Zombie Apocalypse: Creation-Chapter 762: Danger of Stray Animals
In other words, Yu Hua was one of her possible successors if she were to retire or disappear.
She was assigned here as a test, a test of resolve and her capability to work independently under a stressful environment.
"Did I guess it correctly? You didn’t want to punish her, right? Come on, you can just be honest with me and admit it."
"Shut up."
As Houqin looked away to the side in frustration, Xiaoyun couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Someone is getting a little angry like a little kid."
"Hmph! You’re the little kid for letting someone break the rules." Houqin immediately argued back as she looked over to Xiaoyun.
"Okay, I’m the little kid if that’s what makes you happy... Ahem, Yu Hua is about to come out of the room."
Within seconds, the irritated look instantly disappeared from Houqin’s face, with Xiaoyun’s playful face returning to calm.
"Miss Houqin, Commander, I’m ready."
"Great. Lead the way."
---
As Yu Hua led the two of them out of the logistic hub and into the streets, they both couldn’t help but feel isolated.
The feeling had only gotten stronger every step of the way. Hundreds of SOS signs were written all over the skyscrapers and apartment windows.
Once again, not a single person is walking in the streets. Only the streetlight and a few of the buildings with lights illuminated the road ahead.
"Yu Hua, do you know how many people live in this city?" Xiaoyun curiously asked as they went across the sidewalk.
"About fifty thousand people... The whole city looks really abandoned, right? That’s what I felt when I first came here."
"It’s a lot emptier than I had imagined. Why is it so empty if fifty thousand people live here?"
"Because none of them live here, at least in the city... They all live up north in the industrial part of the Qujiang district."
After walking for five whole minutes, Yu Hua suddenly took a turn to the right, bringing them away from the open streetlight into a dark alley.
"Pangpang, Wuwu! Where are you at?"
As Yu Hua’s voice echoed throughout the alley, loud footsteps suddenly appeared from all directions.
"How many stray animals are there?"
Houqin asked, her face starting to look a little nervous as Yu Hua led the two of them into a dead end with a tall concrete wall.
"About like twenty cats and ten dogs... Oh, here they are."
Turning back around, right before their eyes was a bunch of cats and dogs all standing together, their body with bones almost exposed.
All of them intently stared at them, not walking any closer until Yu Hua reached over to her pocket to take out a bag of beef jerky.
"Sorry, guys, I couldn’t bring much food to you all today... But I’ll try my best tomorrow, okay?"
As Xiaoyun and Houqin watch all of the stray animals surrounding Yu Hua in the middle, a weird feeling begins to develop inside their heart.
"Pangpang, have the dogs been good? They didn’t hurt anyone or try to steal any food again, right?"
Watching Yu Hua squatting down onto the floor and talking to what seems to be a golden retriever, the two were a little shocked.
What shocked them more, however, was when the dog took a bite of the beef jerky and nodded its head.
"How about you, Wuwu? You guys didn’t try to steal again, right?"
"Meow!"
The grey cat yawned as it stretched its back, sitting down in front of Yu Hua as she handed a small piece of beef jerky into its mouth.
"Good job, you two—"
Just as Yu Hua complimented the dog and the cat in the front, an orange cat in the back suddenly tried to lunge at her with its sharp claws.
"Yu Hua!"
Houqin’s yelling was met with surprise as the grey cat instantly jumped onto the orange cat, pushing it onto the floor.
"Meowww!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"Wolf wolf!"
All of the dogs and the cat quickly surrounded the orange cat as the grey cat kept its paw right on the orange cat’s neck.
"Guys, relax. Let her go. She’s just hungry..."
As Yu Hua feeds a piece of the beef jerky into the orange cat’s mouth, it instantly calms back down as its claws retract.
"Meow!"
After a gentle push, the grey cat finally lets the orange cat go, who instantly walks away to be with the rest of the pack.
"Meow..."
"Okay, okay, I’ll give you a little rub."
