Chapter 106: The Woman in Red

He had even grown somewhat accustomed to Xiao Lei resting on his back. Thinking back to the ease and comfort he’d felt just a few hours earlier, Kong Zhe couldn’t help but smile and sigh, “Ah, Xiao Lei, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live without you.”

“Ah!”

Xiao Lei, startled from behind, suddenly flushed a deep shade of red. Could it be—was this a confession? What should I do? Should I respond? Her heart raced wildly, cheeks burning, feeling as if a thousand thoughts were swirling in her mind at once.

“What do I do? Should I say ‘I do’? Although I don’t dislike Brother Kong Zhe, isn’t that a bit too direct…? And, it’s so embarrassing—I can’t even say it…”

In that moment, Xiao Lei was utterly flustered. But Kong Zhe remained oblivious to her turmoil. After setting her down, he took her hand and pushed open the door.

Seeing the interior, he breathed a sigh of relief—fortunately, it appeared no one had been here yet.

On the tables and shelves before him, a dazzling array of gold and silver jewelry lay neatly arranged. But then again, in these times, few likely understood the true value of gold; even the awakened probably didn’t know that gold could be exchanged for coins. Ordinary people surely paid no mind to such things. Compared to these heavy metals, food was far more precious and easier to carry.

Without hesitation, Kong Zhe gathered all the golden items—jewelry and ornaments alike—into his collection.

To his delight, in the basement of the jewelry store, he discovered a large stockpile of gold bars, presumably the shop’s reserves.

Kong Zhe’s heart soared as he stuffed them into his ring without a second thought. These treasures took up no space, and with the ring’s ample storage, even if the shop was ten times larger, he could carry it all.

Within minutes, the entire jewelry store was emptied by Kong Zhe.

Glancing at the mound of gold piled in a corner of his ring, he nodded with satisfaction. A rough estimate suggested it could be exchanged for six or seven hundred gold coins—more than enough for him to appraise the tarot cards.

“Xiao Lei, let’s go… hmm? Xiao Lei?”

Just as Kong Zhe finished packing up and was about to leave with her, he noticed the girl standing there, eyes unfocused, seemingly lost in thought. He called her several times, but she didn’t respond.

He was at a loss. What was she thinking? Stepping forward, he shook her shoulder gently.

“Xiao Lei, hey, wake up, we need to go!”

This finally snapped Xiao Lei back to reality. As she came to, she blurted out, “I…I do!”

“Huh?”

Kong Zhe froze for a moment, instinctively confused. “Do what?”

“N-Nothing…”

Xiao Lei stammered, still tangled in the question she’d been wrestling with along the way. Her mind had been filled with whether or not to respond, which explained her sudden words when called upon.

But no sooner had she spoken than she realized what she’d said, hastily covering her mouth as a flush spread rapidly across her cheeks.

Kong Zhe looked curiously at her, noticing the deep blush and wondering if she might be running a fever. He reached out to feel her forehead.

Fortunately, though warm, her temperature was still normal.

“Xiao Lei, are you okay?”

“Y-yes… I’m fine…”

Seeing Kong Zhe’s puzzled gaze, Xiao Lei panicked internally and quickly replied, then sighed, berating herself silently.

“Oh no, I’ve made such a fool of myself. It was such a simple thing—I could have just said it outright. Now it’s so awkward!”

Feeling dejected, she scolded herself for lacking courage.

Why was she always like this? Wanting to say something but never able to get the words out!

She envied Tuan Tuan’s straightforward nature, someone who could say whatever was on her mind.

Sighing, Xiao Lei doubted she would ever reach that level.

Lost in thought, her peripheral vision suddenly caught movement—Kong Zhe raised his sword and swung toward her.

“Ah!”

The sword stopped just before her neck. But it wasn’t the sword that made her cry out—it was the roar of a beast close behind her.

Covering her mouth, Xiao Lei turned to see a lizard-like monster cut clean in two behind her.

A monster had sneaked up on her.

“Are you alright?”

After dispatching the ambushing creature, Kong Zhe sheathed his sword and noticed Xiao Lei’s pale face, guessing she’d been frightened. He reached out to comfort her by patting her head.

