Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck - Chapter 3

Qiao Yanyu lived in Tourist Town. After her parents passed away one after the other, she converted the three-story building next to her house into a bed and breakfast.

It was currently the off-season for tourism, so no guests were staying at the bed and breakfast. However, Qiao Yanyu was accustomed to keeping some basic ingredients in the kitchen so that guests could cook if they wanted.

The kitchen was located on the left side of the first floor. The wall tiles had been punctured by branches and leaves, and several overturned spice bottles lay on the white floor, leaving brown stains. The air was thick with the sour smell of vinegar.

Kexin ignored the overturned spice bottles on the floor and flew straight to the top of the kitchen cabinet. Qiao Yanyu always liked to store food on high shelves. After opening the cabinet, Kexin indeed found two bags of flour and rice, each weighing 10 kg, along with some dried goods like wood ear mushrooms, mushrooms, and peppers. She stuffed everything into her small warehouse.

On the refrigerator’s fresh storage shelf were eight unopened cans of cola and a carton of eggs. In the freezer were two packs of frozen dumplings, prepared raw fish, and about 20 pounds of fresh pork and beef.

Kexin happily collected everything. With these supplies, her owner could eat for a long time. The late apocalypse would be bitterly cold, and the corner of the kitchen still held plenty of dry charcoal and solid alcohol. Without hesitation, Kexin stored it all in her warehouse. The more warmth and cold protection she could gather, the better. If her owner stayed warm, she wouldn’t suffer the same freezing injuries that ruined her health in her previous life.

After gathering all the supplies, only a tiny bit of space remained in the small warehouse. Satisfied, Kexin flew out of the kitchen and returned upstairs.

Qiao Yanyu was still asleep. Kexin brought over her soft cushion, perched beside her owner’s hand, and nuzzled her warm palm before starting to preen her feathers. The wound on her wing had already scabbed over, and her claws had been scratched while catching the mutated rat, but it was a minor injury compared to the shrapnel wounds she’d suffered before.

Suddenly feeling a little hungry, Kexin retrieved a small dried fish snack from the warehouse. The smallest one she could find, and placed it in her dedicated food bowl. The water bowl, still filled with water Qiao Yanyu had poured earlier, stood beside it. Kexin slowly nibbled the crispy fish, occasionally taking sips of water. The fish snack was fragrant and crunchy; with each bite, crumbs scattered across her fluffy feathers.

Kexin suddenly remembered she had forgotten to bring the bib her owner had prepared for her. She needed to wear it before eating to keep her feathers from getting dirty. Frustrated, she flapped her wings, but only a small amount of fish cracker crumbs fell from her feathers. Most of the crumbs remained stuck.

If only her owner would wake up soon. Her feathers would be clean and warm again.

Kexin missed her owner. If she woke up quickly, they could play together. A duck without its owner isn’t a happy, adorable duck.

The small fish crackers didn’t seem as fragrant as before, but precious food shouldn’t be wasted. Kexin still ate them all carefully.

After eating her fill, Kexin spread her duck feet and sat on the ground, lost in thought. Now that the cherry tree had been uprooted and died, her owner and home were finally safe. They had avoided the fate of their previous life.

In that past life, when they woke up, the cherry tree’s power was already overwhelming. Every room was densely packed with its branches, invading her and her owner’s home. They barely escaped after great struggle. With no food or shelter, they lived uneasily in the unfamiliar environment, constantly searching for sustenance each day.

Later, while passing through the Central Garden to search for food, Kexin ran into another unfortunate encounter with a Mutated Parrot. The parrot had consumed a golden tangerine from the largest tangerine tree in the garden, gaining hundreds of times its original strength. It had transformed the entire Tourist Town into its hunting ground, devouring humans and Mutated Beasts indiscriminately. It was only later that Kexin learned that consuming the crystals and meat of Mutated Beasts could enhance one’s strength. Having feasted on these for so long, the Mutated Parrot’s power had become terrifyingly formidable. Neither Kexin nor Qiao Yanyu were a match for it, so they could no longer remain in the Tourist Town and set off on the northward journey. It was during this time that they encountered their traitorous teammate.

The past flashed before her eyes. Years of surviving in the apocalypse had taught Kexin that she could never trust anyone except her master. Humans were far more dangerous than Mutated Beasts. She had to protect her master at all costs. If she ever encountered the Zombie Emperor again, she would never let her master be endangered again.

If she were alone, she would definitely fight for that golden tangerine. But now that her master was still unconscious, if she encountered danger along the way, she wouldn’t be able to return to rescue her. Her master was far, far more important than any golden tangerine.

