Chapter 34: Call Me Daddy

"Xiao Yang! Get down here!" Lu You's panicked shout jolted Xiao Yang awake.

He blinked at the empty bed—Mu Wanqing had slept in the next room with Lin Shishi after their late-night chat. Rushing downstairs, he found Lu You pointing frantically at the birdcage in the corner. "Your bird… it's huge now!"

"Holy shit!" Xiao Yang gaped. The once palm-sized crow, Coal, had doubled in size overnight, now rivaling an adult raven.

"Coal?" he called tentatively.

The bird flapped excitedly to his shoulder, cawing. Relieved it wasn't an intruder, Xiao Yang marveled at its growth—likely fueled by yesterday's crystal cores.

Coal tilted its head, eyeing Xiao Yang's face. Suddenly, it lunged for his eyeball.

"Not food, you idiot!" Xiao Yang swatted it away, laughing as Coal groomed his hair in apology.

He fed it two marble-sized cores. "Two only. No more."

Coal swallowed them whole, then squawked in mimicry: "No more! No more!"

Xiao Yang and Lu You froze.

"Since when do crows talk?" Lu You muttered.

Mu Wanqing and Lin Shishi hurried downstairs at the commotion. "Your bird's gigantic!" Lin Shishi gasped.

"And it talks," Xiao Yang said dryly. "Coal, say 'Daddy'!"

The crow cocked its head. "Daddy! Daddy!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

 

After breakfast, Xiao Yang handed Lin Shishi protective gear. "Last 10 villas. Time to practice."

Though nervous, she nodded. By noon, guided by the team, she'd cleared her first zombie alone.

At the district entrance, Xiao Yang had her play her flute. Zombies shuffled toward the melody—then swayed grotesquely to the tune.

"They're… dancing?" Mu Wanqing whispered.

The trance broke abruptly. The team swiftly dispatched the horde.

"Your power briefly revives their memories," Xiao Yang deduced. "Useful for escapes."

As they harvested crystals, a shredded zombie outside the property office caught his eye. Survivors?

Inside, the security team gaped at Xiao Yang's group.

"Boss! That guy's alone with three hotties!" a guard leered.

"Kill him. The girls are ours," the captain growled, eyeing Lin Shishi's curves.

They swaggered out, blocking Xiao Yang's path. "Hand over what you took from our kill," the captain demanded, ignorant of the word "zombie."

Xiao Yang smirked. The real battle was about to begin.