A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Jiang Fei helped Bei Nuan cut another salted duck egg with a red yolk, placed it on a plate, and brought it over, casually asking, "What's wrong?"

Bei Nuan took a spoonful of red date porridge and pointed to the coffee table. "The chips I won yesterday, I left them here, and now they're all gone."

Jiang Fei laughed. "Du Ruo probably ate them."

Having been wrongly accused by two people consecutively, Du Ruo was thoroughly enraged. "In your minds, am I such a glutton that I would even eat poker chips?"

Everyone thought: Aren't you?

Tang Tang thought for a moment. "Sister Nuan Nuan, it wasn't Brother Du Ruo. This morning, when Brother Du Ruo and I came downstairs, the coffee table seemed to be empty. There weren't any chips."

Lu Xingchi, who had been sitting far away, quietly reading a leather-bound book, looked up.

There were only five of them here, and no one knew where the chips had gone.

Something was very wrong.

He exchanged a glance with Jiang Fei.

Lu Xingchi closed his book and stood up.

He said to Jiang Fei, "You stay here with them. I'll go search."

Jiang Fei nodded, drawing the dagger from his waist and twirling it between his fingers.

Except for matters concerning Bei Nuan, these two were always in perfect sync and harmony.

Lu Xingchi went upstairs with his crossbow.

Bei Nuan understood what they meant. Lu Xingchi was saying there must be someone else in the house.

The villa's security door and windows had long been completely sealed by Lu Xingchi. There was no way anyone could have entered silently.

Yet, the chips on the coffee table had vanished.

Bei Nuan had a good habit of putting everything back into her space after using it, so there wasn't anything edible left in the kitchen last night.

Only the chips on the coffee table remained, which Bei Nuan had forgotten to take.

If the chips had disappeared into thin air, they must have been taken, perhaps to be eaten.

A chill ran down Bei Nuan's spine.

This meant that last night, after everyone had fallen asleep, someone else was still walking around in this house.

Thinking about it this way, if they didn't find this person, it would be too terrifying to sleep tonight.

The sound of Lu Xingchi opening and closing doors upstairs, along with the sounds of opening closets and moving furniture, drifted down.

Bei Nuan wondered if there might be a secret room or passage in this house.

Such a large villa, without a secret room, wouldn't live up to its size.

That's how it always went in novels. When building a house, the owner would leave a secret room and passage for themselves, preparing to hide in case of danger.

Now, with zombies everywhere, it was the perfect time to hide.

However, judging by the signs of struggle in the house, the owner seemed to be gone, and the owner probably wouldn't leave the house like this, with the doors unlocked.

Perhaps someone else, like Bei Nuan and the others, had slipped into this house and hidden in the secret room.

Du Ruo walked around the living room on the first floor, checking every nook and cranny. "Could there still be zombies hiding in this house?"

Bei Nuan shook her head. "Definitely not zombies. It must be a person. Zombies don't eat cassava chips."

Du Ruo argued with her, "How do you know zombies don't eat cassava chips?"

Bei Nuan replied, "They don't even eat beef jerky, would they eat cassava chips?"

Du Ruo continued to argue, "How do you know zombies don't eat beef jerky?"

Bei Nuan recalled being forced to feed zombies a few days ago, and a wave of sadness washed over her. "Trust me, your subjects really don't eat beef jerky. I tried feeding them a few days ago."

Even Jiang Fei was curious, touching the blade of his knife. "When you were cage fighting with the zombies? Why would you feed zombies beef jerky if you weren't in trouble?"

Bei Nuan was heartbroken. "That must have been because I had nothing better to do. Don't ask. If you ask again, I'll kill myself."

Lu Xingchi stayed upstairs for a long time, meticulously searching every corner, turning the place upside down, but he found neither a person nor any secret passage.

He checked the first floor, the basement, and the garage again, finding nothing.

Jiang Fei didn't believe it and went to search carefully again himself, but he also found nothing.

