Wang Qiqi's mother was a middle-aged woman with a relatively good appearance. Chu Muge glanced at her quickly before looking away.
There was nothing to see: dark circles, scratches, slap marks, swollen eyes, disheveled clothes...
And on top of that, the little girl had mentioned that her father was beaten to death.
No doubt, the mother was assaulted.
Chu Muge's heart didn't waver much upon reaching this conclusion, though she did frown slightly.
It was somewhat disgusting, after all.
As the mother and daughter communicated, Chu Muge glanced at the approaching group.
“Run why aren’t you running anymore”
A gloating female voice rang out, as if thoroughly enjoying the situation, stopping only when she noticed Chu Muge standing by the emergency exit door.
The voice cut off abruptly, like a stuck tape recorder.
Chu Muge shielded Gu Yao with her body and took out a pair of sunglasses she had prepared from her backpack. She gently placed them on Gu Yao: “There, now the senior is cool, right?^^”
Gu Yao: ...
Gu Yao: ovo
I guess that I have to be cool.
After speaking, Chu Muge turned her head slightly and looked at the terrified mother and daughter, putting a finger to her lips: “Shh.”
Wang Qiqi trembled as she nodded, glancing fearfully at Gu Yao and then at Chu Muge before quietly moving away from Gu Yao.
A zombie! (*?????)
How could she not have realized!
Satisfied with her actions, Chu Muge turned around and looked at the still unmoving group in the distance, blinking.
The two groups seemed separated by an invisible line, with no one willing to make the first move.
Chu Muge's gaze fell on the woman who had spoken earlier: dressed in a low-cut slip dress, high heels, lipstick, and makeup.
Not exactly the attire for an apocalypse.
Her gaze shifted to the man holding the woman's arm, and all the answers became clear.
She's found herself a protector.
Wang Qiqi gathered her courage and spoke softly:
“Big sister, it’s that man.”
The man had a crew cut, was thin, and looked to be in his forties.
As Chu Muge looked at him, the man also glanced over, their eyes meeting. His gaze flashed with a mix of amazement and deeply hidden lust, which quickly turned into wariness and hesitation upon seeing the blood-stained long knife Chu Muge held.
He smiled: “Other survivors, huh.”
The girl before him was young, but exuded an unmistakable air of danger, like a dozing lion that he dared not underestimate.
Beautiful, he wanted to taste her, but she looked too dangerous.
Even though it was the end of the world, and he had gained strong powers, making him bolder than before, he hadn’t lost his mind.
He stood not far away, glancing at Gu Yao.
Though she wore sunglasses, one could tell from her face and lips, along with her curvy figure, that she was a beauty... but her pale lips, almost dead-like, oddly reminded him of a zombie.
She must be extremely weak, he thought, noticing how the girl with the knife seemed to protect her.
“Do you like what you see?”
Chu Muge's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
The man instinctively replied, “Yes…”
He caught himself, forcing a dry laugh as he looked at Chu Muge: “Of course, pretty girls are always nice to look at, right!”
He glanced at Wang Qiqi’s mother, then back at Chu Muge: “So, what do you two intend to do?”
“We have a plan.” Chu Muge spoke casually, as if in her own home: “I heard you make others find food for you. I’m here to take some.”
The man’s smile froze for a moment before he said, “Sure, let’s go.”
He chuckled a few times, signaling Chu Muge to follow.
Chu Muge turned to Gu Yao, speaking softly: “Senior, stay behind me.”
A fight was sure to break out, and she couldn't let Gu Yao get hurt.
She glanced at the terrified mother and daughter again, frowning slightly, dissatisfied with their attitude towards Gu Yao: “She won’t bite you.”
...But she’s a zombie.
They had seen the gray, lifeless eyes when Chu Muge put the sunglasses on Gu Yao.
The mother and daughter stayed silent.
Chu Muge’s tone was cold as she walked past them, speaking softly: “If you keep looking at her like that, I won’t help you.”
Wang Qiqi bit her lip and nodded, moving next to Gu Yao.
Gu Yao: Wow, Chu Muge is standing up for me, I'm so touched! dT-Tb
Besides the woman, two other men followed the leader, looking like his subordinates.
People with powers had it easy in the apocalypse, often gaining followers and subordinates effortlessly.
As Chu Muge walked, she watched the man’s back, squinting her eyes, feeling more and more familiar.
Chu Muge: ...Oh ho.
A double surprise.
No one spoke during the walk, only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.
