After Being Transmigrated into a Cannon Fodder Scum Alpha - Chapter 23

The guide and the school teacher led everyone to a nearby base, where there was a simulation room containing many plants and props. However, given the limited space, they requested that parents wait outside the simulation room.

When Lin Xi ran over, she handed the rabbit in her arms to her Mama and then ran back to her classmates. Huang Siting followed suit, handing the rabbit in her arms to Wu Yuanyuan.

“Are you doing alright?” Wu Yuanyuan walked over to Lin Chen and asked. She had also noticed that her new friend was a bit quieter than before.

“It’s nothing, I was just a bit sleepy earlier,” Lin Chen replied with a smile.

The Omega’s smile was slight, her eyes curving like little crescents as she intermittently stroked the rabbit in her arms.

…

As soon as Wu Yuanyuan approached, Yun Qi automatically walked to a less crowded spot to rest, separating herself from the chatting crowd.

She noticed that the Omega always appeared exceptionally gentle when chatting with Wu Yuanyuan, like a shy little sister next door. Though the two had just met, they interacted like best friends.

Perhaps this was how Lin Chen was supposed to be. In some parallel world where Lin Chen’s mother hadn’t died and Lin Jue hadn’t changed, the grown-up Lin Chen might have looked exactly like this.

In Yun Qi’s eyes, Lin Chen holding the rabbit looked just like a big rabbit holding a little rabbit.

During her special period, Lin Chen’s eyes would get all red, and she couldn’t help but cry if her gland was bitten—just like a big, crybaby rabbit.

[Your big spender is here,] the system’s voice reminded her.

Yun Qi then realized that Huang Yu had sat down beside her at some point.

Huang Yu was actually quite refined, with fair skin and upturned phoenix eyes, much like an Omega. However, her taciturn personality and habit of hiding in uncrowded places made people subconsciously overlook her appearance.

Just like the Lin Chen she first met—clearly a sweet girl with a sweet look and voice, yet appearing very wooden on the outside.

“Were you intentionally lying to me last time?” Her voice was a sultry, mature female tone. Regardless of her appearance or voice, neither matched her internal personality.

“How is that possible? Those are lessons I’ve summarized over many years.” Seeing as this person had helped her pitch the tent last time, the Grand Duke decided to humble herself and answer.

After that, Huang Yu fell silent.

[Scum Value +20.]

‘She must be cursing me in her heart,’ Yun Qi said confidently to the system. She wanted to buy things from the System Mall, but it wasn’t very safe outside; she’d have to wait until she got home.

…

When a faint hint of night appeared in the sky, the simulation room door opened.

Lin Xi and Huang Siting were the first to rush out, running to their respective mothers to take back their rabbits.

Then, they set off on the journey back.

Interestingly, Yun Qi noticed that Lin Chen seemed to be intentionally keeping her distance. Furthermore, everywhere Lin Chen walked, she left behind a trail of shimmering powder, though it seemed no one else noticed.

‘Is this also the effect of the agent?’

[You guessed right.]

When they returned to the tent to sleep, Lin Chen also acted abnormally by sleeping quite far away.

Yun Qi felt that something was likely to happen tonight.

…

In the middle of the night, Yun Qi heard a rustling sound beside her.

She felt the Omega’s hand nudge her, but she kept her eyes closed and continued to fake sleep.

After a while, a patch of warmth pressed against her back. Yun Qi initially thought it was Lin Chen, but then she realized the one pressing against her was a tiny figure—Lin Chen must have pushed Lin Xi over.

Then, Lin Chen walked out of the tent.

Once the sounds outside completely vanished, Yun Qi estimated that Lin Chen had walked a certain distance before she followed her out. Before leaving, she tucked Lin Xi’s quilt in to keep the cold air out and tossed the sleeping rabbit into the quilt to warm the girl’s hands.

Under the night sky, the shimmering powder on the ground was even clearer; even the footprints she had stepped on were visible.

‘So Lin Chen must have followed this path.’

She followed the powder and soon saw that familiar silhouette in the distance. The Omega was wrapped up tightly, weaving through the woods.

Relying on her excellent vision, Yun Qi followed not far behind Lin Chen without being discovered.

As she walked, Lin Chen suddenly stopped ahead and recoiled slightly. Yun Qi heard her let out a tiny cry.

Recalling how Lin Chen had lunged at her during the day after being startled, Yun Qi walked quickly toward her. She then saw a disgusting caterpillar squirming on the ground, accompanied by several smaller ones. It seemed the Omega hadn’t noticed these creatures underfoot and accidentally stepped on them.

Lin Chen looked at the sudden appearance of Yun Qi with some surprise. She had only set out after confirming Yun Qi was asleep.

“Why did you come?” Lin Chen had to admit that Yun Qi’s arrival gave her a profound sense of security; even the fright from the soft-bodied insects subsided a bit.

“Shouldn’t you be the one to explain first? An Omega running out in the middle of the night?” the Grand Duke asked her partner with some malice.

“…I want to take some Mica and Sensing Grass home to grow,” Lin Chen chose to state her reason directly after a moment of silence.

Succulents and Mimosa? Yun Qi remembered that Lin Chen had been very interested in them during the day, staring at them the whole time.