They were the two most meticulous members of the team. If they couldn't find anything, there was no point for Bei Nuan and the others to try.

Tang Tang analyzed seriously, "In a sealed room with all doors and windows closed, things on the table disappear, and no one can be found anywhere. Isn't the conclusion obvious?"

Everyone listened attentively.

"—This house is haunted."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Fei smacked him on the back of the head.

"Stop talking nonsense and scaring the girls."

Tang Tang protested, "Scaring Sister Nuan Nuan? Don't be ridiculous. Sister Nuan Nuan is a big shot. If a ghost comes, she'll just slap it to death, right?"

Everyone looked at Bei Nuan's small, soft hands in unison.

That evening, it began to drizzle outside, gradually growing heavier and showing no signs of stopping.

By dinner time, the rain was pouring down. Looking out through the peephole, all they could see was darkness.

The rain was too heavy, and the roads were definitely not easy to navigate. Although Bei Nuan seemed to have fully recovered, Lu Xingchi decided to stay in this "haunted" house for another day.

After returning to her room, Bei Nuan realized that she wasn't a big shot at all.

Only a small lamp was lit in the room, casting strange shadows from the furniture.

The boys, wanting to take care of Bei Nuan, had given her the largest master bedroom. The master bedroom was so big that a group of people could do aerobics in it, which wasn't a good thing on such a gloomy night.

Especially now.

There was something hidden in this house, something that would steal food, and they didn't know if it was human or ghost.

Perhaps it was hiding behind a one-way mirror or peeking out from a hole in a painting.

That's how it always went in movies.

Bei Nuan stood on a chair and took down all the paintings on the wall, but she didn't find any peepholes. She then found a blanket and completely covered the mirror on the vanity.

But she still felt a little uneasy.

This was much scarier than zombies.

Zombies were big and silly, baring their teeth and growling. You just had to kill them and be done with it.

This unknown thing was truly frightening.

This world had zombies, supernatural abilities, and perhaps other supernatural things, who knew.

Bei Nuan hid two knives in her bed, turned off the lights, and tossed and turned in the darkness, eyes wide open, unable to sleep.

After tossing and turning for a long time, replaying countless horror movies in her mind, Bei Nuan couldn't help but knock on the wall.

Lu Xingchi had said that she could knock on the wall if she needed anything. His inner voice had also said that he was willing to provide "sleeping companion" services at any time.

However, there was no movement from the other side of the wall.

This was definitely not normal.

Whenever Bei Nuan needed something, Lu Xingchi would always appear immediately.

Could it be that the big boss had been dragged away by a ghost? He was so handsome, maybe some ghost had taken a fancy to him and dragged him away to be a groom.

Bei Nuan quietly pushed open the door, deciding to check on the "groom."

The lights in the hallway were also dimmed, providing only a faint, gloomy glow.

Bei Nuan tiptoed out and arrived at the door of Lu Xingchi's room next door, knocking softly.

Still no response.

Bei Nuan turned the doorknob. The door was unlocked. The light was on inside, but the bed was empty.

The groom wasn't there.

Bei Nuan retreated, hesitated for a moment, and still barefoot, quietly crossed the hallway, intending to go downstairs to have a look.

Just as she passed the corner of the stairs and was about to peek downstairs, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

Bei Nuan was pulled abruptly and pressed against the wall at the corner.

"Sneaking around, what are you doing?"

The person who should have been the groom in the bridal chamber was extremely close, squinting at Bei Nuan, his voice very low.

Bei Nuan retorted softly, "You're the one sneaking around. What are you doing?"

"We're taking turns keeping watch tonight, trying to see who's stealing things."

This spot was the corner of the stairs, where a large potted plant sat. Although it hadn't been watered for a long time, it was surprisingly still green. From between the plant's large leaves, one could just see downstairs.

On the coffee table downstairs, just like yesterday, was a stack of roasted cassava chips.

Clearly a trap.

They had discussed taking turns on watch but hadn't told Bei Nuan, probably wanting her to rest well.

