A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

A young man stood inside the iron cage. He looked like a high school student, or perhaps a college freshman at most.

He wore a tracksuit, as if he'd just finished a P.E. class. However, his clothes were grimy, and his pants had a large tear in them, suggesting he'd been through something rough.

On his feet were brand-name sneakers. Originally white, they were now stained and dirty, a dull gray color.

His expression was tense, his face paler than paper.

The weather wasn't particularly hot, and the cave was especially cool, yet beads of cold sweat dripped down his face.

He was choosing a weapon.

A wooden table stood inside the cage. On it lay a pistol, a foot-long knife, and a strange, long-handled fork about six feet long.

Without hesitation, he pointed to the pistol.

A burly man stood beside the table. Seeing his choice, he loaded the gun and handed it over.

The young man in sneakers accepted the pistol, clutching it like his life depended on it.

He retreated to a corner of the cage, his back against the bars, chest heaving as he took deep breaths. His face was even whiter than before.

On the other side of the large iron cage, several people carried a cage containing a zombie onto the platform and placed it inside the larger cage.

The caged zombie, likely excited by the sight of so many living people, frantically rammed against the cage door.

Amidst the banging and the zombie's howls, the young man in sneakers glanced helplessly at the frenzied crowd below.

The burly man noticed and asked, "Do you want to quit? It's not too late to change your mind."

So, participating in the cage fight was voluntary.

Despite his fear, the young man said, "I won't quit. I need the money."

Seeing his resolve, the burly man exited the cage, secured the door, and stood on the platform in front, yelling.

"Once again, this one's a C-rank, with two zombie kills. Any more bets? Place your bets! We're about to begin!"

A tidal wave of cheers and whistles erupted from below.

Two servers moved through the crowd, recording bets and collecting chips. Countless people placed their wagers in the chaotic clamor.

Once the frenzy subsided, the burly man walked to the side and picked up a steel rod as long as a javelin.

He inserted the rod through the bars of the cage and lightly flicked the latch on the zombie cage.

With a click, the zombie cage door sprang open.

The zombie inside had already spotted the young man. It lunged out, charging straight towards him.

The young man frantically raised the gun and fired.

Bang! He missed. The zombie was unharmed, the bullet not even grazing it.

The gunshot echoed off the cave walls. As if stimulated by the sound, the cheers, screams, and curses from the crowd intensified, creating a cacophony.

The young man steadied himself, supporting his right wrist with his left hand. Before the zombie reached him, he fired again.

This time, the bullet pierced the zombie's head.

The zombie collapsed at the young man's feet, motionless.

With the zombie down, the young man finally relaxed, falling to his knees in relief, tears streaming down his face.

The crowd went wild. Some roared in triumph, presumably having bet correctly.

Others yelled in frustration, "Why did you shoot so fast? You made me lose my bet!"

The burly man opened the cage door, and the overjoyed young man emerged.

The burly man filled a bag with a large stack of chips and handed it over. The young man clutched the bag to his chest, a dazed look of happiness on his face, and walked off the platform.

With him gone, the game continued.

The burly man jumped back onto the platform and announced, "Now for the third match! This one's a D-rank, zero kills. This is the last match of the night, so place your bets!"

This time, a thin man in his forties was brought into the cage.

He looked over the weapons on the table, seemingly hesitant.

Bei Nuan thought, What's there to hesitate about? Obviously, choose the gun. The other two aren't nearly as good.

Perhaps the thin man had never used a gun before and lacked confidence. He picked it up, put it down, then picked it up again, indecisive.

In the end, he chose the gun.

He handed it to the burly man, his whole body visibly trembling.

Seeing his fear, the burly man asked, "Do you want to quit?"

The thin man hesitated but shook his head.

Bei Nuan thought, This man can barely stand. How's he going to kill a zombie?

The thin man resigned himself to his fate and shakily walked to a corner of the cage, raising the gun with trembling hands.

The zombie cage was brought up. As the door opened, a zombie lunged out, claws outstretched, sending the crowd into a frenzy of screams.

As soon as the zombie emerged, the man fired two shaky shots.

