After Transmigrating as the Scumbag Alpha in an Otherworld Novel, I Ended Up with the Villain - Chapter 24

Su Xinge suggested tentatively, “Should we go up together to check things out?”

Wang Qingyue shook her head. “I’ll go up alone. You guys wait here for a moment.”

Zhang Tian looked at her and asked, “It’s already broad daylight; are we still not allowed up there?”

Wang Qingyue explained, “Sick people need rest regardless of whether it’s day or night. Let me go up first; I’ll come down and let you know if there’s anything to report.”

Zhang Tian waved his hand helplessly. “Fine, fine. Go on then, just make it quick.”

Wang Qingyue turned and headed upstairs.

Nearby, An Le propped herself up with her small hands and stood up. Seeing this, Su Xinge asked, “How did you sleep last night? Did you have any dreams?”

In the world of this novel, strange occurrences were common, so it was necessary to be cautious.

An Le tilted her head in thought, blinking her eyes before answering seriously, “I slept well. I only remember having several disjointed dreams.”

Zhang Tian looked over, put on a mock-villainous face, and asked with a grin, “What kind of dreams? Any nightmares?”

An Le frowned, her eyes darting around as she pondered. “I can’t remember clearly. They didn’t feel like nightmares.”

Su Xinge smiled. “As long as you slept well.”

At that moment, Lin Yuxuan heard the commotion and woke up as well. Su Xinge asked her as per usual, “Did you sleep well? Did you dream?”

Lin Yuxuan rose and replied, “It was alright. No dreams.”

Su Xinge nodded. “That’s good.”

Zhang Tian finally reacted, looking at Su Xinge. “You don’t think there’s something wrong with these nightmares, do you?”

Su Xinge shook her head. “I don’t know. I was just asking.”

Zhang Tian curled his lip indifferently. “It’s probably a coincidence. I wonder when those two are coming down; I could’ve fit in another nap by now.”

Su Xinge stepped out from the shelves. “Anyone planning to move out should wash up first. They’ll probably be down by the time we’re ready.”

Zhang Tian stepped aside, yawning. “You go first. I’m going to be drowsy for a bit longer.”

A short while later, Wang Qingyue came down with Xiang Tiange. Seeing that almost everyone was awake, Wang Qingyue spoke up: “I didn’t see any living people, but there are a lot more of those things on the ground.”

Su Xinge didn’t quite catch her meaning. “Living or dead?”

Xiang Tiange answered, “No movement seen yet, so we aren’t sure for now.”

Hearing their conversation and recalling last night’s dream, Zhang Tian began to break into a cold sweat. “Why would those things be so active?”

Su Xinge remarked, “It’s probably like the situation Ye Hai mentioned last night. Some living people must have been here and made enough noise to lure them out.”

Hearing his name, Ye Hai fully woke up. He forced his eyes open and dragged his exhausted body to his feet. “I didn’t sleep at all last night, and I’m honestly exhausted. Since I don’t hear any movement now, there shouldn’t be much danger. You guys go check it out; I won’t follow. My head is still a mess.”

Su Xinge thought for a moment and said, “Since we’re just scouting, it’ll be Zhang Tian and me as the Awakened, plus Xiang Tiange and Wang Qingyue. That covers our long-range options perfectly. Everyone else stay here and rest.”

Zhang Tian nodded in agreement. “True, it’s safer for the ordinary folks to stay put.”

Xiang Tiange said, “Fine by me. Let’s do it.”

Lin Yuxuan hesitated for a moment, then walked over. “I’m coming with you.”

Su Xinge turned, somewhat surprised. “Aren’t you going to rest more?”

Xiang Tiange and Wang Qingyue exchanged a glance, their smiles turning somewhat meaningful.

Lin Yuxuan’s gaze was firm as she spoke seriously, “I want to go out with you and see the situation.”

From her experience in her previous life, she knew that the more crises one encountered, the deeper the desire to grow strong, and the greater the chance of becoming an Awakened. Although Awakened were a minority, analyzing enough samples revealed patterns. Regardless of Su Xinge’s current status, Lin Yuxuan’s priority was to increase her own strength. That would make both revenge and survival much easier.

Seeing her persistence, Su Xinge didn’t stop her. She nodded. “Alright. The five of us will go.”

Zhang Tian looked disgusted and complained, “Seriously? Even just scouting has to be done in couples? Careful, or I’ll tell Jiang Man bad things about you when we get back to the base.”

Su Xinge shot him a look and mimicked Ye Hai’s earnest tone: “Let’s see if you can even make it back first.”

She had a vague memory of the name Jiang Man; she was likely an Omega the original host hadn’t managed to “catch” yet. But now that she had replaced the host, it didn’t matter how many bad things Zhang Tian said.

