Seducing and Flirting with Boss O While Stockpiling in the Apocalypse (GL) - Chapter 52

Tao Zhihe’s group didn’t dare to breathe. In the absolute silence, only the sound of ragged, heavy breathing could be heard. Everyone stared fixedly ahead, rooted to the spot, not daring to move an inch.

This oversized dog radiated a thick aura of danger. Humans possess a primitive instinct for predicting unknown threats; even though the light was dim, Tao Zhihe could sense that this dog was wrong.

During their initial sweep, they hadn’t noticed any living creatures besides zombies. This dog must have been hiding in a room—likely someone’s pet—but it had turned into that kind of monster.

This was something they hadn’t anticipated. Could animals actually be infected by this virus too?

Tao Zhihe shifted the angle of her knife, aiming it forward as her body fell into a combat stance. Behind her, Lin Fu raised her iron rod over her head, and the others tensed, holding their weapons defensively in front of them.

The mutated large dog crouched low, its front claws digging in. As it huffed, thick strings of saliva dripped from its tongue, mixing with the dried blood on the floor. It was coiled like a spring, ready to lunge.

The moment its claws scraped the floor, it tossed the rotting meat from its mouth aside and finally pounced toward the strong scent of living humans in the hallway.

Its momentum was too fierce. Before her knife could even be used, Tao Zhihe instinctively dodged to the side. The dog used its full weight to crush a man standing behind her.

The man hit the ground with a dull thud. A claw slammed into his face, and blood began to pour from a gash on his head like a broken pipe. He let out a terrified scream, but before he could shout for help, the dog lunged for his throat. Its massive teeth crushed his windpipe with such biting force that the man died instantly, leaving only a carcass for the beast to feast upon.

The group stood stunned by the bloody scene. One person was so terrified they wet themselves on the spot. Tao Zhihe broke out in a cold sweat; a common house pet shouldn’t have this kind of attack power. If turning into a zombie enhanced a human’s physical attributes, it seemed the same applied to animals.

The weight and bite force of a large dog were already superior to an average human’s; now, with the infection, it was far more dangerous to deal with than a human zombie.

As it hunched over to gnaw on the man’s flesh, Tao Zhihe decided to use the opening to kill it. She issued a soft command: “You two, attack from the rear to distract the monster! I’ll find a chance to stab its heart! Quick, let’s end this!”

The two short-haired women nodded. One wielding a rod and the other a knife, they rushed forward. The blade sank into the dog’s back and pulled out in a spray of blood, while the iron rod came down on the beast’s head with a heavy thwack against the skull.

The dog let out a pained howl, but the attack clearly wasn’t fatal. Enraged, the thick-skinned zombie dog spun around with a roar, its green eyes flashing with celestial fury. It swiped a claw, sending one of the attackers flying.

The woman hit the ground hard, feeling as though her internal organs had shifted. She coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

The other woman was even unluckier, meeting nearly the same fate as the man before her. The dog lunged and pinned her down, its movements lightning-fast as it snapped her neck. Blood sprayed like a fountain across the creature’s fur. Combined with its haunting green eyes, the zombie dog looked like a mount that had crawled out of the underworld.

Tao Zhihe didn’t dare delay any longer; two lives had been lost in minutes. She gripped her knife and, while the dog was occupied biting her subordinate, delivered a powerful kick to its side, flipping it over. Lin Fu and the remaining three rushed in, using their iron rods to pin the beast down. Caught off guard, the dog struggled but couldn’t break free.

Now!

Tao Zhihe shouted, gripping her knife with both hands. She aimed for the heart on the dog’s exposed belly and drove the blade in with every ounce of her strength. Being naturally stronger than most, her desperate strike sent the blade almost entirely into the beast’s body.

It howled in agony, claws flailing, but it couldn’t overcome the combined effort of the group. Finally, it bled out and went limp.

Tao Zhihe kept her hand pressed on the knife, not daring to let go. She panted, her body covered in filth. Only after a long silence did she slowly step back. The silver blade was coated in the beast’s blood. The survivors let out a collective sigh of relief, collapsing onto the floor.

Lin Fu glanced at Tao Zhihe and immediately put on a smile, handing her a tissue. “Hard work, Sister Tao. Thanks to you, everyone is safe.”

Lin Fu had been hiding behind the others, hesitant to act. She wasn’t foolish enough to be the first one out; she only joined in once the others had the dog pinned. Now that it was over, she moved to show her “thoughtfulness” to Tao Zhihe—a corporate tactic for sucking up to a superior that she had polished long ago.

Tao Zhihe took the tissue and wiped the blood from her face. It was still dark, three in the morning, and the temperature was low. It wasn’t a good time to go out, but after that ordeal, no one could sleep.

