Zombies—a creature active in novels, games, comics, and movies—have become classic monsters well-known due to their widespread fame.
However, reality is not some cosplay exhibition.
Anyone who has watched movies knows that a zombie virus, combining high infection rates, rapid spread, and high mortality, usually only leads to one chilling outcome.
That is the arrival of the apocalypse.
The group chat fell silent for a moment.
Then, everyone seemed amused by the question and began to tease.
“Didn’t we discuss this topic a while ago? Why bring it up again now?”
“How could zombies possibly appear? Have you been playing too many games and gotten obsessed?”
“Huh? Does that mean the end of the world is coming soon? Great, I really don’t want to attend Class B!”
“Me too, me too! If the apocalypse is coming, let it hurry up so I can ask my boss for a leave.”
Actually, people brought up the zombie apocalypse theory quite some time ago.
After all, those patients looked really terrifying when they had episodes, completely beyond ordinary understanding.
But because the news was blocked so quickly, the pictures and videos circulating online couldn’t be traced back to their sources, making it impossible to verify their authenticity.
A mutated rabies virus turning people into monsters who recognize no one?
Without witnessing it firsthand, who would believe that?
Reality is reality; fiction is fiction. Rather than this kind of fantastical idea, most people tend to think it’s just clickbait accounts using photoshopped images to attract attention.
Moreover, the situation in City G is still very stable—not to the point of city lockdown—and those dozen patients are well controlled.
Homeowners are more focused on how the authorities will handle this matter and how they can smoothly ask their bosses for a few days off.
Wen Xin scrolled back through the messages.
Seeing that someone he knew mentioned the elderly couple had finally left the intensive care unit, he relaxed a bit.
Just then, the property management chimed in, asking everyone to chat privately and not spread rumors.
They mentioned that a homeowners’ group in another community was shut down recently for spreading false information, and someone who caused trouble was even arrested.
No one wants to get themselves into trouble. As soon as this message came out, everyone fell silent.
Wen Xin frowned slightly.
He suddenly thought of those three suspects who robbed a convenience store in broad daylight.
Worried they wouldn’t be able to buy food for a while, so they went to rob? That reason sounds like a joke in any situation.
But what if they weren’t just worried about temporary food shortages but feared the apocalypse was coming and they’d have no food in the future?
Wen Xin closed the homeowners’ group chat, searched online with keywords like “zombies” and “apocalypse,” and found that many people were indeed inciting anxiety.
Some even rallied under certain banners to buy out all the supplies in local supermarkets, leading to several violent incidents.
And this is just what’s openly reported; who knows how much is happening behind the scenes.
By comparison, the fact that only one convenience store was robbed here could be considered peaceful.
Wen Xin’s lips involuntarily pressed into a straight line. He sighed softly and sent a message to Tang Qi, reminding him to lock his doors and windows.
*
That evening, Wen Xin received a notice from the store manager in the work group chat, saying that things were unstable outside, so everyone could take a few days off.
As soon as this was announced, the staff cheered and lined up to send the manager dog emojis holding roses.
Wen Xin also typed a “+1” and was immediately teased by the manager and others, saying that even a wooden block knows how to blossom.
He felt quite embarrassed.
If anyone would be happy about this vacation, it would undoubtedly be the little ones at home.
Hearing that Wen Xin would be staying at home these days, they happily circled around him.
Seeing them so excited, Wen Xin couldn’t help but reflect on whether he’d been too busy with work lately and neglected everyone.
With this thought, he opened the refrigerator, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to make a hearty dinner for everyone.
The moment he turned to the kitchen, the little ones present all breathed a sigh of relief, revealing their true expressions.
What Wen Xin didn’t know was that they were so happy because they were worried about him being harmed outside.
Suddenly, several of them exchanged glances, seeing deep and gloomy emotions in each other’s eyes.
The appearance of the infected had undoubtedly sounded an alarm for them.
They originally thought that guarding this home only required vigilance against other mutants.
But who would have thought that humans not only conducted experiments on animals but also recklessly extended their harmful actions toward their own kind.