As time passed, they approached the middle of the fifth floor, where shadows of people could be seen in the shops: their faces were tired, curious, and wary, their gazes focused on Chu Muge and Gu Yao before quickly shifting when they saw the leading man.
Sunlight streamed through the transparent ceiling, dispelling the darkness but not the dead silence, giving the fifth floor a mix of life and oppressive despair, a silent struggle for survival.
“The food is stored in the hotpot restaurant’s warehouse. I have the key.” The man spoke up.
Chu Muge watched his clenched hands, suddenly asking: “Your name is Zou Tianhui, right?”
Zou Tianhui paused, turning to her, wary: “And you are...?”
As expected.
Chu Muge smiled.
Zou Tianhui, a future well-known fire ability user in Xinjialuo, famous not just for his powerful fireballs, but also for his lust.
A real rascal, someone had been counting. After coming to Xinjialuo, he had used his power to break up three couples with no background within a month, ruining their lives while the higher-ups turned a blind eye.
And…
“Do you know Lu Boyuan?”
Chu Muge spoke nonchalantly, subtly moving away from Gu Yao, creating some space.
Lu Boyuan?
Gu Yao was startled.
Isn’t that the name of the male protagonist…?
Wait, does Chu Muge know the male lead at this point???
Unlike Gu Yao’s confusion, Zou Tianhui trembled all over.
Chu Muge continued casually: “I remember you did something...”
Zou Tianhui's pupils constricted as he quickly raised his clenched hand, opening his palm and directing it towards Chu Muge.
He had felt something was wrong before, and indeed, they were in cahoots!
A basketball-sized fireball seemed to form instantaneously, lunging towards Chu Muge like a ferocious beast.
The heat could be felt from several meters away, scorching enough to warp the surrounding space, emanating a terrifying killing intent.
The suddenness of this moment was overwhelming; in the blink of an eye, the two had completely fallen out.
No, they had actually been prepared all along, just like how Chu Muge had been holding her long sword without any slack, and the man had kept his hands charged with energy.
However, Chu Muge seemed equally prepared, darting forward, rolling like an agile cat, dodging the mid-air fireball, then adjusting the angle of her long sword towards the man.
Boom!
The fireball crashed into a shop behind Chu Muge, causing a violent explosion.
Shouts of surprise erupted around them.
This range was still within Zou Tianhui's safety line. He had been cautious earlier, deliberately keeping a distance from Chu Muge to avoid being slashed by her long sword.
But in his astonished gaze, Chu Muge gathered strength in her legs and shot forward, appearing in front of him in an instant, moving so fast she became a blur.
How can she be this fast?!
Before Tianhui Zou could react, he felt excruciating pain in his right hand aimed at Chu Muge. Amidst his agonized scream, his hand was severed, blood spraying in an arc before falling to the ground.
Enduring the severe pain of his severed hand, a hint of fierceness flashed in Zou Tianhui's eyes as he swung his clenched left hand towards Chu Muge's face.
He had enough strength to crush the skull of an adult man, surely—
His wrist was effortlessly caught.
Tianhui Zou, trembling, opened his pain-squinted eyes, meeting Chu Muge's smiling gaze.
“No, no, wait…!”
Crunch.
Chu Muge smiled and exerted force, snapping his wrist upward, revealing the stark white bone, with sinew and blood hanging down.
She released his broken wrist, which clung together like a stubborn lotus root. Zou Tianhui's eyes widened, his face contorting in pain.
Chu Muge's tone was slightly regretful: “Ah, it seems you can't play with your magic anymore.”
Before Zou Tianhui could scream, her long sword quickly pierced his abdomen.
Zou Tianhui instinctively lowered his head, watching the blood spread, then looked up at Chu Muge, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
“Shh, shh, shh...” Chu Muge comfortingly placed her hand on his shoulder, slowly pushing him to his knees.
“Shh, it's okay.” Her voice was gentle as she looked down at the kneeling Zou Tianhui, her hands on his face as if soothing him: “It's okay, don't be afraid, it's okay…”
In the next moment, the crisp sound of a neck snapping echoed.
Chu Muge's smile vanished as she looked at the twisted corpse lying on the ground, its head twisted 180 degrees from her force, and quietly clapped her hands.
Screams erupted around them.
Chu Muge frowned, glancing at a terrified person in the shop, slightly annoyed: “What's wrong? Never seen a murder before?”
Not like this!
She turned, looking at Wang Qiqi, who was pursing her lips at the corpse, her tone indifferent: “Take me to where the food is stored.”