Two more companions were dead, but the survivors were numb; there was no grief, only relief that they weren’t the unlucky ones. Tao Zhihe told everyone to huddle in one room to rest. They would head out again at six. No one objected, and they returned to the room to catch some sleep, some on the sofa and others on the beds.

Lin Fu stared out the window and sighed. It seemed the obstacles in this apocalypse were only growing.

Nan Chu hadn’t slept well yesterday. Her head was full of Liu Lin’s drawing and the girl’s blushing face. She hadn’t pointed out who the subject of the drawing was, fearing she’d scare her.

But it made her start thinking wild thoughts. Could this girl… Nan Chu sat up abruptly. It was only seven in the morning. Her mind a mess, she got out of bed to wash up, only to bump into Liu Lin coming out of her room.

The girl looked at her like a mouse seeing a cat. She lowered her head and scurried past with a blush, as if staying in the same space for a second longer would be too much. Nan Chu, holding her cup, was utterly baffled.

What is she so shy about? Is it really because I saw that drawing yesterday?

While Nan Chu was lost in thought, Liu Lin was dying of embarrassment. She knew Nan Chu was Luo Sheng’s best friend. Since she had been caught sketching Sister Luo, she was sure Nan Chu would tell her. If Luo Sheng found out about her crush, then…

The thought made her both shy and frustrated. Shy because of the embarrassment, and frustrated because if Luo Sheng and Nan Shuwan were actually “like that,” her feelings would only cause trouble.

Nan Chu and Liu Lin were both preoccupied, but their worries were on completely different frequencies.

Everyone ate breakfast separately today. Nan Chu had a bowl of oatmeal and a piece of toast, then sat on the sofa dazed. Finally, she decided to consult Luo Sheng; two heads were better than one.

She climbed up to the mezzanine and found Luo Sheng using binoculars to observe the water.

the ice layer outside had thickened slightly, but only in small patches; most of it was still flowing water. She saw many rotting corpses drifting by, being torn apart and eaten by flocks of birds. The sight made Luo Sheng feel uneasy.

It wasn’t until Nan Chu tapped her shoulder that she noticed someone was there.

“It’s early. Why are you up here?”

Luo Sheng put the binoculars on the table and sat down. Nan Chu handed her a steaming cup of oatmeal she had specifically made for her. “I have something to ask you.”

Luo Sheng took it, blew on the surface, and took a cautious sip. The thick, milky oat aroma was very soothing. She arched an eyebrow. “What could possibly make you want to suck up to me?”

Nan Chu didn’t beat around the bush. “Luo Sheng, tell me… if a person—or a young girl—blushes when she sees you and even draws your portrait, what does that mean?”

Luo Sheng froze. She saw the expectant look on Nan Chu’s face and thought for a moment. “It’s hard to say… maybe it’s…”

“It definitely means she likes you.”

Before Luo Sheng could finish, a voice completed the sentence. They looked up to see Nan Shuwan walking over with a smile. She leaned down and whispered into Nan Chu’s ear teasingly, “What? Has a girl taken a fancy to you?”

The words made Nan Chu jump. Her tongue felt like it had been through a curling iron. “You… what nonsense are you talking about!!”

She had suspected as much, but having it pointed out so directly made her feel defensive. Nan Chu had rarely dealt with romance; she was usually casual and indifferent to everything. Being called out made her face turn beet red.

“Forget it, I’m not talking to you two! You just want to turn the heat on me!”

Nan Chu fled downstairs, but her heart was burning with a hidden sense of joy. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was possible. After all, I’m good-looking and have a good personality. I should be pretty charming, right?

Walking toward the kitchen, she saw Liu Lin’s back. Her heart felt like it was being gnawed by ants—fidgety and restless. Just then, Liu Lin turned around and their eyes met.

Liu Lin was also worrying. She had seen Nan Chu go upstairs and assumed she’d talked to Luo Sheng. She wondered if her secret had been spilled…

To Nan Chu, the girl’s look was one of shy timidity, as if she were too embarrassed to meet her eyes. This only made Nan Chu’s heart beat faster.

Just as she was getting nervous, Liu Lin suddenly screamed and lunged into her arms. Nan Chu was caught completely off guard. Their skin met in a close embrace. Nan Chu’s arms were spread wide, not daring to touch her, stammering, “Liu Lin, you… what are you doing?”

Nan Chu’s romantic thoughts lasted only a second. Liu Lin covered her mouth and pointed tremblingly out the glass window behind them. “Snake! There’s a snake!”

Nan Chu spun around and saw a giant python crawling up the windowsill, hissing sinisterly at them with its flickering tongue.