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Chapter 18 — A Scream
In the dead of night, apart from the crackling and popping of burning firewood, a sudden sharp slurp broke the silence.
It was so clear, so loud in the stillness, that neither Mo Chu nor Li Chen could ignore it even if they wanted to.
They exchanged a glance.
Then Mo Chu followed the sound.
Behind the tree where they had just placed the water bucket, a girl was squatting down. She had a half-bundle of firewood in her arms, and one hand was still reaching toward a dry branch on the ground. It looked like she had simply come here to gather firewood—only to freeze in place.
Completely still.
Her eyes were fixed straight on them.
More precisely… on their fish soup.
Mo Chu even thought she saw a faint green glint in those eyes.
“….”
So that slurp just now was her?
Really? Over a pot of bland, plain fish soup?
Mo Chu looked at the soup again, then back at the girl. The girl still hadn’t moved, as if her brain hadn’t caught up with reality yet. For once, Mo Chu felt at a loss.
She had lived six years in the apocalypse in her previous life. Not a top-tier powerhouse, sure—but she could at least claim she had seen her fair share of things.
And yet she had never encountered this kind of situation before.
She cleared her throat awkwardly.
“…Hey.”
At her voice, the girl snapped her head up.
In the firelight, Mo Chu finally saw her face clearly.
She had delicate features, but her slightly straight, almost boyish eyebrows gave her a sharp, spirited look. When she spoke, a small canine tooth peeked out—making her look unexpectedly earnest, even a little silly.
She glanced at Mo Chu.
Then at the pot of soup.
Mo Chu asked, “Do you want some soup?”
The girl blurted at the same time, “Do you have seasoning?”
Both of them froze.
Then they looked at each other—and saw the light in the other’s eyes.
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Instant agreement.
The girl immediately grabbed the scattered firewood, excitement bubbling out of her voice.
“Wait for me! I’ll go get seasoning right now! Just turn the fire down a bit so it doesn’t boil away! I just need a sip of soup—just one sip! I haven’t had anything hot in a whole week!”
Mo Chu, infected by her enthusiasm, nodded quickly. “Okay!”
She hurriedly motioned for Li Chen to lower the fire.
For a moment, Mo Chu thought she saw a faint smile in Li Chen’s eyes. Then he reached out slightly, and the flames obediently shrank down.
On the other side, the girl bundled up her firewood and was about to leave—
when a man rushed over from nearby.
He was the same one who had earlier seen Mo Chu’s vehicle and nervously closed the trunk. He grabbed the girl, glanced warily at Mo Chu and Li Chen, then lowered his voice like he thought they couldn’t hear him.
“I told you not to come over here for firewood. Why did you still come?”
The girl shrugged. “So what if I came?”
The man nearly choked on his anger. “What did you say to them just now?”
“I told them I’d bring seasoning,” she said honestly. “They said I could have soup.” Her eyes lit up again. “I need to go get it quickly.”
She turned to leave.
He grabbed her again. “No!”
The girl frowned. “Why not?”
The man hesitated for a moment, then snapped, “Because I said so! I’m your boyfriend—why would I hurt you? I’m doing this for your own good!”
His tone softened slightly.
“Come back. We can cook fish ourselves too.”
At that, Mo Chu’s expression cooled.
A faint sense of disgust settled in her chest.
I’m your partner, so everything I decide for you is for your own good—whether you like it or not.
She watched quietly.
The girl asked calmly, “Do we even have a pot?”
The man: “…”
“Do you know how to catch fish?”
The man: “…”
She concluded simply, “So where exactly are you getting fish soup from?”
The man’s face darkened. “You… ever since you awakened your ability, you’ve been getting more and more disobedient. What, do you think I’m useless now? Are you trying to leave me?”
The girl didn’t respond immediately.
After a pause, she said flatly, “Don’t you think the problem might be you?”
Her voice had changed.
Gone was the bright, lively tone from earlier—replaced by something cool and distant.
The man opened his mouth again, but she already twisted his arm aside and turned back toward Mo Chu.
“I’m going to get seasoning. Wait for me—I’ll be right back!”
For some reason, Mo Chu almost laughed.
And then she actually did.
As she relaxed, her features softened in the firelight. A faint smile curved her lips, and for a moment she looked almost unreal—like she might dissolve into the flames at any second.
The girl froze for a second, stunned.
