“Master, weren’t we going to the villa next door? Where are we going now?”
White Fox looked at Mu Qingruan in confusion as she walked down a street filled with zombies.
“The villa next door is too small. From what I’ve observed, there’s a much nicer villa not far ahead.”
Mu Qingruan strolled forward leisurely, paying no attention to the zombies around her.
“But Master, why aren’t these zombies attacking you?”
White Fox looked at the nearby zombies curiously.
“How can you be so dumb? Obviously it’s because Master has the ability to control zombies.”
White Tiger glanced at White Fox as though looking at an idiot.
“Master is amazing! With an ability like that, won’t you be able to walk sideways through the Apocalypse World?”
White Fox looked at Mu Qingruan with admiration.
“Of course.”
Mu Qingruan replied proudly.
“This villa really is bigger than the last one.”
White Tiger looked at the villa, which occupied over a hundred square meters.
One person and the two spirit beasts easily vaulted over the wall and entered the villa.
“It’s just a bit dirty.”
White Tiger wrinkled his nose in dissatisfaction as he looked at the dust covering the house.
“That’s easy enough to fix.”
With a wave of her hand, Mu Qingruan cast a Cleaning Spell, instantly making the villa spotless and tidy.
“Holy…! Master, that system actually didn’t take away your magic?”
White Tiger stared at Mu Qingruan in shock.
“This was compensation from their superior.”
Mu Qingruan shrugged and walked inside.
Although the Cleaning Spell had already cleaned everything, she still replaced everything on the sofa. She also replaced the bedding and all the necessities in the room where she would be staying.
“So what’s for dinner tonight?”
Qilin lazily rolled around on a tiger-skin rug.
“What do you all want to eat? I’ll cook for you.”
Mu Qingruan thought for a moment before asking.
“Looks like that’s not happening. Someone is approaching the villa.”
Azure Dragon’s spiritual sense immediately detected people rapidly drawing near, and he instantly straightened up.
“Sigh. We should have hidden the villa with magic when we first came in. How annoying.”
White Fox pouted unhappily.
“We’ll hide our next home after we find one. This place has already been exposed. You all should return to the Contract Space first.”
Mu Qingruan also released her spiritual sense toward the approaching group.
When she saw who they were, one of her eyebrows lifted slightly.
Every one of them emitted a powerful aura of killing intent and the scent of blood, as though they had just returned from a battlefield.
Yet at the same time, they were also surrounded by dense golden merit and an unwavering aura of righteousness.
The contradictory combination was both unique and striking.
“It looks like I can’t make a move against these people.”
Mu Qingruan deliberately found an area she hadn’t cleaned, rolled around on the floor several times, and covered both herself and the White Tiger in her arms with dust until they looked filthy.
White Tiger frowned in disgust at his now dirty fur.
Still, since his master wanted to play, he could only sacrifice his clean coat to accompany her.
Just then, movement came from the entrance.
Mu Qingruan immediately hugged White Tiger and hid behind the sofa.
“Boss, it looks like someone is living here.”
A man’s voice came from outside.
“Everyone, stay alert.”
Another man’s voice answered.
Moments later, footsteps echoed through the villa as the group entered and immediately spread out to search the house.
Screech!
The sound of a sofa being pushed suddenly rang out.
“Who’s there?”
Several men immediately gathered together and stared coldly at the sofa.
“N-No one…”
A timid girl’s voice answered.
“Come out, or don’t blame us for being rough.”
“I-I already said there’s no one.”
A small head slowly peeked out from behind the worn-out sofa.
Then a pair of eyes, like those of a frightened fawn, cautiously appeared.
They were filled with fear and unease, making her resemble a terrified little animal that naturally inspired sympathy.
“A little girl?”
The men froze.
“Don’t be afraid. Come out. We won’t hurt you.”
One of the men stepped forward and gently coaxed her.
However, the moment he came closer, the girl immediately shrank back behind the sofa again.
“I… I don’t know you. C-Could you just pretend you never saw me?”
The girl’s voice was soaked in fear.
It was soft and trembling with uncontrollable anxiety.
Her tiny body shook like a candle flame in the wind that might go out at any moment.
She looked as helpless as a frightened little animal curled up in a corner.
It seemed that even one fierce glare from them would completely break her spirit.
“Little sister, we’re not bad people. Come out, alright? Judging by the way you look, you probably haven’t eaten for days. We have something delicious for you.”
The man moved the sofa aside, crouched before the girl, and extended his hand.
The moment the sofa blocking her was moved away, she hugged the dusty cat in her arms even tighter.
“Hiss!”
The filthy little cat cooperatively bared its sharp little teeth, looking adorably fierce despite its tiny size.
“With your flirtatious face, anyone can tell you’re no good. Let me do it.”
Another man walked over and reached out to the girl.
“Little sister, come out. We’re retired soldiers. We won’t hurt you.”
His voice boomed like thunder.
“Waaah! Bad guy!”
The girl burst into tears on the spot, fat teardrops falling one after another.
The cat in her arms couldn’t help rolling its eyes.
“Uh… I guess I look even more like the bad guy.”
The man immediately became flustered when he saw her crying and looked helplessly at the others.
“Boss!”
The group all turned toward the man standing in the middle.
“Little one, we really are retired soldiers. Don’t be afraid. Will you come over?”
The man walked over, crouched in front of the girl, and gently extended his hand.
His incomparably handsome face was full of warmth.
“I… I’m not a little kid.”
The girl cautiously stretched out her trembling hand and carefully took hold of his.
“Alright, you’re not a little kid. Can you come out now?”
The man asked with a smile.
“T-Then… you really won’t hurt me?”
The girl asked timidly.
Her delicate little face was covered in dirt, and it had turned bright red from nervousness.
Tiny beads of sweat had even formed on her forehead, showing just how frightened she was.
“I really won’t hurt you. Trust me.”
The man nodded.
Only then did the girl slowly stand up.
However, the moment she did, her numb legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed onto the floor.
“M-My legs are numb.”
The girl lowered her head helplessly.
The man simply smiled without saying anything and reached down to pick her up.
“W-What are you doing?”
The girl looked at him in alarm.
“You can’t just keep sitting on the floor.”
He carried her over and gently placed her on the sofa.
The girl immediately curled up in the corner of the couch.
“Here, eat something first.”
The man took out a loaf of bread and handed it to the girl, who was naturally Mu Qingruan.
“Thank you, big brother.”
The moment Mu Qingruan saw the bread, her eyes lit up.
She happily accepted it and flashed the man a bright, cheerful smile.
“You’re welcome. Go ahead and eat.”
The man gently patted her head.
“Even though she’s filthy, I have to admit she’s really adorable.”
The first man who had approached her watched as Mu Qingruan tore open the wrapper, took a big bite, and slowly chewed.
She looked just like a little squirrel.
Unable to resist, he reached out and gently pinched her cheek.
Her tiny body looked somewhat frail.
Her clothes were covered in dirt and dust, and her hair was messy.
Her little face was smudged with streaks of grime, yet her large, round eyes remained exceptionally bright, sparkling like two dazzling stars hidden beneath the dirt.
Her nose was slightly upturned, and her cheeks puffed out as she chewed.
Even with her face covered in dust, she couldn’t hide her innocent and lovable appearance.
Her grimy little hands tightly clutched the loaf of bread, while blades of grass clung to her dirty little feet.
The sight of her made people both chuckle and feel sorry for her at the same time.
She looked like a lively yet slightly scruffy little fairy who had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.