Chapter 82 – Apocalypse Arc: Zombie Siege: Rebirth in the Apocalypse—My Secret Lover (20)
The old butler and Bai Yun were both excellent cooks. For once, everyone could lower their guard and enjoy a meal, even opening a few bottles of alcohol.
By the end of the meal, everyone was satisfied—except for Bai Tang, who was nestled in Shao Licang’s arms.
Shao Licang wouldn’t allow Bai Tang to retract his tail, and throughout the meal, he absentmindedly stroked it. Every time he did, Bai Tang trembled.
Bai Tang cast a delicate, sidelong glance at the culprit teasing him, making Shao Licang’s whole body tingle. His mouth went dry, and all he wanted to do was claim the little enchantress in his arms.
“Ahem.” Bai Yun couldn’t take it anymore. He knew his younger brother had already been claimed by this pig, but hearing about it and witnessing it firsthand were two completely different things.
“Boss, your dignified image… it’s crumbling.” Hei Zi muttered while shoveling food into his mouth. He was envious—so envious. Maybe he should head out of the base later and find himself a partner.
“Whoever eats last washes the dishes,” the old butler announced leisurely as he set down his chopsticks.
Everyone immediately picked up the pace, racing to finish their meal. No one wanted to be stuck doing the dishes.
Shao Licang put down his chopsticks and simply stated, “I’m done. You all take your time.” Then, he carried Bai Tang back to their room.
Whether or not he was actually full remained unknown, but Bai Tang had his little space pocket and would never let Shao Licang go hungry.
The Blaze Squad
The scar-faced man Shao Licang had crippled earlier belonged to the Blaze Squad. Their leader was the same man who, in the original storyline, had been gifted Bai Tang by the female protagonist, Tan Qingqing, leading to his tragic abuse and death.
Chen Feng listened to his subordinate’s report, his anger boiling over as he smashed a cup onto the ground. “Daring to lay hands on my people? That bastard must have a death wish.”
Scarface continued to fan the flames, but this time, his focus was on Bai Tang. He exaggerated, claiming that no one in the world could compare to him. His face twisted with malice—wasn’t that man obsessed with the boy? Once the captain got his hands on him, they could have their fun before passing him around to the rest of the brothers.
Since arriving at the Guangming Base, Chen Feng’s team had rapidly expanded, attracting plenty of ability users eager to follow him. When had he ever been humiliated like this? He decided he would personally meet this newcomer tomorrow.
The Mission Hall
The mission hall was busiest in the morning and evening—mornings were for taking missions, evenings for turning them in.
Since Shao Licang had officially joined Guangming Base, he naturally needed to familiarize himself with how things worked.
Early in the morning, he and He Lang arrived at the mission hall.
The posted missions mostly involved killing zombies, collecting supplies from designated locations, or performing labor within the base.
Shao Licang studied the board for a while before selecting a five-star mission: retrieving research data from a laboratory in the outskirts.
As soon as he accepted it, the crowd erupted in shock.
That mission had been available for a long time, yet no one had dared to take it.
It wasn’t because getting to the outskirts was difficult, but before the apocalypse, that place had been heavily guarded. Now, it was crawling with zombies—and worse, the research institute had been involved in all kinds of experiments. Who knew what strange creatures lurked there? Several teams had taken the mission before, and every single one of them had been wiped out. Not one survivor had ever returned.
“Isn’t this guy new? He probably has no idea what he just got himself into.”
The staff member in charge of recording missions repeatedly confirmed, “Are you sure you want to take on the research institute mission?”
“I’m sure.”
“…Alright then. But let me make this clear—this mission is extremely dangerous. Anyone who accepts it must sign a life-and-death agreement. If you fail, the base takes no responsibility. However, if you succeed, you’ll gain partial management rights over Guangming Base.” The staff member dutifully explained both the risks and the rewards.
Bang!
Just as Shao Licang was about to sign, a hand suddenly slammed the life-and-death agreement onto the table.
The newcomer was none other than Chen Feng, captain of the Blaze Squad.
“What a coincidence—I happen to have my eyes on this mission too.” Chen Feng smirked, locking eyes with Shao Licang in a silent standoff.
The staff member immediately recognized Chen Feng, a frequent visitor to the mission hall. Any mission taken by the Blaze Squad had never ended in failure. If he accepted this mission, the chances of success would increase significantly.
“This mission is highly dangerous. You two can accept it together as a team,” the staff member suggested. Noticing that Shao Licang’s presence was even more imposing than Chen Feng’s, she instinctively took a neutral stance, trying to avoid offending either side.
“In that case, can I join with my squad too?”
A voice chimed in, and Li Junran strolled forward, casually twirling a silver chain around his fingers. Dressed in a sleek black biker jacket, he exuded an effortless charm.
“First come, first served. I’m taking it.” Shao Licang retrieved the life-and-death agreement and swiftly signed his name.
The moment the staff member saw his signature, her eyes widened in shock.
Shao Licang—CEO of the Shao Group. One of the world’s top five most eligible bachelors.
Her heart pounded as she shot to her feet. As expected, the man standing before her was indeed the same figure who had dominated the covers of financial magazines for years.
“Uh… um, Mr. Shao Licang, could I get your autograph?”
The staff member turned into a total fangirl, taking out a notebook and pushing it toward him.
Shao Licang chuckled slightly but refused. “There’s no CEO Shao anymore. Just process the mission.”
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected this guy to have such a background. But tsk, in the apocalypse, who cared if you were a CEO? The strongest fists ruled now.
Just as Chen Feng was about to mock him, a soft, honeyed voice called out, “Ah Cang…”
He turned toward the sound and saw an adorable young man with crescent-moon eyes and a bright smile, throwing himself into Shao Licang’s arms.