The moment Yu Hua took off the gloves, both Xiaoyun and Houqin were stunned. Her hand was covered in bandages.
"Woof!"
"Okay, okay, you too."
"Yu Hua, what happened to your hand?" Houqin curiously asked as the two of them slowly walked up to where she sat down.
"It’s just a little scatches... Do you guys want to pat them?"
Houqin immediately looked over to Xiaoyun, who nodded his head as they both walked all the way up to the two pets.
"Hsss!"
Within seconds, both the cat and the dog started growling, walking away from Yu Hua as Houqin and Xiaoyun could feel the hostility from them.
"Hey, Miss Yu Hua and Commander are my friends. Don’t hiss at them... Hey, come back!"
The two leading animals turned around and ran out, leaving the dark alley as Houqin awkwardly brushes her hair.
"Sorry, Miss Houqin, I couldn’t get them to trust you." Yu Hua apologizes as she looks a little disappointed in herself.
"It’s fine... Ahem, Yu Hua, how did you mess up your hand like this? Don’t tell me small scratches require this many bandages."
As Houqin took a closer look at her bandaged hand, she soon noticed the bandages didn’t just go up to her wrist.
"It’s... It’s a long story."
---
Back in the logistic hub...
As Yu Hua sat in front of Xiaoyun and Houqin, she let out a small sigh before taking off her puffer jacket.
"Your arms..."
Both of them once again fell into shock as the bandages went up all the way to her shoulder.
Yet, Yu Hua didn’t stop as she took off her shirt, revealing her entire upper body to be covered in bandages.
"What the hell happened?" Xiaoyun questioned. His eyes could faintly see a bunch of scratch marks that remained on her body.
"I was walking back home a few weeks ago from the warehouse, and then a bunch of stray animals came out and attacked me."
"Don’t tell me it’s by the same animals from earlier," Houqin questioned as a hint of anger appeared in her eyes.
"I-It’s not the same one from earlier. T-They are the ones who actually save me from them."
"There’s more than one pack?"
Xiaoyun curiously asked, realizing the stray animal population might be much bigger than he had initially imagined.
"I don’t know... All I know is without them, the logistic staff would have probably found me in a ditch somewhere the next morning."
As Yu Hua’s face looked genuinely thankful to the stray animal she was speaking of, both Houqin and Xiaoyun were a little conflicted.
"Did you report this to the police after you were attacked?"
"I... I didn’t."
"Why not?" Houqin pressed again, her mind unable to understand why she wouldn’t report something so urgent.
"If I told the police, they would have indiscriminately killed all of the stray animals in the city. I-I don’t want to kill those who saved me."
"Yu Hua, do you know how dangerous it is to keep this to yourself? What if someone else ran into the same situation as you?"
The cold stare from Houqin made Yu Hua awkwardly scratch her head. Despite being in the wrong, she remained defiant.
"I know it’s selfish... But it was just a one-off occurrence. There haven’t been any other stray animal attacks as far as I know."
After a short stare, Houqin fell into silence as she looked over to Xiaoyun, seemingly giving up as she looked exhausted.
"Ahem, Yu Hua, do you remember what I said earlier that you needed to fulfill something to make up for the mistake?"
Yu Hua nodded her head, patiently waiting for Xiaoyun to continue.
"I was thinking, if you were willing to do anything to make up for the mistake... I was going to have you shoot the stray animal yourself."
"What...?"
"Huh?"
As Houqin’s face flinched a little in shock, Yu Hua had already spoken up again, her voice filled with desperation as she almost collapsed onto the floor.
"I-I can’t do that. Please, Commander, I-I can’t bring myself—"
"Ahem, excuse me. I said earlier... Assuming all you had said was true, I don’t believe that’s an appropriate punishment anymore."
"Thank you, sir!"
The moment Yu Hua bowed down in gratitude, Xiaoyun immediately looked over to the wall as he signaled Houqin to help her get back up.
"No need to say thanks. I should be the one thanking you for enduring such harsh conditions in Shaoguan."
