Chapter 174 - 175: Author Friend
He frowned.
"I think Fair Shallow Land is somewhere near that region."
"Then perhaps we should visit Silent Knight Base first," Max suggested.
"If we ask around, someone might know where Fair Shallow Land is."
Hina nodded slowly.
The more she considered it, the more convinced she became.
For some reason, the thought of meeting Ni Mengxue filled her with an inexplicable sense of anticipation.
’Perhaps she’s the person I’m supposed to find.’
Hina had heard enough about Ni Mengxue’s missions to believe that she was an unusually generous person.
She also had a strong feeling that if they approached her sincerely and proved their loyalty, Ni Mengxue would be willing to accept them.
It was nothing more than an instinct.
Yet Hina couldn’t bring herself to ignore it.
.....................................
Meanwhile, somewhere else, a young woman was cursing her terrible luck.
"I seriously can’t believe this!"
Gu Lin wiped the soot from her face, only to smear more dirt across her cheek.
Her once-clean clothes were now covered in dust, and she looked thoroughly miserable.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded beside her.
"Wife, come and eat something first."
Gu Lin turned around.
A handsome man was standing before her.
He had long silver hair that fell past his shoulders, tanned skin, and a tall, muscular figure with remarkably balanced proportions.
Unfortunately, his appearance was somewhat ruined by his current condition.
His shirt was torn in several places and covered in dirt, while his black trousers looked equally worn.
In his hand was a piece of bread with visible patches of mold.
He offered it to her with a gentle expression.
Gu Lin looked at the bread and immediately felt disgusted.
However, she still accepted it and forced a faint smile. "Thank you."
The man seemed relieved that she was willing to eat something.
Gu Lin lowered her gaze toward the bread.
’How did my life become like this?’
In her previous world, she had been a princess.
She had grown up surrounded by luxury, servants, and every comfort imaginable.
Yet after transmigrating into this world, she had somehow become an orphan struggling to survive in the apocalypse.
The difference was almost unbearable.
Fortunately, there was one thing that gave her hope.
She knew this world.
More precisely, she knew that she had transmigrated into the world of a novel.
’As long as I can find the female lead, everything should become easier.’
The heroine of the original story was named Su Yao.
According to the novel, Su Yao was a gentle and compassionate woman who treated the people around her kindly.
Gu Lin believed that if she could become Su Yao’s friend and remain by her side, she would have a much better chance of surviving.
More importantly, she possessed knowledge of the original plot.
After all, the author of the novel had been her friend in her previous world.
Gu Lin had listened to her friend’s ideas and knew several important developments that had yet to occur.
The story wasn’t merely about humanity struggling against zombies.
Her friend had also planned an invasion involving mysterious monsters.
As the plot progressed, some of these creatures would gradually develop intelligence and eventually establish cities of their own.
One of the most important future developments involved a beastman who would appear at Starry Sky Base.
However, the humans there would reject him.
After experiencing repeated hostility and discrimination, the leader of the beastman would develop a deep hatred toward humanity.
Eventually, he would leave and establish his own settlement.
Unlike ordinary human bases, his territory would become a refuge for half-beasts.
These beings possessed physical abilities far superior to those of ordinary humans.
Their enhanced strength, speed, and endurance would make it easier for them to defend their settlement against zombies and other threats.
Within three years, their base would become one of the most powerful forces in the world.
However, the beastman who ruled that settlement had a secret.
He had been searching for his missing son for many years.
And that son would eventually turn out to be a subordinate of one of Su Yao’s husbands.
Through this connection, Su Yao would help reunite the beastman with his long-lost child.
The reunion would completely change the beastman’s attitude toward her.
Although he continued harboring resentment toward humanity, he would make an exception for Su Yao.
Out of gratitude, he would even grant her access to half of the valuable food resources his people had discovered.
With that support, Su Yao’s base would gradually rise to become the leading human settlement.
Then, ten years later, Su Yao would successfully develop an antidote to the zombie virus.
By that time, she would have become the wealthiest and most influential woman on the planet.
She would finally achieve the dream she had pursued throughout the story.
Recalling all this, Gu Lin couldn’t help feeling excited.
’If I can establish a good relationship with Su Yao before these events happen, I’ll never have to worry about my future.’
However, there was one strange detail about the novel that continued troubling her.
It concerned her author friend.
Before the novel became popular, her friend had once confessed something unusual.
She hadn’t originally wanted to write the story.
Instead, she had repeatedly experienced vivid visions of its characters and events.
Those visions had haunted her until she eventually began writing them down.
Unexpectedly, the novel became extremely popular.
Even members of the royal family had taken an interest in it.
Encouraged by its success, her friend continued publishing new Chapters.
However, she had also admitted that she couldn’t freely control the plot.
The entire storyline already seemed to exist inside her mind.
Whenever she attempted to change an important event, her writing hand would suddenly cramp so badly that she couldn’t continue.
Eventually, she stopped trying to alter the story and simply wrote down the events as they appeared in her visions.
At the time, Gu Lin had dismissed the explanation as one of her friend’s strange habits.
Now, however, she wasn’t so certain.
’Could there be mysterious power involved?’
Gu Lin sighed and closed her eyes.
There was no point dwelling on that mystery for now.
What mattered was using her knowledge to secure a better future.
According to the original plot, a special crystal would appear within the next month.