“Wait for me!” she blurted again.
Then she dragged her boyfriend away, fast and a little too forcefully.
Mo Chu watched them leave, the smile slowly fading from her eyes.
Li Chen looked at her and suddenly handed her a piece of chocolate.
She blinked, taking it in mild confusion.
“Eat it,” he said simply.
Mo Chu looked at him—and couldn’t help but laugh again.
After a while, voices rose from the other side.
She heard a sharp, accusing tone—someone complaining that the girl was taking food for herself.
But the girl’s boyfriend said nothing.
Only the girl spoke clearly.
“If you think I’m wrong, you can put down what you’re holding right now. These supplies were all gathered by me.”
Silence fell immediately.
Soon after, the girl came back, still looking relaxed as ever.
Mo Chu didn’t ask anything. She simply took the seasoning.
Salt, MSG, pepper, cumin—everything was there.
When Li Chen used them, the aroma of the soup deepened instantly, spreading richly through the night air.
Mo Chu quickly improvised bowls from empty plastic bottles, slicing them in half. Chopsticks were just cleaned sticks carved from branches.
Crude, but enough.
The three of them shared the fish soup.
Mo Chu took the first sip.
Whether it was truly Li Chen’s cooking skill or simply because she hadn’t eaten a proper cooked meal in too long, the taste exploded across her tongue like something almost sacred.
On the other side, the girl clearly hadn’t had a hot meal in over a week. She didn’t even wait for it to cool, eating with unrestrained joy.
The pot was emptied in no time.
After eating, she flopped onto the ground without a care.
“This is what living feels like…”
She turned to them. “What are your names?”
Mo Chu smiled slightly. “Mo Chu.”
She looked toward Li Chen.
Mo Chu answered for him, “Li Chen.”
The girl glanced between them.
Then suddenly sighed dramatically.
“Why is everyone else’s boyfriend so considerate and good-looking… and mine only has a face worth looking at?”
Mo Chu: “…”
She opened her mouth to clarify that Li Chen wasn’t her boyfriend—
but the girl suddenly sat up again.
“Forget it. At least the face is usable. I’ll tolerate it.”
Mo Chu: “……”
Fair enough. A good face really is a resource.
And just like that, the explanation slipped away.
The girl grinned again. “I’m Kang Xingchi. Honestly, you two are interesting. If I didn’t have to bring them to the survivor zone, I’d totally just come with you.”
Kang Xingchi?
Mo Chu paused slightly.
That name…
She looked at her again in the firelight. Warm, lively, carefree.
But it didn’t quite match the person she remembered.
She had heard of Kang Xingchi in her previous life—but she didn’t know what she looked like. Still, the feeling was wrong. Too different.
She was about to test the thought—
when the girl’s boyfriend came running back.
Mo Chu swallowed her words.
The girl’s smile faded slightly as well.
The man’s expression wasn’t good. His tone was stiff.
“Are you done eating? Can we go back now? Everyone’s waiting for you alone.”
Kang Xingchi smiled casually. “Waiting for me to do what? You guys should rest. I’m not even gone forever.”
“You know perfectly well—”
“Oh.” She interrupted lightly. “Afraid to sleep without me keeping watch?”
She chuckled.
“You could’ve just said so. I would’ve come back.”
The man’s face darkened.
But Kang Xingchi only looked at him with complete sincerity.
After a moment, he softened his tone and reached for her hand.
“Axing, stop messing around. Come back with me.”
This time, she didn’t argue.
She waved at Mo Chu, then left with him.
Mo Chu watched them go, her doubts deepening.
Kang Xingchi…
Was she really the same Kang Xingchi she knew?
But there was no point thinking further.
She turned back to cleaning up.
Li Chen pressed her hand down.
She looked up.
Firelight carved half his face into something almost painfully beautiful.
“Go rest in the car,” he said quietly. “I’ll handle this.”
Mo Chu didn’t argue. She nodded and went to the back seat with Xiao Jin.
Later, Li Chen came back and switched her to the rear seat anyway, giving her the more comfortable space while he and Xiao Jin stayed in front.
Resistance was useless.
She lay down in the back.
Sometime after midnight, a sudden tightness gripped her chest.
Mo Chu jolted awake.
At the same time, Li Chen in the front seat also sat up.
Their eyes met.
And in the next instant—
a piercing, blood-curdling scream tore through the night outside.