“Why didn’t you wait for me?” Bai Tang pouted.
The moment he had woken up and found Shao Licang gone, he nearly had a breakdown—his character’s setting-induced depression almost flaring up. Thankfully, the system reminded him that Shao Licang had gone to check on missions. Bai Tang had rushed to get up, but Bai Yun had insisted he wash up and eat breakfast before allowing him to leave and search for Shao Licang.
“You little lazy pig, do you think I could have woken you up?” Shao Licang chuckled, tapping Bai Tang’s nose.
Li Junran, standing to the side, greeted him, “Hey, little brother, do you still remember me?”
Bai Tang glanced at him, then looked at Shao Licang, who gave him a slight nod. Only then did he sweetly call out, “Hello, Brother Li~”
“Hello, hello…” So obedient, so adorable… What a pity. Why isn’t he mine? Li Junran bit his metaphorical handkerchief in frustration.
Chen Feng watched from the sidelines, his gaze heated. A real top-tier treasure… You can tell just by looking—he must taste amazing. What a shame, someone got to him first.
Since Bai Tang was wary of strangers, Shao Licang took him home after accepting the mission.
Chen Feng smirked coldly as he watched Shao Licang walk away. Then, he exchanged a knowing glance with the still-lingering Li Junran before extending a “friendly” hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Chen Feng.”
…
On the day of departure, the higher-ups had decided that three squads would take on the research institute mission together. Retrieving the data could be a major breakthrough in developing a cure for the zombie virus and ending the apocalypse.
“Boss, everything’s ready.”
“Captain, we’re set to go.”
“Leader, all checked and clear.”
“Move out!”
Each of the three squads boarded their respective vehicles. Inside one of them, Shao Licang closed his eyes to rest. Due to the dangers of the mission, he had left Bai Tang behind with Bai Yun, the old butler, and He Lang at home.
Little did he know, chaos had erupted back at the house.
“Have you found Tang Tang yet?” Bai Yun asked anxiously.
The old butler and He Lang both shook their heads. A terrible thought struck all three of them at once.
He wouldn’t have…
Considering Bai Tang’s history of escape attempts, it wasn’t hard to guess where he might have gone.
Meanwhile, in the trunk of one of the cars, something was stirring.
The little squirrel had just emerged from the blanket in the trunk.
“Squeak squeak squeak—”
A large hand suddenly wrapped around his entire tiny body. And then… he found himself face-to-face with Shao Licang.
“Tang Tang, why aren’t you behaving?” Shao Licang narrowed his eyes.
“Squeak squeak squeak—” Bai Tang wriggled in his grip, only to hear the man above him say, “No shifting.”
Shao Licang forbade Bai Tang from changing back. They would be arriving at the research institute soon, and who knew what dangers lurked there? It was safer for him to remain in his squirrel form.
He tucked the little squirrel into the pocket of his jacket. “Be good~ Otherwise, we’re not going to the research institute today. We’ll head back home instead.”
Shao Licang was only bluffing, but Bai Tang actually fell for it. He obediently stayed still in the pocket.
As they approached the research institute, the air was filled with the acrid scent of something burnt.
“Tang Tang, the female lead has been detected nearby,” the system reported, scanning the electronic map. “She seems to be in the southwest direction… no, wait, the northwest… no, somewhere around here.”
“Got it, I’ll be careful.” Bai Tang stretched out his little paws to peek out, only for Shao Licang to push him back inside with one hand.
According to the base’s intel, the research institute was supposed to be heavily guarded. There was no way it should be this quiet.
The three squads disembarked. Before them, the research institute was eerily silent—so lifeless that, within a hundred-mile radius, not even a single blade of grass could be seen.
The facility had five levels, and the moment they stepped inside, zombies appeared from all directions, their sheer numbers sending shivers down everyone’s spine.
Strangely, though, the zombies only encircled them, cutting off any chance of escape, but they did not attack.
Ignoring the bizarre scene outside, they shut the doors to the research institute behind them.
Right now, the most important thing was to find the research data on the zombies.
They walked into the main hall when, suddenly, numerous small holes appeared in the surrounding walls, releasing a cyan-colored gas. Some people who were too close to the vents didn’t have time to cover their mouths and noses. Their faces turned pale blue before they collapsed straight to the ground.
“It’s poisonous! Run!”
Covering their mouths and noses could only help for so long—the main priority was escaping.
Under the thick smoke, the three teams got separated.
Most of the others ran upstairs, but Shao Licang led his team downward instead.
Just as he had suspected, the basement was heavily guarded, with just as many security measures as the upper floors—if not more.
While holding the little squirrel in his pocket to keep him from jumping out, Shao Licang felt along the walls, searching for a mechanism.
When the door in front of them finally opened, a horde of zombies in white research uniforms lunged at them.
These zombies had been starving for a long time. After turning, they had yet to taste fresh human blood.
Seeing this, the team grabbed their machetes and began hacking away at the zombies’ heads as if they were slicing through watermelons.
The stench in the air grew even more unbearable.
Bai Tang sat inside the pocket, staring intently at the system’s map. The little red dot representing the female lead was getting closer and closer.
Tan Qingqing was approaching.
“This is bad… Has this world completely fallen apart?!” The system’s voice trembled as it detected the female lead’s new abilities. “She actually evolved into the Zombie King?! If that’s the case, this is practically a death sentence for everyone!!!”
Author’s Note:
The woman you all hate the most is about to make her entrance—and then promptly exit.
Tomorrow, the apocalypse arc will conclude. Time to start brainstorming names for the next world’s Mary Sue protagonist! I’ve noticed that the ridiculously over-the-top names from each world’s original plot have been a highlight of your reading experience. Come on, let’s have some fun naming together~