A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

It was almost noon, the busiest time on the deck, and people were everywhere.

Bei Nuan sprinted forward, dodging left and right, taking care not to bump into anyone. It was a miserable run.

She ran fast, and the butterfly wings flapped faster, the effect quite realistic.

Bei Nuan had no time to admire this. Relying on her longer legs compared to the little ones, she put some distance between them, fleeing for her life while searching for a place to hide.

“Sister! Sister!”

Bei Nuan suddenly heard Yuanyuan's voice.

Turning her head, she saw a row of lounge chairs by the railing. The little boy was next to one, waving desperately at her to come over.

Yuanyuan's mother sat on the adjacent lounge chair, busy chatting with others, completely oblivious to what was happening.

Bei Nuan thought, Yuanyuan has an ability; he can see me while I'm invisible. In his eyes, I'm being chased by a bunch of little kids, running for my life.

How embarrassing.

Yuanyuan, out of sympathy, has stepped forward to save the damsel in distress.

Bei Nuan, ignoring her embarrassment, gave him an OK sign.

She ran around the complex base of the waterslide by the pool several times, confusing the little ones, then seized the opportunity to dash towards Yuanyuan, quickly hiding behind his lounge chair.

Yuanyuan calmly draped a beach towel over the back of the chair, completely concealing Bei Nuan's butterfly form.

The group of children chasing Bei Nuan arrived.

Bei Nuan heard them say, “Let's ask that little psycho.”

Little psycho?

“He's crazy, always saying bad guys are going to board the ship. My mom told me not to talk to him.”

“My dad told me the same. Said I'm not allowed to play with him.”

“Will he hit people?”

“It should be okay to just ask him a question, right?”

Finally, a little girl mustered the courage to walk over and ask Yuanyuan, “Did you see that big butterfly?”

Yuanyuan pointed behind him, towards the railing. “I saw it. A big blue butterfly. It flew off the ship.”

Yuanyuan seemed to have completely ignored the children's discussion about him, answering naturally.

The children were incredibly disappointed. They searched around a few more times before finally giving up their pursuit and going off to play something else.

After they left, Yuanyuan asked Bei Nuan, “Sister, why are you a butterfly again? What are you busy with?”

Speaking of being busy, Bei Nuan suddenly remembered what she had set out to do and quickly emerged from under the towel.

“I'm busy doing good deeds, reforming bad guys, and such. Gotta go. I'll come back to play with you later.”

This time, Bei Nuan was much more careful, moving forward by sticking to hidden spots.

Nearing the entrance to the cargo hold, she suddenly saw a sturdy crewman also walking in her direction.

He held a mobile phone in one hand and a transparent plastic bag containing four steamed buns in the other.

Bei Nuan followed him to the place where the people were being held.

The inner and outer doors in the corridor were tightly closed. A crewman sat on duty not far away. Seeing the sturdy crewman, he greeted him.

“You finally remembered to change shifts. I thought you forgot.”

“I went to the dining hall to get the steamed buns first. Mr. Sheng said to give them four.” The sturdy crewman asked, “How are things inside?”

“Pretty noisy. Don't know what they're doing.”

Bei Nuan also heard it. There was quite a commotion inside, banging and shouting. She didn't know what was happening.

It definitely wasn't anything good.

The crewman continued, “Anyway, Mr. Sheng said we don't have to worry about what happens in there. I'm going to eat.”

He then packed up his things, stood up, and left.

They had changed shifts.

The sturdy crewman carrying the steamed buns walked to the door and squatted down.

Bei Nuan then saw a small cat-flap-like opening in the wooden door, barely large enough to fit anything through.

The sturdy crewman knocked on the door with his knuckles, pushed the plastic bag with the steamed buns inside, and shouted, “Here's your food.”

Then, ignoring them, he went to where the previous crewman had been sitting and continued playing with his phone.

He paid no attention to his surroundings, so Bei Nuan quietly approached the door where the people were held.

Bei Nuan's main purpose was to see if there was an opportunity to continue her mission. Now it seemed unlikely.

The door was locked tight, and the cat flap was small, only slightly larger than a fist. Bei Nuan wasn't really a butterfly; she couldn't fly through.

Bei Nuan got down on all fours and peered through the small opening.

Her eyes met with someone inside.

The other person was also lying on the ground.

Bei Nuan recognized him immediately. It was the tall, thin man who had thrown little Yuanyuan overboard in the previous life, the one who had played the mantis-catching yellow sparrow on the fishing boat in this life, the one who loved throwing people into the sea.

Inside the door was the corridor outside the room where they were being held. The tall, thin man lay on the corridor floor, not as if he was trying to look out through the cat flap, but more like he genuinely couldn't get up.

He stared blankly outwards, naturally unable to see the invisible Bei Nuan.

Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to push a piece of paper out through the cat flap.

