Chapter 80 – Apocalypse Arc: Zombie Siege: Rebirth in the Apocalypse—My Secret Lover (18)
The rain that began in the middle of the night felt like some kind of omen. Bai Tang didn’t wait for it to stop. At dawn, he crawled out of the covers, only to be met with a bone-chilling cold that seemed to freeze his entire body.
He hesitated in the warmth of his blanket for a long time before slowly opening his eyes. Peeking through the small gaps in the vine-woven door, he saw that the distant mountain peaks and trees were covered in a layer of white, while the northern wind howled fiercely.
“Qiu’er, why is it snowing outside?” Bai Tang asked. “It’s August. Whether in the south or north, it shouldn’t be snowing at this time of year.”
“It’s the apocalypse,” the system responded after checking the storyline. “Abnormal weather is to be expected.”
Bai Tang wasn’t worried about Shao Licang—he was strong enough to survive. What concerned him was whether Bai Yun and the others could endure this period. All their supplies were stored in the jade pendant, which had been stolen by the female lead.
Watching the heavy snowfall outside, Bai Tang sighed. He could only hope that Bai Yun and the others were safe.
If the plot remained unchanged, this snowstorm would last for an entire week. After that, the real trouble would begin—the start of large-scale mutations in plants and animals. From then on, the remaining survivors wouldn’t just be fighting zombies but would also have to compete with mutated creatures for a place to live. It was going to be a difficult battle for survival.
But right now, there was nothing Bai Tang could do. His only option was to stay by Shao Licang’s side, just as he had when Shao Licang first awakened his powers.
Squirrels were animals that hibernated in winter. The freezing weather caused Bai Tang to instinctively shift back into his squirrel form, curling up motionlessly on Shao Licang’s body. If not for the system keeping him company—talking to him and playing movies—he might have truly fallen into a deep sleep.
“Qiu’er, if I do fall asleep, you have to wake me up,” Bai Tang said. He didn’t want Shao Licang to worry. If Shao Licang woke up and found him curled up without moving, he would definitely be anxious.
“Got it!” the system promised eagerly. It was more than happy to spend time with its host.
Determined to fulfill Bai Tang’s request perfectly, the system pulled out all the stops. Entertainment didn’t seem to be working—Bai Tang still wanted to sleep? No problem. What did the system have in abundance? A vast knowledge database, of course!
And so, Bai Tang found himself in a miserable situation—slumped over a small desk, doing math problems.
How did that saying go again? The more you read humanities, the sleepier you get; the more you do science, the more awake you become.
Since he had set this challenge for himself, he had to see it through—even if it made him cry. Holding a pen, Bai Tang sniffled as he listened to the system explaining the problems.
Five days passed, and Shao Licang finally woke up. His first reaction was to look for Bai Tang.
“Tang Tang…”
Bai Tang let out a sigh of relief and immediately threw himself onto Shao Licang, knocking him over.
“Ah Cang, you’re finally awake…” He never wanted to do math again—math was terrifying.
Shao Licang gently stroked Bai Tang’s back, comforting him. “I’m sorry for making you worry again.”
It had been snowing for days, and now the outside world was a vast expanse of white, making it impossible to distinguish the roads from the mountains.
Fortunately, Bai Tang’s small storage space contained delicacies accumulated from three different worlds. With just the two of them, they could probably eat for a lifetime without starving. But Bai Tang still preferred pine nuts—especially in winter. When he transformed into a squirrel, his fluffy body gave him a greater sense of security.
Shao Licang thought the same. The tiny squirrel fit perfectly in his pocket, right over his heart, so he wouldn’t have to worry about losing his precious treasure.
Two more days passed, and the snowfall finally stopped.
The system suggested they leave as soon as possible and reunite with the main group.
Bai Tang had a terrible sense of direction, but fortunately, he possessed a mutated wood-type ability. Even if they couldn’t find the main group, Bai Tang could rely on his plant-sensing ability to guide them out of the mountains.
