Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 107: State of emergency(3)

When he spoke again, his voice had lost that casual lilt. "Where are you staying?"

"Grand Horizon. Penthouse."

He gave a low whistle. "Bold."

"Only if I stay too long."

"Fine. I’ll send someone to hover nearby in case you need an extraction. You’ll have backup within an hour or more. But this isn’t a rescue mission, Qingran. You’ve got three days. Then I’m dragging you out myself, now that you’re in Guyoung, I’ll worry less if you’re by my side"

"Three is all I need."

"You always say that," he muttered. "Try not to die. I’d be annoyed."

She smiled faintly. "You’d miss me."

"That too."

The call ended.

Qingran slipped the phone into a side compartment and crouched near the edge of the rooftop. The sun had just dipped behind the skyline, leaving the streets bathed in a rust-orange gloom. If the city was falling apart, it was doing it beautifully.

She adjusted the strap of her sling bag, eyes sweeping the area again. Her next move wasn’t into the black market or the lab—not yet. Tonight was about familiarizing herself with the terrain. She would map emergency exits, note shop layouts, check how fast security responded to disturbances.

Scout first, strike later.

A shout echoed faintly from somewhere nearby. Not close enough to be a problem. Still, her fingers brushed the hilt of her knife.

"Alright," she muttered, standing. "Let’s see how bad it really is."

And with that, she vaulted onto the next rooftop, vanishing into the shadows.

Qingran moved fast across the rooftops, sticking to the edges and avoiding open sightlines.

The buildings here were packed close enough that she barely had to slow down between jumps, only pausing when her boots skidded slightly on a loose patch of gravel.

Below, the streets remained deceptively calm—few people, fewer lights, and the occasional flicker of a patrol drone sliding past like a shark in open water.

She stopped above a large department store. From what she’d seen in her research, this one had a warehouse entrance in the back and stocked everything from outdoor wear to construction gear. Perfect for a clothing run if it wasn’t already emptied or sealed off.

Pulling out a small monocular, she scanned the area. Two workers stood by the delivery ramp out back, smoking. A third was sweeping near the alley, his movements slow and distracted, he his main focus was his phone. The lights inside were on, but only the lower floors. That meant the place was still running but barely.

She made a mental note of the exits, stairwells, and likely blind spots. If she had to break in later, it’d be quick.

Further west, another low-profile building drew her attention. Faded signage. Locked gates. But she saw motion behind the blacked-out windows, someone was in there. Could be squatters. Could be something worse.

Qingran exhaled and kept moving. The first sweep was all about coverage.

No confrontations. No unnecessary risks. She military infrastructures were anywhere around here, so they would have to move latest tomorrow.

She made it halfway across the office park when she paused, her ears catching something strange.

A low and animal like groan.

She crouched instantly, drawing her knife out. The noise came from the stairwell leading to the ground floor. It wasn’t loud.

But it felt wrong. A human voice stretched far too thin and too dry. Her eyes flicked toward the street entrance.

Still shut. Where the people allowed to come out during daytime?

Then a dull thud, followed by dragging.

Her guess was right, it was a zombie.

Her grip tightened around the hilt.

It was too soon for a fight. She was alone, and if one made it up here, more would follow. She backed away quietly, keeping her steps light.

Just as she turned to cross to the next rooftop, a figure lurched into view behind a broken window—head tilted unnaturally, it’s face slacked and jaws hanging loose.

She slid over the next ledge and dropped into the alley below, knees bending to absorb the fall. No alarms. No pursuit. Only the sound of distant footsteps and faint sirens echoing across the city.

Her burner buzzed once in her pocket—an alert.

She pulled it out. A local emergency feed had updated: Night curfew enforced in Zone B4 (Chengdai). All residents remain indoors. Violators will be detained for processing.

Zone B4??

She checked her mental map. That was two blocks from the hotel.

So the net was closing faster than expected.

She tapped out a quick message on the encrypted channel she’d set up for Haoyu:

[Zone B4 lockdown in place. Don’t leave the building. Start prepping backup exit routes. Will check red zone perimeter and return ASAP.]

No time to linger. Qingran shoved the phone into her sling’s inside pocket, double-checked the clasp, and pressed herself flat against the rooftop.

Her ears strained for any unnatural sounds.

The groaning had stopped, but that didn’t mean it was safe. Whatever that thing was, it wasn’t human anymore.

She reached the next ledge and pulled herself onto a taller building, scanning the main street below.

Shuttered shops, dark alley mouths, and flashes of red and blue lights that didn’t belong to ambulances painted a dire picture.

A figure in civilian clothes stumbled across the street, initially appearing drunk.

But then they froze, jerking mid-step, their head twitching like a broken doll.

The streets were eerily still. The moment stretched long. Then someone yelled. A blur of movement, a second figure charged out of an alley, straight toward the first.

No gunfire, no alarms. Just silence, were they going to just let them roam around.

Qingran’s breath caught in her throat. The infected were active and hunting.

The infection was spreading faster than Lingquan had projected, already embedded and running underneath the surface like rot under paint.

She pulled out her phone and called Feng Yizhou. It rang once before he picked up. "Shouldn’t you be scouting?" he asked lazily.

"I’m right in the middle of it," she replied. "You sound like hell."

His voice sobered immediately. "Where?"

"Chengdai. It’s starting to slip. Lockdown’s in place. There infected spotted so far. One possible attack. Can you pick me up tomorrow? It would be a bad idea to stay here anymore longer."