The soft little rabbit clung to his trouser leg, tilting its head back to look up at him. Its round, fluffy tail wagged gently, and its red eyes widened. One of its long, floppy ears perked up.
Huazhi realized she knew nothing about the people and things here. If only she could go out with them.
“Does she want to go out too?” Qi Chaoyang asked.
Yes, yes, yes! Huazhi’s tail wagged even faster, and she threw her whole body against Feng Jinghuai’s leg.
Qi Chaoyang couldn’t resist. “Bring her along! Bring her! Let’s all go!”
The sensation against his leg was warm and ticklishly fluffy. As Huazhi looked up, the little yellow flower tucked into her long fur caught his eye.
Feng Jinghuai’s gaze softened. He gently stroked her head before lifting her into the basket.
In truth, taking Huazhi with him was safer. The base strictly enforced laws against extortion, theft, and robbery.
After another narrow escape, Qi Chaoyang felt they deserved a proper celebration. This mission should have been simple, yet they had nearly died. He attributed their survival to his own luck and to having Feng Jinghuai with him.
The Free Trade Market opened every Saturday at 5:30 PM for only two hours. If they left now, it would already be underway.
The base’s daily maintenance relied on its own production and the resources harvested from the Spirit Spring space.
Though only the user could enter the space, it could still be used to raise poultry and grow crops. The base did not sell these products externally, reserving them solely as mission rewards.
In the apocalypse, all flora and fauna had been contaminated. The soil and water were also tainted to varying degrees, making them unusable. This made the Spirit Spring space’s produce a scarce and precious resource.
No one objected to this. Going out on missions was like risking one’s life. For ordinary people, simply surviving safely within the base was already a feat. After all, the two neighboring island nations had long been wiped out by zombies.
Qi Chaoyang had no ulterior motives; he just wanted a hot pot meal. With the generous rewards from their recent mission, he spent lavishly.
The two split up halfway, and Feng Jinghuai took Huazhi to the other side of the market.
Huazhi sat in the basket, curiously taking in her surroundings. The area was bustling, with crowds filling the streets and sidewalks.
Carried by Feng Jinghuai, she was positioned low, able to see only the legs of the people around her. However, the goods displayed on the stalls were clearly visible.
Most of the people here looked lean but fit, their spirits high.
Huazhi, tucked into her basket and wearing a yellow hair clip, drew every eye the moment she appeared. Word had already spread that Zhao Guohua had offered a fortune for a rabbit but failed to buy one. Now, here she was.
The crowd pressed in, and Huazhi felt her rabbit ears practically explode from the noise. A cacophony of voices and a swirl of scents flooded her senses.
“Is she really worth that much?”
“She is adorable.”
“People are starving, yet they’re keeping a pet rabbit.”
“I want to pet her.”
“She’d probably taste delicious roasted.”
The comments ranged from affectionate to malicious. Huazhi flopped her ears down, muffling the noise.
Humans really love eating rabbits, she thought. I have to be careful. If they catch me in this form, they might actually eat me.
Seeing her shrink into a ball with her ears drooping, Feng Jinghuai gently stroked her head. Instantly, the noise and smells seemed to fade.
He’s such a thoughtful, good person!
Feng Jinghuai politely but coldly rejected everyone who tried to pet her.
Huazhi followed Feng Jinghuai as he wove through the crowd. The streets grew quieter until they stopped before a doorway.
Feng Jinghuai pulled out a crystal core, dropped it into a box on the left, and knocked three times. He waited silently.
Huazhi’s ears twitched. She heard the crystal core clatter down, then roll inward, down, and to the left.
The door creaked open.
Bo Si looked Feng Jinghuai up and down before turning to go inside. “Come in.”
The interior was cramped, cluttered with a chaotic mess of weapons. It only opened up slightly in the back, where a forge stood.
That forge… Huazhi blinked.
Bo Si looked at her and asked, “Why are you back again?”
His gaze fell on Huazhi, whom Feng Jinghuai was still carrying. “Is that a rabbit?”
“Yes,” Feng Jinghuai said, handing over his Tang sword. “The blade is chipped.”
The zombies this time were more numerous and tougher. After so much combat, the blade had developed slight nicks.
While firearms were more powerful, the zombies were getting faster. In some situations, cold weapons were actually more effective.
Bo Si eyed Feng Jinghuai suspiciously. His calloused hand took the sword.
“Bullshit. I just reforged this for you a week ago. How is it possible—”
He stopped, staring at the blade. “How many zombies have you killed?”
The sword was a mess. It wasn’t just chipped, it had full-blown notches. A blade of this quality should have lasted at least a year or two.
“I lost count,” Feng Jinghuai said, handing over a Tier 3 crystal core. “Can you integrate this?”
Bo Si’s pupils shrank. He snatched the core. “A Tier 3, non-elemental crystal core?”
His voice trembled with excitement. “You’re incredible! Where did you get this? You’re the first person to bring me a Tier 3 core!”
Feng Jinghuai nodded. “Please forge it into the weapon.”