On their journey, they encountered countless mutated animals, which had become even more ferocious due to the heavy snow making food scarce.
However, with Shao Licang around, nothing was a real problem. In fact, their misfortune turned into a blessing, as they managed to collect a variety of crystal cores along the way.
After traveling for about a week, taking breaks as needed, they finally found the main group, who had taken shelter from the snowstorm at a farm. Coincidentally, the biker gang they had previously fought with was also there.
“Boss…”
“Boss is back!”
“Shao Licang is back! Where’s Tang Tang? Where’s my little brother?”
While everyone was focused on Shao Licang’s safe return, Bai Yun was the only one anxiously searching the area for Bai Tang, but he was nowhere to be seen.
She grabbed Shao Licang’s sleeve. “Where’s Tang Tang?”
“Squeak squeak—”
A tiny, furry head peeked out from Shao Licang’s chest pocket. In a flash, the little creature slid down his arm and landed in Bai Yun’s palm.
Bai Yun looked confused for a moment, but the small squirrel quickly climbed onto her shoulder and affectionately nuzzled her cheek with its soft fur.
“Let’s talk inside.” Shao Licang casually shut the door behind them.
Since Bai Tang wasn’t wearing any clothes when he transformed, Shao Licang placed him back into his squirrel form and led him to a room so he could change.
A short while later, the adorable, chubby little Bai Tang reappeared, standing beside Shao Licang.
“Tang Tang!” Bai Yun rushed forward and hugged him tightly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Sister.” Bai Tang smiled sweetly, his warmth melting away the tension in the room.
Shao Licang explained to everyone that Bai Tang had awakened an ability that allowed him to transform into a small animal.
“That’s amazing, my little brother Bai Tang! Now the boss can carry you around in his pocket wherever he goes—no chance of losing you!” one of the burly men joked.
“From now on, come to me. I’ll take care of you,” Bai Yun insisted, determined not to lose her precious and caring little brother.
“Oh, right—what about Tan Qingqing?” Bai Yun suddenly remembered the heroine.
“No idea.”
Bai Yun had nothing more to say about this outcome. But at least Bai Tang had returned safely—that was a good thing. As for whether the heroine would seek revenge in the future, they would deal with that when the time came.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
A series of knocks sounded from outside.
Hei Zi opened the door to reveal Li Junran standing there.
Shao Licang remained on high alert the entire time.
“I’m here to apologize,” Li Junran said sincerely. Because of him, the little cutie had fallen off the cliff.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Bai Tang with genuine remorse.
Bai Tang shrank behind Shao Licang and responded with a soft “Mm.”
He couldn’t bring himself to say “It’s okay.” If he hadn’t fallen off the cliff, Shao Licang wouldn’t have been injured while saving him, and the jade pendant wouldn’t have been stolen by the heroine.
Due to the dire circumstances, He Lang and the others had no choice but to seek shelter with Li Junran’s group at the farm. The fact that Bai Tang was even willing to speak to him at all was already a huge concession.
After apologizing and saying what he needed to, Li Junran tactfully excused himself.
During the time Shao Licang had been absent, He Lang had taken on the role of leader, managing to minimize the losses suffered by the team.
With the system’s approval, Bai Tang took out food and clothing from his small storage space and shared them with everyone to help them fend off the cold. The group was well aware that Bai Tang had secrets, but it didn’t matter. He belonged to their boss and was on their side—so they wouldn’t ask any questions.
The latest satellite reports brought grim news. The heavy snow had sealed off the mountains, and the situation in the northwest—mostly mountainous terrain—was even worse. With the addition of mutated plants and animals, the survival conditions there would be far more challenging.
After several weeks of deliberation, Shao Licang decided to alter their course and head north to City A.
The plot seemed to have returned to its original trajectory—but with key differences. At this point in the story, the male and female leads were supposed to form a deep mutual understanding. Instead, they had become bitter enemies, locked in a battle where only one could survive.