It seemed Lu Xingchi was currently on duty.

He didn't release his grip on Bei Nuan, his light-colored, beautiful eyes fixed on her, his expression unreadable.

Bei Nuan had listened to his inner voice all day yesterday and now had a full understanding of what he might be thinking, able to guess eight or nine times out of ten.

He was definitely thinking about those improper things again.

Bei Nuan guessed correctly.

Lu Xingchi held her, like a captured prey, a little reluctant to let go once caught.

She had just crawled out of bed, wearing only the close-fitting white T-shirt and athletic shorts she slept in, her legs and feet bare.

It was rare to see her dressed so minimally.

Although petite and slender, her figure was shapely, and her exposed skin was fair and flawless, like a little figure made of glutinous rice, making one want to swallow her whole.

Lu Xingchi really wanted to swallow her whole, in the literal sense.

He said in a low voice, "Bei Nuan, you casually dealt with my third wish last time. It's about time you compensated me."

Bei Nuan argued, "I never promised to compensate you."

Lu Xingchi raised an eyebrow. "You didn't promise?"

Bei Nuan shook her head. "Absolutely not."

Lu Xingchi curled his lips. "Bei Nuan, that's not how business is done."

What did he mean?

"Fair trade, pleasant cooperation, leads to future opportunities."

Lu Xingchi continued to hold her, speaking slowly.

"You got what you wanted this time, completely satisfied. Are you so sure there won't be another time when you make a wish and need me to help you fulfill it in the last few minutes?"

Bei Nuan fell silent.

He was absolutely right.

This time, he had been kind and lenient, helping her out at the last minute, allowing her to complete her task smoothly.

She had to satisfy him, give him a reward, so he would be willing to help her again next time.

Given the bizarre nature of the system's tasks, who knew when she might need Lu Xingchi again.

He was quick-witted and understanding, truly an ideal task partner.

Lu Xingchi, observing her expression, knew she had softened. He smiled slightly and, without saying anything more, lowered his head and kissed her.

Bei Nuan was obedient, and although she didn't take the initiative, she was quite cooperative.

Bei Nuan felt a little guilty. Saying it was compensation, wasn't she actually taking advantage of him?

But today, he was a little different from usual. Bei Nuan could feel it.

He was a little restless, as if no matter how he kissed her, he wasn't satisfied, as if it wasn't quite right.

His hand, which had been holding her wrist, now intertwined their fingers, clasping them tightly, as if cherishing every bit of closeness.

After a while, he released her hand and cupped her waist and the back of her head, pressing her tightly against him.

After a long while of entanglement, he loosened his hold on her slightly, allowing her to breathe.

Bei Nuan took a couple of breaths, her face slightly flushed. "I thought you wanted candy or something…"

Lu Xingchi said hoarsely, "I don't want candy. I only want you."

Bei Nuan knew that this was all he had been thinking about yesterday, for who knew how long.

He leaned in again.

He kissed her, his tenderness laced with an inexplicable urgency. He used a little force, pressing against her, lost in the embrace.

Bei Nuan felt a little short of breath, her head dizzy.

In a daze, she felt him leave her lips, nipping at her chin like an animal, then trailing his kisses downwards.

He released one hand from her waist, his fingertips brushing against her neck, ear, and collarbone, his lips following suit.

His touch was scorching hot.

His kisses branded her skin, much more unrestrained than before, boldly invading unfamiliar territory.

Yet, he was also more restrained than before, his movements carrying a controlled gentleness, as if worried about scaring her, worried she might reject his new way of intimacy.

Bei Nuan was drowsy, her eyes half-closed.

He lowered himself, no longer blocking Bei Nuan's view, and she could just see downstairs.

Suddenly, she saw something.

"Lu Xingchi," Bei Nuan's mind cleared instantly.

"Hmm?" Lu Xingchi stopped and looked up at her.

Bei Nuan whispered, "Look down there."

While the two of them were lost in their passionate kiss, the stack of roasted cassava chips on the coffee table downstairs had already diminished by half.

