QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots
Chapter 258 - 9.4

Chapter 258: 9.4

Buzz!

Xue Fang was just about to speak when the truck suddenly stalled and came to a stop.

"What’s wrong?"

Everyone tensed up instantly.

Shen Hao, taciturn as always, reacted the fastest. He immediately shifted into a defensive stance, subtly shielding Ling Zhuang with one arm. Zheng Shuqiu, nearest to the door, didn’t rush to open it. Instead, he crouched low behind the panel, pressing his ear against it to listen.

In contrast to their alertness, Ling Zhuang sat relaxed with his head slightly lowered, "It’s not a zombie. We’ve arrived at a place we can stay."

Xue Fang gave him a sharp glance. "How would you know that? You don’t have powers, and you clearly have no sense of vigilance either. What’s wrong with you?"

Ling Zhuang didn’t seem to hear the irritation in his voice. He leaned back casually against the wall of the truck and murmured, "Three, two, one."

Bang.

The door burst open from the outside.

The three of them tensed instinctively but relaxed the moment they saw it was just Chen Ran and Xiao Jinfeng, returning from scouting.

"We’ve entered an old commercial district. Chen Ran and I checked the surroundings. No zombies for now. Let’s rest here tonight. There’s a shopping mall nearby, might be some supplies left. Let’s check it out."

"Alright!"

Relief washed over the group.

After the earlier battle on their way into K City, they were still running low on energy. Tired and hungry, they were eager for rest.

But in their relief, none of them noticed the way Ling Zhuang raised an eyebrow.

"Host, this business district is where the original plot had the group settle. The first advanced zombie appeared in the mall up ahead."

At first, all zombies were the same. Mindless. Predictable.

But on the 18th day of the apocalypse, that changed. Today, the first of a new kind emerged, a second-level zombie.

The protagonist group had survived the encounter... barely. But not long after, more advanced zombies appeared, and superpowered humans, learning that crystal cores could increase their strength, began leveling up too.

But it didn’t end there.

Once second-level zombies appeared, third-level ones would follow. The arms race escalated for years: zombies and humans locked in a brutal back-and-forth, neither side able to gain lasting ground.

Until year four, when that pervert, Ling Zhuang...

Jiang Jiamian felt a headache creeping in.

"Does this guy have a grudge against zombies or humans?"

But if he hated zombies, wasn’t he the one who created the apocalypse to begin with?

If someone tried to say he caused the outbreak by accident and later felt regret, Jiang Jiamian wouldn’t believe it for a second.

Nowhere in the original plot was the word regret ever used.

That man didn’t operate on normal logic. His mind was a black box no one could decipher.

"What a pervert."

A gleam of excitement flashed in Jiang Jiamian’s dark red eyes. Others might not understand but he saw right through it.

And if Ling Zhuang was insane...

Then so was he.

"He doesn’t want peace. He wants both sides to keep growing stronger, to keep clashing, endlessly. While he stands in the dark, smiling... watching his grand theater unfold. Every single person is just an actor in the story he wrote."

God, it was so his type.

Jiang Jiamian grinned as he parked his SUV outside the mall.

The shopping center loomed in the night, shadowy and half-destroyed.

It looked like the protagonist group hadn’t arrived yet.

But he couldn’t wait to meet the man behind the curtain, Ling Zhuang, with his harmless face and vicious mind.

Seeing Jiang Jiamian’s hungry, excited grin, the system shivered uncontrollably.

So scary...

Was it just an illusion?

Why did it feel like this entire world would be destroyed by these two lunatics?

Two?

Well, of course. Anyone who could understand Ling Zhuang’s twisted logic so well had to be twisted themselves.

"Is this the place?"

Chen Ran looked up at the building, nearly swallowed by the darkness. He couldn’t help but sigh.

Before the world fell apart, this mall must have been the most lively place in K City. Even at night, it would’ve been buzzing with light and people.

Now, just two weeks into the apocalypse, it was silent and decaying. Not a single light glowed inside. A faint stench of rot wafted from within.

Clearly, many people, and other creatures, had died here.

"Yes, this is it." Xiao Jinfeng replied, carefully approaching. "I came to K City right after the outbreak. There’s a big mall in this area, I’m just not sure what’s left. We won’t know until we check."

Though things seemed quiet, Xiao Jinfeng didn’t drop his guard. He scanned every angle and instinctively placed himself between Chen Ran and any danger.

"Heh, he’s not missing a thing, is he?"

Xue Fang muttered, watching them from behind.

Chen Ran and Xiao Jinfeng walked close, one in front, one behind.

Too close.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He said gruffly, noticing Zheng Shuqiu and Shen Hao staring.

Xue Fang clicked his tongue. "I’m not wrong. Someone’s using his status as captain to hand out missions for selfish reasons. Left the three of us to protect Professor Ling while he cozies up with Chen Ran. Smart move."

Zheng Shuqiu tugged at his sleeve. "Xue Fang, don’t..."

"What, got a problem?"

Xiao Jinfeng stopped walking. He turned slowly and stared back through the dark with a piercing gaze.

Xue Fang hadn’t bothered to keep his voice down. In fact, it almost seemed like he wanted to be heard.

Xiao Jinfeng wasn’t the type to swallow things in silence.

Xue Fang straightened his back, defiant. "Didn’t I just say my opinion? Or are the captain’s ears not working?"

Behind them, Ling Zhuang stood quietly.

Folded arms. Leisurely gaze.

He was the very picture of silence and insignificance, easy to overlook. Still in his white coat, he seemed to melt into the shadows.

No one noticed him.

Not even Xiao Jinfeng, despite facing his direction.

All his anger was locked on Xue Fang.

And so, none of them noticed what really mattered.

Above them, at a dark window in the mall, Jiang Jiamian stood silently, smiling as he looked down at them.

Just like Ling Zhuang was watching them.

There he is.

The infamous Ling Zhuang.

Tsk. Acting like no one could see him, just because they had bad night vision?

But Jiang Jiamian was a zombie. His night vision was crystal-clear. He could see everything, every flicker of emotion, every twitch of that deceptively kind face.

Ling Zhuang’s expression? Utter malice, barely hidden behind a smile.

"Hah. They can’t see me, but..."

He trailed off.

Because just then... Ling Zhuang suddenly looked up.

Directly at him.

No hesitation. No searching.

Straight at the window.

Their eyes met.

For a second, even Jiang Jiamian froze.

Then he grinned slowly, flashing a charming, ’harmless’ smile.

No way he saw him, right? He’s just an ordinary person, no powers, not a zombie. Maybe he just glanced this way by chance.

But then...

Ling Zhuang’s eyes lit up with undeniable excitement.

He mouthed something. A few silent words.

Jiang Jiamian blinked. His blood turned cold.

He read the lips clearly, "You can’t run away."

What?

Did Ling Zhuang know the original owner of this body?

How?

Jiang Jiamian frowned. This world had no memory left for him to absorb. The original owner was already dead. He had no way to investigate what had happened before he arrived.

His grin faltered for just a moment before he raised a hand, flicked two fingers in a playful salute, and slipped backward into the dark.

Ling Zhuang didn’t chase.

He just stood there a moment, smiling faintly up at the window.

Then lowered his eyes and walked away, still smiling.