A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Bei Nuan carefully placed stones into her small back basket, one by one.

Beside her squatted a middle-aged man, half-heartedly filling his own basket, his eyes constantly darting towards Bei Nuan.

Bei Nuan overheard him whispering to his companion, "This is the first time I've seen such a lively and energetic F."

Bei Nuan turned and asked him, "Why? What about the other Fs?"

The middle-aged man, embarrassed at being overheard, sighed.

"Waiting to die. With an F-rank, they're as good as dead. With an E-rank, there's an eighty to ninety percent chance they'll die. They're all dying, so of course they can't be happy. Just lying around waiting for death."

Bei Nuan was curious. "Wouldn't they starve to death?"

The middle-aged man replied, "If it gets really bad, they do some work. Sometimes people take pity on them and give them something to eat."

His companion added, "Some don't wait for death and try to earn money. They either steal, and then use the money for gambling or drugs."

The middle-aged man nodded. "Yeah, they're all dying anyway, so they do whatever they want."

Bei Nuan understood.

They were talking about the people in the F-pit.

Because they felt they were about to die, they had completely given up, just getting by for the time being.

Then there was the young man with the E-rank she met at the market today. No wonder he looked so strange.

His entire being, from his hair to his skin, was shrouded in a grayish pallor. He seemed utterly dispirited.

Now Bei Nuan knew why. The book mentioned that this island had always been occupied by gangs, and there was a tradition of poppy cultivation. It wasn't as widespread anymore, but it still existed.

Those who indulged in such things, even if not yet dead, already looked like living corpses.

They didn't even look as lively as the zombies roaming outside.

"Why do people with E-ranks and F-ranks just give up and wait to die?" Du Ruo, who was nearby, asked, confused.

"As an A-rank, of course you don't understand the feeling of an E or an F, who could die at any moment," the middle-aged man said softly, glancing at the gleaming A-rank tag prominently displayed on Du Ruo's clothing.

Bei Nuan thought, Du Ruo actually did understand.

The zombie virus in Du Ruo's body was only temporarily suppressed by inhibitors. He was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

He was truly someone who could die at any time, his situation far more dangerous than some nebulous E-rank or F-rank.

Yet, this didn't stop Du Ruo from living each day to the fullest, happy and earnest.

As Bei Nuan was thinking, Xiao San's long-awaited voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

"Bei Nuan, now that you're on the island, the new map has triggered a new mission. Do you want to take a look?"

Bei Nuan pulled up the mission panel.

The new mission was called "Heart of a Saint." Unlike previous missions, the introduction consisted of a series of keywords.

Bei Nuan scanned them: "Dedication," "Sharing," "Compassion," and so on, all words embodying the heart of a saint.

Following the first keyword, "Dedication," was a simple explanation: Give someone an item.

Xiao San said, "See? This is a series of missions triggered by keywords. Judging by the description, it's not difficult at all."

The missions were trivial, all small, insignificant things, feeling like ordinary daily tasks. They indeed didn't seem too difficult.

"Just one thing to note," Xiao San said, "the way you complete the first mission might slightly influence the requirements of subsequent missions."

What did that mean?

Bei Nuan felt like this was another trap.

"Don't worry. For example, if you do the 'Dedication' mission first and give person A an item, then the subsequent 'Sharing' mission might require you to share something to eat with person A."

Understood.

It meant the missions would be tied to specific people.

"So, it's another mandatory mission?"

Bei Nuan was experienced. Xiao San had recently been giving her only mandatory missions, but the Saint Points awarded for completing them were quite generous.

"Exactly. The penalty for not completing it is that the upper space will experience time flow for three days."

Bei Nuan was speechless.

If time flowed, even for a second, not to mention three days, Bei Nuan's neatly stacked blocks of cold and hot water would collapse, flowing into a river in her space. In just one day, all her ice cream would be ruined.

Too cruel.

"Okay, now that we've cleared everything up, let's get started!" Xiao San's voice was full of energy, as if he were the one doing the missions.

