THIP Chapter 40

After testing her ability several times, Jie Yin finally said, “Feng Yan, thank you.”

This power sounded impressive, but with how recently her abilities had awakened, if Feng Yan hadn’t told her, she probably would’ve spent a long time just figuring out what her power even was.

“You’re welcome.” Mu Liu Yin’s lips curled slightly, but she quickly pressed them into a thin line, her tone returning to its usual cool indifference.

The name “Feng Yan” was something she’d made up on the spot. Originally, Mu Liu Yin had planned to keep her identity a mystery—if Jie Yin ever asked about who she was, she’d just refuse to answer and maintain that strong, mysterious persona. But to her surprise, once they got back to the basement, Jie Yin didn’t ask a single question.

Even the silver half-mask on Mu Liu Yin’s face only got a few indifferent glances.

Mu Liu Yin felt incredibly frustrated. Why wasn’t this girl curious about anything?

Thankfully, her mask hid all her expressions. Otherwise, her carefully crafted image would’ve been ruined.

After Jie Yin woke up, they stayed in the area for another two days. During that time, most of the daylight hours were spent hunting zombies, letting Jie Yin train her powers.

There weren’t many zombies in the area—mostly low-level ones. As long as they weren’t surrounded, even without using powers, they were easy to deal with.

After killing another zombie, Jie Yin glanced at Mu Liu Yin, who was lazily leaning against a tree. Annoyed by how relaxed she looked, Jie Yin’s eyes suddenly gleamed with mischief. As another zombie lunged at her, she grabbed its wrist, twisted it with force, and sent it flying—right toward Mu Liu Yin.

“Shit!” Mu Liu Yin, who had been casually chatting with Xiao Jiu by the tree, was caught off guard as the zombie lunged at her with its gaping, bloody mouth.

Just before the zombie could get too close, an icicle pierced its skull. It dropped dead at Mu Liu Yin’s feet.

Mu Liu Yin leapt to the side, her dark eyes wide with lingering shock. When her gaze met Jie Yin’s, filled with barely contained amusement, she finally snapped out of it and shouted, “You little brat! Were you trying to kill your savior?!”

Even though she was dressed in all black and wearing a mask, her previously calm demeanor was now more like a puffed-up, furious cat. Jie Yin apologized with exaggerated sincerity, “Sorry! I still haven’t fully gotten the hang of my strength… accidentally flung it in the wrong direction.”

Mu Liu Yin: “…”

Oh please. Who’d believe that? And could she at least hide that damn smirk in her eyes before saying it?

But then Jie Yin added, “It was just a low-level zombie. You’re so strong—surely a zombie wouldn’t scare you, right?”

“…”

Thinking back to how she’d just leapt away in panic, Mu Liu Yin suddenly felt embarrassed. She tilted her chin up, trying to act composed. “Of course not!”

“Pfft~”

Her act of putting on a serious front after just being scared was way too cute. Jie Yin couldn’t help but laugh.

She’d only wanted to test the young man’s ability, and for the past two days, she’d been the one doing all the zombie hunting while he just stood around watching with that laid-back look that made people want to punch him. Who would’ve thought he was scared of zombies?

“What’re you laughing at?!” Mu Liu Yin glared at her. “Shut up!”

But the cold tone didn’t scare Jie Yin at all. When she’d first met him, she might’ve believed he was the aloof and untouchable type. But after what just happened, she realized he was more like a prideful cat that puffed up at the slightest provocation.

That cold voice? To her, it sounded more like someone flustered and trying to save face.

Still, cats need to be petted the right way. So to avoid him getting riled up again, Jie Yin stifled her laughter and replied sweetly, “Okay.”

Mu Liu Yin: “…”

Aaaahhhh!!! Why didn’t I realize this girl was so sneaky and manipulative before?! And now, all it took was one damn zombie to destroy my image of being cool, powerful, and mysterious! So annoying!!!

Fuming, Mu Liu Yin caught Jie Yin’s still-smiling eyes and gave a cold snort. She summoned an ice blade and stirred the brains of the zombie she’d just killed. Then, she pulled out a crystal core about the size of an apricot pit and tossed it to Jie Yin, zombie goo and all.

Thanks to Mu Liu Yin’s guidance these past two days, Jie Yin had become much more adept at using her power. By the time the core landed in her hand, the bits of zombie brain had already been cleaned off.

After that, the two of them scavenged for some more food and water. Back in the basement, they packed their things and prepared to leave.

“Where do you want to go?” Jie Yin asked.

“The central base,” Mu Liu Yin answered without thinking.

After all, everyone who had hurt Jie Yin would be headed to the central base. Even if she didn’t want revenge, Mu Liu Yin had no intention of letting them off. When it came to completing her missions, she had patience and a very high tolerance.

