Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess
Chapter 241

Chapter 241: Chapter 241

She didn’t respond.

A shift in the rooftop’s far corner caught her eye.

A figure stood there... masked... silent.

One of the elite member that had followed Fengya.

He had not fought. He had not interfered.

And now, with no word spoken, he faded from view... dissolving into the shadows as if he had never existed.

Qingran turned away.

[Toxin cleared, core integrity: 93%... Rift signature stabilized... Trait active: Ability Taker – Level 2... Status: Evolutionary Phase Ongoing...]

She lowered her arms slowly. Her power no longer surged wildly.

It was focused now, fused with her will. No longer something borrowed but something earned.

The sky above was beginning to clear.

The clouds, once twisted by Rift energy, slowly unraveled.

Qingran walked forward across the cracked stone, her steps silent.

This battle was over... but her war was not.

Qingran stood still for a moment longer, the heat from her body still shimmering faintly in the air.

Her chest rose and fell steadily as she finally released the tension in her shoulders.

Blood stained the edges of her clothes, and her fists were red from the blows she had landed

. But despite the pain, a grin tugged at the corner of her lips.

"That was... a pretty cool fight.." she said aloud, her voice rough but satisfied.

She stumbled a few steps forward, then dropped to the ground, falling back onto the cracked rooftop with a quiet thud.

The sky above was finally blue again, washed clean of Rift clouds and distortion.

Her body ached in every place imaginable, but there was relief too, a heavy weight had been lifted.

"I’m free of the poison," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. "Finally..."

Lingquan hovered quietly nearby, still not fully solid but enough to be present.

He didn’t interrupt her peace.

He could see how close she had pushed herself,how much she had burned to win.

After a few minutes, Qingran sat up, breath still shallow.

She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and glanced toward the ruined edge of the rooftop.

"We need to find Ruihuang..." she said slowly, pushing herself to her feet again.

"We have to get back to Meng Nian... and the others. They’re probably worried."

As if responding to her words, a low hum stirred in the air.

A shift passed through the atmosphere.

Qingran’s head turned sharply toward the sky. The Rift, the gaping wound that had hovered in the clouds was gone.

The monsters that had poured from it were no longer visible, their corrupted presence erased.

A quiet stillness fell over the city, something she hadn’t felt since the apocalypse began.

A moment later, a cold mechanical voice echoed across the entire zone.

[Apocalypse System Alert]

[Main Mission Updated]

[Objective: Locate and secure the cure for the Genetic Mutation Virus]

[Time Remaining: 72 Hours]

[Failure Consequence: Global mutation cascade... Human DNA integrity risk at 71.6%]

[Mission Visibility: Public]

[This mission has been broadcast to all remaining survivors in Zone 2.]

Every survivor in the area, whether hiding in ruined buildings or huddled in underground shelters saw the same notification hover in the air, pulsing in crimson light.

The impact was immediate.

Gasps, shouts, and murmurs spread like wildfire through the city’s fractured remains. People froze, reading the same words that now floated in front of Qingran.

Her jaw clenched. "Seventy-two hours... to stop human extinction."

Lingquan spoke beside her, his voice low. [It’s not giving you a break, not even now.]

She didn’t answer right away. Her fingers curled into a fist.

The world had barely caught its breath after Fengya, and now the system was raising the stakes.

The Rift had closed... but the clock had started again.

She descended carefully, her body aching, every movement stiff with exhaustion.

At the bottom of the stairs, a familiar figure appeared bloody, bruised, but standing tall.

Ruihuang looked up and grinned. "You’re not dead yet. I owe Lingquan a drink."

Qingran blinked, then let out a short laugh. "You had a fight of your own. Did you win?"

He nodded, glancing at the dried blood caked on his forearm. "Of course I did. What do you take me for?"

She smiled faintly. "A reckless idiot. But a useful one."

Ruihuang chuckled, then stepped beside her as they exited the damaged building.

