After killing the zombie, Qin Wang casually shoved Qiao Xi aside, as if she were something filthy.
He glanced at the corpse with disgust, then noticed Qiao Xi still staring blankly at the zombie.
He spoke coldly, his tone harsh and cruel: “Don’t think I still care about you, Qiao Xi. The only reason I’m bringing you back to Yunjing is because your mother begged me to.”
“My mother…”
Qiao Xi stared at him blankly, flashes of her mother’s cold eyes and scoldings running through her mind, along with the scenes of her mother holding out her hand for money.
“What’s the use of all that studying? Girls your age are already earning money for their families!”
“He’s your own little brother—it’s only natural for you to give him money!”
Qin Wang rolled his wrist, looking at her with more indifference than hatred in his eyes: “If you turn into an ugly thing like that, I won’t hesitate either.”
“So don’t cause me any trouble.”
Qiao Xi trembled.
Qin Wang was a hardcore looks-obsessive.
He was also the strongest Lightning-type Ability User.
He killed zombies like it was nothing.
He was someone she couldn’t afford to provoke. Combined with the look in his eyes, Qiao Xi’s heart instantly jumped into her throat.
Without another word, Qin Wang grabbed her and dragged her toward the other end.
Having witnessed how he dispatched zombies, Qiao Xi didn’t dare struggle again.
Even if she was infected with the virus, she still wanted to live.
Darkness fell quickly.
The group found a clothing store by the roadside to settle in for the night.
The shop had two floors—a roll-up door on the ground level, and a rest area on the second floor with a huge display window facing the street.
The burly Northeastern man and the glasses-wearing man kept watch downstairs, while the rest rested upstairs.
Qiao Xi sat by the window clutching her backpack, planning to slip away once they fell asleep.
“What’s in your backpack?”
Perhaps because Qiao Xi hadn’t eaten much of their food, Qin Wang grew suspicious.
Qiao Xi kept her expression neutral: “Clothes.”
“What else?”
“Sanitary pads.”
Qiao Xi glanced at him. “Do you need some?”
Qin Wang said nothing.
She thought he was just asking casually.
But the next second, he reached over and snatched the backpack away.
Then he unzipped it and started rummaging through it.
Qiao Xi’s mind went blank.
Inside the backpack were neatly folded clothes, a small mirror, and a makeup pouch.
No sanitary pads.
His slender fingers casually flipped through the clothes—nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
But then his gaze caught a hidden zipper on the side. His fingers brushed against it. It felt soft.
Like liquid.
Qin Wang narrowed his eyes, pinched the zipper tab, and pulled it open a small gap.
Suddenly, a cool, slender hand pressed down on his. “That’s enough.”
Qiao Xi tried to keep her voice steady.
She grabbed one side of the backpack, trying to yank it back.
But Qin Wang didn’t loosen his grip. He turned his head, eyes dark as he stared down at her. “What’s in there?”
His fingertip tapped the hidden compartment on the side.
Thinking of how ruthless he was when killing zombies,
Qiao Xi frowned. “Squeeze jelly.”
Qin Wang stared at her for a few seconds. “I don’t believe you.”
He moved her hand away and pinched the zipper tab again.
Qiao Xi’s heart lurched violently.
The next second—
Smack!
His handsome face was knocked to the side.
The backpack was snatched away.
“You’re insane!”
Xia Manman, who was nearby, was startled at first, then looked at Qiao Xi with displeasure. “How can you hit someone?”
From their conversation, Qiao Xi gathered that Xia Manman’s parents and Qin Wang’s parents were old family friends, and that Qin Wang had apparently come specifically to pick her up.
Xia Manman turned to Qin Wang and pouted. “You’re just too nice. If it were me, I’d hit back!”
Qin Wang was still reeling from the slap, deaf to her words.
He instinctively touched his cheek. There was no anger at being offended in his eyes—instead, there was a hint of lingering aftertaste, as if the fragrance of her hand still lingered there.
