Daily Life of Being Turned Gay by the Male Lead After Transmigrating into an Apocalypse – CH19

Chapter 19: A Great Harvest!

Jiang Jue reacted with lightning speed. His left hand shot out, seizing Chu Yang by the collar and violently hauling him back out of harm’s way.

At the same time, with a sharp snap of his right wrist, he swept his straight blade in a wide silver arc. The steel gleamed like a ribbon of light through the air, and with a wet slice, the rotting head of the ambushing zombie was cleanly severed, sent flying into the snow.

Almost at the exact moment the decapitated corpse dropped, a second zombie sprang from Jiang Jue’s blind spot, its gaping, foul maw snapping straight for his sword arm.

Jiang Jue didn’t flinch. Riding the momentum of his previous swing, he pivoted smoothly on his heel and drove the tip of his blade straight down.

Pfft—!

The sharp point pierced directly through the creature’s open mouth with pinpoint accuracy, erupting out the back of its skull.

The entire exchange took place in the span of a single breath.

Only after both bodies hit the ground did Jiang Jue turn a frosty glare onto Chu Yang. “Chu Yang, this is a battlefield, not a spectator sport!”

A faint edge of anger and suppressed panic leaked through his cold tone. He cast a stiff, awkward glance in the direction of the short-haired woman before looking back at Chu Yang. “Staring blankly at a stranger—do you have a death wish? If I hadn’t yanked you back, you’d already be a side dish for them!”

Chu Yang had stumbled when he was hauled back, but catching sight of the twin corpses at their feet, a cold sweat broke out across his back. His heart pounded against his ribs.

“That was close… way too close! I almost lost my life right here! Thanks, Brother Jiang!” Patting his chest in lingering shock, Chu Yang offered his most sincere gratitude, thoroughly embarrassed by his own carelessness.

He didn’t dare lose focus again. Shaking his head vigorously to clear his mind, he threw himself into the fight with complete concentration.

At first, he poured his mental energy into precise, long-range spatial strikes. But as the continuous use began to drain his stamina, making his head spin with dizziness, he decisively tightened his grip on his Tang dao. Moving back-to-back with Jiang Jue, he engaged the horde in brutal close-quarters combat.

With everyone coordinating smoothly, the chaotic skirmish was steadily brought under control. In less than half an hour, all thirty-odd zombies were completely wiped out, leaving the open courtyard strewn with motionless corpses.

“Phew… I’m dead on my feet!” Chu Yang leaned heavily against his blade, hunching over as he gasped for air. Sweat beaded across his forehead, and his forearms trembled from the sheer physical strain.

Yet, as he looked at the sea of fallen monsters, his exhaustion was instantly eclipsed by pure excitement. His eyes lit up like lanterns. “Brother Jiang! With this many down, we’re definitely going to harvest a mountain of crystal cores!”

He was just about to crouch down and begin the grand task of looting when he noticed the short-haired woman with the Ice Ability had already beaten him to it.

She was remarkably methodical. Without a change in expression, she used a compact hunting dagger to cleanly split open the fallen skulls, searching through the brain tissue with movements that were even smoother and more practiced than Chu Yang’s.

“Wait, what?” Chu Yang froze, dropping his voice to a whisper beside Jiang Jue. “I didn’t think anyone else would figure out the secret of the crystal cores this early. Look at how experienced she is… She’s definitely a pro.”

Just then, the group of seven or eight men from Building 3 strolled over.

Leading them was a burly man with a jagged scar running across his cheek. He sized up Jiang Jue and Chu Yang, lingering on their blood-slicked blades and the terrifying combat prowess they had just displayed. Forcing a hearty, friendly grin, he spoke up, “You two brothers have incredible skills! Chopping through those things like you’re slicing vegetables.”

He paused, gesturing to his group. “I’m Zhang Meng. These are all guys from my building.”

“The world’s getting crazier by the day, damn it. Fighting solo is getting impossible. How about joining up with us? There’s safety in numbers, we can gather supplies together, and we can watch each other’s backs.”

Jiang Jue and Chu Yang traded a quick, silent glance.

Stepping forward just enough to position himself slightly in front of Chu Yang, Jiang Jue replied in a flat, unyielding tone, “We appreciate the offer, but we’re used to working as a pair. It suits us better.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Zhang Meng’s eyes, but he didn’t push the issue, brushing it off with an easy laugh. “Fair enough, to each their own! Catch you around. If you ever change your mind, you can find us in Building 3 anytime!” With that, he waved his men along and headed back toward his entrance.

Once they had put some distance between them, one of Zhang Meng’s lackeys glanced back at Chu Yang and Jiang Jue, who were intently digging through the skulls. Pinching his nose in disgust, the man asked, “Brother Meng, what are they digging around in those heads for? It stinks to high heaven—isn’t that gross?”

Zhang Meng waved a dismissive hand, completely oblivious to what a crystal core was. “Who cares what they’re doing? Maybe they’ve got some weird personal quirk. Stop overthinking it. That fight left me starving—let’s get back inside. I’ve still got a pack of noodles hidden away. If we toss in a sausage, we can have a hot meal!”

Hearing their voices fade into the distance, Chu Yang let out a quiet sigh of relief. He gave Jiang Jue a meaningful look, and the two immediately got to work harvesting.

“One, two, three… Our luck is insane today!” Chu Yang grew more energized with every find, his hands moving quickly. “We actually pulled out nine! Looks like as the zombies evolve, the chance of finding a crystal core in their heads goes way up!”

On the other side of the courtyard, Lin Xiaoyu noticed their impressive haul.

She watched as Jiang Jue calmly extracted the core from the final corpse, wiped it clean, and tucked it away, an unmistakable look of regret crossing her face.

She let out a quiet, inward sigh. I didn’t expect anyone in this life to uncover the secret of the crystal cores so early, let alone understand their true value… What a shame. I just lost a huge chunk of precious resources for early-stage leveling.

Still, she knew these were public spoils. Everyone took what their own strength earned them, and since she had been a step too slow, she had no right to complain.

With a soft sigh, she tucked away the five crystal cores she had managed to find, turned around, and slipped quietly back into her own building.

“Here.” Jiang Jue stepped up beside Chu Yang and opened his palm. Resting against his long, defined fingers were two translucent milky-white cores.

Chu Yang’s eyes practically sparkled. He took them eagerly and stacked them with his own. “With these two, that makes eleven in total! Brother Jiang, do you think if I absorb all of these, I’ll be able to break through to Level 2?”

“Mm,” Jiang Jue murmured, looking down into the boy’s gleaming eyes. He added quietly, “When your energy reaches a high enough threshold, you’ll feel it naturally. Just focus on steady progress—don’t rush it.” His tone remained calm, but carried a reassuring certainty.

“I think so too!” Chu Yang beamed, treating the small pile of crystals like precious treasure as he followed Jiang Jue back toward their entryway. “I wonder what upgrades I’ll get once I hit Level 2. Will my storage double again, will my blasts hit harder, or maybe I’ll unlock entirely new ways to use my space?…”

Watching Chu Yang’s animated profile and listening to his cheerful, ambitious rambling, the stern line of Jiang Jue’s mouth softened into a faint, gentle curve. He followed quietly half a step behind, climbing the stairs together into the warm apartment.

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