The paper slipped out and fluttered to the ground in front of Bei Nuan.

Bei Nuan glanced at it. It was a small piece of torn paper with two blood-written characters: "Help."

Even someone as ruthless as the tall, thin man, who wouldn't hesitate to kill, was reduced to pushing out a plea for help. This showed how dire the situation inside was.

Bei Nuan looked at the paper, thinking. She pulled a pen and a piece of chewing gum from her space.

Then, below the word "Help," she wrote two large characters:

Go!!

She even added two huge exclamation marks to express her sincere encouragement, then pushed the paper, along with the chewing gum, back through the cat flap.

With so much blood in his mouth, the taste must be awful. Chewing some gum should be nice, right?

Bei Nuan felt she was being particularly thoughtful.

The tall, thin man watched in horror as the paper, as if haunted, floated back through the cat flap, now accompanied by a piece of chewing gum and two more characters.

When he saw what was written, he spat out a mouthful of old blood, along with the bloody froth.

Bei Nuan ignored him and checked her mission panel.

After thoughtfully offering chewing gum and enthusiastically cheering him on, "A Saint's Forgiveness" had indeed become (3/5).

It really worked.

Encouraged, Bei Nuan wondered if offering another piece of chewing gum would make it (4/5).

She quickly took another piece of gum from her space and pushed it through the cat flap.

However, the (3/5) on the mission panel didn't change.

Bei Nuan peered through the cat flap again.

The tall, thin man was lying there, eyes rolled back, completely still.

No wonder. The target was gone. He could no longer feel the kindness of Bei Nuan's "A Saint's Forgiveness." What a pity.

The other targets seemed to still be in the room, doing who-knows-what, not showing themselves at all. Bei Nuan waited for a while, but with no progress, she had to leave.

Coming out of the corridor, she happened to see Sheng Yi.

Sheng Yi, accompanied by Secretary Li, Nie Beian, and a few other crew members, was walking towards another cabin below deck.

Bei Nuan quietly followed them and found they weren't discussing the people from the fishing boat but were busy with something else.

“Are the racks all set up?” Sheng Yi asked Nie Beian.

“Yes, the substrate racks are up, and the lighting is installed according to the manual they provided.” Nie Beian led everyone and opened the door to a cabin.

The cabin was filled with multi-layered white racks, divided into grids, with square lamps installed on them.

Nie Beian patted a rack. “These are soilless cultivation racks. We can try growing some vegetables first.”

“What can we grow?” Sheng Yi asked.

A crewman replied, “We don't have much to plant ourselves, but they brought seeds: bok choy, romaine lettuce, and other lettuces.”

Nie Beian nodded, adding, “According to the manual, if we can grow these successfully, we won't have to worry about fresh vegetables on board, and everyone's nutrition will be much more balanced.”

Bei Nuan understood. This was the soilless cultivation equipment from the fishing boat. It looked quite good.

Bei Nuan quietly moved closer, looking down at the grids on the rack that held the substrate.

Nie Beian, sharp-eyed, immediately noticed, “There's a butterfly on the ship?”

Two crewmen also saw it. “I've never seen such a large butterfly. It's so beautiful.”

A younger crewman blurted out to Sheng Yi, “Mr. Sheng, can you see it? There's a huge butterfly over here!”

Sheng Yi didn't mind others mentioning his eyesight. He smiled. “I can't see it clearly, but I can still see it. It is indeed beautiful.”

“Let's catch it and make a specimen!” A crewman took off his hat, as if preparing to pounce.

Bei Nuan was speechless: It's fine for children to catch butterflies, but how old are you guys to still be playing this game?

Bei Nuan was about to turn and flee when she heard Sheng Yi say, “Don't touch it.”

Sheng Yi looked at the butterfly carefully. “We're about to start growing vegetables on the ship. A butterfly visiting us on the first day, especially such a unique one, must be a good omen.”

Even Bei Nuan felt he had a point.

So the "butterfly" earnestly inspected the cultivation racks.

Sheng Yi smiled, watching the butterfly flitting around the racks, and continued talking to Nie Beian.

“Next time we dock, let's bring some soil on board. We have seeds now, and there's plenty of space on the ship. We can grow more things.”

Nie Beian agreed. “Exactly. I've read the cultivation manual. These seeds have all been tested and can grow in the salty sea air. We can use foam boxes filled with soil and place them on the deck.”

Sheng Yi nodded. “We can also ask among the passengers if anyone knows how to garden and invite them to join us.”

Bei Nuan smiled. This time, Sheng Yi and the others hadn't been hijacked by thugs and seemed to be wholeheartedly focused on building a good life.

Sheng Yi asked a few more technical questions and looked around the cultivation racks before finishing his inspection.

Nie Beian walked to the door and opened it, waiting for Sheng Yi to come out.

