A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Bei Nuan was completely unaware that behind her stood a tall, strong figure, capable of handling all sorts of demons and monsters with a single raise of his hand—a much better companion for tonight.

Her full attention was on the small monkey, which, aside from its soft fur, possessed no other discernible merits.

The little monkey was also quite docile. It extended a small paw through the bars of the cage, gently resting it on Bei Nuan's hand, showing no intention of scratching her.

Its bright black eyes blinked innocently.

"No."

Lu Xingchi reached out and pulled Bei Nuan up.

"This monkey's origin is unknown. Who knows what problems it might have? Besides, it's better to stay away from wild animals. Don't get infected with something else before the zombie virus; there are no hospitals that can save you now."

"But you said it was raised by people!"

Bei Nuan grumbled, but Lu Xingchi pulled her up regardless.

As she was being dragged away, she continued to reach out to the little monkey with a pitiful expression.

"Monkey—"

The little monkey also gazed longingly at Bei Nuan, helplessly raising its small paw.

"Ooh ooh—"

Their fingertips stretched towards each other, but could no longer touch.

A tragic scene, like the heartbroken separation of Madam White Snake and Xu Xian.

They went upstairs together. Lu "Fa Hai" Xingchi escorted her back to her room and, before she entered, asked, "So, are you… truly afraid?"

Bei Nuan's eyes instantly lit up. "So, can we bring Da Sheng upstairs?"

"Da Sheng?"

"The little monkey! I just thought of a good name for it: Da Sheng. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Can I sleep with Da Sheng?"

Lu Xingchi paused. "No."

Bei Nuan immediately wilted. She let out an "oh" and listlessly walked into her room, closing the door.

Lu Xingchi stood outside, facing the closed door, both exasperated and amused.

The rain poured down all night and continued into the next morning, as if the heavens had saved an endless supply of water and intended to pour it all down without end.

When Lu Xingchi got up and was about to go downstairs, still in the hallway, he heard cheerful laughter coming from below.

Turning the corner, he saw that Bei Nuan and the others were already awake, all sitting on the sofa downstairs.

Crucially, the cage door was open.

The small, fluffy golden monkey was being held by Bei Nuan and played with by the others.

Seeing him come down, Jiang Fei explained, "Da Sheng is very well-behaved. We just tried opening the cage door, and it really didn't run away this time. It's probably because Bei Nuan has fed it enough to tame it."

Da Sheng was tiny, not much bigger than a cat. As if it had found its home, it comfortably lay on Bei Nuan, clinging to her shoulder, its black eyes blinking at Lu Xingchi.

Lu Xingchi furrowed his brow slightly.

Seeing his expression, Da Sheng instantly darted into Bei Nuan's arms, looking up and whimpering, sounding like it was complaining to Bei Nuan.

Bei Nuan turned around and saw Lu Xingchi's expression. She immediately hugged Da Sheng tighter.

"Lu Xingchi, why are you scaring Da Sheng? Such a big person, bullying a little one. Look, it's trembling with fear."

Lu Xingchi subtly gritted his teeth.

He thought Jiang Fei had already mastered the art of manipulation, but unexpectedly, a little monkey was even more skilled.

Da Sheng clung to Bei Nuan all day, as if it had suddenly forgotten how to walk. It was as if it wasn't the same one that ran faster than an arrow last night.

Bei Nuan also unhesitatingly transitioned into the role of monkey mama.

Lu Xingchi couldn't help but remark, "You're so dedicated, why don't you just pick fleas off it for good measure?"

"Don't be ridiculous, it doesn't have any fleas."

Bei Nuan had already checked. Da Sheng seemed to have truly been raised by humans; it was very clean all over, with soft, dense fur that felt incredibly good to the touch.

Throughout the day, the rain showed no signs of stopping, instead growing heavier. By evening, there was thunder and lightning.

After dinner, they played board games for a while, then read or chatted.

Bei Nuan sat at the dining table with Da Sheng in her arms, spreading a handful of sunflower seeds on the table, teasing it to try and crack them open.

Da Sheng actually could do it, and it wasn't stupid at all; it even knew to spit out the shells.

After eating for a while, it suddenly held up a shelled sunflower seed and offered it to Bei Nuan.

Although Bei Nuan wouldn't eat it, she was still incredibly touched. "Did you see that? Da Sheng shelled a sunflower seed and gave it to me!"

Everyone: "…"

Tang Tang was a little startled. "Sister Nuan Nuan isn't actually going to eat it, is she?"

Lu Xingchi suddenly slammed his book shut on the coffee table and stood up.

With an indifferent expression, he walked to the dining table, picked up a sunflower seed, skillfully shelled it, and without a word, offered the kernel to Bei Nuan's lips.