The purple squirrel was the latest mutant to join the family; it had seen many infected humans along the way.
These infected people weren’t necessarily strong, but they contaminated each other. Humans who were contaminated had no resistance and would, in just a few days, mutate into monsters who lost all sense of self.
After hearing the information brought by the purple squirrel, the little ones’ moods had been clouded.
When they later heard Wen Xin mention that an elderly couple had been seriously injured during a robbery, their worry instantly peaked.
It turns out that humans can not only be harmed by mutants and infected individuals but can also irrationally harm each other.
In an instant, the little ones became anxious and planned to select one mutant to protect Wen Xin closely.
Doing so undoubtedly carried great risks.
Because they hadn’t yet evolved into their complete forms, they needed to rely on the black cat’s aura to suppress genetic disorders.
Otherwise, once it acted up, revealing their true forms would be the best-case scenario; more likely, their bodies would collapse, a fate worse than death.
But even when facing the threat of death, when deciding on this protector, several of them almost fought.
No one was willing to entrust Wen Xin to other mutants.
They complained that others weren’t careful enough, weren’t strong enough, didn’t know illusion techniques, or were too clingy and might tire out the human.
Fortunately, now that Wen Xin was on vacation, this battle came to an abrupt end.
Except for the canary, who had different thoughts.
When he chose to take on a human form, it meant he had spent time understanding humans.
He knew that humans are ultimately social creatures; Wen Xin couldn’t always stay with them and would one day return to human society.
Not to mention the recent call from Wen Jinfeng, who wanted to send someone over and take Wen Xin away.
At that time, their situation as mutants would be very awkward; whether they left or tried to stop him, there was a risk of exposure.
…Unless he could establish an order where mutants and humans could coexist.
The canary’s eyes were deep, and he couldn’t help touching his arm.
The fluffy feathers rubbed against the fabric, the sensation clear and firm.
As the only mutant in the house who had taken on a human form, the responsibility of protecting Wen Xin should have fallen on him.
But as his level gradually increased, the episodes of genetic disorder became more severe, and now he didn’t dare to stay outside for long.
The canary didn’t want to die, let alone reveal his true form on the street and see the fearful look in Wen Xin’s eyes as he regarded him as a monster.
He regretted not knowing earlier; when he escaped the base, he should have stolen some inhibitors.
The S-level mutant blue whale was still leisurely floating in the sea; presumably, it had taken many inhibitors during the chaos and didn’t need to rely on the black cat’s aura like them.
He was still too weak, the canary murmured in his heart.
*
After dinner, following some simple indoor exercises and a bath, Wen Xin went to bed holding the black cat.
Recently, he’d noticed that the black cat’s mental state wasn’t very good, becoming increasingly inactive, and its episodes of pain were more frequent.
Afraid he wouldn’t detect any issues in time, he’d been sleeping with the black cat these days to comfort it whenever necessary.
But this wasn’t enough.
The black cat was still in great pain.
Wen Xin extended his finger, gently scratching the black cat’s chin, and lowered his voice. “How can I help you…”
The black cat lifted its eyelids, looking steadily at the young man with knitted brows, and rubbed against his finger.
“Meow.”
You’ve already helped me a lot.
The pain it endured could only be borne by itself; no one could help.
But magically, as long as Wen Xin was nearby, letting it hear his strong and steady heartbeat, the restless blood in its body would quickly calm down, and it wouldn’t hurt as much as before.
Unfortunately, the black cat couldn’t yet understand what this special feeling was, only subconsciously wanting to protect him.
Wen Xin stroked it again and suddenly heard a soft sound at the door.
Looking up, he saw the purple squirrel poking its head in, looking hesitant and unsure whether to come in.
Seeing the colorful rope in its paws, Wen Xin understood. Gently stroking the black cat’s head, he asked, “Do you mind if I play with the little one before sleep?”
The black cat glanced at the cautious purple squirrel, shifted its body to curl up on Wen Xin’s thigh, closed its eyes, and didn’t object.
Wen Xin smiled and beckoned to the purple squirrel. “Come over.”
