The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 17 (Patreon)

Chapter 17

The first to break into the villa were a dozen or so robust individuals, all powerful beings with strong physiques. Ling Chunan immediately spotted Tong Xiaoxiao behind the crowd. He blinked, looking a bit puzzled, "What's going on?"

Leading the group was a burly man, a metal-type ability user. He sized up Ling Chunan with a disdainful tone, "Xiaoxiao, did this pretty boy snatch your ancestral jade pendant?"

"Well, maybe we should go back. Let's forget about this. Breaking into someone's house like this isn't right," Tong Xiaoxiao took a step forward, tugging at the man's sleeve, her expression somewhat lost. "Although the jade pendant is important to me, invading someone's home is not the right way to handle it."

Tong Xiaoxiao, being both pure and beautiful, was the only healing ability user in the Jingcheng base. Since entering the world of abilities, she had received great welcome. In the past month, she had frequently gone on missions with the other ability users, treating their injuries. Many felt indebted to her, so when they heard that she had been bullied and even had her ancestral jade pendant taken away, many sympathetic individuals in the ability user community stood up for her.

Hearing her words, those ability users who were initially swayed by Ling Chunan's good looks now glared at him more fiercely. One of them spoke, "Kid, be smart and hand over the stuff. Although you look like a lady and sell yourself, you're still a man. What kind of man steals from a young girl?"

Ling Chunan scanned the crowd and finally stopped at Tong Xiaoxiao's pitiful face. He coincidentally caught the malicious look in her eyes and suddenly burst into applause.

The crowd was stunned by his unexpected reaction. The man leading the group blushed and was about to scold, but Ling Chunan interrupted, saying, "Tong Xiaoxiao, since when did my jade pendant become your ancestral one? Tell me, what does it look like? What's its purpose?"

"It's crescent-shaped, about the size of a thumb," Tong Xiaoxiao affirmed under the gaze of the crowd.

Ling Chunan asked, "What color?"

Tong Xiaoxiao hesitated and replied, "Silver-white."

"Anything else? Any distinctive features on it?" Ling Chunan smiled knowingly.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, Tong Xiaoxiao, who had only glimpsed the pendant in her past life, couldn't recall specific details. She stammered for a while without saying a word.

The skeptical eyes of the crowd turned to Tong Xiaoxiao. They were not fools; through the brief conversation, it was evident that Tong Xiaoxiao was unfamiliar with the pendant she claimed was her ancestral one. If the pendant was indeed so important, how could she not know its simple features? It seemed rather ridiculous.

Tong Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, feeling shocked. Did Ling Chunan already know about the spatial dimension within the pendant? Regardless, she couldn't reveal that information to more people. So, she shook her head.

Ling Chunan smiled kindly, "Let me tell you then. The pendant is crescent-shaped, thumb-sized, but it's not silver-white, it's milky white." He flipped his hand, revealing a milky-white pendant.

Tong Xiaoxiao's face turned pale. She retorted, "I haven't seen it for so long; it's normal to forget its appearance."

Ling Chunan nodded noncommittally and slowly said, "That's normal, but this pendant has my family name engraved on it. Unless your ancestors share the same surname, you wouldn't know, right?" He didn't wait for Tong Xiaoxiao to respond and continued, "I know you resent me for rejecting your confession, but I'm naturally inclined towards men. If I agreed to you, it would have been a disservice to you."

As Ling Chunan took out the pendant and spoke, the gaze of the ability users toward Tong Xiaoxiao changed. They had originally stood up for her, but now it seemed she had used them as pawns.

Tong Xiaoxiao's face turned alternately blue and white. Angrily and indignantly, she said, "Regardless, you must give me the pendant today, or..."

"Or what?" Ling Chunan seemed surprised by her words. Then, with a helpless wave of his hand, he smiled at the crowd, "Thank you all for coming here for nothing. It's just a misunderstanding between her and me. I believe everyone here values reason. If there's nothing else, please go back."

The young man's smile was exceptionally clean, and his demeanor was extraordinary. Clearly, he wasn't the kind of person Tong Xiaoxiao had described as a male pet. The man who led the group glared at Tong Xiaoxiao, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "Sorry for the disrespect earlier."

"It's okay," Ling Chunan nodded with a smile.