The first word was "Dedication," requiring her to give someone an item.

Xiao San said the first mission would influence the subsequent ones, so Bei Nuan had to choose the easiest target.

Lu Xingchi was definitely out.

He was about to go investigate the logo on the van. Once he left, the subsequent missions couldn't be completed.

As for the others, she wasn't familiar enough with Tang Tang to use him for the mission.

That left Jiang Fei and Du Ruo.

In terms of understanding and cooperation, Jiang Fei was definitely the better choice, but in terms of naivete and malleability, Du Ruo was the clear winner.

Bei Nuan chose Du Ruo without hesitation.

"Du Ruo," Bei Nuan called him in a coaxing voice, beckoning him over. "Come here, I have something nice I want to give you."

"What is it?"

Du Ruo, who was putting stones in his basket, turned his head, his face a picture of innocent curiosity.

"Look, a beautiful little stone!"

Bei Nuan picked up a small stone from the pile.

Most of the gravel here was grayish-white, but this one was different.

Small, about the size of a large hazelnut, its misty, rough surface revealed a translucent blood-red interior. It was quite beautiful.

"Here you go." Bei Nuan placed it in Du Ruo's palm.

This mission was too easy, instantly completed.

Du Ruo took the small red stone, delighted, and held it up to the sunlight. "Pretty. Bei Nuan, this is the first time you've given me something."

Bei Nuan immediately felt a pang of guilt.

Along the way, to increase her Saint Points, she had given so many strangers all sorts of things, yet she had neglected those around her. This single time she thought to give him something, it was for a mission.

Lu Xingchi happened to pass by and glanced at the stone in Du Ruo's hand. "What is that?"

Bei Nuan reported to the big boss, "I found a particularly beautiful little red stone and gave it to Du Ruo to play with."

Lu Xingchi took the small red stone from Du Ruo's hand and examined it, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"No way. Bei Nuan, your luck is too good."

Bei Nuan didn't understand.

Lu Xingchi explained, "I just heard the people carrying stones over there saying that there used to be a ruby mine here. These white stones we're carrying are marble, and there might be rubies inside."

Lu Xingchi turned the translucent little red stone in his hand. "Could this be a raw ruby?"

Bei Nuan and Du Ruo: Huh?

The middle-aged man who had chatted with Bei Nuan earlier had sharp ears. He overheard their conversation, glanced over, and immediately approached.

"You actually found a ruby? How is that possible?"

His voice wasn't soft, and many people on the work site came over, surrounding them in a thick crowd.

Everyone examined the stone and agreed that it was indeed a raw ruby.

Everyone started chattering.

"With such good quality, how much would it have been worth before?"

"Even now, it should be able to be exchanged for a lot of food."

"This luck is too good, isn't it?"

Someone asked curiously, "Who has such good luck, finding a ruby while carrying gravel?"

Du Ruo calmly pointed to Bei Nuan.

"She found it, but she already gave it to me."

Bei Nuan's F-rank tag was partially visible within her open collar, while Du Ruo's A-rank tag was proudly displayed on his clothing.

"That F-rank found it?" someone whispered.

Bei Nuan suddenly realized that the crowd was looking at her with sympathy.

After expressing their envy and admiring the stone for a while, everyone dispersed and went back to work.

The ruby was in Du Ruo's hands. No matter how envious they were, no one dared to snatch it from someone with a rare A-rank.

However, this time, everyone was particularly careful when loading stones. The area where Bei Nuan was suddenly became quite crowded, with a bunch of people gathering to search through the stones.

In no time, a rumor spread across the work site: An F-rank, with exceptionally good luck, managed to find a high-quality raw ruby. However, an A-rank took a liking to it, and she had no choice but to offer it up to him.

Bei Nuan: "…"

This "Dedication" mission, with a difficulty level of zero, boosted Bei Nuan's confidence. She opened the mission panel and looked at the next keyword.

It was "Sharing," just as Xiao San had given as an example.

