The protagonist who hates losers is so sweet to me.

Just as Song Xinqi had predicted, with the protection of five top offensive ability users from the safe zone, they managed to bypass the inevitable path of the zombie horde and reached the experimental base without any major incidents.

After everyone evacuated, most of the zombies inside the experimental base had also scattered. The offensive ability users went in first to clear out any remaining zombies, dragging out the bodies one by one, and then the others went in to move the equipment.

Various large pieces of equipment, taller than a person, were reduced to the size of chairs under Yu Qing’s ability, making them easy for even him to carry.

Originally, the plan was to spend half a day transporting the equipment, but in just two hours, they had almost emptied the entire experimental base.

Yu Qing cautiously checked every laboratory and reported to Chu Yuan, who was outside checking the inventory: “I’ve shrunk everything inside.”

Chu Yuan put down the form and ruffled his soft hair: “You’ve worked hard, Qing Qing.”

Perhaps humans tend to take extra care of those who appear smaller and more delicate. On this journey, Yu Qing was treated like a younger brother by everyone, which made him see Chu Yuan as a gentle, neighbourly brother, feeling very relaxed around him.

“It wasn’t hard. I just used my ability; everyone else did the heavy lifting.” He watched as Chu Yuan checked off the form.

The form was almost complete. In a little while, they could head back.

A rectangular block wrapped in foil appeared on the form like magic. Chu Yuan asked, “Want some chocolate?”

“Yes!” Yu Qing’s eyes lit up as he accepted the chocolate from him.

He broke the chocolate in half, gave one half back to Chu Yuan, and unwrapped the other half with excitement, taking a small bite of the rare post-apocalyptic treat.

He cherished it, letting it slowly melt in his mouth, closing his eyes in satisfaction: “Mmm, chocolate, so good.”

Seeing his satisfied expression, Chu Yuan’s smile deepened as he took a bite.

“Can I share some with everyone else?” Yu Qing sought his permission.

Chu Yuan: “Of course you can.”

Yu Qing happily ran back to the experimental base.

After loading all the miniaturized equipment into the car, the space inside became quite tight. Although there was still enough room for people to sit, everyone was so conditioned to believe the equipment was fragile and precious that they were afraid to move, fearing that one wrong move might destroy humanity’s hope.

Yu Qing decided to shrink everyone except the driver and Chu Yuan, who needed to look after the equipment. A row of burly little dolls sat in the car, looking comically out of place.

Finally able to relax, the strength-type ability user slumped comfortably in his seat: “The best decision on this trip was bringing Yu Qing; otherwise, the ride back would have been unbearable.”

Another person added: “Unbearable? When you were sleeping, you took up three seats by yourself. I wanted to sleep on you.”

Everyone laughed heartily. Many friendships in the safe zone were forged during missions.

Tiny Yu Qing swung his legs as he leaned against the little snow leopard doll. Suddenly, a huge crystal core appeared beside him.

Chu Yuan, in his normal size, said: “You’ll need to maintain your ability until we reach the safe zone. It’ll take a lot of energy, so you should absorb this crystal core.”

So Yu Qing, using both hands and feet, hugged the massive crystal core that was half his height, making Chu Yuan’s heart itch with affection.

After that, he had nothing else to do and curled up on Yu Xiaoxue, falling asleep with peace of mind.

He woke up and slept intermittently, and when he woke up one time, he found himself not on Yu Xiaoxue but on Chu Yuan’s lap.

Chu Yuan poked his forehead with his finger: “Awake? We’re almost at the safe zone.”

Still groggy from sleep, he was a bit confused. He didn’t know how he got there. Chu Yuan thought he wanted to get down, but Yu Qing only adjusted his position on his lap, half-sitting up and resting his head against Chu Yuan’s abdomen, zoning out.

Chu Yuan’s eyes filled with a smile.

Three minutes later, a fully awake Yu Qing blushed and got off Chu Yuan’s lap.

As the car entered the safe zone, a line of researchers was already waiting on the road. As soon as the car door opened, the person at the front anxiously asked, “How’s the equipment? Was there any damage on the way? Is there a chance for repair?”

Getting off the car, Yu Qing saw Chu Yuan being surrounded by people asking all sorts of questions. He reassured everyone, urging them to start moving the equipment. The group got busy.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving now.” The others started bidding farewell.

Yu Qing had to wait until all the equipment was moved back to the experimental building and restored before he could leave, so he followed Chu Yuan inside.

