WMSR – QT Chapter 129

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 129

By

siofra

Chapter 129: The Senior of the Apocalypse

Having satisfied her ego, Qi Yuanyuan possessed zero desire to engage in further conversation with Bai Yichen. After all, as a woman bound to become the sovereign wife of the safe zone's absolute ruler, she had nothing left to say to an unpowered ex-boyfriend; the chasm in their social standing had widened into an unbridgeable gulf. Armed with that comforting rationale, Qi Yuanyuan cast a condescending glance at Bai Yichen, deigning not even to offer a casual farewell, before swishing away with an air of arrogant tranquility.

It was only after Qi Yuanyuan had completely vanished from sight that Bai Yichen managed to suppress the sheer astonishment surging through his chest. He had never anticipated that Qi Yuanyuan would actually wind up together with Xiao Yi!

Back when he first discovered that the Lingxiao Survivor Base was founded by Xiao Yi—replacing the original Homeland Base from the primary storyline—he already knew that Xiao Yi's trajectory in this world had diverged sharply from canonical plotlines. Yet he had never imagined that without encountering the protagonist-shou, the protagonist-gong's life path would bend into such a bizarre shape. Was a man who was canonically attracted exclusively to men actually capable of being straightened out?

As for Qi Yuanyuan, Bai Yichen was positive that her figure had never appeared in the original canonical script where the main couple met under normal conditions. Her sole role had been as Ling Mengchen's pre-apocalyptic girlfriend; once the outbreak erupted, she—much like the original Ling Mengchen who was devoured by zombies—had vanished completely from the narrative arc.

Bai Yichen had never imagined that locking Ling Mengchen's ex-girlfriend together with the protagonist-gong Xiao Yi would spark such an astounding... chemical reaction.

While Bai Yichen remained immersed in his internal processing, Lin Jiawen—who had stepped into the villa earlier to fetch some items—strolled out into the courtyard. Back inside the house, his hyper-sensitive perceptual filters had picked up an external presence approaching Bai Yichen; anxious for his partner's safety, he had accelerated his movement to rush back out, yet arrived only in time to catch the receding silhouette of a woman walking away.

"What happened? Who was that?" Lin Jiawen stepped forward, his voice a mixture of protective concern and sharp vigilance.

Snapping out of his deep reflection, Bai Yichen looked up and flashed a reassuring smile at Lin Jiawen: "It was nothing—just an old acquaintance from the past. We exchanged a brief greeting, but we probably won't cross paths again."

"Is that so?" Hearing the answer, Lin Jiawen appeared to accept the explanation on the surface. Yet he couldn't resist raising his eyes to steal another glance at the retreating silhouette. Was that truly all? For reasons he couldn't articulate, that brief, fleeting glimpse of the woman's stunning features lingered in his mind, leaving a subtle trace of persistent unease.

Due to the bite of the crisp autumn air, Bai Yichen and Lin Jiawen withdrew back indoors shortly after. Meanwhile, having laid everything out on the table with her unpowered ex-boyfriend and pulled off a satisfying show of dominance, Qi Yuanyuan spent the remainder of the afternoon happily strolling through the commercial sectors of the compound.

Every outing proved intensely gratifying for Qi Yuanyuan. Though classified as a major survivor safe zone, the compound's physical scale matched that of a small pre-apocalyptic town; within these walls, as the singular woman permanently anchored to Xiao Yi's side, her presence commanded unique reverence.

In truth, beyond the internal circle of supernatural ability wielders guessing that Qi Yuanyuan was Xiao Yi's private woman, the vast majority of ordinary base civilians operated under the exact same assumption. Thus, despite being a completely unpowered civilian, Qi Yuanyuan enjoyed privileges and courtesies vastly superior to those afforded to ordinary humans wherever she went.

Furthermore, Qi Yuanyuan maintained a sharp, clear-headed pragmatic edge: while she occasionally indulged in petty arrogance toward unpowered civilians, she shifted into an exceptionally docile, obedient posture whenever encountering power-wielders who possessed the capacity to crush her in an instant. Factoring in that those wielders treated her with polite deference out of respect for Xiao Yi's authority, her life inside the sanctuary had been remarkably smooth and frictionless.

