Chapter One Hundred and Eight: The Professional Habit Struck Again

Qin Sheng’s lips curled into a faint smile as she nodded to Chu Xingyu and Jiang Miaomiao. She had finally arrived at the Zombie Forest.

She was utterly unafraid of the low growls echoing from the depths of the woods—a sound that, if anything, stirred anticipation within her rather than fear. She knew that only by passing through the Zombie Forest could she move one step closer to her goal.

Before she could finish her thoughts, the staff from the arena called everyone to gather once more.

Qin Sheng was not unfamiliar with the man who took the stage—it was the district chief of the Safe Zone. His secretary, Xiao Li, stood beside him.

It seemed that, though the district chief was reluctant to let a woman take on greater responsibilities, he still had to fulfill his public duties to maintain stability.

As expected, the crowd’s excitement swelled with the chief’s arrival. He nodded, clearly satisfied with their reaction. The members of the Seventh Guard Squad needed to understand whom their loyalty belonged to, whom they must protect above all.

The audience’s fervor pleased the chief, who smiled broadly and waved to the crowd, radiating an air of leadership.

Qin Sheng pressed her lips together, her gaze lingering on the district chief as he spoke, though her thoughts were already scattered. He clearly did not want a woman to be captain, and if she stood out too much, she would surely become a target—making the journey ahead all the more perilous, perhaps even life-threatening.

With this thought, Qin Sheng instinctively searched for Shen Shi’s figure.

She spotted him at last, alone with his hood pulled up, head bowed in silent contemplation. Perhaps sensing her gaze, Shen Shi slowly looked up, meeting Qin Sheng’s eyes.

Those eyes were exactly as she remembered from their first meeting—brimming with ambition, yet pure and kind. Impossible to forget after a single glance.

Qin Sheng’s eyesight had always been sharp; the moment Shen Shi raised his head, she noticed he seemed out of sorts. His tall, thin frame, hunched over, exuded a vulnerability that tugged at the heart—though Qin Sheng felt no urge to comfort him.

After all, if things went as Guo Jun intended, Shen Shi would try to kill her in the Zombie Forest. Why pity or care for an enemy?

Qin Sheng gave him a crooked smile and glanced away.

Shen Shi noticed her expression, and after a moment, let out a soft laugh—whether in resignation or self-pity, it was hard to say.

“Warriors, you are all the future pillars of our Safe Zone’s Guard Squads. On behalf of the entire Safe Zone, I thank you for participating in this contest!” The district chief took the microphone and recited his carefully prepared words.

Chu Xingyu, standing below, couldn’t help but mutter, “Even at the end of the world, leaders still love their speeches, huh?”

Jiang Miaomiao shook her head in exasperation. “Who would have thought the end of the world would be marked by endless speeches?”

Qin Sheng, caught between them, let out a soft, helpless laugh, resigned to listening.

The ceremony dragged on nearly fifteen minutes before winding down.

“The third stage of the tournament, Zombie Forest, now begins. At any point, you may choose to withdraw. Those who endure to the end will become captains of the Seventh Guard Squad.”

As the announcement echoed, the Zombie Forest erupted in waves of guttural roars, as if welcoming their lunch.

Some hadn’t even started before the zombies’ howls sent their legs trembling.

But to surrender so early would be disgraceful, so the fearful clenched their teeth and pressed on.

Yet zombies were not people; one might best another in a duel, but that meant little against zombies. Worse, zombies moved in packs—if someone abandoned the fight, by the time the other squads arrived, only bones would remain.

These dangers were clear from the outset.

“Now is your chance to withdraw. Those who do will be assigned to one of the seven squads.”

“I choose to withdraw,” said a petite girl, raising her hand. She had trained in martial arts, but the terrifying visage of the zombies was more than she could bear.

“Anyone else?”

With the first, others followed. The original group of over twenty dwindled to fewer than fifteen.

Jiang Miaomiao glanced at Chu Xingyu, and together, they raised their hands.

“We choose to withdraw.”

Even though Qin Sheng knew this was their joint decision, it still stung.

Jiang Miaomiao and Chu Xingyu handed their packs to Qin Sheng, making her the most well-supplied in the group.

