Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 30: The real truth

Feng Yizhou exhaled through his nose but complied, carefully setting her on her feet. Her legs wobbled slightly, and he kept a steadying hand on her arm.

She barely noticed. Her breaths was shallow and uneven, but this time, she forced herself to stay upright.

Feng Yizhou studied her carefully. "What did you see?"

Qingran swallowed. Her throat felt dry, like she had swallowed dust. She could still see the files burned into her memory—the research, the names, her own name.

Her voice came out hoarse. "It was them."

Feng Yizhou waited, his gaze steady as he leaned against the wall.

She let out a shaky breath, forcing the words past the tightness in her chest. "The government. They were behind it all."

His expression didn’t change, but she saw the flicker in his eyes. "Keep talking."

Qingran pressed a hand against the cool metal railing beside her, grounding herself. "Five years ago, when I submitted my virus for that contest, I thought it was just an ordinary research competition. But they took it. They used it. My virus—it wasn’t just a test sample. It was the foundation for what they created."

Feng Yizhou’s fingers curled into a fist.

She swallowed hard, her voice dropping lower. "And it doesn’t stop there. Someone else designed the synthetic zombies, like the one we saw in that truck. Another person developed a mutagen to turn humans and animals into something worse."

She turned her gaze to him, and for the first time since she had woken, pure fear shone in her dark eyes.

"They planned this apocalypse."

Feng Yizhou didn’t speak immediately. His expression was unreadable "The timeline?"

Qingran clenched her fists. "The release was scheduled five years ago. If the countdown matches. We have less than a month, 22 days to be exact..."

Her breath hitched.

Twenty-two days....

That was all they had left before the world ended.

"Do you plan to stopping it?"

Qingran shook her head, the system had confirmed it, there was no way to stop the apocalypse.

"No. It’s going to happen whether we like it or not. We just have to be prepared now.."

Qingran bite her lips, disappointed in herself, five years ago she had wanted recognition, that’s why she worked out to win that contest.

She never expected it to slap her in the face years after.

Lingquan’s voice chimed in her mind, softer than usual.

[Qingran, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know what they were planning.]

Qingran clenched her jaw. Her hands curled at her sides, nails digging into her palms.

Didn’t know?

That didn’t change the fact that her work—her research—had been twisted into a tool for destruction. It didn’t change the fact that, whether knowingly or not, she had helped the apocalypse come into existence.

Her voice was cold when she replied internally. "That doesn’t matter. The result is the same."

Lingquan hesitated.

[You’re still here now. You’re the only one who can stop it. That has to mean something, right?]

Qingran exhaled sharply through her nose, cutting off the system’s attempt at reassurance. She wasn’t in the mood.

Feng Yizhou was still watching her, she had already shown a weak side, she wasn’t losing composure again.

She straightened, forcing away the remnants of weakness. There was no point dwelling on this. She had what she needed. It was time to move on.

"We’re done here," she said, her voice steady. "I got my answers. Let’s go."

Feng Yizhou studied her for a moment, eyes sharp as if he could see the storm still raging beneath her calm exterior. But he didn’t push. He simply nodded and followed her.

They left the archive behind, the weight of its revelations pressing down on Qingran’s shoulders like a phantom she couldn’t shake.

They moved swiftly through the facility, retracing their steps toward the exit. Qingran kept her breathing steady, pushing away the weight of what she had just learned. There was no time to process it now. The priority was getting out.

Feng Yizhou stayed at her side, his movements were sharp and efficient. His eyes flicked toward her occasionally, as if checking to see if she was holding together, but he said nothing.

Qingran appreciated that. She didn’t need words. She needed to focus.

They reached the last corridor leading to the exit. Qingran slid the stolen keycard through the scanner, the small beep echoing in the silence. The door clicked open, and they stepped outside into the crisp night air.

The sky was a deep, endless black, the facility’s outer walls casting long shadows under the artificial lighting.

Feng Yizhou led the way toward their car, parked in a hidden spot off the main road. Qingran followed, keeping her steps light, her ears sharp for any signs of movement.

They reached the vehicle without issue. Feng Yizhou pulled open the driver’s side door while Qingran slid into the passenger seat.

Only once the car was moving, putting distance between them and the facility, did she finally allow herself to breathe.

The documents still sat in her mind, clear as if they were burned into her memory.

But she wouldn’t think about them yet.

Not now. She didn’t want to, her heart couldn’t take it.

Feng Yizhou drove in silence for a while before finally speaking. "I want to take you somewhere.."

"No...I just want to lie down.."

"I promise it will be worth your while Qingran.."

Feng Yizhou didn’t give her a choice. He kept driving, the hum of the engine filling the silence between them. Qingran leaned her head against the window, exhaustion settling deep in her bones. The night stretched endlessly outside, the road winding through empty fields and rolling hills.

After some time, he finally pulled over.

"Come on," he said, already stepping out.

Qingran groaned but followed, reluctantly pushing open the car door. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of grass and earth. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stepped onto the narrow road.

Then she looked up.

The sky stretched vast and endless above them, the moon glowing through a veil of textured clouds. It cast an eerie, golden light over the landscape, illuminating the quiet road that stretched into the distance. The fields on either side were bathed in soft shadow, their edges blending into the darkness beyond.

Qingran sucked in a breath.

The scene was hauntingly beautiful. The sky looked almost unreal, the moon like a lone beacon in a sea of rippling darkness. It was as if the world had stilled, just for a moment, just for them.freēnovelkiss.com