Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck - Chapter 19

At noon the next day, Qiao Yanyu awoke and stretched, her joints cracking as she flexed. She felt more energized than before, and her wounds had miraculously vanished, leaving no trace of her previous injuries.

With a thought, she checked her Ability again. She was now almost a Level 2 Ability User, and the range of space her Ability could control had doubled from ten meters to twenty.

Her Ability’s enhancement was likely due to the Golden Pomelo Fruit. She had only eaten a small portion, but it had significantly boosted her physical strength. Kexin must have fully recovered as well.

Qiao Yanyu looked down and found Kexin curled up beside her hand, fast asleep. Her wings and mouth had indeed regenerated, her body had grown larger, and her feathers had turned a warm golden color, like a little sun.

She looked incredibly cozy.

Qiao Yanyu gently picked up Kexin, burying her face in the thick, fluffy feathers. They were warm and soft, just as comfortable as she’d imagined.

A faint smile spread across her face. The grown-up Kexin was still adorable, with a newfound endearing clumsiness. With her thicker feathers, she wouldn’t freeze during the winter anymore, and she could even serve as a warm cuddle buddy.

“Who’s nudging me?”

Suddenly, Qiao Yanyu heard a soft, muddled little voice. She thought she was hallucinating and froze, then heard the voice again.

“Don’t nudge me anymore, Kexin is sleepy.”

Was that Kexin’s voice?

Qiao Yanyu hesitated. “Kexin?”

Hearing her master’s call, Kexin instantly woke from her drowsy state. Her pale golden eyes were still unfocused as she searched for the annoying big monster that had been nudging her feathers. Her entire duck body was still puffed up in indignation.

“Where did that annoying big monster go?”

Hearing Kexin’s internal confusion, Qiao Yanyu realized Kexin had mistaken her for the big monster. She found it strange that she could actually hear Kexin’s thoughts.

Being discovered by her little pet while trying to borrow her warm feathers for warmth was a bit embarrassing, but Kexin’s current look was just too cute and endearing.

Qiao Yanyu pulled back slightly, lowered her head, and gently rubbed her face against Kexin’s fluffy feathers again.

“What should I do when my master pets my feathers?”

Kexin’s small duck feet waved helplessly, her pale golden eyes brimming with exaggerated hurt.

Qiao Yanyu couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She had intended to share this surprising discovery with Kexin, but the words died on her lips.

Which master wouldn’t want to know what their little pet thinks about all day?

Qiao Yanyu was no exception. Gazing at the adorable Kexin, she couldn’t resist teasing her a little more. “Kexin, shall we play a game?” she asked gently.

Kexin’s eyes lit up at the mention of a game, and she let out a joyful quack: “Quack!”

“Alright, let’s begin.” A smile played on Qiao Yanyu’s lips as her finger absentmindedly stroked Kexin’s small head. “I’ll ask you questions, and you answer. If you’re wrong, I’ll give you a little head scratch. If you’re right, the reward is also a head scratch.”

Kexin nodded, a little bewildered.

“Who is Kexin’s favorite person?”

“Of course, Master duck~”

“What kind of person does Kexin think Master is?”

“A big good person duck~”

Hearing Kexin’s answer, Qiao Yanyu couldn’t suppress a laugh. Being called a “big good person” by her own little pet was a truly an unusual experience.

In the past few days, Qiao Yanyu had done nothing but bad things—refusing to shelter anyone out of kindness, never taking the initiative to save anyone, and acting nothing like what people generally consider a good person.

Perhaps Kexin didn’t fully understand the boundaries between right and wrong, but deep down, Qiao Yanyu had to admit that Kexin’s antics had genuinely delighted her.

Humans are truly strange creatures. After being alone for so long, they long for validation, even if it comes from a pet they’ve raised.

Qiao Yanyu picked up Kexin from the ground, affectionately nuzzling her fluffy fur, a contented smile spreading across her face.

Kexin stared blankly at her master, having not seen her smile like this in ages. This was the master she remembered from her earliest memories, the one who made Quack! want to sink into the shallow dimples on her cheeks.

