The Apocalypse 17
When Tang Xi turned his head once again to glance at the young man behind them, Lu Mang finally couldn’t hold back.
Jealousy flickered in his eyes as he lowered his head, pulled down his mask, and gently nibbled on the little golden cat’s ear.
Well, calling it a bite was an exaggeration—it was more like he was rubbing his canine teeth against it.
The cat ears twitched sensitively in response.
“Meow!”
Startled, Tang Xi immediately shifted all his attention to Lu Mang.
He flailed his tiny paws, trying to push the mask back up, barely managing to cover Lu Mang’s fangs just as the others turned to look their way.
Lu Mang squinted his eyes and, through the mask, rubbed against the soft little paw pads.
In return, Tang Xi angrily patted him.
“Meow meow!” You’re not allowed to take off your mask!
Lu Mang, his dark eyes serious, nodded at him.
To the others, this scene simply looked like a harmonious moment between a man and his pet cat.
The chubby man, whose name was Chen Dafei, rubbed his hands together, eager to get on Lu Mang’s good side.
Grinning, he said, “Boss, you really seem to love this little cat.”
Lu Mang didn’t even spare him a glance.
Instead, it was Tang Xi who curiously peeked at him.
Undeterred, Chen Dafei changed the subject and tried again.
“This little cat looks so adorable, and its fur is so healthy. It’s clear it’s been well taken care of.”
He subtly continued his flattery.
“In the apocalypse, raising a cat this well is no easy feat.”
This time, Lu Mang finally responded.
He spoke slowly. “Mm. Very cute.”
Encouraged, Chen Dafei doubled down on his praises, showering Tang Xi with compliments.
Tang Xi grew a little embarrassed from all the flattery, twisting his tiny body and wagging his tail as he burrowed into Lu Mang’s arms.
Compared to compliments about his human form—how good-looking or clean he appeared—he much preferred being praised in his original form, whether it was about his fur or anything else.
A vain little cat.jpg
Lu Mang finally looked at Chen Dafei properly.
There were also two girls in the team who didn’t dare strike up a conversation with Lu Mang. Occasionally, when Tang Xi did something cute, they would steal glances at him.
Tang Xi didn’t mind them, which was why he agreed to travel with them.
Although, his original intention had been to observe whether his poop scooper had any desire to eat other humans.
If Lu Mang retained a zombie’s instincts, then Tang Xi’s plan to bring him to the base would have to be terminated immediately.
Among the six-member team, there was only one person Tang Xi couldn’t figure out—the young man who trailed behind the group at the very edge.
His instincts kept telling him that this young man was particularly interested in them.
And yet, from the beginning, he hadn’t even spared Lu Mang a glance.
He always kept his head down, silent.
The group continued heading toward Dawn Base. Chen Dafei’s original vehicle had broken down, so they found two jeeps to replace it.
In the apocalypse, cars weren’t exactly rare resources—but fuel was.
After driving for two days straight, they finally ran out of gas.
Tang Xi secretly bought fuel from the system’s store and pretended he had just found it.
The moment Chen Dafei laid eyes on the fuel, his eyes practically lit up like a beacon, grinning from ear to ear.
After secretly delivering the fuel, Tang Xi noticed that the tightly wrapped young man at the back had been looking at him more frequently.
And each time, his gaze felt… strange.
Perhaps Chen Dafei had also sensed Lu Mang’s growing dislike for that last team member. Worried that it might cause the big boss to leave them behind, he quickly distanced himself from the man.
Lowering his voice, he whispered, “That guy’s name is Wang Jiang. He says his face got disfigured by a mutant beast, so now he doesn’t dare show himself. Honestly, we’re not really familiar with him either. He always keeps his face covered and gives off a gloomy vibe. If it weren’t for the fact that traveling alone is too dangerous, we wouldn’t have brought him along.”
Since he had never really seen Wang Jiang fight, he instinctively categorized him as someone who needed protection.
It was only after saying all this that he realized he might have misspoken.
Quickly trying to smooth things over, he added, “Of course, boss, even with your face covered, your aura is still impossible to hide.”
Lu Mang wasn’t interested in the conversation at all, his focus entirely on petting the kitten in his arms.
Chen Dafei wiped the sweat from his forehead. In just two more days, they would reach Dawn Base.
Everything was going far smoother than he had initially planned.
They had barely encountered any zombies along the way.
Several times, Chen Dafei had the urge to ask Lu Mang about it, but each time, he hesitated, thinking he was just overthinking things.
No matter how strong someone was, it wasn’t like they could make zombies afraid to approach… right?
It never even crossed his mind to question Lu Mang’s identity.
In the end, he simply chalked it up to Dawn Base’s mercenary teams recently clearing out nearby cities.
“Meow~” Let’s go take a bath.
Tang Xi patted Lu Mang’s head from his perch on his shoulder.
By now, Lu Mang had learned to understand some of the kitten’s body language. Obediently, he stood up to follow along.
He looked even more eager than Tang Xi himself.
It wasn’t that he particularly loved being clean—it was just that bath time was the only time Tang Xi would revert to his human form.
Lu Mang narrowed his eyes, letting himself be led away without resistance.
His actions were obedient, but the possessiveness in his gaze was unmistakable.
In a shadowed corner, unnoticed by anyone, Wang Jiang silently pulled his hat down even lower.
Quietly, he stood up and followed after Lu Mang, heading toward an empty area.
Having been pinned down and “bullied” the last few times he turned human in the bath, this time, no matter what, Tang Xi absolutely refused to change first.