The distance was too great, and his hands trembled too much. Both shots missed.

The gun had no more bullets.

The man turned and ran.

The cage was only the size of a small room. He couldn't run far. The zombie was faster, catching up in seconds. It pounced, knocking him down and tearing into him.

The gruesome scene amplified the screams from the crowd.

Someone from the gambling den came up with a gun and fired several shots into the cage, ending the chaos.

The audience excitedly discussed their wins and losses as people entered the cage to drag out the man and the zombie, cleaning up the mess.

Now Bei Nuan understood.

They're going to put me in the cage to fight zombies.

If they threw her into the lake, she might have been able to manipulate the situation, perhaps even finding an opportunity to eliminate her captors before even hitting the water.

But now, in front of so many people, there was no other option but to fight the zombies head-on.

Bei Nuan felt a pang of despair.

Finding a way to kill a zombie wasn't the problem. The problem was killing it without revealing her space.

As expected, Qiu Ji said to Bei Nuan, "Little girl, I'll give you a chance. Enter the cage once. If you win, we won't throw you in the lake today."

He turned to his brother. "Brother, what do you think?"

This time, Qiu Zhengxun didn't object.

He looked Bei Nuan up and down, then nodded solemnly, readily accepting Qiu Ji's suggestion.

He probably assumed Bei Nuan was as good as dead, whether thrown into the cage or the lake.

Qiu Ji left his seat and approached Bei Nuan, glancing at his brother before lowering his voice.

"Being thrown into the lake is certain death. Entering the cage might seem terrifying, but there's a good chance of survival. I see you're quite brave. Why not gamble?"

Bei Nuan knew he was right.

For an ordinary person, entering the cage to fight a zombie was far better than being thrown into the lake. It was a chance, however slim, to survive.

Having no other choice, Bei Nuan nodded.

Qiu Ji smiled at her and offered some advice.

"When you enter the cage, there will be weapons on the table. I suggest you choose the gun. Since we started this, the survival rate for those who choose the gun is a little over fifty percent. With the other two, it's less than twenty."

Anyone would know to choose the gun.

Probably only those as skilled as Lu Xingchi and Jiang Fei could have a chance with the knife.

The problem was, Bei Nuan had never touched a pistol in her life.

During military training, they had practiced shooting with semi-automatic rifles.

Lying there, holding a gun for the first time, Bei Nuan had been so excited that she accidentally switched it to automatic.

When she pulled the trigger, the gun went off in a rapid burst. The bullets flew everywhere, not a single one hitting the target. She ended up with a humiliating zero.

A pistol was probably similar, right?

Bei Nuan glanced at the cage on the platform, her heart heavy with worry.

She didn't realize that her face was a picture of misery, eyes brimming with tears, lips pressed together as if on the verge of crying.

Qiu Ji looked at her again, then suddenly spoke to Qiu Zhengxun.

"Brother, she didn't commit any major crime. She was just being mischievous, entering a place she shouldn't have. Let it go this time."

Bei Nuan suddenly felt that he wasn't so bad after all, at least a bit better than his brother.

Qiu Zhengxun snorted. "Every place has its rules. If we make exceptions every day, how can we maintain order? Do you want these laborers walking all over you?"

He didn't give his brother any face.

The smile faded from Qiu Ji's face. He looked at Bei Nuan again, then pulled a pistol from his waist.

"Have you ever used a pistol?" he asked.

Bei Nuan honestly shook her head.

"Come here, try it. The gun in the cage is the same as this one."

Qiu Ji expertly unloaded the bullets from the magazine and handed the empty gun to Bei Nuan.

The gun was entirely black. The barrel was metal, while the grip felt like plastic.

It was much lighter than she expected, only slightly heavier than an ordinary folding umbrella.

"You're not very strong, so use a two-handed grip. You might not be able to hold it steady with one hand."

Qiu Ji stood beside her, helping her hold the gun correctly and showing her how to aim using the sights.

Aiming was similar to a rifle, not difficult, but…

Novels always mentioned releasing the safety before firing. Otherwise, if a zombie attacked before the safety was off, wouldn't that be the end?