And as he had said, the space after the word "Sharing," which was originally blank, now displayed the specific mission instructions: Share a large, delicious treat with Du Ruo.

This mission was also zero difficulty, but Bei Nuan was stumped on what to share.

The mission requirements were quite specific: "large" and "delicious."

Surrounded by people, eating something "large" would inevitably attract attention. In such harsh conditions, she definitely couldn't share anything too conspicuous from her space.

Bei Nuan rummaged through her space for a long time, finally unearthing a bag of red date and multigrain pancakes.

The pancakes looked rather coarse and yellow, not too out of place here.

Bei Nuan wiped her hands clean, tore off a large piece – large and not too eye-catching. They were actually sweet and delicious, so they should qualify as a "delicious treat," right?

"Du Ruo, are you hungry? Want some pancake?"

Upon hearing about food, Du Ruo immediately flew over like a nail to a magnet.

Bei Nuan tore off half for him and kept half for herself.

Du Ruo, presumably hungry, happily devoured his portion in a few bites.

Lu Xingchi, having just finished carrying a load of stones, was coming up the mountain with an empty basket. Seeing they had food, he walked over and smiled at Bei Nuan.

He said concisely, "Hungry. Feed me."

There was a hint of a whine in his tone.

He was working and his hands were dirty, so Bei Nuan quickly tore off a large part of her portion, folded it, and held it to his mouth.

Like a large golden retriever, Lu Xingchi tilted his head and took a bite from Bei Nuan's hand, smiled at her again, and continued his diligent work.

He went up and down the mountain repeatedly, carrying stones quite actively, not in a hurry to leave.

After they finished the large piece of pancake together, the "Sharing" mission was successfully completed.

The fact that they were eating pancakes immediately caught the attention of those around them.

A new version of the rumor quickly spread: The poor F-rank, whose ruby was snatched and whose only pancake was shared, leaving her hungry, had most of her remaining pancake taken by another A-rank, leaving her with only two small bites. She looked so pitiful.

Someone added: If that F dies, it will definitely be from starvation.

Bei Nuan: "…"

Whatever. They could make up whatever stories they wanted.

Bei Nuan ignored them and bravely continued with her missions.

The next keyword was "Forgiveness." The description that followed was: Forgive Du Ruo for something he did to you.

This was difficult.

Du Ruo would never do anything to Bei Nuan that required her forgiveness. This mission could only be forced.

Du Ruo soon noticed that Bei Nuan was constantly hovering around him.

"What are you doing?" Du Ruo asked curiously.

"I've discovered that the stones near you are especially good!" Bei Nuan explained.

"Really? They're all stones. Can you really tell the difference?"

Bei Nuan picked up a random stone and babbled, "Look! Like this one. It's so big, so smooth, so… uh… plump?"

Du Ruo looked around doubtfully. After that, whenever he saw a slightly nicer-looking stone, he would proactively put it in Bei Nuan's basket.

Bei Nuan circled him for a long time, finally finding an opportunity.

While Du Ruo was shifting his position and stretching out his long legs, she "accidentally" tripped over his leg and fell flat on her face.

Du Ruo quickly helped her up. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't see you behind me."

Bei Nuan thought: Obviously, you don't have eyes in the back of your head.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's not your fault."

Bei Nuan patted the dust off her clothes and glanced at the mission panel. The "Forgiveness" mission was successfully completed.

Seeing Bei Nuan fall, Lu Xingchi had already come over.

"You can't even walk properly, and you still want to carry stones. No need to carry anymore. I've already talked to the foreman. The few baskets I just carried count towards your quota. You've already completed your ten-basket quota for today."

Lu Xingchi took the basket off her back. "I have to go. Stay here and be careful."

So, the reason he was so actively carrying stones was for this.

Bei Nuan was a little touched.

Lu Xingchi hurried down the mountain to attend to his matters.

The rumors on the work site took on a new form: The poor F-rank, whose ruby was snatched, whose only pancake was shared, leaving her hungry, and who almost broke her neck from a fall, was deliberately tripped by that A-rank.

