Volume One: Mutation Chapter Thirty-Two: Liu Qingqing

After a brief exchange, Liu Cong finally understood why Liu Qingqing was hiding alone in the wardrobe. When the catastrophe began, Liu Qingqing’s father, Liu Zhen, learned of the situation from the news and had already prepared for it—stocking his home with food and water. After the first rainfall in their small county, he took his daughter and hid inside their house.

During the disaster, the roars of monsters and the cries of humans outside mixed into a terrifying cacophony. The father and daughter could only hide quietly indoors, not daring to make a sound, and thus survived the monsters’ initial rampage. So, Liu Zhen and his daughter remained inside, relying on their ample supplies to live safely for several months. Lonely as it was, their days were comfortable compared to others. But as the saying goes, even the best stockpile will eventually run out. Soon, their food was nearly depleted, and seeing that it wouldn’t last much longer, Liu Zhen decided to venture out for more. He hid his daughter in the wardrobe and left alone, never to return.

The story was short, but terrifyingly real. The apocalypse was dreadful, though some clever people knew how to prepare. Yet most perished from starvation after months of hiding from monsters, their supplies exhausted. Liu Qingqing’s father was forced out for food and likely met the same fate. Liu Cong believed that over the past year, such tragedies had happened to countless other families besides Liu Qingqing’s.

“How many days has your father been gone?” Liu Cong asked gently.

“Three days,” Liu Qingqing replied, wiping away tears. Her beautiful eyes were red from crying, and she sniffed delicately.

Liu Cong sighed. Three days without returning—Liu Zhen was likely lost. If nothing unexpected had happened, no father would abandon his daughter and escape alone. Liu Qingqing had guessed as much; her father must have encountered danger, or he would have come back.

As she wept, Liu Qingqing suddenly remembered something and asked, “How did you get here? Are you with the rescue team?”

“I heard your cries downstairs and came to save you,” Liu Cong nodded.

Liu Qingqing stared in confusion. “Downstairs?”

“Yes, by the big dog that was barking earlier—that’s how I found you.”

Only then did Liu Qingqing realize the dog that had been barking had fallen silent. She asked, “Did you kill the dog? How many of you are here?”

“I came alone—just me.”

“You came by yourself? How did you get past all those monsters?” Liu Qingqing thought Liu Cong was trying to cheer her up.

“With this,” Liu Cong replied.

He lifted his feet off the ground and floated in the air. Black flames coiled around his left hand, while his right gripped the shadow of a sword, his entire being radiating a mysterious aura. For reasons unknown, he suddenly wanted to show off before the gentle girl.

Liu Qingqing covered her mouth, staring at Liu Cong in disbelief.

Liu Cong finished his display, landed, and was quite pleased with the light in the girl’s eyes. How could any man not be enchanted by a girl like Liu Qingqing, with her delicate, willow-like figure and fair, graceful face? Her frailty naturally stirred a desire to protect—Liu Cong was no exception.

“By the way, we’re actually from the same family. My surname is Liu, too. My name is Liu Cong,” he said with a smile, formally introducing himself.

After her shock, Liu Qingqing seemed to glimpse hope. She clung to Liu Cong’s arm and pleaded, “Brother Liu, you’re extraordinary—can you help me find my father? I miss him so much, please!”

Liu Cong looked troubled. “I want to help you, and I hope your father is safe. But he’s been gone for three days—his chances of survival are slim.”

“He might still be alive—maybe someone rescued him!” Liu Qingqing suddenly cried. She recalled gunshots from the day her father left and quickly added, “Brother Liu, there were gunshots outside when my father went out. Could the police have rescued him?”

“Gunshots?”

“Yes, several shots!” Liu Qingqing confirmed.

Liu Cong considered this. “Eat something first, then I’ll take you outside to look. There might be others still around.” Liu Qingqing looked thin and frail, clearly from lack of food.

She hesitated, but Liu Cong’s concern warmed her heart. She softly agreed and went to get food, with Liu Cong following. She opened another door and rummaged through empty boxes.

“You’re eating this?” Liu Cong was surprised when Liu Qingqing handed him instant noodles after searching for a while.

Blushing, she lowered her head and whispered, “It’s all I have left. Everything else is gone—that’s why Dad went out for food.” Her bright eyes dulled at the thought.

“Don’t eat that. I’ll take you somewhere better,” Liu Cong said, taking the noodles and tossing them aside. He took her small hand and led her to the window—the delicate warmth of her hand was quite pleasant.

Dazed, Liu Qingqing let herself be pulled to the window. “Aren’t we looking for food? Why are we here?” she asked softly.

Liu Cong smiled and, wrapping an arm around her waist, summoned a swirling current of energy. He carried Liu Qingqing out the window, flying from the building and gently landing on the ground.

Liu Qingqing had never experienced anything like this. Glancing down from twenty floors up, she felt dizzy and clung tightly to Liu Cong’s waist, eyes closed. The sensation of floating was wondrous; she felt as light as a feather, drifting in the air until her feet touched the earth. Only then did she slowly open her eyes.

“So this is what flying feels like? It’s incredible!” Liu Qingqing exclaimed, still holding onto Liu Cong’s waist.

Liu Cong kept his hand around her waist—its softness was delightful. He teased, “Once you’ve eaten, you’ll have plenty of chances to experience it.”

The two were so close that Liu Qingqing could feel his breath. Embarrassed, she lowered her head, then realized she was still holding the man’s waist and quickly let go. Liu Cong regretted the lost contact—though he savored the softness, he knew better than to be overbold and released her as well.

“Let’s go find some food,” Liu Cong said, reaching out to take Liu Qingqing’s hand. She tried to pull away, but when she couldn’t, she shyly let him lead her.

They walked down the street, looking like a couple in the apocalypse. It was Liu Qingqing’s first time seeing the ground close up, and the ruined sight before her stunned her deeply. She’d watched horror films with her friends before and marveled at how realistic the post-apocalyptic scenes were. But faced with the real thing, she was overwhelmed by shock and sorrow. She could imagine the panic and helplessness of people when monsters were everywhere, devouring humanity.

Noticing her mood, Liu Cong squeezed her hand. Liu Qingqing looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes.

“Are they all dead? How pitiful!”

Liu Cong pulled her into his arms with a sigh. “Sometimes, death is a kind of relief. Surviving in this world is far harder than dying.”

Liu Qingqing hadn’t learned much about the outside after the disaster; before the power and internet went out, she’d only gotten bits of news. Thus, she didn’t quite understand Liu Cong’s words, thinking he was only trying to comfort her.

After a while, Liu Cong released her and led her onward.

“Qingqing, do you remember where the supermarkets are? Let’s check there.” Having found several convenience stores emptied out, Liu Cong asked helplessly.

“There’s a big supermarket about ten minutes away,” Liu Qingqing recalled. It was the largest in the county, so she remembered it well.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the supermarket entrance. The street was piled with abandoned vehicles, the supermarket banner hung limply to the ground, and food wrappers were scattered everywhere. Clearly, many had come here to scavenge for supplies. Whether any food remained was uncertain.