"It's definitely gone, eaten clean, but there's probably some in the trunk," Wang Ming kicked the box aside and turned to glance at Le Xiaowei's car.
"Are we going to steal?" The bespectacled boy stood up, his face tense with unease.
After all, their upbringing had instilled in them the idea that taking others' belongings was wrong.
"What kind of time do you think this is? Do you want to starve to death?" Gao Min snapped, exasperated.
There was nothing on this highway—if they didn’t steal, were they just supposed to let themselves starve?
Their own food supplies were nearly gone.
"Can't we wait until tomorrow?" The bespectacled boy still hesitated.
They still had some food left—it wasn’t desperate enough to resort to theft.
"Useless. Wang Ming, you and Yang Guang go." Gao Min shot the boy a glare, and Wang Ming pressed his lips together.
Fine. They’d take just enough to last them until they got off the highway.
"Be careful," Gao Min whispered.
Yang Guang, however, wasn’t entirely convinced. He leaned closer to Wang Ming and asked, "Hey, Wang Ming, do you think you can take that girl in a fight?"
She looked about 1.65 meters tall, but her supernatural ability was bizarre—nothing like the other ability users they’d seen in Lincheng City.
"Probably not combat-oriented. Otherwise, she would’ve used it on those guys earlier," Wang Ming mused, one hand in his pocket as he recalled the earlier scene.
"But what if she’s hiding her real strength?" Yang Guang’s question made Wang Ming frown.
That was a possibility.
"Then we test her first."
Wang Ming’s gaze landed on a loose stone by the highway.
A minute later, Le Xiaowei heard the faint sound of pebbles hitting the ground nearby. She didn’t react, still focused on absorbing energy.
"Still asleep?" Yang Guang glanced at Wang Ming, who nodded quickly.
Yang Guang’s eyes flicked to the bag on the driver’s seat—originally held by Yuan Qiaoqiao in the back, but moved up front for comfort while she slept.
The window was open. Stealing it shouldn’t be hard.
Wang Ming crept to the car door, his hand slipping inside as he kept his eyes locked on Le Xiaowei’s motionless form.
Good. Still deep asleep.
He tugged the bag through the window, but an inexplicable tension coiled in his chest. Unable to resist, he glanced inside—and met a pair of glowing crimson eyes staring straight at him.
Red eyes?
It finally hit him—who the hell wore colored contacts in the apocalypse?
This person…
The bag slipped from Wang Ming’s grip.
"Run!"
He grabbed Yang Guang, who was still standing there confused, and bolted, abandoning the bag entirely.
"Move, now!" That single glance had sent a primal surge of terror through him. He swore—if he’d been a second slower, she would’ve killed him.
She was terrifying.
By the time Le Xiaowei stepped out of the car, the group had already sped past her in their vehicle, vanishing down the highway.
"They ran that fast?" She blinked in surprise.
Did she… look like she ate people or something?
"It’s the apocalypse. Survival instincts kick in hard," Si remarked with an amused smirk.
"Yeah. Kinda envy them, honestly. Unlike me—I’ll never get to experience petty theft in my life." Le Xiaowei picked up the discarded bag. If they’d actually taken it, she would’ve chased them down overnight.
But since they fled like rats, she couldn’t be bothered. Just small fry—not worth the effort.
"Stop being such a ‘tea-tea’ Xiaowei. Do you even realize you’re acting cute?"
Si was at a loss. How could a girl just casually ooze charm like this? Even as a system, she found it baffling.
"Who’s acting cute? I’m just vibing. This world’s way better than the last one—at least my character’s cooler. Though the whole apocalypse thing isn’t really my style."
Testing human nature? Le Xiaowei couldn’t care less.
Real life already had enough drama with bills and chores. Who needed life-or-death melodrama?
"Want me to find you a rich-person world next time?" Si knew exactly what Xiaowei wanted—a cushy, comfortable life.
Which was why she wouldn’t even touch expired food now. (Though, to be fair, being a zombie who didn’t need to eat played a big part.)
"Sure." Le Xiaowei perked up.
"Just kidding. I can’t actually pick worlds for you."
Le Xiaowei: "…"
"I’m not talking to you for the next three minutes." She tossed the bag back onto the driver’s seat.
"Tsundere," Si teased.
"Get lost." Le Xiaowei was ready to mute her.
Finally alone, she stood by the highway, the wind tangling her hair as it blended into the darkening sky.
When Yuan Qiaoqiao woke up, she found her sister standing by the roadside, lost in thought.
She pushed the car door open.
"Big sis, what are you doing out here?" Yuan Qiaoqiao trotted over, tilting her head.
Le Xiaowei: "…"
She couldn’t exactly say she was calculating how many kilometers it’d take to stab the male lead.
"Can’t sleep. Being a zombie means extra hours to kill—literally. Not exactly a perk." She patted Yuan Qiaoqiao’s shoulder.
"Eat first, then we’ll head out."
"Okay, but sis… I kinda want milk. The bag’s mostly dry food."
With a flick of her wrist, Le Xiaowei conjured bread and milk into Yuan Qiaoqiao’s hands.
"Thanks, sis!" Her eyes curved into happy crescents.
"I’ll drive, then." Le Xiaowei internally groaned. She didn’t even remember what "tired" felt like anymore.
"Got it!" Yuan Qiaoqiao hurried back to the car.
Le Xiaowei scanned the empty highway. They’d lost too much time leaving the city yesterday. If she sped up, they’d reach S Province by evening.
"Oh, sis—the person you’re looking for in S Province… is it a friend?" Yuan Qiaoqiao asked from the passenger seat, adjusting the bag behind her.
"Something like that. Hope we find him soon. Remind me to buy a mask when we get there, okay?" Le Xiaowei didn’t want Xiao Linfeng recognizing and immediately assassinating her.
"Sure."
Yuan Qiaoqiao nodded, nibbling her soft bread. A strange reluctance settled in her chest.
Once they entered S Province… would she have to say goodbye to Xiaowei-jie?
Unaware of Yuan Qiaoqiao’s thoughts, Le Xiaowei floored the gas. By late afternoon, the GPS showed two red dots.
One marked Xiao Linfeng. The other, Le Xu. As for the original female lead, Xia Jingli—without Xiao Linfeng’s interference, she’d probably be on the map too.
But thanks to the fanfic male lead’s… extensive activities, Xia Jingli wasn’t even the protagonist anymore.
"System, what are they up to?" Le Xiaowei frowned. The two men were still together.
This…
If her mind wandered just a little, she’d start shipping them.
This was totally a BL novel now. She didn’t care—she’d ship anything that moved.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
