Chapter Eighteen: Trading Food for People

When the woman saw Yang Xiu and his wife’s faces light up with delight, she herself showed no joy. Instead, Kong Yangyun and Yang Xiu were alarmed, exclaiming, “This is bad! Zombies! Ah! Zombie birds, too! Let’s run!”

The man, upon spotting the three of them, drove his car right up to them, rolling up the window, clearly intending to draw danger away from himself. As expected, the two zombies, catching the scent of living humans, howled furiously, abandoning the car’s occupants and lunging at the trio. Kong Yangyun and Yang Xiu scrambled to escape, but Mu Tou snatched up two pieces of burning wood from the fire and, with a sharp flick, hurled them at the zombies, piercing straight through their chests. Yet the zombies merely paused for a moment, then resumed their attack, not a drop of blood flowing from their wounds.

Yang Xiu cried out, “Aim for their heads! Hit their heads!” Seeing Mu Tou’s skill rekindled his hope. Mu Tou recalled the zombie movies he had seen, like “Resident Evil,” where zombies had to be struck in the head to be killed. These monsters were uncannily similar. While thinking this, he swiftly grabbed two more pieces of wood and shot them out, smashing the zombies’ heads to pieces.

Sure enough, with their skulls obliterated, the zombies collapsed, clearly dead for good. But Yang Xiu shrieked, “Careful! Zombie birds!”

Even without her warning, Mu Tou had already noticed them. The zombie birds were numerous and not as easily dealt with as the zombies. But for Mu Tou, they posed no threat. He drew a deep breath and raised his hand, sending forth a visible circular wave of energy. Where it passed, not a single zombie bird remained, their bodies utterly destroyed.

Mu Tou was thrilled by this power. For the first time, he realized that using his “Particle Wave” now consumed only a trace of his true energy, and he could likely unleash it a hundred times without issue. Moreover, the wave’s coverage was broader and more effective—he wiped out all the zombie birds with a single gesture.

“...an ability user!” Kong Yangyun’s voice reached his ears. Turning, Mu Tou saw Kong’s face filled with disbelief and newfound reverence.

“Ability users” were those rare few who, after viral contamination, had not turned into zombies but instead acquired special powers. Such people were now at the pinnacle of society, able to command whatever they wished from ordinary folk.

At that moment, the man and woman from the car got out. The man was nearly fifty, with graying hair and a protruding belly. The woman was young, tall, and striking, her hair cascading like a waterfall, and her beauty outshone even Yang Xiu’s.

The man stepped forward respectfully, saying, “Thank you, sir, for saving us!” Having witnessed Mu Tou’s power, he hurried to ingratiate himself. “My name is Xing Qiaosheng, president of Datong Motors. If you ever need anything from me, please don’t hesitate!”

Mu Tou snorted coldly, ignoring him, annoyed by his earlier attempt to endanger them. The woman glanced at Mu Tou but dared not approach. She went to Yang Xiu and whispered, “Sister Yang, do you have anything to eat? I haven’t eaten in two days.”

Yang Xiu looked at Mu Tou, knowing he was displeased with the pair’s actions and dared not ask him for food.

Xing Qiaosheng, ever the seasoned businessman, immediately noticed Mu Tou had supplies and pleaded, “Sir, we haven’t eaten in two days. Please give us some food and water—I’m willing to trade gold!”

“Oh? How much gold do you have?” Mu Tou’s interest was piqued; in his world, gold was still hard currency. Xing Qiaosheng was delighted and hurried to fetch a box of gold bars from the car. Mu Tou weighed them—it was about two pounds—and smiled slightly, “How much is your life worth?”

Xing Qiaosheng’s face blanched. Mu Tou said, “I saved your life; let this be your payment.” Xing Qiaosheng knew his earlier actions had angered the ability user, but he dared not protest, only begging, “Sir, I haven’t eaten in two days, please—just a single bun would be enough!”

Mu Tou looked at him with a mocking smile. Xing Qiaosheng’s eyes darted as he quickly offered, “Sir, I’ll trade something else for food!” He then pushed the woman toward Mu Tou. “This is my girlfriend—just two bottles of water, three cans of food! Let her spend the night with you!”