In the experimental building, a group of white-robed researchers were busily moving things around. Yu Qing, holding Yu Xiaoxue, curiously looked around.

Every time they passed a room, Chu Yuan would explain to him: “This is the virus research lab. We regularly hire ability users to collect zombie tissue from the wild for our research.”

“Hire me, hire me. I have plenty of free time. Just call me, and I’ll bring it right away.” He volunteered.

Chu Yuan laughed: “Aren’t you set for food and drink for two months? Why are you still looking for tasks?”

“Two months go by quickly. I have to think about the future.” Yu Qing replied. Without a mental link, he hoped to live as long as possible.

Chu Yuan said: “Alright, from now on, all tasks for collecting zombie blood are yours. Every time you come, I’ll treat you to a meal, one meat, one vegetable, and two bottles of water.”

Yu Qing: “Deal!”

This meal in the safe zone would cost at least thirty points, more than a regular person’s daily food expenses.

Chu Yuan continued explaining, eventually steering the conversation towards the apocalypse: “We discovered that the genetic sequence of the zombie virus is somewhat similar to a traditional virus we knew before. This virus might not have suddenly appeared; it could have been a disaster waiting to happen for a long time. So now, we’re shifting our focus to finding that traditional virus, hoping it might give us insights into our current research…”

When it came to his field, he could talk at length, explaining complex concepts in a way even Yu Qing could understand most of it.

By the time they finished touring the experimental building, all the equipment had been moved. Yu Qing restored everything to its original size: “Mission accomplished. I should get going.”

Chu Yuan: “Alright. Your reward will be delivered to you at mealtimes every day.”

“Great!” This meant Yu Qing could sleep in until nine or ten in the morning for the next two months.

He took the elevator to the first floor. As the doors opened, he came face to face with Song Xinqi waiting for the elevator. Song Xinqi looked up, only to see him walk past him without a glance.

His eyes darkened, and his assistant behind him silently lowered his hand that had been about to greet Yu Qing after their interaction.

The two entered the elevator. The assistant looked at Yu Qing’s retreating figure and then glanced at his boss, a look of realization dawning on his face.

Even the strongest have arguments with their partners.

Outside the building, Yu Qing finally dared to take a deep breath. Seeing Song Xinqi earlier had almost made him stop breathing. Thankfully, he hadn’t caused trouble. It was a good start. If he could forget some things from the past, he could treat him as just another safe zone leader in the future.

The following weeks were a blissful time for Yu Qing. With two months’ worth of food taken care of, he relaxed on the task front. Apart from daily zombie blood deliveries to the lab, he only needed enough points to avoid being kicked out of the safe zone.

His task-snatching skills were improving. The key was not to hesitate, to seize opportunities, and charge in when there was an opening.

His task success rate was now about forty percent, which he found quite satisfactory.

He spread out his recently completed task cards on the bed and waved to Peng Shu, who had just arrived: “Perfect timing. I’m counting my points. How many points do you have now?”

Peng Shu thought for a moment: “After today’s meals, I should have just over a hundred left.”

“That’s a lot.” Yu Qing exclaimed, “I have sixty-five. This month should be stable. You’re amazing, having so many points even after deducting a third.”

Peng Shu smiled shyly: “My points haven’t been deducted for the past two weeks, so I’ve been able to save them up. I was going to ask you, did you do something?”

“Not really.” Yu Qing put his hands on his knees, leaning against the headboard. “It’s just that we should be considered over, so he won’t take it out on you anymore.”

“You two broke up? He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Peng Shu asked worriedly.

Yu Qing: “No, he just stopped giving me special treatment. I’m not worried about surviving right now.”

“That’s good. Now you won’t have to deal with his attitude anymore.” Peng Shu relaxed. “Recently, there’s been a small wave of zombies coming from the south. I just took on a team mission to clear them out. We can earn twenty points. Want to join?”

“Sure!” Yu Qing got excited. “When do we leave?”

“At 1 PM.”

Clearing out zombies generally required a strong offensive approach, and the faster, the better. Yu Qing’s ability could increase the density of zombies within a certain range, which worked well with group attack ability users when facing zombie waves.

So besides collecting crystal cores, Yu Qing was also well-suited for clearing out zombie waves.

At 1 PM, the ability users waiting for their teammates at the entrance saw Peng Shu and Yu Qing walking over.

“Hey, little Yu Qing, getting pulled into another mission by Peng Shu again?”

