Chapter 57: Bitten—Will He Turn Into a Zombie?

Gu Xu and the rat stared at each other, wide-eyed. After a moment, Gu Xu said uncertainly, “It feels strangely familiar.”

So this is what it’s like to have a physique that attracts pets?

Bian Changxi didn’t think much of it. She rummaged through Gu Xu’s backpack and pulled out a towel. “Wrap it up in this.”

Gu Xu bundled up the rat and held it gently in his hands. The rat didn’t resist, struggling only to burrow into his arms. Once it found a comfortable spot, it nestled in contentedly, which made Bian Changxi even more fond of it.

After this brief delay, the two hurried back. The street they were on was home to other survivors, and chaos had erupted—people were fighting off bugs or being chased and bitten, their screams echoing everywhere. Wu Dalang was not far from the door, helping others fend off the creatures. Gu Xu called out from a distance, “Old Wu, how’s it going?”

Wu Dalang smashed an unidentifiable bug with a clump of dirt. The other bugs, sensing he was tough to deal with, scattered and fled. Seeing Gu Xu, Wu Dalang grinned, “Captain, you’re back! Is Miss Bian alright?” Then he added, “Some nasty bugs crawled out from who knows where. We were caught off guard at first, but now we’re chasing them down instead.”

Just then, Qiu Yun’s triumphant laughter rang out from inside the house. “Look, I caught one!”

Everyone had gathered on the first floor. Tables and chairs were overturned, signs of a fierce struggle everywhere. Severed limbs of giant cockroaches and ants littered the place. Even stranger, the air was thick with steam and the strong aroma of duck soup.

A huge rat, dragging half its body, struggled across the floor. When it saw Gu Xu and Bian Changxi enter, its bean-sized red eyes lit up, fur bristling as it bared its dripping fangs. Before it could make a move, a black object flew over and struck it on the head, then bounced back. Following the trajectory, Bian Changxi saw Qiu Feng approaching, holding the object and smiling. “Ah Xu, is Miss Bian alright?”

Bian Changxi smiled. They all asked the same question. She replied, “Captain Gu arrived just in time. I’m fine.”

She glanced at the black object in Qiu Feng’s hand—it looked like a boomerang. She hadn’t realized he had such skills. The half-dead rat was now knocked out cold.

She looked around. Everyone was present. Suddenly, Gu Xu’s face lit up with joy. “Shadow, you’re awake!”

A tall, thin, pale-faced man walked over—it was Shadow, who had been unconscious for days. He managed a stiff smile, his voice trembling with excitement. “Yes, I finally woke up.” Turning to Bian Changxi, his eyes shone with gratitude. He bowed his head sincerely. “Miss Bian, I can’t thank you enough for saving my life. If you ever need anything from me, Song Annian, just say the word.”

Bian Changxi blinked. Gu Xu explained, “Shadow’s real name is Song Annian. It’s a common and rather poetic name, so he got teased a lot during basic training. We’ve called him ‘Shadow’ ever since.”

Using his real name for a promise showed how serious he was. With straightforward people like him, being coy would only make things awkward.

Bian Changxi thought for a moment, then instead of replying, she asked him to hold out his hand. She grasped it, sending out her wood-type energy to check—whatever dark substance had been inside him was now completely gone.

He should be fully recovered. She let go and smiled. “You should be fine now. Although your captain already paid me, I owe him another favor for this. But let’s keep things separate—your promise, I’ll remember. If I need help, I won’t hesitate to ask.”

Bian Changxi had always been polite but distant, making it clear she’d eventually go her own way. So when she said something so warm, everyone was a bit surprised. Shadow, on the other hand, was instantly impressed by her straightforwardness.

Gu Xu was pleased as well. He patted Shadow on the shoulder. The two didn’t need words—their brotherly bond was obvious. Suddenly, Gu Xu asked, “Is Old Master Chen hurt?”

Everyone turned to look at Old Master Chen, who was leaning weakly against the wall, supported by his wife, his face ashen.

Chen Haitao and his son rushed over to help. “What happened?”

Madam Chen choked up, “He was bitten on the leg. I didn’t dare say anything before, didn’t want to worry everyone.”

Everyone frowned.

Bian Changxi calmly said, “Help him sit down, let me take a look.”

They rolled up his pant leg. Above his right ankle were two swollen, purple welts, veins twisted beneath the torn skin—clear signs of being bitten by some small animal.

She breathed a sigh of relief, recognizing the marks as ant bites. Being bitten by these mutated bugs and animals wasn’t a big deal. She was about to speak when a chill ran down her spine—she could feel Gu Xu’s gaze on her back.

Seriously, this guy had promised not to pry into her sources of information, but look at him now. Ever since Lin Rongrong’s spatial ability was exposed, he’d been watching her with those dark, probing eyes. She was starting to develop a reflex to be on guard around him!

She ground her teeth in secret, but kept her expression serious. “How did this happen?”

“I think... I think it was an ant that bit me,” Old Master Chen said, struggling for breath.

Chen’s father asked nervously, “Will he...?”

He meant, would he turn into a zombie? Bian Changxi understood and nodded, placing her hand on his leg to check. Her wood-type energy worked like a probe—she’d sensed dark spots in Shadow, but here she found some green specks. This was a new ability she hadn’t had in her previous life, and she wasn’t sure what it meant yet.

She shook her head calmly. “It’s not quite the same as Shadow’s case. Hard to say, but the ant probably has some venom. Look how swollen it is. Should we try to squeeze out the poison, like with a snake bite?”

Chen Haitao gritted his teeth and looked at his father. “Let’s try it.”

The father and son were tense, unsure how to proceed. Wu Dalang couldn’t stand it. “Let me do it.” He quickly and skillfully made an incision, let the blood flow, and squeezed out thick, black blood.

Once the black blood had mostly drained, Bian Changxi helped the wound heal and then bandaged it.

She was so focused on hiding her “prophet” abilities that she forgot to conceal her medical skills—her bandaging was so deft, even the ex-military men were impressed. Gu Xu stared at her for a long time, unable to look away.

Qiu Feng and the others exchanged thoughtful glances, their eyes sharp with curiosity. Only Qiu Yun, oblivious, laughed, “He’ll be fine! Ants and zombies are totally different! But do you think these rats could kill someone?”

Everyone looked at his hands. He was holding a huge rat, its teeth bared and red eyes full of rage, as if it wanted to bite his hand off. But Qiu Yun had it in a death grip; it couldn’t move at all.

It really was as big as a washbasin.

Its attitude was anything but friendly. After finishing the bandaging, Bian Changxi’s first instinct was to check on the rat in Gu Xu’s arms, worried it might suddenly bite him like its kin.

But all she saw was a dirty, pitiful rat face, lips curled in a look of utter disdain and frustration, as if it was embarrassed to be the same species as the one across from it.

Everyone followed her gaze and finally noticed the small, pitch-black rat in Gu Xu’s hands. Why was it so much smaller? And that expression—it was so oddly conflicted.

Thanks to Zhuyiyin for the tips and recommendation votes! O(∩_∩)O~

Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read."