Yet, there was no one around.

Bei Nuan, ignoring Lu Xingchi, widened her eyes and stared. She saw a small paw with golden fur reach out from under the coffee table. With a gentle hook, a cassava chip disappeared from Bei Nuan's sight.

After a few seconds, presumably after finishing eating, it reached out again.

This time, a small head covered in fluffy golden fur emerged, along with a pair of shiny, black bean-like eyes.

Lu Xingchi glanced over and saw it too.

He sighed, his arm around Bei Nuan still firm, and gave her another reluctant kiss before raising his right hand.

A metal-legged chair in the living room suddenly rose into the air, flying towards the small creature beside the coffee table.

Startled, the little creature leaped upwards, trying to escape over the sofa.

Bei Nuan then saw clearly that it was a young monkey.

It was covered in thick golden fur, slightly darker on its back and lighter on its belly, its long tail curled.

It was fast, but Lu Xingchi was faster.

The moment the chair flew over, it melted and transformed in mid-air. The four chair legs split into more than eight, forming a cage-like structure that snapped shut around the little monkey, pinning it firmly to the sofa.

Bei Nuan quickly said, "Be gentle!"

"Don't worry," Lu Xingchi smiled. "I know what I'm doing. I didn't hurt it."

The little monkey, trapped and confined within the makeshift chair cage, screeched and spun around and around.

But even in its panic, its two small paws still clutched the cassava chips tightly, unwilling to let go.

Bei Nuan ran upstairs to call the others. Now, everyone was awake and came downstairs to watch.

"It's actually a little monkey? Why is it here?" Tang Tang was curious.

"Maybe it was someone's pet, perhaps the owner of this house. The owner turned into a zombie, and the little monkey hid itself," Jiang Fei analyzed.

Lu Xingchi countered, "Not necessarily. Monkeys are common in this part of the country. Maybe it's a wild one. Seeing no one in this house, it snuck in to find food. Who knows?"

However, he seemed to be wrong.

Although the little monkey was initially panicked when caged, constantly screeching and moving around, after a while, it gradually calmed down.

It looked at Bei Nuan with a pitiful expression, blinking its eyes, seemingly not too afraid of people.

Its golden fur was thick, shiny, and quite clean, not at all like it had been living in the wild.

It didn't seem like a wild monkey, but rather like a pet.

Bei Nuan picked up another cassava chip from the coffee table and carefully offered it to the monkey through the cage.

The little monkey's eyes lit up immediately. It reached out its small paw from the cage and let out two pitiful cries towards Bei Nuan.

Bei Nuan handed the cassava chip to the monkey.

"Be good and stay in the cage for two days. As long as you behave, I'll give you something good to eat every day."

The monkey took the cassava chip and ate it in a few crunches, not even leaving the core. It seemed to be starving.

It was still quite small, about the size of a large cat. Being small and agile, it would have been easy for it to hide, so it was understandable that Lu Xingchi and the others hadn't found it earlier.

After feeding it the cassava chips from the coffee table, Bei Nuan took out another handful from her space.

"You can't eat too much at once. It's not easy to digest," Bei Nuan advised it.

The little monkey tilted its small head and looked at her, as if trying to read her expression or understand what she was saying.

It suddenly clasped its paws together and bowed to her.

Bei Nuan was stunned. "Did you see that? It, it, it bowed to me."

Lu Xingchi glanced at her. "Why are you so excited? This just means it's most likely a pet, a monkey trained by humans. Isn't bowing normal?"

"But I think it's begging me," Bei Nuan analyzed. "It seems to be saying that the cage is too small, it's uncomfortable inside, and it wants me to let it out."

Lu Xingchi was speechless. "Aren't you overthinking it?"

As if understanding, the little monkey glanced at Lu Xingchi, seemingly quickly judging that he wasn't buying its act.

It ignored Lu Xingchi and turned its gaze back to Bei Nuan, blinking its shiny black eyes pitifully and bowing to her again.

