Chapter 32 Part 1

When Shen Ke woke up, she only felt utterly exhausted all over, but there was no pain, and nothing felt out of place.

Feeling the damp bedsheets, Shen Ke frowned and opened her eyes. That damn Wen Su hadn’t cleaned them up again.

Her head throbbed a little, but it didn’t stop her from remembering how she had fallen asleep last night.

She had clearly told Wen Su to stop, but Wen Su’s movements only got faster.

It had her rolling her eyes back.

Finally unable to take it, she passed out during the last burst of release.

Miraculously, no matter how wild they had gotten last night, when she woke up, she only felt weak all over. There were no other sensations like soreness or swelling.

Shen Ke pulled down her collar and looked down.

It had been played with roughly last night, but now it wasn’t red or swollen, and there were no bite marks.

She threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and stretched lazily, mumbling, “Wen Su’s technique is getting better and better.”

There was no better bed partner for her than Wen Su, except for her habit of not cleaning the bedsheets.

Wen Su looked delicate and refined, but she was ferocious in bed. Her fingers were too long, making Shen Ke roll her eyes more than once.

After washing up, Shen Ke left the room. She had to go to work.

Without work, there was no food, let alone points.

Thinking of Zhao Qi’s stupid face made Shen Ke extremely annoyed. Plus, she hadn’t eaten last night, and it was morning now with nothing yet.

Shen Ke plastered a scowl on her face and walked into the cramped living room, where she saw Wen Zhao holding a bowl of thin porridge and drinking it.

Shen Ke strode over and demanded, “Where did that come from?! Why didn’t you save it for me first!”

Wen Zhao lifted her little face, looking somewhat scared, and timidly handed over the bowl. “Sorry, Ke Mama. I saw you weren’t awake yet, so I ate a little first.”

Shen Ke unceremoniously snatched the bowl. There wasn’t much porridge left, just a small half bowl. She gulped it down in one go, choking and coughing twice from drinking too fast.

Wen Zhao quickly stood on tiptoe, raised her hand to pat Shen Ke’s back. “Ke Mama, don’t rush.”

Shen Ke coughed until the corners of her eyes turned red, exuding a natural charm she was oblivious to. She eyed Wen Zhao sideways. “Right, Su Mama gave you this food, didn’t she?”

Wen Zhao nodded and gave a shy smile. “Su Mama went out very early today. She left some food for noon too, Ke Mama. Do you want some?”

Shen Ke swatted away Wen Zhao’s little hand, her tone nasty. “That Wen Su is holding back food and drink from me now.” Wen Su was an ordinary person who worked in a factory at the base that made machetes.

Half a year into the apocalypse, human bases had sprung up everywhere. As the number of ordinary people grew, jobs that let them earn points to exchange for necessities emerged.

Wen Su had gone to the factory, but to this day, Shen Ke had never bothered to check on her workplace.

She had no interest in managing Wen Su.

“She doesn’t even say goodbye when she heads out in the morning, after all I’ve done letting her eat and live here.”

“Once I find someone with better skills, I’ll divorce her!” Shen Ke said it bluntly, not caring that Wen Zhao was right there.

“Wen Zhao, go get the food Wen Su left for you.”

Wen Zhao rummaged in her small pocket and pulled out two compressed biscuits. She held them up with her face tilted. “Ke Mama, it’s these biscuits.” She only came up to Shen Ke’s thigh, tiny as she was, blinking her big eyes in a way that was as cute as could be.

Shen Ke waved her off in disgust. “Forget it. I’m off to work.” She was sick of compressed biscuits—hard and tasteless.

She had no feelings for Wen Zhao. Seeing there was no food, Shen Ke got up and headed out. Just as she stepped through the door, her clothes were tugged. Wen Zhao said softly, “Ke Mama, were you bullied last night? You cried so loudly.”

Being asked that by a seven-year-old made Shen Ke flush a bit. She coughed dryly. “Kids shouldn’t worry about this stuff.” With that, she yanked her hand free and strode away.

Leaving little Wen Zhao behind.

Wen Zhao closed the door and sat on the sofa. Her black pupils gradually elongated into brilliant golden slits, and her body stretched out. A black long snake appeared in Wen Zhao’s place.

So, her heat period was coming? Just seeing Shen Ke’s face made her recall Shen Ke last night, legs spread wide on the bed.

No one had even touched her, yet she was dripping wet, exciting herself.

Face flushed, eyes red, lips parted slightly as if begging for something to enter.

This wasn’t the first time she had seen Shen Ke like that, but it was the first time she wanted to touch her.

“Hiss~”

“What! They’re gone!” Shen Ke roared in disbelief.

The man she yelled at curled his lip. “They left early. Come on, Shen Ke, you’ve been a slacker and a freeloader on missions for ages.”

“Getting ditched is normal, isn’t it? Everyone at the base knows what you’re like.”

“This was the last ability user team. If you’re kicked out, no other team will take you. You’ll have to join the ordinary people squads.”

Shen Ke bit her lower lip. “Damn it! Who’d join the ordinary squads? I’m an ability user!”

The man sneered. “To be honest, an ability user like you is worse than an ordinary person.”

