“We won’t need the glowing magic sword this time. How about I show you a magic trick? Sister will send Xiaoyao’s mommy and daddy to heaven, okay? They won’t have to worry about Xiaoyao there.”
“Okay,” Xiaoyao answered in a muffled voice. At this point, he no longer really understood what a magic trick was; he just kept his eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at his parents.
Mu Yining stepped in front of them and placed her palms over their heads. Channeling her special ability, she condensed an ice needle where Xiaoyao couldn’t see, quietly piercing through their brains without leaving a single trace.
Moments later, the two bodies collapsed silently to the ground.
With a flick of her hand, she swept them into her space, letting the little snake cremate them. She carefully collected the ashes so she could return them to Xiaoyao when he grew older.
“Did Mommy and Daddy leave? They disappeared… Are they different from the monsters outside? Xiaoyao’s mommy and daddy haven’t turned bad, right?” Unable to bear telling him the harsh truth, Mu Yining simply told Xiaoyao that they had gone to another world and were living very well there.
From now on, she would take this little guy with her and treat him as her own younger brother. She believed there was still a long way ahead, and Xiaoyao would surely make her proud. Living a second life, she would never misjudge someone again.
Mu Yining gathered the medicines outside, then led Xiaoyao and Alan out through the back door of the pharmacy. Fighting their way through, they reached another street, which was likewise filled with frantically fleeing humans and tireless, chasing zombies.
In the distance, scenes of people devouring other humans continued to play out. Some were still clutching their waists, vomiting uncontrollably, but the second they turned around, their necks were torn open, blood spraying everywhere as all signs of life vanished. A few minutes later, when they stood up again, they were already entirely different creatures.
Stepping quickly toward an auto dealership that hadn’t opened for business yet, Mu Yining kicked the metal shutter up. Following a flash of her blade, the locking chain snapped into several pieces.
The store was spotless, with various types of vehicles lined up in the showroom. However, most were sedans, with only five off-road SUVs. Afterward, Mu Yining swiftly destroyed the security cameras.
A dealership of this size was not huge; with a wave of her hand, not a single trace of a car remained in the entire showroom. Heading outside, Mu Yining retrieved the car she had driven earlier, putting Xiaoyao and Alan in the back seat. The two humans and one dog set off once again.
Looking into Xiaoyao’s innocent eyes, Mu Yining let out a gentle sigh. He had clearly witnessed her incredible abilities, yet he didn’t ask a single question, leaving her unsure of how to initiate the topic with a child.
“Sister, Xiaoyao is eight years old! How old are you, Sister?”
“…Twenty-four.” Mu Yining was caught off guard by the sudden question.
“Then Xiaoyao isn’t as strong as Sister yet—does that mean it’s just right?” As he spoke, dark black smoke began to rise from Xiaoyao’s hand, hazily carrying an impulse that made one instinctively want to stay away.
…
Mu Yining stared at the change in Xiaoyao’s hand, momentarily at a loss for words. It turned out to be a poison-type special ability! Though looking at it, it seemed to have awakened only recently.
“Xiaoyao is very strong, just like Sister. Now you can protect yourself in the future.”
“Then what is this thing? Xiaoyao fell asleep in the car today, and when I woke up, Mommy and Daddy hadn’t come back yet. I wanted to break free from the seatbelt, but even after trying super hard, I couldn’t do it. Then smoke started coming out of my hands… Sister, am I going to turn into a monster too?” His soft, cute voice made even Mu Yining’s tone turn gentle.
“No, you won’t. Xiaoyao will be as strong as a superhero. That is your weapon to protect yourself. If any monster tries to hurt you, just make lots of smoke, and the monster will be knocked down, understand?”
“Mm! I will make lots of smoke to help Sister fight the monsters!” Not long after saying this, Xiaoyao’s head tilted sideways, slumping onto Alan. It seemed he had been terrified earlier and had finally fallen asleep.