(Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)
(The Mermaid's Lake- Forested Outskirts)
Qin Lan stood silently in front of the burning fire that crackled ominously under the night sky. She was joined by Gong Li and Liu Yifei who had identical looks of sorrow on their faces.
In the middle of the fire was a corpse that had been covered by a thick white blanket. Beneath the blanket was Chen Xiao's body.
Qin Lan had discovered him in the afternoon as she walked around the perimeter of the camp site trying to see if there were any more threats in the nearby surroundings.
She had stumbled across the body of the young teenage boy but if she was being completely honest… Qin Lan wished that she didn't, and Chen Xiao's fate remained a mystery.
Chen Xiao's lower jaw had been ripped completely off and he was missing both his arms and legs.
Blood and guts were scattered around his corpse and there was a hungry wolf approaching the scent of rotting meat.
Qin Lan scared off the wolf and returned to the camp to get a white blanket from Liu Yifei's storage space which she then used to wrap up the corpse.
She didn't allow the two girls to see what Chen Xiao looked like in his final moments. They did not deserve to see that particular horror.
The white blanket caught on fire as Chen Xiao's body began to turn to ash. Qin Lan heard sniffles in the background and saw Liu Yifei comforting the crying Gong Li.
Tears flowed down Gong Li's face as she leaned against Liu Yifei's arms and cried her heart out. Qin Lan could not watch for much longer as she felt a sense of guilt rising up in her chest.
This was her fault.
She was the only who took these young teenagers away from the supermarket and now three of them were dead.
Qin Lan was caught in a state of self-hatred and doubt as she stared at the night sky with thousands of stars winking back at her.
If she had just…
Qin Lan did not know what she wanted to change. Perhaps the problem was that she cared too much or maybe it was because she was too arrogant about her abilities.
This may be a mission world, but these people were real. They lived their lives, had hopes, dreams and aspirations.
They loved… they hated…
Qin Lan's thoughts drifted to the task assigned to her by the 'system'.
She was supposed to hunt down and eliminate the so-called villainess of this plane and yet she had yet to meet this final boss.
And even if she did… could a massive fuck-up like her even do anything?
The negative emotions in Qin Lan's heart made it hard for her to breathe as she found herself drowning without anyone reaching out to save her.
Qin Wei's face flashed across her mind but this time she could not help but recall the face of her brother from her original world.
She had failed to protect him… she had failed to protect another brother… and now she had failed to protect again…
"I'm sorry girls but I need a moment to myself…" Qin Lan softly spoke as she walked away from the burning body.
She heard Liu Yifei say something in reply, but her thoughts were now fully occupied by the blood on her hands.
Qin Lan walked for around five minutes and then stopped as she wandered into a clearing with a large boulder in the middle.
She did not dare to wander too far from camp since she was afraid that she would return to see two more bodies on the ground.
The young woman jumped on the top of the boulder and stared off into the distance where she saw the lake peeking out from behind the trees.
The night was incredibly peaceful which contrasted with Qin Lan's low mood.
Maybe she wasn't meant to be an agent…
She must have completed that first world by chance… with her skills… it would be miracle if she managed to actually kill the villainess of that plane…
pαпᵈα-noνɐ1·сoМ Something rustled in the bushes nearby and Qin Lan's eyes instantly drifted towards the source of the noise.
A family of squirrels jumped out of the bushes and ran towards the nearest tree.
The family consisted of a large brown squirrel, his mate with black fur and two tiny creatures that stuck close to them.
Qin Lan watched silently as the mother squirrel helped her two offsprings to climb up the tree while the dad looked out for any predators.
The squirrel's eyes met Qin Lan's, but it seemed as though he did not sense a threat from the human's gaze.
He was right.
Qin Lan had no intention of moving from her spot as it was as though she was now a statue frozen in place.
There was a full moon in the sky and its pale white light shone down on the clearing and illuminated the surroundings in a dim glow.
The squirrels disappeared among the higher branches of the tree and Qin Lan turned her head away as she could no longer see them.
"Eve… I wonder how you are doing…" Qin Lan opened her mouth and spoke.
Her voice echoed through the clearing and naturally she did not receive a response.
"I suppose you would think that I am crazy… talking to the woman who killed my brother and turned out to be a mutated zombie…" Qin Lan softly whispered.
"I wish… I wish that I could go back… go back to the time when it was just the two of us… back when I had hope…"
"Back when I thought that I would save my brother and we would live out the rest of the apocalypse in peace…"
"Why Eve… why did you kill him?"
Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as her words lingered in the air. She did not know why she was so obsessed with the zombie that had caused her so much pain.
But despite her best efforts… Qin Lan could not hate her. It was this fact alone that was causing her so much guilt and regret.
What would Qin Wei think?
Qin Lan raised up her hand and used it to block out the moonlight from falling on her face. She was sure that she must look like a mess.
Ever since Liu Tao and Chen Xiao had disappeared… Qin Lan had barely eaten or slept and now she just felt tired.
Chen Xiao's corpse had been discovered which meant that there was a zero percent chance that Liu Tao was still alive.
That shapeshifting monster was clearly a brutal and uncaring animal. It would not show mercy to a young helpless girl.
The shadow of Qin Lan's palm fell across her face, and she remained on the boulder until several minutes had passed.
Qin Lan slowly got off the large rock and headed for the camp site where Gong Li and Liu Yifei were probably still waiting for her to return.
She could not afford to collapse now… they needed her… and she needed them in order to stay sane…
There were still two people who relied on her. Qin Lan's eyes narrowed as her fingers slowly curled up into a fist.
She may not have been able to protect the other members of the group, but she was determined not to let any harm befall the remaining the survivors.
No matter the personal cost…
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