Bei Nuan inexplicably opened her mouth and ate it, looking at him in confusion.

Du Ruo was convulsing with laughter beside them.

Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder shook the windows, making the glass rattle.

All the lights in the house went out instantly, plunging them into darkness.

At the same time, strange noises came from outside the door.

Even amidst the rain, it was still discernible that someone was banging on the door.

The door rattled loudly.

Bei Nuan shuddered in fright.

Hearing the sound, Da Sheng in Bei Nuan's arms instantly wriggled free and escaped to some unknown hiding place.

In the darkness, someone immediately reached out and pulled Bei Nuan into an embrace.

Lu Xingchi's chest was warm, his arms strong. His voice came steadily from above Bei Nuan's head.

"It's okay. Just a tripped breaker."

His voice was gentle and reassuring.

He showed no intention of letting go of Bei Nuan, only shifting his arm slightly. Somehow, the breaker switched back on.

The whole house was brightly lit again.

Lu Xingchi was still holding Bei Nuan.

He looked down and seriously asked, "Am I better than a monkey? More useful than a monkey?"

Bei Nuan was a little embarrassed. How should she answer this? Should she say, "You're more useful than a monkey?"

Boss Lu, why are you comparing your usefulness to a monkey?

A noise came from the window.

Unable to break down the door, someone was now trying to pry open the window.

The villa had a metal fence around it, which could keep out zombies but not people. If someone was determined, they could still climb over.

They could climb the fence, but they couldn't get into the villa.

The villa originally had a heavy metal security door, which was now completely welded shut. Unless they used explosives, no one could get in.

This was all Lu Xingchi's handiwork; ordinary people couldn't open it.

Lu Xingchi finally released Bei Nuan. "Stay here. I'll go take a look. The rain is too heavy. If there's no problem, I'll let them in to take shelter."

Lu Xingchi went to check the surveillance cameras. After a couple of minutes, he returned.

"They've left."

It turned out there were no zombies outside, but a group of about a dozen people, men and women.

Strangely, they were all dressed in identical white shirts and pants, with knives at their waists. It was unclear what their deal was.

They couldn't open the door and seemed to have gone to the villa next door.

The lights were on. Bei Nuan searched everywhere but couldn't find Da Sheng. Frightened, it had hidden somewhere again.

Before going to bed, Lu Xingchi subtly inquired about Bei Nuan's state and, learning that she was alright, decided that they would leave the next morning, rain or shine.

Back in her room, lying in bed, Bei Nuan was still pondering the group of people when she suddenly realized who they were.

The book had mentioned that in this region of Country N, there was an ancient tribe that had existed for thousands of years.

This tribe was originally isolated, with its own unique beliefs and customs.

In recent decades, this area had gradually developed, and the population had become increasingly mixed. Like other places, the tribe began to accept many new things and absorb new members.

The skin had changed, but the core remained.

Many ancient customs were still followed, becoming a strange mix of old and new, like some sort of fortune-telling ritual.

The zombie outbreak had forced them out of their ancestral lands, and they seemed to have established a new camp somewhere.

The original book only mentioned them briefly, without going into detail.

In the book, the tribe members made a cameo appearance as onlookers. Lu Xingchi's team hadn't directly interacted with them.

The next morning, Bei Nuan was awakened by the chirping of birds outside.

The sky had finally cleared.

The rain had washed the sky clean. The grass was still wet, and puddles dotted the stone path.

After breakfast, they packed up and prepared to leave.

Bei Nuan made one last round of the house but still couldn't find Da Sheng. She left a pile of cassava chips on the coffee table for it before setting off with Lu Xingchi and the others.

"Don't close the door completely. Da Sheng won't be able to get out if we do," Bei Nuan instructed.

Jiang Fei, the last one out, smiled. "Got it."

He left the door slightly ajar.

To avoid alerting the strange group next door, Bei Nuan and the others planned to walk a distance before getting into the SUV.

Who would have thought that they would encounter people as soon as they left the iron gate?

Two young men in white shirts and pants were waiting behind the bushes outside the gate. Seeing them emerge, they stepped forward and blocked their path.

Bei Nuan thought that, unable to get in yesterday, they probably guessed there were people inside and actually had the leisure to hide here and wait.

Judging by their physique, Lu Xingchi wouldn't even need his crossbow; he could send these two flying with a single slap.

Bei Nuan didn't take them seriously at all.

The two men, however, looked nervous.

They had knives at their waists, but in their hands, they held strange weapons—bamboo tubes that resembled children's homemade water guns—pointed at Lu Xingchi and the others. It was unclear what they were.

They shouted something, probably in the local language of Country N, which was unintelligible.

Realizing that Bei Nuan and the others didn't understand, one of them switched languages. "Please don't move. The arrows are poisoned. Be careful, you might get hurt."

