Chapter 62: Whimper, the Human-like Mouse

She looked at the 4S dealership: a square storefront, floor-to-ceiling glass walls bordered the building, through which she could vaguely see golden curtains and rows of sleek, powerful new cars. Beyond that, the interior was obscured from view.

This dealership had a distinctly modern vibe—its minimalist, grand decor stood out starkly from the surrounding environment. Not only that, but even the repair shop in front seemed oversized for such a small, out-of-the-way place.

Even if, before the apocalypse, the area was slated to become an important border zone, shops and factories like this shouldn’t be tucked away in such a remote spot.

She glanced at Yue Li and his companion, who were clearly trying not to attract attention. Was there some secret here?

She crouched down and poked the soft, chubby nape of Milk, the mouse, whispering, “Hey, did you drag me here just to watch them fight over loot?”

The mouse looked around nervously, then glared anxiously at Liu Meng’s group. Suddenly, it let out a sharp, high-pitched “squeak-squeak”—not loud, but piercing as a knife. Its fur stood on end, and Bian Changxi instinctively covered her ears. Then, from who knows where, mutant rats began to emerge, one after another.

“Squeak!”

“Squeak-squeak-squeak!”

The fat mouse called from this side, and the mutant rats responded from the other. As if receiving some command, their red eyes widened, fanged mouths dripping with saliva, and they charged at Liu Meng and the 4S dealership.

Bian Changxi’s eyes widened in shock.

She’d vaguely guessed that with Milk around, other mutant rats wouldn’t dare approach, which explained why she hadn’t encountered any mutant animals on the way here. She hadn’t thought much of it. But now, it seemed this little guy could actually command its own kind.

She looked at Milk with newfound amazement.

Liu Meng and his group were scared out of their wits by the sudden swarm of mutant rats and scattered in panic. Even Yue Li and his companion, who had already entered the dealership, fled moments later, chased by a pack of mutant rats in utter disarray.

Meanwhile, the little fat mouse flopped down, sprawled out on the ground, sides heaving, barely able to breathe.

Bian Changxi carefully scooped it up. It felt boneless in her hands, drenched in sweat, its brown fur slick as if soaked. It looked up at her with weary eyes, let out a weak whimper, and pointed a tiny paw toward the dealership.

She sighed helplessly, glanced around, and dashed toward the 4S store.

The dealership was indeed huge, filled with dazzling, high-end cars—even someone like Bian Changxi, who knew nothing about cars, was impressed. But she didn’t stop to admire them. Guided by the mouse, she made her way to a back lounge—a small, dimly lit room. As soon as she entered, several pairs of crimson eyes glared at her.

Startled, she looked closer and realized they were mutant rats. They glanced at her, but mostly at the Milk in her arms, letting out low, unpleasant but submissive growls, before turning back to gnaw at the floorboards in the corner.

Bian Changxi confirmed these mutant beasts wouldn’t harm her or Milk, but she stayed cautious, quietly flicking off her gun’s safety. Then she noticed the floor had been gnawed into a jagged hole, with faint light shining up from below.

“No way, there’s actually a hidden treasure underground?” she muttered, feeling awkward—this was straight out of a wuxia drama.

“Awuu!” The fat mouse, having recovered a bit, jumped from her arms to the hole, called to her, and leapt down. Bian Changxi hurried over and peered down, catching a glimpse of something below. The mouse called again, as if urging her to follow.

She estimated the drop—about five or six meters. Gripping the edge, she lowered herself down, then let go and landed. Despite her good form, the impact left her legs numb and she landed on her butt. Her physical strength still wasn’t up to par.

She looked up—and was stunned by what she saw.

The underground space was vast, the ceiling and walls lit by vintage, dim lamps—likely powered by an independent source, since they were still working. The whole area resembled a massive showroom. Behind her was a tightly shut door, probably the main entrance; ahead, a staircase with golden, icy-cold railings led down into the main hall, where, to her shock, all sorts of vehicles were displayed.

Bian Changxi was amazed—was this the dealership’s warehouse? Or a special showroom for VIP clients?

She looked up at the ceiling, at least eight meters high, made of solid steel with ornate chandeliers. Only the hole she’d come through showed exposed cement and wood, perhaps due to disrepair; otherwise, no mutant rat could have chewed through.

“Whimper…”

Bian Changxi walked forward, eyes wide with wonder: sports cars, off-roaders, trucks, Beetles, stretch limos—even a massive luxury RV. Every type of vehicle seemed to be here, though she could tell they’d all been modified.

“Yue Li and Su Chensi must be after these cars,” she muttered. “But if that’s all, why sneak around like this…?”

“Whimper, whimper…”

Milk’s anxious cries came from behind a car. She hurried over to find it jumping up and down in front of a wall switch.

“What are you doing?”

Milk ran over, tugged at her pant leg, and dragged her to the switch, squeaking insistently.

“You want the lights on? But if we turn them on, people upstairs will notice—”

Before she could finish, Milk scrambled up her leg, leaped to her shoulder, and hit the switch.

But instead of the chandeliers lighting up, a rectangular frame appeared on the wall, circuitry lighting up around it. Then, like a scene from a sci-fi movie, a section of wall slid inward and opened.

Bian Changxi jumped back two meters in alarm, gun raised.

