A Botched Robbery Meets a Tough Opponent

They'd picked the wrong targets for robbery and murder.

Knowing that the Crew Cut Man had a Fire Ability and that Qi Xing might not be able to beat both men, Jiang Zhaosu immediately lost her nerve.

Missing one lunch was no big deal. She didn't want Qi Xing to go off and get himself killed.

She was still counting on Qi Xing to find her a feast. Neither of them could die here.

Jiang Zhaosu tilted up her little face at Qi Xing and secretly tugged at his sleeve, her expression terrified.

Qi Xing glanced back at her, his Fox Eyes curving as he silently mouthed, "It's fine."

After that, the atmosphere in the car became somewhat stifling.

The Square-Faced Man was more talkative. He took the initiative to speak again, looking at Jiang Zhaosu with her head hidden beneath her hoodie. "Little brother, is this your biological little sister?"

"Ha ha." Qi Xing laughed. "Yeah."

The Square-Faced Man stared straight at Jiang Zhaosu and licked his lips. "She looks pretty young. How old is your sister this year?"

Qi Xing answered, "My sister is fourteen this year."

"So tender."

Ever since getting into the car, the Square-Faced Man and the Crew Cut Man had shed their honest, simple air and become sleazy. Now, for some unknown reason, they let out sinister chuckles.

The strange laughter, brimming with malice, made Jiang Zhaosu deeply uncomfortable.

Even without looking behind her, she knew the two men were staring at her.

Qi Xing had obviously noticed as well.

The Crew Cut Man spoke again. "Why are you always answering? Why doesn't she say anything?"

Qi Xing's voice turned much colder. "My sister had a serious illness as a child. After that, she lost the ability to speak."

"How pitiful."

The Crew Cut Man clicked his tongue, though there was not the slightest hint of sympathy on his face. His triangular eyes shifted back and forth between Jiang Zhaosu and Qi Xing.

As they talked, they arrived at the village.

Under the Crew Cut Man's directions, Qi Xing drove into the village.

Just as the two men had said, the village was indeed exceptionally quiet. Not a single zombie howl could be heard.

As they passed a self-built house, the Crew Cut Man said, "We're here. This is my home."

Though it was a self-built house in a village, it was exceptionally luxurious and imposing.

It was a three-story villa with a spacious courtyard and lavish decor, clearly the home of a wealthy family.

Seeing everyone else get out, Jiang Zhaosu unfastened her seat belt and prepared to get out as well, but Qi Xing gestured for her to stop.

"Brothers, I'll go in with you to get the bread. My sister is shy around strangers, so she can wait in the car."

"Come in together."

"She's mute. What if zombies show up outside? She wouldn't even be able to call for help."

After saying that, the Square-Faced Man and the Crew Cut Man exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly. "Come to think of it, I've never heard a mute person scream before. Hahaha!"

Qi Xing's expression instantly turned cold. He snapped, "Watch your mouths!"

Even without Qi Xing's warning, Jiang Zhaosu could see it now.

These two were clearly up to no good—bastards who had deliberately waited by the roadside for prey.

Now that they were at the door, the men stopped pretending and shoved Qi Xing around. "Enough nonsense. Get your sister out here!"

Watching Qi Xing get pushed about like he had lost all his strength and means to resist, like some helpless punching bag, Jiang Zhaosu bit her lip, opened the passenger door, and got out. She ran toward Qi Xing like a little bird and leaped into his arms.

Qi Xing immediately bent down and caught her, covering her ears with both hands as he comforted her softly. "Fortune, don't be afraid."

Buried in the man's warm embrace, Jiang Zhaosu was briefly rather touched. It would have been even better if Qi Xing hadn't still called her "Fortune."

The two of them clinging to each other in fear really did look like a pair of weak, helpless siblings.

The Crew Cut Man opened the front door, and he and the Square-Faced Man drove them inside.

Jiang Zhaosu held Qi Xing's hand, her entire body pressed tightly against him.

The moment she entered the courtyard, she smelled a thick scent of blood.

Quite a few people had died inside the lovely little villa before them.

Jiang Zhaosu tugged Qi Xing's hand and tipped up her face to signal him with her eyes.

These people mean trouble. We should get out of here fast!

Qi Xing turned his head and blinked his Fox Eyes at her in reply.

No rush. Let's see whether they really have bread.

Jiang Zhaosu was speechless.

That greedy brat. At a time like this, Qi Xing was still thinking about bread. He was greedier than her, a zombie.

Once they entered the house, the smell of blood grew even stronger, making Jiang Zhaosu's eyes redden as she kept swallowing.

How many people had they killed to create such a heavy stench of blood?

The hunger she already felt intensified under the stimulation. Jiang Zhaosu's eyes reddened, her face began turning pale and bluish, and her nose twitched as she sniffed the blood in the air. Drool was practically about to drip from her mouth, her zombie instincts fully exposed.

When Qi Xing lowered his head and noticed something was wrong with her, he seized Jiang Zhaosu and pressed her into his arms before the two men could notice.

Jiang Zhaosu's face was suddenly buried in Qi Xing's chest, plunging her vision into darkness. The rich smell of blood in the air was immediately covered by Qi Xing's scent.

By now, Jiang Zhaosu had tasted quite a few people, but she always felt that Qi Xing's flesh had to taste better than any she had eaten before.

Once she became a little stronger and could beat Qi Xing, she would definitely taste his flesh and blood.

So neither she nor Qi Xing could die here today.

Jiang Zhaosu wrapped both arms around Qi Xing's narrow waist and shook her head. Only then did she squeeze enough space out from under his arm to secretly peek at the Crew Cut Man walking ahead of them with one eye.

She silently calculated the odds of defeating him if she and Qi Xing attacked together.

Qi Xing lowered his head and saw her clinging tightly to him while baring her teeth at the Crew Cut Man with reddened eyes. The corner of his lips tightened slightly.

Did she really think they couldn't beat those two?

She'd just been hinting that they should run.

So silly. Kind of cute.

What was he supposed to do when he found this little zombie more and more interesting?

The Crew Cut Man and the Square-Faced Man drove Jiang Zhaosu and Qi Xing into the basement.

In the apocalypse, most places had lost their power supply. The basement saw no daylight, with only a single candlestick providing illumination.

The narrow passage was dark and cold, filled with the foul stench of fermented swamp gas that stung their eyes. Even Qi Xing, who could watch her devour people alive without changing expression, gagged as soon as he went down.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhaosu's heart sank.

Were there any plants in this place? Could Qi Xing's Wood Ability be of any use?

The basement door was secured with thick, sturdy iron chains, and faint, weak groans came from inside.

The Crew Cut Man took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Clatter—

The iron chain scraped across the cement floor, making a cold, piercing sound.

With nothing blocking them, the groans suddenly grew louder.

A scene like hell on earth unfolded before Jiang Zhaosu and Qi Xing.

Dozens of naked men and women were chained in a corner lined with dry straw. Their eyes were lifeless, their faces yellow and gaunt, their bodies emaciated.

There was nothing to shield them where they were held; everything was exposed. The floor and walls were smeared with blood and excrement, reeking horribly.

The chests and thighs of several people had been cut open, exposing stark white bone. The heavy scent of blood Jiang Zhaosu had smelled earlier came from them.

When the iron door opened, those people turned their vacant eyes toward them.

Some looked terrified. Others were numb as they turned their gazes back toward the corpses lying on the straw, their bodies carved up until not a single piece of good flesh remained, as though they had already seen their own future.

"Urgh..."

This time, even Jiang Zhaosu couldn't hold it in. Clutching her throat, she threw up.