At the mention of “central base,” a thick shadow passed over Jie Yin’s heart. She had buried those feelings deep since waking up, but now they surged again. She lowered her eyes to hide the hatred burning within and smiled faintly. “Alright.”

Xu Chi, Zhuo Yan… and those people who had tried to do that to her—how could she possibly let them go?

Of course, she wouldn’t spare a single one.

Seeing the slight chill in Xie Yin’s expression, Mu Liuyin had a bad feeling—but then she remembered, Xie Yin had no idea that she was Xu Chi. That thought calmed her down again.

Still, they had a problem: no car.

Mu Liuyin didn’t dare use the one she drove when she came back to find Xie Yin—it might give her away. After all, Xie Yin had been part of the original team and would recognize that vehicle.

So the two of them wandered a few blocks until they finally found a usable car in an underground parking lot. The driver’s side door was already open, the seat was stained with blood, but the key was still neatly inserted in the ignition.

Xie Yin casually climbed into the passenger seat.

Mu Liuyin: “…”

What kind of teammate was this? This was a full-on boss behavior! But whatever—Xie Yin was her mission target, someone she had to protect. Mu Liuyin resigned herself and got into the driver’s seat. (Well, to be fair, Xie Yin had already used her ability to clean up the blood.)

She had Little Jiu pull up a route map to the Central Base. After studying it, Mu Liuyin found that although the distance wasn’t super far, there were a lot of obstacles. After the apocalypse, highways were completely jammed with abandoned cars and swarming with zombies. They’d have to take side roads instead, which made the trip longer. They’d also have to pass through a mid-sized base along the way. Including rest stops, the fastest they could make it was a little over a month.

But Mu Liuyin wasn’t in a rush. This was a good opportunity to train, level up their abilities, and boost Xie Yin’s affection toward her. Because if Xie Yin ever found out her real identity… and decided to take revenge… yeah, she’d be screwed. Crying wouldn’t even help.

To be honest, Xie Yin’s ability was practically a super-bug in game terms. Mu Liuyin was sure she couldn’t beat her in a fight. And she couldn’t guarantee Xie Yin wouldn’t get curious about her identity once she got stronger.

Just thinking about the revenge she might face if she were exposed made Mu Liuyin let out a heavy sigh.

I have to keep this secret identity under wraps. No. Matter. What.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Yin asked, a little puzzled after hearing her sigh.

“Nothing,” Mu Liuyin replied gloomily as she drove. “I was just wondering… am I that unattractive to you?”

Xie Yin: What the heck???

Still in that moody tone, Mu Liuyin added, “You haven’t once been curious about what I look like.”

Xie Yin was speechless. So now that she’d figured out this grumpy tsundere cat’s real personality, he was just gonna let loose in front of her?

Come on—you wear that mask all day, every day. Who would find that attractive?

But since this guy had saved her life, she decided to humor him a little. “If I were curious about your face, would you take off the mask and show me?”

“In. Your. Dreams.” Mu Liuyin enunciated slowly, the corners of her mouth curving up smugly. Her obsidian eyes flashed with that same haughty look she’d had the first time Xie Yin saw her—like she was saying, Foolish human, did you think I’d tell you?

Xie Yin: Pfft. Idiot.

Deciding this brainless cat wasn’t worth her energy, she yawned, adjusted the seat back, and closed her eyes for a nap.

Mu Liuyin: “…”

She sighed dramatically and poked Little Jiu:
【Why do I feel like Xie Yin’s personality is completely different from what the storyline said?】

Little Jiu blinked its cat eyes:
【What part is different?】

Mu Liuyin:
【Wasn’t she supposed to be gentle, kind, and understanding? Okay, maybe that was before she went dark, but even after her blackening, she was described as silent and expressionless… Where’s all this cunning sass coming from?!】

【Maybe it’s because when she woke up, she saw you first, Host. At least now, unlike in the original storyline, she’s not completely alone.】 Little Jiu licked its paw smugly.

Mu Liuyin had to admit that kind of made sense. Still… she had no idea just how far Xie Yin had fallen into the darkness.

Her eyes landed on Xie Yin’s delicate, beautiful face. The girl’s eyes were half-closed, breathing steady, and she looked like she had fallen asleep. Worried about waking her, Mu Liuyin eased off the gas and slowed the car.

Xie Yin, who had only been pretending to sleep, felt the change in speed and was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected Mu Liuyin to adjust the driving for her comfort. With the quiet hum of the car and the calm atmosphere inside, Xie Yin, who hadn’t meant to sleep at all, gradually drifted off for real.