“No problem. Two hundred points and twenty Tier 2 crystal cores”
Feng Jinghuai agreed and transferred the payment.
Doing business with someone who understood the value of things was a relief. Bo Si came from a long line of smiths, and after the apocalypse, he had awakened a talent for forging. He could now fuse crystal cores directly into weapons.
“Give me four days,” Bo Si promised. “I’ll have it ready.”
Huazhi watched silently.
So they need crystal cores for everything, she thought. Even for their weapons.
They splurged today on a lavish meal: hot pot.
The nine-grid pot bubbled with a base prepared from a packet Feng Jinghuai had stowed in his space at the very start of the apocalypse. Though his space lacked a Spirit Spring, time stood still within it, keeping everything perfectly preserved.
The broth was a rich, authentic red oil. Qi Chaoyang had even claimed their latest mission rewards: a three-yellow chicken and three pounds of vegetables. He had gone on the mission specifically for that chicken, and he was just glad he hadn’t lost his life for it.
Feng Jinghuai was a skilled cook with a touch of perfectionism, so Qi Chaoyang handed him the chicken without hesitation. Several wind blades flashed through the air.
When the bird landed on the plate, it remained whole but had been sliced into neat, even pieces.
The broth soon reached a rolling boil, the beef tallow swirling and popping. Qi Chaoyang couldn’t wait any longer and dropped the chicken in.
Meat needed to cook the longest, so they held off on the rest.
Huazhi sat in her basket on the other side of the table. The cushion inside was soft, allowing her to sit for hours without discomfort.
She rested her chin on the basket’s rim, her head peeking out. With her ears framing her face, she watched them with a curious tilt of her head.
Qi Chaoyang felt a pang of affection just by looking at her.
He clutched his chest. “I can’t take it. Why is this bunny so cute?”
He turned to Feng Jinghuai. “If she’s this cute, she’d definitely taste delicious in a hot pot.”
Huazhi froze.
She instantly curled into a tight ball.
Huazhi glanced at the little gray rabbit’s progress bar.
【System updating… Progress: 40%】
The update had been running all afternoon and evening, and it still wasn’t finished. Huazhi did the math and figured it wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow.
Her mind raced through every possible escape route and self-rescue plan. If they tried to eat her, she could jump from the balcony or a window. The bathroom had a vent she could squeeze through. As a last resort, she could transform into a human, and they wouldn’t be able to throw her in the pot. But a sudden transformation might scare them to death…
“Don’t scare her,” Feng Jinghuai warned, shooting a sharp look at Qi Chaoyang.
Seeing that Huazhi was still tense, Feng Jinghuai pulled her basket closer and gently rubbed the soft fur behind her ears.
“Don’t be afraid. We won’t eat you.”
Feng Jinghuai’s touch seemed magical. As he continued to pet her, Huazhi’s body gradually relaxed.
Qi Chaoyang edged closer to Huazhi again. “Spicy rabbit head!”
Huazhi froze, then buried her face in Feng Jinghuai’s hand, refusing to even look at him.
Feng Jinghuai gently petted her once more before returning to his meal.
Rabbits already had an acute sense of smell, and Huazhi had never seen hot pot before. The moment the spicy aroma reached her, her mouth watered. It smelled absolutely delicious.
But after a few more sniffs, the pungent spice stung her nose, and she began to sneeze.
With every sneeze, her little head and ears bobbed, and her tiny mouth grew wet.
As he ate, Qi Chaoyang couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. The ancient saying a sight so lovely it could be a meal was definitely true. Just looking at this rabbit made him want to eat two extra bowls of rice.
As Huazhi let out her fourth sneeze, a faint glow enveloped her. The irritating spice vanished instantly.
Huazhi felt a wave of relief, quickly followed by a hint of disappointment. She lay there, her eyes fixed longingly on the bubbling red oil. That hot pot really did look delicious.
The meat was nearly cooked, and Qi Chaoyang tossed the remaining vegetables into the pot.
The chicken, simmered in the rich broth, had absorbed all the flavors. When Qi Chaoyang lifted the pieces from the pot, they were coated in a glistening layer of red oil, looking tender and succulent.
In the apocalypse, every scrap of meat was precious. This chicken, in particular, had been paid for with blood and sweat.
The two of them had barely managed to scavenge a whole bird. Qi Chaoyang ate with such gusto he might as well have been chewing the bones, leaving nothing behind, not even the head or the tail.
Huazhi had cultivated for centuries on a strictly vegetarian diet, but she had never encountered a scent so enticing.
Though she could no longer smell the mouthwatering aroma, the sight of the tender chicken in their bowls was enough.
The rich fragrance lingered in her mind, making the dish seem all the more delicious the more she thought about it.
She considered transforming into a human to join them, but quickly dismissed the dangerous thought. No, no, I’d probably scare them to death.
Feng Jinghuai set down his chopsticks when he was nearly full.
Qi Chaoyang finished the last bite of meat and spoke up. “By the way, I bought the toiletries you wanted.”
He placed the items on the table. “Have you checked if this rabbit is a boy or a girl?”
Huazhi froze.