“It’s freezing at the B City base! I’m literally turning into an icicle!” Lin Bai grumbled as he drove. He was deliberately keeping the air conditioning off to save fuel. Earlier that morning, Lu Xi had handed out down jackets to everyone, making sure they were bundled up against the sudden cold. For Lin Bai, who was stuck behind the wheel, she had even given him her own earmuffs and gloves, insisting he wear them so he could focus on the road. “Even though it’s cold, haven’t you noticed?” Xu Qiaoyun’s voice sounded excited for once. “There are far fewer zombies!”
All morning, as they drove through lonely villages and winding country roads, they had only run into two scattered zombies. In the past few days , even a short drive would reveal countless wandering corpses, aimless but dangerous. Could it be that the zombies simply couldn’t handle the cold and had vanished? The thought gave Lin Bai and Xu Qiaoyun a spark of hope. If that were true, maybe humanity actually had a chance to survive.
“Don’t celebrate too early,” Grandpa Gu—Gu Wang—interjected, his voice sounding cold and amused. “How do you know they haven’t just gone into hiding to evolve? Maybe they’ll crawl out again when the temperature rises.”
Lu Xi’s mouth fell open slightly. Of course… she thought. This villain—her ever-annoying Gu Wang—was a villain through and through. His mind worked in ways most people could never predict. He had guessed the worst-case scenario immediately. Her gaze softened with a bit of admiration as she looked at him. Lin Bai and Xu Qiaoyun, who had been full of hope moments before, went silent. The weight of Gu Wang’s words was heavy: if the zombies were only sleeping, the fight for survival would become even more desperate from now on.
Lu Xi looked out the car window. Groups of survivors were trudging along the road, wrapped in layers of clothes against the biting cold, their eyes wary and cautious. They had also noticed the lack of zombies and were likely headed to the base after hearing the broadcasts. Only fifteen days remained. Fifteen days to find a safe shelter or face death when the undead woke up. A shadow of despair crept over her.
In the original story, the B City base had been the largest non-military refuge, home to many people with special powers. Its commander specialized in fire abilities but hadn’t awakened them yet. Now, a long line of survivors stretched outside the gates—dusty, ragged, and pale. The weight of fear and exhaustion was etched into every line of their bodies.
Two tents were set up at the entrance for wound inspections. Survivors had to strip for thorough checks. The incubation period for the zombie virus was only twenty-four hours, and anyone with an injury—whether from a zombie or something else—would be quarantined before they could enter.
Gu Wang, who was never patient, let streaks of purple lightning flash around his hands as a silent warning to the base inspectors. Seeing the inspector’s fear, Lu Xi hurried forward, her voice soft and coaxing. “Gu Wang… Uncle Gu… let’s just bear with it for a bit. I’ll make you something delicious when we are done. Don’t you like egg tarts? I’ll make several flavors just for you. Please don’t get angry today. I’ll make anything you want.”
The little girl tugged persistently at his sleeve. Her big, pleading eyes blinked rapidly, and her lips were pursed as if she were struggling to find words but was begging him with her gaze alone. Tch. Gu Wang huffed, reluctantly agreeing to the inspection while wearing a grumpy expression. True to his character, he cleared everyone else out of the tent, leaving only himself and the inspector. His ‘mercy’ wasn’t out of kindness; it was the calculated act of a villain who just really wanted to taste Lu Xi’s egg tarts.
The inspector, trapped under the weight of Gu Wang’s scary aura, likely wondered if he would survive the next minute. Meanwhile, Xu Yiyi, who still had fresh wounds, was taken to a quarantine facility. Xu Qiaoyun held her hand gently, whispering soothing words. “Don’t worry, we’ll come get you as soon as your quarantine is over.”
Xu Yiyi had asked to have her hair cut short after her big cry the night before. Her features were still beautiful, but the short hair and the look in her eyes gave her an air of cold, tough strength. Even in silence, she had a quiet decisiveness that was impossible to ignore.
“Okay.” Xu Yiyi nodded, forcing a faint smile at Lu Xi and Xu Qiaoyun to show she was alright and they didn’t need to worry.
After filling out a stack of forms, Lu Xi and the others prepared to hand over their supplies for points at the base. Before leaving the car, Lu Xi had discreetly moved some items from her spatial storage into the vehicle. She had no intention of revealing her power yet. So far, they hadn’t met anyone else with spatial powers, and if the base found out, it would draw a lot of unwanted attention. Fortunately, they had a huge stockpile, and even giving up a few items would earn them plenty of points.
The B City base was privately run without military oversight, so the prices for survival were very high. Survivors had to give up a lot of supplies just to earn a few points. Still, it was the only safe haven in the area, so people came despite the cost. Most residents lived in refugee camps with makeshift tents that barely blocked the wind. These camps cost ten points a month, but many people couldn’t even afford that and had to sleep in the open. It was the first cold wave since the apocalypse, and temperatures were freezing. Many had already died from the chill because they didn’t have proper shelter.
