Chapter Forty-Nine

Hot! So hot!

Mo Yu awoke in a haze of scorching heat, the blinding light making it difficult to open her eyes.

“Hah... hah...”

She felt moist breaths brushing against her face, something warm and wet licking her cheek!

Startled, Mo Yu bolted upright, and something tumbled off her body.

“Arf! Woof woof!”

A little creature circled around her legs, occasionally reaching up with its tiny paws, trying to climb onto her.

So... so cute!

Noticing the scattered eggshells and the little one before her, Mo Yu instantly knew this puppy was Eggy! (Though she found it astonishing that a dog had hatched from an egg, she accepted it with surprising calm.)

The little thing struggled to climb up, its big watery eyes brimming with tears in its frustration. The sight tugged at her heartstrings. She was just about to comfort the adorable puppy when two small black wings sprouted from Eggy's back.

If Mo Yu could accept an egg-born puppy, she simply wasn’t prepared for a dog with chicken wings.

“What on earth!” she exclaimed in wonder.

“A dog-bodied, winged beast!” she marveled.

The little puppy flapped its underdeveloped wings with all its might, striving desperately to reach her. Mo Yu snapped out of her daze, looking on with admiration at this newborn dog’s efforts. Just as Eggy was about to reach her face for a lick, it felt a tug at its hind leg and let out a little yelp, dropping several centimeters in height.

Mo Yu tucked the black puppy under her arm and happily walked outside.

Eggy: “tat”

No sooner had she stepped out than she saw two tender green sprouts emerging from the vast black soil. Her heart soared with joy, having previously feared she was simply indulging in wishful thinking. She quickly returned to the storage room, fetched the bag of tomato seeds, and carefully planted each one.

Though a cool breeze blew, Mo Yu was soon drenched in sweat from exhaustion. She leaned heavily on the shovel, only a head taller than herself. She’d always lived a pampered life; even during the forgotten days of the apocalypse, she’d relied on her team’s brains to outwit zombies, never once tending a field.

After several rounds of watering, she finally stopped. She’d only planted two rows of tomatoes, choosing not to sow other vegetables yet—partly in case something unexpected happened to the land, and partly to avoid wasting seeds. Only when she saw ripe tomatoes would she feel safe planting the rest. The other reason: every seed required her to till the land herself! Watching the little puppy basking in the sun, belly up, Mo Yu felt a surge of envy and resentment. By now, the sun was high overhead; it was time to check on her little brother, Li Jun. At the very least, she needed to bring him something to eat—no point surviving the zombies just to starve to death.

_____________

When Mo Yu entered, Li Jun was sitting quietly on the bed, staring blankly ahead with no sign of energy.

She approached and placed a rosy red apple in front of him. “Li Jun, have some fruit first. We’ll be leaving soon.”

Hearing her voice, Li Jun finally snapped out of his daze. All morning he’d been lost in the thought, “Sister Nan Lingzi and Brother left, and now Sister Mo Yu has left with another man.” Now, seeing Mo Yu appear before him, and that man nowhere around, a weight instantly lifted from his heart. In his mind, every man who appeared was trying to take his sister away, and she was now his only support, his only reason to keep going. Taking the apple, Li Jun smiled at Mo Yu, not asking where the man had gone.

Seeing him eat the apple and looking much better, Mo Yu got up to check on their situation at the door.

No matter how sturdy the solid wood door had been, after days of relentless zombie attacks, it was on the verge of collapse. They needed to leave immediately, or they’d be waiting here for death.

Author’s note: Actually, it’s not time for VIP chapters yet~ maybe in two weeks or so...