The woman’s face went pale, glaring at Xing Qiaosheng, but she did not dare refuse.

Kong Yangyun sneered, “Boss Xing, are you sure you’re not making things up? Since when was Qiao’er your girlfriend?”

Xing Qiaosheng chuckled, “Old Kong, you don’t know—Qiao’er has been my kept woman for a while now.” He turned to Yang Xiu, “Didn’t your wife tell you? Ha, several of her colleagues have been kept by me.”

Yang Xiu looked at Qiao’er, who silently shed tears.

Seeing Mu Tou unmoved, Xing Qiaosheng grew anxious. “Don’t mind Qiao’er being thin from hunger; she’s well-endowed, especially in bed... She’s very obedient—however you want, she’ll comply.”

With such crude salesmanship, Qiao’er’s face grew even paler. Though she had been seduced by vanity and kept by Xing Qiaosheng, being so paraded before acquaintances was a blow to her dignity.

But in the face of hunger, dignity meant nothing. Xing Qiaosheng, desperate, urged, “Call him sir! If he wants you, you’ll get food!”

Qiao’er reluctantly said, “Sir, please take me—I’ll be obedient...” As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Mu Tou could not bear to see women cry before him. He quickly said, “Enough, here!” He tossed two bottles of water and two cans to Xing Qiaosheng, then separately gave Qiao’er a bottle of water and a can.

Xing Qiaosheng seized the food and devoured it hungrily. Qiao’er glanced at Mu Tou; in the firelight, she saw he was well-built, gentle in manner, and somewhat handsome. Her cheeks flushed; she was quietly relieved. “May I eat something first?” she whispered.

Yang Xiu came over, hugged Qiao’er, and sat by the fire, asking about her recent experiences. Mu Tou, curious about the origins of these events, joined them.

Qiao’er ate as she spoke softly, “I don’t know exactly when it started—people at the factory suddenly began biting each other. Later, we heard there was a viral leak at a city laboratory. The whole city either turned into zombies or became their food. Some survivors fled to our city, bringing the virus with them.”

She drank some water. “Xing was clever enough to buy up food and water. We hid in the executive area of the factory and survived for a while. But then he traded food for someone’s wife for a night, and everyone found out. Many of his subordinates brought their wives to exchange for food. A few days ago, we ran out of supplies ourselves. That’s when he decided to escape by car, but we ran into zombies. If we hadn’t met you, I don’t know if we would have survived.”

Qiao’er finished her account, blushing. “I suppose it’s karma—he traded food for other men’s wives, and now for food, he must...” She cast a resentful glance at Mu Tou and buried herself in Yang Xiu’s arms, sobbing.

Mu Tou felt somewhat embarrassed. It was absurd—two women had offered themselves for food in a single night, and both were beauties. He was not without desire, but his kind nature made him reluctant and uneasy about accepting.

Yang Xiu glanced at Mu Tou, then at Qiao’er, whispering in her ear. Qiao’er listened, looked at Mu Tou, blushed even deeper, and buried her face in Yang Xiu’s arms.

Night had fallen. Mu Tou added more wood to the fire and pointed toward the capsule house. “If you want to rest, go inside.” He then entered himself. Xing Qiaosheng, knowing he had offended Mu Tou, retreated to his car to sleep.

Kong Yangyun intended to sleep in the capsule house, but Yang Xiu pulled him aside, gesturing to Qiao’er. He understood and rested by the fire.

Qiao’er hesitated for a long while, recalling Yang Xiu’s words. At last, she gathered her courage and approached Mu Tou’s room.

Mu Tou was startled to see her enter, her face flushed with shyness. One by one, she removed her clothes, her fair and graceful body revealed before him.

Mu Tou had been suppressing his desires, but now, seeing Qiao’er undressing shyly, his long-restrained passion surged up. Heat rose from his abdomen as he strode to her side, gently embracing her, feeling her smooth, delicate skin beneath his hands. Qiao’er trembled at his touch, then obediently lay down.

Her slender legs hung powerless off the bed, her delicate toes pressed together, touching the carpet. Her chest rose and fell gently, the sight utterly captivating. Mu Tou could no longer restrain himself, and succumbed to his passion as he pounced upon her...