Cowardly Follower (20)

In his dazed state, Xue Ci felt someone touching him.

As if he were being paralyzed by a ghost, he couldn't wake up. He tried to open his mouth to refuse, but the person opposite him rubbed his lips back and forth with their hand.

Several times I had to put it into my mouth.

It was done using such a vulgar method. Xue Ci felt like she was incredibly unlucky, even encountering perverts in her dreams. After waking up, Duan Zeran sat at the foot of the bed, his upper body leaning against the wall, seemingly dozing off.

Xue Ci didn't move, but secretly complained to 11 that Fragment must have deliberately made him have that kind of dream.

11. A reminder that the protagonist might not be a good person either.

Xue Ci looked at Duan Zeran again. He had been on guard all night, and his eyes looked slightly tired. He seemed like a good person no matter how you looked at him.

He still trusted the other person.

Duan Zeran woke up quickly. After washing up, the two resumed their journey.

The road was desolate.

Almost every piece of land and every shop was completely destroyed by zombies, dilapidated and filthy... When you reach the outskirts of the city, vegetation is sparse, and the few trees that do exist have their branches entangled by mutated plants and quickly wither.

Xue Ci felt that if Earth were viewed from outer space at this moment, it would probably look like a barren planet.

The environment affects one's mood. Even though Duan Zeran took care of him during these days of fleeing, providing him with plenty of food, drink, and water, he still looked listless.

Duan Zeran saw through it all. "We will rebuild the land; we must believe in human capabilities. Even if we become extinct, we will evolve again from a primitive society."

Xue Ci forced a smile, "Then we must try our best to live and avoid extinction."

"If only the two of us are left in the whole world, we'll still go extinct." Duan Zeran smiled, and the next second, he suddenly touched Xue Ci's stomach lightly.

Xue Ci instinctively tried to dodge to the side, but was still bumped into.

"Or is it possible to get pregnant here at Xue Ci?"

Wh-what?

What kind of talk is this...?

Xue Ci's ears burned, and he seriously told the other person, "I'm a boy, of course I can't get pregnant."

Duan Zeran looked regretful, as if he had thought of something, "Is there anything wrong there?"

The other person's gaze fell on her chest, Xue Ci immediately understood, straightening her clothes. "Not recently."

Duan Zeran rubbed his head. "Tell me what you have to say."

"Hmm..." Duan Zeran's antics made Xue Ci forget his unpleasantness. The next day, he received a mission: on the way, they would encounter several zombies disguised as humans. He had no ability to distinguish them and asked Duan Zeran to save them, thus putting the protagonist in danger.

As the mission drew near, Xue Ci leaned against the window, watching intently.

Finally, he saw two humans, an old woman and a little girl, standing alone by the roadside. Both were dressed in rags and looked emaciated.

They saw the approaching car and excitedly waved in their direction.

While it might easily evoke sympathy, it all seemed suspicious. In such a desolate place, the sudden appearance of two humans with little ability to protect themselves would arouse suspicion in anyone.

Xue Ci felt that her character was too stupid.

However, they still adhered well to the character's established persona.

"There are people there! Let's go rescue them."

Duan Zeran frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then stopped the car.

He pulled a dagger from under the seat and handed it to Xue Ci, instructing her, "Don't get out of the car. After I get out, lock the car. If a zombie breaks the window, just stab it in the head like this."

Duan Zeran clearly didn't believe it, but after hearing his words, she was still willing to get out of the car to see for herself.

Xue Ci guiltily, gripping the dagger tightly.

After Duan Zeran got out of the car, he walked towards the two people. The eyes of the old and young humans lit up instantly when they saw the fresh human blood.

Xue Ci's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately rolled down the car window to warn, "Duan Zeran, be careful—uh..."

The next second, he felt something cold blocking his mouth.

His limbs were also bound.

Xue Ci saw Duan Zeran looking in her direction with a solemn expression, seemingly about to come and save him. Unfortunately, the two zombies were so hungry that they couldn't keep up the act anymore and revealed their true forms.

The zombies that could disguise themselves as humans were not bad at fighting. Duan Zeran was entangled with them. During a break in the fight, he looked at Xue Ci and saw that their car was completely covered by thick vines.

Upon not being able to see Xue Ci, Duan Zeran's expression instantly turned cold.

"Oops, my wife got stolen, hehe."

"You coward! Watching your wife being eaten by someone else, you're probably getting an erection, huh... hehe..."

The zombie's voice entered his mind, Duan Zeran's face turned icy cold. He hurled an ice blade at the zombie in front of him.

Swift and precise, the zombie's head and body were separated instantly.

However, at the same time as it broke, a gas bubbled out.