Qiao Xi zipped the backpack shut again.
She looked at Qin Wang. Five clear red finger marks stood out on his fair face as he sat there silently, lost in thought.
She hadn’t held back—her hand had been a bit too heavy.
Then she looked at Xia Manman.
She was the weakest of the group.
Qiao Xi’s gaze landed on her neck.
Thin and easy to squeeze.
She couldn’t help but touch her own stomach.
As night fell, hunger flooded every nerve in her body, screaming wildly.
Nighttime was feeding time.
After dark, the zombies’ roars grew louder and louder on the streets.
Qiao Xi’s eyes swept over the sleeping figures on the floor. Everyone looked like a delicious roast duck.
Saliva involuntarily pooled in her mouth.
Her hand moved uncontrollably toward Xia Manman, who was closest…
But the last shred of rationality kept reminding her—don’t act rashly, don’t act rashly, Qin Wang would strike her dead.
Qiao Xi felt so miserable that a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were bloodshot—a sign that she was about to mutate. She hadn’t eaten in far too long.
Suddenly she remembered there was still half a bag of blood in her backpack.
She grabbed the backpack and crept quietly into the small side room.
She curled up on a small stool, pulled out the blood bag. The dark red liquid gave off a tantalizing aroma.
But the more anxious she got, the more her hands trembled uncontrollably. She lost control of her grip, and the blood bag tore open with a large rip.
Blood splattered all over her, and some pooled on the floor.
Qiao Xi completely broke down.
Outside, Qin Wang got up to switch watch duty.
As he reached the corner of the staircase, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He frowned, as if catching a whiff of something.
Then he pivoted on his heel and walked toward one side.
The partition door was ajar, and the moment the flashlight beam cut through—
A dark figure lunged at him.
The figure was too strong; even with his guard up, he was tackled to the ground.
The flashlight rolled away with a clatter.
The figure straddled his waist and leaned down toward him.
Qin Wang startled, but only for an instant.
He raised a hand to grip the other’s throat while using his core strength to flip them over in one clean motion, pinning the figure beneath him.
His other hand quickly gathered a Lightning Orb.
He twisted his wrist, ready to slam the orb into the figure’s face.
But as the orb came within reach, his hair lifted from the force of his own palm, and the light revealed Qiao Xi’s hollow, vacant eyes.
Qin Wang jolted and hastily withdrew his hand.
The Lightning Orb was forcibly cut off, sending a searing pain shooting through half his arm.
“Qiao Xi?!” His voice carried both shock and lingering fear.
The moment Qiao Xi caught the scent of a living person, she had completely lost her mind. When she pounced on Qin Wang, all she could think about was the fragrance of flesh and blood.
Damn it, Qin Wang’s flesh smelled even more enticing than anything she’d ever tasted.
But before she could get a bite in, she was grabbed by the neck and pinned to the ground.
At first, she struggled instinctively, until the Lightning Spirit was about to press against her face—only then did her sanity finally return, if only a little.
Qin Wang’s voice rang out, dripping with contempt: “Qiao Xi, are you so desperate for a man you’ve lost your mind? Can’t wait to throw yourself at me?”
Throw herself at him?
It took Qiao Xi two seconds to process what he meant.
“I…”
Her gaze unconsciously drifted to his open collar.
She swallowed hard. “I had a nightmare.”
Her voice was low, carrying a hint of fragility and helplessness.
Qin Wang paused for a moment, then climbed off her.
He let out a scoff. “That’s a terrible excuse.”
He bent down to pick up the flashlight, sweeping the beam across the floor until it stopped on a small pool of bright red.
His expression changed instantly. “What’s that?”
Qiao Xi followed his gaze to the small patch of blood on the ground, unconsciously rubbing her palm against her skirt. “My hemorrhoids flared up.”
“What?”
Qin Wang froze, then looked at the blood on her again.
“I said my hemorrhoids flared up.” Qiao Xi looked up at him. “You want to see?”