Chapter Twenty-Three: Such a Wife

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Liu Wen’s parents weren’t surprised by Ma Yi’s height; it seemed Liu Wen had already told them about it. However, Ma Yi’s appetite had grown yet again, and the food prepared was no longer enough. To remedy this, Liu Wen accompanied her mother, Chen Fang, to cook a special meal for Ma Yi. Now, Ma Yi could eat the equivalent of nearly forty people’s portions by himself. If it weren’t for the ample supply of food and the hundreds or thousands of pounds of evolved beast meat Ma Yi often brought back, the family would have turned gray with worry over how to feed him.

After dinner, Ma Yi went outside to check on Ru Hua. The little girl was very well-behaved, finding herself a cozy room and quietly staying there when she had nothing to do. Ma Yi came in to teach Ru Hua how to use the various household appliances, so she could occupy herself during her free time. Ru Hua was very smart—at least smarter than Tie Zhu. Ma Yi taught her four or five times, and she could generally remember how things worked.

Back home, Ma Yi took a shower and could only rest on the floor. At four meters tall, it was no joke—there wasn’t a bed that could accommodate him yet. Thankfully, the villa was spacious, with several living rooms and plenty of space, the floors covered in premium carpets, making it comfortable to lie down.

Unable to fall asleep, Ma Yi began to contemplate this apocalypse once more. Surely, Ru Hua couldn’t be the only one of her kind in the world. Perhaps, under certain conditions, many like her would appear, and other strange zombies would emerge as well. With a female corpse king, there would certainly be other corpse kings. Ma Yi figured Tie Zhu was at most a leader, and as zombies continued to evolve, there would definitely be even more formidable beings. In fact, perhaps in some places, powerful zombies had already begun to lead hordes, besieging cities and expanding their territory.

Facing such enormous hordes, how could anyone survive their passage? Even evolved beasts would struggle to live. In the face of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of zombies, how much could humanity resist? Perhaps not even a ripple could be raised. Ma Yi wondered if there were any gathering points like those in novels or movies. Tens of thousands of survivors, even if half were evolved, could still survive against ordinary zombies—but what about evolved zombies, like J2 zombies such as Tie Zhu, or S2 zombies that could scale walls and leap across rooftops? How many could survive then?

A soft creak sounded as the door to the room was pushed open a crack, and someone groped their way inside. Even in the pitch-dark room, Ma Yi could see Liu Wen carefully feeling her way toward him.

“Turn on the light. It’s right there on the wall beside you,” Ma Yi’s voice startled Liu Wen, but she fumbled and managed to switch it on.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Ma Yi looked at Liu Wen curiously. The adorable white bunny pajamas she wore were one of the first he’d brought her; he hadn’t expected she still had them. Seeing them on her, she looked both lovely and beautiful.

“From now on, I’ll sleep with you,” Liu Wen squeezed out the words from her throat, her face flushed deep red, and her small hands nervously twisted together.

Ma Yi stared wide-eyed at Liu Wen, his previously muddled mind suddenly sharpening. But soon, he sighed inwardly, feeling a little regretful—regretful that he had grown too quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Wen noticed the disappointment in Ma Yi’s eyes. She walked up to him and looked at his head, which was now twice the size of hers. Yes, Ma Yi’s height now was more than double hers, and in terms of weight, Ma Yi had no idea how many times heavier he was.

“It’s nothing, just a bit of resentment at growing so fast,” Ma Yi made room for Liu Wen, pulling a thick down comforter from the side and covering her once she lay down.

Liu Wen curled up under the blanket, too shy to move.

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“I’m starting to regret it a little,” Ma Yi said after a moment’s silence, gazing at Liu Wen’s shy expression.

“Regret what?” Liu Wen looked at Ma Yi as he tucked her in, shy but warm inside.

“Why didn’t I muster the courage to make a move on you the first time we slept under the same roof?” Ma Yi lay on his side, watching the beautiful face peeking out from the blanket.

“You still can,” Liu Wen met Ma Yi’s gaze, her cheeks burning. This was a sentence she had summoned all her courage to say.

“I know you’re willing, but I can’t do it now.” Ma Yi sighed, knowing his own limitations.

“Don’t you like me?” Liu Wen was stunned by Ma Yi’s words. What did he mean he couldn’t? Could it be he had someone else outside and didn’t want her anymore?

“I like you. I’ve always liked you so much,” Ma Yi reached out his enormous hand to gently caress Liu Wen’s cheek; just one finger was almost as thick as her wrist.

“Then what do you mean by that?” Liu Wen had felt a sudden loss, her heart pausing for a moment; only upon hearing Ma Yi’s confession did she feel better, yet tears began to well in her eyes.

“It’s not that I dislike you or don’t want you; I’m just afraid of hurting you.” Ma Yi gently tucked Liu Wen’s stray hair behind her ear with his finger.

“Afraid I can’t accept you having someone outside? I know, those women look at you, especially Liu Jing and Hu Li—their eyes are full of meaning. I don’t mind, as long as you have me in your heart, I don’t care. If someone offers themselves to you, so be it. As long as you’re not taken advantage of, I don’t mind at all.” Liu Wen turned over and climbed up, her expression serious as she stared at Ma Yi.

“Hmm?” Ma Yi felt awkward at Liu Wen’s words. He had thought no one noticed the little ambiguities between him and some of his former colleagues, but now Liu Wen had pointed it out—she clearly knew. Ma Yi suddenly felt as if he’d been caught cheating.

“Actually, the main thing is, I even slept with a zombie. At first, I couldn’t defeat her, and she forced herself on me. For the past half month, I’ve been going out every day—you thought I was doing what? I had no choice but to obey her. She threatened to find me, kill me, and then eat me if I didn’t comply. I couldn’t let her come for me; I couldn’t beat her, and I couldn’t protect you all. Now that I’ve grown stronger, I owe much of it to her. When I finally could overpower her, I realized she was more like a mischievous child. If you don’t play with her, she gets very upset. I’ve spent some time with her, figured out the situation, and now I’ve brought her back. I can’t just