First Meal

Jiang Zhaosu: ???

Who was he calling Fugui?!

While she was still stunned by the inexplicable nickname, Qi Xing had already slit Shen Qiang's throat with the dagger in his hand.

The rich scent of blood spread through the air, and Jiang Zhaosu's bright black eyes instantly turned murky and crimson with hunger.

The hunger she had endured for so long crashed over Jiang Zhaosu like raging waves. Starved to the point of desperation, all she could think about now was eating.

Her body suddenly filled with strength. Restless and agitated, Jiang Zhaosu abruptly sprang up, swept aside the shelf blocking her path, let out a terrifying growl, and pounced toward the food she had long craved.

Qi Xing had originally intended for Jiang Zhaosu to bite Old Ma.

But the moment Jiang Zhaosu regained her freedom, she charged straight at him, drooling. Qi Xing could not help but sigh.

A zombie was still a zombie. The moment it smelled blood, it lost all reason.

She could not be trusted.

With a flick of his wrist, Qi Xing hurled Shen Qiang at Jiang Zhaosu, buying himself time to activate his ability and restrain her again.

But just as he was about to summon vines, he saw the little zombie sway as she caught Shen Qiang. She widened her round eyes, stiffly pulled up the corners of her mouth, and forced an utterly hideous smile onto her mangled, rotten face.

Food!

There was finally food!

Having grown up eating at every household and thoroughly embracing the belief that whoever fed her was her parent, Jiang Zhaosu beamed at Qi Xing in delight.

The dilapidated supermarket, filled with dust and discarded packaging, seemed to transform into a Hawaii beach amid the fragrant aroma of food.

The beach was planted with beautiful, sturdy coconut trees, their branches laden with fruit.

Like a little wildling who had starved for more than a decade, Jiang Zhaosu climbed the coconut tree with both hands and feet, plucked a coconut, bared her sharp white teeth, and crunched through the shell.

The coconut meat was firm and delicious, while fresh, sweet coconut juice burst from the shell and splashed all over Jiang Zhaosu's face.

The agonizing hunger that had tormented her stomach for so long was finally satisfied. Jiang Zhaosu let out a happy roar.

"Awoo! Awoo!"

Holding a muscular hunk while enjoying delicious fruit—this was too blissful!

Naturally, Qi Xing, who understood zombie-speak so well, heard her joy in those cries.

Watching Jiang Zhaosu cling to Shen Qiang's neck with her thin arms, hugging him tightly with obvious affection like a little monkey, Qi Xing's lips curved slightly as well.

He dismissed most of the vines, leaving only two behind. Just as they had bound Jiang Zhaosu earlier, they thoughtfully tied Shen Qiang's hands and feet, lest he still had enough strength left to suddenly kick Jiang Zhaosu's slender limbs apart.

Only then did Qi Xing feel at ease leaving Shen Qiang to Jiang Zhaosu while he went to deal with Old Ma.

Qi Xing had previously been the captain of their three-man team. For this mission, their superiors had only issued two guns.

Qi Xing considered his ability strong and his ability to withstand danger high, so he generously gave the guns to those two relatively weaker teammates to ensure their survival.

He had never expected the people he protected to be two beasts, repaying kindness with betrayal and even trying to murder him.

Shen Qiang was already on his last breath not far away. Seeing Qi Xing approach with a dagger in hand, Old Ma's legs trembled, and he wet himself on the spot.

"Xing, I know I was wrong, I know... Please, for the sake of us both being human, spare me... From now on, I'll serve you like an ox or a horse. I'll never betray you again."

Old Ma sobbed as he begged for mercy, twisting his gaunt body and repeatedly smashing his forehead against the floor as he kowtowed to Qi Xing.

"Forgive you?"

Qi Xing had fair skin and exquisitely beautiful features. Though he looked aloof and proud, he did not seem aggressive, as though there was always room to negotiate with him calmly about anything.

Qi Xing had indeed always treated them this way.

Sometimes, when they made mistakes, as long as they shamelessly begged Qi Xing without letting up, he would usually sigh helplessly and let it go.

This time, Qi Xing seemed just as easy to talk to as always.

Qi Xing slowly crouched beside him, his beautiful narrow Fox Eyes slightly narrowed as he answered in a gentle voice, "All right."

But Qi Xing's handsome face was still splattered with the blood that had sprayed out when Shen Qiang died. With a smile at the corner of his lips, he looked bewitching and eerie.

Old Ma's eyes lit up. He thought that Qi Xing was still only a young man in his early twenties, inexperienced and softhearted.

The next second, the dagger in Qi Xing's hand plunged cleanly into his chest.

The sharp blade opened a bloody wound, and large amounts of blood streamed continuously from it.

That was not enough.

As though he felt he had stabbed the wrong spot, Qi Xing pulled out the dagger and drove it in a second time. His wrist shifted slightly as he slowly turned the hilt, as if kneading dough.

The usually gentle and friendly Qi Xing seemed like a completely different person at this moment. He still wore a mild smile, but his actions were crisp and merciless.

Old Ma trembled from head to toe in pain and stared at him in disbelief. "You..."

Hadn't he said he forgave him? Why was he still doing this?

As if seeing through his thoughts, Qi Xing searched through Old Ma's chest for what he wanted and said, "Yes, I forgive you."

Qi Xing's Fox Eyes tilted upward slightly, and a gentle yet cold smile hung from his lips. "But what does that have to do with me killing you next?"

What a joke. He was not an idiot. Why would he keep a threatening person by his side?

After quite some effort, Qi Xing finally found a small, hard object in Old Ma's chest and gouged it out without hesitation.

After wiping away the blood, the little object emitted a soft green glow.

This was Old Ma's Crystal Core.

As a Rank C Ability User, Old Ma's Crystal Core was pitifully small, only the size of a fingernail.

Even such a poor-quality Crystal Core was a rare treasure in the apocalypse. In some bases, it could be exchanged for a week's worth of rations.

Old Ma had completely stopped breathing by then.

With his hopes of survival shattered, Old Ma's expression turned vicious and venomous. His cloudy eyeballs bulged out like a frog's, glaring viciously at Qi Xing. He died with his eyes open.

Qi Xing was not affected in the slightest. Calmly, he searched Old Ma once more and stuffed his gun and several other useful items into his backpack.

After finishing, Qi Xing stood and walked toward Jiang Zhaosu.

"Is that enough to eat, Fugui? If not, there's another one over there," Qi Xing kindly reminded her.

After eating, Jiang Zhaosu felt a warm current flow down her throat and into her body. A strange heat rose in her stomach, filling every part of her limbs and bones.

Like parched fields receiving sweet rain, Jiang Zhaosu's body actually began to repair itself under the effect of that comfortable warmth.

The rotten flesh on her body became smooth and soft. Fresh new flesh began growing where the Acid Rain had corroded her, and even her bluish-white skin gained a faint flush of color. She no longer gave off such a strong stench of decay.

Jiang Zhaosu gradually began to understand why zombies craved flesh and blood so desperately.

How was this any different from getting high?

Of course, she had never even smoked before. She was an absolutely law-abiding citizen. (Illegal activities must not be done!)

Hearing Qi Xing's words, the law-abiding citizen Jiang Zhaosu gradually regained her senses from the hunger. She slowly stopped eating and stared blankly at her blood-red hands.

Shen Qiang beneath her had long stopped breathing. His face was bluish-gray and mangled beyond recognition, making him look even more terrifying than a zombie.

Jiang Zhaosu froze for a full minute before suddenly covering her mouth. She rolled and scrambled off Shen Qiang's back, crawled to an empty patch nearby, and began to vomit.

"Blegh..."