Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System-Chapter 3: Even While dying she’s a beauty!

The ice queen of our office.

Both my worst enemy and greatest benefactor.

If Mu Qinglan hadn't accepted my job application, I might have fallen into depression—become a NEET out of despair. Before I entered the company, those were the worst moments of my life.

Though her fiancé caused me to suffer and hate myself...

'Could I leave her to die like this?'

A glowing bar flickered in my vision, displaying her current state.

Despite her face being a little pale, she still looked like the Mu Qinglan I knew—sharp, untouchable, and perfect.

But that was a lie.

She was dying.

And I could see it.

Until now, I had barely processed the strange screens appearing before my eyes. But now, it had fully translated into something I could understand.

A pale blue interface with crisp, clean text.

[STATUS]Name: Mu QinglanRole: ——Affection: 62/500 (Recruitable)Health: [●●●○○] 60% (Injured, Infected)Morale: [●●○○○] 40% (Breaking)

Strength | 0.7Physique | 1.2Agility | 1.1Spirit | 1.5

[SKILLS]Leadership [Level 4]Risk Management [Level 3]Charisma [Level 4]Business Management [Level 4]Fitness & Nutrition [Level 4]Self-Defence [Level 3]Driving [Level 3]

▼ Recent Actions• ——

None of this mattered—except for the words hovering beside her health bar.

My stomach churned.

'Infected.'

This beautiful woman...

My secret crush.

Mu Qinglan is going to turn into one of them.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Biting my teeth so hard my ears started to ring, unable to breathe properly because of self-induced anger.

"Mu Qinglan...?"

She groggily snapped her head up.

"W-What's wrong, Mr.Wang?"

Her voice wavered slightly—but I caught it.

She clutched her side in pain while leaning against a wall with ragged breaths. Trembling with each movement or word. Beads of sweat dripped down her face and mixed with the blood on her cheeks.

How long until she turns?

Does a cure exist?

Can I survive in this hellhole alone?

[The system detects the user's mental state declining rapidly]

[Analysing current state: 0%... 5%... 20%...]

The blue screen kept showing random images and words, all telling me what I could already understand and feel.

I swallowed the rising panic, but my mouth felt dry as if I had wrapped my tongue in cotton.

"Uh, I..."

What the hell was I supposed to say?

That she was infected? That she was going to die?

That the world just went to complete shit, and I somehow had a game interface floating in my vision?!

SMACK!

A sharp sting exploded across my cheek.

I staggered back.

"Huh...?"

Mu Qinglan's palm lowered, her fingers trembling slightly before she parted her lips.

"Calm down, Mr. Wang."

I blinked.

She slapped me.

She actually slapped me.

My skin burned from the impact, the sharp pain bringing clarity.

"Ugh... Don't hit me."

"Forgive me."

She looked up at me while rubbing her wrist. "You looked like you were about to faint."

The situation felt so absurd that I began to laugh, unable to stifle the low chuckle—it grew into an almost maddening fit of laughter.

A zombie apocalypse, and my boss's response to my panic attack was violence.

Yet I found her nervous face when I scolded her cute.

Classic.

I forced a smirk.

"Who would panic when they have a beauty with them?"

Mu Qinglan arched her thin brows. "Beauty? Are you talking about me?"

I scoffed. "Obviously."

But Qinglan seemed oblivious and just gazed back at me.

Her cheeks reddened a little when I nodded, which seemed to embarrass her further as she turned away and averted her gaze.

But there was no time to waste on that.

I leaned against the cold warehouse wall and thought about the situation and how to move forward.

Getting to my apartment alone wouldn't be difficult. But...

I looked at Mu Qinglan again.

Her health bar had dropped.

Two orbs.

Not good.

[Analysis complete!]

[Tutorial Mode Activated!]

The system's pop-ups were becoming more frequent. A little annoying, but this one seemed useful.

But it didn't matter.

Because Mu Qinglan was bleeding. A dark, wet stain spread across her blazer. And now her skin looked too pale.

"Forget it." I exhaled sharply.

"Would you like to come to my apartment? At least we can figure out a plan."

She stiffened.

Qinglan seemed to understand her current state, and with her eyes becoming more bloodshot, I knew this could be a foolish action.

Her fingers trembled before she exhaled and looked at me with an odd look.

"...That sounds good."

But the moment she moved, a pained gasp left her lips.

Her knees buckled.

I lunged forward, catching her waist.

Soft.

Warm.

She winced, her breath ragged.

"Hnnng... It hurts..."

"Endure it," I said, lifting her slightly.

Her weight pressed against me, her heat seeping through my shirt.

She wasn't heavy, but the feverish warmth rolling off her skin was alarming; this couldn't be a normal temperature.

Her breath hitched, sweat dripping from her temple.

I felt her fingers curl weakly against my back.

Mu Qinglan was strong.

She wasn't the type to show weakness.

But now?

She could barely stand.

I needed to get her inside—fast.

We staggered toward the door.

Then—something changed as her fingers dug into my back.

Hard.

Painful.

"Ngh... damn it."

"Mr. Wang..."

Her voice was passionate, sultry and wrong... this wasn't the Mu Qinglan I knew!

My heart palpitated the moment her grip tightened.

A hot breath fanned my neck as she faintly touched me with her hot, juicy lips.

Dripping with saliva.

I turned my head—and froze.

She parted her lips slowly.

Drool glistened on her teeth and her pupils shrank to thin slits as a red glow flickered in her irises.

She was going to bite me.

BANG!

Desperate. I slammed Mu Qinglan into the wall twice, and a stifled gasp escaped her lips.

Her health dropped again.

One orb left.

She was about to turn.

"Hngh... Thirsty... Hungry..."

Her breaths became sensual and short.

She lunged.

[Warning! Your follower is infected!]

[Spend 1000 ZKP to cure the infection?]

"YES!"

[Error! You are broke.]

FUCK YOU.

[Tutorial Hint: Purchase imperfect cure for 100 ZKP?]

YES, DAMN IT!

A syringe flashed into my hand.

"Mu Qinglan—forgive me."

She snapped forward with a vicious bite.

I jabbed the needle into her neck.

Her jaws clamped shut—

—millimetres from my throat.

Then—

She slumped.

Her weight collapsed against me, her ragged breaths warming my skin.

A weak, trembling whisper left her lips.

"John..."

I shuddered.

Well...

This was way too close.