Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck - Chapter 7

Before the apocalypse, the Mutated Hedgehog had been abandoned by its owner. It spent its days hiding in piles of fallen leaves, desperately foraging for food, eking out a precarious existence. But when the apocalypse arrived, everything changed. It no longer needed to cower from those hateful humans; it could even devour them. Facing Kexin, who was fed by her owner and had pristine, glossy feathers, the Mutated Hedgehog was once again reminded of its own abandonment.

Its eyes bloodshot, the Mutated Hedgehog clawed frantically at the ground, its gaze fixed on Kexin. With a powerful leap, it lunged forward, landing on Kexin’s wing and tearing viciously. Crimson blood instantly streamed down her snow-white feathers.

The stench of fresh blood drove the Mutated Hedgehog wild with hunger. Greedy, viscous saliva dripped from its foul mouth as its razor-sharp claws snapped toward Kexin’s wounded wing.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced the air, striking the Mutated Hedgehog’s claw. With a terrifying roar, the beast recoiled. Seizing the opportunity, Kexin’s duck-like beak clamped down on its neck with a crushing force, tearing through the resilient flesh like a rubber band. A bloody chunk of meat was torn from the Mutated Hedgehog’s throat.

The mutated hedgehog went berserk, its massive mouth gaping as if to swallow Kexin whole. Suddenly, the sound of something slicing through the air pierced its ears again. This time, it instinctively retracted its front claws, only to have another eye blinded by Qiao Yanyu’s projectile.

Trapped in the trap, the mutated hedgehog violently shook off Kexin, who was still biting its neck, and lunged at Qiao Yanyu with unprecedented speed. Its massive, razor-sharp quills hurtled forward, poised to impale her.

Qiao Yanyu’s fingers twitched slightly, unleashing a bizarre force from within her. The surrounding large trash bins were yanked toward the mutated hedgehog, slamming into it with crushing force.

[Space Control: Initial state. Possesses basic perception ability. Can instantly move non-living objects within a 10-meter radius. Ability duration: 1 minute.]

Qiao Yanyu possessed a Space Ability. Since the Crystal had only absorbed half a level, she could currently manipulate objects within a 5-meter radius.

The mutated hedgehog’s vision went dark. The ear-splitting crash and the grating sound of metal scraping against metal sent its brain reeling for a moment. But its quills instantly pierced through the five trash bins. The brutal killing intent in its remaining eye intensified as it charged after Qiao Yanyu.

Qiao Yanyu, clutching Kexin, had just reached the alley entrance when the Mutated Hedgehog lunged, knocking her to the ground. She rolled to the right, her arm gashing open, and continued sprinting forward with desperate urgency.

As the exhausted pair fled, the Mutated Hedgehog closing in relentlessly, Qiao Yanyu sidestepped and darted into a nearby convenience store.

The store was packed with shelves. With a fierce kick, Qiao Yanyu toppled three rows of shelves, temporarily blocking the Mutated Hedgehog’s charge.

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, heavy breathing came from behind. A massive Zombie Poodle, its ferocious gaze fixed on her, dripped saliva from its mouth, half-chewed meat clinging to its lips.

Qiao Yanyu’s brow furrowed as she recognized the poodle. It had once belonged to the shop owner, named Xiao Mei. Whenever she shopped there, the poodle would joyfully wag its tail at the owner’s feet.

Now, with its owner missing and Xiao Mei transformed into this monstrous state, the implications were clear.

There was no time for contemplation. Facing two enemies, capture by either would be catastrophic.

Qiao Yanyu took control of all the objects on the shelves and hurled them unhesitatingly at the Zombie Poodle, seizing this brief moment of respite. With a burst of strength, she sprinted up to the second floor of the supermarket.

The second floor usually sold toiletries and miscellaneous goods, separated from the first floor by a small door. After bolting and locking the door, Qiao Yanyu positioned four rows of shelves in front of it. Catching her breath, she kept an ear out for any movement below, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

The Zombie Poodle, momentarily blinded by the falling objects, lost its ability to react. In the next instant, it saw the Mutated Hedgehog charging toward it and lunged, sinking its massive fangs into the creature.

Two fierce roars echoed in succession as flesh tore against flesh, the walls trembling with each impact. It seemed the Mutated Hedgehog and the Zombie Poodle had engaged in combat.

Qiao Yanyu looked down at the small white ball in her arms and asked anxiously, “Kexin, are you alright?”

Kexin’s yips sounded spirited, easing Qiao Yanyu’s tense nerves. Sweat dripped from her chin, splattering onto Kexin’s head.

Kexin tilted her head back, catching the scent of blood on her owner. Her pupils constricted, and she grew agitated, whining urgently: “Yay! Yay! Yay!”

Qiao Yanyu wanted to pat Kexin’s head to comfort her, but her fingers were covered in blood, forcing her to withdraw her hand. “I’m fine, just a minor wound. Let’s stay here for now. Take the toolbox from your Space and bring it here. I’ll reinforce the defenses.”

