So the system was unreliable. Right now, she could only rely on herself—using the strength of her five beast husbands to venture westward into the Mist Forest and gather resources to enhance her spiritual power.
Because while familiarizing herself with the rules of the Mist Continent, she had discovered another dangerous point.
There was also a probability of mist forming on the eastern side of the Mist Continent where she lived.
Perhaps one second it was a bright sunny day, and the next second it would be shrouded in mist, with visibility less than three meters.
This was the natural mist of the Mist Continent. It wasn't toxic, but the mist acted as a medium, causing Fog Corpses to randomly generate in any mist-covered area.
Fog Corpses, unlike zombies, were monsters unique to the western Mist Continent. They were stronger than zombies and harder to kill, with only a slim chance of containing Star Stones in their brains that could upgrade superpowers.
Luckily, no mist had formed in the eastern Mist Continent for two years now.
The fear in Xiao Jinsheng's heart, sparked by photographs of Fog Corpses, had gradually subsided.
Just as she heaved a sigh of relief, a loud crash against the window resounded.
Xiao Jinsheng thought Mo Jiao, with murderous intent unabated, had broken in. She turned toward the sound, only to see mist swirling outside her window. Stuck to the shattered glass was a blood-soaked, skinned, living corpse.
"Help, help, help, help…" Xiao Jinsheng's face turned deathly pale. She sat frozen on her bed in fear, unable to move an inch, shouting hoarsely, "Someone save me—"
"Not good. A Fog Corpse has made it to the upper floor," Yu Yunxiao deduced at once upon hearing her anguished scream, guessing that a Fog Corpse had entered Xiao Jinsheng's room through the balcony.
The thought that if Xiao Jinsheng died, he'd die too made Yu Yunxiao burst into action, a white blur dashing for the upstairs room.
He tried to open the door to rescue her, only to discover she had locked it from the inside.
"If we weren't bound to live and die together, Xiao Jinsheng, your actions would mean you'd deserve to die," Yu Yunxiao blurted, urgency in his voice.
Que Zelian pushed him aside and kicked the door down with one powerful strike. Inside, they saw a Fog Corpse lunging toward Xiao Jinsheng on the bed.
With a wave of his hand, Que Zelian sent a gust of wind that flung the Fog Corpse out of the window, shredding it into minced flesh.
With the danger resolved, Yu Yunxiao, still bitter about being locked out earlier, quipped, "Scared now, aren't you? That's what you get for loving to lock doors."
Xiao Jinsheng sniffled, clutching a pillow as she climbed off the bed. She glanced at the shattered window, its shards streaked with blood and flesh, still visibly shaken.
She walked up to Que Zelian, this time offering a sincere thank you.
Boohoohoo, she deeply regretted it now.
This damned apocalypse was absolutely unlivable. Even having handsome men didn't help.
She had plans laid out, but nothing could prepare her for the visual shock of a Fog Corpse ambush.
After all, back in the day, she was just a fragile college student who didn't even dare watch horror films.
"Which room did you pick? I'm sleeping with you tonight," Xiao Jinsheng said to Que Zelian.
Que Zelian's eyes flickered briefly as he gently declined, "You're the head of the household. You should sleep in the master bedroom."
"Then come sleep in my room with me," Xiao Jinsheng insisted.
She was genuinely terrified. Between risking a Fog Corpse ambush in her dreams and having someone else in her room, she'd choose the latter any day.
At least, due to their shared live-or-die connection, none of these five men would try to harm her now.
Except maybe Mo Jiao.
Xiao Jinsheng had thought this through carefully before choosing Que Zelian.
Yu Yunxiao and Huaiqing's superpowers lacked offensive capabilities and were only at Three Stars.
Mo Jiao had Five Star superpowers, but his murderous intent toward her was too strong to ignore, so he was eliminated.
Among the five men, that left Su Ye and Que Zelian—Su Ye being Four Stars, and Que Zelian Five Stars.
But Su Ye was too fierce, had a nasty temperament, and liked using gory things to scare her.
