Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 96: Chapter 88: A Pair of Bootlickers

"Qingqing, listen to me. You know my heart..."

An Yang reached for Song Qing, but she shoved his hand away.

"An Yang, you’re disgusting me. Just stop, okay?"

’An Yang’s heart?’

’Perhaps he genuinely liked Song Qing at first, but he was later dazzled by the status and power Wenqing brought him, gradually forgetting his original feelings.’

’To put it bluntly, if he hadn’t been constantly sucking up to Wenqing to keep her by his side back then, why would those people at the university have willingly followed his orders?’

’Everyone there got into T University using their brains; no one was a fool.’

’If he had genuinely gotten together with Wenqing just for power, Tang Mo would have actually respected An Yang for it.’

’It would mean he knew what he wanted and was willing to trade some of his freedom for it.’

’Tang Mo felt she had no right to mock someone with such clear goals. But now, An Yang had found out Song Qing’s family background was even more powerful. After sucking up to one person, he wasn’t satisfied and wanted to go back and suck up to someone with even greater influence. That was just plain disgusting.’

An Yang did have some pride, after all. Hearing Song Qing use the word "disgusting," he didn’t make any further moves and simply left with a cold expression.

"How did those two get mixed up with each other again?"

Forgive Tang Mo, but at that moment, she couldn’t think of a single nice thing to say about either of them.

"When Wenqing first arrived at the base, there were few Space Ability Users, so everyone put her on a pedestal. Later, when more Space Ability Users appeared, she became a nobody. It just so happened that An Yang was forming a team and couldn’t find anyone from the Space System, so you could say they were each just using the other for what they needed."

Song Qing wasn’t upset about it anymore; she had already seen An Yang for who he truly was.

"I see..."

’I wonder how An Yang got an invitation to the ball. If he could get in, Wenqing probably wouldn’t miss it either.’

Tang Mo scanned the crowd for Wenqing. After all, Tang Mo still coveted that Space Treasure of hers.

Soon enough, Tang Mo spotted her.

Wenqing, wearing a floor-length white gown, was standing next to Qin Ling, trying to say something to him.

"Those two really are cut from the same cloth."

Song Qing snorted. ’No wonder they could get together; they’re the exact same, deep down in their bones.’

"Alright, go on. Looks like I’ll have to trouble you to be the gallant protector once again tonight."

After being teased by Tang Mo so many times, it was finally Song Qing’s turn to strike back.

Tang Mo tilted her head back and drained the wine in her glass. ’Ah, life...’

She navigated through the crowd in her high heels and walked over.

"Having a nice chat?"

The moment Tang Mo’s voice sounded, Qin Ling was struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu.

’Weren’t those the exact words he’d used when he saw her talking with Qin Fen just a moment ago?’

"Oh, Tang Mo."

Seeing Tang Mo approach, Wenqing’s smile became a little unnatural.

"I just saw your godfather. He’s quite the big shot. I’m so jealous."

Even though she knew he was Tang Mo’s stepfather, Wenqing had deliberately called him her "godfather."

’If only Qin Ling would misunderstand and dump this woman...’

’Back in university, Tang Mo was a nobody. On what grounds was she doing so well for herself now? On what grounds?’

Jealousy burned wildly in Wenqing’s heart.

In her world, she was the female lead who had endured countless hardships, Tang Mo was the villainous supporting female character, and Qin Ling was probably the male lead who had been temporarily deceived by the villainess.

’Unbelievable...’

Tang Mo closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

’What did I ever do to deserve this?’

’Is this some scene from a romance novel where the two-faced girl tries to steal the guy? What am I supposed to say now?’

’Honestly, she didn’t want to say a single word to Wenqing. Talking to her felt like it was lowering her own IQ.’

’She needed to remember they weren’t in a romance novel script, they were in an apocalypse script, damn it!’

"Are you sick in the head? Can’t you understand plain language? Do you not understand the words ’get lost’?"

Qin Ling had no gentlemanly reservations about getting physical with a woman. Seeing Wenqing bully his precious Tang Mo, the anger he had just suppressed flared up again.

He shot a look at the guard who was always by his side. The man in black stepped forward, grabbed Wenqing’s arm, and dragged her out of the ballroom.

In front of everyone...

This was... so undignified.

Tang Mo really couldn’t bear to watch. However, no one seemed surprised by Qin Ling’s actions. Despite all her struggles, Wenqing didn’t cause the slightest commotion.

"Do you always handle things this way? Are they all used to it?"

After thinking it over, Tang Mo decided that was the only possible explanation.

She had always heard that Qin Ling was frighteningly decisive in his actions, as if he were devoid of emotion.

Today was the first time she had seen it with her own eyes.

"You... you don’t like it?"

Qin Ling instantly grew nervous, afraid that Tang Mo would be scared of him.

’He didn’t care what other people called him, whether it was cold-blooded or King Yan. He only cared about what Tang Mo thought.’

"Well done."

Tang Mo smiled and reached out to pat Qin Ling on the head.

Qin Ling broke into a foolish grin as well.

The two guards standing nearby quickly turned their heads away. ’These two are acting a little too much like no one else is here, aren’t they?’

’Who was it that said they shouldn’t go public for now? Do they really take everyone here for fools?’

By the time the ball ended, it was late at night. Tang Mo took off her dress, removed her makeup, and fell asleep almost the instant her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, after waking up and eating breakfast, Tang Mo changed into her sportswear.

She had only one mission for the day: to head into the jungle outside S Base and stay there for a few days.

She couldn’t let herself get soft. Lingering in this comfortable life would make her useless.

Tang Mo deliberately traveled a great distance. She wanted to find a jungle far away from S Base to avoid the Hunters who came out on missions.

With Tang Mo’s current agility attribute value, covering several dozen kilometers in half an hour was not difficult at all.

Jingjing hid in Tang Mo’s arms, its ears flapping backward in the wind from her running.

"Alright, this is the place!"

Tang Mo nodded in satisfaction.

The wilderness, unlike the well-maintained base, was left to its own devices. The plants grew wild, making it nearly impossible to distinguish where the jungle was and where it wasn’t.

Almost everywhere you looked was jungle.

The only difference was the density of the growth. Tang Mo was still used to calling the places with many towering ancient trees and dense woods "jungle."

Places like this also tended to have a greater number and variety of mutant beasts.

Only a few surviving buildings still stood, dilapidated and covered in vines. Though it had only been a year, they looked as if they had been desolate for decades.

This was the power of the universe, of nature, something humanity could not contend with.

For an ordinary person, a place like this was a nightmare. But for Tang Mo, it was a hunting paradise.

"We’re not going to make it back today, again. This is so annoying! Why did we have to come all the way out here? What was so wrong with the area right next to the base?"

Not long after Tang Mo had stopped, her sharp ears picked up a familiar voice.