Seeing that they were about to leave and the door was about to close, Bei Nuan quickly followed, afraid of being locked in the cabin.

Sheng Yi stopped at the doorway.

He widened the door with his hand, holding it open with the armrest of his wheelchair, and smiled. “Wait, the butterfly is still inside. Let the butterfly out.”

The "butterfly" was almost moved to tears.

This person is so considerate.

The "butterfly" quickly flew out the door. Just as she passed Sheng Yi, she suddenly realized something.

And instantly froze.

Sheng Yi's eyes were partially blind during the day and completely blind at night, so his other senses were particularly acute.

Last night on the deck, he could tell Bei Nuan was squatting nearby just by feeling her presence. Couldn't he do the same now?

Invisibility only worked on people who relied on their sight.

The butterfly was a disguise, but it only fooled others. Sheng Yi could sense Bei Nuan's presence without relying on his sight. So, to him, wasn't Bei Nuan just blatantly flitting around him?

She was a fool to follow him here.

“This butterfly seems to like Mr. Sheng very much,” a crewman said.

Bei Nuan realized she was hovering next to Sheng Yi's wheelchair again.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard Sheng Yi say softly, “The ship isn't as safe as you think. Even if others can't see you, don't be careless. Be careful.”

Nie Beian didn't understand. “What can't be seen? What careful?”

Of course, he didn't understand because Sheng Yi was clearly speaking to Bei Nuan.

He really knew Bei Nuan was there.

A warmth spread through Bei Nuan's heart.

Sheng Yi, having suffered a great loss and died once, was actually very kind to a stranger he had only known for a day or two.

The "butterfly" circled Sheng Yi's wheelchair, indicating "I understand," and then flew back to the deck.

This invisibility period was particularly long. Bei Nuan wandered around, choosing less crowded areas to avoid being caught, exploring every nook and cranny of the ship.

She had a great time.

By the time Bei Nuan returned to her cabin, the invisibility period was over.

She suddenly reappeared behind a young cabin attendant, startling him.

Bei Nuan asked him, “Why does the ship seem to have stopped?”

The attendant, recognizing Bei Nuan, smiled at her. “They said our ship is too big to dock at the pier ahead. Captain Nie and some others took a small boat ashore to look for supplies. We're waiting for them here.”

Bei Nuan understood, thanked him, and went directly to Lu Xingchi's cabin.

Du Ruo, Jiang Fei, and Tang Tang were all there, playing a board game, but Lu Xingchi was nowhere to be seen.

Bei Nuan wondered, “Where's Lu Xingchi?”

Du Ruo replied, “Captain Nie called him away, asking him to help find supplies ashore.”

That made sense.

Nie Beian had good judgment, asking Lu Xingchi to help find supplies. With Big Boss Lu around, their trip ashore was bound to be fruitful.

With Lu Xingchi gone, Bei Nuan felt much more relaxed and joined Du Ruo and the others in their board game.

She played for the whole afternoon, somewhat absentmindedly, even during their late lunch.

The countdown for the invisibility ability was still ticking. Such a good ability shouldn't be wasted.

After eating, Bei Nuan excused herself and returned to her cabin, silently reciting "Invisible and Formless" once more.

Then she quickly and carefully examined herself.

The effect was ideal.

Her body was gone, along with her clothes, without any part remaining visible, and without any phantom image. Not even a butterfly, not even a bee.

It appeared to be perfect, Grade A invisibility.

Bei Nuan opened her mission panel and found that the small letter marked on it wasn't "A" this time.

It was a small "C."

Bei Nuan carefully examined herself again, top to bottom, studying herself in the empty mirror for a long time, but found nothing unusual. It was like complete and utter invisibility.

But why was it a "C"?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Bei Nuan?"

It was Jiang Fei's voice.

Then Tang Tang said, "Brother Lu told us to keep an eye on Bei Nuan. Don't tell me she's running around again?"

Bei Nuan heard them talking to the cabin attendant.

Jiang Fei knocked again. “Bei Nuan, are we coming in?”

The door opened.

Bei Nuan, now experienced, stood still and silent.

Tang Tang and Jiang Fei entered together.

As soon as Tang Tang entered, he paused, then asked, "Sister Nuan, what are you doing standing there spacing out?"

Bei Nuan: ???

Jiang Fei also said, “Bei Nuan, why are you hiding in your room alone, not answering when we called? Aren't you coming to play with us anymore?”

They could both see her?! Bei Nuan thought, What's going on now?

Bei Nuan looked down at herself—completely invisible.

It was incredible.

Seeing that Bei Nuan was still safely in her room, they seemed relieved. Jiang Fei asked, “Are you coming over to play later?”

Bei Nuan quickly said, “I want to take a nap. I'll come over after I wake up.”

Jiang Fei and Tang Tang didn't press the issue, closed the door for her, and left.

