Chapter 13: The Fight

You can call her chubby girl or chubby fish, but calling her a fat pig is not acceptable.

“Actually, it’s quite fair, isn’t it? You curse me and it’s not illegal. I’m only eight years old; even if I cut you, you won’t be sent to jail. Stand still and don’t move. I’ll just make one cut. If you move, I might get flustered and cut multiple times—that wouldn’t be good.”

“…”

Before Qin Xiaoyu finished speaking, she raised the knife. The middle-aged man quickly pulled the girl in front of him to shield himself, cursing under his breath.

“This damned world, to hell with this apocalypse. I’m so damn unlucky to have encountered a crazy fat pig.”

Qin Xiaoyu: …

Keep cursing and I’ll really cut you!

The middle-aged man continued to curse as Qin Xiaoyu expressionlessly reached out, grabbing the girl’s waistband with one hand and raising the knife with the other to strike the man.

The man hurriedly pulled the girl aside but only twisted her upper body; her lower body stayed firmly in place. Because he couldn’t dodge in time, he took a cut squarely on his backside.

“Ah!”

He screamed in pain and fury filled his mind. Without thinking, he shoved the girl aside and lunged at Qin Xiaoyu with his hands.

Qin Xiaoyu smiled faintly and raised the knife again.

Ssshhh!

The man’s hand was immediately slashed, causing him to recoil in pain. He then lifted his foot and kicked fiercely.

A fully grown adult’s forceful kick would seriously injure or even kill an ordinary eight-year-old.

But Qin Xiaoyu was no ordinary child. Without dodging or blocking, she lifted her foot to counter-kick. When their feet met—one big, one small; one long, one short—Qin Xiaoyu staggered back several steps, her entire leg tingling.

The man, however, was sent flying backward, crashing hard onto the ground, clutching his leg and writhing in pain.

The girl was stunned to see the man’s leg grotesquely twisted.

“Y-you…” she stammered fearfully at Qin Xiaoyu, finally managing to say, “If you cut him, please don’t cut me.”

Qin Xiaoyu studied the girl, strangely feeling she looked familiar, as if seen somewhere before.

Glancing at the man writhing on the ground, she turned and strode toward the riverbank.

When the apocalypse begins, order breaks down for a while, and human nature becomes far more terrifying than mutated plants. It’s best to avoid wandering outside.

Find the iron pot early, go home early.

The girl instinctively lifted her foot to follow when she saw Qin Xiaoyu start walking.

“Why are you following me?” Qin Xiaoyu sensed something amiss and looked back.

“I… I have nowhere else to go,” the girl stammered.

“Go home,” Qin Xiaoyu said.

—

“My home is in Guangxi Province, but trains have stopped running, and I can’t buy a ticket home,” the girl said hesitantly.

“Then find a hotel or an inn to stay in.”

“My phone broke, and I have no cash.”

Even if it weren’t broken, she wouldn’t have any money.

Qin Xiaoyu stopped walking and finally remembered who the girl was.

Fan Zhenzhen—a lunatic.

After the apocalypse, she killed many mutated plants and was rumored to have killed several people. She had a severe hatred of men; any male who came within a meter of her would receive a slash or a kick. Even male animals couldn’t approach her.

She stared at the girl’s face a moment longer, wondering if she had mistaken her identity. It didn’t quite seem right.

“What’s your name?” Qin Xiaoyu asked.

“My surname is Fan, and my name is Zhenzhen. Fan Zhenzhen,” the girl replied quickly.

Qin Xiaoyu’s silence was deafening. She couldn’t believe this pitiful, soft-looking girl would one day become a deranged killer.

Then she thought, if she hadn’t just passed by, Fan Zhenzhen might have faced something terrible.

Could this be the cause?

Soon they reached the riverbank. Just as Qin Xiaoyu leaned on the railing and was about to look down, she saw at the other end of the path the iron pot flapping its wings, running ahead, chased by four men and women.

Qin Xiaoyu quietly stepped back, intending to hide in an alley.

Muttering to herself: They can’t see me, they can’t see me…

“Gak!”

A sharp, high-pitched cry pierced the air. A huge fat goose rushed toward her, much faster than Qin Xiaoyu.

In no time, it caught up and ran ahead of her.

The next moment, the goose slammed on the brakes, standing right in front of Qin Xiaoyu, burying its head in her arms, looking deeply wronged, eyes full of accusation.

Qin Xiaoyu: …

I’m trying to escape, what are you doing?

After a few seconds’ delay, the three men and one woman caught up.

“Little chubby girl, hand over that fat goose, and we might spare your life,” said a tall, thin young man standing at the front.

“Damn, I’m exhausted.”

“We must stew that fat goose.”

“I want a whole goose leg.”

Fan Zhenzhen nervously swallowed and lightly tugged on Qin Xiaoyu’s sleeve. “Kid, what should we do?”

“Do nothing, just fight,” Qin Xiaoyu said.

Holding the bone-cutting knife, she took a cautious stance facing forward, then suddenly reached behind and pulled the iron pot out from behind her.

“The men are yours; the women are mine.”

Fan Zhenzhen looked at herself—barely a centimeter under 1.6 meters tall and weighing only eighty pounds—then at the others, all over 1.7 meters tall and no less than 130 pounds of strong adults, and swallowed hard.

She wondered if she still had time to claim she didn’t know this kid.

“Want to eat my big goose? You’ll have to get past my knife first,” Qin Xiaoyu said fiercely, waving the blade as a warning to the young men and women. “I’m only eight years old. Killing people apparently isn’t a crime. Oh wait, no, killing people doesn’t get you sent to jail. Be careful, brothers and sisters.”

Fan Zhenzhen pointed toward a nearby alley. “It’s true. This kid just slashed a middle-aged man, and he’s still rolling on the ground.”

The young men and women exchanged glances. Was it really worth it for a goose?

The young woman leading them, with purple hair, slapped the most timid curly-haired young man and raised her voice, “It’s the apocalypse. What’s there to be afraid of? Just a fat piglet. His legs aren’t even as long as your arms. Go on and have a big fight. Let’s see if she’s scared.”

Right, just an eight-year-old child.

Even if she was taller and stronger than most kids, she was still a child. No child is fearless of adults.

Young people are impulsive; a little provocation and they’ll rush in.

Fan Zhenzhen shifted to the side, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. This kid looked small, but she was fierce—if provoked, she really would slash someone.

It’s really hard to reason with a damned lunatic.

Qin Xiaoyu gripped the bone-cutting knife tighter, then decided to switch to the blunt side of the blade. It wasn’t to the point of needing to kill.

The curly-haired young man was about 1.7 meters tall, medium build but quite thin, with no visible muscle on his exposed arms.

Still, he was an adult, with considerable strength and speed.

He had planned to rush in for a big fight but was too scared of the knife and instead kicked.

He gave about eighty percent strength, not holding back much.

Qin Xiaoyu sidestepped the kick, flipping the knife to its blunt edge, and swiftly struck the thin leg.

Crack!

First blood!