Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 49: Cleansing Potion - I Didn’t forget... Okay?

Chapter 49: Cleansing Potion - I Didn’t forget... Okay?

To shoot without a silencer might have been a foolish impulse in the city centre.

The strange itch at the back of my neck created a tickle that jolted down my spine. Human shadows shifted in the distance. I could swear there were people atop the shopping centre, hiding amongst the wooden beams. Observing me.

"Yin, we should head back, but let’s head through the pawnshop route."

A place I didn’t wish to return to.

Where my biggest mistake since the apocalypse began happened.

Not using the system to bring Old Lei’s daughter back. Or at least trying, before that happened.

Yin’s unblaming eyes flickered in the darkening sky.

He licked his paws and stretched with his backside in the air, a rough meow leaving his lips before he jumped on my shoulder.

Then nuzzled my cheek, as if to say everyone makes mistakes.

Finding solace and meaning in a cat’s meow... I know. My mental health might not be as pristine as I thought. Yet I couldn’t deny the comfort this small creature’s gesture brought me. A warmth that made the negative thoughts fade away.

At least temporarily.

I thought about visiting Old Lei’s house and giving his family a proper burial. The idea lingered—his figure felt like my future self.

If none of this had happened, my future would have been like his.

Maybe that’s why his failure, his loss, and death still haunted me when I closed my eyes.

There were too many things happening, and I was just a regular guy a few days ago.

"Are there any potions with the same effect as an Upgrade Potion for S-Tier members?"

[System Message: There are three types of marrow washing potion]

After the voice echoed in my mind with a mechanical tone, the item shop opened two pages.

▼ Marrow Washing Potion

Low-Grade: 500 ZKP

Medium-Grade: 1000 ZKP

High-Grade: 1500 ZKP

Top-Grade: 3000 ZKP

▼ Infection-Curing Potion

Imperfect Cure: 100 ZKP

Full Cure: 1000 ZKP

[Beware! A person can only wash their marrow once!]

’What!? Then is the upgrade potion an idiot trap?’

The system didn’t answer me.

Thankfully, the cure came in potion and injection form.

I browsed the blue sale window that remained floating in my vision—there was also the potion that would cure Mu Qinglan. I didn’t know what effects it might have overall, but I wanted to offer the cure at least.

"Meow!"

Suddenly, Yin started clawing my leg, and then spat a red marble at my foot... he skittered off once again, and a few moments later, he brought another deep red marble.

That’s when it hit me.

I forgot about the stage two zombie cores...

Yin eventually brought all four cores to me, but he dragged one of the green cores... his greedy blue eyes shining at me.

"Meow!" His meow almost sounded like I will fight you to death for this!

I knelt and stroked his soft fur, "you can have it." This would help him survive, and I wondered if it related to his title of being the lunar beast.

Before I could stroke him twice, he swallowed the green orb with milky threads and leapt onto my shoulder, curling himself into a ball while using his claws to anchor himself.

’System, how much would selling these cores to you earn me?’

[Evaluating Cores]

[Red Core: 5000 ZKP]

[Green Core: 4500 ZKP]

Though I could feed one to Mu Qinglan.

I wanted to purchase the Top Grade marrow wash for Jiang Roulan, Shen Yifei and Qinglan.

But... that would cost quite a lot of points. If I sold a red and green core, my points would be 12,950 ZKP. That’s enough for the three marrow potions, Shen Yifei’s upgrade potion and Mu Qinglan’s cure.

"What are you doing?" A sharp, crisp voice spoke from behind me.

"Qinglan, did you follow me?"

Thankfully, it was the calm, blue-eyed ice queen who came to meet me. When I turned to face her, she sat on the wall with dozens of bullet marks on her legs, closed and leaning to the side, while looking at me.

"I did," she brushed her hair back, before smiling. "I wanted to see you."

Her blunt words felt strange, as if the zombie Qinglan and human Qinglan fused and spoke at the same time. "I see, that makes me happy."

"Does it really?" Her eyes lit up, and her smile deepened. "That makes me happy."

Mu Qinglan’s acting strange made me feel unsettled.

Did I get hit during the fight, or maybe I was dreaming... but since this was a chance, I stopped waiting and took the first step.

