“Host, you’re easily satisfied!”
Cheng Lin’s heart skipped a beat. Ever since the apocalypse began, the system had been unusually quiet, rarely speaking on its own. She hurriedly asked inwardly, “Then do you have any good way to help them quickly increase their superpower?”
“Right now, the zombies haven’t evolved a crystal core. Without a crystal core to provide energy, their superpower can’t grow rapidly—they can only rely on day-after-day training, slowly accumulating,” Heheda’s voice remained flat, devoid of any fluctuation.
“Then why are you babbling?” Cheng Lin sneered inwardly.
Crystal core… she remembered reading in the book that after a month of heavy rain came extreme cold. At the onset of extreme cold, zombies would undergo an evolution. Once they evolved to a certain degree, a crystal core would appear in their heads. The crystal core contained pure energy, which could be used to rapidly enhance the strength of an ability user. During the first month of the apocalypse, zombies were still in their most primitive stage; there was simply no way they could have crystal cores.
Just as she felt a wave of disappointment, a sudden warmth brushed against her feet. Looking down, she saw Mo Yang nudging her ankle, lifting its head and staring up at her with wet, glistening eyes, letting out a low whimper, as if trying to comfort her.
Seeing Mo Yang behaving obediently, Cheng Lin’s heart softened instantly.
She suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked inwardly, “Heheda, I still have a fitness pill. Can I give it to Mo Yang?”
The book had mentioned that in the second year of the apocalypse, mutant beasts would appear. These mutant beasts were not only physically strong, but some would awaken their superpower, becoming either allies or threats to humans. Mo Yang was her first and closest companion in this apocalypse, and she didn’t want anything to happen to him.
“Theoretically, yes.” Heheda paused, as if calculating something. “The fitness pill contains pure energy and can strengthen an animal’s physique. There’s a certain probability it could trigger early awakening of mutation. But Host, the fitness pill is very precious. Are you sure you want to give it to Mo Yang?”
Sure?
Cheng Lin looked at Mo Yang at her feet. She did not hesitate, answering firmly in her heart: “Yes.”
Jiang Yi hadn’t arrived yet. In this crisis-ridden apocalypse, Mo Yang was her most comforting companion. She wanted him to live healthily, to stay with her for a little longer, a little longer still.
Upon receiving her answer, Heheda fell silent again.
Cheng Lin bent down and gently stroked Mo Yang’s head, speaking softly: “Mo Yang, I’ll make you something delicious later.”
Mo Yang seemed to understand her words, barking happily twice and licking her palm with its tongue.
Cheng Lin rose and went into the kitchen. She took two eggs from the fridge, carefully crushed the fitness pill, mixing it into the egg liquid and stirring evenly, then steamed it into a fragrant egg custard.
As soon as the custard came out of the steamer, Mo Yang wagged his tail and squatted at the kitchen door, looking up at her expectantly.
Cheng Lin took the custard, stirred and cooled it with a spoon, and poured it into Mo Yang’s designated bowl, placing it on his personal placemat.
The little one opened his mouth eagerly, devouring the custard hungrily, his eyes sparkling.
Watching Mo Yang eat so blissfully, a warm feeling surged in Cheng Lin’s heart.
She did not hope for Mo Yang to become a powerful mutant beast, nor did she wish for him to awaken any formidable ability user. She only hoped that the fitness pill could strengthen his physique, giving him a better chance of surviving this apocalypse, preventing him from becoming one of the mindless zombie beasts.
The sweet aroma of the custard hadn’t fully dissipated when Mo Yang, curled up at her feet, went completely still.
Cheng Lin touched his plump belly. Unlike the usual warm feeling, Mo Yang’s body was now scorching, as if he carried a tiny furnace inside him.
After the apocalypse, humans always experienced a high fever before awakening as ability users. Perhaps animals followed a similar path.
She carefully picked up Mo Yang. The little one was soft in her arms, his nose twitching lightly as if in a deep sleep. Cheng Lin placed him in his dog bed lined with thick plush padding, running her fingers over his shiny, smooth fur, the touch impossibly delicate. She squatted beside the bed, staring without blinking.
Time passed, and it was nearly half an afternoon before anything changed.
Cheng Lin had moved a small stool beside the dog bed. Her phone played a documentary saved before the apocalypse, but her gaze kept drifting to the dog bed.
Mo Yang’s breathing gradually became heavier. His previously relaxed brows furrowed slightly, as if enduring some indescribable pain. Cheng Lin’s heart ached, yet she did not dare disturb him, silently praying he could get through this.
Cheng Lin had been absorbed in the zombie documentary when a faint smell of burning suddenly reached her nose.
She sprang to her feet, following the scent—its source was Mo Yang’s dog bed!
Her heart skipped a beat. The thick plush padding had been burned through, leaving a blackened hole. Sparks ran along the fibers, spreading westward, threatening to ignite everything. And the culprit was Mo Yang, curled up inside.
His fur glowed with a strange red light, and his skin burned intensely. The moment Cheng Lin reached out to pick him up, her fingertips felt a sting, as if touching a red-hot iron.
“Host! Put it down!”
The system’s urgent voice rang in her mind. “It’s awakening as an ability user! Fire type! If you keep holding it, your hands will be burned!”
Cheng Lin’s heart leapt. Without hesitation, she placed Mo Yang on the cool tile floor. The chill seemed to provide him some relief. He let out a low whimper, but his body remained scalding, and the floor even produced a faint mist from his heat.
Cheng Lin looked at her reddened fingertips, trembling. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when footsteps came from behind.
“Sister-in-law, what are you squatting here for?” Zhou Yu walked out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of chrysanthemum tea. He wore a loose hoodie, his soft hair falling over his forehead, still showing traces of sleepiness.
Before he finished speaking, he smelled the acrid scent of burning. His gaze swept the floor, landing on the sleeping Mo Yang and the blackened remains of the dog bed. Zhou Yu’s expression changed. He hurried over and squatted down, reaching to touch Mo Yang, but Cheng Lin stopped him with a firm hand.
“Don’t touch! He’s awakening as an ability user. His temperature is too high.”
Zhou Yu froze, astonished. He was fond of Mo Yang and seeing him curled up in pain, he furrowed his brows tightly and sat down beside Cheng Lin, keeping vigil with her.
Time ticked by. The zombie documentary on the phone had long finished and automatically moved to the next episode.
Neither Cheng Lin nor Zhou Yu spoke, their eyes fixed on Mo Yang. The red glow on him grew brighter, heating the surrounding air. The mist on the floor thickened, accompanied by faint sizzling sounds.
At seven o’clock sharp, the kitchen door opened. Jiang Feng walked out carrying two dishes and a soup. He wore an apron, flour dusting his forehead, and seeing the two squatting on the floor, he couldn’t help but smile: “What are you two doing squatting here? The meal is ready. Wash your hands and eat.”
No sooner had he spoken than Mo Yang on the floor stirred.