In the middle of the night, Xiao Yan snapped his eyes open. His gaze was crystal clear, entirely devoid of sleepiness. Just two meters away from where they lay, several dark figures were creeping closer on tiptoe. Bending their bodies down extremely low, they wore the furtive expressions of guilty thieves, and they were none other than the men who had lingered outside by the entrance watching the spectacle earlier that afternoon.
Pulling the person in his arms tighter, Xiao Yan covered Mu Li’s head with one hand while raising the other. A beam of dark purple light shot straight from his fingertips, piercing directly through the skulls of those individuals. They only had enough time to emit a muffled groan before collapsing straight to the ground.
Before long, a rustling sound echoed out. Little Green’s vines reached in through the gap in the glass door, unlocked it, and wrapped securely around the corpses, vanishing with them without a sound. Everything that had transpired was witnessed by the man from the previous evening. Biting down hard on his palm with wide, terrified eyes, it took him a long time to regain his composure. Then, as if having made a firm decision, he cast a resolute gaze toward the direction where Xiao Yan and Mu Li were resting.
When dawn broke, Mu Li, who remained entirely oblivious to the events of the previous night, stretched languidly in Xiao Yan’s arms. Feeling the stubble that had sprouted along Xiao Yan’s jawline, he murmured softly, “Big brother, good morning!”
“Good morning.” Xiao Yan planted a kiss on Mu Li’s forehead. He had been awake for a long time, simply reluctant to wake his little darling. Still, given that they were out in the wild, Mu Li woke up barely after daybreak. Had it been any other time, even if the sky were falling, he would still be fast asleep at this hour.
Both of them had slept fully clothed, so they got straight up and headed into the restroom to wash up. Once they finished cleaning themselves, the other people outside woke up one after another. As the two men stepped out into the open area, they heard a man cursing angrily.
“Son of a bitch, wasting my bread and running off on his own.”
The man was cursing one of the four individuals from the previous night. Among the four bodies Little Green had dragged away last night, one man had lied about having connections in the military, using that falsehood to swindle a piece of bread from this victim. He had claimed his older brother was a military major who would never abandon them and would definitely send troops to rescue them. This was the precise reason why these people were willing to endure hunger hiding inside the gas station rather than stepping outside to search for supplies: first, they feared encountering zombies, and second, they harbored a firm belief that the country would come to save them. Little did they know that the nation had already collapsed and the entire globe had plunged into chaos. Where on earth would any military force come to rescue them now? By the time those in power finally regained their footing and established rescue teams, it would likely be at least half a month later.
The man who had promised to take him along had now vanished on his own, prompting the victim to curse a blue streak. After ranting for a good while, he pressed his face against the glass door to look outside before finally reacting in confusion. “That is not right. Their vehicle is still outside. How did they leave?”
His remarks drew the attention of the others. Gathering by the doorway, they chattered away in a flurry of discussion while casting frequent glances toward Xiao Yan and Mu Li.
Completely ignoring them, Xiao Yan went about warming up a carton of milk for Mu Li. Since his kid was still in the middle of a growth spurt, daily milk was an absolute necessity.
Squatting beside Xiao Yan with his head resting in his hands, Mu Li spoke to him in hushed tones, recounting a dream he had experienced the previous night. In the dream, he had awakened supernatural abilities, becoming so ridiculously overpowered that he chased zombies all over the world.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan merely chuckled. A rebellious teenager’s dreams were always this wonderfully bizarre. Unwilling to dampen Mu Li’s enthusiasm, he offered complete, unreserved encouragement, “Is that so? Our baby is truly amazing.”
Just as Mu Li was preparing to chatter on further, a woman’s soft voice drifted over. “Hello, big brother. May I ask if you two are coming from Haishi?”
Mu Li snapped his head up to see a woman wearing a white long dress. The hem of her dress was slightly dirtied, but the rest of it was clean, showing that she had taken deliberate care to groom herself. With her long hair draped over her shoulders, the moment she saw the two of them look her way, she intentionally reached up to tuck back a strand of hair, revealing a reasonably pretty face.
Her complexion was rosy and adorned with light makeup. Flashing a shy, demure smile at the pair, she stared fixedly at the carton of milk Xiao Yan was heating in hot water, yet forced herself to look indifferent as she continued, “Are the two big brothers from Haishi? I wanted to ask what the situation is like over there right now.”
Taking another step closer as she spoke, the woman kept her collar pulled remarkably low with the top button undone, exposing the skin beneath. As if doing so quite by accident, or perhaps simply to make conversing easier, she bent forward slightly, pushing out a plump, swelling cleavage directly into Mu Li’s line of sight. Instantly provoked, Mu Li sprang up, threw his hands over Xiao Yan’s eyes, and stepped forward to block him, barking in a fiercely hostile tone, “Who is your big brother? You look like you are nearly thirty, while I am barely an adult. Do not go throwing random titles around.”
