Chapter Twelve: Smiles

Suddenly, it struck me—the girl in the red dress, Xian Hongye, hadn’t paid for her meal when she left! Just because she’s beautiful, does that mean she can eat for free? No! Just because she’s gravely ill, does that mean she can eat for free? Even less so! I’m a man of conscience, a soldier with a warm heart, but I’m certainly not one to let myself be taken advantage of. Whatever belongs to me, I will reclaim!

So, I resolved that night: tomorrow, when she comes back, I will make sure she pays what she owes.

Thus, when dawn arrived and Wang Hou and I saw that girl step through the door of my shop, I matched Wang Hou's excitement. Smiling, I briefly explained the medicinal powder’s effects to the girl and Wang Hou, then prepared to reach out for the payment.

But before either of us could ask the woman for money, Wang Hou betrayed me. He didn’t give me a chance to speak; he shoved me aside, cradled the medicine powder, and began to brag to the girl, eager to impress.

His actions infuriated me—what a coward! If you want to show off, fine, but he stammered so badly he could barely string words together. Every time I tried to interject, his back blocked me so tightly I felt like a mute actor in a poorly staged farce.

Ah! A mind clouded by foolishness defies all logic.

Finally, I had no choice but to temporarily abandon my quest to collect the debt. But I will never forget that woman named Xian Hongye, who owes me one hundred and twenty-three yuan and fifty cents for her meal! Sooner or later, I’ll get it back—with interest.

Helpless, I watched Wang Hou excitedly prepare a bowl of the Sanqi Tianma powder for the girl, then watched her slowly drink it down.

Throughout the process, Wang Hou hovered over the table like an oversized old cat, gazing at the girl with gentle, adoring eyes.

His shameless behavior made me embarrassed on his behalf!

After Xian Hongye finished the medicine, I called out to her from afar, “Drink the medicine, and unless something unexpected happens, you'll recover in five days. As for the payment—”

Before I could finish, Wang Hou waved his hand and declared, “Why talk about money! We’re soldiers; we believe in helping others! Miss, rest assured, no matter what happens to you in the future, I’ll help you all the way! Serving the people!”

He could offer a free meal with such fluency!

The girl named Xian Hongye smiled and nodded, her cheeks flushed, as though she felt a little shy.

I admit, the girl was beautiful, especially when her face was flushed—she was utterly captivating.

At that moment, Xian Hongye seemed either too excited or too shy; her cheeks blushed like a frosted red apple, making one tempted to take a bite.

Her expression made both Wang Hou and me shudder involuntarily. After all, neither of us had much experience with women; that kind of look inevitably made our imaginations run wild...

Xian Hongye’s cheeks grew redder. Suddenly, she reached out and cupped Wang Hou’s broad face in her hands!

And then, a scene unfolded that made my own heart race and cheeks burn.

“I... want to,” the girl panted, her breath heavy, her lips drawing closer and closer to Wang Hou’s face.

Soon, her lips were about to brush his cheek.

“What?! She’s going to kiss him!” I could hardly believe my eyes. Was this girl really so direct? Wang Hou hands her a bowl of medicine, and she’s ready to “climb all over him”—far bolder than any of Wang Hou’s previous girlfriends!

If she hadn’t been truly ill, I’d suspect she was a con artist, exploiting this so-called lifesaving gratitude, love at first sight, to extort naive young men like Wang Hou!

What happened next felt a little too mature for my eyes, so I turned my head away.

Looking back, I was glad I did—otherwise, I’d have witnessed not just content unfit for children, but horrors fit for adults only. With my nerves at the time, I would never have survived such a sudden, brutal spectacle.

Just as I turned my neck and prepared to leave, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Wang Hou’s direction!

“Ah~!” The sound was so loud it shook dust from the ceiling.

I swear, I’d never heard Wang Hou scream so desperately, not even when we faced dangers and torment at the China–Myanmar border years ago.

His voice was laced with shock and disbelief!

I spun around, and when I saw the bloody scene behind me, my pupils contracted sharply!

At that moment, Xian Hongye’s cheeks were still red.

But what dyed her face now was the blood spurting from Wang Hou’s face.

Xian Hongye had bitten off a chunk of flesh from Wang Hou’s cheek!

Now, Xian Hongye’s “appetite” suddenly surged again!

I watched, astonished, as Xian Hongye—having just taken the medicine—was not only not better, but far more violent than yesterday. She clung tightly to Wang Hou’s head, baring snowy white fangs, ready to keep devouring him.

Her eyes turned crimson and bloodshot, as if her eyeballs might pop out at any moment.

“I want to eat! Eat! Eat!” Xian Hongye clawed Wang Hou’s head, repeating the words over and over.

My medicine! It didn’t work!

After taking my medicine, Xian Hongye had turned into a flesh-eating zombie!

My mind was in chaos—the situation had completely spiraled out of control.

Following the prescription left by my old squad leader, not only had I failed to cure her, but I’d made Xian Hongye into a genuine “zombie.” Worse, her condition was even more severe than Batulu’s from years ago—she was in a full-blown rampage!

In the confusion, my terror rivaled that of Wang Hou, who was in mortal peril.

