The Max-Level Boss Just Wants to Be a Slacker [Apocalypse] – CH19

Chapter 19: Exposure

Hearing Mo Qi’s words, Cheng Cheng immediately looked nervously toward Mo Xiu. Only then did he realize that this man was actually the one in charge.

Mo Xiu was quite pleased with how much Mo Qi cared about his opinion. Pretending to think for a moment, he eventually nodded to Cheng Cheng.

A future big shot of the plant-type ability users—famous for his loyalty and good character.

Whether the rumors were true or not, taking him in for now certainly wouldn’t be a mistake. Besides, someone like him—a walking food reserve—was exactly what they needed.

When Cheng Cheng heard that Mo Xiu was willing to accept him, he was so happy he nearly jumped up—at least mentally. In reality, he tried to stand but had only gotten halfway up when the pain in his leg made him collapse back down.

The boy bared his teeth in pain for a while before grinning at Mo Qi.

“Big Brother, this brother already agreed. From now on, I’ll be your little brother!”

Mo Qi had no idea how many subordinates he already had, so someone eagerly volunteering to become his underling didn’t surprise him.

Mo Xiu, however, raised an eyebrow, not expecting Cheng Cheng to say that.

Could it be because Mo Qi had helped him before Mo Xiu arrived, so he decided to acknowledge him as his big brother?

Why did this kid seem a little… slow?

Still, being a bit foolish wasn’t necessarily bad. At least someone like that by Mo Qi’s side made Mo Xiu feel far more at ease than before—certainly better than the unreliable Zhuang Mingde.

Thinking about how he had returned to camp with prey earlier today and hadn’t seen Mo Qi there, that heart-stopping feeling as if his heart would leap out of his throat surged back again, making Mo Xiu’s emotions churn.

Seeing the young man suddenly look troubled as if he had thought of something unpleasant, Mo Qi quickly grabbed his hand and asked worriedly,

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”

When Mo Xiu shook his head, Mo Qi suddenly remembered something.

“I haven’t asked yet—how did you find me?”

How did he find him? Of course he used his wind-type ability, searching circle after circle.

Although he really wanted to lose his temper with Mo Qi and say he shouldn’t have wandered off, in Mo Xiu’s heart Mo Qi was still only a patient whose mind had just barely recovered halfway. How could he be too harsh with him?

The one truly responsible for this was clearly Zhuang Mingde.

Before leaving, he had specifically told Zhuang Mingde to keep an eye on Mo Qi and make sure nothing happened to him. Yet the other party couldn’t even accomplish such a simple task—he had actually lost the man!

Fortunately, Mo Qi hadn’t been hurt. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have let Zhuang Mingde off.

Just as he was thinking this, Cheng Cheng finally struggled to his feet and began chattering nonstop at Mo Qi.

“Big Brother, you still haven’t said—what kind of ability did you just use? The zombies dropped the moment you made a move! That’s incredible!”

“What do you mean they dropped the moment I made a move?”

Mo Xiu looked at Mo Qi in surprise.

Mo Qi slowly rubbed his nose and said,

“Well… like this. Then they stopped moving.”

As he spoke, he mimicked the gesture he had used earlier when dealing with the zombies, raising his arm.

Although there were no zombies present for a live demonstration, combined with the boy’s words and the two zombie corpses on the ground, it wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened.

No wonder the first time he met Mo Qi, the only injury on him had been the zombie bite on his wrist. At that time Mo Qi could barely move—there was no way he should have been able to escape.

So the zombie that bit him must have been the one lying in the corner of the warehouse Mo Xiu later saw.

And last time, when Xi Wenlin had deliberately taken Mo Qi away and abandoned him deep in the forest, there had also been a zombie lying dead on the ground.

So it hadn’t been coincidence at all.

Realizing this, Mo Xiu’s gaze became complicated.

“Have you always had this kind of ability?”

Mo Qi had no intention of hiding it. He nodded and added,

“However, the number of zombies I can deal with is limited.”

“I see.”

Mo Xiu found that explanation reasonable. If he could simply raise his hand and eliminate zombies so easily, they wouldn’t have had to travel so cautiously.

It seemed Mo Qi’s ability wasn’t actually that powerful. For some reason, he could resist the zombie virus and also use a special method to make zombies lose their mobility.

But the number he could handle must be very small. Maybe only one or two zombies at a time—any more than that would be impossible.

He also wondered whether this ability had a recovery period like normal powers.

Still, even that alone was special enough to attract attention. It might even make people covet him more than his earlier resistance to the zombie virus.

If that was the case…

Mo Xiu’s gaze drifted toward Cheng Cheng, who was still staring at them blankly, waiting for an answer.

A dark shadow passed through Mo Xiu’s eyes. For a brief moment, he seriously considered whether he should simply kill the boy to silence him.

Future big shot? Mobile fruit and vegetable warehouse?

None of that mattered more than Mo Qi’s safety.

