QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots

Jiang Jiamian remained calm, his tone even, "Because this isn't my first encounter with a second-level zombie. Before arriving in City K tonight, I ran into one in nearby City C. Just a single evolved zombie. But afterward, I noticed something interesting, where its corpse lay, no ordinary zombie dared to come within a few hundred meters."

Xiao Jinfeng's eyes narrowed, thoughtful. He gave a slow nod. "I see. Still… if there are more second-level zombies around, it would be safer to have someone keep watch tonight."

Even Chen Ran, who had been skeptical until now, couldn't help wavering.

The logic was too neat. Too experienced.

But that was exactly the problem.

Chen Ran's suspicion deepened. Is Jiang Jiamian… like him? A reincarnator? The thought refused to leave. Yet he had no solid proof, and that made it worse.

Jiang Jiamian only shrugged. "Then keep watch."

Outwardly, his words were casual, but in his heart, he knew better than to sound too absolute. Explaining how he knew all this would be impossible anyway.

"I'll be in the same group with you."

The sudden voice came from Ling Zhuang. He spoke before Xiao Jinfeng could assign groups, his tone cool but decisive.

This time, surprisingly, Xue Fang stayed silent. Perhaps too tired to argue.

Xiao Jinfeng looked relieved. "Yes… Professor Ling is an important figure, and Jiang Jiamian is the strongest. Pairing you makes sense. But…" His gaze faltered as he looked at the odd number remaining. For once, the team leader didn't know how to assign them.

Before the silence grew awkward, Shen Hao, the quietest among them, spoke. His face was calm, almost cold. "It'll still be you and Chen Ran. Chen Ran also needs protection. You're the strongest after Jiang Jiamian. Zheng Shuqiu and Xue Fang will be a pair. I'll be on my own."

"On your own? Can you handle that?" Xiao Jinfeng hesitated.

Shen Hao's expression didn't flicker. "Yeah."

After a pause, Xiao Jinfeng sighed and nodded. "Then let's do it."

Chen Ran glanced at the corpses strewn across the ground with an irritated twist on his lips. "It's an eyesore. I'll go deal with them."

Jiang Jiamian's lips curved slightly. Ah… so the protagonist is going to look for crystal cores.

It was only natural. In the original timeline, Chen Ran had been the one to reveal their importance. But with Jiang Jiamian stealing the spotlight tonight, the protagonist couldn't make his grand discovery in the same way.

"I'll go with you." Xiao Jinfeng, oblivious to the deeper tension, stood quickly. He didn't want Chen Ran shouldering work alone.

Chen Ran gave a brief nod. "Alright." Inwardly, he planned to 'discover' the crystal cores by accident, to reveal them naturally later.

The sight of the protagonist suffocating under so much 'knowledge' yet faltering to express it made Jiang Jiamian raise a brow and his lazy voice cut across the silence. "Don't just pile those zombies aside. They're hiding goodies."

Chen Ran froze. "?!!"

He snapped his head toward Jiang Jiamian, words tripping on his tongue, "You, you're not…"

Jiang Jiamian blinked, expression innocent, as if confused by the half-spoken accusation. "I am what?"

Chen Ran almost choked at that cluelessly innocent face. He forced a laugh and shook his head. "No. Nothing."

But his heart dropped. So he is not the only one. Jiang Jiamian is also reborn.

And the other one is way stronger than him.

It seemed he would need to be more cautious and patient to survive better in this life. He wasn't the only one, and he wasn't necessarily blessed by fate.

He had to calm down and not get carried away.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jiamian was sighing to himself. This protagonist is pretty good. At least he's not stupid. Calm, rational.

He doesn't dislike people like this. As long as Chen Ran doesn't provoke him, he won't make things difficult.

Xiao Jinfeng, confused, asked, "What good stuff? What can zombies possibly have?"

Jiang Jiamian smirked. "Oh, something rare."

With a flick of his wrist, a dagger appeared in his hand, its blade catching the dim light. Without hesitation, he crouched beside the nearest corpse, aimed precisely at the fontanelle, and drove the blade in.

The wet crunch of bone splitting made several people flinch. Jiang Jiamian twisted his wrist, pried open the skull, and smoothly extracted a quail-egg–sized, angular crystal that glimmered faintly gray-white.

He flicked it into Xiao Jinfeng's hands. "Here. A zombie crystal core. Use it to practice your power. You can absorb it and strengthen faster."

Everyone stared, stunned.

Xiao Jinfeng caught it reflexively, blinking down at the strange object. "There's such a thing?!"

"Yes. A good one." Jiang Jiamian tilted his chin. "Hold it, close your eyes, and refine your power."

Xiao Jinfeng obeyed instantly. The moment the core touched his palm, a faint warmth seeped in, trickling through his veins, merging with his ability. His fatigue lifted, his body thrummed with energy.

Then… crack. The crystal disintegrated, turning into fine gray dust that slipped between his fingers.

Xiao Jinfeng's eyes snapped open, alight with wonder. "Incredible! We've been wasting so much, not knowing about these until now!"

Chen Ran froze. His chest tightened. He'd known about cores all along, but hadn't dared reveal it. Now Jiang Jiamian, bold and generous, had laid it bare without hesitation. Compared to that, Chen Ran's own caution made him look like a liar.

But he wasn't one. In the apocalypse, he had to be cautious, wary of others and careful with every step… Besides, it wasn't that he didn't want to speak, it was simply that he hadn't yet found a better opportunity.

"The rest you can dig up yourselves." Jiang Jiamian said with a careless wave. "Anything you find is yours, including the cores from those two second-level zombies."

Yet for Chen Ran, fully aware of the significance of crystal cores, it was completely baffling. "If you know their value, why give them away? Crystal cores are even more powerful at higher levels. You killed those two, you should keep them."

For once, Jiang Jiamian was caught off guard. He chuckled lowly. This protagonist really is something. Rational, generous-minded. Not the usual arrogant type.

He almost felt embarrassed by his own malicious intent in deliberately watching four or five people fight over just two crystal cores.

As soon as Chen Ran finished speaking, Xue Fang, already bent over digging for the crystal cores, paused awkwardly.

"I've absorbed plenty already." Jiang Jiamian said lightly. "Including a second-level core. My ability hasn't fully condensed yet, so I don't need more for now. Consider it yours."

Ling Zhuang remained quiet at Jiang Jiamian's side, giving the impression of minimal presence. Still, Jiang Jiamian sensed he was equally, if not more, eager to watch the battle for the crystal core.