A small milky vial slipped into my hand as I spent 1000 ZKP.

"Qinglan, this is for you. I hope you will drink it."

She gazed at the bottle for less than a second before taking it, snapping open the lid and downing the creamy fluid.

"Nn..."

Her soft moan felt like a hammer to my chest. She suddenly hugged herself while closing her eyes. Trembling, as if cold, her face became tense, contorted as black veins pushed against her skin, bulging from the surface.

"Qinglan, what is happening?"

"No... John," she gripped her mouth that leaked a black liquid. "It’s fine... I am?"

"You’re not okay, Qinglan!"

Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor with a loud thud. Not only was her temperature high, but she was still trembling, each of her muscles spasming.

I could also feel Yin suffering from swallowing the orb, unable to help me... The system wouldn’t have betrayed or tricked me.

But making an enemy out of something helping me was foolish.

So I asked in a ’kind’ voice.

’What the fuck is happening?’

[System: The Virus fused with Mu Qinglan’s cells... a mutation is occurring. Forgive me.]

"Is that all you can tell me...?" I grunted in a low voice, slipping one arm under Qinglan’s neck, the other on the underside of her thighs.

As soon as I moved her, my stomach tensed... Her body weight was heavier than expected, but seeing her struggle removed all my worries, looking towards our new base, and my old apartment... My apartment was closer.

"John... I always..." She mumbled while her eyes fluttered. Unable to keep them open. "Wanted..."

However, her conscious faded, driving my heart into overdrive.

Did I kill her?

Will the mutation be positive?

Her skin became pale, before the system whispered into my ear—not the mechanical voice but the old tutorial voice!

[Feed her one of the Top-Grade Marrow Washing Potions, and the Red zombie core!]

My stomach churned at my selfish thought of taking the orb for myself, and resisting the words the voice told me.

Yet my feelings won... It appeared I felt something for Qinglan after all.

"Don’t worry, Qinglan... I will fix everything."

The sky roared with thunder and lightning. The wind rattled the window frames, making the building creak. I desperately rushed to my apartment, but the thoughts of hiding my path or tail vanished...

I placed Yin on the soft cushion in the main room, closed all the curtains and blinds, double-checked the doors and took Qinglan to my bedroom.

Thankfully, I found a bucket and filled it with cool water, because she was burning up, her forehead dripping with beads of sweat, as she gasped and grunted.

In my palm was the red zombie core... and the potion.

[Tutorial Voice: Good, feed her the zombie core, and then the potion.]

"How... her mouth is closed tight because of her convulsing spasms!?"

[Tutorial Voice: Are you stupid?! Kiss her, you fool!]

"..."

I wasn’t lying... her teeth clenched so tight they might cut through steel.

"Hnnng... John..." Qinglan groaned in her agonising state.

My chest felt heavy, a lump forming in my throat at her soft, cute voice... the images of Mu Qinglan... my boss, the woman I held an idiotic crush on, someone who recognised my value when most didn’t... suffering like this.

Sour bile rose from my stomach as I watched her struggle.

"Damn it...!"

Man up John Wang!

Save her.

The red core felt warm in my hand, a strange glow and pulse radiated through it, before I smashed my head off the wall to clear useless thoughts out of my head.

"Here I go..."

I poured the potion into my mouth, struggling to hold it before leaning over Qinglan’s face.

Core in my right hand, I used my hands to force her jaw open. Stiff, tight and powerful.

Her muscles tensed, but I was stronger and yanked open her jaw. I placed the red orb on her tongue, my fingers sliding across it, covered in her excess fluids.

But the black fluid leaking from her mouth was horrible, thick, and smelled like death...

But she was in pain...

So I shook my head and placed my lips against hers, slowly pushing the thick, gooey potion into her mouth.

As expected, she didn’t swallow.

The black fluid leaked through the corner of my lips as the fluids mixed in a slimy, wet and hot mess.

[Let me help you out...]

A faint voice filled with static spoke, before Mu Qinglan started convulsing.

Her body bounced, and her eyes snapped open, unfocused at first, before her hands suddenly grabbed the back of my head with a force far greater than I expected.

[Good Luck!]

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