A light shone from behind the wall, and a shadow—apparently waiting there—lunged out.

Bang, bang, bang. Bian Changxi recognized it as a zombie and fired without hesitation. But in her haste, she missed the vital spots, only hitting its chest and slowing it down.

She quickly dodged, grabbed a roof rack on a nearby car, and swung herself up, firing two more shots—one hit its shoulder, the other missed.

Only now did she get a good look: it was a large male zombie, face rotted beyond recognition, clothes bloodied and tattered, but vaguely resembling a prison uniform. Its head was nearly bald.

Her heart skipped a beat—was this guy a convict before?

Wearing prison clothes—he’d probably escaped during the chaos.

She glanced into the room behind the wall: dim, filthy, blood and corpses everywhere, but no other zombies or people emerged.

As she pondered, the zombie roared and smashed a car door, trying to shake her down.

She lost her footing and fell—but landed on the other side of the car.

Through the undercarriage, she spotted the zombie’s feet. Instantly, she switched to a heavy sniper rifle—one Gu Xu had given her, along with a pistol. After their escape from the supermarket and days of fighting, Gu Xu’s gun stash was running low, but he’d generously given her both. Shadow had also given her a custom pistol. The handgun was easy to carry; she pretended to keep the sniper in a locked suitcase, but actually stored it on the farm.

Lying prone, she barely needed to aim—one shot blasted the zombie’s ankle, bringing it down.

She scrambled up, walked over, and finished it with a shot to the head.

She exhaled in relief.

Guns really made all the difference—without one, this hulking zombie could have killed her.

“Whimper.” Milk ran over, calling to her, but this time Bian Changxi ignored it, giving it a cold look before turning to enter the room behind the wall.

She was shocked. The space was much smaller than the showroom, but still over a hundred square meters. On the left were piles of goods in woven bags; on the right, stacks of wooden crates. In the corner, a single bed and a desk, with two laptops in screensaver mode and scattered parts. The corpse lay slumped at the desk, blood everywhere.

She guessed the two had been companions—one turned, ate the other.

What really surprised her was the wall, covered in weapons—real ones: guns, vintage melee weapons, bows, crossbows, blood-grooved throwing knives, heavy swords, all gleaming in the dim light.

What was this place?

She checked the goods—more shock. The bags held powerful plastic explosives; the crates were full of guns and ammo.

Combined with the zombie in prison garb, she guessed this was a criminal gang’s hideout. The dealership and showroom were just a front.

The thought chilled her. If there were still people here—not zombies—her barging in could have been fatal.

She pursed her lips and went back out, feeling a surge of anger. The “chandelier switch” she’d thought was always there was actually a metal panel that popped out of the wall, triggered by a mechanism Milk had exposed by chewing up the carpet and floorboards, revealing the precise machinery beneath.

She sneered at the mouse, who looked up at her, trying to please her. “You’re really something, using me as your gun. And I’m such a fool—just because you act cute and dumb, I let my guard down. How could I forget—the stronger the creature, the more dangerous, even if it’s just an animal.”

“Whimper…” Milk shrank back.

“Who’s your master?” Bian Changxi asked, then laughed bitterly. “What am I saying—what’s the point? Whatever you are, I’m done with this! I’m out!”

She turned to leave.

Milk chased after her, trying to bite her pant leg.

She kicked it away, almost stomping it to death, but finally restrained herself. Instead, she summoned a long vine, wrapped it up like a cocoon, leaving only its mouth and nose exposed so it could breathe, even covering its eyes. Milk didn’t resist at all.

She tossed it into the farm, still fuming. Looking at the dazzling cars and the mountain of explosives and weapons—enough to arm a regiment—her anger surged. Suddenly, she began running, collecting all the vehicles into the farm in a few breaths, emptying the entire showroom.

She went back to the small room, took all the explosives, guns, weapons, even the bed, desk, and laptops—anything she could carry.

She’d fired seven shots—four pistol rounds in the zombie, one in the floor, two sniper rounds through the zombie into the ground. A professional could glean a lot from these ballistic traces. Not wanting to leave any evidence, she used a fire axe to hack up the impact points until nothing remained.

She carefully wiped her fingerprints from the switch and metal railings, closed the wall door, and reset the switch.

She didn’t know if it would help, but she was up against the mouse’s possible master and an unknown criminal group—it was best to be cautious.

Only the zombie’s corpse remained. She didn’t bother digging for a crystal core, just shoved it into the farm, despite her discomfort.

Then she went to the hole in the ceiling, pulled out a metal hook from the farm’s warehouse, tied a vine to it, hooked it onto the edge, and struggled to climb up. Outside, no one was around, but the mutant beasts were still there. Without Milk’s deterrence, they immediately bared their fangs and lunged at her.

She braced herself with one arm, drew her straight blade with the other, and swung it to drive them back. Then, seizing the chance, she darted out, not bothering to fight, and hurried away.

Damn, there were people killing rats out front! She peeked out—sure enough, it was Yue Li, Liu Meng, and some others. She quickly slipped out the back door, which led to a courtyard. Seeing no one, she sprinted, vaulted the wall, and dropped down the other side.

Whew—she let out a long breath, dusted herself off, got her bearings, and hurried away from this place of trouble."