After Raising Monsters, I Was Loved by Everyone in the Wasteland – CH20

Chapter 20

—Someone robbed a convenience store in broad daylight!

Because the location wasn’t far—just two streets over in the neighboring community—the nearby residents were buzzing.

It’s said that the convenience store was run by two elderly people. During the robbery, the old man confronted the assailants directly. He was hit on the head with a stick and was barely alive when taken to the hospital.

The old lady was also injured and had a heart condition. After accompanying him to the hospital, she couldn’t hold back her tears and fainted on the spot, ending up in the emergency room as well.

This incident drew significant attention. The police quickly launched an investigation and eventually arrested three suspects.

Absurdly, according to these suspects, they didn’t have money to stock up on supplies and were nervous about the current situation. That’s why they decided to imitate others by “zero-dollar shopping” (T/N: AKA: stealing).

Because they knew the elderly couple and knew that their children worked out of town all year with no other support, they didn’t think twice before targeting them for robbery.

When this news spread, Tang Qi, who had elderly parents at home, was greatly alarmed and called his parents more than a dozen times that night.

Meanwhile, Wen Xin called Wen Jinfeng’s secretary because the main line was constantly busy.

The secretary had given out her number for years but had never received a call for help from Wen Xin. This was her first time speaking to the legendary young master of the Wen family.

Upon learning that he was calling just to inquire about Wen Jinfeng’s safety, the secretary was a bit surprised but politely asked him to wait.

Wen Xin quietly waited.

At the moment he dialed, he was somewhat worried and anxious. But hearing the secretary’s calm tone, he immediately felt at ease.

After all, if Wen Jinfeng had really encountered any problems, his secretary couldn’t possibly be so composed.

Not long after, the secretary returned after consulting her superior and told him over the phone that Mr. Wen was fine and that he didn’t need to worry.

Wen Xin responded with an “Mm.”

After waiting for more than twenty seconds, the secretary didn’t say anything else.

He moved his fingers and politely said in a low voice, “Since my brother is fine, I’ll hang up now.”

Before he finished speaking, a man’s cold and deep voice interrupted, “Give me the phone.”

When the call was handed over, Wen Jinfeng said only one word, “You,” and then fell silent.

The atmosphere quickly cooled.

In the indescribable silence, Wen Xin could hear Wen Jinfeng’s breathing.

Steady and continuous, coming through the phone, creating a silent pressure.

Wen Xin unconsciously pinched his fingers, already considering hanging up.

He waited for two minutes and was about to hastily end the conversation when there was a loud “bang,” as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.

Wen Xin was startled and instinctively turned around.

Outside his bedroom, there was a noisy commotion; obviously, something was happening. He didn’t remember that he was still on the phone with Wen Jinfeng and hurried out to see what was going on.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw the purple-haired squirrel holding a broom, shouting in exasperation, “Squeak!”

“Have you had enough of this fighting!”

The living room could only be described as a mess.

Opened snacks were spilled on the sofa, cookie crumbs covered the plush cushions, and the decorations on the coffee table were knocked over.

As the culprits, Ah Lü (the green snake) and the little fox were still vigorously fighting over the remote control—one insisting on watching urban romance dramas, the other wanting to watch cartoons.

Ah Lü bared his fangs: “That’s enough, little fox! I’ve tolerated you for long enough. If you don’t want to get hurt, let go now!”

The little fox shrank back in fear but refused to release her paw. “Wen Xin said everyone gets a turn! You’ve already watched for an hour!”

“I’ve only watched for forty minutes!”

As they argued, neither paid attention to what was happening behind them.

Ah Lü pressed the little fox onto the coffee table, and her big tail swept the toothpick holder onto the floor.

In the purple squirrel’s suddenly widened eyes, the toothpick holder crashed to the ground, scattering toothpicks everywhere.

A day’s good mood began to crumble as its hard work was destroyed.

The purple squirrel was so angry that it cursed, “Squeak!”

“Darn it!”

It threw the broom heavily on the ground. Muscles bulged on its slender arms, fur grew thicker and coarser, and a fierce red light flashed in its eyes.

But before it could go berserk, upon hearing Wen Xin coming out of the room, Xiao Hei (the black cat) suddenly opened his eyes.

An irresistible pressure emanated outward, causing Ah Lü and the little fox on the sofa to fall to the ground simultaneously.

Even the purple squirrel’s rage was forcibly suppressed.

The three little ones were all bewildered until they saw Wen Xin approaching.

In an instant, Ah Lü released the tail that was entangling the little fox, and the little fox let go of her bite on Ah Lü.

The purple squirrel picked up the broom, still feeling irritable, and kept stomping on the floor.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

The purple squirrel, named Ah Zi, was a new member of Wen Xin’s family. Before this, a blue cat had also shown up at his door and was adopted by Wen Xin, named Lan Lan and Ah Zi.