Feeling ignored, how could Tong Xiaoxiao accept this? She knew that if she missed this chance, she might never get access to this space again. According to the current situation, she couldn't obtain it. If she couldn't get it, she couldn't let Ling Chunan have it either.

So, just as Ling Chunan was about to get up to see off the guests, Tong Xiaoxiao spoke, "Ling Chunan, do you want to monopolize this spatial jade pendant?"

"Huh?" Ling Chunan turned his head to look at her, his eyes full of confusion. "What space?"

The crowd also looked at Tong Xiaoxiao, seemingly waiting for her to explain.

What? He doesn't know? Tong Xiaoxiao looked at Ling Chunan in disbelief, her lips trembling slightly as if stunned.

Ling Chunan took a step forward, palms open. "You mean there's space inside this jade pendant?"

At this moment, the two were not far apart. Ling Chunan's hand and Tong Xiaoxiao's were only a step away. Tong Xiaoxiao's gaze was suddenly attracted by the jade pendant. Seizing the opportunity, she snatched it, making it hers.

However, just as Tong Xiaoxiao had the jade pendant in her hand, a rocket suddenly shot towards her. She dodged to the side, but her grip slipped, and the pendant slipped from her hand.

In the dumbfounded gaze of the onlookers, there was a slight impact sound accompanied by a subtle cracking noise. The jade pendant split into two.

"How... how is this possible?" Tong Xiaoxiao turned as pale as a ghost, kneeling on the ground. "How could it break?"

Ling Chunan also frowned, looking at the broken pendant pieces. Sighing as if in distress, he said, "Oh no, this was left to me by my grandfather. It was supposed to be the engagement gift for my future daughter-in-law. And now, it's broken."

The ability users, who were still in a state of confusion, comforted him one after another. "Mr. Zeng won't mind this. Don't worry. Ah, this girl usually seems quite likable; why does she do things so recklessly?"

The shattering of the jade pendant clearly dealt a heavy blow to Tong Xiaoxiao. Fortunately, she hadn't completely lost her composure. She turned around and shouted outside, "Qin Haoyuan, come out!"

The crowd was surprised once again. Qin Haoyuan is currently the captain of another team of ability users. What was he doing here?

"Don't think I can't see through your despicable intentions! What's so special about this guy, huh?" Facing the silently approaching man, Tong Xiaoxiao broke down on the spot. She pointed at Ling Chunan, questioning loudly, "You abandoned me just for him! But he already had a boyfriend, and yet you kept spying on him every day. How shameless can you get?"

Others, bewildered: "..."

Ling Chunan: "The female lead knows about the male lead visiting me."

098: "After all, the female lead had a ten-year relationship with the male lead in her past life, so she naturally pays attention."

Indeed, Qin Haoyuan often sneaked into Ling Chunan's villa whenever Zeng Wuyue went on a mission. He didn't know what had gotten into him, but he couldn't control himself, even though Ling Chunan rarely left his home. He felt secure knowing that Ling Chunan was inside.

Now that it was exposed, he didn't seem embarrassed. He apologized to Ling Chunan with a smile, then gently pulled Tong Xiaoxiao out.

"Reversal value +5%, current value 85%, please continue to work hard, host."

No one believed Tong Xiaoxiao's story about the space pendant. Most were more interested in the story between Qin Haoyuan and Ling Chunan. But when Qin Haoyuan left, the crowd dispersed.

The villa regained its tranquility. The fragments of the fake jade pendant were taken away by the female lead, and Ling Chunan was relieved that he didn't have to throw it in the trash, reclining back on the sofa.

"098, when is Uncle coming back?"

"I don't know."

During the zombie tide, Zeng Wuyue didn't return.

Although Jingcheng Base was built very sturdy, it couldn't withstand internal and external troubles. Most of the ordinary residents inside the city turned into zombies, with only a few evolving into ability users. Zombies that evolved outside the city attacked the base like a tide.

When Tong Xiaoxiao was dragged into the fight, her mind was somewhat absent. Without paying attention, she was bitten by a zombie. She instinctively treated the wound but suddenly froze.

Looking back, she saw her comrades, who were fighting alongside her, staring at her with surprise.