Yu Qing had a distinctive presence, carrying a mutated snow leopard, making it hard for anyone who had teamed up with him once to forget him.

“Hi, Brother Ye, we’re teaming up again.” Yu Qing waved at him.

The title “Brother Ye” was something he picked up from Peng Shu. Ye was his former teammate, a level-three earth ability user. He would create large pits to trap the zombies that Yu Qing had shrunk, and then Peng Shu, with his level-three electric ability, would deliver a devastating area attack.

This time, apart from the three familiar faces, there were two strangers who seemed to be together. After brief introductions and a rundown of the key points, they set off.

The vehicles used for clearing out zombies were the best in the safe zone. Brother Ye drove, Peng Shu and Yu Qing sat in the second row, and the other two sat in the back row.

On the way, the two attack ability users in the back row whispered to each other: “The one on the left named is Yu Qing, I remember the pretty boy our boss keeps is also named Yu Qing.”

The other person was surprised: “Really? Then why is he out doing missions alone?”

“No idea. Maybe the boss got tired of him. When he liked him, he wouldn’t let him suffer a bit. Now that he’s lost interest, he’s discarded him? Otherwise, why would he let such a beautiful person go out and risk his life? It would be a waste if he died out here.”

“Maybe he found a new sugar daddy. Look at how the guy next to him treats him. There’s definitely something going on. But we’re going out to clear zombies. Is it really okay to bring a burden along?”

The other person cursed quietly: “If I had known, I wouldn’t have teamed up. We might end up doing the work of two people. He’ll just stand by and collect the twenty points.”

Up front, unaware of the conversation behind them, Yu Qing looked out at the vast wasteland, seeing a dark mass on the horizon. They had arrived at the location of the zombie wave.

They parked the vehicle in the path of the zombie wave, and Brother Ye got out to assign tasks: “You three go attract the zombies and lead them to my trap. Yu Qing, you cover them and be ready to shrink the zombies when I raise the walls. Don’t let any escape, then Peng Shu will finish them off.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

After the task distribution, everyone got to work. The three attack ability users lured the zombies into the trap in waves.

But with only three people, one of them got unlucky. A horde of zombies chased him from behind, and suddenly, a zombie emerged from the ground in front of him. All his attention was on the horde behind, and he couldn’t dodge in time.

At that moment, the zombie that emerged from the ground suddenly shrank, its claw missing its target as it tripped over its own pit.

A giant mutated snow leopard leaped over the ability user’s head, biting the baby zombie in half.

Yu Qing hurried over: “Are you okay?”

The person who had badmouthed him in the car felt ashamed to be saved by him: “I’m fine.”

“Good.” Yu Qing mounted the snow leopard. “Watch out for the horde behind. I’m going ahead.”

Yu Qing navigated the outskirts of the zombie horde like a first responder, not directly engaging in combat but always appearing in time to save anyone in danger.

Brother Ye created numerous small pits underground, gathering all the trapped zombies together. He, Peng Shu, and Yu Qing had done this several times before and worked seamlessly. In two hours, they had trapped the entire wave of zombies within high walls.

Finally, Peng Shu unleashed all his electricity, wiping out the baby zombie horde in one fell swoop.

“Yeah!” Yu Qing high-fived him and Brother Ye.

Brother Ye gave Yu Qing a thumbs-up: “Well done, your control over your ability is getting better.”

“Brother Ye, you’re amazing too. We don’t even need to think, just follow your lead.”

Peng Shu, feeling left out, complained: “What about me?”

Brother Ye: “You’re the best, okay?”

Yu Qing laughed: “Peng Shu, your last attack was awesome. You killed all those zombies.”

As they joked, Yu Qing turned to the two ability users who had been listening silently: “You guys were great too! This is the fastest I’ve ever seen a zombie wave cleared. It’s all thanks to you luring them in.”

The ability user saved most by Yu Qing lowered his head: “We were just following Brother Ye’s orders. And thank you, without you, I would have died several times.”

“No way, you guys were super cool! That explosion sound earlier scared me, and it attracted half the zombies…”

“Alright, alright.” Brother Ye interrupted his endless praise with a laugh. “Every time we finish a mission, you have to praise everyone. You could make a stone blossom with your words.”

“Because everyone is really amazing.”

The two ability users exchanged a glance, both seeing the shame in each other’s eyes.

Yu Xiaoxue sniffed around the zombie pit and roared. Yu Qing immediately grabbed a machete and ran over: “I’m going to dig out the crystal cores!”

