Chapter 18 - The Shadow of Obsession
Three days later, the group finally crossed the threshold into the safety zone. After a grueling process of registration and identity verification, they were assigned a modest two-bedroom apartment. Ouyang Aotian, ever the chivalrous gentleman, insisted that he was perfectly comfortable sleeping on the sofa in the living room, graciously ceding the bedrooms to the two sisters and the mother and child they had rescued.
Ouyang Aotian was not a man who could remain idle for long. Once he had acclimated to the rhythm of life within the base, he began to organize the masses—people who had been thrust into the apocalypse with nothing but dazed expressions and a profound sense of loss. Under his leadership, they began to maintain and develop the residential area. They cleared out storefronts to salvage useful supplies, tore up asphalt roads to uncover soil for vegetable patches, and established a rigorous cleaning schedule. He even organized a neighborhood watch to maintain order.
Soon, their sector became the safest area in the entire zone, second only to the high-level military districts. His methods were so effective that the base’s security officials began implementing his strategies in other sectors. As order was restored, Ouyang Aotian selected a group of adults and children to teach them basic self-defense. Before the world fell apart, he had been a national martial arts champion; his robust constitution and combat skills were the very reasons he had survived where others had perished.
Que Lan was almost always by his side. In the eyes of the other residents, they were a devoted couple, inseparable and harmonious. Whenever people teased Ouyang Aotian about their relationship, he would only offer a bashful smile without a word of denial, his eyes brimming with tender affection whenever they landed on Que Lan.
Though Que Lan had never made any formal promises, she never rebuffed him either. To the outside world, they were the "official pairing" of the base. Where Ouyang Aotian went, Que Lan followed, and vice versa. Yet, this was merely the first move in Que Lan’s grand scheme of vengeance. She intended to make this man fall utterly in love with her and make her sister entirely dependent on her—only to betray them both ruthlessly. She wanted them to taste the same agonizing despair she had endured in her previous life.
Meanwhile, Que Tang spent her days wandering aimlessly through the safety zone. Que Lan had initially warned her not to roam for fear of danger, but after witnessing her sister casually swing an iron bar and send a group of thugs flying like baseballs, she had decided to let her be.
The residents often looked at Que Tang with a hint of disdain hidden behind their polite smiles. While her sister worked tirelessly for the community, Que Tang seemed to be "fishing in troubled waters," doing nothing but loitering. However, no one dared to voice their complaints aloud, fearing they might offend Ouyang Aotian, who was now a residential manager appointed by the military.
Que Lan had scolded her a few times, but Que Tang remained unmoved. In truth, Que Lan had intentionally cultivated these rumors to further isolate her sister, so she eventually grew even more indulgent of Que Tang’s "laziness."
Que Tang, however, was indifferent to the gossip. Her wandering was not aimless; she was scouring the base for any information regarding the legendary "special medicine." After a week of fruitless searching, she realized she had been incredibly naive.
*“How could a random NPC who doesn’t even have a name in the original novel know about such critical data?”* she lamented internally.
“Meow~ I don’t know,” the system cat replied.
*“Are we really starting the ‘I don’t know’ dialogue again?”* Que Tang sat on a roadside bench once used for city beautification, looking like she was spacing out while she was actually ranting in her mind.
“I don’t know~ Meow.”
*“What DO you know?”*
“I know, meow~”
Que Tang immediately shut her mouth, realizing that arguing with Xiao Xianggu only made her look more foolish. Just as she was pondering how to find a lead, the distant crack of gunfire echoed through the air. She glanced lazily toward the sound and saw an old man in a white lab coat sprinting toward her like a world-class athlete, pursued by a group of men in black.
Que Tang was tempted to close her eyes and play dead, but Xiao Xianggu spoke up.
“Meow~ That old man knows the whereabouts of the cure.”
