Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck - Chapter 5

How did the mistress know? Before Kexin could figure it out, she heard the whistle of an arrow slicing through the air. The sharp projectile shot out with tremendous force, its metallic tip spinning as it pierced the zombie’s sunken eye socket with a dull thud, triggering a violent roar from the creature.

The heavy rain had affected the archer’s precision; the arrow meant to strike the forehead had veered off course and lodged in the sunken eye socket instead.

Qiao Yanyu’s gaze hardened. She drew the bow again, nocked another arrow, and aimed for the zombie’s forehead. The weakest point in a zombie’s anatomy, a lesson learned from countless survivors of the apocalypse.

Enraged by the attack, the zombie abandoned its fresh prey and roared as it lunged toward Qiao Yanyu. Trapped behind the fence, it couldn’t break free and instead became a perfect target, frozen in place.

The second arrow struck the zombie’s forehead with a wet thud. The corpse crumpled to the ground, its assault ended.

In Kexin’s eyes, her mistress seemed to glow after killing the zombie. Her entire being shimmered with a radiant aura. Unable to contain her excitement, Kexin cried out, “Quack!” The mistress is amazing!

Qiao Yanyu’s hands trembled slightly as she held her bow and arrow, her expression still somewhat dazed. When she heard Kexin’s excited cries beside her, a determined and composed smile spread across her face.

A sharp, desperate female voice suddenly pierced the rain, shouting at Qiao Yanyu, “Please, save us! We can’t hold on much longer!”

Qiao Yanyu’s gaze turned toward the source. A ponytailed girl leaned out of a window in the opposite guesthouse, frantically waving at them. A tall, thin man braced his arms against the door, struggling to keep it shut, while the old door on the other side rattled violently, nearly splintered by the relentless pounding of zombies.

******

Shen Xin and her boyfriend, Lin Feng, were recent graduates from Changhai City. They had come on a vacation to unwind, but upon waking from their nap, they found the guesthouse owner transformed into a zombie, tearing a person apart before their eyes. Petrified, they had barricaded themselves inside their room, hoping to escape. But the owner, after devouring the other guests, came after them.

Shen Xin had resigned herself to death when she suddenly saw the woman across the way shoot down a zombie. Shocked, she immediately called out for help, pleading for assistance.

Just as hope seemed lost, Qiao Yanyu finally spoke.

“First, block the door with the table, then jump out the window. It’s only the second floor. You won’t die from that fall.”

Qiao Yanyu’s words acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly reaching Shen Xin’s heart. She had been panicking, constantly thinking about how to evade the zombies, but the room was too small. There was nowhere to hide. Now she realized there was another option: jumping out the window.

She hurried back to help Lin Feng move the table. Once it was in place, she grabbed him and ran to the window. Gritting her teeth, she shouted to steel herself and jumped out first.

Shen Xin had expected her legs to ache painfully, but instead, she felt nothing, like she had landed on a soft cushion. She was startled. When did my body become so flexible?

There was no time to think. She frantically waved at her boyfriend to jump down quickly.

Lin Feng stood at the window, glanced down, and turned gray. He trembled violently, his legs shaking so hard he couldn’t move. There was no way he would jump.

Only then did Shen Xin realize her boyfriend was afraid of heights. The wooden door was already riddled with holes; half a zombie’s head had already pushed its way inside. If they didn’t get down now, they would be killed.

“Jump!” Shen Xin spread her arms wide, shouting urgently.

Lin Feng glanced down at the window again, then shook his head violently, a flicker of despair crossing his eyes.

Shen Xin stared helplessly, unsure what to do. She turned to Qiao Yanyu for help once more, hoping the woman would point her in the right direction.

If she couldn’t even jump out of a window, she’d die in the apocalypse sooner or later. Why bother saving anyone then?

Qiao Yanyu’s face remained soft and smiling, but her voice was cold and ruthless: “If you can’t jump, then just wait to die.”

Shen Xin hadn’t expected such a response. She’d thought Qiao Yanyu was a kind-hearted person, not someone who would abandon others so callously. For a moment, she stood frozen, staring blankly. Then she glanced up at her boyfriend on the second floor, stamped her foot, and dashed back into the inn.

She grabbed a kitchen knife and a cast-iron wok from the kitchen, then charged up the stairs toward the zombies. Swinging the wok and knife wildly, she managed to kill one zombie with a heavy blow. Just as she was about to rescue her boyfriend, a lunging zombie bit her arm. With a terrified cry of “Holy shit!”, she leaped up and started hacking wildly at the zombie with the knife. She hacked and hacked until the zombie’s head finally separated from its body, then collapsed to the floor, exhausted.

Lin Feng saw that Shen Xin had killed all the zombies and quickly darted out from the corner, asking considerately, “Xin Xin, are you alright?”

Shen Xin ignored him, anxiously rolling up her sleeves to check if she’d been bitten. She found only a shallow tooth mark that had broken the skin, no deeper wound.

Realizing the two were unharmed, Qiao Yanyu retreated to her room. She hadn’t eaten since waking up and was hungry, planning to prepare lunch.