Lin Yuxuan turned around, patted An Le’s head, and whispered, “Rest a bit longer. Be good and don’t wander off.”

An Le nodded obediently. “Okay. You guys stay safe too.” After her mysterious excitement last night, An Le actually was quite tired. She didn’t want to encounter danger only to be carried away by Su Xinge again.

By then, Su Xinge had finished packing. The five of them headed for the door. Those remaining didn’t go back to sleep; they watched them leave in silence. The fear from last night may have been hazy, but it was real. In the face of danger, no one could remain a bystander.

As they stepped out of the building, the sun shone lazily upon them. Nearby mud puddles lay neglected, and chaotic weeds fought for survival in the cramped space.

Walking a step behind the two archers, Su Xinge asked, “Has anyone been here before?”

Xiang Tiange shook her head. “Only those bastards have come since the disaster. If what your teammate said last night is true, I suspect the people here this time are likely them again.”

Zhang Tian, bringing up the rear, chimed in, “Who knows what madness drove them to come out in the middle of the night. I bet they’re mostly dead by now.”

Wang Qingyue’s brow clouded with worry. “It’s not that easy. If they were really that stupid, Teacher wouldn’t have been hurt.”

Su Xinge noted, “That gang knows you have someone injured, so they’ll definitely lower their guard. They probably won’t expect you to have help this time.”

Xiang Tiange turned slightly. “Hard to say. Who knows if those people have some scouting tricks up their sleeves.”

“Look!” Wang Qingyue shouted, her voice unsteady as she pointed ahead.

They rounded a small path and saw the lake. On the road beside the middle section of the water, a mess was strewn everywhere. Reds and blacks were smeared across the ground, eventually draining into the lake.

Everyone froze. Zhang Tian, blocked by those in front, pushed past to the lead, then stopped dead. He cursed, “Crap, what a damn jinx. Seeing this first thing in the morning.”

A suffocating stench drifted into their nostrils on the breeze. Su Xinge wrinkled her nose. “Good thing An Le didn’t come. They look like they’re all dead.”

Xiang Tiange drew her bow. “We’ll find out after a test.”

In one fluid motion, she notched, drew, and aimed. Su Xinge blinked, and with a whiz, the arrow landed right in the pile of flesh.

Wang Qingyue also drew her bow, ready for combat. They gripped their weapons, wary of what was ahead. Several breaths passed, but there was no reaction from the pile.

Xiang Tiange lowered her bow slightly. “Should be fine. Let’s go check if it’s those bastards.”

Zhang Tian scoffed, “It’s all in pieces; how are you going to tell if it’s them?”

“Don’t you know that details determine success or failure?” Xiang Tiange smiled instead of getting angry, her expression cryptic.

Zhang Tian shot back, “What details could there be?”

“Everyone has different traits and smells. For example, your scent is very unique. That’s a detail.” Although she was smiling, Xiang Tiange’s steps remained cautious as she moved forward.

Zhang Tian’s face turned beet-red, and he fell silent. He usually had the upper hand in verbal sparring, but he was speechless now—besides, he shouldn’t have any smell on him by now. In the past, he relied on his silver tongue and his status as an Awakened; almost no one could get the better of him. Now, his winning streak was being broken repeatedly.

As they spoke, they moved forward through the damp, sour-smelling air. They stopped as they drew near. Xiang Tiange began sifting through the carnage. There were clear signs of battle; though the wounds on some corpses were turning black, they were clearly fresh.

Wang Qingyue kept a sharp eye on the surroundings. Su Xinge stepped forward. “Well? Find anything?”

Xiang Tiange shook her head. “I don’t see the throwing weapons that gang uses. It doesn’t look like them. But who would wander in here in the middle of the night for no reason?”

Su Xinge frowned. “That is strange.”

“Watch out! Ambush!” Wang Qingyue’s expression shifted drastically as she screamed a warning.

Whiz, whiz, whiz.

The sound of projectiles cutting through the air erupted. Su Xinge saw several black flashes, one of which was headed straight for Lin Yuxuan.

Su Xinge lunged backward. The force of the impact hit her, throwing both her and Lin Yuxuan to the ground. Luckily, they rolled behind a large stone statue.

In the chaos, their lips accidentally brushed against each other—a warm, soft sensation that vanished in a flash.

“Are you okay?”

“Are you hurt?”

Both voices rang out at once, and both fell silent in perfect unison. Lin Yuxuan looked up, seeing Su Xinge pale and drenched in sweat; she didn’t look “okay.” She asked again, “Are you hurt?”

Their gazes locked, tangling together like a messy ball of yarn.