Xiao Lei lowered her gaze silently. After a moment, she raised her eyes, glistening with unshed tears, and softly asked, “Brother Kong Zhe, am I… useless?”

She felt so cowardly, always timid and causing trouble for others. When faced with danger, she could only cry and did nothing to help. Yet despite all this, Kong Zhe still stayed by her side, his care making her feel unworthy.

“That’s not true!”

Kong Zhe was momentarily taken aback, then shook his head with a smile, speaking earnestly, “Don’t think like that. You’ve saved me countless times just by being with me!”

And truly, since meeting Xiao Lei, he had been saved from peril more times than he could count. Without her, he might have already exhausted his chance at rebirth and met his end.

“Ah?”

Xiao Lei was stunned, then muttered with displeasure, “Then doesn’t that make me just like a vase?”

“A vase?”

Kong Zhe chuckled at her understanding. “What’s wrong with being a vase? Some people want to be one but can’t. Xiao Lei, don’t you want me to protect you?”

“No, of course not—”

Xiao Lei blurted out, then blushed, biting her lip and whispering, “As long as Brother Kong Zhe doesn’t send me away, I’ll never leave you…”

Afterwards, she silently added, *Then please protect me forever…*

“Oh? That would be my honor, Princess!”

Kong Zhe laughed and bowed slightly, extending a gentlemanly salute.

Xiao Lei stared at him blankly, then a sweet smile slowly curved her lips.

She had calmed from her earlier panic.

See, if she just tried a little, she could say what was in her heart…

Just as warmth blossomed between them, a voice suddenly rang out in the air.

“Oh, so you’re here after all! Finally found you two!”

Less than five meters away, a woman clad in red waved cheerfully, laughing, “Oh, sorry to interrupt your little love show!”

“Love show?”

Xiao Lei’s face flamed crimson once more, utterly embarrassed by the words.

But Kong Zhe had no time for her thoughts. Staring at the woman, his heart dropped.

He swiftly pulled Xiao Lei behind him, drew his Apocalypse Sword, and assumed a defensive stance, as if facing a deadly enemy.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, his face pale, and dread gripped his heart. He didn’t recognize the woman, but the symbol above her head told him everything.

LV89.

An 89th-level powerhouse!

Kong Zhe was at a loss for words. Levels above eighty mark an epic hero. In the previous world, even the highest human level was barely over sixty.

Even in the entire Monster Continent, epic heroes were rare, appearing only among a few great races, and mostly just breaking into the eighty-first or eighty-second level.

Though awakened beings ranged from level one to one hundred, it was said that in hundreds of thousands of years, no one had ever reached level one hundred—let alone ninety.

And now, on the sixth day of this apocalypse, an epic-level powerhouse stood before him!

For a moment, Kong Zhe doubted reality, wondering if he was under an illusion.

But the oppressive aura emanating from the woman instantly snapped him back to reality—this was no illusion. She was a genuine level 89.

Though she tried to suppress her aura, even the slightest hint was enough to instill primal fear in Kong Zhe.

What to do?

His mind raced. Why would such a top-tier warrior appear now? And what did her words mean? Did she know him?

He couldn’t be sure. The only certainty was that he could not defeat her.

If she were a level ten or even twenty, he might fight with experience, but this was an epic warrior! The gap was astronomically vast. She could probably defeat him dozens of times with a mere flick of her finger.

There was no choice now but to hope she wasn’t here to cause trouble—or was merely passing through.

Yet one thing gnawed at him—the tarot cards he carried. If anything could prompt an epic warrior to intervene, it would undoubtedly be a super artifact.

If her target truly was the tarot cards, things would be dire.

“Hm?”

As Kong Zhe pondered, he suddenly felt an emptiness behind him. Before he could react, Xiao Lei appeared across from him, her hand held firmly by the woman. Xiao Lei looked dazed, clearly unaware of how she’d been moved.

Kong Zhe was stunned. What kind of ability was this? Not exactly teleportation—she could move others?

And the fact that the woman’s objective was Xiao Lei—it was something Kong Zhe hadn’t expected at all.