At noon, someone came up the mountain to the work site carrying two baskets of lunch on a shoulder pole.

There were two types of lunch. The cheaper one looked like cooked sweet potatoes but was much rougher, thinner, and longer.

The more expensive one consisted of small, round cakes, the ingredients unknown.

Lunch wasn't free; it was deducted from their wages.

Everyone went to the foreman to register and exchange for food.

With so many people around, she definitely couldn't eat anything from her space. With the money earned from the several baskets of stones Lu Xingchi had carried for her, Bei Nuan also bought lunch with her wages.

Bei Nuan got a "pseudo sweet potato" and found it wasn't tasty at all. It had only a slight sweetness and wasn't as soft, glutinous, and fragrant as a real sweet potato.

The book mentioned this was called cassava, the staple food of the laborers on the island.

Although poisonous if not processed properly, it could be grown year-round and had a high yield, making it a valuable food source during famines, capable of feeding many people.

Bei Nuan ate with difficulty, embarrassed to leave any leftovers, especially since everyone else was wolfing down their food.

Du Ruo noticed, finished his own portion, and then proceeded to eat Bei Nuan's.

Bei Nuan could already imagine how the rumors would be twisted this time.

After finishing the boiled cassava, Du Ruo went to buy a stack of small cakes and ate them all in no time.

Du Ruo recommended them to Bei Nuan. "Bei Nuan, these cakes are actually quite good."

Bei Nuan was afraid she wouldn't be able to finish them if she bought some.

"It's okay, I'll go buy another stack. You can have as many as you want."

Du Ruo, this "evil A-rank," went to the person selling food and bought another stack of small cakes.

He had been diligently exercising all day, running up and down the mountain, carrying quite a bit of stone. He earned much more than Bei Nuan and spent money lavishly, like a tycoon.

He returned with the cakes and first gave a few to Bei Nuan. "Really, try them."

Bei Nuan immediately recognized the taste. These cakes were also made of cassava.

The cassava had been ground into a fine powder and then made into small, round cakes, baked to a golden brown on both sides. They were indeed delicious.

As Bei Nuan nibbled on the small cake, she heard whispers nearby.

"Why do you think that A is suddenly being so kind, buying food for that F with his own money?"

Another person said confidently, "He's afraid she'll accidentally starve to death, die too quickly. If she dies, who else will he bully?"

Bei Nuan: "…"

They could spin any story they wanted.

After lunch, Bei Nuan, full and satisfied, continued with her missions.

The next word was "Comfort."

As Bei Nuan was wondering what needed comforting, she saw the instructions appear after "Comfort": Perform for Du Ruo, singing and dancing, to comfort his fragile heart.

His heart was fragile? The nerves connected to his heart were probably as thick as steel bars.

However, the most embarrassing part was "singing and dancing."

Singing was fine, as long as she kept her voice down, but dancing too?

Bei Nuan was incredibly grateful that she had initially chosen Du Ruo, with his unique way of thinking.

His own thoughts were so unconventional that he had a high tolerance for any strange things Bei Nuan did.

If she had to "sing and dance" in front of Lu Xingchi, Jiang Fei, or Tang Tang, she would probably die of embarrassment.

Bei Nuan seized the opportunity when Jiang Fei and the others were carrying stones down the mountain and called Du Ruo over privately.

Bei Nuan whispered, "You were so nice to buy me cakes at noon, so I decided to repay you. You've been carrying stones all day, are you tired? Do you want to hear me sing a song?"

"Huh?" Du Ruo was completely bewildered.

"Anyway, I'm going to sing you a couple of lines."

Without further ado, Bei Nuan started singing.

"The wind and rain pull the boat, yo-ho-heave-ho! Step by step, we walk on the shore, yo-ho-heave-ho! Brothers, put in more effort, yo-ho-heave-ho! At the front, we'll have a drink, yo-ho-heave-ho!"