For the sake of someone important, Mo Xiu didn’t mind taking a life.

Fortunately, Mo Qi had always been sensitive to killing intent and malice. In his previous life, countless people had tried to kill him.

He instantly realized Mo Xiu’s concerns and intentions.

He pressed down on the other man’s hand and gently shook his head.

At the same time, a small fragment of Mo Qi’s divine sense instantly branded itself inside Cheng Cheng’s mind, silently forming a master-servant contract with him.

Cheng Cheng had no idea what had happened. He only shivered instinctively.

For some reason, his sense of obedience and reliance toward his newly acknowledged big brother suddenly intensified.

Did that mean he and Big Brother were especially destined to get along?

Meanwhile, Mo Qi had no idea what Cheng Cheng was thinking. He rubbed his forehead—forming a master-servant brand at this time was still a bit taxing.

If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have done it. His strength right now was something he had to conserve whenever possible.

But this kid seemed unusual. Instinctively, Mo Qi felt that he might be useful in the future.

Letting him die here would be a real pity.

“Don’t worry. He won’t say anything,” the man reassured Mo Xiu, squeezing his palm.

With this brand in place, even if Cheng Cheng wanted to speak, he wouldn’t be able to.

Mo Xiu didn’t understand the trick behind it. He simply assumed the person beside him had gone soft-hearted.

Although he wanted to tell him how cruel the apocalypse truly was, he didn’t want to reveal his own cold-blooded side in front of Mo Qi.

So he simply nodded and looked sharply at Cheng Cheng.

Flicking his hand through the air, he released a bolt of lightning that struck a nearby tree, splitting and burning it to charcoal.

Only then did Mo Xiu speak in a threatening tone.

“What you saw today—how Mo Qi dealt with those zombies—you’re not allowed to tell anyone.

If anyone learns about it from you, that tree will be your fate.”

Seeing the charred tree, Cheng Cheng swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly.

He had originally thought only Big Brother was powerful. He hadn’t expected the person beside him to be just as terrifying.

“D-Don’t worry! Even if someone put a knife to my neck, I’d never tell anyone!”

Then, feeling that he sounded too cowardly, Cheng Cheng puffed out his chest and spoke earnestly to Mo Xiu.

“Besides, Big Brother saved my life. From now on he’s my real big brother!

I may not have many strengths, but I’m absolutely loyal!”

Seeing Cheng Cheng speaking so firmly, Mo Xiu finally decided to spare him for the time being and prepared to leave with them.

But after only a couple of steps, the boy behind them stopped them.

Scratching his rainbow-colored hair awkwardly, Cheng Cheng said,

“Um… Big Brother, Brother Mo… could we wait until I bury my two companions before we go back?”

Hearing that, Mo Xiu glanced at the two zombie corpses on the ground and nodded.

He didn’t mind wasting a little time. He even lent a hand.

Since Mo Xiu had already started helping, Mo Qi leisurely joined in as well. Though all he did was move a few small stones and toss aside some branches—things that looked completely useless—he was technically helping.

Seeing the two of them actually assist him with burying the bodies without showing any disgust or impatience, Cheng Cheng felt deeply moved.

The boy with the messy rainbow hair had red eyes now, making him look even more ridiculous.

Once the burial was finished, the three of them left and headed back toward the camp.

Along the way, Cheng Cheng was quiet. Perhaps the blow of losing his companions had just sunk in. He was still young, and the kindness in his heart hadn’t yet been worn away, so he felt the loss deeply.

Neither Mo Xiu nor Mo Qi tried to comfort him.

Mo Xiu had seen too much of this in the apocalypse, and Mo Qi had long grown used to life and death.

So Cheng Cheng could only slowly process the sorrow on his own.

On the way back, Mo Xiu used a bit of his wind-type ability to assist them. Even with Cheng Cheng’s injured leg, they didn’t take long.

When they neared the camp, they smelled the rich aroma of meat drifting from inside.

Although Mo Xiu had dropped the prey immediately after returning earlier when he discovered Mo Qi was missing, Lu Pingwan was the type of girl who always found work to do.

Though she was anxious and worried, she knew the blood-covered prey couldn’t just be left lying there.

So she took the initiative to skin the two rabbits and the wild chicken, plucking off the fur and feathers.

The two rabbits had been rubbed with salt and were slowly roasting on a rack, while the wild chicken had been thrown into a pot with the mushrooms they had gathered.

Zhuang Mingde was also nearby, though this time he had no appetite for the food.

There was a large purple bruise around his right eye—left by Mo Xiu earlier when he returned, didn’t see Mo Qi, and punched him on the spot.

Zhuang Mingde felt that punch had nearly knocked him stupid.

Though he hadn’t become stupid, it had certainly knocked some sense into him.

Now he was anxiously pacing around the campfire, unsure what to do.

But even at this point, what he feared most was still how he would face Mo Xiu’s wrath.

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