With electricity, water, and gas all out, she could only dig out the barbecue grill and grill some meat. She remembered keeping meat in the fridge before the apocalypse, but it had been years since she’d eaten meat. With anticipation, she opened the fridge door and froze, finding it completely empty.

Kexin fluttered her wings and perched proudly on the fridge, her chest puffed out.

With a thud, a 20-pound slab of beef fell from Kexin’s back. More thuds followed as a mountain of food crashed onto the floor before Qiao Yanyu.

“Quack!” Kexin cried excitedly, her voice brimming with the eagerness of a child showing off a new toy to an adult. She tilted her head back, awaiting Qiao Yanyu’s praise.

Qiao Yanyu’s surprised red lips parted slightly before curving into a faint smile, revealing a shallow dimple. “Is this a Space Ability?”

Kexin nodded. Master is so clever! Wait, that’s strange. How did Master know about my Ability so quickly?

Qiao Yanyu spread her arms, inviting Kexin to fly into her embrace. “Impressive.”

Overwhelmed with happiness at the praise, Kexin quickly dismissed her suspicions about Qiao Yanyu, nuzzling contentedly against her chest.

Qiao Yanyu bent down to separate the beef and alcohol, then picked up a pack of instant noodles and retrieved a portable barbecue grill from a cabinet. She instructed Kexin to store the remaining items in her Space Ability.

After washing the beef thoroughly, she sliced it into thin, evenly marbled strips and placed them on the preheated grill. Soon, a rich, savory aroma filled the air. Once cooked, she plated one portion in a small bowl adorned with a golden duck, and added some chili to the other portion. She then emptied the water from the drinking bucket, boiled a fresh pot of water, and cooked a pack of instant noodles, placing them in her large bowl.

Qiao Yanyu carried two bowls, one large and one small, and had just set them on the dining table when Kexin secretly slipped in front of the large bowl, eager to drink the spicy soup inside. Qiao Yanyu quickly pinched Kexin’s duck bill, feigning anger. “No spicy food for you! You’ll get sick if you eat it.”

Kexin’s round little eyes glanced at her, knowing Qiao Yanyu wasn’t truly upset. Her small duck paw slapped the table in a huff. “Quack!” She still wanted to drink the spicy soup.

Qiao Yanyu picked up Kexin and gave her little duck bottom a playful smack. “Stop fussing! If you keep this up, you won’t get any at all.”

Kexin’s small body stiffened momentarily, two tiny red clouds blossoming on her cheeks. Being spanked by her owner was still embarrassing. Even though she was just a duck, ducks also needed their dignity.

Seeing Kexin suddenly become obedient, Qiao Yanyu worried she might have hurt her. She looked down and saw Kexin tucking her duck feet under her, giving her a pitiful look before staring at the noodles in the large bowl. Qiao Yanyu couldn’t help but smile. She picked up a pair of chopsticks, grabbed a noodle, and rinsed it in cold water until the spiciness was gone before placing it in Kexin’s small bowl.

Kexin’s eyes sparkled like they were filled with stars as the noodle descended into her bowl. She opened her duck bill and dove into the small bowl to eat.

Seeing Kexin enjoying her food, Qiao Yanyu also took out her chopsticks and tasted the noodle broth. It was sour and spicy, still carrying that familiar taste from her memories. After being in the apocalypse for so long, she’d thought her sense of taste had deteriorated, but she was still able to recognize the flavor of instant noodles. She ate a few more bites of the noodles, finding them chewy and smooth.

After the meal, sweat began to bead on her body. Just as Qiao Yanyu finished the last sip of the noodle broth, her fingers paused mid-air as she set down the bowl. Kexin’s heart fluttered, and suddenly, a knock came from the door.

Lin Feng stood before the dark iron gate, pounding on it repeatedly with his fist. After knocking many times with no response, his hand turned bright red. He shook his aching arm and turned to Shen Xin, urging, “Why don’t we just switch to another inn? There are so many places around here, and not just this one has zombies. As long as we kill the zombies, we can stay anywhere. Why waste money on this expensive one online?”

“You don’t understand,” Shen Xin retorted, her eyes gleaming as she boldly surveyed the exquisite residence. “This woman looks really tough. If we stay here, we’ll be safer than anywhere else.”

Qiao Yanyu’s lodge didn’t have the typical rustic, artistic entrance of other lodges. Instead, it boasted a sturdy, heavy iron gate. The surrounding walls were a meter higher than those of neighboring properties, topped with iron railings, and equipped with security cameras.

Though the cameras were useless in the apocalypse, the solid gate and reinforced walls offered the best protection. If they could secure a place inside, they wouldn’t have to live in constant fear.

“You have an Ability, so zombies can’t bite you. She’s probably just an ordinary person who might even need your protection,” Lin Feng said dismissively, suppressing his jealousy over his girlfriend’s Ability. “But with all this fortification, there’s probably some good stuff inside.”

Shen Xin whispered a warning, “Don’t get any ideas about her! If it wasn’t for her, we’d be dead right now!”

Support Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck