The protagonist who hates losers is so sweet to me.

Coma
Yu Xiaoxue was seriously injured, mostly due to Song Xinqi. As the partial culprit, he didn’t hesitate to use crystal cores. Mutated animals have strong vitality and recover quickly, and with the help of crystal cores, Yu Xiaoxue was fully healed within a few days.

Seeing her lively and bouncing around again, Yu Qing’s mood improved.

Now, Yu Xiaoxue had begun to show the majesty of her mother. Her fur was fluffy and soft, her movements were agile and powerful, making her look both beautiful and valiant. When she wasn’t rolling around, acting coquettishly, or meowing at Yu Qing, she indeed had the demeanor of the Snow Mountain King.

Looking at the proud and majestic snow leopard walking ahead, Yu Qing thought with satisfaction, “I’ve really raised her well.”

Song Xinqi, who had actually gone bankrupt raising Yu Xiaoxue, thought, “…”

Of course, he wouldn’t let Yu Xiaoxue eat the crystal cores for free. These days, she had been acting as a crystal core detector, collecting them everywhere.

Suddenly, Yu Xiaoxue, who had been walking leisurely, started running. Yu Qing and Song Xinqi followed.

With his long legs, Song Xinqi quickly caught up with her. By the time Yu Qing arrived, they had already dug out the crystal core.

Song Xinqi tossed the crystal core backward, and Yu Xiaoxue caught it with her mouth in one smooth motion.

However, after leaving the large city area, the number of mutated zombies decreased significantly. They were now very strapped for resources, as they were consuming more crystal cores than they were finding.

Song Xinqi spread his mental energy to search for living creatures in the area and noticed something in one direction.

“There’s a group of zombies over there.”

“Really?” Yu Qing perked up, his face lighting up with joy. “Does that mean we are getting close to a safe zone?”

Although they weren’t close yet, they had at least a general direction. They decided not to rush and planned to follow the zombie group to guide them.

After walking in that direction for a while, they began to see more human structures. Dry dead trees lined the roads, with abandoned vehicles and various trash and scrap metal littering the way. They arrived at a small, long-deserted village.

Before they even entered, they encountered an ugly zombie dog.

The zombie dog’s fur was dry, its teeth were sharp and yellow, and it drooled everywhere. Seeing living people, it immediately barked madly and charged at them.

Yu Qing was startled by the sudden barking. Yu Xiaoxue, who had been prepared, leaped forward, precisely biting the zombie dog’s neck, using her size to swiftly bring it down.

This was the first time Yu Qing had seen a zombie animal. Like zombies, zombie animals could infect humans and would relentlessly pursue any living creature.

The excitement he felt upon seeing the village quickly vanished.

Releasing the zombie dog’s broken neck, Yu Xiaoxue darted back to his side, ensuring his safety while staying close.

Using his mental net, Song Xinqi scanned the entire village. Most of the zombies had been drawn away by human activity elsewhere, so the number of zombies here was small. However, there were many zombie animals, with only a few mutated plants.

To catch up with the zombie group, they needed to cross this village occupied by zombie animals.

As night approached, Song Xinqi said, “Let’s find a place to rest for the night and enter the village tomorrow.”

“Alright!” Yu Qing responded eagerly, “Are we looking for a place to sleep?”

Song Xinqi glanced at him, “We need to cross the village quickly tomorrow to catch up with the zombie group. You have five minutes to get up in the morning. If you don’t wake up, I’ll leave you here to fend for yourself.”

Yu Qing: “…Okay.”

Once again, they resorted to their old friend, a large tree. With Song Xinqi’s warning, Yu Qing slept uneasily, and with tasks on his mind, he woke up on his own the next day.

Peeking out and seeing that Song Xinqi was still asleep below, he thought smugly: This time, I woke up earlier.

However, it wasn’t that he woke up earlier, but that Song Xinqi had overslept.

Being woken up by Yu Qing, he looked up at the already bright sky, feeling somewhat displeased.