Kexin decided to patiently wait for her owner to wake up. She padded over to her owner’s bedside and noticed her pale complexion, dry lips, and the rumbling sounds of hunger coming from her stomach.

Her owner must be both hungry and thirsty from sleeping so long, just like Kexin. She selected the largest and longest dried fish from the storehouse and placed it by her owner’s mouth.

“Quack!” Time to eat!

Qiao Yanyu remained motionless. Kexin thought perhaps her owner didn’t like the small fish she loved to eat. She retrieved the fish and found a box of chocolates instead. Carefully unwrapping it, she placed a piece by her owner’s lips.

“Quack quack!” Please eat this. It’s your favorite chocolate!

Kexin waited blankly for a moment, but her owner showed no sign of waking. It seemed her owner had lost interest in chocolate too.

Her first attempt at feeding her owner had failed. Kexin lowered her head, feeling a little disheartened, and turned to fetch water for her.

Her owner usually drank from a white thermos kept beside the bed. Kexin flew over, found the thermos, and grasped the handle to fill it with warm water from the dispenser.

The smooth cup was difficult to grip. Kexin’s claws slipped several times, nearly spilling the water onto her owner’s face. Finally giving up on that method, she used her wings to scoop up some water and gently dabbed it onto Qiao Yanyu’s lips.

After several trips back and forth, Qiao Yanyu’s lips gradually grew moist. Kexin let out a sigh of relief, spread her duck-like feet, and sat down beside Qiao Yanyu’s legs, inadvertently falling asleep.

The entire city seemed to have fallen into slumber, everything was quiet except for the plants that continued to mutate and grow wildly. The overcast sky gradually transitioned from heavy rain to drizzling mist, and a cold wind blew in through the slightly ajar window, abruptly dropping the indoor temperature from summer to autumn.

In her dream, Kexin faintly heard a soft whimper and realized it was her owner’s voice. She immediately woke up.

Qiao Yanyu’s curled eyelashes fluttered as she slowly stirred from sleep. A shiver ran through her frozen body, and her fingers instinctively groped around. When they found the fluffy Kexin beside her, as if reclaiming a lost treasure, she instantly pulled the duckling into her arms.

Qiao Yanyu held Kexin a little too tightly, accidentally pulling some of the feathers from her wings between her fingers. The sharp pain made Kexin let out an uncomfortable squawk.

Hearing the squawk, Qiao Yanyu seemed to confirm something important. She loosened her grip slightly, pressed her fingers against her temples, and sat up on the carpet. A dull ache still lingered in her head. After a moment, she picked up her phone and checked the time.

The phone displayed 5:00 PM. The mutation had lasted nearly two days, and the sky outside the window was already darkening. The phone signal was completely gone, making it impossible to connect to the internet.

Her gaze was uncertain as she looked down at Kexin, whose head was tilted to the side as she watched her. Kexin’s black, gem-like eyes seemed filled with curiosity.

A warm smile softened Qiao Yanyu’s amber eyes as she lifted Kexin’s small body, pressing her slightly cool cheek against the kitten’s soft fur. She murmured softly, “Kexin, I’ve missed you so much.”

Kexin’s small face flushed pink, momentarily unsure how to react.

The white fur hid Kexin’s embarrassed expression from Qiao Yanyu, who casually stroked the kitten’s round belly. It was still plump, suggesting that Kexin hadn’t gone hungry while Qiao Yanyu was unconscious. She must have eaten something.

As Qiao Yanyu withdrew her hand, she noticed some small fragments. She lowered her head and sniffed them. It was the smell of dried fish.

She pulled back a little from Kexin and saw bits of dried fish stuck to her fluffy fur. Upon closer inspection, she noticed some fragments on Kexin’s cheeks as well, along with some dark greenish-brown material. Looking further down, she saw that Kexin’s duck foot was injured, with fresh, still-damp blood caked between her toes. Her newly grown sharp claws were already broken.

Qiao Yanyu pursed her lips, her expression turning serious. Kexin fidgeted uneasily, sensing her owner’s displeasure.

She watched Qiao Yanyu walk over and retrieve her personal duck-themed towel, feeling a little confused. But when she saw Qiao Yanyu open the medicine cabinet and take out disinfectant wipes, Kexin’s body jolted. Flapping her wings, she flew onto the top of the bookcase.

Holding the small towel, Qiao Yanyu said, exasperated yet amused, “Come down.”

Kexin shook her head violently. “Quack!”

Bad owner! Duckie doesn’t want a shot!

Resigned, Qiao Yanyu softened her tone. “Be good. Come here so I can clean your feet, okay?”

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