Chapter 150: A Painful Sacrifice
Chapter 150: Chapter 150: A Painful Sacrifice
As her thoughts drifted, Xu Qingsui slowly fell asleep.
She was awoken by a rhythmic knocking sound.
She opened her eyes, still a bit dazed. The knocking continued, and she finally became fully awake.
She sat up and scanned the room, her gaze finally settling on the door. Someone was knocking.
After quickly tidying herself up, Xu Qingsui got out of bed to open the door.
As the door opened, Shen Yan’s ever-present smile came into view.
"Did I wake you?"
Xu Qingsui rolled her eyes. ’If you knew, why did you keep knocking? You must have done it on purpose.’
"I came by once before, but when you didn’t answer, I didn’t want to disturb you, so I went back to rest. It’s gotten dark, though, and I figured I should get you for dinner. That’s why I’ve taken the liberty of disturbing you now."
Hearing this, Xu Qingsui finally noticed how dim the room was. The lights in the hallway were already on; she hadn’t realized she had slept for so long.
"Come on, let’s go get dinner first. Then I’ll show you around the safe zone. Our nightlife here is actually quite lively."
’The safe zone has nightlife?’
His words piqued Xu Qingsui’s interest.
After all, in the Apocalypse, all anyone thought about was how to survive.
The night usually symbolized danger, and as soon as it got dark, everyone would scramble to hide.
To still be in the mood for nightlife was a rare thing indeed!
Xu Qingsui immediately told Shen Yan to wait a moment and went back into her room to wash up.
Before she left, Xu Qingsui prepared dinner and water for Apocalypse, then followed Shen Yan out.
As Xu Qingsui came out, Shen Yan felt a dangerous presence through the crack in the door.
He glanced over and noticed that it was Xu Qingsui’s black cat, glaring at him viciously.
’It must be unhappy that I’m taking Xu Qingsui out.’
This reminded Shen Yan of when he had boarded Xu Qingsui’s camper van last night.
Just as he got on, a pitch-black creature shot toward him, hissing.
Caught off guard, he nearly fell out of the van.
Luckily, Xu Qingsui was quick, grabbing the black cat before it could pounce on him.
But the black cat in Xu Qingsui’s arms still stared at him with a vicious expression, as if it held a grudge.
The way it stared made his skin crawl.
In the end, afraid the cat would interfere with her driving, Xu Qingsui had put it in the living area at the back, which finally eased his discomfort.
Afterwards, they got to chatting and forgot all about the black cat.
Now, meeting the black cat’s gaze again, besides the visceral discomfort, he finally sensed that something was off.
He was an SSS level Sentinel, after all. How could an ordinary house cat make him feel so viscerally uncomfortable?
And that black cat’s gaze was clearly not something an ordinary house cat could produce.
He suddenly realized that this black cat was probably not so simple.
A young woman, a guide of unknown strength, who owned a precious camper van and dared to wander around all by herself.
Paired with an extraordinary black cat, it all made a certain kind of sense.
A thought struck Shen Yan, and he said to Xu Qingsui, "That black cat of yours is very interesting. It’s not an ordinary house cat, is it?"
Xu Qingsui had originally planned to tell Shen Yan about Zhang Yuqing’s visit from earlier today.
But Shen Yan spoke first, changing the subject.
Xu Qingsui had no intention of hiding the truth about her cat, so she briefly explained Apocalypse’s origins.
When he learned the black cat was the offspring of two Mutants, Shen Yan was stunned.
At the same time, a thrill shot through him, and he felt a sudden desire to possess the black cat.
The offspring of two Mutants was an extremely rare thing, possessing immense research value.
And if Xu Qingsui could successfully raise a Mutant’s offspring, then they could conduct research in that direction.
If they succeeded, Mutants could become their allies, producing captive-bred descendants for them to command.
Once this idea took root in Shen Yan’s mind, he couldn’t think of anything else.
Even though he knew it was unrealistic to ask Xu Qingsui for the cat directly, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking up.
"This is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing. It’s fascinating! I wonder if Guide Xu would be willing to part with a treasure and give the black cat to me?"
"Of course, I wouldn’t take it for free. I can offer Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures or medical supplies in exchange."
Shen Yan laid out his offer before Xu Qingsui could even respond, showing just how badly he wanted the cat.
But his thoughts were just speculation, whereas Xu Qingsui had actually been protected by the black cat, Apocalypse.
Besides, the system had told her that if she raised Apocalypse well, he would be her assistant and bodyguard.
She wouldn’t trade such a rare companion, not even for all the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the world.
"I’m sorry. I’ve raised Apocalypse since he was born. He’s always been with me. Our relationship is more than just owner and pet; he’s family to me. So I can’t give him to you."
"However, if you really want one, it’s not like there’s no other way. This place is a laboratory, after all. You could try to breed one yourself."
Shen Yan sighed softly. Although he knew Xu Qingsui would most likely refuse, he still felt a little disappointed.
But her last words rekindled his hope.
He could set aside the matter of her black cat for now and bring it up with Xu Qingsui again some other time.
But just as Xu Qingsui had said, he could indeed try to cultivate one himself!
If he actually succeeded, he wouldn’t have to keep coveting the black cat in Xu Qingsui’s possession.
With this new direction to pursue, Shen Yan’s mood improved dramatically. Just then, the two arrived at the dining hall, where Shen Yan had a table of specialty dishes prepared for Xu Qingsui.
After dinner, Shen Yan led Xu Qingsui out of the laboratory and back to the outer safe zone.
Because it had been so late that first night, Xu Qingsui hadn’t paid much attention to the safe zone.
Only now did she discover that the safe zone had a huge public square. When night fell, many vendors and residents gathered there.
People traded goods and chatted about everything under the sun. It was a lively night market.
In all her memory, she had never seen a scene like this.
Xu Qingsui had originally thought that in the Apocalypse, no one would have the heart for entertainment anymore.
But now she was beginning to suspect she just hadn’t been exposed to the right circles.
If the 27th District had a night market, then higher-level safe zones were probably even more incredible.
With the night market right in front of her, Xu Qingsui couldn’t be bothered to think about what other safe zones might have. She eagerly dove into the bustle.
The various cries of vendors and the sounds of singing and dancing filled her ears, driving away the day’s fatigue.
Xu Qingsui weaved enthusiastically between the stalls. Just as she spotted one selling sugar figurines, she suddenly whipped her head around to look behind her.