Yu Qing tried to console him, “It’s normal to oversleep. You can’t always wake up at dawn.”

He wasn’t consoled. Because of the morning delay, he could only sense the tail end of the zombie group. If they didn’t hurry, they might lose track of it.

These days, Yu Qing had become quite skilled at climbing trees thanks to Yu Xiaoxue. Without delay, they immediately entered the village.

No creature could resist Song Xinqi’s mental attack, allowing them to move quickly. In half an hour, they reached the village center.

Absorbing two crystal cores to replenish his energy, he spread his mental energy to detect which of the three forked paths ahead had fewer zombie animals.

Sitting on Yu Xiaoxue’s back, Yu Qing suddenly felt a dizzy spell and nearly fell off.

Song Xinqi steadied him, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” he held his forehead, “I just feel a bit dizzy.”

The feeling was somewhat familiar. After thinking for a while, Yu Qing realized it was similar to the early stages of his ability evolution. However, it hadn’t been long since he evolved to a level two ability, so it shouldn’t be happening so soon.

Touching his forehead to check his temperature, he found it normal.

Seeing Yu Qing touch his forehead and then try to approach him, Song Xinqi stepped back, his expression tightening, “What are you doing?”

“I’m checking your forehead. Are you about to evolve your ability?”

Hearing him say this, Song Xinqi suddenly felt a slight discomfort in his body, which he hadn’t noticed immediately due to the mildness and the aftereffects of using his mental energy.

After examining his condition, his face darkened. His body was indeed heating up, and he would likely develop a fever soon.

Evolving in a village full of zombie animals was not ideal. The high fever would lead to forced unconsciousness, loss of control over his abilities, and severance of his mental link, which would also affect Yu Qing. With only Yu Xiaoxue around, it would be too dangerous.

In a swift decision, Song Xinqi abandoned the chase after the zombie group, “We need to find a place to hide for a couple of days until the evolution fever passes.”

It became a race against time. Yu Xiaoxue, carrying Yu Qing, ran at full speed while Song Xinqi fully released his abilities, covering the entire village with his mental net. Numerous black dots representing zombie animals appeared in his mind.

As he ran, he absorbed five crystal cores, channeling the abundant mental energy to suppress the black dots.

Centered around them, the nearest group of zombie animals were obliterated instantly.

With fewer black dots in his mind, his face grew paler as the fever worsened, and he was now heavily dizzy.

Having no time to focus on the rapid consumption of his mental energy, he took out another handful of crystal cores to absorb. Replenished, his mental energy attacked all the living creatures in the village. He needed to clear the entire area of any threats before falling unconscious to ensure a safe environment for Yu Qing.

Heat spread through his body, yet the skin he touched felt cold. This was a delusion brought by the mental link. Yu Qing shook his head, looking at Song Xinqi leading the way. He knew he was at his limit but still holding on.

When the last black dot in his mind disappeared, his consciousness wavered. He led Yu Qing and Yu Xiaoxue into a brick house.

Almost immediately upon entering, his brain succumbed to the overwhelming dizziness.

Yu Qing quickly caught his collapsing body. Feeling his scorching skin, he couldn’t support him and slumped against the wall, slowly sliding down while holding him.

“Are you okay?” He touched Song Xinqi’s frighteningly hot face while Yu Xiaoxue anxiously paced around.

Song Xinqi handed the last three crystal cores to him, speaking weakly but calmly, “I’ve dealt with the zombie animals outside. Stay here and don’t wander off. Yu Xiaoxue can go out to find food if needed. Your safety is the most important.”

Yu Qing nodded repeatedly, “I know.”

Frowning, Song Xinqi took another breath, “This is a human activity area. There might be others seeking refuge. Stay alert, don’t let anyone discover you, and trust no one.”

“Okay.”

The fever spread like a rapidly engulfing blaze, burning away at his consciousness.

Reaching out with a weak hand, he pinched Yu Qing’s face, “Be good and wait for me to wake up.”

“Okay.”

Before he finished speaking, Song Xinqi’s hand dropped, and he fell unconscious, his brows tightly furrowed in worry.

With the mental link severed, Yu Qing instantly felt the intense fever that he was experiencing. The sudden onslaught made his face turn pale.

He thought he had already been synchronizing with Song Xinqi’s feelings, not realizing it was the result of the mental link being blocked. Cold sweat poured down his face, his mouth slightly open, chest heaving, feeling like a fish out of water, overwhelmed by the burning and suffocating sensation.

“It hurts.”

Yu Xiaoxue lay beside him, licking his hand on the ground, trying to comfort him.

He didn’t expect the fever from evolving to level three abilities to be so severe. He felt like he was dying, his dull mind blank except for the pain.

This was just the beginning. His nose tingled, almost bringing him to tears.

It was truly unbearable.

He became oblivious to everything outside, curling up against the wall, his shoulders shaking. He couldn’t move, as any movement made him dizzy and nauseous.

Perhaps his body’s self-defense mechanism kicked in, and after a while, he passed out from the discomfort.

When he woke up again, the sky was painted with large swathes of fiery clouds.

Seeing Yu Qing stir, Yu Xiaoxue immediately stood up, gently nudging his back with her head.

He turned around to see her worried eyes.

“Meow” she covered him with her large, fluffy tail.

He then noticed Song Xinqi beside him, still unconscious, his face just as pale.

Song Xinqi must be feeling much worse. He slowly leaned against the wall, thinking aimlessly. During his previous fever, Song Xinqi must have felt awful but continued with his tasks. What was he feeling then?

And this time, even while feverish, he did everything he could to protect him until he passed out. Yu Qing was merely experiencing a fraction of the pain Song Xinqi felt after he lost consciousness.

Thinking this way, he suddenly felt a surge of strength, making the fever more bearable.

According to the original story, Song Xinqi traveled this part alone after the base fell, merely mentioning that he had a fever in the wild and woke up with his abilities upgraded, unscathed.

But now, he was here too, and Song Xinqi had chosen a different path. It was completely different from the original. He had to stay vigilant and wait for him to wake up safely.

Lying there for a while, Yu Qing’s stomach protested. They had entered the village without eating anything.

“Yu Xiaoxue,” he called softly. The snow leopard, who came over to rub against him, was asked, “Can you go out and find something to eat?”

She meowed and reluctantly dashed outside.

With Song Xinqi unavailable, Yu Qing had to rely on himself. Encouraging himself mentally, he forced himself to stand, almost collapsing as his knees buckled.

After a while, he adapted and stumbled toward the house’s interior. He needed to check the kitchen for anything to start a fire.

It was an old-fashioned kitchen with a large stove that required manual lighting. Fortunately, there was firewood stacked by the wall and a half-box of matches on the stove.

While waiting for Yu Xiaoxue to return, he could get the fire going. After months of surviving in the apocalypse, he should be better than when he first arrived. Lighting a fire should be manageable.
Following the method Song Xinqi had taught him, he arranged the firewood and opened the matchbox. Lacking strength, he broke several matches before successfully lighting one. However, using a match for the first time, he was startled by the sudden flare, dropping it and burning his palm.

He cried out, looking at the red mark on his palm. “It hurts…”

At that moment, he heard strange noises outside, like someone banging on a door, but not on their door. He stumbled out and saw through a window that a stranger was trying to break into the house next door. After several failed attempts, the person turned and headed towards their house.

Seeing Song Xinqi lying unconscious by the door, now doll-sized, Yu Qing quickly picked him up and hid behind the sofa, also shrinking down in size. The next moment, the door was kicked open.

A burly man entered, scanning the room with a long metal pipe in hand, the tip sharpened, and blood dripping from his other arm. After confirming no one was around, he walked to the sofa, dropped the pipe with a clang, and started tending to his wound.