“Oh?” The woman let out a soft, delicate gasp, her voice so tiny and fragile it could melt anyone’s heart. Taking a step back as though frightened by Mu Li, she clutched at the hem of her skirt with a helpless expression before casting tear-filled eyes toward Xiao Yan and apologizing in a low voice to Mu Li, “I am sorry, I am sorry, little brother. Sister did not mean to…”
“Shut up! You are not worthy of calling me brother either. Scram, and stay away from us!” Mu Li’s tone was fierce and icy. The woman standing before him was clearly no good news, and he had caught every single detail: her clothes were deliberately cut low, and that top button could easily have been fastened. She was obviously trying to seduce his big brother! When caught red-handed, she still put on such a pitiful, aggrieved act, mouthing words of apology while her gaze remained glued hungrily to his big brother. Her intentions could not possibly have been more obvious!
Biting her lip with a deeply wronged expression, the woman clearly had not anticipated that this seemingly sweet and obedient little brat would possess such a vicious bite. She pinned a pathetic look on Xiao Yan. Even though Mu Li was blocking her path, she could still see that the man was paying absolute attention to the milk in the pot, periodically testing its temperature with his fingers as if that were the only matter of vital importance in the universe.
The person she wanted to seduce was ignoring her, while someone else stood glaring at her with murderous hostility. Internally, the woman stamped her feet with rage, though outwardly she maintained her surprised and aggrieved facade. She had no intention of giving up so easily; the moment this man had arrived yesterday, he had immediately captured her attention. He was tall and handsome, and those terrifying zombies perished in his hands in the span of a single breath. If she could latch onto such a powerhouse, she would no longer need to fear the monsters outside. Furthermore, this man had food. The moment she became his girlfriend, she would never have to starve again.
The woman painted a wonderful picture in her mind. After all, throughout the three days she had been trapped here, she had relied entirely on flirting with the men in this place to avoid starving to death. As for Mu Li, her instincts caused her to completely ignore him. What could a little brat and a stubborn man offer compared to the warmth and comfort a woman like her could provide? Granted, the kid happened to be extremely good-looking, but if the opportunity arose, she would not even mind sharing him to serve the man together.
Naturally, Mu Li remained completely unaware of the vile thoughts running through the woman’s head. Had he known, he would have vomited yesterday’s meals right onto the floor out of sheer disgust.
The woman shamelessly lingered without leaving. Just as Mu Li prepared to dish out another round of scolding, the man who had been ranting earlier walked over, opening his mouth with the righteous, lecturing tone of an instructor. “Why are you such an ill-mannered brat? At such a young age, you are already learning bad habits. Little Yun just wanted to ask about the situation in Haishi. If you came from there, just tell her the truth; if not, just say you did not. Why must you speak so harshly?”
The man wore an expression of utmost indignation. Allowing his gaze to linger on Mu Li’s face for a moment before his tone gradually softened, he continued, “I am from Haishi as well, and I also wanted to ask you folks what—”
Before the man could finish speaking, he clamped a hand tightly over his mouth. Bright crimson blood began to trickle out between his fingers as he stared ahead with eyes blown wide in utter shock and disbelief.
Holding the warmed carton of milk, Xiao Yan prompted Mu Li to turn around and face him. He inserted a straw into the milk carton, handed it to Mu Li, and pulled his little darling securely into his embrace before casting an icy glare at the man. “If you do not know how to speak, having a tongue is entirely useless.”
Shock and dread slowly welled up in the woman’s eyes. As she stumbled backward in stiff, jerky steps, Xiao Yan merely swept a cold glance over her. That single look sent her into a shrieking panic, and she scrambled away on all fours, howling, “Ah! Murder! Murder!”
This brutal display thoroughly stunned the remaining onlookers who had been watching the commotion. Yet Xiao Yan’s freezing gaze left them too terrified to approach, rendering them incapable of even shifting their feet from where they stood. Meanwhile, the man whose tongue had just been severed collapsed to the floor, his throat emitting pitiful muffled sounds without managing to squeeze out a single coherent syllable.
“Noisy.” Finding the woman far too disruptive to his ears, Xiao Yan cast another frosty look in her direction. Before he could even make a move, the woman rolled her eyes upward and fainted dead away. Only then did he withdraw his gaze, sliding his hand into his mountaineering pack. Benefiting from the backpack’s cover, he pulled a cheese-filled sandwich straight out of his spatial realm.
Biting down on his straw, Mu Li remained entirely indifferent to the unfolding drama. Xiao Yan’s actions had been so blindingly fast that he had not even caught sight of what happened to the man, meaning his appetite remained completely unaffected, and he even took a moment to feed two bites to Xiao Yan.
The injured man on the floor fled in a panicked scramble, utterly past feeling any pain. This person was a demon; nobody had even managed to see how he executed the attack. Terror had completely overwhelmed every other instinct, forcing him to abandon even the woman he had fawned over so obsequiously as the object of his true love for the past two days.
The rest of the crowd dared not raise any objections either. A few belatedly realized that the individuals who had left earlier must have met their ends because of these two, but so what? Who would dare risk offending them over a bunch of strangers?