Duan Zeran instinctively covered his mouth and nose, but it was too late; he smelled a strange odor.

Ignoring all that, he quickly ran to the car window.

Using sharp ice to cut through the plants, through the transparent window, Xue Ci was being forced into a seat.

The boy's cheeks were flushed, and tears clung to his eyelashes, making him look incredibly pitiful. Upon seeing himself, he desperately tried to look in his direction, reaching for the car door, but the next second his slender wrist was entangled by vines.

The clothes were also torn.

Xue Ci's voice was soft, with a heavy nasal tone at the end, making her sound like she was about to cry.

"Husband... save me, please save me, sob sob..."

Husband?

Why did Xue Ci call him that?

Duan Zeran surprised, his hands and feet froze on the spot, but a surge of heat rose up his back.

It felt like a fire burning in my chest, stirring restlessly.

"Husband, sob sob sob..." Xue Ci was still calling him, and she even showed an expression he had never seen before.

Duan Zeran's eyelids twitched.

Xue Ci would never call him that. Why, why is this happening... He wanted to take a moment to think, but those two words slammed into his head, making it impossible for him to function.

His breathing became disordered.

Duan Zeran made a decisive decision.

No matter how bizarre it is, save people first.

Xue Ci's collar was torn from being entangled by the mutated plants, her limbs were limp, her skin had turned pink, and the leather seat was stained with water.

However, when it came to actually saving people, Duan Zeran discovered that he couldn't move!

The sound of Xue Ci's short, intermittent sobs drifted to my ears, suddenly punctuated by a few sarcastic remarks—

"You coward, still claiming you didn't react!"

"Why are you reacting so strongly to seeing your wife being made to cry by someone else?"

"Looks like a pervert, hehe."

Duan Zeran's blood ran cold. He suddenly remembered inhaling the strange gas earlier. Could it be... he had fallen under a zombie's illusion?

Clearly, his guess was correct.

Xue Ci would not call him husband, and he would not get excited when he saw Xue Ci being made to cry.

Duan Zeran bit his finger, and his mind suddenly cleared as the fog in front of him dissipated. He saw Xue Ci's magnified face looking at him with concern. "Finally awake! Are you... are you alright?"

Duan Zeran stood up, grabbed Xue Ci's shoulder, and looked him up and down. "How are you?"

His voice was very hoarse.

Xue Ci: "I'm fine..."

Duan Zeran was incredibly strong; his fingers, pressing on Duan Zeran's shoulder, almost sank in, making Duan Zeran very uncomfortable.

"You collapsed to the ground after killing those two zombies, thankfully you're alright. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let him go to save them."

Duan Zeran realized that he had gotten up from the ground, with dirty zombie brains lying beside him.

His heart was pounding. Staring at Xue Ci's unharmed face, he couldn't help but pull her into his arms.

The embrace was tight and intimate, the two pressed together so closely that Xue Ci naturally felt the changes in Duan Zeran's body.

11: [Aaaaaah--Host, kick him away!]

Xue Ci thought the other person would let go after a short while, but the hug only got tighter and tighter.

His soft skin felt a little uncomfortable from the pressure, and he reminded the other person with slight embarrassment.

Duan Zeran released him and explained, "It was probably a physiological reaction from the battle. Sorry."

Xue Ci had no doubts whatsoever; on the contrary, she nodded politely, "That means you're in good health."

Duan Zeran's breathing paused slightly, and his reaction became even stronger.

However, he maintained a serious expression. "But these zombies have evolved to this extent, we need to be careful in the future and not just rescue anyone."

Xue Ci.

Duan Zeran got up, took his hand, and got into the car.

The car still smelled of plants, including on Xue Ci herself.

Although what happened just now was an illusion, the vines had definitely been there. Duan Zeran frowned. "What were those plants doing here?"

When plants were mentioned, Xue Ci's lips curved into a smile.

Her eyes and brows softened instantly.

He pointed to the scattered honeysuckle buds near the car window. "It came to deliver flowers to me! It didn't hurt me."

Duan Zeran glanced at the flower petals, concealing the jealousy in her eyes.

After driving for some time, they stopped to rest at a shop near dusk.

The shop was dilapidated. Duan Zeran dismantled two shelves to use as a bed, letting Xue Ci rest first while he sat beside her and kept watch.

The task was successfully completed.

Xue Ci looked at Duan Zeran with some concern. "Is he really alright? He hasn't said a word since he got in the car."

Duan Zeran wasn't usually the taciturn type, but after encountering those two pseudo-human zombies today, the boy seemed to have suffered some kind of psychological trauma, keeping a sullen face and not saying a word the whole way.

11. Check the progress bar: [Judging from the plot, the protagonist is very righteous and won't blame you even if you're in danger. Perhaps he's still recovering.]

