After Transmigrating as the Scumbag Alpha in an Otherworld Novel, I Ended Up with the Villain - Chapter 6

The corners of Lin Yuxuan’s mouth twitched into a forced smile. “No need. I can still walk on my own.”

She couldn’t tell if Su Xinge was mocking her or being serious, but the former seemed far more likely. Besides, she had only wanted to rest a bit longer; she wasn’t sleepy, just purely lacking strength. It wasn’t even fully dark yet, so there was no rush to leave.

Seeing this, Su Xinge didn’t push. “Then let’s go now.”

Lin Yuxuan’s eyelid twitched.

Su Xinge walked to the living room and picked up the travel backpack she had packed—filled with various knives and essentials she’d scavenged from a gym earlier.

The two stepped out. The dim stairwell grew even darker as evening approached. Su Xinge led the way, scouting ahead. “Watch your step, don’t trip. Stay behind me.”

Emerging from the darkness, the world was still shrouded by a leaden, misty sky.

As they exited the garden villa’s entrance, a sneaky figure appeared around the corner. It was a woman with long hair, appearing to be in her thirties. Seeing them, the woman didn’t hide; instead, she spoke directly: “Looks like we’re kindred spirits. Want to be friends?”

“Did you come all this way just to say that?” Su Xinge recognized the woman as Rye. She shifted, shielding Lin Yuxuan completely behind her back.

“No, I just wanted to take a look. After all, there aren’t many people who can play games with me,” the woman said, leaning lazily against the wall, dropping her previous stealthy act.

“Forget being friends. How about a fight?” Su Xinge’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

The woman laughed. “This is the Inner City. Do you really want to get kicked out? I just wanted to remind you there’s no need to get worked up. After all, what we’re playing is just a game.”

Having said that, the woman shot a thoughtful glance toward the person behind Su Xinge.

Su Xinge gritted her teeth. “Then let me remind you: watch yourself during the field mission. Don’t play so hard that you lose your life in the end.”

With that, Su Xinge pulled Lin Yuxuan toward the road, ignoring the person behind them.

Lin Yuxuan followed Su Xinge in silence. These scumbags will be fed to the zombies sooner or later. She didn’t think Su Xinge was “protecting” her; in the eyes of people like this, she was merely an object to be fought over.

Walking in front, Su Xinge suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She turned around, but only saw Lin Yuxuan’s face blooming with a beautiful smile. She couldn’t help but admire: “You’re really pretty.”

Lin Yuxuan’s smile deepened, sweet as honeyed fruit.

Su Xinge stopped abruptly. Lin Yuxuan couldn’t pull back her step in time and crashed into her. Su Xinge quickly caught the stumbling girl and said, “Your complexion is quite poor. I’d better carry you.”

Before she could dodge, Lin Yuxuan was hoisted onto Su Xinge’s back. Beyond the shock, her heart was still filled with loathing.

She had wondered if this sudden change in the person before her was because, like her, Su Xinge had been reborn. But she dismissed that possibility quickly. If Su Xinge had been reborn, the first thing she’d likely do is throw Lin Yuxuan to the zombies. The only explanation was a whim—a desire to play out a sentimental “tender” drama.

As twilight deepened, the surrounding scenery sank further into the fog. However, the changing streetscape told Su Xinge they were nearing the Outer City.

The once empty streets became crowded and bustling. Men, women, young and old—all were dressed in rags, filthy and disheveled. The air was foul and smoky; not a single shop remained intact. It seemed the people were so crushed by the weight of survival that they had neither the heart nor the strength to care for the city.

“Xiao Xuan! Xiao Xuan!” a shout rang out from the cacophony.

Su Xinge instinctively felt the shout was directed their way. She looked back and saw a scruffy, middle-aged man waving frantically toward them.

Su Xinge asked Lin Yuxuan, “Is someone calling you?”

Lin Yuxuan shook her head coldly. “I didn’t hear it. I don’t know him.” To her, this place was a living hell. Despair that comes after hope is far more crushing than simple despair.

Su Xinge didn’t ask further.

At the end of the road stood a two-story guesthouse. The Advance Station looked out of place, isolated from the chaotic streetscape around it. Two tall men standing at the door nodded respectfully to Su Xinge as she approached. She remembered one of them was named Xie Ming.

Xie Ming led the two inside. The front hall was packed with people in rags; they bypassed the crowd through a side door into the interior. Crossing the inner courtyard to the furthest living room, Xie Ming rang a handbell.

