“Another mouse?” Xiao Han jumped up, pulling at his wound, and cried out in pain.
Everyone immediately became alert.
Lu Shiyan walked over and kicked away the collapsed shelf. Behind it, a snow-white mouse was curled up, trembling.
It was about the same size as a house mouse, its eyes were ruby-red, not the scarlet of a mutated rat. Its hind leg was injured, with bloodstains, looking disheveled, lacking the ferocity of a mutated beast, and instead showing vulnerability.
“This mouse… it’s quite unique,” Xiao Han leaned in to look.
“It might be an albino variant, with a strong will to live,” A Mo said.
Lu Shiyan felt disgusted and raised his hand, preparing to condense a fireball to eliminate this “remnant.” He had just experienced the disgusting and dangerous nature of rodents.
“Wait!” Su Wan stopped him.
“Don’t kill it.” Su Wan walked over. Was this mouse the spirit beast from the original novel?
Su Wan looked at its tail; sure enough, it was pure white with a touch of red on its tail. This little fellow was the female lead’s spirit beast in the book, and it could understand human speech and was excellent at gathering intelligence!
The white mouse sensed her goodwill and didn't attack; instead, it let out faint “squeaks.”
“It’s very dirty, it might carry viruses.”
“I don’t think it has any ill intentions.” Su Wan squatted down and extended her hand.
After hesitating, the white mouse actively rubbed against her fingertips; it was furry and very docile.
Everyone was stunned.
“Holy crap! Has this rat become a spirit? It even knows how to curry favor?” Xiao Han said.
Su Wan was pleasantly surprised and looked at Lu Shiyan, discussing, “Lu Shiyan, how about we keep it? Look how obedient it is.”
Lu Shiyan’s face darkened. Keep a mouse?
They were escaping in the apocalypse, not opening a pet store! This thing and its kind had almost cost them their lives!
“No,” he refused directly, his voice cold.
“Why not? It’s very special, maybe it’s mutated?”
“I said no,” Lu Shiyan’s tone hardened. He wouldn't allow this thing to stay by Su Wan’s side.
Su Wan also became stubborn. He had been yelling at her all the way, and she was holding back her anger; now, she couldn't even get a small request fulfilled, which made her feel very wronged.
“I’m going to keep it!” She cupped the white mouse in her arms, protecting it, “It’s so small and injured, what threat could it be? If you don’t agree, I’ll just keep it in my space and not let you see it!”
After speaking, in front of Lu Shiyan, with a thought, the white mouse disappeared, taken into her space.
The atmosphere solidified.
The other four didn't dare to speak. Su Wan was too brave, daring to challenge Lu Da Shao.
Lu Shiyan stared at Su Wan, his chest heaving, consumed by rage.
This woman was challenging his bottom line!
He was racking his brains for her safety, yet she picked up a threat as a pet and hid it in a way he couldn't control!
He took a step forward, his oppressive presence enveloping Su Wan.
Su Wan was startled by his anger and took a step back, but she still stiffened her neck and met his gaze.
“You…” Lu Shiyan squeezed out a word.
Just then, Su Wan’s stomach rumbled. It was loud and clear.
Lu Shiyan’s anger was like cold water being poured over it. Ultimately, the fury that was almost about to erupt turned into deep helplessness.
Su Wan was stunned, her face turning red.
“Pfft…” Xiao Han couldn't help but laugh. Under Lu Shiyan’s gaze, he quickly covered his mouth and turned his head, trying to stifle his laughter.
“I… I’m hungry,” Su Wan said softly.
Lu Shiyan stared at her for a long time, no longer angry.
What could he do? Argue with a hungry pregnant woman?
He let out a heavy snort, suppressing his anger. He turned around, took bread and milk from the food pile, and shoved them into Su Wan’s hands.
“Eat!” His tone was still sharp, but his actions carried helplessness.
Su Wan held the food, lowered her head, and a smile played on her lips.
She had won this “pet dispute.”
