The ruthless words Zhao Zhenyu left behind cast a shadow over everyone inside the building.
The atmosphere remained silent for half a minute.
Lin Weiran’s gaze shifted from complex to restrained, as if she was reacquainting herself with her cousin. She knew that Su Su had awakened an ability and that her personality had changed from being overly cautious to ruthless and decisive. But… knowing was one thing—accepting it emotionally was another, and it wasn’t something she could adjust to immediately.
After another ten seconds of silence, she finally spoke: “I don’t know why the zombie horde suddenly stopped ramming the door, but they haven’t left. The stadium is still dangerous. We’ll continue guarding the front door. The back door will be your responsibility.”
With that, Lin Weiran supported Si Zhe, who hadn’t fully recovered yet, and walked back through the corridor of the resting area.
It wasn’t until they had completely left the backstage that Si Zhe slightly tightened his grip on her arm.
“Weiran, your cousin has awakened an ability and even keeps a Tier 3 python as a pet. No matter what, we need to stay on guard from now on.”
Lin Weiran nodded. She wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.
Wu Zhi, Zhang Da, Zhang Er, and even Zhao Zhenyu had all died at Su Su’s hands.
Si Zhe and Lin Weiran exchanged a glance, and in each other’s eyes, they saw the same realization—Su Su was no longer the person they once knew.
—
The stark contrast between the tense front door and the cheerful atmosphere at the back door was striking.
With two major threats eliminated and the zombie horde no longer pounding on the door, everyone’s long-tense nerves finally relaxed a little.
Pang Cancan shot a sidelong glance at the two former teammates. “You two better behave, or I’ll throw you out to feed the zombies!”
The two cowards huddled in the corner, trembling and clinging to each other for comfort.
Only then did Pang Cancan happily tear open a bag of bread. Instead of eating it herself, she handed it to Su Su first.
Su Su shook her head. “I’m not hungry yet. Give it to Le Rui.”
“I-I’m not hungry either…”
If he hadn’t been quietly swallowing his saliva while saying that, his words might have been a little more believable.
Pang Cancan glanced at Le Rui. Just how skinny had he become? His body was as thin as a bamboo pole, barely supporting his oversized head. Every step he took made it seem like he might topple over, like a malnourished child who had been denied food for too long.
Clicking her tongue, she tore off a large chunk of the bread. The soft, milky-sweet aroma immediately spread as the fluffy bread was exposed, and Le Rui’s gaze was instantly and honestly drawn to it.
“Eat!”
Le Rui was forcibly handed a large piece of bread. Stiffly holding it in his hands, he cautiously looked at Su Su first, then at Pang Cancan, his eyes turning red in an instant.
“Thank you… big sister. I will repay you in the future.”
What nonsense was a little kid like him talking about repaying favors?
Pang Cancan grinned, flashing her teeth in laughter, but as soon as she finished laughing, she realized something was off—she had said the exact same thing to Sister Su Su before.
If they were really going to compare ages, their entire group was ridiculously young, one younger than the other.
As her laughter faded, Su Su gently ruffled Le Rui’s head with a serious expression. “No need to repay us. Just eat.”
She wasn’t much older herself, yet the palm she extended was incomparably warm and soft.
Le Rui’s eyes reddened even more.
He didn’t want to be seen, so he lowered his head and started eating the bread as if to conceal himself.
The black snake nestled in Su Su’s arms was displeased. It slithered from her waist to her back, then over her shoulder, extending its sinister head from behind her neck.
“Hiss!”
A cold, forked tongue flicked against her cheek. Su Su, already accustomed to this, skillfully pulled out a boiled egg, cracked it on the ground, and began peeling the shell with care.
“Don’t be impatient. You’ll get yours too.”
The black snake’s vertical pupils rotated slightly, but it remained unmoved, continuing to lick her.
How could it be so easily appeased?
As it licked, its tongue accidentally brushed against the corner of her lips.
The serpent’s tongue paused for two seconds.
With its gradually developing intelligence, its brain oddly registered the softness of the touch. For a brief moment, it even felt an inexplicable “hunger”—the urge to swallow this human whole.
The constant cold sensation on her face was something Su Su had long grown used to, so much so that she didn’t even notice when the snake’s tongue brushed against the corner of her lips.
She brought the peeled egg to Xiao Hei’s mouth.
The black snake, feeling “hungry,” opened its jaws and swallowed it whole.
With something filling its stomach, the sudden surge of “hunger” dissipated by more than half. It curled back into her arms, digesting the egg.