In her heart, Tong Xiaoxiao felt a sense of dread. No matter if one was an ability user or not, being bitten by a zombie would turn them into one. It was just a matter of time. And she had concealed the fact that she could cure the zombie virus.

Because she knew that a person who could cure the zombie virus would be a massive temptation in the current zombie-ridden world.

If exposed, the only fate awaiting her would be the research institute.

She had to escape.

However, even three days later, when the zombie tide receded, Tong Xiaoxiao hadn't managed to escape and was sent to the research institute.

On the second day of the zombie tide, Ling Chunan appeared in the team defending against zombies.

When Zeng Wuyue's team entered the city, Ling Chunan had already become famous for being a level higher than the strongest ability user in the base. However, due to almost never going on missions and always being in a captive state, people once again labeled him as a mere decorative vase. Thus, he became the most famous vase in the base.

Ling Chunan appeared just as the city gates were about to collapse. He seemed like a savior, and the ice spikes swept through the zombies like a reaper, quickly harvesting their lives, reducing the pressure on the team and ultimately holding the city gates.

"Reversal value +10%, current value 95%, congratulations to the host for completing the mission. The host has three hours of stay time."

The female lead had been personally sent to the research institute by the male lead, and there was no longer any threat from him. Yet, there was still 5% of reversal value. Where did it come from?

Frowning, Ling Chunan realized he couldn't possibly survive until the end of the apocalypse with his abilities alone. What had he overlooked?

It was only a week later that Zeng Wuyue returned. With more than ten people missing from the team, they looked miserable, reportedly encountering high-level zombies. After settling his subordinates, Zeng Wuyue placed a silver energy core in Ling Chunan's hand and said, "Darling, marry me, okay?"

Ling Chunan didn't say anything, just accepted the energy core. Zeng Wuyue was somewhat disappointed but ultimately rubbed Ling Chunan's hair, sighed softly, and laughed lowly.

When they went on a mission again, Ling Chunan followed along.

Just as they dealt with the last wave of zombies, 098 suddenly spoke, "Host, please be careful."

Ling Chunan was about to dodge when he was protected by Zeng Wuyue in his arms.

Simultaneously, an ice arrow and a lightning bolt shot out. With a short cry of pain, a short-haired woman fell from a tree in the distance. Ling Chunan finally realized that he had overlooked the male lead's admirer, who, in the original plot, had harmed the female lead out of jealousy.

"Reversal value +5%, current value 100%, congratulations to the host for completing the mission. The host has three hours of stay time."

"Uncle?" Only now did Ling Chunan notice that the man behind him seemed a bit off. He had placed all his weight on Ling Chunan, and the air carried the sweet scent of the man's blood.

Supporting the man's body, Ling Chunan turned around and found the man's expression extremely ugly. His face was pale, and only then did he see that there was a hole in the man's chest.

Zeng Wuyue hugged Ling Chunan, gasping for breath. "Darling, I'm okay."

Seeing the bleeding wound, Ling Chunan's throat felt dry. "098, why isn't he recovering?"

"Sorry, host. Although Zeng Wuyue has a special physique, his heart is still in the category of ordinary humans and doesn't possess regenerative abilities."

Ling Chunan held Zeng Wuyue, rushing into the space. The subordinates who came to check the disturbance only saw a corpse under the tree in the distance and a pool of blood on the ground.

"Why is the Spring of the Spirit ineffective on him?" Ling Chunan finally panicked as he saw Zeng Wuyue's wound still bleeding.

"Host, please remain calm."

"Are there any other healing medicines?" Ling Chunan asked.

"Returning, host. There are none." 098 continued, "He is going to die."

Ling Chunan placed Zeng Wuyue on the grass he personally planted, half-hugging him. He softly called out, "Uncle?"

Zeng Wuyue didn't answer, and his breath became weaker and weaker. Ling Chunan quietly watched him for a while,

 lowered his head, kissed his lips, and then licked the blood on his chest, which tasted sweet.

098 reminded, "Host, please remember not to have attachments to the mission world."

Ling Chunan remained silent, his gaze on Zeng Wuyue's handsome face. Only when he was sure there was no more vitality in him did he slowly stand up and put him into the Spring of the Spirit pool.

After everything was done, Ling Chunan looked at the sky, blinked, and said, "I understand."

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