As she sang, Bei Nuan bent down deeply, bracing herself with her palms on the ground, mimicking the strenuous pulling motion, taking one difficult step forward at a time.

Du Ruo: "…"

When she finished singing, Du Ruo hesitantly asked, "Is this… the chant sung by boat trackers on the river?"

"Exactly, you recognized it?" Bei Nuan was pleased. "Don't you feel energized after hearing it? Like your battery has been fully recharged?"

"It is… quite energizing. Thank you."

Du Ruo, successfully recharged, went back to carrying stones.

Bei Nuan glanced at the mission panel. "Comfort" was complete. It seemed that shouting chants and mimicking pulling a boat barely qualified as "singing and dancing."

With so many people on the work site, she avoided Jiang Fei and Tang Tang, but she couldn't avoid everyone's eyes.

Thus, the rumors on the work site evolved again: The poor F-rank, whose ruby was snatched, whose only pancake was shared, leaving her hungry, and who almost broke her neck, was forced by that A-rank to sing him a song, a very sad and sorrowful song that made everyone who heard it cry.

The most terrifying part was that she was forced to crawl forward on the ground, no one knew why.

Bei Nuan: "…"

Bei Nuan now felt that, given their ability to fabricate and spread rumors, the island's rank-based hierarchy seemed rather unreliable.

When Bei Nuan heard that F-rank meant a very low chance of survival, she felt a slight unease.

Now, even that last bit of unease had vanished.

Bei Nuan checked the mission panel again. She had completed all the previous keywords, leaving only the last one:

Compassion.

The description following it was also simple: Ask Du Ruo what he thinks best embodies compassion and do it.

Bei Nuan searched for Du Ruo and found him walking down the mountain with an empty basket.

As Bei Nuan chased after him with her own basket, she pondered: What would Du Ruo consider the most compassionate act?

Du Ruo was a kind-hearted person; he would surely have a long list.

Like protecting women and children, caring for small animals, sharing food with the hungry… Bei Nuan thought, right, he was a doctor, maybe he would say saving lives and healing the injured.

After all, Dr. Du had been helping various injured and sick people along the way.

If he said saving lives and healing the injured, Bei Nuan figured she could just grab someone from the F-pit and give them some vitamin pills, that should do it, right?

"Du Ruo, I have a question for you."

Bei Nuan caught up with Du Ruo and walked down the mountain with him.

"What do you think best embodies compassion?"

Du Ruo didn't find Bei Nuan's question strange at all. He looked at the two clouds floating in the sky, facing the gentle mountain breeze, and thought seriously for a moment.

"Normally, if you asked me this question, I could give you many answers."

Du Ruo's attitude towards answering the question was very serious, as if he were giving a thesis defense.

"But recently, I've had a new idea. Since you said 'best' embodies compassion, I just thought of something."

Du Ruo's eyes brightened.

"As the future Zombie King, I think someone who occasionally sympathizes with us zombies is probably the most compassionate person."

Bei Nuan's face twitched.

Bei Nuan tentatively asked, "How do you think one should… sympathize? Speak up for them?"

"Anyone can talk the talk. I'm talking about… like feeding zombies or something," Du Ruo answered smoothly. "I think my subjects are really hungry."

Bei Nuan stared at him blankly.

So why did she choose this person with such unconventional thinking in the first place?

Wouldn't Jiang Fei have been better? Wouldn't Tang Tang have been more ideal?

"Feed zombies?… With what?" Bei Nuan asked, slightly alarmed.

Du Ruo let his imagination run wild. "I've been wondering if I can develop some recipes for them besides human flesh. I've always wanted to try feeding them beef jerky, I don't know if they'll eat it."

"Feed zombies beef jerky?" Bei Nuan asked.

Du Ruo nodded firmly. "Exactly."

Bei Nuan looked at him speechlessly.

She wasn't short on beef jerky, the problem was where to find zombies on such short notice? Would she have to specifically go off the island for this?

This "daily mission," which seemed so easy, was actually a complete trap.

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