Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 106: State of emergency(2)

Qingran slipped both their phones into her bag, the lining quietly parting as she pushed them into her system space. No need to risk scans or sudden confiscation at customs.

Lingquan would hide them well.

The pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom, but Qingran wasn’t listening. Her eyes were fixed on the fast-approaching cityscape beyond the clouds.

Buildings grew larger, the plane slowly descending into what was supposed to be a functioning metropolis—but from this altitude, it looked like a war zone in disguise.

"Once we land, follow my lead," she said quietly. "No talking unless necessary. No reacting either. We act like we’re here for business."

"We are here for business."

"Then you better act like it."

Haoyu leaned back into his seat and exhaled. "I can’t believe we’re walking into the apocalypse like it’s a goddamn errand."

"It is an errand. One to make sure we don’t die later."

He didn’t argue with that.

The plane touched down smoother than she expected, the wheels humming across the tarmac. The airport looked normal on the surface—workers in uniform, baggage being rolled out, overhead announcements echoing in three languages. But Qingran could feel the tension underneath. Too many guards near the exits. Too few passengers in the arrival hall. Every face looked a little too alert.

Once they cleared customs, Qingran led Haoyu through a side corridor and out into the parking area. The air hit them like a wall—cooler than expected, with the faint, unpleasant trace of antiseptic and something more metallic, something sour that made your mouth feel bitter.

"Let’s get to the hotel before the lockdown starts," she muttered.

"Lockdown?"

She didn’t answer. She could already see patrol drones hovering above intersections in the distance, sweeping low with searchlights, pretending to be for crowd control. But the people were too few.

This wasn’t for riots. This was for containment.

They hailed a cab and kept their heads down during the ride. Haoyu looked tempted to ask something several times, but Qingran silenced him with a glance.

At the hotel, a tall glass tower that looked far too polished for a city on the verge of collapse, she handed the receptionist a forged ID with a professional smile. Everything had been pre-booked under her casino alias. The woman behind the desk barely blinked.

"Welcome to Guyoung Grand Horizon. One penthouse exclusive. Breakfast at 7, gym open until midnight. Elevator to your left."

They got into the lift in silence. The moment the doors slid shut, Qingran let out a breath.

"Don’t unpack," she said. "We may need to leave early."

Haoyu nodded. "Still going out tonight?"

"Yeah. I need to scout the perimeters before morning."

"I’ll go with you."

"No. I need you here to monitor the news and get a feel for the local feeds. Look out for sudden curfews, transport blocks, power outages, anything that hints at internal lockdown. It seems the state of emergency is for only certain places right now."

He hesitated, but relented. "Got it."

Qingran disappeared into a side of the room without another word. She moved quickly now, no hesitation. She pulled open her system space and retrieved a notepad where she’d written down the store locations she’d mapped in advance—wholesale clothing, military surplus, outdoor gear outlets. Some of them were on the edge of red zones.

But it didn’t matter. She needed gear that would hold up post-collapse.

By the time she stepped out again, she was dressed in a dark jacket, cap, boots built for running, and a scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. Her duffel bag had been swapped for a courier’s sling, easy to dump or hide if needed.

"Give me three hours," she told Haoyu. "I’ll be back before midnight."

"Be safe."

She paused. "If I don’t come back, call Feng Yizhou."

His brows drew together. "The guy you didn’t tell you were leaving?"

"I didn’t say explain yourself to him. Just call him. He has resources. I’ll leave his number."

He watched her go, not stopping her, but the weight of her words settled over the room like dust.

Outside, Guyoung was still pretending everything was fine. But Qingran could see it in the hurried walks, the quiet police cars, the closed shops with signs claiming "maintenance" and "inventory checks."

She ducked into a side street and pulled out her burner phone. A few clicks later, the screen lit up with a hidden map—her personal grid of suspected red zones, quarantine lines, and underground access points.

But first she had to call Feng Yizhou, grabbing her knife, she climbed up the building. It was safer for her on the roof.

After scanning her surroundings twice, Qingran ducked low behind a ventilation pipe and pulled the burner phone from her sling. The signal was weak but steady. She dialed the number without hesitation.

It rang once. Twice.

Then a familiar voice picked up—calm, faintly amused, like he’d been expecting trouble.

"Using a burner to call me? Are you in jail?"

"No," she said, watching a military vehicle crawl past two streets over. "I’m in Guyoung."

There was a pause.

"I thought you weren’t leaving B city."

"I didn’t plan to. Things changed."

"Clearly," Feng Yizhou replied, his voice sharp now. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

She didn’t answer.

Another beat passed. Then he sighed. "Where are you?"

"High ground. Western district, near not too far from my hotel. I just needed a safe place to talk. I’ll be moving soon."

"Talk about what?"

"Something’s wrong here. The government’s pretending the city’s fine, but the infection’s already loose. I saw zombies crawling around during descent. The zombies hasn’t gotten to this part of Guyoung yet, all it takes is one bite from the infected and it’s over."

"You should leave."

"I can’t." She adjusted the scarf around her neck and leaned back slightly, letting her eyes follow a second patrol truck. "I need to finish a mission and get intel on who’s pulling the strings on the apocalypse."