“You rely on your wife to pay points for the house rights.”

“And the food too. I know you always bring back leftovers to give to your wife and kid.” He didn’t speak quietly.

Shen Ke was furious. Her hands turned into claws, and she swiped at his face.

He couldn’t dodge in time, and bloody gashes appeared on his face.

“Fuck, Shen Ke, you’re crazy!”

Shen Ke’s eyes turned into slits, her eye sockets red, glaring ferociously. “I’d watch your mouth if I were you. No matter what, I’m still an ability user!”

Someone nearby came over, clapped the man on the shoulder, and whispered something in his ear.

The man spat and glared viciously at Shen Ke before turning away with his group.

“Count me unlucky.”

“If you’re so tough, why not do missions alone? Tsk, you can only bully ordinary folks like me.”

Shen Ke reverted from her beast transformation and looked around. The gazes were either disdainful or hostile.

Normally, she’d pick the weakest-looking one to teach a lesson, but she wasn’t in the mood now.

Her favorite team had ditched her.

Shen Ke hung her head, bit her nails, and paced anxiously.

It had to be Zhao Qi who ordered it. She hadn’t even messaged her on the communicator before leaving.

The more she thought, the angrier she got. She wouldn’t let Zhao Qi off.

It was just wiping out zombies, right? She could do it alone!

Crimson Base, headquarters, underground level 1 laboratory.

Wen Su stepped down from the operating table, peeled off the bloodstained white plastic gloves, and held up the crystal-like object in her hand. The green crystal core gleamed transparently under the fluorescent lights.

“As expected, ability users have these things in their brains. So pretty.”

Wen Su’s lips curved into a faint smile. She had delicate features and a quiet demeanor. Her straight black hair was loosely tied back, and her black-framed glasses added a gentle air.

But her overly pale skin gave off an eerie vibe.

The metal door opened, and a heavy stench of blood poured out.

Wen Zhao, in a goose-yellow short-sleeved shirt, smiled sweetly. “Mama, Ke Mama left the base alone.”

Wen Su pocketed the crystal core and looked at Wen Zhao. “A bit troublesome. Your transformation should have stabilized by now.”

“Go bring her back.”

Wen Zhao blinked her eyes innocently. “Why not lock Ke Mama up, Mama? That way she won’t run off.”

Wen Su turned toward the operating table and the dissected corpse on it, sighing softly. “How can you lock up a little cat? She’d die.”

“I’ve been married to your Ke Mama for seven years. There’s still some feeling there.”

Wen Zhao’s smile widened. “Mama, if you don’t lock her up, the little cat will run into someone else’s arms.”

She pointed at the person on the operating table. “Will the little cat end up sliced open like that one?”

Wen Su turned her face slightly. Her amber pupils held no emotion, though a shallow smile hung on her lips. “No.”

On the cracked highway, Shen Ke slapped the neck of a lunging zombie without mercy, snapping it.

The grayish-white, hideous head rolled a few times on the ground before stopping.

Shen Ke frowned in disgust, cursing. “Disgusting vermin, like flies.” That was why she hated fighting.

She was an ability user, but unlike elemental ability users who could handle zombies from afar without touching them, she had to use her hands and teeth to make contact. Some zombies had wriggling maggots in their rotting flesh.

“Why couldn’t I be an elemental ability user?” Shen Ke irritably kicked a rock away.

The stronger the ability user, the more privileges they got.

A c-rank ability user like Zhao Qi could already lead a five-person team to rescue people, wipe out zombies, collect supplies, and earn points.

If she became captain one day, she’d be even more impressive than Zhao Qi.

Wait…

Shen Ke’s cat pupils spun as an idea sparked in her mind.

The next second, she shifted into beast form—a beautiful white big cat with pale blue slit pupils like clear amber, her sleek fur gleaming like it glowed.

The big cat raised her head and meowed: “Meow!” The cry, full of anger, echoed in all directions.

Shen Ke flicked her thick tail, her large body tiger-like.

She waited in place for a bit, then opened her mouth and roared again: “Meow!!!”

This time, there was a response.

“Meow!”

“Meow!”

Small cats appeared one after another. Shen Ke nodded in satisfaction, her tail swaying elegantly. It seemed her supernatural ability wasn’t just turning into a cat—it let her summon them too.

“Meow meow!”

Looking at the little cats, Shen Ke meowed: “Meow!” Do you know where humans are?

The little cats twitched their ears, meowing back in chorus. “Meow!” I haven’t seen any.

“Meow meow!” Me neither.

She could even understand them. Shen Ke pawed the ground. “Meow meow meow meow.” You idiots, useless as hell!

A calico cat jumped forward, circling at Shen Ke’s feet. “Meow meow, meow meow meow.” Boss, I know where humans are! They had fish—huge one!

Shen Ke: “Meow meow meow, meow meow, meow!” Then lead me there. Rest of you, scatter! Watch the humans and report back where they are!

“Meow meow meow!” The little cats meowed in unison before dispersing.

Leaving the calico cat.

Shen Ke: “Meow.” Let’s go. You lead.

The calico meowed and dashed off in a certain direction.