*“The way this mission hands out clues is way too casual! A random passerby actually has it? Do you think this is ‘Kung Fu’ where some old guy sells secret manuals for the Buddhist Palm?”* Despite her internal snark, she didn't hesitate. She gripped her iron bar and charged toward the old man.
As they crossed paths, the man shouted breathlessly, “Don’t go over there! Those people are villains trying to take over the world in this chaos!”
Que Tang rolled her eyes. *To think someone of his age could spout such ‘chunibyo’ lines.* She zipped past him, and a second later, the old man heard a chorus of agonizing screams behind him. He skidded to a halt and looked back, only to see Que Tang elegantly swinging her iron bar, knocking the pursuers away one by one with effortless precision.
“Is this an ability evolved from human genes to adapt to the harsh environment after the S87 outbreak?” he mused, his mind immediately shifting into the rational perspective of a biologist. “What a good child.”
The old man reached out to pat her head, but Que Tang slapped his hand away. She pulled a notepad and pen from her bag and wrote: *I am twenty.*
The old man’s eyes widened. “Oh? You can’t speak?”
Que Tang responded with a flat, deadpan stare. The old man, however, interpreted her silence as a sign of deep sorrow. He pulled her into a comforting embrace. “It’s alright, you poor, sweet child.”
Que Tang’s eye twitched. *Where did this perverted old man come from?!* She shoved him away and furiously scribbled: *Keep your hands to yourself, you lecher!*
The old man cleared his throat. “I am a researcher from the World Health Organization. I was working at the C-City laboratory and finally managed to develop a cure for S87—no, it’s a miraculous panacea that can cure almost any ailment.” Seeing Que Tang’s skeptical glare, he quickly reined in his excitement. “Anyway, after developing it, I rushed from C-City to meet with the researchers in B-City to announce the discovery and plan for mass production. But that group of men somehow found out and wanted the formula. they ambushed me, trying to kidnap me to work for them.”
Que Tang blinked and wrote: *You’ve told me now.*
The old man’s serious expression turned to shock, but he quickly regained his composure. “I believe a child with such a strong sense of justice, who would rescue an old man like me, couldn’t possibly be a bad person.”
*I am, though,* Que Tang wrote, adding a little heart at the end.
The old man was stunned again before forcing a laugh. “I know you’re joking. Anyway, child, I must go. My bodyguards are waiting at the gate. If you ever come to C-City, remember to find me at the WHO lab. My name is Yan Jiuyuan. I’ll find a way to make you a cute girl again—one who can act spoiled and beg her sister to ‘push her down.’”
Que Tang found there were so many things wrong with that sentence that she didn't even know where to start. She silently tucked away her notebook, grabbed the old man, hoisted him over her shoulder, and marched toward the safety zone’s entrance. Upon reaching the gate, she unceremoniously dumped him into the arms of his frantic subordinates who had rushed forward. She dusted off her hands and turned to leave without a word.
“Chief, are you alright?” a subordinate asked anxiously.
The playfulness had vanished from the old man’s face, replaced by a cold, sharp gravity. “I’m fine. Have someone investigate that girl’s identity immediately.”
***
When Que Tang returned to the apartment, she found her sister sitting alone in the living room—a rare sight without the male lead attached to her side. Que Lan’s expression was grim, her mind clearly lost in some dark, internal monologue.
Que Tang had originally intended to let her sister and the male lead share a room—she was, after all, a firm supporter of the "official" heterosexual pairing—but Que Lan had rejected the idea without hesitation. Ouyang Aotian had merely smiled and declined as well. Que Tang had mentally offered a prayer for the "Saintly Father" male lead; he was clearly disappointed but trying to act magnanimous. *Sometimes you have to be more assertive with girls!* she thought. Regardless, the two sisters were still sharing a bed.
Que Tang knocked on the doorframe to signal her return.
“Where were you? Why are you so late?” Que Lan had been sitting there specifically waiting for her. She had looked for her sister that afternoon to help with residential affairs but couldn't find her. Her worry had eventually forced her to drop everything, only to see her sister talking to a man… and being embraced by him. Though Que Tang had pushed him away, Que Lan had been seconds away from charging in to kill the man.