The problem was, where was the safety?

"Where's the safety on this gun?" Bei Nuan asked Qiu Ji.

"You even know about safeties?"

Qiu Ji was teaching her how to aim and couldn't help but chuckle in her ear.

"This gun's design is a bit different. The safety is integrated with the trigger. Just pull the trigger directly; there's no separate safety."

"Oh." Bei Nuan turned the gun, aiming it at Qiu Ji's head.

Even though he knew the gun was empty, Qiu Ji was startled.

He quickly moved away from the barrel. "Never point a gun at anyone, whether it's loaded or not. It's a good habit that can save your life."

Qiu Zhengxun sat in his seat, displeased, watching Qiu Ji teach Bei Nuan how to use the gun. Qiu Ji ignored him, focused on his instruction.

After a short while, the burly man who hosted the cage fights approached.

He arrived just as Bei Nuan was pointing the gun at him.

The burly man flinched and quickly dodged.

"Don't worry, there are no bullets," Bei Nuan reassured him.

"It's still scary even without bullets."

The burly man smiled at Bei Nuan. He held a small notebook and a sparkly pink pen. He was here to register her.

"Let me see your iron tag," he said.

Bei Nuan pulled the tag out from under her clothes and showed it to him.

Seeing the F on the tag, the burly man fell silent. His gaze softened with a hint of pity.

He seemed to understand that she was being forced into this and didn't ask further, simply writing "F" in his notebook.

"Do you have any experience killing zombies?" he asked.

Bei Nuan thought carefully. She actually did.

Back in S City, during her first encounter with Du Ruo, she had used an oxygen tank to bash a zombie in order to save him.

"Once," Bei Nuan replied.

Her answer surprised the burly man.

He looked her over again, seemingly incredulous that an F-rank like her could kill a zombie.

Nevertheless, he recorded it in his notebook: One kill.

"You've killed a zombie before?" Qiu Ji asked from the side.

Bei Nuan thought, Killing one isn't much. I haven't killed many, mainly because others were too quick, and I didn't get the chance.

"It was a fluke, a lucky coincidence," she replied to him.

The burly man finished his questions and returned to the platform with his notebook. He announced to the crowd, "We've added a fourth match! This one's an F-rank, one kill. Place your bets!"

"An F-rank?" The crowd erupted in laughter.

"What's an F-rank doing here? Who would bet on an F-rank to win?"

Despite the skepticism, many people still placed bets, crowding around one of the servers.

Bei Nuan looked at them, puzzled, and asked Qiu Ji, "Are they all betting on me to lose? If everyone bets on me to lose, who do they win money from?"

Qiu Ji explained, "They're betting on how you'll lose. For example, whether you'll die after one shot, two shots, or before you even get a shot off. They also bet on whether the zombie will bite your head, leg, or hand first, and so on. The odds are different for each scenario."

Bei Nuan was speechless. "Is no one betting on me to win?"

Qiu Ji glanced at the server responsible for taking bets on Bei Nuan winning.

Bei Nuan followed his gaze. The server stood alone, holding a box, completely ignored.

"Probably because you're an F-rank. Since we started this, no F-rank has ever survived the cage fight. The odds are high, but no one wants to bet, thinking it's a waste of money."

Bei Nuan was annoyed.

She asked Qiu Ji, "Can you lend me five yuan?"

Qiu Ji actually pulled out his wallet. "I don't have five, but will a hundred do?"

"Yes, I'll pay you back later."

Bei Nuan took the bill and waved to the lonely server. "Come here."

She handed the hundred-yuan bill to the server. "I bet on myself to win." Then she asked, "What can I bet on to win?"

Qiu Ji watched as Bei Nuan placed her bet.

As she did, she asked him, "You said no F-rank has ever won in the cage. Since I'm an F-rank, do you think I'll lose too?"

"The iron tags are something my brother and Old Hu came up with."

Qiu Ji lowered his voice, glancing at his brother before smiling at Bei Nuan.

"I believe in probability, and I also believe in miracles."

Just as she finished placing her bet, the burly man from the platform returned. He led Bei Nuan through the crowd and onto the platform, escorting her into the cage.