Xue Ci, puzzled: [Slow down what?]

11 said with disdain: [Physiological reaction.]

It was too embarrassed to tell its host, afraid of offending the host's ears—this righteous and optimistic protagonist, for some unknown reason, remained hard all the way.

Xue Ci was still hesitating about whether to comfort Duan Zeran when he suddenly spoke up, "I've gained a new superpower."

The protagonist's superpower was indeed activated when he was in danger. Xue Ci leaned closer, pretending not to know, and asked in surprise, "What superpower?"

Duan Zeran's breathing became erratic from his sudden closeness, and she stiffly moved back. "I've gained some extra storage space."

The storage space has many functions: you can put collected supplies in to keep them fresh and take them out when needed; there is land inside where you can grow grains, fruits, and vegetables; and there is also a spiritual spring where you can soak to restore your strength and also have beauty and skin-nourishing effects.

It can be said to be an essential cheat ability for protagonists in post-apocalyptic novels.

As a fellow refugee, Duan Zeran treated him very well, letting him soak in the spiritual spring first even though he himself hadn't used it yet.

"Time is relatively still within this space, so there's nothing to worry about."

Xue Ci tested the spiritual spring water; it was hot.

He thought about Duan Zeran's dangerous encounter today and how he might be in a bad mood, "Do you want to soak in water first?"

Duan Zeran: "I'm fine, you go first."

The boy thoughtfully prepared towels and a change of clothes before leaving the space.

Is he angry?

Xue Ci muttered to herself as the spiritual spring water quickly relieved her physical fatigue. The tension from the past few days of fleeing was completely eliminated.

Xue Ci looked like a glutinous rice ball, her snow-white skin turning pink from being soaked in water.

He didn't linger any longer, thinking he should hurry up and let Duan Zeran try it too.

Just as he was about to get up and put on his clothes, the other person suddenly entered the spatial dimension.

Xue Ci sat down awkwardly.

The spring water is very clear; even if you sit down, you can still see everything you need to see.

The air was thick with mist, his eyes and brows were glistening with moisture, and his face was so tender that anyone who saw it would want to take a bite.

"Are you here to soak in the spring water? I'll be done in a minute."

Xue Ci's tactful reminder was meant to prompt the other person to leave so he could get dressed first.

In the past, he wouldn't have cared about dating a group of guys, but after experiencing several worlds, he started to become wary.

It is dangerous to be in the water with a man.

Duan Zeran did not answer. After entering, he sat on a rock by the spring, his face downcast, looking deep and his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about something difficult.

This made Xue Ci's little face tense up as well.

The next second, he heard Duan Zeran suddenly ask, "If we get married, will you call me 'husband'?"

Wh-what?

Xue Ci was stunned.

He couldn't quite follow Duan Zeran's train of thought, but he still answered the question seriously, "If it's marriage, you'll shout, right?"

After all, he did shout it.

It's not a difficult thing.

It's just a name.

Duan Zeran's breathing suddenly quickened. "I understand."

He then remained silent and sat there without saying a word.

?

Xue Ci reminded him, "I need to get dressed."

Duan Zeran finally got up, but after taking only two steps, he turned back. "You yell like that when you can't take it anymore?"

Xue Ci's cheeks instantly flushed.

Why are you suddenly asking these questions?

"I... I guess so..." Feeling Duan Zeran's gaze, Xue Ci awkwardly twisted the towel covering her body with her fingers, her voice softened by the hot water, "Duan Zeran..."

"Um?"

Xue Ci reminded her, "I need to get dressed..."

Duan Zeran seemed to come to his senses and quickened his pace to leave the space.

Although the questions were all rather strange, Duan Zeran seemed to regain her composure afterward and stopped remaining silent.

The two set off again the next day. Life was much more convenient with the storage space available.

Along the way, they rescued many people, killing those who were disguised and giving some supplies to humans they encountered.

However, unlike the original plot, during this escape, there were only the two of them in the car. Duan Zeran did provide assistance, but he did not intend to take anyone else with him.

The progress bar quickly reached 90%.

Xue Ci has one last task left—to find a suitable opportunity to save the protagonist after the main characters are reunited, and then be eaten by zombies.

A week later, they ran into Yu Cheng and Wu Feng on the road.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Wu Feng excitedly grasped Xue Ci's hand, oblivious to the displeased looks from the other two. "We chased you all the way from school to here, all thanks to Yu Cheng. He was right every single way; you'd think he was a hunting dog!"

Xue Ci glanced at Yu Cheng. It was dark, and they stopped at a dilapidated wooden house in the suburbs. Yu Cheng was squatting on the ground piling up firewood.

