VAP - Chapter 24
Chapter 24: The Sleeping Beauty Whose Words Are Law (23)
Wu Xiude had been holed up at home for a full day with several of his friends.
No one had anticipated the global mutation. So when the strange mist descended yesterday, Wu Xiude was in the middle of an all-night party with his friends, completely unprepared.
Pretty girls who knew how to have a good time, a champagne tower, and an outdoor pool. The young people were living it up, partying all night, until that moment arrived—
The mist swept over everything. They scrambled back inside, sealing the doors and windows. A few of the girls were still dripping in their swimsuits, and everyone was in a state of panic.
Then came the awakening of the espers.
Wu Xiude endured the agony and awakened an Esper Ability. His body felt like it was coursing with energy, and he became incredibly strong.
At the same time, however, one of his friends and one of the party girls died right there, their bodies twisted in a gruesome, terrifying manner.
No one dared to leave the villa. After seeing other people’s experiences and news about mutated plants and animals online, their fear only grew.
One of them had read his share of apocalypse novels. According to him, the best thing for ordinary people to do in the end times was to lie low; only espers would become the new power players. As the only one who had awakened an ability, Wu Xiude was subtly becoming their de facto leader.
Of course, Wu Xiude himself had no intention of going outside, especially after seeing the photos of mutated creatures that people were posting online.
So what if he was strong? Could brute strength stand up to fireballs and blades of ice?
Fortunately, the villa was well-stocked with food, so they could hold out for a while.
“Wei Jingpeng, a whole day has passed. When the hell are the people your family sent for you going to get here?” Wu Xiude asked a handsome young man beside him, his face grim as soon as he woke up that morning.
The man’s family had military connections. He had contacted them yesterday, and they’d promised to send people to pick him up as quickly as possible.
Wei Jingpeng’s expression was just as sour. “The team they sent yesterday ran into a mutated leopard on the way—one that escaped from the zoo. They were nearly wiped out. But they’re sending another team today. It should be fine this time.”
Wu Xiude said irritably, “It had better be.”
The others chimed in:
“Good thing we have Brother Peng with us, or we’d be screwed…”
“And we owe it all to Brother Wu! If Brother Wu hadn’t awakened his ability, that damn bird would’ve wiped us all out yesterday!”
Listening to the flattery from his cronies, Wu Xiude’s expression finally softened a bit.
Behind them, several women, still in their bikinis, shivered and exchanged glances, each seeing the despair in the others’ eyes.
They all knew these rich boys wouldn’t take them along. After all, what kind of compassion could you expect from men who wouldn’t even let them borrow a jacket at a time like this?
The villa was located in the suburbs, and the other houses in the area were deathly silent, as if deserted. The location was remote, and all sorts of strange things lurked nearby. Just yesterday, they’d been visited by mutated sparrows and wild rabbits…
The rabbit, though still small, had hopped around the villa for a while before giving up on catching them. But the sparrow, as large as a golden eagle, had shattered a second-floor window! If Wu Xiude, with his superhuman strength, hadn’t driven it off with a knife, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
If all these young masters were rescued, the women left behind would surely not survive.
At this thought, their expressions grew even more desolate.
One of the girls bit her lip, wanting to approach Wei Jingpeng and sweet-talk him into taking her along. She had even rehearsed her lines: Brother Peng, take me with you. I’m skinny, I won’t take up much space. Surely there was a chance he’d agree if she said that?
Just as she was about to make her move, a cool, somewhat lazy female voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
“Which one of you is Wu Xiude?”
The girl shuddered in fright.
She was certain there had been no one behind her!
So where did that voice… where did it come from?
Qi Jiu had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at home and scrolled through Weibo for a while before she finally decided to start her mission.
This time, she wasn’t in the mood to walk. Instead, she rose lazily from her seat and said, “Transport me to the indoor location of Wu Xiude, my former classmate. Keep a distance of at least two meters; the farther, the better.”
Teleporting right next to him would be just awful.
The description was sufficiently detailed and unambiguous. The Word Spirit took effect.
The next moment, Qi Jiu was standing perfectly still against the wall of the small second-floor lounge where Wu Xiude and the others were.
Facing a group of bikini-clad women huddled on the carpet and the backs of several young men with short hair lounging on the sofa, Qi Jiu said to Yue Du with a deadpan expression, “Ah, this is the place.”
Yue Du was taken aback. “There are so many people?”
Judging by the view from the window, this had to be Wu Xiude’s suburban villa.
According to the information she’d gathered, this was supposed to be Wu Xiude’s private residence, a coming-of-age gift from his doting father.
She had expected to find only Wu Xiude, perhaps with one or two housekeepers, but she never imagined there would be a dozen young men and women here.
Yue Du’s expression grew complicated as she looked at the scantily clad girls.
…To walk in on a scene like this… Don’t tell me these rich kids were having a party and just happened to get caught in the cataclysm?
Qi Jiu, however, didn’t let the unexpected situation faze her. She’d long forgotten what that little brat looked like, and his appearance would have changed significantly after several years anyway.
The young lady couldn’t be bothered to identify them one by one, so she simply called out, “Which one of you is Wu Xiude?”
Before she spoke, no one in the room had noticed her presence.
The sudden, unfamiliar voice made their hearts leap into their throats, and chaos erupted.
The girl closest to her shrieked, “There’s someone here!”
Qi Jiu said, “…Am I that scary?”
Yue Du sighed wearily. “It’s not you, it’s your entrance.”
“Oh, I see,” Qi Jiu said.
Among those present, Wei Jingpeng was the boldest. He quickly suppressed his startled instincts, spun around, and grabbed a German longsword from nearby. “Who are you!”
