Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 157: You can siphon a bit of residual energy from the corpses

Chapter 157: You can siphon a bit of residual energy from the corpses

There was a tense pause.

Yu Song spoke up first, his voice low but steady.

"I’ll take a bat."

Chen Wei hesitated, then nodded. "Same for me. Bat."

Qingran turned her eyes toward Xu Tianming, who straightened under the weight of her gaze.

"I... I can use a gun," he said after a beat, his voice carrying a shaky kind of determination. "Not great at it, but I’ve practiced before, going on hunting trips with my grandfather."

Qingran gave him a brief nod, accepting it without praise. "Got it."

As the elevator doors slid open, she added briskly, "Weapons will be distributed at the lobby. Once we’re on the move, remember: if you fall behind, you’re on your own. So don’t fall behind, you risk both your life and ours."

The elevator slid open with a soft ding.

Qingran stepped out first, eyes sweeping the wide, dim lobby automatically. The barricades around the main doors were still holding up.

But if it were to be a mutant siege, would these barricades be able to hold up?

Another reason they needed that damn fence.

She didn’t linger. She led the way toward a small table shoved near the side entrance. She laid out out the weapons they would require in neat rows.

Meng Nian immediately went to check his gun, loading and unloading the clip with the casual efficiency of someone who had handled firearms before.

His expression was unreadable as he tucked the pistol into a holster at his hip.

Qingran picked up two bats, it had aluminum dents but if was solid enough and handed them to Yu Song and Chen Wei.

Yu Song gripped his tightly, his knuckles turning white from excessive force.

Chen Wei gave his a few experimental swings, nodding grimly.

For Xu Tianming, she selected one of the lighter handguns, a standard semi-automatic. Nothing fancy, just reliable.

She checked the chamber, then held it out to him butt-first.

He hesitated for half a second before taking it.

"Safety’s on.." Qingran said. "You shoot only if you have a clear line. No panic shots."

"I know.." Xu Tianming murmured. His hands shook a little, but he firmed his grip.

Satisfied, Qingran slung her own blade across her back, a heavy, curved machete. She had guns too, of course. But when things got too close, steel didn’t jam.

She faced them squarely once more.

"We’re not heroes" she said bluntly. "Our mission is to get people out. If a fight isn’t necessary, we avoid it. Got it?"

"Got it" Meng Nian echoed. The others followed with nods, some more reluctant than others.

They left the hotel through the lobby. The air outside was sharp with cold and the faint, sour tang of ash. The vehicles were parked in the open lot just beyond the barricaded entrance, the SUV gleaming faintly under the pale morning light. Next to it was the gray sedan Meng Nian would take.

Their doors bore scratches from their last escape, and Qingran’s SUV had a shattered side mirror, but they were functional.

"Quick and quiet.." Qingran murmured, eyes scanning the surrounding street.

The perimeter was calm, for now but any loud noise would tick the zombies off.

They moved fast. Meng Nian did a final check of the sedan, ensuring the battery wasn’t drained and the tires were intact.

Meanwhile, Qingran opened the SUV and slid into the driver’s seat, already mentally mapping the route to the school.

Xu Tianming sat beside her, gripping the dashboard tightly.

"You sure you’re okay?" she asked without looking.

"No" he muttered. "But I’ll manage."

Qingran almost smiled. "That’s all I ask, and no screaming. If you’re a screamer, tell me now..so I’ll provide a gag for you."

"..."

"I’m no screamer, that’s Mei Jiao’s thing."

Qingran chuckled a bit when she heard his reply.

Once the others had loaded into the second vehicle, she raised her voice just enough to be heard. "Remember: no heroics. Our job is to scout, locate survivors, and get them out. We’ll secure classrooms one at a time. We don’t split up unless it’s absolutely necessary."

"Yes, ma’am.." Meng Nian called back, already starting the engine.

Qingran started the SUV as well. The low rumble of the engine felt too loud in the silence.

She kept her eyes on the street ahead, her heart steady and her mind ten steps ahead.

As they pulled out onto the main road, Lingquan’s voice drifted in her ear.

[Your energy levels are below optimal. If you use the flame more than twice today, you’ll crash and when I say crash, you’ll go at high pressure nose bleeds, before passing out.]

Qingran gritted her teeth. [Noted.]

[You could... siphon a bit of residual energy from a corpse if needed. It’s not pleasant, but it’ll keep you upright.]

[Only if you have no choice.]

"Got it."

The streets were eerily quiet. Debris littered the roads, shattered glass, torn signs, a flipped bicycle rusting in the gutter.

The occasional shadow flickered behind a window or down an alley. But for the most part, the infected were elsewhere, most had probably turned into zombies by now or were in the process.

The hospital loomed in the distance to their right, its rooftop antenna cracked, a single banner flapping from a broken pole.

Not yet, she thought to herself. That was another mission entirely.

Their destination was the school, just ten blocks away, past the gutted bakery and the collapsed overpass.

Halfway there, Xu Tianming broke the silence. "Miss Qingran... do you really think anyone’s still alive?"

She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes scanning the corners of every intersection, checking for movement.

Then, without looking at him, she said, "I think there’s always someone hoping to be saved. And I’m not leaving anyone behind until I know for sure."

The young man was quiet after that.

They reached the street before the school and slowed to a crawl, Qingran made sure they had gotten as close as they could get while still maintaining camouflage.

"Stop" Qingran ordered over the communication device. "Eyes up."

Ahead, the iron gates of the school had been broken open, one door hanging lopsided.

The front courtyard was scattered with chairs and shoes. A schoolbag lay half-soaked in rainwater, its contents spilling out like a corpse’s entrails.

"Switch off the engines. We go on foot from here."

The vehicles were parked behind a line of city dumpsters for partial cover.

Qingran stepped out, one hand on the door and the other on the curved matchete.