The snow had stopped for several days, and the main group was finally ready to depart. However, this time, their ranks had expanded, as the motorcycle squad was now traveling with them.
It had to be said—when it came to generating noise, heavy motorcycles were undoubtedly at the top of the list.
Throughout the journey, countless zombies were drawn toward them by the roaring engines. As a result, Shao Licang’s group found themselves constantly caught in the crossfire, forced to fend off waves of the undead.
Whenever this happened, Bai Tang would sit quietly in the vehicle like a meek little chick, watching through the window, worrying for the others, and waiting for them to return. After experiencing it so many times, Bai Tang had grown desensitized—so much so that he could now casually watch movies on his tablet while waiting.
What they didn’t know was that, every time zombies attacked them, a figure was always watching from a distance. Only after observing them eliminate the horde would the person turn and leave.
Again and again.
This time was no different. The zombies fell effortlessly at the hands of the group, as easy as chopping cabbages.
From the shadows, a pair of red lips curled into a smirk. A howl echoed through the air, and suddenly, a dark figure shot out from behind the hidden onlooker—lunging straight at Hei Zi.
“A dual-ability zombie!”
Zombies with abilities weren’t unheard of, but encountering one with two different abilities? That was a serious problem.
Sensing the incoming attacks, the zombie reacted with incredible speed, dodging with ease. At the same time, a fireball hurtled toward them.
A zombie with speed and fire abilities.
Shao Licang quickly assessed the surrounding environment.
They were on the outskirts of a small town, its buildings already visible in the distance.
Retreating wasn’t an option. They had to fight right where they stood. There was no telling how many zombies lurked within the town. Their earlier battle had already drained half of their strength—he couldn’t risk leading his people into an even more dangerous situation.
But something was off.
The zombie wasn’t just attacking blindly. It had a clear goal.
The car.
Where Bai Tang was.
Realizing the danger, Shao Licang’s expression darkened.
The moment he saw the zombie make its move, he sprinted toward the vehicle.
The zombie smashed the car several times, shattering the glass. Then, just like it had done to Hei Zi earlier, it lifted the entire vehicle and hurled it away.
At the exact moment the car was thrown, a small black shadow tumbled out through the broken window. In midair, it executed a perfect 360-degree Thomas spin before landing flawlessly—though, to absorb the impact, it rolled a few times across the ground.
“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”
Bai Tang scrambled toward Shao Licang, climbing up his pant leg and nestling safely into the front pocket of his coat.
“Good boy~ You can have two pine nuts later.”
Shao Licang patted his pocket, gently pushing Bai Tang’s little head inside. The battle ahead wasn’t something his little squirrel should be watching.
Inside the pocket, Bai Tang made himself comfortable and pulled out a pine nut from his mini storage space, happily nibbling on it.
However, before he could take more than a couple of bites, he was suddenly rocked from side to side, flipped upside down, and shaken violently.
His tiny claws gripped onto the fabric of Shao Licang’s shirt for dear life, but his pine nut rolled away and fell out.
“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!” My pine nut…
Without even poking his head out, Bai Tang could tell how intense the battle outside was—just judging from the way his pine nut had been thrown around, not to mention the explosive sounds of various abilities clashing.
After what felt like a long time, the chaos finally subsided.
The little squirrel cautiously poked its head out of the pocket.
The surroundings were a complete mess—trees snapped in half, debris everywhere, and on the ground lay a corpse with only half of its body remaining.
“It’s over, Tang Tang.”
Shao Licang scooped up the little squirrel, holding it in his palm.
Bai Tang retracted his claws, then pressed a paw directly onto Shao Licang’s handsome face.
Give me back my pine nut. No—make it three!
Author’s Note:
MVP of the entire fight—Bai Tang.
A flawless 360-degree midair spin and the audacity to stomp on the male lead’s face.
This is what they call “climbing all over someone”—literally. (～o￣▽￣)～o ~