NOVEL NEXT Chapter 272: 9.18
Jiang Jiamian raised an eyebrow, his voice lazy yet sharp, "The main problem now, is that he's prone to attacking people and going berserk. How exactly are we supposed to get this medicine into his mouth?"
Xiao Jinfeng answered without hesitation. "We'll hold him down. When the time is right, you slip the medicine in."
"Tsk. That won't work."
Jiang Jiamian flatly rejected the idea, waving a hand dismissively. "A zombie bite would kill instantly. Putting medicine in his mouth is asking for trouble. What if he strikes at me? One mistake, and I'm done for."
Chen Ran finally spoke, his voice breaking into the discussion. "I have a plan."
The Gale Squad, once orbiting firmly around Xiao Jinfeng, had been subtly rearranged ever since Jiang Jiamian appeared. For days Chen Ran had watched in silence, yet now, when opportunity presented itself, he seized it.
"What's the plan?" Xiao Jinfeng turned toward him, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Chen Ran drew a long iron clamp from his jade pendant. It gleamed faintly in the dim light. "Why use your hands? Use this."
Jiang Jiamian's eyes lit up. He reached out and accepted the tool with a small smile, testing its weight. It looked like something once used in steel foundries before the world fell apart. "What a nice thing. Resourceful. You've got a good head."
It was a simple remark, yet to Chen Ran, the words hit like a long-awaited recognition. His lips tugged upward. "But it's not too long…" He admitted quickly, almost nervously. "And clumsy. Picking up a pill with it might take some skill."
For a moment, he couldn't even name the storm inside him.
Every time Jiang Jiamian smiled, every careless gesture or tilt of his head, it eclipsed the radiance Chen Ran thought he had brought with him into this second life. Instead of shining, he felt smothered under the other man's effortless presence.
Bitterness rose in his chest, sharp and unavoidable. Yet even as it burned, he found himself drawn irresistibly to Jiang Jiamian. To his poise, his grace, the kind of elegance that should have belonged to someone untouchable.
With his mesmerizing face, mysterious origins, and abilities that seemed limitless, Jiang Jiamian radiated in a way no one else could. Even Xiao Jinfeng, his admired leader from the previous life, the dual-ability powerhouse, felt less unreachable compared to him.
Noticing the faint, unstoppable smile tugging at Chen Ran's mouth, Jiang Jiamian felt an odd prickle of dissonance.
This wasn't right.
Wasn't the protagonist supposed to be consumed with jealousy? Burning with resentment and suspicion? Instead, Chen Ran looked… enchanted.
Jiang Jiamian: "…"
Ling Zhuang noticed as well. His sharp gaze cooled, and with deliberate calm, he stepped forward to block Chen Ran's view. Without a word, he reached out and took the end of the clamp, replacing Chen Ran's hand with his own. His voice was smooth but edged. "How about I do it? I've used tweezers often. I know how to handle this."
Chen Ran froze, his expression stiffening. Something about the professor's quiet intrusion rankled. What was wrong with this man? He seemed harmless before, but now… why so intrusive? So unpleasant?
Jiang Jiamian: "…"
Yes. Things were getting stranger by the second.
"Alright then." Xiao Jinfeng finally cut through the tension, frowning slightly at the unspoken hostility crackling between the two men. "Decision's made. Let's move."
Still, he couldn't shake off the discomfort curling in his gut. First Chen Ran's strangely intent gaze at Jiang Jiamian, now Ling Zhuang's subtle hostility. Why did it feel like Jiang Jiamian was pulling everyone's gravity toward himself?
And worse, why did it bother him?
Half an hour later, Xue Fang's body stiffened completely. He was immobilized, muscles locked and rigid, like a statue carved from flesh and stone.
Zheng Shuqiu and Shen Hao each took an arm, heaving him up between them with effort. Together they dragged his lifeless frame toward the truck parked outside the mall and shoved him inside.