Only its vertical pupils occasionally flickered toward Su Su, observing her quietly, its brain processing thoughts at a slow pace—
Swallowing her whole was impossible.
Food could be hunted endlessly, but it only had this one “servant.” It wasn’t even willing to let zombies sever her limbs, so how could it possibly eat her itself? After all, once eaten, she’d be gone forever.
Su Su had no idea that her “beloved pet” harbored such complex thoughts.
Seeing Xiao Hei swallow the egg, a faint, nearly imperceptible smile flashed across her eyes.
As expected, animals’ minds were like those of human children, always competing for their caretaker’s attention. For example, cats might fight with “rivals,” dogs might sulk under the bed when ignored, and Xiao Hei… Xiao Hei’s way of showing jealousy was to intimidate her outright. It wouldn’t bare its venomous fangs at her, but it would repeatedly flick its tongue in warning instead.
Pang Cancan, watching the entire exchange from the side, felt a little envious.
She summoned her precious venomous insects. Strengthened by her ability, their toxins grew more potent as they matured, and they would even self-replicate at intervals.
Right now, they were only the size of ping-pong balls, but once they grew bigger, they could also curl up in her arms—
Ugh!
Pang Cancan quickly shook that horrifying thought out of her mind!
No way. That level of intimacy was still too much for a human to handle.
Only Su Su could endure such a “weighty” form of affection.
“Hiss~”
Suddenly, a crimson snake tongue darted out, snatching away one of her brilliantly colored venomous insects.
Pang Cancan: “!!!!”
Gulp.
The black snake shamelessly swallowed the bothersome insect and then bared its mouth at her maliciously.
Pang Cancan: “……”
With a ferocious beast eyeing her, she silently withdrew her precious little creatures.
Sensing something, Su Su glanced over. “Xiao Hei?”
The black snake feigned ignorance, lazily resting in her arms, its tail loosely wrapping around her wrist, tightening and loosening in a slow, rhythmic cycle.
Tighten, release, tighten again.
One after another, faint red marks were left on her fair, slender arm. Su Su stared at them for a while before finally patting her battle pet’s head.
“Don’t eat Cancan’s babies without permission.”
“Hiss!”
The black snake did not like that command. It instantly tightened around her wrist and let out a few warning hisses at Pang Cancan.
Having already suffered at the hands of this cold-blooded creature—and knowing full well the terror of its abilities—Pang Cancan hesitated, then covered her mouth and choked out, “If the child wants to eat, just let it eat. A few won’t make a difference.”
“Hiss~”
Satisfied, the black snake retracted its gaze, its vertical pupils gleaming with a hint of smugness, as if to say—She willingly offers them to me.
Su Su: “……”
She gritted her teeth and pinched Xiao Hei’s tail.
—
As the sky darkened, the zombie horde outside no longer rammed the door.
The people standing guard inside could no longer hold out. One by one, they slumped over, falling into a deep sleep. Le Rui tried to stay awake, but Pang Cancan bundled him up and tucked him in the farthest corner, where he soon dozed off soundly.
Even the black snake curled in Su Su’s arms had shut its eyes. Its smooth, moon-colored scales pressed against her skin, its breathing slow and steady, its long body rising and falling in rhythm.
Only Su Su remained alert.
She leaned against the wall, keeping watch while replaying Zhao Zhenyu’s death in her mind.
If the zombie horde had truly been after him, then throwing him out should have made them disperse. But instead of retreating, they continued to surround the doors, unwavering.
Why?
It couldn’t possibly be just for the meager flesh and blood of a few dozen people, could it?
As she pondered, the night wore on.
Midway through, Pang Cancan groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up. “Sister Su Su, why didn’t you wake me for my shift?”
Su Su shook her head. “I’m not tired yet.”
“You still need to sleep. It’s rare for things to be this quiet tonight. Who knows what we’ll face tomorrow? You need to be well-rested to handle any unexpected situations!”
She nudged her chin toward the two useless cowards, who were sleeping so deeply they hadn’t stirred once.
“Look at them—that’s what you call having no worries.”
They couldn’t afford to entrust their safety to those two, so they had to take turns keeping watch.
Pang Cancan urged, “I’m already awake, and I probably won’t be able to fall back asleep anyway. Sister Su Su, hurry up and rest.”
Her companion’s kindness made it hard for Su Su to refuse. After a pause, she finally relented. “I’ll go to the restroom first. I’ll sleep when I get back.”
“Mm-hmm!”