Xiao Jinsheng figured Su Ye might not let her be killed by a Fog Corpse, but he was just as likely to place chunks of Fog Corpse flesh next to her bed as a sick joke.
So, Su Ye was out too.
After this process of elimination, only Que Zelian remained.
First of all, he was strong. Secondly, he didn't like to interact with her much.
Thus, their minimal contact made him the one with whom she had the least conflict among the five men.
"If you don't agree, I'll file for divorce from the other four," Xiao Jinsheng threatened when she saw Que Zelian still hesitating.
Yu Yunxiao chimed in from the sidelines, stirring the pot, "Hurry up and reject her."
"Fine, I'll sleep with you," Que Zelian relented, unwilling to face being the only one divorced and vulnerable to being stabbed to death by the other four, leaving him and Xiao Jinsheng as a doomed fugitive couple.
"Can you not phrase it in such a misleading way? We're just sharing a room. I won't even fight you for the couch—I'll take your bed. Thanks, bro," Xiao Jinsheng's confidence returned as her survival was assured.
Que Zelian almost lost his composure despite his high tolerance.
What kind of person was this? She was truly something else.
After leading Xiao Jinsheng back to the room, Que Zelian went to take a shower.
He had a cleanliness obsession, and after fighting a Fog Corpse, he couldn't stand the rotting, bloodied stench clinging to him.
Clutching her pillow, Xiao Jinsheng dove straight onto Que Zelian's freshly made bed.
Tonight marked the first time each of the five men had their own room. Everything on the bed was brand new.
Xiao Jinsheng rolled around in the soft blanket. Listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, she suddenly paused her wriggling.
When she thought about sharing a room with a 6'1" handsome man tonight—a man who was still officially her husband—and how he was currently taking a shower, her cheeks burned as her imagination ran wild with steamy thoughts.
Having read plenty of novels on Certain Tang, Xiao Jinsheng had lots of "experience" in envisioning scenarios, much of it X-rated.
She desperately needed some eye-candy to dispel the lingering terror caused by the Fog Corpse.
Thinking of the eye-catching scene to come, she quickly tucked herself under the covers, pretending to sleep but leaving a gap to peek at the bathroom.
When the water finally turned off, she kept waiting, but Que Zelian didn't appear for some time.
Growing anxious, Xiao Jinsheng threw off the blanket, ready to check if something had happened to him in the bathroom. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Que Zelian stepped out—not in the disheveled state she hoped for, but bundled up like a penguin.
Head to toe, only his hands and face were exposed.
"Aren't you boiling wrapped up like that?" Xiao Jinsheng sighed incredulously.
Que Zelian glanced at her meaningfully, his tone pointed: "The apocalypse is dangerous. Even men have to protect themselves."
Xiao Jinsheng: …
My god!
All she wanted was a little eye candy. She had no intention of jumping him. Was it really necessary to guard against her like she was some kind of predator?
But then, when Que Zelian pulled back the covers from the couch near the window, Xiao Jinsheng noticed he was wearing three pairs of socks.
It was May—not exactly sweltering, but definitely warm.
This man wasn't just bundled up like a penguin; he'd gone to the extreme with socks.
Clearly, he'd come fully prepared to discourage any urges she might have. Even if she attempted to overpower him, the process of stripping through all that would kill the mood entirely.
Xiao Jinsheng was genuinely impressed. Fine, if he didn't want to give her a peek, she wouldn't force it.
As she climbed under the covers to sleep, she huffed at Que Zelian, "You're no male bodhisattva material."
"I don't believe in Buddhism," Que Zelian replied, turning his head to look at her.
Seeing Xiao Jinsheng's frustrated expression, he couldn't help but smirk.
She said she would change, and he truly hoped she would.
At least her angry, pouting look was far more tolerable than usual.
Meanwhile, the four men outside, still up late dealing with Fog Corpses, had complicated feelings when they glanced at Que Zelian's securely locked bedroom. They'd even heard the shower running. Everything about it felt… peculiar.