I Attacked Because I was Afraid of Death

IABIWAOD-CHAPTER 25.3

Arc I: Novice village

Chapter 25.3: Growth (3)

Full of medicine, Chi Xin and Yu Xiang drove back to the base.
On the way, Chi Xin looked out the window in silence. Facts had proved there were loopholes in the system's commands, loopholes she could exploit. And while she had to work on it, it helped her greatly with her objective.
Perhaps the system had realized by now Chi Xin was now out of control and perhaps it was angry at seeing its authority challenged, but Chi Xin didn't care and determination flashed in her eyes.

"Chi Xin?" Yu Xiang's voice reached her ears, "We're here. Let's go in and give the medicine to Xiubai."
Chi Xin came back to her senses and hummed her agreement. It wasn't until she reached Jing Xiubai's room that she realized Yu Xiang's words.
"Jing Xiubai is making the medicine?"
The hero's living room had turned into a chemistry laboratory. All kinds of chemical instruments and bottles were neatly organized on shelves, on the table, and on all available surfaces. When the two of them entered the room, Jing Xiubai's brows were furrowed and his eyes looked tired but showed some surprise at their presence.

"We got you stuff."
Yu Xiang went inside first and Chi Xin followed. She closed the door carefully and with a shake of her wrist, a lot of different kinds of medicine appeared on the ground.
Jing Xiubai immediately squatted down and browsed through the bottles until he found the one Chi Xin had grabbed with her legs. He raised his eyes and looked at both of them: "This is...?"
Yu Xiang grinned with pride: "Chi Xin and I worked hard to find this."
Chi Xin rolled her eyes: "Ignore him. See if you find anything that can help Jiang Congyun."
"Thank you." Jing Xiubai replied sincerely.
Chi Xin shook her head.
"We used tremendous strength! We were almost killed." Yu Xiang covered his heart in an exaggerated manner.
Jing Xiubai's eyes became serious and he asked: "What happened?"

Taking advantage of the two boys' distraction, Chi Xin turned around and went out. She walked to Jiang Congyun's room and turned the doorknob gently.
The heroine was lying on the bed, pale and unconscious. Chi Xin stretched out her hand and touched her forehead.
It was cold.
While she knew Jiang Congyun wouldn't die, Chi Xin couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable seeing her comrade doing so bad.
"Don't be afraid, you will be alright." Chi Xin stroked the girl's hair, "You will be alright."
As she whispered to her, Jiang Congyun's finger moved slightly; the action so small Chi Xin didn't notice it despite her heightened senses.
She didn't stay long. Realizing the heroine wouldn't wake up, she sighed and left.

As Chi Xin headed back to Jing Xiubai, he was the only one left. She looked around suspiciously and asked: "Where is Yu Xiang?"
"He went to tell Cao Yao about your encounter." Jing Xiubai was unpacking a box of medicine. He grabbed a capsule and poured the powder inside a container.
"The Base L is very fragile. If someone wants to attack it, they can easily succeed."
Chi Xin nodded. She sat on the couch and watched the hero move.
Jing Xiubai's father was the director of the Research Institute of City A. The way he had studied medicine and chemistry was way different from normal education.
She watched him mix medicines she didn't understand at all. He transferred them in another container for purification, a calm expression on his face, and Chi Xin's agitated heart gradually settled down.

"I didn't kill them but I cut their hands and feet. They may not survive." Chi Xin suddenly said and Jing Xiubai paused.
"This is the first time I ever took the initiative to hurt someone." Her voice was tight, "They deserved to die."
She couldn't say anything about the plot and only repeated: "They deserved to die."

Jing Xiubai sighed. He put down the things in his hand, sat down next to Chi Xin, and looked at her.
"You did nothing wrong." His voice was gentle and sincere, "They were evil men, you didn't have a choice."
Chi Xin nodded silently. Wanting to change the conversation, she looked at Jing Xiubai's workplace and asked: "Will Jiang Congyun be okay?"
"Yes." Jing Xiubai answered with the same affirmative tone.
Chi Xin glanced at him with a teasing smile on her face: "You are so kind to her."
Jing Xiubai seriously looked at her: "Congyun is a very important friend. She has not only saved Yu Xiang but she has also helped me."
It was no surprise the indifferent male lead treated the heroine specially and Chi Xin waved her hand in understanding. Although the movie had never made it clear whether the two of them had been together in the end, she clearly gave them her blessing.

Seeing her behavior, Jing Xiubai felt a mouthful of blood was stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth but closed it helplessly. And as soon as Chi Xin glanced at him again she saw... aggrieved eyes?
Chi Xin: ?
Chi Xin wanted to look closer but his pupils were blocked by his lenses.
It must have been an illusion.

Jing Xiubai opened his hand in front of her.
"This is a new biological bullet. It was useless against the Zombie King last time but you probably used them all. I made a few more for you." He continued, "I don't have a lot of raw materials and I am lacking equipment so I only have a few so far."
He paused and light flashed in his eyes, his voice softening: "I'm not just nice to my "friends"."

Chi Xin stared at the hero's hand and at the bullet in it. She had the urge to slap her forehead... she hadn't used the other bullets, she had completely forgotten about them!
As for the second half of his sentence he deliberately emphasized, she naturally ignored him. The protagonist group and she weren't friends, it was no wonder Jing Xiubai wouldn't call her one.
"Thank you." She took the bullets, "I will remember to use it."
Jing Xiubai squinted her eyes, realizing she clearly didn't understand his meaning. He sighed again and let go of this topic.

After a while and after leaving him some food, Chi Xin left Jing Xiubai to concentrate on the medicine and left.
On the way to her room, he met an unexpected person. Han Yiyi was talking to someone else and as soon as she saw her, something flashed in her eyes. She dismissed her companion and walked toward her.
Chi Xin sensed the inevitability of the plot again.

Han Yiyi approached with a fake smile but couldn't hide the resentment in her expression.
"Chi Xin, what a coincidence."
"I have always been very talented in terms of bad luck." Chi Xin greeted her dryly.
Han Yiyi's smile froze. She looked left and right and got even closer before whispering: "Keep acting so arrogant, someone will come to avenge me. Everyone that bullied me will be punished."
Her voice was filled with both glee and hatred. But when she raised her head to look at Chi Xin, her face morphed in a stunned expression.
Chi Xin was staring at her coldly, showing no fear or worry for her words. She looked at her with clear eyes, full of indifferent pity.
Pity? How dared she?

"You're only a pawn, why can't you learn to respect yourself a little?" Chi Xin said and turned away, not intending in the least to entangle with this woman more than she had to.
The plot's pace was increasing and there wasn't much time left for her to put her plan in motion. She had two things to do; first she needed to follow the original plot and leave the base, and the second was to get rid of the system.