The moment she stepped inside, the entire arena fell silent.

No one expected the F-rank who was about to fight a zombie to be such a young girl.

Her face was innocent, her eyes wide. Enclosed within the rough iron cage, she looked like a small bird that had accidentally fallen into a trap.

"Little girl, are you here voluntarily?" someone from the crowd called out. "According to the rules, you can still leave if you don't want to do this."

"Yeah, you're an F-rank. Why are you trying to earn this kind of money? Are you not dying fast enough?"

Bei Nuan thought, Others might be here voluntarily, but I'm not.

For some reason, Qiu Zhengxun seemed determined to kill her, showing no intention of letting her go.

As expected, the burly man didn't ask her if she wanted to quit.

Bei Nuan went straight to the table and picked up the gun.

It was identical to the one Qiu Ji had given her. The burly man loaded two bullets in front of her and removed the other weapons from the cage.

The cage containing the zombie was brought up and placed inside the larger cage.

The zombie inside growled, spotting Bei Nuan and immediately rushing towards her, clawing at the wire mesh and shaking the cage door frantically.

The burly man retreated outside the cage, secured the door, and retrieved the steel rod used to open the latch.

Bei Nuan steadied herself, moving to the corner farthest from the zombie cage.

She positioned herself with her feet apart, gripping the gun with both hands as Qiu Ji had instructed, raising it and aiming at the zombie cage door.

The arena, once again, fell silent.

Bei Nuan knew everyone was holding their breath, watching her.

But Bei Nuan kept her eyes fixed on the zombie cage door.

With a final, regretful glance at Bei Nuan, the burly man extended the steel rod and flicked the latch.

The moment the cage door opened, the zombie charged towards Bei Nuan like a rabid dog.

Bei Nuan held the gun steady, aiming at the zombie's head, but she didn't fire.

Stay calm.

The zombie snarled, its eyes fixated on Bei Nuan. It charged in a straight line, making no attempt to dodge.

Bei Nuan had already practiced aiming with Qiu Ji and the burly man's heads. The closer the target, the better her chances.

She only had two bullets. She couldn't waste them.

From the moment she gripped the gun, Bei Nuan repeated a mantra in her mind:

I am a gun mount.

I am an emotionless gun mount.

I am a gun mount unafraid of zombies.

I am simply a wooden gun mount.

The gun mount stood firm, completely still, aiming at the single-minded zombie that didn't even try to dodge, watching the zombie's head grow larger in the sights.

Everyone held their breath.

Since the introduction of the zombie cage fights, the audience had seen all sorts of panicked reactions.

Some people emptied their guns before the cage door fully opened, others turned and ran, forgetting they even had a weapon.

They had never seen anyone so still, waiting until the zombie was practically upon them before firing.

Many wondered if the little girl was frozen in terror at the sight of the approaching zombie.

The gun mount hadn't forgotten.

It simply remained impassive, watching the zombie's head grow larger and larger in its sights.

When the zombie's head finally reached the size the gun mount deemed appropriate, it pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The zombie jerked, then vanished from the sights.

Just one bullet, a perfect headshot. No second shot needed.

The arena was silent for a few seconds, then erupted.

Excited screams turned into a roaring ocean. Many forgot their bets, cheering wildly. The cheers and screams were mixed with loud curses as some lamented their lost wagers.

Many still couldn't comprehend what they had just witnessed: an F-rank had killed a zombie? And with a single shot?

Bei Nuan wasn't overly excited.

Lu Xingchi had done this hundreds, thousands of times in front of her.

A zombie charges, a headshot. Another zombie charges, another headshot. It was as mechanical as a daily routine.

That's why Bei Nuan wasn't as panicked by the approaching zombie as others were.

When Lu Xingchi was around, he would handle everything.

Even if zombies swarmed like a tidal wave, he would keep her safe.

Lu Xingchi wasn't in the cage with her today, but it felt as if he were. She was simply doing the job he usually did.

Just killing one zombie. He would laugh at her if she missed.

Firing a second shot would be considered a failure.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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