Since he mainly played a supporting role in the team, he always volunteered for the cleanup work.

He ran to Yu Xiaoxue’s side and started digging out crystal cores with her help.

The others, having exhausted their abilities, sat nearby to recover. Yu Qing found six crystal cores in the outer area and moved deeper into the zombie pit.

Even though people had grown accustomed to the apocalypse, digging crystal cores from a dense zombie horde was still a psychological challenge for many. But Yu Qing did it without any hesitation.

Peng Shu watched his back and suddenly saw a zombie next to him sit up.

“Watch out!” He shouted, but before he could get there, Yu Qing quickly shrank the zombie and stomped it flat, extracting its crystal core.

Brother Ye, seeing Peng Shu’s reaction, patted his shoulder: “Don’t underestimate Yu Qing. He’s been on several missions now.”

Yu Qing dug out a bag full of crystal cores and shared them with the group.

These extra crystal cores were used to replenish their abilities or saved for various future needs.

After much hesitation, one of the ability users finally asked him: “Hey, aren’t you the one our boss kept? Why are you out doing missions now?”

“Oh, that.” Yu Qing answered honestly, “We’re not involved anymore. He won’t support me, and I won’t rely on him.”

“You guys had a fight?”

He shrugged: “More like a breakup.”

His frankness didn’t seem off to the ability user.

Peng Shu quickly added: “It’s fine. You can do it on your own. We’ll call you for team missions in the future.”
“Count us in too,” the two other ability users chimed in. “We’ll invite you guys for future extermination missions.”

Back at the safe zone, Yu Qing bid farewell to the group and headed to the research building. After each mission, he made a habit of collecting zombie blood. For this mission, he ensured all his glass tubes were filled to the brim.

He was well-acquainted with the research building. It was break time, so after handing over the glass tubes to the lab, he went to find some friends.

In the lounge, Chu Yuan saw him peeking in and walked over with a smile to open the door.

“You’re here,” he noticed the zombie blood stains on Yu Qing’s sleeves and grabbed some hand sanitizer from the drawer. “Were you on a mission just now?”

“Yeah, I did a zombie extermination mission,” Yu Qing placed the miniaturized Yu Xiaoxue on his lap and obediently let Chu Yuan clean his sleeves.

A young female assistant who had just entered noticed the fluffy tail hanging off the table. “Oh my, Yu Xiaoxue is here!”

“Meow,” the snow leopard, familiar with the assistant’s fondness for fluffy creatures, greeted her. Yu Qing handed the snow leopard to her.

Leaning on the table, he saw Chu Yuan still engrossed in a densely written report even during his break. “Busy lately?”

“Yes, we’ve found a traditional virus that closely resembles the zombie virus gene sequence. Do you remember the massive flu outbreak that swept the globe ten years ago?”

Yu Qing, though not a native, had read about some basic settings from the original novel. “Yes, what about it?”

“That was a flu virus that infected nearly all living beings,” Chu Yuan explained. “Researchers quickly developed and distributed a cure globally. Despite its high infectivity, the quick development of a cure prevented severe consequences, and no long-term side effects were found post-recovery. The incident passed without much concern.”

“But we now believe that the flu virus wasn’t as simple as it seemed. It stayed dormant in our bodies for a decade, mutating and eventually becoming the zombie virus.”

That seemed vaguely familiar to Yu Qing, though he couldn’t fully recall. He listened as Chu Yuan continued, “Everyone who initially contracted the virus was in its incubation period. Eventually, the virus diverged into two paths: one leading to zombification, where a high fever transforms a person into a zombie, and the other leading to the development of abilities.”

Yu Qing nodded, “So that’s how it is.”

He genuinely couldn’t remember much.

Chu Yuan added, “Both strains of the virus continue to mutate, which is why ability users evolve and zombies become stronger. The same applies to plants and animals. The zombie virus inherits the original virus’s high infectivity—once scratched by a zombie, the virus in our bodies rapidly contaminates us, turning us into zombies.”

Yu Qing, half-understanding, asked, “So if we eliminate the virus, we won’t turn into zombies?”

Chu Yuan shook his head, “On the contrary, it’s our ability-user virus that gives us a chance for a cure. Those of us with antibodies from the original flu virus, even if infected by the zombie virus, don’t turn immediately. During this time, healing ability users can cure us.”