At this moment, in Su Wan's space, the little white mouse curiously surveyed its new world.
It lightly hopped off the soft clothes, bypassed the cold metal cans, and finally stopped in front of an energy stone that emitted a soft glow.
The white mouse tilted its head, its ruby-like eyes full of curiosity. It tentatively extended its pink tongue and gently licked the surface of the energy stone.
At the moment of contact, the energy stone's glow seemed to flicker imperceptibly, and the white mouse's entire white fur also appeared to become more lustrous and smooth. Even the bloodstains seeping from its hind leg wound seemed to lighten slightly in color.
While chewing on roasted pork, Xiao Han vividly gave names to Su Wan’s newly acquired “pet.”
“How about ‘Millet’? A grain’s name, it’s auspicious! It means we’ll never have to worry about food and drink in the future!”
Su Wan rolled her eyes at him: “Too tacky.”
“Then ‘Snowball’? Look how white it is, like a ball of snow.”
“Vulgar.”
“Call it ‘Treasure Hunter’! I think it survived the rat tide and was picked by you at first glance, so it must have special abilities. It’ll specialize in finding treasures for us in the future!” Xiao Han grew more excited as he spoke.
Su Wan ignored him, having already decided on a name in her heart for the pure white, red-eyed little creature— “Red Bean.”
Born in the southern country, the most lovesick. It didn't have any special meaning; she just simply thought it sounded nice and suited its ruby-like eyes.
Lu Shiyan drove, watching Su Wan and Xiao Han bicker in the rearview mirror, his expression still not good.
Although he had temporarily compromised, the thought of a mouse he utterly detested being kept in Su Wan’s space made him feel uneasy, like ants were crawling on his heart.
He decided that when he found an opportunity, he must “deal with” that mouse. Silently, without letting Su Wan find out.
At dusk, they found a village on the map not far from the main road. According to the road sign, it was called “Changqing Village.”
“Let’s rest here for the night,” Lu Shiyan parked the car under a large locust tree at the village entrance and turned off the engine.
This village had an indescribably eerie feeling.
It was too quiet.
In the apocalypse, towns were either overrun by zombies, with roars shaking the heavens, or completely empty and desolate.
But Changqing Village, from the outside, its houses and courtyards were still quite tidy, with not many signs of fighting or destruction, yet there was no trace of human activity, not even a wandering zombie could be seen.
It was so quiet, like a giant tomb.
“Something’s not right,” A Mo got out of the car, holding his gun, cautiously scanning the surroundings, “It’s… too clean here.”
Yes, clean. Not only were there no zombies, but very few bloodstains were seen. On the dirt roads in the village, there was only a thin layer of fallen leaves and dust.
“Everyone be careful,” Lu Shiyan said in a low voice, “Xiao Han, A Mo, come with me to investigate. Li Kui, Xinhu, you two guard the car and stay alert.”
“Understood!”
Su Wan also wanted to get out of the car but was held back by Lu Shiyan.
“You stay in the car.”
“I want to go too,” Su Wan insisted, “One more person means one more strength, and my senses are sharper than before, so maybe I can discover something.”
She didn't want to be like a caged canary anymore, always hiding behind.
Lu Shiyan stared at her for a few seconds. Finally, he let go, only coldly dropping a single sentence: “Stay close to me.”
“Okay!” Su Wan immediately beamed with joy.
The four walked cautiously into the village in a combat formation.
Most of the houses in the village were brick and tile courtyards, with their gates ajar or wide open.
The wind blew, making a “creaking” sound that was particularly harsh in the silence.
Su Wan suddenly felt a commotion in her space. It was Red Bean.
It was jumping around in the space, appearing extremely uneasy, constantly letting out anxious “squeaks.”
“What’s wrong?” Lu Shiyan noticed her unusual behavior.
“It’s… it’s Red Bean,” Su Wan lowered her voice, “It seems very scared, it keeps squeaking.”
Animals’ instincts are often sharper than humans’.