Lu Xingchi instantly felt that this little monkey's trick of playing pitiful was exactly the same as Bei Nuan's.

As if they were taught by the same master.

However, Bei Nuan completely failed to recognize her little junior and was immediately moved.

"Look, look, it definitely means that. Lu Xingchi, let it go. I don't think it will run away."

Bei Nuan confirmed with the little monkey, "Even if we let you out, you won't run away, right?"

As if completely understanding her words, the little monkey clasped its paws again, blinked at Bei Nuan, and made a pleading gesture, whimpering twice.

Its eyes were sincere, as if saying, "I won't run, I won't run."

The little monkey looked at Bei Nuan pitifully.

Bei Nuan looked at Lu Xingchi pitifully.

Lu Xingchi was immune to the monkey's gaze, but not to Bei Nuan's.

He glanced at her and raised his hand.

The cage abruptly lifted into the air, releasing the little monkey.

Without a second's hesitation, the little monkey bolted.

Before it could take a few steps, the iron cage made of chair legs descended from the sky and trapped it again.

Du Ruo, nearly dying of laughter, collapsed onto the sofa. "Bei Nuan… I can't… You usually seem so smart… how could you fall for a monkey's trick!"

Bei Nuan: "…"

Lu Xingchi also curved his lips. "Let's keep it locked up for two days and release it when we leave."

Jiang Fei understood his meaning. "Right. Monkeys are too clever. Letting it run around the house freely, who knows what kind of trouble it might cause. It's better to keep it locked up for now."

They were right. It was better to keep it locked up for now.

Bei Nuan sat down opposite the cage and took out an apple from her space.

The little monkey's eyes lit up immediately. It reached out its small paw from the cage and let out two pitiful cries towards Bei Nuan.

Bei Nuan handed the apple to the monkey.

"Be good and stay in the cage for two days. As long as you behave, I'll give you something good to eat every day."

The monkey took the apple and ate it in a few crunches, not even leaving the core. It seemed really hungry.

When Bei Nuan wanted to give it another apple, she noticed it was still looking at the roasted cassava chips on the coffee table.

It seemed it really liked roasted cassava chips.

Bei Nuan brought all the cassava chips over and put them in the cage. The little monkey, as if it had found a treasure, quickly hugged them and stuffed them into its mouth one by one.

Seeing it eating only dry food, Jiang Fei went to pour it a bowl of water.

However, the space in the cage was indeed a bit small. There was no room to put a bowl, and it was even difficult for the little monkey to turn around.

Lu Xingchi watched Bei Nuan and the little monkey for a while, then went to the basement.

After a short while, he returned with a large iron cage, which he had made from the metal shelves used for storage in the basement.

Lu Xingchi put the little monkey inside.

This cage was much larger, giving the little monkey space to move around freely.

There was also a small door on the cage.

Lu Xingchi secured the door with thick iron bars. No matter how clever the monkey was, with its limited strength, it definitely couldn't open it.

With the thief finally apprehended, everyone went upstairs to their rooms to sleep.

Lu Xingchi didn't go upstairs. He stood behind Bei Nuan, watching her, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

He had finally gotten a chance to kiss her, only to be interrupted halfway by a monkey.

He didn't know if she would be willing to continue.

Lu Xingchi thought that it would be great if she would let him go to her room. It was quiet there, with no interruptions.

Unfortunately, her room was like a forbidden zone. He had managed to get in once, but only for a few minutes before being pushed out, so close yet so far.

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard Bei Nuan speak.

She asked, "Lu Xingchi, can I put the little monkey in my room?"

Lu Xingchi: ???

Bei Nuan gently stroked the little monkey's fluffy paws with her fingertips and said sincerely, "I'm a little scared sleeping alone in such a big room. I want it to sleep with me tonight."

She said the room was big.

She said she was a little scared.

She said she wanted it to sleep with her.

Looking at her, and her monkey, Lu Xingchi suddenly felt a little breathless.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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