“But without those antibodies, like children born in the last decade without exposure to the flu virus, they’d turn into zombies instantly if scratched, with no chance of a cure.”

“The zombie virus affects humans and plants differently. It can only spread among humans. If we understand its secrets, we might alter the virus in zombies so being scratched wouldn’t mean infection. Or we could study the healing ability users’ mechanisms to develop anti-infection serums…”

Yu Qing’s attention waned, “I don’t get it anymore.”

Chu Yuan stopped, then laughed, “Sorry, I got carried away.”

He replied, “It’s not that I’m not smart. You’re amazing to grasp such complex stuff.”

Just then, an assistant hurried into the lounge. “Dr. Chu, the leader is coming for an inspection.”

Of course, Song Xinqi wouldn’t let these people stay here for free. He periodically checked on their progress to ensure they were genuinely researching.

Hearing that Song Xinqi was coming, Yu Qing instinctively stood up.

Chu Yuan turned to him, “What’s wrong? You seem really nervous.”

His eyes darted around, “Uh, it’s not that bad.”

“Are you afraid of Song Xinqi?”

Yu Qing pinched his fingers together, “A little.”

Although surprised that Yu Qing and Song Xinqi were connected, Chu Yuan kindly suggested, “In that case, stay here. I’ll come back after receiving him.”

“Okay.” Yu Qing didn’t understand why he felt so guilty, nervously sipping his water.

Soon, Yu Qing saw Song Xinqi approaching from outside. His commanding presence, exceptional height, and sharp features made him stand out instantly.

Chu Yuan led him through each room, maintaining a polite yet slightly distant smile. Song Xinqi responded occasionally, his expression indifferent.

As Song Xinqi was about to enter the next room, Chu Yuan blocked his way. “Excuse me, leader. This is the lounge. No need for a tour. Let’s move on to the next room.”

Song Xinqi didn’t mind, but as he passed the glass door, he caught a glimpse of an arm leaning behind the round table.

It was just a small part of an arm, clad in a white sleeve, outlining a slender, graceful line.

Song Xinqi found it oddly familiar. He stared for a moment before the arm quickly retracted.

He frowned, feeling a sudden urge to go in and check.

Chu Yuan urged, “Leader, we should move on.”

Ultimately, he didn’t act on his impulse and followed Chu Yuan to another lab. Inside, a young assistant looked up at the unfamiliar faces and quickly exited.

Song Xinqi’s stern expression seemed to intimidate her. She lowered her head and quickly passed by, holding the snow leopard.

Although Song Xinqi hadn’t planned to acknowledge anyone, he glanced at her. “What is she holding?”

Chu Yuan replied calmly, “A cat.”

Song Xinqi paused, then suddenly called out, “Yu Xiaoxue.”

The assistant’s shoulder revealed a snow leopard’s head.

He raised an eyebrow.

Chu Yuan told the flustered assistant to leave quickly and looked at Song Xinqi, “How do you know Xiaoxue’s name?”

“Where’s Yu Qing?” Song Xinqi’s expression remained unchanged, but his tone made everyone uneasy. Seeing Chu Yuan’s hesitation, he demanded, “In that so-called lounge?”

Since he had already guessed, Chu Yuan admitted openly, “Yes. May I ask why you’re inquiring, leader?”

“None of your business,” Song Xinqi’s words carried an aggressive edge. “Tell him to come out.”

“But it seems he doesn’t want to see you,” Chu Yuan’s smile vanished entirely.

He suddenly felt the relationship between these two might be more complicated than he thought.

“I call the shots in this safe zone. It’s not about who wants to see whom,” Song Xinqi never treated others with courtesy, his words cutting sharply. “Remember your place when you’re freeloading. Not everyone sees researchers as treasures.”

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

He didn’t care, repeating, “Yu Qing, come out.”

Not long after, the lounge’s glass door opened from the inside, and Yu Qing slowly walked over.

Everyone’s movements halted, their eyes fixed on the two.

Yu Qing, surrounded by so many gazes, felt a bit embarrassed and moved even slower.

Finally, he stood before him and said softly, “What?”

Song Xinqi ignored his tone, “What are you doing here?”

Yu Qing pouted and stayed silent.

Song Xinqi insisted, “Answer me.”

Yu Qing pursed his lips, gathering the courage to look at him, “But I don’t want to tell you.”

As the main character, he was destined to stand out. While everyone else was busy gaining favor, Song Xinqi was busy racking up negative points.
——————–https://ko-fi.com/quarinnah