Her sister belonged to her. No one else was allowed to touch her.
“Meow~ Female supporting character’s Blackening Value has increased by thirty. Current value: 50. She has reached the threshold for ‘sickly’ behavior. Furthermore, her Blackening Value is now higher than her Favorability. Please be extremely careful, Host. I will pray to the Great Meow-God for your safety from this side of the screen.”
*“I don’t need prayers, I need you to shut up!”* Que Tang’s heart raced as she looked at her sister. It was pure, unadulterated fear.
She lowered her head and shuffled over to sit beside Que Lan, taking her hand and giving it a gentle, placating shake. When Que Lan didn't pull away, she used sign language to explain: *[Sister, I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry. I just ran into a strange old man being chased and helped him out.]* She tugged on Que Lan’s sleeve, trying to look as cute and apologetic as possible, despite the terror she felt toward a woman with a Blackening Value of 50.
*What exactly does ‘sickly behavior’ entail?! Give me a clear explanation! One-star review!*
“Meow~ You told me to shut up.”
*“...Then keep staying shut up.”*
“Meow~” Xiao Xianggu let out a dejected whimper.
Que Lan stared at the adorable expression her sister only ever showed to her. She reached out and pinched Que Tang’s cheek. “As long as you’re safe. But don’t do it again. Sister… only has you left.” A flicker of internal struggle flashed in her eyes.
Looking at the sister who was becoming increasingly reliant on her, Que Lan felt her heart soften. But then she remembered that the "date" was approaching. No, she couldn't let her resolve waver now.
Que Tang threw herself into her sister’s arms with a look of profound emotion, though internally she was dying to know what "sickly behavior" looked like. She found out a moment later.
Que Lan’s hand slid beneath Que Tang’s shirt. If it weren't for her character setting, Que Tang would have screamed. Her body stiffened in shock, her mind failing to process the intrusion quickly enough to push her away. Que Lan, seemingly oblivious to her sister’s tension, began to stroke every inch of the skin on Que Tang’s back.
That man had held her sister just like this. How could she endure her property being defiled by another? Only after she had meticulously "cleansed" every inch of skin with her touch did she withdraw her hand and pull Que Tang into a crushing hug.
“Xiao Tang, Sister only has you. You know that, right?” She spoke as if there were nothing remotely unusual about her actions.
Que Tang nodded fearfully. She finally understood what "sickly behavior" meant.
“Good girl.” Que Lan patted her head.
Que Tang cautiously backed out of the embrace and looked at her sister obediently. *[Where is Ouyang?]*
“You certainly care a lot about Ouyang.”
The sheer possessiveness in that tone made Que Tang’s heart skip a beat. She quickly forced a smile and signed: *[Because he’s my brother-in-law.]*
Those words were like a forbidden switch. The faint smile on Que Lan’s face vanished instantly, her expression darkening. Que Tang nearly fell to her knees to beg her sister to stop over-imagining things, but this time, Que Lan didn't do anything extreme. She simply stated coldly that the military had called him in for a meeting.
It had been the same in her previous life. On this very day, at this very time, the military had summoned him to inform him that the zombies were about to surround the entire refuge.
And in two days, the undead would breach the concrete walls that everyone believed were indestructible.
Thinking of this, Que Lan’s mood shifted into a state of dark euphoria. She reached out and patted her sister’s head with newfound, chilling affection.
| Chinese | English | Notes |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 严究原 | Yan Jiuyuan | A pun on "Researcher" (Yánjiūyuán). |
| 丧病行为 | Sickly behavior / Morbid behavior | Actions driven by a high Blackening Value. |
| 姐夫 | Brother-in-law | Que Tang's term for Ouyang Aotian. |
| 避难区 | Refuge / Safety Zone | The protected area within the city. |
