger meeting the wooden goddess for the first time.
Mu Ning didn’t miss the flicker of discomfort in Ren Chenxi’s eyes when she got into the van, but she only frowned slightly. Knowing that Ren Chenxi was better, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Mu Ning asked if Ren Chenxi had the strength to get out of the van, explaining that it was too dangerous here. With so many unknown dangers around, they needed to move to the house Ren Chenxi’s group had been in before and stand guard to get through the night.
Mu Ning’s question baffled Ren Chenxi. Of course I can get out of the van! Even if I don’t have the strength, I’d have to force myself! You can’t possibly expect me to let you carry me out, can you? Oh, no, she might just help support me. After all, Mu Ning probably helped me into the van when I was unconscious.
But, that was because I was unconscious. Now that I’m awake, it’s better if I walk on my own!
Ren Chenxi shook her head at Mu Ning, who was preparing to come over and help her. Enduring the pain in her left shoulder, she carefully used her right hand to push herself up from the seat. Avoiding Mu Ning’s outstretched hand, she steadied herself with the back of the seat and walked down from the van, step by step.
Even if she was playing the role of a stranger in front of the wooden goddess, Ren Chenxi still didn’t want too much contact with her. Especially now, the more concerned the wooden goddess acted, the more uncomfortable she felt.
She had seen far too much of the wooden goddess’s indifference and rejection. To see such a huge contrast now… it just felt… very strange!
Mu Ning’s right hand remained outstretched as she watched Ren Chenxi deliberately turn sideways to avoid her. A nameless fire12 instantly surged in her heart. She desperately wanted to grab Ren Chenxi’s arm and pull her back, but seeing her slightly tilted left shoulder, she ultimately suppressed her anger. With a grim face, she quickly followed Ren Chenxi. The moment Mu Ning got out of the van, she flicked her wrist, and a vine shot out, piercing straight through the head of a nearby zombie that was about to pounce.
“Everyone, get inside the house now.”
After killing the zombie, Mu Ning gave the order with a cold expression.
“B-Boss, what about our van? It’s still full of the supplies we worked so hard to gather today…”
“Should we drive it up to block the door?”
“And this bus next to it, it’s been modified to be really sturdy. It’d be a shame to let the mutated beasts wreck it…”
While Mu Ning’s teammates were still glancing back and forth between the two vehicles, Ren Chenxi, who had been heading straight for the house, paused. She turned back, glanced at Jian Dan13 and the others, who had looks of pained distress on their faces, then at the scowling Mu Ning a few steps behind her. Finally, she looked at the yellow dots14 on her mini-map, and the green dot15 representing Mu Ning. She decisively changed course, and with a lift of her hand, the huge bus vanished into thin air.
Ren Chenxi proudly lifted her chin at Mu Ning and her stunned teammates. So what if you’re a 5th-order esper? This lady has a 10,000-slot backpack!
Meeting the pride in Ren Chenxi’s eyes, Mu Ning’s gloomy mood suddenly seemed to improve. She pointed to the van beside them and said to Ren Chenxi with a smile, “Then I’ll have to trouble you with my van as well.”
“Boss!” Our important supplies are in that van! Chen Gu16 hastily called out a reminder from the side.
But Mu Ning didn’t even spare Chen Gu a glance. She just stared intently at Ren Chenxi, waiting for her answer. Being stared at so intensely made Ren Chenxi’s hair stand on end. She had no choice but to look away, walk back to Mu Ning’s van, and with another lift of her hand, the van disappeared too.
Ren Chenxi had listened to Mu Ning and stored the van in her backpack for two reasons. First, she was still counting on Mu Ning’s water-system esper ability. Not wanting too much contact with Mu Ning was one thing, but needing Mu Ning to provide water so she could survive better in this apocalypse was another. Second, from the moment she got out of the van, Ren Chenxi had noticed the subtle expressions on the faces of Mu Ning’s teammates.
Do they dislike me? Not welcome me? Or… are they blaming me? Blaming me for what?
In any case, although these people weren’t hostile, they didn’t like her either. Based on the principle of “if you’re not happy with me, I’m not happy with you,” Ren Chenxi didn’t hesitate to store the van containing their important supplies in her backpack.
Heh, that’s what you get for being unhappy with me. In the end, won’t you have to beg me to return your van?
Seeing Ren Chenxi store their van away just like that, the expressions on Chen Gu and the others soured even more. Although they had been chatting with these S University students just a moment ago, seeing Ren Chenxi, who had used their teammate’s wound medicine, still left them with complicated feelings. Especially now, in an apocalypse where supplies were so scarce, for this person to so brazenly take their van…
But… what could they do, no matter how dissatisfied they were? Didn’t they see how happy their Boss was? Forget it. The Boss is probably taking care of her because she’s her boyfriend’s younger sister. Once we find a chance to tell the Boss that her boyfriend is already dead, and after her feelings for him fade, this person won’t be so special in the Boss’s eyes anymore, right?
Chen Gu glanced resentfully at Mu Ning, but she just nonchalantly skewered another mutated beast with her vine. He could only retract his gaze obediently and help his Boss deal with the troublesome zombies and mutated beasts around them.
The author has something to say:
Xixi: Even though I don’t like you, thank you for helping me into the van to treat my wound…
Tang Ying18 for your support~
Also, a little cutie asked about the author’s update schedule. Barring any surprises, I’ll basically be updating daily at 8 PM~
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