Lu Xi and her group earned five hundred points. Renting a small three-bedroom apartment in an older building cost a hundred points, so they were in good shape. The apartment was simple and located in a quiet neighborhood. Inside, it was clean: there was a basic sofa in the living room, and each bedroom had a bed and a wardrobe. The walls were bare, but it was enough.
Seeing Gu Wang’s look of disgust at how simple the apartment was, Lu Xi immediately tried to suck up to him. “You can stay in the master bedroom, hahaha! Qiaoyun, Yiyi, and I will share the second bedroom, and Lin Bai can take the third.” Gu Wang raised an eyebrow but accepted it without a fight, as if her words were all the permission he needed.
The base only provided electricity and water for two hours each night. Since it was so cold, Lu Xi handed out the down comforters she had in her space to keep everyone warm. Lin Bai helped Xu Qiaoyun take apart the living room sofa and move it to the second bedroom to make a bed for Xu Yiyi once she got out of quarantine.
Meanwhile, Lu Xi used the brief window of electricity to pull kitchen gear from her space and started baking egg tarts for Gu Wang. She wasn’t a naturally great cook, but she was very good at making desserts—something she had practiced in her previous life when she dreamed of opening a shop. Baking had always been her way of relaxing. A few days ago, while eating hot pot, she had mentioned this hobby. Gu Wang’s intense stare had been unmistakable at that time , as if he were saying: I want you to make them for me.
In the original story, Gu Wang’s obsession with egg tarts went back to his childhood. His mother had punished him harshly for stealing them. Later, as a villain, he captured chefs just to make them for him. If the tarts weren’t perfect, he would throw them to the zombies to terrify the bakers. Perhaps this was his twisted way of dealing with his past. When Lu Xi finally presented the fresh egg tarts, her eyes blinking with excitement, Gu Wang looked at them with his usual coldness. “Heh. So-so,” he said flatly.
Lu Xi froze. Her excitement vanished instantly. The sparkle in her eyes dimmed, and she slumped her head, looking like a tiny, disappointed hamster. Gu Wang’s lips twitched as if he were trying not to smirk, clearly amused by her reaction.
[Ding, current world stability progress is 45%. Keep up the good work, host~]
The mechanical voice snapped Lu Xi back to attention. She glared at Gu Wang, speechless. He had clearly enjoyed the tarts—but like a true villain, he wouldn’t admit it. He was childish, stubborn, and infuriating. And just like that, their first day at the base ended.
The next day, as soon as the 24-hour quarantine ended, Xu Qiaoyun and Lin Bai went to get Xu Yiyi. The five of them planned to explore the base together. Lu Xi decided that if the base was good, she would stay here with Gu Wang, managing their daily life and doing small tasks for points. She didn’t want to cause trouble. The system’s instructions were simple: keep Gu Wang’s corruption level below 30%.
She could bake him tarts and take care of him, giving him the warmth he had missed for so long. At this rate, she felt she could go home soon. But Lin Bai and Xu Qiaoyun were different. They were the types who felt they had to save everyone. In the original novel, the main characters grew through crises and missions. Many of those problems actually came from Gu Wang himself. Even if Lu Xi kept Gu Wang from turning evil, the team would still have to face a powerful zombie king later. The heroes would need to lead the survivors to defend the base.
In the original book, Lin Bai was very powerful, while the others were close behind. But now, Xu Yiyi hadn’t even awakened her powers when she met witht he protagonist . In the original story, she was already a psychic by this point. Not only was she missing her powers, but another key team member, Xiang He, was nowhere to be found. Lu Xi groaned, rubbing her temples. “003, do you know how Xu Yiyi gets her powers?”
“Host, 003 only knows what’s in the book. Her awakening isn’t documented, so I don’t know,” the mechanical voice replied. “What about Xiang He? When did he join? Where is he?”
“I don’t know, the book doesn’t mention it~” Lu Xi: “…What use are you?” Everything depended on her—a fragile human—while this high-tech system was clueless.
A mechanical chime sounded, sounding almost like it was teasing her: “Friendly reminder: you also have a difficult task. Helping the main characters grow is your responsibility, too. You can’t just stay in the base like a zen monk~”
Lu Xi blinked, speechless. “What kind of shady organization is this? You want me to seduce the villain AND raise the heroes?! Am I their nanny now?! I refuse!”
“Host,” 003 replied, its voice sounding a bit threatening, “your mission is world stability. Both stopping the villain and helping the heroes grow fall under your mission~”
“Of course, you can refuse, but that would be a breach of contract. In that case, the system will just return you to your world to die immediately.”
Lu Xi’s eyes widened, then she stood up straight and gave the most exaggerated, earnest smile she could manage. “I can’t be a coward! A responsible person like me is naturally meant to save the world!”
003 paused. Even its robotic voice couldn’t hide its disbelief. She’s such a suck-up.