Wu Xiude was right behind him. “Who’s looking for me?”
The girls cried out and scrambled farther away.
Qi Jiu’s gaze swept across the room. “What a hassle,” she muttered, looking troubled.
The sight of the beauty frowning was captivating. Even for this worldly, pleasure-seeking crowd, it was hard not to be momentarily stunned.
Wei Jingpeng was the first to snap out of it. He tightened his grip on the sword’s hilt and ventured a guess. “Are you here from my dad? For the rescue?” Then he shook his head. “No, you called Wu Xiude’s name. You’re here for him.”
Qi Jiu looked at him, not bothering to hide her purpose. “That’s right.”
Wu Xiude was baffled. “What do you want with me?”
He didn’t remember knowing any girl this stunning. Could it be that one of his old man’s subordinates had awakened a teleportation ability and was sent to get him?
The look of dazed, relieved surprise on his face was so obvious that Qi Jiu could guess what he was thinking. “In your dreams,” she sneered.
Wu Xiude flushed with anger and embarrassment. “What’s that supposed to mean!”
A young man with permed hair beside him seemed to recall something. He looked uneasy. “Brother Wu, she… she isn’t here for revenge, is she?”
Having been the guy’s lackey for years, he knew what a bully Wu Xiude was. The number of outrageous things he’d done growing up couldn’t be counted on two hands; he had enough enemies to fill a classroom.
But none of those enemies were this beautiful.
He was just speculating, but Qi Jiu gave a slow clap. “You guessed it.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly shifted.
Under normal circumstances, a beautiful girl showing up and claiming she wanted revenge would have been a source of amusement for them.
But in these extraordinary, reality-bending times, no one wanted any trouble, especially when they had no idea what this newcomer was capable of.
Wei Jingpeng’s eyes darted between the two parties, his thoughts unreadable. But he quickly backed away, sword in hand, and said without hesitation, “I don’t want to know what your grudge is, but I haven’t known these guys for long. Please don’t drag me into it.”
His words were clearly directed at Qi Jiu.
A few of the young men, apparently part of Wei Jingpeng’s group, followed his lead and backed away, their expressions wary.
Wu Xiude was stunned. “Fuck, Wei Jingpeng, are you serious?!”
Wei Jingpeng replied calmly, “I’m not getting involved, and don’t you dare drag me into your mess. My only job was to call my dad for help, and don’t forget, our ride is coming today.”
“Fine by me,” Qi Jiu said casually. “Everyone, stand back.”
Wei Jingpeng’s group readily retreated to a corner. The women in bikinis, as if they’d found a savior, flocked to their side.
Wu Xiude: “…” Damn it!
So she really was here for revenge. But Wu Xiude couldn’t for the life of him figure out when he’d provoked someone like her. He had no memory of it!
Still, that lazy demeanor did seem vaguely familiar. Who did it remind him of…
“First, tell me who you are. What if you’re accusing me of something I didn’t do?” Wu Xiude asked irritably.
Qi Jiu scoffed. “I could wrongly accuse anyone in the world, but not you.”
She lowered her gaze, pondering for a moment. “Fine, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you.”
Seeing her host about to launch into an explanation, Yue Du immediately objected. “Let’s just get this over with. Haven’t you ever heard that villains usually die because they talk too much?”
Qi Jiu replied nonchalantly, “That only applies if you’re facing the protagonist.”
“Uh,” Yue Du said. She couldn’t really argue with that.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
Qi Jiu smiled, then turned to Wu Xiude. “The one who broke two of your ribs and forced you to transfer schools. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”
…Concise, as expected.
Wu Xiude clearly hadn’t forgotten. He was stunned. “Qi Jiu? Impossible! How could Qi Jiu look like this?!”
He said it was impossible, but deep down, he knew it was her.
That lazy posture, that world-weary face, looking like she could fall asleep at any second—it was undoubtedly the source of the nightmare from his memories.
The girl who had always been so easy to bully, who had suddenly become a completely different person!
Qi Jiu’s appearance instantly brought back the terror of being dominated by her demonic sneer and brutal violence.
But Qi Jiu hadn’t looked like this. Back then, she was just a bit prettier than the average girl. How had she changed so much?
Qi Jiu gave a perfunctory reply. “Oh, I just grew into my looks. It’s normal for a girl.”
“This isn’t normal at all! No one changes that much just by ‘growing into their looks’!” Wu Xiude retorted.
“Well, now you’ve seen one who has,” Qi Jiu said. “Me.”
Wu Xiude wanted to say more, but Qi Jiu had no interest in continuing the conversation. “I’m getting tired of standing. Let’s just settle our accounts.”
Her gaze shifted to the people beside Wu Xiude, her expression thoughtful. “You all look a bit familiar. Feng Qixiang, Zhai Junchi, Lai Yan, Tong Wenrui?”
With each name she called, one of their faces paled.
Qi Jiu confirmed it. “You’re all here. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one. I should thank you.”
As the brats stared at her with growing terror, Qi Jiu’s lips curved into a slight, yet utterly terrifying, smile.
It was the exact same smile they had seen back then, when she had turned the tables on them and left them utterly powerless to resist.
Author's Notes
Today, your short fish author went to a dessert shop near school for afternoon tea. I went alone, but the two-person set was on sale—two small cakes and a large milk tea.
It wasn't a lot, so I ordered one for myself.
But when it arrived, I found two heart-shaped straws in the milk tea cup…
No one told me it was a couple's set, dammit!
This single fish silently finished the meal while two couples next to me were being all lovey-dovey. The awkwardness was off the charts.
I was wrong. Next time, I'll either order a single set or a three-person set!
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