"Oh, I see." Le Xiaowei murmured thoughtfully while looking at the staff in her hand.
"Then I'll use it on you." With a mischievous glint in her eye, she placed the staff against Yuan Qiaoqiao, pretending to actually activate it.
Yuan Qiaoqiao pressed her lips together tightly, her clear black-and-white eyes brimming with a hint of grievance. The faint flush at the corners of her eyes made her look inexplicably pitiful.
"Just teasing you." With a wave of her hand, Le Xiaowei made the staff vanish.
Seeing Yuan Qiaoqiao like this, the frustration from being confined earlier gradually faded away.
How strange.
Well, perhaps men just have soft hearts.
"Will cold medicine work for this illness of yours?" Le Xiaowei asked doubtfully.
But for now, finding cold medicine wouldn’t be easy. After all, this place was near the Northwest Base—any pharmacies nearby had surely been looted clean by scavenging teams long ago.
The only places likely to have medicine now were the hospital or inside the base.
"It’ll work." Yuan Qiaoqiao’s soft voice was hoarse, her little nose red and sniffly.
"Don’t go to the hospital. It’s too dangerous. Let’s just go to the base instead." She tugged lightly at Le Xiaowei’s sleeve, almost like she was pleading.
Le Xiaowei didn’t dwell on it further. She stored everything in the room inside her spatial storage. Though she wasn’t entirely sure of her current strength, she figured she had enough energy crystals to trade for medicine.
Inside the base, energy crystals were the main currency.
And the pile Yuan Qiaoqiao had collected earlier was practically a small mountain—Le Xiaowei hadn’t held back.
Once everything was packed, Le Xiaowei entered the room to find Yuan Qiaoqiao still miserable, rubbing her nose.
Le Xiaowei walked over and crouched beside the bed.
"Big sister?" Yuan Qiaoqiao blinked in surprise.
"Get on. We’re heading to the base."
Yuan Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around Le Xiaowei’s neck, resting her head against her shoulder, her cheeks flushed.
Le Xiaowei carried her outside, where feathery snowflakes drifted lazily through the air, settling on the ruins of the city walls and dusting the two of them. The cold was biting yet gentle, turning the tips of Le Xiaowei’s fingers pink.
At least she had a living heater on her back.
Yuan Qiaoqiao dozed off.
Fortunately, the system interface was still accessible, allowing Le Xiaowei to track the locations of the two male leads—otherwise, she wouldn’t even know how to find the base.
The cold was relentless. Outside the base, a small shelter had been set up, its walls lined with glass windows and an old-fashioned iron stove inside—the kind typically found in rural villages. The gatekeeper was bundled under two thick blankets and only reluctantly pulled his hands out when he saw them approaching.
"Got entry permits? If not, fill out these forms." The man handed two sheets to Le Xiaowei.
She took a pen and glanced over the form. She hadn’t seen one before, but it seemed straightforward—basic personal details and whether they were ability users.
After some thought, she decided the light attribute was the least conspicuous among her three abilities.
As for Yuan Qiaoqiao’s form…
Before Le Xiaowei could ask, Yuan Qiaoqiao shook the snowflakes from her lashes.
"Water attribute. I’m a water user."
Once the forms were filled, the man handed them two cards.
"Take these for inspection. Results take about half an hour. If cleared, you can enter the base."
Seeing they carried nothing, he didn’t press further. Normally, the base required an energy crystal fee.
"Thanks." Le Xiaowei took the cards, which displayed their names, abilities, and ID numbers.
Inside, the base wasn’t much warmer than outside—still bone-chilling. But at least a few people were shoveling snow, making the walk less treacherous.
The inspection office was just inside the gate. The staff member took their cards and skimmed the details.
"Not bad, both ability users. And this one…" He glanced at Yuan Qiaoqiao on Le Xiaowei’s back.
"She’s sick. That’s why we came in a hurry." Le Xiaowei offered a faint smile.
The staff didn’t comment, just drew a little blood from each of them for testing.
"Wait here. Results in thirty minutes." He shut the door behind him, stomping his feet against the cold.
"Sit by the stove and warm up."
He was considerate enough to bring them stools.
Le Xiaowei helped Yuan Qiaoqiao sit, and the warmth from the stove eased the discomfort on her face.
"By the way, miss, do you know someone named Le Xu in the base? He’s my brother. We got separated earlier."
Yuan Qiaoqiao didn’t move, just tightened her grip on Le Xiaowei’s hand.
"Le Xu? You’re his sister? He put out a bounty for anyone who could find you. Didn’t expect you to show up on your own. I’ll send someone to fetch him. Once your results are in, he can drive you back—his place is pretty far."
The Northwest Base was massive, nearly the size of a small city.
"Thank you." Le Xiaowei smiled sweetly.
Yuan Qiaoqiao tugged her hand again, but Le Xiaowei ignored it.
She was about to ask more about the base when Yuan Qiaoqiao suddenly lifted her head and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Le Xiaowei: "…"
The two women in the office blinked in surprise before exchanging knowing smiles. Le Xiaowei swore she had the sudden urge to smack Yuan Qiaoqiao.
If she weren’t feverish, Le Xiaowei wouldn’t put it past her to aim for the lips.
"She’s sick. Gets clingy." Le Xiaowei rubbed her tingling cheek, forcing an explanation.
The woman who’d spoken to her left to send word to Le Xu at the base center. Since he’d publicly shared his sister’s name—which matched the card exactly—if this was real, even if Le Xu didn’t reward them, gaining a powerful ally’s favor was worth it.
The remaining woman just watched them with an amused look.
Le Xiaowei wanted to melt into the floor.
She leaned down and hissed through gritted teeth, "If you pull another stunt, I’m dumping you in the snow."
Yuan Qiaoqiao lowered her head. "Oh."
But… she hadn’t used her hands or feet.
What did "oh" even mean?
Annoyed, Le Xiaowei considered standing to pace, but Yuan Qiaoqiao rubbed her temples weakly and slumped against her lap before she could move.
Le Xiaowei: "…"
Definitely intentional.
Avoiding the woman’s teasing gaze, Le Xiaowei sat stiffly, like a block of wood, until the test results arrived and the other woman returned.
"I sent word to Le Xu. He’s on his way."
"Thanks." Le Xiaowei replied flatly.
By the time her legs went numb, Le Xu finally pulled up in a vehicle, clad in a black down jacket and carrying two pale pink bundles. He knocked on the office door urgently.
"Little sister!" His voice was laced with worry.
But when Le Xiaowei turned to face him, he froze.
This site is about to undergo a major upgrade, featuring more books and timely chapter updates.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