Thus, having spent a thoroughly delightful afternoon outdoors, Qi Yuanyuan returned home without preparing a evening meal. Instead, she waited for Xiao Yi's return, remembering his explicit instruction from the previous day: to await his return from the assembly so he could escort her to a specific location.

Having waited roughly an hour, Qi Yuanyuan heard activity at the main entrance and hurried out in slight surprise. Catching sight of the familiar silhouette stepping through the doorway, she couldn't help musing that the monthly plenary assembly had concluded remarkably early today.

Returning home, Xiao Yi displayed zero intention of resting. The moment his eyes landed on Qi Yuanyuan, he cut straight to the point: "Follow me."

Since the arrangement had been finalized yesterday, Qi Yuanyuan fell into step behind him without raising objections. Yet after taking a few strides, Xiao Yi seemed to hit a sudden realization; he pivoted around, sweeping his intense, analytical gaze up and down Qi Yuanyuan's frame before declaring: "Do you have finer apparel available? Go change into something striking."

Hearing his demand, Qi Yuanyuan's heart skipped a nervous beat. What did this mean? Under what possible scenario would taking her somewhere require her to go back and dress up first? Having witnessed countless bizarre, corrupt antics practiced by wielders across the wasteland, unsettling suspicions naturally flared within her chest. Yet surely it couldn't be... Xiao Yi wasn't that type of person, nor did he possess any logical need for such compromises—as the absolute strongest wielder in the entire sanctuary, he had zero reason to offer women as bargaining chips to curry favor with anyone.

Seeing that Xiao Yi offered zero inclination to elaborate, Qi Yuanyuan had no choice but to force down her anxieties, return to her quarters, slip into an exquisite outfit, and apply a refined touch of makeup.

When Qi Yuanyuan emerged once more, a rare flicker of genuine satisfaction finally touched Xiao Yi's features. Escorting Qi Yuanyuan back out into the open, his internal pulse churned violently as he mentally projected the impending confrontation. Indeed! The safe zone protocols strictly forbid ability wielders from engaging in unprovoked combat or plundering another's possessions—yet dependent followers operated under a specific legal exception: if the follower independently expressed a desire to switch wielder allegiance, the transition no longer constituted an unprovoked violation!

Under those specific conditions, if the follower's original wielder refused consent while a new wielder stood ready to claim them, the challenger could issue a formal one-on-one duel invitation to the original master—with the winner claiming absolute possession of the follower. As for his personal combat strength, Xiao Yi had never harbored a single shred of doubt.

Now, everything hinged on the destructive potency of the trump card resting in his hand. He harbored absolute faith that upon beholding Qi Yuanyuan—his long-lost former girlfriend—Ling Mengchen's emotional composure would crack wide open. After all, within the brutal crucible of this apocalypse, what temptation could possibly eclipse recovering the exact girlfriend one had been separated from?

While Xiao Yi was lost in ecstatic mental projections of his impending triumph, Qi Yuanyuan navigated an increasingly anxious, turbulent inner landscape. She spent the entire walk attempting to guess where Xiao Yi was guiding her; yet as Xiao Yi's path converged toward a specific luxurious villa and ultimately ground to a halt right before the front gate, she froze in absolute, slack-jawed horror. Wasn't this the exact same courtyard she had visited just this morning—the location harboring her useless, unpowered ex-boyfriend?!

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T/N: 

Yo, happy All Souls’ Day fam! 👻✨

Hope you're all staying safe while paying respect to the ancestors today (and maybe sneaking a few extra pieces of candle wax or sticky rice when nobody's looking).

Honestly, I was this close to taking a day off to go commune with the spirits—or, you know, just take a 12-hour nap—but then I realized y'all would probably manifest outside my room to haunt me for the next chapter. And let’s be real, you guys already live in my head rent-free anyway. 😉

So here I am, serving up your latest fix directly from the grave. Consider this chapter a little spooky treat to keep your soul satisfied. Don't go getting haunted by the cliffhangers, alright?

Drop your thoughts in the comments, stay hydrated, and don't look under the bed tonight unless you're prepared to find me slaving away over the next release.

Catch ya on the flip side! 🖤✨