Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck - Chapter 18

Qiao Yanyu felt that Kexin was like a sunflower, able to stare at her motionless for long periods, seemingly driven by a small animal’s curiosity towards humans. Sometimes she would secretly peek from a corner, and other times she would hold a small toy while gazing at her, as if any action she took would endlessly fascinate Kexin.

The longer they spent together, the more Kexin, who had been quietly observing, came to understand Qiao Yanyu. Gradually, she grew bolder, following her everywhere like an inescapable little tail.

This little tail occasionally had her own ideas, refusing to simply accept being fed. Stubbornly, she wanted to feed her master too.

Qiao Yanyu met Kexin’s expectant gaze with a gentle smile. She lowered her head and took a small bite of the pink fruit. The sweet juice, infused with a pure, refined power, filled her weakened body.

“So sweet~”

Hearing this, her little sunflower, Kexin, lit up like she’d been bathed in bright sunlight. Her entire duck face radiated joy.

Kexin happily wiggled her little duck feet. “Duckie likes sweet things, and Master likes sweet things too. That means Master and Duckie like the same things!”

Her flailing duck feet accidentally bumped against her wound. Qiao Yanyu’s face paled, and she bit her lower lip as the pain she had been suppressing suddenly surged. Her vision darkened intermittently. Her overextended body and the long-absent chill told her she couldn’t hold on much longer.

Qiao Yanyu pinched the bridge of her nose and took a moment to steady herself. When she opened her eyes again, she felt slightly better.

She needed to quickly finish feeding Kexin so she could lie down and rest.

“Sit still and finish all of this,” she said, raising her voice slightly to hide her weakness as she fed the remaining fruit to Kexin.

Kexin’s cheeks were stuffed with fruit. She obediently chewed a few times and swallowed every last bite without wasting a morsel.

When offered another mouthful, she started turning her head away, refusing to cooperate.

Qiao Yanyu took a bite herself, and only then did Kexin continue eating.

Qiao Yanyu couldn’t help but feel helpless around Kexin. Each time she fed the duck, she would deliberately give Kexin a large mouthful of fruit, while taking only a small bite for herself.

Kexin, being a clever duck, quickly noticed her master’s little trick and became quite upset.

An angry duck has its own way of showing displeasure. Kexin refused to accept any more food from her master, turning her little back to Qiao Yanyu to make her stance clear. She was truly upset, and not easily mollified.

Seeing that Kexin could still throw a tantrum, Qiao Yanyu felt a slight relief. It seemed her body was indeed recovering.

She reached out to stroke Kexin’s small head, but a sudden wave of drowsiness washed over her. Her head swam with fatigue, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.

Kexin waited for a long time, but her master didn’t come to comfort her. She cautiously lifted her head and discovered that her master was leaning against the wall, fast asleep.

“Duck…”

Kexin froze for a moment, then gently pecked her master’s palm with her small beak.

No response.

She looked up at her master again. She was really asleep, alright.

Qiao Yanyu’s hair was still damp, a few strands of wet hair sticking to her forehead. Her brows were furrowed, her face pale, her lips colorless and tinged with blood. Gone was her usual composure; she looked utterly frail.

This sensation transported her back to that frigid winter during the apocalypse. The howling north wind pierced through the shattered windows, its icy gusts buffeting Master’s frail body, as if a single breath could carry him away. She pressed herself against him, holding down the quilt’s edges.

If only I could become stronger, even stronger, she thought. Then Master wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

As Kexin pondered this, she suddenly felt a warmth spreading through her body, the heat from her wings intensifying. Worried she might burn her Master, she leaped off him.

Her body underwent a sudden transformation. She now resembled a small armored vehicle, her once-white feathers turning a warm golden hue, with even her eyes tinged a pale gold. Her wings, each spanning over ten meters, unfurled, their golden feathers blazing with passionate rose-gold flames. Yet, a dazzling, frosty light shimmered across their surfaces, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty.

Having reached the Third-Tier State, Kexin gained the Blazing Wings skill. Her internal space expanded from its original twenty square meters to eighty square meters. Now a colossal presence, she towered over the underground parking garage, surveying everything below.

Kexin vibrated her wings and flew out of the underground parking garage.

Scorching flames erupted around her, reducing nearby mutated plants to ash.

Her body’s energy was depleted, and the uncomfortable burning sensation in her wings finally subsided. Kexin landed, rubbing her rumbling stomach.

She was hungry.

Kexin caught and devoured several mutated beasts, barely managing to sate her hunger.

She wanted to catch more, but that would require venturing further. Her master was still in the parking garage, and she couldn’t leave.

Vibrating her wings, Kexin turned back toward the parking garage. Even in her regular form, her body was now several times larger than her original duck size. Her master would no longer be able to hold her in her palm and stroke her feathers.

Kexin felt a pang of distress over her size. She crouched beside Qiao Yanyu, looking dejected for a moment, then tilted her head and nuzzled Qiao Yanyu’s palm.

While her master still tolerated her as a plump duck, she wanted to bask in the warmth of her master’s palm a little longer.

Kexin narrowed her eyes, contentedly basking in her own happiness.

At first, it felt wonderful. But before long, she suddenly felt a burning heat on her head, like when Master wiped her with a warm, damp towel during bath time. It was tolerable at first, but the heat intensified, becoming like a red-hot branding iron that threatened to scorch her fluffy head feathers.

With a start, Kexin quickly moved away and saw a small, emerald-green leaf resting in Master’s palm. Crystalline and translucent like crystal, it continuously oozed a milky-white sap.

Kexin tilted her head and pecked at it. The sap dissolved in her mouth, and she savored the taste. It was slightly sweet.

She opened her beak and began to eat, slurping noisily. As she ate, she felt a warm, dizzying sensation spreading through her head, as if she were getting tipsy.

Clutching her head, Kexin realized Master’s body had split into two.

She wobbled over, trying to sniff out the real Master, but her steps were unsteady. Her left duck foot slipped over her right, and she stumbled, collapsing beside Qiao Yanyu’s hand.

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