Yu Qing held his breath, thinking about how to escape. He remembered Song Xinqi’s advice: in the apocalypse, never trust others; always prepare for the worst if discovered. Seeing a mouse hole in the wall, he formed a plan.

Taking advantage of the man’s distraction, he dragged Song Xinqi towards the hole. Being doll-sized, his strength was also reduced. Struggling and turning red in the face, he slowly moved Song Xinqi. The short distance seemed like a marathon. Halfway there, he was exhausted but dared not stop. One glance from the man would end everything.

Finally reaching the hole, he saw it was just big enough for him to crawl through. He positioned Song Xinqi’s feet towards the hole, crawled out first, and then dragged Song Xinqi out. The man, finishing his wound care, glanced in their direction, seeing something flash by.

“What was that?” he exclaimed, standing up. Yu Qing quickly pulled Song Xinqi out. Just as he planned to escape, a white figure rushed towards the house—it was Yu Xiaoxue.

Before he could stop her, she barged into the house, only to face the burly man wielding the metal pipe. The snow leopard dropped the mutated dog she had brought back, growling. The man conjured a fireball, throwing it at her. Yu Xiaoxue dodged and prepared to attack.

The man, no amateur, directed the flames along the pipe, charging at Yu Xiaoxue. Just as she was about to engage, a faint whistling sound from below caught her attention.

It wasn’t a whistle, just a louder breath from Yu Qing. But Yu Xiaoxue understood, avoiding further confrontation and running out, with the man in hot pursuit. Rounding a corner, the snow leopard vanished.

Confused, the man searched the empty field, convinced the leopard couldn’t have escaped so quickly. Unseen by him, three doll-sized figures—Yu Qing, Song Xinqi, and Yu Xiaoxue—hid in the dense grass below.

After a while, the man returned angrily, picking up the mutated dog Yu Xiaoxue had dropped, and re-entered the house. Yu Qing, heart pounding, barely breathed. Yu Xiaoxue, frustrated, stared at the door. The food she had brought was now taken by the man.

Realizing the house was no longer safe, Yu Qing placed Song Xinqi on Yu Xiaoxue’s back, climbed on himself, and had her grow to normal size, seeking a new shelter.

With all zombie animals in the village cleared by Song Xinqi, they just needed to find a house far from the man. Following Yu Qing’s directions, Yu Xiaoxue crossed a low wall and entered another house through a broken window.

Yu Qing, not holding on tight, rolled to the ground with Song Xinqi, reverting to normal size. Lying there, he was too exhausted to move. Yu Xiaoxue whimpered at his feet, full of guilt.

“It’s okay,” Yu Qing reassured her, unable to lift his hand. “It’s just a day without food.”

Staring at the ceiling, he tried to sleep to stave off hunger but couldn’t. His throat was sore, feeling like fire. It was just shared discomfort; Song Xinqi was suffering more.

Remaining alert, he took on the duty of protection, staying awake all night. At dawn, his eyes bloodshot, he felt slightly better, possibly accustomed to the fever. With effort, he sat up, determined to find water, having gone a day without food or drink.

Finding water in the village was easy. Half an hour later, they found a spring at the mountain’s base. Cautiously, he observed the surroundings, spotting a mutated plant camouflaged as grass by the spring. Yu Xiaoxue clawed at it, but it retreated swiftly. After a while, Yu Qing noticed disturbed soil at his feet. Stepping back, a small root grabbed his ankle. Yu Xiaoxue stomped, causing the root to retreat.

Riding on her, they played a game of whack-a-mole with the plant. Eventually, he predicted its movement, allowing Yu Xiaoxue to bite and kill it.

Relieved, he reflected on Song Xinqi’s prowess, knowing he would have easily handled the plant. Finally securing the water source, he felt the fever worsening and released Song Xinqi, preparing to face the harsh reality of the apocalypse without his protection for a few days.
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