QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots

"Alright, everyone, don't start a conflict." Chen Ran finally spoke, "The captain is right. Tonight may not be peaceful. It's late, let's eat something quickly and take turns resting. If danger comes again, it'll be troublesome."

"Okay."

Xue Fang closed his mouth reluctantly.

Xiao Jinfeng, calm as always, said nothing. He turned on his flashlight and swept it around.

"We'll stay here tonight. Let's spend the night in the mall."

The beam lit the ground, littered with zombie corpses, the air thick with stench and decay.

Before the apocalypse, even catching a whiff of this would've made people vomit. Now, survivors hardly blinked. Some could even sit in the middle of it and eat.

A few men cleared a small space. Chen Ran pulled bread and crackers from his space, handing them out.

"Professor Ling, time to eat."

He passed a bag to Ling Zhuang, then glanced politely at Jiang Jiamian.

"Would you like to join? We're companions now, after all."

Jiang Jiamian shook his head, "Forgot already? I have space abilities too, and I cleared this mall before you. Some people are already mad I didn't leave them a bite. If I eat yours too, they'll be furious."

"This…" Chen Ran froze, awkwardly holding the bread mid-air.

"If he doesn't want it, don't give it to him!" Xue Fang snorted, sitting cross-legged and biting into his crackers.

"Xue Fang." Zheng Shuqiu tugged at his arm.

"In the apocalypse…" Ling Zhuang's quiet voice cut in, "It's easier to remember grudges than favors."

"What did you say!?"

Xue Fang shot up, crumbs flying.

Ling Zhuang calmly adjusted his glasses, "Nothing. Just a sigh."

Jiang Jiamian glanced at him.

Ling Zhuang, so composed and pretentious in the original plot, now seemed just a little… unruly. His self-control would never allow such a sigh, it was practically inviting trouble.

Tsk, tsk, tsk…

What's this?

Could the pervert be defending him?

Has the miserable bigshot of this world already developed some special feelings for him?

Seems like there's more than just sharing the same soul, something deeper, more instinctive.

Otherwise, why side with him when they had barely spoken?

"Complain?" Xue Fang barked. "Others can lament, but you, Professor Ling? We escorted you here at risk to our lives. Are you saying we're more likely to hold grudges than gratitude? In that case, we won't protect you anymore."

Ling Zhuang's eyes darkened. "Whatever. You're just on a mission. I didn't assign it, and I never begged for protection. Forget about protecting me, if you hadn't come asking me to go to City A, I'd still be at my institute in City S."

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

What's he playing at? Destroying his gentle persona on purpose?

Before he could figure it out, Ling Zhuang turned to him. "Thank you for the hard work on the rest of the journey."

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

Ling Zhuang smiled gently. "As a reward, I'll develop medicine to stimulate your potential and speed up your evolution."

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

Hehe.

Mind stepping aside?

They're the ones assigned to escort you, remember?

Switching sides so openly… seriously, do you still have any pride as a man?

Xue Fang sneered. "So that's it, you think we can't protect you, so you're clinging to someone else's thighs."

Jiang Jiamian raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk suggesting he approved wholeheartedly. "Go on."

Ling Zhuang: "..."

"Alright." Xiao Jinfeng finally stepped in, "I don't think Professor Ling meant that. Jiang Jiamian is with us, so we're one team. If he can help protect Professor Ling, we should be grateful."

Jiang Jiamian's dark eyes flickered slightly. Tsk. The male lead really does stand apart from the side characters. At least he could keep his emotions steady, whether pleased or not. As a team leader, his coordination skills were solid.

When everyone sat to eat, Jiang Jiamian chose an open space nearby.

In full view of the group, he set down a pot. Then, water, oil, salt, vinegar, laid out like a street stall.

Nearby, dry bread suddenly tasted like ash in their mouths.

And then came the real shock, he pulled out a fish. A plump, four-to-five-pound fish, untouched by mutation or poison.

"Holy crap! Is this a fish?"

Several people stared, rubbing their eyes.

After all, once the apocalypse began, every kind of creature, whether flying in the sky, running on the ground, or swimming in the water, was tainted and poisoned to varying degrees. Some even mutated into monsters that hunted humans. Before the end of the world, chicken, duck, fish, and meat were nothing special. But barely a dozen days later, they had vanished from sight, existing only in the fading memory of past delicacies.

But now, they saw with their own eyes, Jiang Jiamian, suddenly pick up a fish!?

And the fish was not only plump, but also looked normal, not like it had been contaminated or mutated!

"Yes. Fish."

Jiang Jiamian held it in one hand, dagger in the other, ready to scrape the scales.

"Don't move." Ling Zhuang stepped in front of him, taking both fish and dagger. "Dirty. I'll do it."

"Tsk." Jiang Jiamian was stunned for a moment, then gave him a cold, disdainful look. "If you want a free meal, just say so. No need to put on an act."

"See? Not a suck-up, huh?" Xue Fang scoffed. "You're cozying up to the guy with more powers and supplies, shameless."

Xue Fang's frustration with Ling Zhuang outshone even his irritation with Jiang Jiamian, and sarcastic words spilled out.

Ling Zhuang's hand wavered briefly on the dagger, then resumed scraping the fish scales with flawless calm, as though nothing had happened.

But to Jiang Jiamian, the blade now seemed to hum with an invisible menace, as if Xue Fang had already become a lifeless fish in Ling Zhuang's hands.

Even as he continued scraping the fish's scales, Ling Zhuang's movements remained precise and deliberate, exuding a quiet dignity and grace. If Jiang Jiamian weren't aware of the danger lurking beneath, he might've missed it completely.

Hiss… Jiang Jiamian silently lit a candle for Xue Fang.

That debt would be collected, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.

Unlike Xue Fang, who had no qualms mocking Ling Zhuang, Jiang Jiamian said it, but didn't actually believe Ling Zhuang was just after a free meal.

The moment Ling Zhuang grabbed the fish, the undisguised disgust in his eyes made it clear he genuinely hated how dirty it was.

And beneath it all, one thought nagged him, it had been nearly twenty days since the apocalypse, and no one could stay clean, but Ling Zhuang's white coat was still spotless.

Protection from the Gale Squad? Or hidden, overwhelming power?

Either way… the fact that no one else noticed was almost laughable.