The two new furballs had different personalities from the others. The blue cat one was docile and lazy, mostly lying in the big water basin Wen Xin bought, occasionally sunbathing on the balcony, embracing a carefree life.

Ah Zi couldn’t stay idle. She loved cleaning, weaving, and hoarding things but couldn’t tolerate messiness.

This inevitably led to conflicts with Ah Lü, who liked to throw things around after eating.

Later, with the addition of a little fox curious about the TV, it became a recipe for disaster.

Don’t be fooled by the little fox’s timid appearance. When she encounters something she likes, she won’t let go easily.

Since then, every day in Wen Xin’s house was basically spent in quarrels and scuffles. Only when he was around to keep an eye on them could there be a moment of peace.

Listening to Ah Zi’s angry squeaks, Wen Xin roughly understood what had happened.

He picked up the sulking furball, patted and comforted her, and cast a stern glance at the other two furballs, making them avert their gazes sheepishly.

Xiao Hei jumped down from the cabinet, meowed, and signaled for Wen Xin to look toward the bedroom.

Wen Xin heard a hoarse shout from the phone and realized that his call with Wen Jinfeng was still connected.

He hurried back. “Sorry, I had a bit of an issue just now.”

On the other end, a moment ago, someone had been shouting, “What happened? Wen Xin! Wen Xin! Answer me!”

The next second, the voice turned cold again: “…Are you an idiot?”

Wen Xin also felt that leaving the other person hanging in the middle of a call wasn’t good manners and didn’t argue with him.

However, hearing Wen Jinfeng shouting so loudly, his expression shifted, and he hesitated. “Were you so anxious just now because you thought something happened to me?”

The other side fell silent instantly: “…”

Wen Xin logically speculated, “So, you were worried about me, brother?”

Thanks to being accustomed to affectionate interactions with his furballs, he could say such things now—something he would never have said before.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used such a proper and polite term as “brother.”

Wen Jinfeng: “…”

The strange silence seemed like tacit approval.

Wen Xin was somewhat surprised. After all, he had always thought that Wen Jinfeng felt more indifference and dislike toward him than concern.

Wen Jinfeng paused and then sneered, “You’re overthinking.”

He avoided discussing his earlier loss of composure and quickly said, “Your area is relatively safer. I’ll send someone to find you. I’ll send their information to your phone shortly.”

“After I finish handling things here, probably in a month, you’ll come to City A with them.”

Wen Xin frowned. “Why?”

“I know you’re confused, but I can’t guarantee our call is absolutely secure. We’ll talk about everything when we meet.”

After saying this, there was a short sigh on the other end.

It sounded like he was calling, “Brother.”

Wen Xin almost thought he misheard.

In the next sentence, Wen Jinfeng’s tone was still cold and distant, even with a hint of sarcasm.

“Be smart. Don’t leave your house, and don’t foolishly go off with others.”

After speaking, without giving him a chance to ask questions, Wen Jinfeng directly hung up.

When Wen Xin called back, he got the same busy signal as before.

He held the phone, unable to calm his emotions for a long time.

Compared to before, Wen Jinfeng’s tone this time could almost be called gentle.

But it was precisely this that made Wen Xin sense something unusual.

It seemed that Wen Jinfeng was doing something very dangerous—so dangerous that he had to be wary of whether the secretary’s phone was being monitored.

The furballs didn’t know when they had heard the commotion; they all gathered at the bedroom door, stretching their necks to look at Wen Xin, whose brows were tightly knit.

Xiao Hei was the first to enter, rubbing his head against Wen Xin’s pant leg.

Wen Xin felt his comforting gesture, smiled, picked up the furball, and kissed him. “I’m fine.”

Suddenly, he thought of something and checked the neighborhood’s group chat.

The group was already in an uproar, with people either discussing the elderly couple who were robbed or expressing anxiety about the mutated rabies virus.

“What should I do? My parents are at home, but I can’t get back to them.”

“What kind of virus is this? Why are living people turning into monsters? It’s terrifying.”

“Does anyone know what happened to those two elderly people? Any updates?”

“I was so exhausted from work last night that I slept until now. When I got up, I found the supermarket cleared out. Damn.”

“I couldn’t buy any vegetables at the market either. Are they really going to lock down the city and close the roads? Then what are we supposed to eat!”

Confusion, panic, anger, distress…

Countless negative emotions emanated from everyone’s words, causing Wen Xin’s heart to sink bit by bit.

Then he saw a new message, and his gaze froze.

Owner of Building 5, Unit 3: I’ve been wanting to say this—doesn’t anyone think that those mutated rabies patients look a lot like zombies?