The cultist stronghold was in ruins.

Whatever dark energy had saturated this place was finally dissipating.

"Not much left to do here.." Qingran said, watching the horizon. _{freew\e bnovel.com}

"And I’m no longer poisoned."

Ruihuang tilted his head. "So? What now? Is this where we part ways?"

She paused, her voice quiet. "Do you still want to come with me? You’ve done enough. I won’t blame you if this is your stop."

He looked at her like she had asked the dumbest question in the world. "Are you serious? I’m coming. Someone has to keep you, you know you need me..."

Qingran shook her head with a tired smile. "Suit yourself."

They started walking, picking their way through the rubble.

As they moved farther from the heart of the destroyed stronghold, Qingran slowed slightly.

A strange chill danced up her spine.

She paused, looking over her shoulder.

The shadows felt thicker than before, as if something still watched from beyond the cracks of the rift.

Her fingertips twitched, instinct on edge.

But there was nothing...

No movement...

No presence...

Just silence...

"Something wrong?" Ruihuang asked.

She gave a quick shake of her head. "Probably just my body reacting. Too much residual backlash."

Ruihuang nodded and waited for her to continue walking before moving.

"Where are we going to?"

"Back to my team, they must be worried sick, I told them I’d be back 2 days ago..I sort of detoured.." she chuckled, to think she was only going to just scout, who would have one thing led to another would bring her here.

"Mhm..a team of strong fighter such as yourself?"

Qingran shook her head "Quite the opposite. But they are strong in their little way, you’ll understand that once you get to meet them.."

Ruihuang gave a soft scoff, adjusting the strap of the rifle slung over his shoulder.

"I’ve seen stranger groups survive worse. I’m sure they held out fine."

Qingran glanced up at the sky.

The daylight had returned in full, unmarred by Rift distortion.

It was almost surreal, like the past few hours hadn’t burned the world into ruin.

But her limbs told a different story. Her body ached, her core was unstable, and the countdown of seventy-two hours still hovered in the back of her mind like a noose.

They left the shattered rooftop behind and walked in silence for a while.

The streets were quieter now.

Without the Rift beasts, there was only debris, abandoned vehicles, and distant echoes of the system message replaying overhead.

She kept her senses sharp. The tension from earlier hadn’t fully left her. That momentary chill... the feeling of being watched... it still prickled just beneath the surface.

They cut through a half-collapsed tunnel, bypassed the edge of a scorched district, and finally reached the edge of Zone 2’s southern ruins.

Qingran slowed.

Up ahead, through the broken outline of an old convenience store, three familiar silhouettes were waiting.

Meng Nian stood at the front, arms folded, eyes sharp the moment he saw her.

Feng Yuxi was beside him, checking the perimeter, while Xu Tianming paced impatiently before noticing her approach.

She stopped in her tracks for a second, just watching them.

Then she exhaled quietly. "There they are."

Ruihuang followed her gaze. "I take it they’re the reason you kept standing."

Qingran nodded once. "They’re the reason I came back at all."

The sound of their footsteps drew Meng Nian’s attention.

His posture straightened immediately as he stepped forward.

"You’re late.." he said flatly. But his voice cracked slightly. "You said one day."

"I got delayed.." Qingran answered with a faint smile. "Had to kill a monster or two."

"We we’re worried sick, so Meng Nian suggested we come look for you.." Feng Yuxi smiled as she walked closer to Qingran.

"The disappearance of the rift was your doing wasn’t it? Only you can pull off something like this."

Xu Tianming asked, all the rift monsters had suddenly vanished including the rift itself, it had been suspicious since he noticed it.

Qingran gave a lopsided grin. "More or less but we have more pressing issues on our hands.."

They all knew what she was talking about, but Qingran only chuckled.

"Nothing too alarmingly..let me just get some rest and we’ll get to work. I’m not sure if the objective has started or is it two days after?"