"By the way, how did you get here?" Chen Ran asked casually, glancing at Jiang Jiamian, who walked at an unhurried pace, looking almost too at ease. "If you don't have transport, you can ride with us."
Jiang Jiamian only smiled, pointing toward a sleek SUV not far away. "I drove that. But let me put it this way, your truck seems a bit crowded. Why don't you let Professor Ling ride with me?"
For a fleeting second, disappointment flickered across Chen Ran's features. He masked it quickly, turning his head away. His eyes lingered on the cabin of their truck, far larger than the SUV's. Crowded? Really?
Zheng Shuqiu and Shen Hao exchanged looks. Was it crowded? Not really.
But Ling Zhuang's expression, which had been faintly dark since Jiang Jiamian spoke with Chen Ran, suddenly lightened. His lips curved into something almost warm. "Alright. I'll go with you. You drive, and I'll keep you company. That way, you won't get bored."
"That's fine, then."
Xiao Jinfeng, already uneasy from the way Chen Ran's eyes lingered too long on Jiang Jiamian, was now silently praying Jiang Jiamian would keep his distance from their group.
The SUV trailed leisurely behind the truck as they left K City.
"What do you want to say?" Jiang Jiamian asked, eyes fixed on the road.
"It's not what I want to say. It's what you want to ask."
Ling Zhuang sat in the passenger seat, posture impeccable, voice calm. To anyone else, he might look like a refined gentleman rather than what he truly was.
"I still have the same question."
Jiang Jiamian's hands tightened briefly on the wheel, though his tone stayed light. "What exactly did you do to Xue Fang? Why go through the trouble of bringing him back? What's your real reason?"
Ling Zhuang arched a brow, lips curving faintly. "Are you jealous?"
Jiang Jiamian: "…"
Jealous? Of a test subject? What kind of lunatic logic was this? Then again, in this pervert's eyes, he himself was also the test subject, his prized experiment.
"Don't worry." Ling Zhuang murmured, his hand lifting to brush gently against Jiang Jiamian's cheek. His touch was intimate, almost reverent. "You are my one and only perfect creation. No one compares to you. That trash Xue Fang? Yes, he was my work too. But he overstepped, pushed my patience too far. So I rewarded him, with something special."
Jiang Jiamian's eyes narrowed. "The zombie virus?"
Ling Zhuang's smile was warm, almost tender. "Besides you, he was my best creation."
Jiang Jiamian: "…" Pervert!
The cars rolled into the outskirts of the next city when a faint, trembling cry rose from the roadside.
"Save me…"
The voice was weak, barely audible, yet enough to catch Chen Ran's ears from the truck ahead. He turned his head sharply, eyes finding the source: a teenage girl lying crumpled on the cracked pavement, pale and pitiful.
Her whisper for help seemed to drain the last of her strength.
Xiao Jinfeng followed his gaze, his expression tightening.
With a sudden decision, he slammed on the brakes.
"Jinfeng! It's dangerous to stop here!" Chen Ran blurted. "The stench of zombies is thick. We agreed the safest way through this city was to keep moving. If you stop…"
Zombies. Inevitably, they would come.
But even as Chen Ran spoke, he didn't reach out to stop him. He turned his face away, jaw tightening. This was his second life, and he had long since hardened his heart. He knew the truth of the apocalypse, kindness only got you killed.
Still, his chest ached as he forced himself to ignore the girl's desperate gaze.
"But we can't just leave her…" Xiao Jinfeng whispered, conflicted.
His words carried compassion, but hesitation too.
Before either man could decide, a roar shattered the silence.
From the ruins on both sides, zombies poured out, eyes glowing with hunger.
Chen Ran's blood ran cold. "Zombies! We're surrounded!"
Xiao Jinfeng's mind blanked. Should they stop, risking encirclement? Or floor it, abandoning the girl and charging through?
His foot slammed down on the accelerator before his reason could catch up.