CHAPTER 242: CHAPTER 242

Meng Nian shook his head.

"It’s already started. System timer hit seventy-one hours a while ago. We’re down to sixty-nine now."

Qingran sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Figures."

She looked at the others. Exhaustion clung to them too. Dirty clothes, scuffed boots, old bruises.

But none of them had that haunted look she’d seen on others.

Not yet. And she intended to keep it that way.

"We’ll rest for now.." she said, walking past the threshold into a rather bendy.

"30 minutes from now. Then we move."

"No complaints here.." Xu Tianming muttered, dropping onto a dusty crate.

Feng Yuxi glanced at Ruihuang.

"You’re new."

He gave her a nod. "Han Ruihuang."

"Long story.." Qingran added. "But he helped."

"That’s all we need to know.." Meng Nian said. "We’ll bring him up to speed when we get to the store.."

Ruihuang leaned against the cracked wall, arms crossed.

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes stayed alert, watching the others as if assessing them one by one.

Qingran sat near the back, cross-legged on a half-folded sleeping pad someone had salvaged. The flicker of adrenaline had long since faded, and in its place was the deep ache of everything she had pushed too far.

She leaned back against the wall and finally let her shoulders drop.

For the first time in days, there was no immediate threat.

No beast clawing from a rift.

No cultist at her back.

The quietness felt wrong... but also earned.

Outside, the city remained still.

The mission countdown glowed faintly in the air above them. Sixty-eight hours, forty-seven minutes.

Qingran exhaled and let her eyes fall shut.

For now... this was enough.

She just needed to rest her body a bit.

30 minutes had passed before she knew it.

Qingran turned her head slowly, eyes narrowing at Ruihuang.

Her body was aching in places she didn’t know had bones, and the pain in her legs was flaring sharp and steady.

Pride kept her upright this long, but the exhaustion was catching up fast.

She gritted her teeth.

"I’m just asking for help. Just this once." Her voice was low but firm. "The store isn’t that far. Can you carry me there?"

Ruihuang didn’t move at first.

Then he smirked, crouching until they were eye-level. His tone was casual, almost teasing. "Why don’t you ask me sweetly, sweetie?"

Qingran stared at him, deadpan. Her knuckles cracked without her trying. "Say that again and I’ll crawl to the store just to brow my point.."

He laughed, not backing off.

"Alright, alright. Don’t get violent. I’ll carry you."

He reached out without waiting for another word and lifted her easily, one arm under her knees, the other supporting her back.

She tensed slightly, caught off-guard by the casual strength in his grip, but she didn’t protest.

"If you drop me, I swear—"

"You’ll what?" he cut in. "Melt my bones? Turn my lungs to ash? I’m shaking...my dear goddess."

She rolled her eyes and leaned her head back. "You’re insufferable."

"And yet, here I am. Carrying your tired ass."

Meng Nian looked up from where he’d been sorting supplies and raised a brow as the two approached.

"She finally admitted she needed help?"

"Don’t start.." Qingran muttered.

"She’s just resting.." Ruihuang said over his shoulder. "Don’t ruin the moment, I may not get this chance again.."

Meng Nian didn’t say anything, wasn’t she with Feng Yizhou? Why was she getting chummy with this chump?

Meng Nian didn’t say anything... but his eyes followed them longer than necessary.

He walked a step ahead, arms folded tighter than before, face unreadable. Qingran didn’t notice — or didn’t care. Her head was resting lightly against Ruihuang’s shoulder now, eyes half-lidded. She was too tired to stand on pride.

Xu Tianming glanced at them and raised a brow. "You two got real familiar real fast."

"She’s injured," Ruihuang said, tone dry. "Unless one of you wants to carry her, keep walking."

"No one asked you," Meng Nian muttered under his breath. He didn’t look back.

Feng Yuxi exchanged a look with Xu Tianming, but neither said anything more. The group moved in relative silence after that, footsteps crunching over shattered glass and debris.

They were nearly back in familiar territory now.

The street up ahead was one Qingran recognized.

The familiar, grass covered street with craters, getting to the store they could now see the bloody doors covered with the

"We Do Not Accept Strangers"

"Well this is it, not much going on.."

[New Mission Alert!]

Qingran raised a brow, it’s been quite a while since she got a mission.

[Title: Check up]

[It has been approximately 36 days since the apocalypse started and host has yet to check on the people on her safe list. While you have tracks on Feng Yuxi, Meng Nian and Feng Yizhou, you’ve haven’t been keeping track of your older brother or friend..]

Qingran eyes widened, that was true, she couldn’t make an excuse for the fact that she hasn’t checked on the rest people on her safe list.

Im a terrible person.

Just like last time, she shouldn’t be so focused on one thing.

"And what’s the reward?"

[-_-]

[You forgot about them and you’re still looking for a rewards? Fine, I’ll give you one. Completing the apocalypse objective will give you the a crucial component in the making of the antidote for the zombies..]

Qingran eyes widened, meaning if she had that, she just need to the find her virus and she could actually start creating a antidote.

"Thank you Lingquan.."

[No sweat, my stupid little host..]

-_-

"How do I contact them?" There isn’t a phone I can all and no way to track them.."

Lingquan paused for a while before saying

[I’ll give you their location because they’re in your safe list, you can track them, as forms way to communicate with them, I can’t say and in exchange, you give them that rift ability of yours to observe, you overrided the system and your own body, that ability isn’t part of the system so I must examine and register it..]

-_-

"Are you trying to say, I own this ability as a human being? Not something given to by the system?"

Lingquan sighed [I’m afraid so..]

"Then I don’t want it registered to the system.."

-_-

[What? Why? I’m registering it to the system as your ability? You won’t lose it even if I register it, I’m just saying other people who become the next host will have this ability as default..]

Qingran didnt say anything, she forgot that Lingquan won’t stay with her forever.

"As a host, is it possible for me not to let my system go?"

Qingran asked Ruihuang to drop her down as she got into the store, her team were all relived to see her but her mind was else where.

She merely nodded whenever someone told to her.

She got to where Bai Shiyue was, asking her how her baby was and if she had anything to eat for the past two days?

"Yu song and the other managed to find some food for us. But unfortunately rift meat doesn’t smell or taste so good, I wonder how these people are it.." she said glancing at Rong and his team.

She couldn’t even stand the smell not less eat it.

"Im sorry everyone, I just have left more food. I couldn’t foresee what was waiting for me outside.."

"We survived! We’re just glad you’re safe!"

Qingran smiled "So let’s have a feast tonight!"

She handed the ingredients to Bai Shiyue, the standard rice, pork, vegetable, mushrooms and tofu for broth and flour for dumplings.

Then she found a corner to relax.

"You still haven’t answered my question Lingquan.."

-_-

[My answer isn’t one you’d like to hear. I’d very much like to say with you Qingran but after my job here is over and you don’t need me anymore I’ll be evacuated whether I like it or not..]

"What if I keep needing you, you just have to keep giving me missions right?"

Lingquan sighed [Qingran when all these is over, you’ll be just fine without me. Don’t tell me you’ve gotten attached..]

-_-

"Tch.."

[Now that’s the spirit.]

Qingran tapped her finger against her knees, making a quiet decision.

"Fine. You can register the ability to the system. Now tell me where Anya and the rest people are."

[Deal accepted! Anya along with your brother Tzang Yichen, Takahashi Ren, Liang Zhen are all in zone 3 while Guo Wen is in zone 4. Getting Feng Yizhou to look for him there is your only option until you get there.]