The Villainous Female Side Character Pretends to Be an Omega in the Apocalypse and Raises a Cat - Chapter 8

Xu Chuyao clung tightly to her mother, refusing to let go of Bao Qiujuan’s arm, afraid that if she loosened her grip, her mother would leave her.

Although she was only in first grade and still young, everything that had happened in the cinema the night before had given her a vague understanding of death.

Those terrifying images still lingered in her mind, refusing to fade.

She was the first to notice the little boy next to her fainting.

At the time, she had just wanted to alert the boy’s mother that something seemed wrong with him, but before she could speak, the boy suddenly woke up.

When he awoke, his eyes were vacant, devoid of their usual liveliness and cuteness. Instead, he bared his teeth and lunged at her, trying to bite her.

Recalling that moment, Xu Chuyao couldn’t help but shiver.

Just a little more, and she would have become a monster like the little boy, only wanting to bite others.

“Yaoyao, don’t be afraid, it’s alright now.”

Bao Qiujuan gently stroked Xu Chuyao’s hair, her voice soft but unable to conceal her exhaustion.

Xu Chuyao could feel her mother’s hands trembling as she held her. She knew her mother was scared too.

In the cinema, the little boy’s mother had noticed his abnormality and reached out to stop him, only to be bitten on the hand and eventually turn into a monster just like her son.

She didn’t want to become a monster, nor did she want her mother or mom to become monsters.

Xu Chuyao buried her face in her mother’s embrace, inhaling her scent, seeking a sliver of comfort.

Hearing her sister tell her mom to thank her, Xu Chuyao looked up in confusion.

She hadn’t been of any help, why would her sister want her mom to thank her?

Xu Luo was equally puzzled, but she wasn’t one to beat around the bush and asked directly, “May I ask why?”

Chi Yingdong didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the kitten in front of her, who was listening intently to their conversation.

Having been discovered understanding human speech, Meng Qinghe made no attempt to hide it. Sensing Chi Yingdong’s gaze, she even stuck out a tiny bit of her tongue, putting on an adorable act.

Chi Yingdong was amused, but she knew she still had to interrogate her later.

Noticing Chi Yingdong’s actions, Xu Luo had a bold guess.

She had always known that her child loved animals, so could it also be related to this cat?

Sure enough, she heard Chi Yingdong ask, “Does your daughter like cats?”

At the mention of her daughter, Xu Luo’s expression instantly softened.

“She does, but her mother is afraid of cats, so we never got one. However, there are quite a few stray cats downstairs in our neighborhood, and I often take her to feed them.”

Chi Yingdong nodded and dropped a bombshell. “Your daughter has awakened an ability.”

She paused briefly, as if searching for the right words to describe it. “It’s similar to the ability to understand what pets are saying.”

“An ability?”

Xu Luo repeated in surprise.

Her job had exposed her to many people, and she had heard that there was a group in the country with special abilities who handled abnormal incidents for the nation.

During her more rebellious teenage years, she had even fantasized about what kind of ability she might acquire someday.

But she had never imagined that her daughter would become one of those people. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be happy or worried.

“Earlier, when you condensed ice crystals out of thin air, was that also an ability?” Xu Luo asked.

Chi Yingdong replied succinctly, “Yes.”

Xu Luo’s emotions were incredibly complex.

She felt both proud of her daughter’s awakened ability and deeply worried about her safety.

Social expectation theory suggests that when a person possesses greater abilities, society’s expectations of them increase, demanding they take on more responsibility.

In simpler terms: with great power comes great responsibility.

But her daughter was still so young!

Xu Luo suddenly remembered that besides their family of three and Chi Yingdong, the twin brothers were also present.

Her gaze instantly sharpened as she looked toward the twin brothers.

Fortunately, the two had tactfully chosen to rest some distance away and hadn’t overheard their conversation.

Chi Yingdong noticed the fleeting murderous intent in Xu Luo’s eyes but said nothing.

“Yaoyao.” Xu Luo beckoned Xu Chuyao over.

Hearing her mother’s call, though reluctant to leave her mother’s embrace, Xu Chuyao obediently stood up and walked over.

Xu Luo crouched down to meet her daughter’s eyes at the same level and asked softly, “You can understand what small animals say, right?”

Xu Chuyao nodded, equally curious about her newfound ability.

“Could you understand them before, or only starting today?” Xu Luo pressed.

Xu Chuyao blinked and answered seriously, “Just earlier, I suddenly could hear them.”

Having confirmed the supernatural ability from her daughter’s own words, Xu Luo’s mind raced.

Everything that had happened today was extraordinarily bizarre.

She thought of the zombies in the theater and began to form a suspicion.

“Outside… are they all like those monsters?”

Xu Luo still clung to a sliver of hope that things weren’t that bad.

“Yes.” Chi Yingdong’s reply mercilessly shattered her illusion.

With this confirmation, Xu Luo’s gaze returned to Xu Chuyao, filled with concern.

As a mother, her first instinct was always her child’s safety.

After a moment of silence, Xu Luo spoke again, “How much do you know about these monsters? Can you tell me in detail?”

Chi Yingdong, wanting to build goodwill with Xu Luo, patiently explained.

