I Attacked Because I was Afraid of Death

IABIWAOD-CHAPTER 19.1

Arc I: Novice village

Chapter 19.1: New abilities (1)

Chi Xin had encountered a mutated zombie that had not been a high-level one last night; it was indeed something she needed to share with the protagonist group and she nodded in agreement without any hesitation.
Because Xiao Li didn't have a role in the movie, Chi Xin felt a little uneasy having him participate in the conversation. But as long as the plot didn't deviate too much, she supposed it wasn't a problem but took an extra look at him.

When the young soldier saw the look in her eyes, his face reddened and he lowered his head. His innocence made Chi Xin's eyes twitch and she turned away.
Jing Xiubai glanced at them: "Xiao Li is also involved and he can brief Base A in the future. Base A is currently the largest survivor base and there mustn't be any accident."
His words were a bit cold but they answered Chi Xin's doubts and she suddenly realized he had guessed her thoughts. Jing Xiubai pushed his glasses back as he silently glanced at Xiao Li, who was looking at him with a complicated expression.

The protagonist group lived in the same residential building and Jing Xiubai's room was next to Yu Xiang. He opened the door and welcomed his guests inside. Yu Xiang was standing inside with a splint on his arm, along with Jiang Congyun who looked somewhat strange, and Cao Yan.
"Chi Xin!"
Seeing them arrive, Yu Xiang bounced from his chair and waved his arms in excitement.
"Look, Chi Xin! This is from Congyun treating me! I was so stunned, isn't she much better than the doctor?" Yu Xiang showed Chi Xing the arm he could move today despite having broken it yesterday, "I really didn't expect to be able to keep it."
"Yu Xiang." Jiang Congyun called him helplessly, "Sit down, Xiubai has something to say."
Jing Xiubai grabbed Yu Xiang and pushed him back to his chair before he explained: "The potion from last time stimulated Congyun's healing ability."
"Very useful!" Yu Xiang sat down and nodded heavily.

Jiang Congyun's face was a little red. She got up and looked at Chi Xin, nervously.
"Xiubai told me you proposed to give me the medicine..."
"No." Guessing what the heroine was about to say, Chi Xin interrupted her, "You misunderstand, it had nothing to do with me."
Jiang Congyun was stunned and she glanced at Jing Xiubai. The man shook his head and sighed. Jiang Congyun pondered for a second and smiled naturally: "Anyway, you risked your life for it so thank you, Chi Xin."
She was genuinely sincere and Chi Xin couldn't help but be flattered. From what she had learned from the movie, although the heroine was not the kind of showing hostility, she had no reason to act intimately either.
Chi Xin hesitated for a split second and Jiang Congyun took it as it didn't matter. She smiled again as she went to sit back on her chair and Chi Xin had a whole new understanding of the heroine's good temper.

Once everyone was settled, Jing Xiubai tapped the table with his fingers, his face serious.
"Chi Xin, Yu Xiang already told me about last night." He glanced at Yu Xiang's somewhat embarrassed expression, "Leave aside all the zombies, he said that you encountered a... monster."
"Trust me, there is no other word to describe what that thing was." Yu Xiang said, "It looked like a zombie but gave the illusion it had eight legs, like a big disgusting spider. It was also very fierce."
"It should also have been poisonous. Lu Tao lost his arm." Seeing Chi Xin's inquiring gaze, Xiao Li smiled at her, "Don't worry, he is fine. Your action saved his life, I am very grateful."
Chi Xin nodded her head silently, looking very obedient, far from the person who had killed the terrible monster they were talking about.
"Just the thought there was something so terrible hidden outside the base... This is terrifying." Cao Yan said with a wry smile, "But Yu Xiang and the others didn't really get into contact with it, can you tell us more about it?"

Everyone's eyes focused on Chi Xin and Jing Xiubai's hand on the table slightly clenched. Chi Xin looked at them for a while and finally said what she knew.
"I didn't have time to figure out what it was." Seeing the disappointed gazes, she added quickly, "But I am almost sure it was controlled by something even scarier and it had its own consciousness."
"This is not surprising, zombies above level 3 are more or less wise." Yu Xiang interjected.
"No. It was not just wisdom but also... emotions. Before I killed it, it wanted to reconcile with me but something stronger was controlling it. It got scared and I had no choice but to kill it."

This part had never been depicted in the movie. Chi Xin told the truth but her words were too unbelievable. When she finished speaking, the room was silent, everyone too shocked to say anything.
Jing Xiubai's lips were pale and a trace of disgust flowed through his eyes.
"Are you sure?" He asked softly, "That monster, did it really have emotions?"
Chi Xin looked at him and answered: "I'm pretty sure."
Jing Xiubai sighed and Yu Xiang, who had known him for many years, keenly sensed something: "Xiubai, do you know where that monster came from?"
Jing Xiubai nodded.
Was the hero going to talk about the source of his power? Chi Xin straightened up, feeling excited to witness such an important scene of the plot.

Jing Xiubai was silent for a moment: "First of all, I need to apologize. On the day the zombies besieged the city, I didn't tell you the whole truth about my ability. I concealed it because there is nothing glorious about it, but only evil."
"Xiubai, why don't I tell them?" Jiang Congyun's eyebrows were twisted in a sad expression, "You don't have to force yourself."
"Thank you, no need." Jing Xiubai refused her kindness, "There is a secret laboratory deep in Country A's jungle. They research biological viruses and have been trying to create biochemical super soldiers. Congyun's and my abilities came from drugs that were developed there.
I was there for my studies and the scientists there took backpackers with ordinary backgrounds as test studies. They were kidnapped to be experimented on." A cold light flashed in Jing Xiubai's eyes, "I have seen a lot of monsters that were no longer human there. If I am not mistaken, I believe that what you described as a "spider" must have escaped from the laboratory."

Yu Xiang and Jiang Congyun already knew about the hero's story but the rest of the men were shocked. Chi Xin kept a calm face and Jing Xiubai looked at her: "Aren't you surprised?"
Chi Xin came back to her senses and as everybody turned to stare at her, she realized her reaction had been too indifferent.
"... accident." She answered.
As he told everybody about his past, the movie and scenes of his kidnapping or times he had spent in the laboratory had been replaying in her mind. She had forgotten she was no longer just a spectator now.

Cao Yan: "With what you are telling us... did the outbreak come from this laboratory?"
Jing Xiubai retracted his gaze from Chi Xin and nodded: "There is no definite evidence yet but I guess that it is tightly related. If we can figure out what the relationship is between the laboratory and the virus, we may in fact be able to cure it. This is our next objective."
He sternly added: "Cao Yan, as outsiders, we are deeply grateful to the base for taking us in but we may not be able to stay for much longer."

The room became silent. The world had collapsed and mankind had been greatly reduced; no one ever thought one day they would heal from this apocalypse. But now, someone was saying that he may be able to find the key to not only their survival but to also eradicate the zombie virus. The shock they were in was unimaginable.

Chi Xin's heart beat faster. This was when the main plot began!
In the movie, the next step had been to leave the base and investigate the truth behind the outbreak. They had left Chi Xin behind after they had learned the heroine had been the one saving the second male lead, and the base had been attacked later. Chi Xin had been sold in the black market of another base and accidentally saved by the protagonist group afterward. After her experiences, she had blackened and constantly caused trouble to them or herself, until she had poked into the zombie king's lair.
... no wonder the system decided this character was perfect to cause trouble.
Chi Xin didn't care whether she would be exposed for taking credit for the heroine's action, but she did not want to be sold in a black market; she needed to find a way to bypass this story without being judged by the system as going against the plot.