Chapter 61: Hongling's Transformation

"Of course you can't smell anything—you've been living in here for half a year. You've already merged with the odor, so naturally you don't notice it!"
Kong Zhe wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Xue Feifei suddenly understood, rubbing her head and grinning foolishly. "No wonder all those delivery guys always wear masks when they come… heh heh…"
"Uh…"
Kong Zhe was speechless and couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose with a sigh. What an odd woman she was! The people delivering her food must have had quite a tough time.
"I have to go out for a bit… Don't just stand around—get started on a thorough cleaning of the room right now… You two help her as well."
With that, Kong Zhe hurriedly pulled the door shut and left the foul-smelling room behind.
…
In the building opposite the Broken Bridge Shopping Mall, Hong Ling was staring intently at the man before her.
He had kept his word—he hadn't been gone long before returning to rescue her.
Earlier, Hong Ling had wanted to say a great deal, but with others present, she couldn't speak freely. Now that it was just the two of them, she no longer had to worry about anything. She moved closer, ready to speak.
But before she could say anything, Kong Zhe raised a hand to stop her.
"The first time you saw me earlier, something unusual must have happened, right? Tell me what happened!"
Kong Zhe deftly spun a dagger in his hand, staring directly at Hong Ling. His tone was edged with menace. "You'd better tell the truth. My decision to kill you or not depends on your answer."
At this, his eyes flashed with a sharp, intimidating light as he glared at Hong Ling.
Kong Zhe believed that such undisguised killing intent would frighten most people. But unexpectedly, the woman before him was not afraid at all—in fact, she looked at him feverishly, almost with fanaticism.
"I would never lie to you!"
Hong Ling hurried to explain, then stood still and began to recall. "Actually, when I saw you just now, something suddenly appeared in my mind…"
A few minutes later, Kong Zhe finished listening to her account, lost in thought.
Hong Ling had described everything that happened in meticulous detail. Judging by her manner, Kong Zhe believed she was telling the truth.
From what she said, it was clear that his own rebirth had affected her, allowing her to recover fragments of her past life—though only scattered flashes, and a bit more than what Xue Feifei remembered, but still far less than Xiaolei.
After all, Xiaolei could recall everything, even the finest details and conversations, almost as if she'd been reborn alongside him.
Kong Zhe had been worried she might discover his ability to be reborn through her memories, which was his greatest secret. If she did know, he would have to consider killing her outright.
Yet surprisingly, although she'd regained some memories of her former life, her thoughts hadn't turned to rebirth at all. Instead, her mind seemed to be heading in a strange new direction.

Looking at the woman before him, her face alight with a morbid excitement as she stared at him, Kong Zhe felt a chill. He was starting to get a headache about what to do with her.
"So, what are your plans next?" he asked with a sigh.
"Of course, I'm coming with you!"
Her answer was so quick, Kong Zhe frowned instinctively. "Don't get the wrong idea. I promised to take you somewhere safe, but that doesn't mean I'll let you tag along. At most, I’ll get you to the compound—after that, you’re on your own. I want to make that clear."
Hong Ling was stunned. She'd already suspected this possibility, but hearing him say it outright still made her feel disappointed.
Still, unwilling to give up, she bit her lip and asked carefully, "Will you take those two girls with you?"
"…I will."
There was nothing to hide, so Kong Zhe admitted it directly.
Hong Ling's disappointment deepened. After a moment of silence, her expression grew complicated. "Are you rejecting me because you dislike me? Actually, I’m still a virgin…"
"You still don’t get it, do you?"
Kong Zhe shook his head, cutting her off in a low voice. "You saw that little brat called Tuan Tuan just now. I’m willing to take someone as troublesome as her, but not you. Think about why that is."
Hong Ling hesitated, frowning in thought. After a moment, she said uncertainly, "Is it because you prefer little girls?"
"Wrong."
Kong Zhe nearly choked. Where did this woman get these ideas! He shouted, "It's trust! Trust!"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he continued seriously, "I won't take on burdens. Anyone I bring along must be a future companion. And what do companions need most? Trust, of course. Trust is the foundation for a team's survival."
He sighed. "That little brat may be a handful, but she's simple and straightforward. I can tell what she's thinking from a single expression, so I know I can handle her. At least I don't have to worry about her stabbing me in the back. But you…" Kong Zhe looked at Hong Ling, shaking his head. "You’re too cunning, I can’t see through you."
"I would never hurt you!"
Hong Ling grew anxious and aggrieved, wishing she could cut open her heart to prove her sincerity. For once, the usually sharp-tongued woman was at a loss for words, hesitating for ages before finally blurting, "Really, I promise!"
Kong Zhe glanced at her in surprise, not expecting such an emotional reaction, but he still shook his head.
"Sorry, trust isn't built in a day or with a few words. I won't take you with me. You should give up on that. But don't worry too much—someone with your abilities will no doubt have plenty of people competing to recruit you tomorrow. If you want to join a safe zone, you can even pick a team with better conditions."
Hong Ling pressed her lips together, on the verge of tears. After all her efforts to cross the Broken Bridge, she still hadn't won his approval. But her stubbornness flared up; she shook her head and declared resolutely, "I won't go with anyone but you!"
"Suit yourself."
Kong Zhe spread his hands. He’d made his position clear—what she chose to do was none of his concern.
He rose and looked out the window. There weren’t many beasts in the area, only a few wandering about. Dusk was falling, and the sky had grown dim. If they wanted to get back, they had to hurry; once night fell, going out would be nearly impossible.
"Stay close behind me and don’t make a sound."