Tears welled up in Kexin’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. It was all her fault. She hadn’t protected her master properly, and now her master was injured because of her.

Qiao Yanyu gently pressed her face against Kexin’s cheek, soothing her, “It’s alright. You’ll heal soon. Don’t be afraid.”

Feeling her master’s warm breath, Kexin stared at the injured arm with reddened eyes, then retrieved the toolbox from her Space.

Qiao Yanyu found nails and a hammer in the toolbox and began securing the shelves to the door. Frowning, she silently swung the hammer, driving in nail after nail.

Only when all the nails were used did she pause to catch her breath. The stinging pain in her arm had intensified. Leaning against the wall, she pressed her fingers against the torn wound, blood seeping through the gaps between her fingers and dripping steadily.

Sensing a persistent gaze, she glanced upward and unexpectedly met Kexin’s eyes, filled with overwhelming worry—as if she were the one injured, not Qiao Yanyu.

Qiao Yanyu softened her expression and beckoned Kexin over. But Kexin, clutching the cotton towel tightly, her small body trembling, her head hanging low like a defeated general, didn’t dare approach.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Qiao Yanyu said gently. “You’ve done well. When brute force isn’t enough, it’s time to use a little brainpower.”

Kexin sniffled, staring blankly at her master’s gentle profile.

With her uninjured hand, Qiao Yanyu gathered Kexin into her arms and wiped the blood from her wings with the towel, soothing her softly: “Don’t cry. A little breeze will make it feel better.”

Parting the thick fur on Kexin’s wings, she saw five deep claw marks, nearly to the bone, that had already healed more than half-way and stopped bleeding. This healing ability was terrifyingly efficient.

In her previous life, during the early stages of the apocalypse, Kexin had possessed this ability too. But later, after consuming a Zombie Crystal, the ability gradually faded and disappeared. At the time, Qiao Yanyu hadn’t been able to figure out why, and by the time she finally understood, it was too late to reverse. Now it seemed this was one of Kexin’s innate, powerful abilities. If this ability had been continuously upgraded, Kexin would have had a high chance of evolving into an Advanced Mutated Beast.

Qiao Yanyu pulled a Zombie Crystal from her pocket and held it before Kexin, her expression grave. “You must never eat this, no matter what.”

Kexin tilted her head, studying Qiao Yanyu, then nodded slowly.

Though Kexin was often playful, Qiao Yanyu always listened when she spoke earnestly. To her, Kexin wasn’t just a pet, but a trusted teammate she could rely on to have her back.

Relieved, Qiao Yanyu pulled out the remaining tissues and casually wiped the blood from her arm. “I’m going to absorb the rest of these Red Crystals now. When I level up, my wounds will heal dramatically. Then, we’ll go down together and take our revenge.”

At the mention of revenge, Kexin’s spirits instantly soared. She would make that Mutated Hedgehog pay!

Qiao Yanyu understood Kexin’s nature well. Forcing her to suppress her anger and swallow her resentment would be both a torment and an insult. Once a proud spirit is broken, it’s difficult to restore. Unyielding fighting spirit is the key to invincible victory.

The surge of fighting spirit doubled Kexin’s healing speed. As Qiao Yanyu continuously absorbed energy from the crystals, she reached the threshold for leveling up. A burst of white light enveloped her body, rapidly repairing the wound on her arm. Her Space Ability range expanded to ten meters, and her energy reserves replenished to full capacity.

The battle downstairs had already reached its conclusion. The Mutated Hedgehog, having devoured the Zombie Dog’s flesh and blood, now felt an inexhaustible surge of energy. Remembering the two small creatures that had injured it earlier, it resolved to devour them this time.

Sensing the lingering scent of blood in the air, the Mutated Hedgehog charged forward with a ferocious attack. The wooden door was shredded into splinters in a single strike. The nails embedded in the wall loosened from the impact, clattering to the floor with dull thuds as the entire shelf was sent flying.

Its gaze swept the area, pausing briefly, but found no sign of life.

Suddenly, a white light flashed across the dark wall. Without hesitation, the Mutated Hedgehog lunged forward. The sound of shattering tempered glass echoed as its massive body became lodged against the window, immobilized. Its quills, once a formidable defense, now proved utterly useless.

In that instant, razor-sharp claws descended like a tempest upon the exposed portion of its head. The remaining eye was crushed underfoot, and in the blink of an eye, half its skull had been torn away.

As the mutated hedgehog’s true death approached, it frantically writhed, kicking its hind legs, desperate to retreat from the wall.

Qiao Yanyu suddenly appeared behind the creature, wielding a pair of scissors, a hammer, a baseball bat, a kitchen knife, an iron basin or any lethal object at hand and relentlessly slammed them into the mutated hedgehog’s back.

Trapped between two enemies, the mutated hedgehog instinctively fought for its life. Ignoring the indescribable pain from behind, it desperately retreated, tearing a large chunk of the wall away with a crash.

The dislodged bricks, cement, and dust were instantly coalesced by a bizarre force, then hurled back with the impact of a cannonball, smashing into the mutated hedgehog’s skull.

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