As soon as they left, the cabin attendant knocked and entered.

He pushed in his cleaning cart with a vacuum cleaner, expertly found a socket in the room, and started vacuuming loudly.

Bei Nuan looked at him, thinking, Why did he enter a female guest's cabin without even a greeting, and why is he cleaning while the guest is still in the room?

Bei Nuan walked in front of him and waved her hand in front of his face.

He didn't react at all.

He couldn't see her.

The cabin attendant couldn't see Bei Nuan, but Jiang Fei and Tang Tang could, and they didn't find it strange. This situation was quite peculiar.

Bei Nuan circled the attendant twice, confirming that he truly couldn't see her, and then slipped out through the open door.

The people outside also seemed unable to see her.

Bei Nuan walked down the corridor, narrowly avoiding collisions with several people.

Down on the deck, everyone seemed oblivious to her presence.

It seemed that only people she knew could see her.

Just as she made her way around, she saw Yuanyuan.

Bei Nuan waved him over.

Bending down, she whispered, "Yuanyuan, do I look like a shadow to you now?"

Yuanyuan studied her carefully. “No. You look normal. You're not invisible now, are you?”

It seemed her guess was correct. To those who knew her, Bei Nuan looked no different than usual, but others couldn't see her.

For example, Yuanyuan's mother, although she had met Bei Nuan once, couldn't see her now. She was calling out to Yuanyuan from afar, "Yuanyuan, what are you standing there for? Come here, don't run around."

"See? My mom is the ruler of my life. She doesn't listen to me, doesn't understand me, and likes to control me."

Yuanyuan sighed like a little adult. "But after I fell into the sea last time, my mom desperately carried me on her back. Even when she was sinking, she kept pushing me upwards, wanting me to live."

"Of course, she's your mother," Bei Nuan patted the little boy's back. "Go on, go to her."

Bei Nuan felt much more at ease now. This type of invisibility wasn't bad.

Since they had only been on the ship for a day, there were hardly any acquaintances. This "C" type invisibility was practically the same as the best "A" type.

Bei Nuan walked through the crowd, and no one could see her. It was even more liberating than being a butterfly.

Two people approached: Sheng Yi and the ship's First Officer, the middle-aged man surnamed Zhai, whom she had met once.

Sheng Yi's gaze shifted towards her, passing over her.

His eyes, which could see a little during the day, must have seen her, but he only smiled faintly and didn't greet her.

He was saying to First Officer Zhai, “Captain Nie and the others have gone ashore for supplies. I estimate they won't be back until evening, maybe even tomorrow morning. We'll just wait here.”

First Officer Zhai asked, “Are they going to the warehouse at the dock?”

Sheng Yi replied, “If they can't find food in the warehouse, they'll probably have to go further inland.”

First Officer Zhai looked worried. “I heard there are quite a few zombies ashore. This trip won't be easy.”

Sheng Yi patted his arm reassuringly. “Old Zhai, don't worry. The two previous teams were all picked from the best hands on the ship, and they're all armed. I gave them my gun too. They should be fine.”

Bei Nuan thought, You won't need your knives or guns. With Big Boss Lu there, they'll win easily.

Then she heard Sheng Yi say, “Among the people who boarded yesterday, there's a particularly capable Mr. Lu. I asked him to go and help as well.”

Old Zhai quickly added, “I know, I heard about him. The one who saved a whole cart of supplies with a crossbow!”

Sheng Yi smiled in Bei Nuan's direction. “That's him.”

Old Zhai followed Sheng Yi's gaze but obviously saw nothing.

“Go ahead with your work. I'm going back to rest.” Sheng Yi gave his instructions to First Officer Zhai and headed back towards his cabin.

This invisibility period wasn't short, so Bei Nuan wasn't in a hurry.

Better safe than sorry. Bei Nuan wandered around the deck for a while longer, confirming her understanding of "C" type invisibility was correct, before heading towards the cargo hold where the people were being held.

She wondered how the fight among the people from the fishing boat was going and if there were any survivors.

It was getting dark, and the deck lights came on. Bei Nuan quietly slipped to the cargo hold area and walked down the corridor.

As she walked, she silently prayed.

Please let there be a couple left. Don't let them all be dead. At least leave a couple alive for me to complete my mission.

Further down the corridor was where the people were held. As Bei Nuan turned the corner, she suddenly came face to face with two people.

Under the harsh fluorescent lights of the corridor, Bei Nuan saw them clearly. It was Xing Quan, the Gu King who had led the killings on the fishing boat, and Wu Yi, who always followed him.

How did they escape from where they were being held?

They walked side by side down the corridor, straight towards Bei Nuan. Her heart pounded.

Her prayer had been answered; there were indeed two survivors left.

And they were thoughtfully delivered right to her doorstep, only a few meters away, about to be express-mailed to her.

Could she still request a return at this point?

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