After playing a while longer with the fur-nuzzling game, Qiao Yanyu finally remembered her earlier agreement with her temporary teammates and left the underground parking garage with Kexin in tow.

A light drizzle still fell from the sky, and the parking garage’s surroundings were barren and desolate. Qiao Yanyu recalled seeing numerous plants in the flower bed last night, but this morning, only bare black soil remained. She wondered if some herbivorous Mutated Beast had passed through.

As Qiao Yanyu pondered how to stay alert, she suddenly heard Kexin’s internal mutterings and realized it was Kexin who had set the fire. It seemed the Mutated Parrot Crystal she had fed Kexin was taking effect, granting her fire-based abilities.

Qiao Yanyu’s red lips curved slightly as she picked up Kexin, who was hiding behind her, refusing to admit her actions. “Let’s go home.”

The moment Kexin heard “home,” she immediately summoned her motorcycle from her Space, flying to her usual perch and turning to urge Qiao Yanyu on: “Duck~”

“Hurry up, duck~”

Qiao Yanyu chuckled helplessly, straddled the motorcycle, revved the engine, and sped home with Kexin in tow.

After two days away, their home was infested with several Mutated Bugs that had gnawed on their custom wooden coffee table. Qiao Yanyu felt a pang of distress for the furniture, but her natural aversion to insects, combined with her reluctance to kill them and stain the floor, led her to use her Ability to hurl the bugs outside.

Her clothes, soaked in blood and muck, reeked of a foul odor. After stripping off, she rinsed her body with rainwater, then changed into autumn-winter attire.

After emerging from the bathroom, Qiao Yanyu prepared a bucket of seafood-flavored instant noodles, adding a hard-boiled egg and slices of ham. She then retrieved some of Kexin’s favorite dried fish from the glass cabinet, placing them in Kexin’s small duck-shaped bowl, along with a small water bowl beside it.

She called for Kexin several times, but received no response. She wondered where the little girl had gone to play again.

After eating her instant noodles, Qiao Yanyu set aside some noodles for Kexin in her small feeding bowl, to be eaten when she returned from playing. She then packed the clothes they would need for their trip. If they went to Songyuan City, it would become much more difficult to return later.

She packed their frequently used clothes and furniture, along with some of Kexin’s small toys. The raincoat Kexin had used last time had been torn apart by a Mutated Hedgehog. When she had time, she’d need to make a new one.

Sitting on the sofa, Qiao Yanyu began knitting a helmet for Kexin using five strands of combed cotton and a crochet hook. The design was a cute little tiger head, fierce and spirited—Kexin would surely love it.

Meanwhile, Kexin patrolled her territory, clearing zombies and mutated beasts near home, and collected zombie crystals, which she stored in a small cloth pouch she had prepared.

While Kexin was counting her Zombie Crystals, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of a black-furred Mutated Rat scurrying around the corner of a wall.

She vibrated her wings, extended her sharp claws, and snatched the rat with pinpoint accuracy, lifting it into the air.

But when Kexin looked down and saw the plump, trembling body and high-pitched squeaking, she realized it was the same rat she had caught before.

A big rat means a lot of delicious food.

Kexin’s eyes sparkled as she vigorously shook the Mutated Rat.

This time, the rat, terrified by Kexin’s monstrous size, was too frightened to even attempt to resist. Hanging limply from her claws, it looked utterly resigned to its fate.

Despite being shaken until it foamed at the mouth, nothing edible came out.

Kexin grew furious. She opened her beak, ready to devour the rat, when she suddenly remembered how her Master had tossed a bottle of mineral water to someone the other day.

Narrowing her eyes, Kexin hurled the Mutated Rat into the corner of the wall.

She shook her golden feathers, trying to maintain her fierce yet kind demeanor. “Duck!”

The rat trembled even more violently.

Suddenly, a red Crystal landed before it. The rat’s small black eyes shrank, and it shuddered into a quivering ball, glancing up at the menacing Kexin.

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