Inside the Advance Station, three men and one woman stood around a bar, seemingly mid-argument. Hearing the bell, they fell silent and turned to look. As Su Xinge entered, their gazes landed on her simultaneously, creating an invisible pressure.

A man leaning against the bar spoke first: “Miss Su is bringing her ‘family’ along again, I see.”

Su Xinge identified the speaker as Zhang Tian and replied casually, “She’s my friend.”

Zhang Tian didn’t care for the answer; it’s not like he didn’t know what kind of person Su Xinge was.

At that moment, the short-haired woman who had visited Su Xinge’s house earlier, Jiang Le, stepped out from an inner door with a professional smile. “Now that all the Awakened are here, let’s discuss the mission arrangements.”

Jiang Le looked around. “Actually, the main goal of this mission isn’t just to scavenge for supplies. It’s to go to the Haida Branch Campus. You need to observe if there are still students surviving there. If so, try your best to bring them back. The merit points for resources found along the way will be doubled, and providing intel on the situation there will also earn you significant points.”

“Why don’t you send your own people from Haida to check?” Zhang Tian sneered, glancing at Liu Lindong in the corner. “What’s the use of sending just one guy from Haida?”

Liu Lindong looked embarrassed and didn’t reply, merely squeezing the hand of the female companion beside him. Zhang Tian’s expression soured further, and he looked away.

Jiang Le explained: “The doubled points are being provided by the Haida faction, and the mission points are deducted from their budget. If you only detect survivors but don’t have the capacity to rescue them, Haida will send their own team afterward.”

Su Xinge remembered the Haida Branch Campus; in the novel, the protagonist party originated from there. In the end, not many were rescued from the branch, and it was the protagonists who did it. With her current group, going there would likely just be a formality.

Seeing the silence, Jiang Le spoke again: “That’s the mission. There are four Awakened here. Each of you will choose two ordinary people, making a total of twelve. You can split into two teams or form one large squad. The choice is yours. Decide today and pick your people. We set out tomorrow morning.”

Ye Hai, who was mixing drinks behind the bar, looked up. “Let’s each pick our two ordinary people first, then we’ll decide on the teams.”

“No objections.”

“Fine by me.”

The Awakened nodded and headed toward the crowded front hall. As they arrived, they were met by a surging tide of people. Desperate eyes were everywhere; countless hands reached out and waved, hoping to be chosen for the merit points that meant survival.

One look was enough for Su Xinge. How could she choose among so many? Especially since she didn’t know a soul. Suddenly, she felt something snag her leg. Looking down, she saw a young girl. With bird-nest hair and thin, withered limbs, her hardship was evident. The only striking feature was her large, dark eyes, which still shone with spirit.

The little girl looked back at Su Xinge piteously. Su Xinge stood silent, pulled back to a distant memory by a sense of familiarity. If this girl kept starving like this, she would surely die. There were so many starving people that Su Xinge couldn’t care for them all, but the purity in this child’s eyes was rare.

The others were stunned to see a child. “Why let such a tiny kid in? What use is a brat this size?”

A supervisor hurried over, bowing apologetically. “So sorry, we didn’t let her in; she slipped in on her own.”

Su Xinge waved them off. “I’ll take her. My spots are filled. You guys pick the rest.” She turned and led the little girl inside.

Outside, Zhang Tian mocked: “Is she going on a vacation? It’s bad enough she brought an unawakened Omega, now she adds a little girl. I say we split the teams now. Whoever wants to be with her can go; don’t let her drag us down.”

Ye Hai interrupted: “We have the same mission goal, no need for that. Just pick your people.”

Su Xinge led the little girl into the living room. The girl spotted someone in the corner and ran up to hug Lin Yuxuan’s leg. With tears in her eyes, she cried out, “Sister!”

Lin Yuxuan looked down, her joy mixed with confusion. “How did you get here? Where’s your mother?”

The girl wiped her tears, sobbing softly. “She died protecting me on the road.”

Su Xinge walked over. “When did you have a sister?”

Lin Yuxuan gently stroked the girl’s hair. “Met her on the road.” Suddenly, she looked up and glared at Su Xinge. “You’re taking her out? Aren’t you afraid a child this small will be in danger?”

Su Xinge shook her head. “I think staying here is more dangerous for her. And she’s not that small.” She looked out the window, her gaze unfocused. “If you give her food in the Outer City, she might just get robbed. Better to earn points and move to the Inner City.”

Besides… she had a feeling this little girl was an Awakened too.