…
Although Hong Ling kept giving him wounded, reproachful looks along the way, making Kong Zhe a bit uncomfortable, she at least had the sense to keep quiet. She didn’t make a sound from start to finish, and even managed to catch him twice when he stumbled.
This made Kong Zhe see her in a new light. She really had changed a lot from her previous life—gone was the arrogance and brashness, replaced by a calm competence. She didn’t panic in the face of monsters, and handled all sorts of details with deft precision.
Judging by her current performance, she was very well-suited to surviving in the apocalypse. Considering her awakened talent, she was an ideal candidate for this escort mission.
Still, Kong Zhe had no plans to take her along. The impression she'd left before was simply too poor, and could a person’s character really change so much in such a short time? That was hard to believe.
This time, nothing unexpected happened. The two of them made it smoothly back to the compound.
Hong Ling didn’t have an apartment there, so Kong Zhe brought her straight to Xue Feifei’s home.
The door wasn’t locked; Kong Zhe turned the knob and went in.
The odor inside had diminished a good deal, probably thanks to some deodorizer. It wasn’t completely gone, but at least it was bearable now.
But when Kong Zhe saw the scene before him, he was left utterly speechless.
He had clearly told the three of them to clean, yet only Xiaolei was kneeling on the floor, diligently scrubbing away.
Xue Feifei was carefully polishing a piece of glass on one of her instruments with a tissue, blowing on it softly and wearing an expression as intent as if she were caressing her own child. She ignored the trash on the floor, as if the only things that existed in the room were her precious devices.
Tuan Tuan was even more outrageous. She’d found a toy water gun from somewhere and was running around playing with it.
“Hmph hmph hmph! This is the abode of the Angelic Saintess, full of the church’s corrupt stench. Be cleansed by my Infernal Spear… swoosh, swoosh swoosh…”
Tuan Tuan closed one eye, aiming her weapon and squirting water all around the room.
“What are you doing?”
Xue Feifei’s voice rang out, brimming with anger. Tuan Tuan’s water gun had splashed several of her instruments, many of which were delicate metal devices that couldn’t get wet. Xue Feifei instantly reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her outrage erupting.
“Stop that right now! Are you a child? How old are you, playing with—mmph…”
Before she could finish, a spray of water hit her face.
"Hmph hmph hmph! Representative of the church, let the great Vampire Queen purify your decaying body. You hypocrite, take this… swoosh, swoosh swoosh…"
Tuan Tuan laughed maniacally, firing her water gun at the so-called "Angelic Saintess."
Xue Feifei was sprayed so much she couldn’t open her eyes, stumbling backward repeatedly. Her face and body were soaked. She was wearing thin, white clothes, which clung to her the moment they got wet, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Noticing Kong Zhe standing at the door watching her, Xue Feifei’s face flushed bright red. She could take no more and glared furiously at Tuan Tuan, shouting in exasperation, “You little brat, don’t get too full of yourself! Stop right there!”