“Last night, the moon suddenly turned red. These zombies appeared after the red moon. Not just in our country, people all over the world have turned into zombies. Some experts speculate it’s due to changes in the world’s fundamental substances.”

“Some say this is the beginning of the apocalypse,” Chi Yingdong’s tone grew heavy. “But the world has also left humanity a glimmer of hope.”

“Some people will awaken supernatural abilities, though the timing and type of ability are unpredictable. Ability levels can be improved, but whether zombies will evolve or awaken abilities after evolving remains unknown.”

Xu Luo listened quietly, her heart tangled with worry and anxiety.

She knew the world had completely changed, and she and her family must find a way to survive in this apocalypse.

The most pressing issue was: with zombies everywhere outside, could they still return home?

Did she have the ability to safely escort her wife and daughter home?

Xu Luo knew she didn’t, at least not yet.

At the same time, she understood that Chi Yingdong was very strong. If they could travel together, their family’s safety in the apocalypse would significantly increase.

As for why Chi Yingdong had helped them, she had figured it out.

Chi Yingdong deeply loved her cat, hence she valued her daughter’s ability to understand cat language.

Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

Xu Luo asked, “There are zombies everywhere outside. What are your plans?”

Chi Yingdong didn’t dislike Xu Luo’s little schemes. On the contrary, she enjoyed interacting with clever people.

However, for now, she only intended to maintain a friendly relationship with Xu Luo and hadn’t fully trusted her yet. Many matters were not something she planned to reveal.

Chi Yingdong replied, “I haven’t thought it through yet. Let’s see if any other dangers emerge later.”

Hearing this, Xu Luo hesitated over how to bring up the idea of traveling together.

Chi Yingdong spoke first, casually saying, “I don’t have time to escort you back, but there’s an empty apartment in the complex where I’m staying now. You can stay there temporarily.”

The surprise came so abruptly that Xu Luo felt dizzy from the shock.

Xu Luo knew when to yield and when to stand firm. She fawned, “Won’t that be too much trouble for you?”

Chi Yingdong shot her a sidelong glance, and Xu Luo immediately fell silent. The other woman was not one for pleasantries, and Xu Luo didn’t want to overdo it and ruin things.

Bringing Xu Luo’s family along would make it inconvenient to gather supplies, so Chi Yingdong decided to take them back to the 19th floor first.

Although the twin brothers were some distance away, they had been keeping an eye on the group. Seeing that they were about to leave, the twins immediately stepped forward to say goodbye.

“Our parents are waiting for us at home, so we won’t be going with you from here on out.”

Xu Luo wanted to warn them that it wasn’t safe outside and that they shouldn’t travel alone.

But seeing that Chi Yingdong showed no reaction, she realized she wasn’t in a position to offer the twins any help and decided to keep quiet.

Xu Luo cautiously reminded them, “There are probably still zombies outside. Be careful on your way.”

The twin brothers nodded, then turned and walked away, taking the same route as the young couple from earlier.

In response, Chi Yingdong chose the opposite direction, not wanting to run into them again.

They made it safely down to the first floor without incident. Along the way, Xu Luo had been observing the situation on each floor.

She noticed that every floor they passed was completely empty, with all the goods on the shelves gone. Suspecting this had something to do with Chi Yingdong, she became even more determined to stick close and rely on her.

Chi Yingdong’s sharp ears caught a familiar sound.

It was the voice of the girl who had stopped her earlier.

This time, the scream was filled with sheer terror. It seemed the two had encountered zombies as soon as they left the mall and had taken refuge inside again.

Though she didn’t know the specifics, judging by the emotion in the voice, the situation was likely worse than before.

Xu Luo also heard the noise and tightened her grip on her weapon, ready for action.

Noticing the emergency exit out of the corner of her eye, Chi Yingdong patted Xu Luo’s shoulder and pointed toward the right front.

Xu Luo understood.

The four of them made their way down to the parking garage. Xu Luo remembered that her car was parked nearby.

Xu Luo’s car was an SUV. Bao Qiujuan tried to offer the passenger seat to Chi Yingdong, but she declined.

Xu Chuyao looked eagerly at the kitten, wanting to chat with it. Earlier, the kitten had asked for her name, and she hadn’t had a chance to tell it yet.

“Kitty, my name is Xu Chuyao. What’s your name?”

Meng Qinghe had been in this world for quite some time, but this was the first time she’d ridden in a car without having to wear the annoying seatbelt. In a good mood, she decided to chat with the kitten.

“Meow, meow, meow, meow.”

I don’t have a name yet. My owner hasn’t given me one.

“Huh?” Xu Chuyao glared angrily at Chi Yingdong. “Sis, how come you haven’t given the kitty a name?”

Actually, Meng Qinghe was mistaken about this.

Out of respect for the cat’s autonomy, Chi Yingdong had previously selected several names and written them on slips of paper, intending to let the kitten choose one.

But the kitten hadn’t picked any of them, which was why the matter had been delayed.

Chi Yingdong found a comfortable position and lazily said, “Then help me ask my kitten what she wants to be called.”

Being able to name herself, Meng Qinghe immediately meowed eagerly.

Little Xu Chuyao helped relay the message, “The kitty says she wants to be called Qinghe.”

Chi Yingdong readily agreed, “Alright, that’ll be her name from now on.”