But soon, Wang Hou’s agonized screams pulled me back from the abyss of fear.

Just like five years ago, my comrade was in danger—this was no time to freeze.

I knew that if I didn’t act now, Wang Hou would either die or be permanently disabled.

Even though Wang Hou was a reconnaissance soldier in our military district, even though he’d won second place in the district martial arts competition, even though his explosive power and physical abilities were beyond ordinary, even though his fighting skills were lethal—

I knew Wang Hou had one fatal weakness: he had never raised a hand against a woman he liked.

Even though this woman had turned into a snarling “zombie.”

Honestly, Wang Hou would completely lose his combat ability in front of a woman.

While Wang Hou was helpless, I dashed over, grabbed Xian Hongye, and forcibly tore the two apart. Then, using a military double-arm hold, I barely managed to restrain the rampaging Xian Hongye from behind!

Afterward, perhaps triggered by my intervention, Xian Hongye abandoned Wang Hou and turned her claws toward me instead.

Her hands were soft but unexpectedly strong, tearing my shirt and even ripping out hair from the back of my head!

Through the pain, I shouted to Wang Hou, whose face was full of shock and pity, “Don’t be stupid! Get to the kitchen!”

“Why the kitchen?” Wang Hou pressed his bleeding wound.

“Ginger! Mustard water! Add extra mustard!” I barely squeezed the words out between clenched teeth. By then, I was exhausted from Xian Hongye’s assault.

With my instruction, Wang Hou suddenly understood and rushed to the kitchen!

“Just hold on for five more minutes!” he shouted back to me.

At that moment, my head felt huge! To be honest, with Xian Hongye in her current state, holding out for five minutes—let alone fifty seconds—was an impossible feat!

I felt as if I were fighting not a woman, but a machine driven by insatiable hunger. If this machine broke free from my grip, she would devour every living thing in sight without hesitation!

I struggled desperately to keep her under control, but it was no use.

Soon, Xian Hongye broke free from my hold. She shoved my arms aside, then turned her body, puckering her blood-stained, beautiful lips as she lunged for my neck!

At the critical moment, relying on my old soldier’s reflexes, I twisted my waist backward and barely dodged Xian Hongye’s attack!

Even so, the foul wind from her snapping jaws sent chills down my neck.

After narrowly escaping, I felt both shocked and regretful. I had only wanted to help, to earn some goodwill, but things had backfired, leaving my brother and me in such a sorry state.

But now, there was no remedy for regret. Faced with Xian Hongye’s ferocious assault, I had no solution. Of course, it’s not that I couldn’t subdue her by brute force, but if I went too far, the girl might end up wounded or permanently disabled.

The balance when fighting someone is hard to master.

Just when I was trapped, unsure how to proceed, Xian Hongye charged at me again, eyes red and wild.

It’s always the thing you most fear that comes for you.

This time, Xian Hongye moved even faster, her slender and sharp claws swiping for my chest! She was a wild wolf, eyes blazing.

Her gaze made my heart quake and awakened my deepest resistance.

Desperate, I couldn’t care about propriety anymore. I summoned my courage and, for the first time in my life, used my full strength against a woman!

I reached out with both hands and caught Xian Hongye’s attack head-on!

Suddenly, I realized—Xian Hongye, barely weighing a hundred pounds, wasn’t truly my match in strength.

So, with a loud smack, I shoved Xian Hongye hard against the wall behind her.

Even so, I was still in trouble.

Though I could control her hands, I had no answer for her deadly mouth.

I certainly didn’t want to be the first man in history to die from a beautiful woman’s “kiss”!

In desperation, to avoid her biting, I pinned her against the wall and pressed my head tightly against her chest and abdomen.

The posture resembled taking advantage of her.

Though it was indecent and might cause Wang Hou to misunderstand, at least it could temporarily prevent her from bending down to bite me—preserving my face.

In this stalemate, time ticked away.

As the minutes passed, I felt my strength waning, while Xian Hongye’s didn’t diminish at all.

Sweating profusely, I realized I had to find a way to subdue her completely, or I wouldn’t last five minutes—I’d lose a limb or worse.

But how to subdue her? I couldn’t think of anything.

Soon, my stamina gave out.

Just as I was about to collapse from exhaustion, I suddenly felt something strange on my cheek.

I sensed something wriggling inside Xian Hongye’s belly.

It felt as though something was touching my face from inside her abdomen.

I immediately raised my head, eyes falling naturally on Xian Hongye’s flat, toned stomach—the tightest part of her red dress.

At that moment, my cheek was pressed against her belly. Her stomach was soft, her scent alluring, but with the faint tang of blood in the air, I had no time to savor it.

When I looked closely at the “thing” on Xian Hongye’s stomach, my pupils contracted sharply!

In astonished disbelief, I saw irregular, hand-shaped bulges and depressions appear on the surface of her belly.

Her skin shifted unnaturally beneath her clothes.

It felt like something was about to burst out of her abdomen.

A few seconds later, Xian Hongye’s belly stopped writhing and trembling. Then, I saw a strange, uneven pattern appear on her stomach.

I stared for just a second—and recognized what it was.

It was the face of a baby, grinning at me!

On Xian Hongye’s belly, a ghostly face had appeared!