Tang Xi stood by the water bucket, making sure his fur wouldn’t get wet.
Suddenly, his ears twitched, picking up a faint sound.
Alert, he turned his head sharply and hissed at the shadowy corner where he couldn’t see clearly.
Lu Mang’s movements paused for a moment. Then, using his dark energy, he dried the water droplets on himself before picking up the slightly puffed-up kitten and smoothing down its fur.
He had long since noticed someone was watching them, but humans were too weak to be a concern. He had more important things to focus on—like coaxing his little kitten into human form.
The person hiding in the shadows slowly stepped out.
It was Wang Jiang.
He looked at Lu Mang, who had removed his mask and sunglasses, his expression complicated.
After a long moment, he finally spoke. “So it really is you.”
The moment he spoke, Tang Xi froze.
That voice—it was Jiang Wenshu!
But hadn’t his mission already been completed? Why was he here?
Tang Xi’s fur, which had just been smoothed down, puffed up again, making him look like a little golden dandelion.
He had never hated someone this much before.
Lu Mang showed no reaction to Jiang Wenshu’s words. Instead, he gently tapped the kitten’s ear with his fingertip.
He didn’t understand why his little kitten was suddenly so upset.
And that made him feel restless.
His eyes gradually darkened, turning into the pure black irises unique to zombies.
“You… You actually…” Jiang Wenshu removed his own mask.
His expression was filled with terror—terror directed at Lu Mang.
He realized that Lu Mang had seemingly transformed into something unspeakably terrifying.
In that instant, the overwhelming pressure radiating from Lu Mang crushed him to the ground.
“Meow.”
A soft cat’s meow snapped him back to reality, and at the same time, it pulled Lu Mang out of his full zombie state, returning him to normal.
Deep in his subconscious, he knew his little kitten didn’t like seeing him in a violent state. So he lowered his head and nuzzled Tang Xi in a soothing gesture.
Jiang Wenshu suddenly let out a bitter laugh. “If the people at the base knew that you’ve become the Zombie King, they’d probably lose their minds… I guess this is my own doing.”
He made no effort to escape, simply allowing himself to remain pinned down.
His gaze fell on Tang Xi. “Where did you find a cat that looks just like him?”
Tang Xi was puzzled.
Why does everyone immediately associate my cat form with my human form?
It always gave him the illusion that his cover had been blown.
1551 remained silent as it looked at Tang Xi’s round, clear cat eyes that were identical to his human ones.
Jiang Wenshu, on the other hand, suddenly seemed to gain energy. He struggled to prop himself up. “You… you still remember him, don’t you?! You still remember Tang Xi?!”
By the time he finished speaking, his voice was trembling.
He murmured to himself, “I thought this wouldn’t involve him… How did he end up running off?”
Seeing him crushed to the point of near delirium, Tang Xi finally stopped bristling and instead licked his paw.
[1551, so the original protagonist shou left the team and went off alone just to find me?]
[Yes,] 1551 replied. [And from the looks of it, he thinks you’re already dead.]
After all, who would believe that a support-type teenager could survive alone in a world overrun by zombies and mutant beasts?
To the others, leaving the safety of the group was no different from dying for love.
Jiang Wenshu was drowning in guilt, tormenting himself over the belief that he had indirectly caused Tang Xi’s death. He started whispering his name over and over again.
Lu Mang was not pleased.
The moment Jiang Wenshu called out Tang Xi’s name, he reacted. He hated hearing that name being spoken repeatedly by another man.
He stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Wenshu by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
Jiang Wenshu’s face turned red as he struggled, gasping out his final words like a man on the verge of death.
“You… You should go find him… If you still remember… Then go… please…”
He didn’t beg for his own life. Instead, he uttered something completely unexpected.
Tang Xi felt no sympathy for him.
Though he had a soft personality, he was still a cat with claws.
If his poop scooper hadn’t transformed into the Zombie King at the last moment, he would have truly died.
No matter what Jiang Wenshu’s intentions were, he had killed Lu Mang—the human Lu Mang.
Just as Jiang Wenshu was about to be strangled to death, Lu Mang suddenly loosened his grip and let him go.
Lu Mang closed his eyes for a moment.
He had just taken a bath, and his little kitten loved cleanliness. If Tang Xi saw blood on him, he would definitely puff up again.
So, he chose a different approach.
Dark energy began seeping from beneath his feet, creeping toward Jiang Wenshu.
Tang Xi watched as the black mist slithered into Jiang Wenshu’s mouth, ears, and eyes.
Jiang Wenshu writhed in agony, struggling desperately but unable to shake it off. In the end, the mist withdrew from his body, slithering back into the ground with a sharp hiss.
Tang Xi hesitated. Did my poop scooper just strip away his powers?
He could no longer sense the psychic energy that an ability user should have.
1551: [Yes. He’s just an ordinary human now.]
It seemed Lu Mang didn’t need to consume human flesh or blood—he had a much more efficient way of absorbing energy.
Without sparing another glance at the barely-breathing Jiang Wenshu, Lu Mang scooped up his little kitten and left.
Whether a powerless human could survive in a place like this was no longer his concern.
Tang Xi helped him put his mask back on.
To avoid further trouble, they didn’t rejoin the others.
A zombie and a cat—traveling alone to Dawn Base.
Unbeknownst to them, a massive horde of high-level zombies trailed in the distance. Countless low-level zombies were also converging toward them.
Under Lu Mang’s command, they weren’t allowed to approach—only to follow their newly crowned Zombie King.
Neither Tang Xi nor the system realized the terrifying army that was forming behind them.