Ruyi tore into a loaf of bread, her mind spinning with plans for the road ahead. She hadn't expected anyone to be in the supermarket. Her original plan of scavenging supplies and retreating into her space to complete the two-star trial and review the next four chapters of the plot had been thoroughly derailed.
Another option flickered in her mind—she could simply kill the remaining survivors. It would solve all her problems at once. After all, none of them were saints.
The thought startled her. She shook her head to dispel it immediately.
She recalled a psychological study she had read: dark thoughts were like a malignant tumor, insidious and pervasive. Once acted upon, they would root themselves deep in the psyche, spreading until they dragged a person into irreversible darkness.
Ruyi shuddered. Killing someone—not out of necessity but choice—was not something she wanted weighing on her conscience, especially if she ever returned to her original reality.
Instead, she made a show of packing food into a massive travel bag right in front of the suspicious group trailing her. The yellow-haired Ju Tou looked ready to stop her, but Quan Ge held him back. As Ruyi stuffed her bag, she stealthily moved a significant portion of supplies into her space. Beyond food, she cleared out a large quantity of hygiene products, especially sanitary pads, knowing the men wouldn't bother checking.
When her bags were packed to capacity, she hefted one on her back and slung another over her shoulder, exiting the supermarket. Passing by the bathroom she had climbed through earlier, Ruyi glanced back at her pursuers with a sly smile before darting toward the back door.
Confused, the group hesitated until Quan Ge barked, "Hurry! Stop her!"
But they were no match for her speed. By the time they reached her, Ruyi had removed the barricades blocking the door and was hacking at the lock with her blade. The sharp clash of metal against metal rang through the eerily quiet street.
When the group closed in, Ruyi suddenly turned, her weapon now a gun. She fired a single shot in their direction, sending them scrambling to the ground in terror. With a satisfied smirk, she smashed the door lock, shoved it open, and dashed outside.
As their angry, panicked curses echoed behind her, Ruyi cut down a few advancing zombies and slipped into a nearby store, vanishing into her space.
Once inside, she wasted no time and began the two-star trial. Armed with only a small dagger, she managed to eliminate five zombies after a grueling battle. With her task complete, she eagerly retrieved chapters five through eight of the story.
Her suspicions were confirmed.
The novel's version of Ji Ruyi had been gang-raped, then dragged along by the group to join a passing convoy. She was reduced to nothing more than a communal plaything before the narrative conveniently shifted focus back to the protagonist, Wen Xinyu.
The chapters gushed over Wen Xinyu's radiant charm and resilience. Alongside Lian Zichen and her newly introduced cousin Tong Yinyin—who had an invisibility ability—they defeated monsters, gained followers, and scavenged supplies on their journey to Yun'an Mountain Base.
Ruyi nearly gagged. The blatant glorification of Wen Xinyu was stomach-turning.
Her biggest mistake, she realized, was assuming this was a typical apocalypse novel. No—it was a full-blown Mary Sue fantasy.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she yelled at the crimson sky. She finally understood why the mysterious entity had so readily handed her the chapters: they were useless.
"You are merely a supporting character," the Sovereign's cold voice replied. "It's natural for your presence in the story to be brief. And given that your appearances always lead to suffering, it's a blessing to remain unseen."
The unusual gentleness in the Sovereign's tone set Ruyi on edge. Past experience told her that such moments of kindness heralded trouble.
The Sovereign, fully attuned to her thoughts, scoffed but offered no further comment.
Left to her own devices, Ruyi wandered into her storage space, grabbing something to eat while brooding over the solar power system she had salvaged. At the time, she had been thrilled to obtain it, but now she realized its limitations. Without sunlight in the space, it was as good as scrap metal.
At the very least, she thought, it could heat some water for a bath. She felt filthy and longed to clean up. But bathing in the apocalypse was a risky luxury, especially for someone like her. The safest option was to bathe in the space—if not for the ever-present Sovereign.
The thought spiraled further. Was the Sovereign male or female? Its voice was masculine, but that didn't mean anything. If it was a woman...
Before her wild thoughts could drift any further, the Sovereign unceremoniously "ejected" her from the space.
Ruyi landed with a thud, rubbing her sore backside as she took in her surroundings. She was in a dry-cleaning shop that also offered courier services. Digging through the drawers behind the counter, she found two chocolate bars and a stack of business cards.
Chewing on the chocolate absentmindedly, Ruyi sifted through the cards. Though chapters five through eight had made her stomach churn, they weren't entirely useless.
At least now she knew Wen Xinyu's group was heading to Yun'an Mountain Base. If she avoided the base, she could avoid them altogether.
But wait—didn't Qiao Huixin mention Tong Yinyin had gone to Yun'an Mountain before the apocalypse? A detail that hadn't made sense at the time was now glaringly suspicious.
Before the outbreak, Tong Yinyin had insisted on going to Yun'an Mountain despite her family's protests and the looming threat of infection. Why? Unless she already knew Yun'an would become a safe haven after the virus spread.
The implication hit Ruyi like a freight train.
Tong Yinyin had also transmigrated.
"Damn it," she cursed under her breath. If that were true, there was no way she could let Tong Yinyin get away with it.
Her indignation boiled over. She jumped to her feet but misjudged her movements, banging her knee against the table. Hissing in pain, she collapsed back into the chair, clutching her leg.
In her frustration, she crumpled the business cards in her hand. Just as she was about to toss them aside, a single word on one of the cards caught her eye.
Yun'an.
Excited, she quickly sifted through the stack. Two cards listed locations en route to the base—prime targets for scavenging along the way.
With a plan forming, Ruyi pulled a durable jacket from her space, slung her blade across her back, and took a deep breath before stepping out into the perilous streets.