Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 24: The zombie was man-made

Qingran barely had time to react before Feng Yizhou grabbed her wrist, yanking her into the shadows of the truck’s cargo hold. She pressed herself against the cold metal, heart pounding as the footsteps drew closer.

The system’s voice was quiet but urgent.

[Two individuals. Armed. Approaching from the left.]

Feng Yizhou’s gaze flickered toward the entrance, his body tense, seemingly ready. He had already pulled out gun from his belt, his grip firm but loose.

Qingran exhaled slowly steadying herself.

They needed to see who it was before making a move.

A moment later, two men entered the truck, their heavy boots clanking against the metal floor. Both were dressed in tactical gear, the kind used by paramilitary units—unmarked, but efficient. Their rifles were slung loosely across their chests, fingers near the triggers but not quite ready to fire.

One of them stopped near the containment unit, tapping his earpiece.

"We’ve secured the transport," he said in a low voice. "No sign of the couriers."

His partner scanned the cargo, eyes narrowing. "Could’ve been the anomaly. If it breached containment, the couriers are probably dead."

Qingran’s fingers twitched. The anomaly?

The men exchanged a glance. Then the first one reached for a device clipped to his vest, flipping it on. A low, pulsing signal filled the air—some kind of scanner.

Qingran’s system flared to life.

[Warning. Detection Imminent.]

Shit.

Before she could even react, Feng Yizhou was already moving.

Silent as a shadow, he slid behind the nearest crate, knife in hand. His expression remained unreadable, but she caught the flicker of calculation in his eyes.

He was ready to strike.

Qingran clenched her jaw. She could take one of them out, but the second would react fast. They needed to do this cleanly—no gunfire, no mess.

She glanced at Feng Yizhou.

He met her eyes.

A silent understanding passed between them.

Three seconds.

That was all they needed.

She exhaled, steadying herself—then moved.

Qingran moved first, slipping out from behind the crates in one fluid motion. Her hands shot up, fast and precise—one wrapped around the wrist of the man holding the scanner, twisting it sharply, while the other struck the device itself, sending it clattering to the floor.

The man barely had time to react before she drove her knee into his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. He staggered, but before he could recover, her fingers hooked around the strap of his rifle, yanking it up and away from his reach.

At the same time, Feng Yizhou struck.

Silent and efficient, his bullet shot across the second man’s throat in one clean motion. The soldier barely made a sound before crumpling, blood pooling beneath him.

Qingran didn’t hesitate. She twisted the first man’s arm behind his back, pressing him against the side of the truck. "Who sent you?" she hissed.

The man struggled, but she wrenched his arm higher, forcing a grunt of pain out of him.

"Blackout Division," he spat. "You don’t know what you’re messing with."

Blackout Division.

Her system chimed.

[Classified military unit. Specializes in containment and elimination of biological threats.]

Containment?!

Qingran’s stomach twisted.

They weren’t here for the cargo.

They were here for whatever was inside that containment unit.

She didn’t get another second to process before the man made his move. With a sharp twist, he broke free of her hold, reaching for the knife strapped to his thigh.

Feng Yizhou was faster.

A gunshot echoed inside the truck.

The soldier’s body jerked before he slumped forward, a clean hole between his eyes.

Qingran took a deep breath, her focus snapping to the containment unit.

Something was inside. Something dangerous enough for a classified unit to track it down.

And now, they were standing right in front of it.

Qingran exhaled sharply, pushing the soldier’s body aside. Blood pooled across the truck’s metal floor, but she had no time to care. Her fingers tightened around the edges of the containment unit, scanning its exterior for any indication of what was inside.

Military-grade locks. No identification labels. No warnings.

That was never a good sign.

Feng Yizhou stepped beside her, gun still in hand. His gaze flickered to the control panel on the side of the unit. "It’s sealed."

Her system chimed.

[Unauthorized access detected. High-risk biological entity enclosed. Proceed with caution.]

Qingran’s jaw tightened.

She already knew that. But the fact that her system was actively warning her meant whatever was inside wasn’t just another experimental failure.

Feng Yizhou was staring at her now, eyes sharp. "Do we open it?"

She considered for a brief moment before nodding.

They had come this far. Whatever the military had locked inside this unit was important—dangerous, even—but if they walked away without checking, they’d be moving blind.

Her fingers hovered over the lock.

[Warning: Entity status—UNKNOWN.]

Qingran pressed her lips together.

Then she keyed in a manual override.

The containment unit hissed. Pressure released in a slow, mechanical exhale, filling the space with an eerie silence. Cold mist spilled from the edges as the doors slowly unlocked, revealing—

A body. No. It was a person.

Strapped to the interior with thick restraints, their head tilted forward, dark hair falling messily over their face.

Qingran felt her pulse spike. Human? No. Something wasn’t right.

She reached forward, fingers brushing against their cold skin—

The person’s eyes snapped open. And they weren’t human at all.

"Zombies!" she hissed, jerking back, hand already reaching for her gun.

Feng Yizhou’s stance shifted instantly. His finger hovered over the trigger. "Impossible. The outbreak hasn’t started yet."

Qingran didn’t take her eyes off the restrained figure. "Then explain this."

The figure in the containment unit twitched. Its breath came in slow, ragged gasps, chest barely rising. A moment passed. Then another.

Then it moved.

Not a lunge. Not a mindless struggle.

A slow, deliberate lift of its head.

Qingran’s grip tightened. This wasn’t normal.

The thing looked at them. No hunger. No blind aggression. Just...observation.

Her system spoke again.

[New anomaly detected. Classification: Unknown.]

Qingran gritted her teeth. Not helping.

Feng Yizhou took a slow step forward. "It’s restrained. If it hasn’t attacked yet—"

"Yet." Qingran’s voice was sharp. "Key word."

But something was nagging at her.

This wasn’t a mindless corpse. It was reacting to them. Watching them.

Which meant—

It was aware.

A sudden thought chilled her.

"What if it’s not infected?" she murmured.

Feng Yizhou shot her a look. "What?"