‘Little Scum, I can actually go help Lin Chen. Think about it: stealing rare plants is a crime. I don’t know if she can make it there alone. She was just scared by a caterpillar; maybe she’ll get scared by some other bug later and give up halfway. Then she wouldn’t steal and wouldn’t be committing a crime. I can help her pick the Mica and Sensing Grass, and then when the school and base realize the plants are missing, I can turn Lin Chen in.’

[Fine.]

‘The Omega’s speed is too slow; she might get tired halfway and want to quit.’

[?] The system peeked out in confusion.

‘It’ll be faster if I carry her.’

Then Yun Qi picked Lin Chen up and increased her pace.

Lin Chen stiffened for a moment when suddenly picked up, but then she relaxed, wrapping her arms around Yun Qi’s neck and leaning her head against her chest.

‘So soft, just like the Alpha’s inner self.’

Lin Chen nuzzled her instinctively, making Yun Qi feel a bit itchy.

…

On the way, Lin Chen noticed that the Alpha’s gaze was fixed on the ground, as if she could see the powder. But how was that possible?

“Can you see the things on the ground?” Lin Chen asked tentatively.

“Mm,” the Grand Duke replied nonchalantly. She didn’t care if the person in her arms knew about some of her special traits, because she confidently believed the Omega wouldn’t be able to do anything about it even if she knew.

Having received an answer, Lin Chen quieted down, burying her face in the soft chest and continuing to be a “pendant” in the Alpha’s arms.

Since Yun Qi could see, they wouldn’t take the wrong path; however, she’d have to re-test the efficacy of that medicinal powder when she got back.

Yun Qi felt a bit unaccustomed to this. Previously, Lin Chen had only leaned in with the side of her face, but now her entire face was buried in Yun Qi’s chest. However, she later rationalized it: because there were too many leaves around, the Omega was afraid of seeing more caterpillars, so she chose to look away to avoid being bothered.

Furthermore, Yun Qi marveled once again—Lin Chen only looked thin; she was actually quite fleshy, and her buttocks were very elastic.

Memories from those few days somehow crashed into her mind. Yun Qi’s hand supporting Lin Chen’s bottom instinctively gave a squeeze, making the person in her arms tremble. Yet, she said nothing and didn’t look up.

Only after squeezing did Yun Qi realize her hand had moved on its own. She guiltily stole a glance at the girl in her arms. Though the Omega didn’t look up, her ears were turning redder and redder, making one want to take a bite.

‘So Lin Chen definitely felt my action just now.’

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Yun Qi wanted to explain, but considering her persona—and that an explanation might make things even more awkward—she stopped talking and increased her walking speed.

…

Upon reaching the destination, Yun Qi set Lin Chen down. Both tactfully avoided mentioning what had just happened.

They first went to pick the Sensing Grass, but Yun Qi discovered there was surveillance in the shadows. After she told Lin Chen, the two gave up on it. Fortunately, there was no surveillance on the Mica side.

Yun Qi had originally intended to stand to the side as a background character, acting as a “tool person” to carry Lin Chen back after she finished picking. However, she saw Lin Chen reaching for the Mica with her bare hands.

If she remembered correctly, the professor had said during the day that the Mica had mucus that would cause skin to become red, swollen, and itchy, and there was currently no medication for it.

She had assumed that if Lin Chen wanted to come pick Mica, she would have secretly hidden a glove beforehand.

In truth, Lin Chen’s plan was to first pick the Sensing Grass and use one of them as a material to create a simple protective glove before picking the Mica.

‘Omegas find it very hard to endure pain. If she can’t take it and stops picking, what then? If she doesn’t break the law, didn’t I come here for nothing today? Right?’

[…Everything you say is right.]

Then Yun Qi intercepted Lin Chen’s reaching hand and somewhat roughly pulled a stalk of Mica from the ground herself.

To her surprise, her hand didn’t show any of the reactions the professor had described. Yun Qi quickly realized it was likely due to the agent she had used.

She decided she’d have to be nicer to Little Scum in the future; the Basic Body Strengthening Agent had been too helpful on this trip, making her curious about the effects of intermediate or advanced agents.

Watching Yun Qi pull it up directly, Lin Chen was initially heartbroken for her. She grabbed the Alpha’s hand and saw it was as delicate as ever with no redness appearing. Her concern then shifted to the Mica that had been harvested so violently.

Being yanked from the soil so abruptly, the Mica looked rather pitiful. Fortunately, its vitality was quite resilient, and it wasn’t missing any branches or roots.

Only after observing for a while and confirming the Mica was intact did Lin Chen have the presence of mind to think about the strangeness of Yun Qi. She felt she hadn’t truly seen through the person beside her, and there were many interesting things left to uncover.

“Do you want more?” the Grand Duke asked with some impatience.

“Three stalks are enough.”

Too many would be easily discovered and hard to hide.

Seeing that Yun Qi seemed ready to pull up a second one with the same technique, Lin Chen began to direct her. Fortunately, though the Alpha appeared very impatient, her hands were very careful and followed the Omega’s guidance.

How to handle the harvested Mica became another problem. Yun Qi, thinking about the agent she’d ingested, tried to see if she could rub off the mucus with her hands and was surprised to find she succeeded.

After placing the Mica into the small bag Lin Chen had brought, she picked Lin Chen up and headed back.

Author’s Note:

The music video for “Night Butterfly” (Ye Die) is truly so good. Long live the “darkening” trope!