Looking at it this way, it really does resemble a German Shepherd.

"His skin is just a bit too pale."

Xue Ci muttered to himself, but Yu Cheng seemed to hear something and stared straight in his direction.

His eyes appeared deep in the firelight.

Xue Ci felt like she'd been caught talking behind someone's back, and guiltily looked away.

They rested around the fire.

Conditions were rather harsh, but Xue Ci slept quite comfortably. Everyone gave him their only sleeping bag and made a pillow out of their clothes.

Dinner was also quite plentiful.

Xue Ci fell into a deep sleep.

He was completely surrounded by three dogs.

The next morning, after Xue Ci woke up, only Yu Cheng and Wu Feng remained in the room.

"Duan Zeran said there are seeds on the nearby mountains that can be kept and planted in his space." Last night, Wu Feng and Yu Cheng learned that Duan Zeran had a storage space. Wu Feng also wanted to experience the spiritual spring, but Duan Zeran refused as expected.

"He left you water to wash up. Breakfast is already being made." Wu Feng sat down next to Xue Ci. "This area is really nice. There aren't many houses, no zombies, and the air in the mountains is fresh. I saw some wild fruit earlier, but I'm not sure if they're edible. Just smelling it is so refreshing."

Fresh fruit is undoubtedly a luxury for people at this moment. Xue Ci has been on edge these days. When Wu Feng told her that there was a stream nearby, she got up excitedly to go there.

However, Yu Cheng stopped him.

Xue Ci her head, refusing to wash up despite being asked.

"There are really no zombies around here, I've checked everything." Wu Feng glanced at Xue Ci, "Don't be so serious all the time, I think Xue Ci is angry with you."

Yu Cheng's expression froze slightly as he glanced at the figure not far away.

Xue Ci wasn't angry; she just felt it was a pity.

After washing up, he returned to the vicinity of the house and watched Wu Feng set up the barbecue grill.

Wu Feng has always been an optimistic person. Xue Ci wanted to help prepare the ingredients, but Yu Cheng had already done all the work.

He could also sense that the boy was glancing in his direction from time to time.

Xue Ci couldn't help but ask, "Is there something on my face?"

Yu Cheng visibly tensed up. "... No."

Xue Ci didn't ask any more questions, but a little while later, Yu Cheng took out a doll from somewhere.

It's fluffy and very clean.

Xue Ci's eyes lit up. "Where did you find it?"

I met him at a shop on the way.

Yu Cheng described it lightly.

Seeing Xue Ci's lips curve into a smile, Yu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Zeran been out all morning and hadn't returned. The three of them ate lunch first, leaving a portion for each other to keep warm over a low flame.

Staying in the mountains, one naturally becomes more relaxed.

After finishing her meal, Xue Ci started to feel sleepy, her eyelids drooping and sticking together. Unfortunately, at that moment, she felt a slight swelling in her chest.

Xue Ci was stunned.

He hadn't felt unwell for so many days that he had almost forgotten the punishment was still in effect.

I need to find someone to help me...

Now, only Wu Feng and Yu Cheng are left by his side.

After a moment's hesitation, Xue Ci decided to hold back.

However, after accumulating for so many days, it came on strong and quickly swelled up.

Xue Ci couldn't handle it, and after hesitating for a moment, she decided to seek help from Wu Feng.

His reason for choosing Wu Feng was simple—unlike Yu Cheng, who was difficult to approach, Wu Feng seemed unlikely to refuse his request.

Xue Ci stood up shakily, her waist weak.

The clothes are already wet.

He was having difficulty breathing and stood there, intending to call Wu Feng over.

However, her slender wrist was quickly gripped.

A large, bony hand completely covered his hand. Xue Ci was so startled that she let out a soft cry and turned around, suppressing her discomfort.

Yu Cheng, who was a head taller than him, was standing very close to him, his nose almost touching his face.

"I'll help you."

What...? Xue Ci was stunned.

He remembered that the other person had a very sensitive nose.

Perhaps it smelled something.

"Are you planning to ask Wu Feng for help?" Yu Cheng tightened his grip, even though Xue Ci couldn't break free. "I've played basketball with him before. He doesn't know his own strength and might hurt you."

The restraints around his wrists made Xue Ci feel like he was being entangled by a wild beast, and he instinctively tried to struggle.

The result was obvious: they couldn't open their eyes at all.

Xue Ci pursed her lips, and soon heard Yu Cheng's reason for recommending her. "I'm not very strong."

Author's Note:

The puppy is going to get a reward, hehe.

As for the three brothers from the wealthy family mentioned, they are not actually three brothers, but rather a family, probably uncles or something similar. In short, they are a group of people with the same surname competing with each other.

Looking forward to it, hehe.