So, the bamboo tubes were homemade weapons containing poisoned arrows.

They were pointing poisoned arrows at them, yet their demeanor was peaceful and polite.

Lu Xingchi raised an eyebrow, perhaps complying due to their polite tone. He really didn't move.

The two men carefully scrutinized Lu Xingchi and the others—or rather, the men. They paid no attention to Bei Nuan.

"Are they the ones?" one asked the other.

This time, they spoke in a language Bei Nuan could understand, spoken naturally and fluently, suggesting it was their commonly used language.

The other one wasn't so sure and looked again, still uncertain.

He pulled a tattered piece of paper from his pocket.

Printed on the paper was a photograph of a man.

The paper looked like it had passed through many hands; it was curled and wrinkled.

They held the paper up to Lu Xingchi's face, carefully examining it.

It was a close-up of a man's face, now somewhat blurred from being crumpled. One could only vaguely make out that the man had fair skin, black hair and eyes, and was quite good-looking.

Du Ruo's eyes widened the moment he saw the paper.

Even without Lu Xingchi's micro-expression analysis, even Bei Nuan could tell that Du Ruo recognized the person in the photo.

He couldn't speak, but his eyes were practically dancing.

Lu Xingchi also noticed Du Ruo's unusual reaction and looked at him.

The two men were busy comparing the photo to Jiang Fei's face and didn't notice.

One of them muttered, "This paper is too tattered, all wrinkled. How can we tell?"

The other immediately politely pointed out, "Juenyue, are you complaining? That's not very good."

The one holding the paper, Juenyu, suddenly became alert. He crossed his hands over his chest and bowed deeply to the person who corrected him.

He solemnly said, "I was wrong. I wasn't calm just now and let the fire of Xiuye control my heart. Thank you for reminding me."

"You're welcome."

Both of them then performed the same gesture, placing their hands on their chests and respectfully bowing to each other.

Bei Nuan and the others: "…"

It was like watching a play. What was going on?

After bowing, Juenyu formally suggested, "Why don't we just take them back and ask Saintess Yawen if any of them are the one?"

The other readily agreed. "Good, let's take them all back."

Having reached an agreement, they amicably raised their toy water gun poison arrows and gestured for Lu Xingchi and the others to move forward.

Because of Du Ruo's reaction, Lu Xingchi didn't resist, obediently following their instructions across the lawn in front of the villa.

They led Lu Xingchi and the others all the way to the gate of the neighboring villa.

It seemed Lu Xingchi was right; these people had indeed stayed here last night.

While they were opening the gate, a little distance away, Lu Xingchi seized the opportunity to ask Du Ruo in a low voice, "Do you know the person in the photo?"

Du Ruo couldn't contain his excitement. "It's the mysterious person who gave me the injection at the university!"

It seemed this group was also searching for that mysterious person.

They exchanged glances, sharing the same thought.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

It was a stroke of luck to stumble upon a clue like this. They definitely had to see what was going on.

The two men opened the courtyard gate and brought Bei Nuan and the others inside.

This villa wasn't as large or as beautiful as the one Bei Nuan and the others had stayed in.

Someone was guarding the entrance of the villa, also dressed in white. Seeing them, this person similarly crossed their hands over their chest, bowed deeply, and then opened the door.

The people of this tribe seemed very civilized and polite.

Quite a few people were sitting in the living room on the first floor, yet it was very quiet, almost silent.

The sofas and television had been moved aside, and everyone was sitting on the carpet.

Juenyu softly asked a person standing nearby, "Is Saintess Yawen resting upstairs?"

After receiving confirmation, he quietly led them upstairs.

Unlike downstairs, there was almost no one upstairs, only two people in white standing guard like door gods in front of a room.

The people of this tribe seemed to like wearing white. They should have a lot in common with Boss Lu.

Juenyu, as usual, exchanged greetings with the guards before tiptoeing over and asking, "Is Saintess Yawen awake yet?"

"I heard talking inside, so she seems to be up," one of the guards replied.

Their tone was cautious, as if they held great respect for this Saintess.

Juenyu then knocked on the door.

He knocked very lightly, so lightly that Bei Nuan thought the person inside wouldn't be able to hear it. Then he patiently waited at the door.

After a long while, just when Bei Nuan thought the door would never open, it did.

A woman emerged.

She also wore white, but not the white shirt and pants of the others. Instead, she wore a form-fitting long dress favored by the local women of Country N.

Her long, wavy hair cascaded down, almost reaching her waist.

Unusually, her face was covered by a long white veil, revealing only her heavily made-up eyes.

In her hand, she held something Bei Nuan was very familiar with, a black object with a protruding antenna—

A satellite phone.

Its size and style were identical to the one Huo Ren had used in the Ninth Prison.

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