Once breakfast concluded, the two of them began packing their belongings. Seeing that they were preparing to leave, most of the people inside heaved silent sighs of relief.
Just as Xiao Yan took Mu Li by the hand and walked toward their vehicle, someone called out to stop them.
“Wait a moment.” It turned out to be the family of three from the previous night. Approaching Xiao Yan, the husband dropped heavily to his knees, kowtowed deeply right at Xiao Yan’s feet, and pleaded, “Sir, may I follow you?”
Mu Li had already climbed into the passenger seat. Peering out with wide, blank eyes, he clearly had not anticipated this development. Xiao Yan, however, seemed to have anticipated it all along, asking in an indifferent tone, “I do not harbor idlers. Give me a reason.”
“I… my body has mutated,” the man said, lifting his hand as a water droplet roughly the size of a ping-pong ball materialized out of thin air right in his palm.
On the second day after the zombies appeared, the man had discovered his ability to conjure water out of nothing. He had possessed no knowledge of supernatural powers, even feeling terrified at first that he was turning into a man-eating monster. Over time, however, he realized that apart from producing a bit of water, he remained entirely identical to an ordinary human, and his anxiety gradually subsided. Yet he had kept this physical change hidden from everyone, not even daring to confide in his own wife out of fear that he would be treated like a monster and ostracized by society.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. So the man was a water-type ability user. Given that the apocalypse had just begun, information regarding supernatural abilities remained extremely scarce, which explained why the man had been entirely clueless and still lacked any control over his powers.
“Bringing you along is acceptable. Do you have a vehicle?” Xiao Yan asked calmly.
The man immediately beamed with joy. “Yes, we do! We certainly do!”
“Then follow behind us. Though I am allowing you to come along, we take no responsibility for protecting you. Any dangers encountered along the road must be handled by yourselves,” Xiao Yan stated before climbing into the car. Reaching into his backpack, he quickly fished out several cartons of milk and packages of bread, tossing them to the man. “Consider this an advance.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Absolutely, I guarantee we will never become a burden to the boss,” the man promised with a grin. Showing no false modesty, he handed the bread and milk to his wife, having already upgraded his form of address.
Xiao Yan did not mind. Permitting the man to tag along was purely motivated by an appreciation for his ability; after all, securing water along the journey meant they could avoid constantly drawing supplies from the spatial realm. Having a mobile water source would certainly prove convenient.
Just as the man turned to head back toward his own vehicle, Mu Li called out to him, or more precisely, called out to his young son. The child had remained exceptionally well-behaved throughout, winning a great deal of affection from Mu Li. Retrieving two chocolate bars from his bag, Mu Li beckoned the boy over, handed them to him, patted his head, and asked, “What is your name?”
“Thank you, pretty big brother! My name is Wang Duoduo. My daddy is Wang Hao, and my mommy is Zhao Xin.” The child, Wang Duoduo, replied in a soft voice with a beaming smile. Must be said, the kid was exceptionally clever. Who could possibly dislike a smart and well-mannered child? Giving the boy’s head another affectionate rub, Mu Li smiled and said, “Such a good boy. But from now on, you must call me handsome big brother, not pretty big brother, understand?”
With pure childish innocence, Wang Duoduo glanced back and forth between Xiao Yan and Mu Li, looking genuinely torn before observing, “But big brother really is very pretty! The big brother’s boyfriend is the handsome big brother. The two of you look so well-matched together.”
“Hey! Little brat knows quite a lot, does he? Alright, alright, run along and get in the car with your mom and dad now.” Amused by the boy’s innocent phrasing, Mu Li pinched Wang Duoduo’s chubby cheek.
“Then goodbye for now, big brother!” Waving goodbye to Mu Li, Wang Duoduo scampered back to his parents. His mother and father had been standing on edge the entire time, terrified that their child might offend the two men. Seeing that both men wore relaxed expressions, they finally relaxed. Their kid had no flaws other than being a natural social butterfly.
With both parties settled into their respective vehicles, the cars slowly pulled away from the gas station, leaving behind a crowd of people pressing against the glass doors. Their expressions varied wildly, and what thoughts ran through their minds remained anyone’s guess.
Inside the car, while expertly navigating the wheel, Xiao Yan cast a sideways glance at Mu Li with a teasing smile. “Does my little darling like children that much?”
Before Mu Li could process the remark, he unwrapped a chocolate candy, popped it straight into Xiao Yan’s mouth, unwrapped another for himself, and nodded, his words coming out somewhat muffled around the candy in his mouth. “Do you not think Duoduo is adorable?”
“Is that so? Then let us make one ourselves.”
“Hm?” Mu Li stared at Xiao Yan with wide eyes.
Only to hear Xiao Yan chuckle softly, “In that case, big brother will work hard next time, and my darling can pitch in too, so we can make one together for big brother.”
“…”
Mu Li’s face flushed all the way down to his neck, though he remained completely speechless for a long moment. Had Xiao Yan not been busy driving the vehicle, those mischievous hands of his would undoubtedly have pinched the soft flesh along Xiao Yan’s waist.