The remaining contestants eyed the bags in her hands, some already plotting how to steal them. But many, knowing Qin Sheng was not easily dealt with, chose to bide their time.

“Shengsheng, this is as far as we can escort you,” Jiang Miaomiao said, patting Qin Sheng’s shoulder and whispering, “Wait for us to be picked by you when you return.”

Chu Xingyu smiled and nodded to Qin Sheng.

They had never aspired to be captain, nor had the strength for it; it was better to entrust their hope to the most suitable candidate.

Qin Sheng had always been their leader. That was an unshakeable truth.

She nodded, watching them walk away.

“Wait, for this tournament, our district chief has added a new incentive: whoever becomes the champion will have one wish granted by the chief.”

Less than fifteen set out. Aside from Qin Sheng and Shen Shi, the others cheered excitedly.

“Any wish at all?!”

“The chief will do his best to fulfill it.”

“Wow! If I’m captain, can I request a big dormitory?” asked a chubby boy in glasses, scratching his head shyly.

Qin Sheng remembered him—everyone called him Little Fatty, though she never knew his real name.

“Can’t you aim a little higher?” laughed the muscular gentleman, Wang Qiang, who had competed in the previous tournament.

Along with Shen Shi and the rogue Zhang Dong, the others were unfamiliar to Qin Sheng.

Shen Shi seemed uninterested in the lively atmosphere and quietly moved to stand beside her. Her surroundings grew calmer.

Qin Sheng noticed Shen Shi at her side and raised her brows in surprise, seeing he carried no supplies and was lightly dressed.

“You’re not bringing any supplies—planning not to return?”

Shen Shi glanced at the three supply packs on her back, and with a mischievous tilt of his chin, said, “You have them, don’t you?”

Qin Sheng rolled her eyes and gripped the packs tighter. “Keep dreaming. You won’t get a single one.”

She had no idea what Shen Shi was scheming, but there was no way she’d hand over her supplies.

Shen Shi pressed his lips together, said nothing more, and removed his hood. He took out white medical tape and wrapped it around his wrist, layer upon layer.

The noise of the tape was loud, impossible for Qin Sheng to ignore.

A glance told her Shen Shi’s right hand was an old injury; before every match, he took precautions to prevent further harm.

But taping was merely a stopgap.

Qin Sheng’s medical instincts got the better of her. With a sigh, she slipped a special medicine—her grandfather’s own formula—from her dimensional pocket.

Shen Shi, focused on his tape, looked up in surprise when a medicine bottle appeared in his line of sight.

It was Qin Sheng.

“My grandfather made this. It should help you. Of course, if you don’t believe me, you can leave it,” she explained quietly, tossing it to him as the group began moving towards the Zombie Forest.

Shen Shi glanced at the jade bottle in his hand and hurried to catch up, his expression complicated.

Qin Sheng knew he was supposed to attack her in the Zombie Forest—orders from Guo Jun, perhaps still valid yesterday morning, but something had begun to change since afternoon.

A coldness settled in Shen Shi’s eyes. He bit open the bottle, applied the oil to his aching wrist, and as he massaged it in, warmth spread through his hand, easing the pain.

He walked along, carefully using the medicine, though it was quickly depleted. He put the bottle away with a sigh and hurried to Qin Sheng’s side.

“Why did you give me medicine?” Shen Shi asked, still puzzled.

Qin Sheng, holding her packs, was already regretting her impulse—her medical instincts had betrayed her. But having given it, she couldn’t ask for it back.

“I’d feel bad beating you if you were injured,” she finally replied after a long pause.

Shen Shi nearly laughed at her answer, but kept quiet. They walked in silence down the path to the Zombie Forest.

The route was heavily guarded by squad members and carefully chosen, ensuring they wouldn’t encounter large groups of zombies yet. But once inside, all bets were off.

Those with luck might return; those without would stay forever.

“The match officially begins. Choose your campsite. This is as far as we escort you,” announced the squad members, who quickly withdrew, leaving the group alone.

In the entire team of fewer than fifteen, Qin Sheng was the only girl.