My Girlfriend's a Monster - Chapter 26

Rustle-rustle-

Luo Ke had been waiting, expecting something to happen tonight, but time dragged on longer than she anticipated, and she couldn’t help but fall asleep.

Her spirit didn’t need sleep, but this body still did. The fusion process wasn’t complete yet, so she had to maintain some human habits.

The midnight chime echoed in Luo Ke’s mind, and she heard a sound, but it was different from what she had imagined.

Fire, the crackling sound of burning paper, faint but clear in Luo Ke’s ears. No fellow creatures had arrived; it was humans who came early.

Luo Ke’s nature made her particularly sensitive to fire. She sat up and silently activated the eyes she had placed in the hallway outside. These eyes, disguised as light bulbs or switches, monitored every corner of the 18th floor without missing a thing.

A middle-aged man stood at the door of Room 1801, holding high-concentration alcohol and soft, flammable paper. He had laid it out meticulously, and the flames quickly formed a wall of fire, rising dramatically.

Luo Ke chuckled and began to dress. To match the night’s atmosphere, she chose a red dress-a Ceylon tea-themed academy uniform, with a red bow tie, a white silk blouse, and an overcoat with a knee-length skirt, making her look like an old-century English lady.

Luo Ke was certain that clothing was humanity’s second greatest invention after food. She loved these useless yet beautiful decorations.

The fire grew larger in the night, and with the help of accelerants, it seemed to engulf the entire security door, pressing into the house.

Luo Ke lightly tapped her finger, and a wall of water rose, forming a thin protective film outside the security door of Room 1801.

The fire was intense, and the surrounding white walls quickly turned black with soot. The couplets from the New Year, still fresh a few months ago, turned to ashes in the spreading flames. The middle-aged man watched the fire, his initial fear gradually giving way to uncontrollable joy. Burn! Burn! Burn down this door, and behind it lies everything he wants!

Something appeared on the security door, but in the fire, no one could see it clearly. The people in the hallway saw the scene but, fearing the gang’s power, no one dared to speak.

The fire spread in silence, and something was missing on the 18th floor.

It was Luo Ke, who had also removed her restriction.

During this time, because of this restriction, no monsters dared to come to the 18th floor. They wandered around, but the 18th floor remained as calm as water.

Her skin was very fair, her eyes very clear, and she didn’t forget to apply a light makeup. Tonight’s lip color was tea red, making her look noble and elegant. She slowly put on her dark brown leather shoes and stepped out of the room.

Curly was already awake. It didn’t bark because it knew its mistress didn’t like noise. It stared at the door, fur bristling, ready to attack any intruder.

The girl’s slender, fair fingers stroked its head, and Curly strangely calmed down. It whimpered twice, wagging its tail. But when it saw the tentacles trailing behind the girl, its wagging tail stopped abruptly.

Humans, asleep, should wake up now.

She moved her fingers like a conductor in the night, taking away the sweet dreams of the other three. The smell of smoke was blocked by the water wall, but Luo Ke left a small gap for the smoke to seep in.

“Cough, cough…” Luo Ke coughed twice, her dark eyes welling up with tears.

Zhong Qingxiao woke up almost instantly. He instinctively looked beside him, but Luo Ke wasn’t there. He quickly dressed and rushed out, thinking she had gone out again. But he was wrong; Luo Ke was standing by the door, covering her mouth and nose with her hand.

“Xiao Ke?” Zhong Qingxiao hurried over. “What’s wrong?”

Then he smelled the acrid smoke coming from outside the door. He quickly understood and rushed to the bathroom to fill a large bucket with water, pouring it on the security door.

He touched the door; it was cool, not hot as he expected, and even the parts he hadn’t poured water on were wet.

Zhong Qingxiao glanced at Luo Ke. “Xiao Ke, did you pour the water on the door earlier?”

Luo Ke nodded, looking extremely uncomfortable, showing a fragile and helpless expression. Her voice was hoarse. “Someone is trying to kill us.”

Zhong Qingxiao didn’t know how long she had been there. He quickly supported Luo Ke, almost half-carrying her to the sofa, then went back to the bathroom to get more water.

“Don’t go,” Luo Ke tugged at his shirt. “I’m so cold, Zhong Qingxiao.”

Zhong Qingxiao instinctively touched her arm; it was icy cold, as if she had been walking in the snow all night.

“Xiao Ke! Are you feeling unwell again?” Zhong Qingxiao asked, worried.

At this moment, Luo Meihua and Zhong Shuping, hearing the commotion, also got up to check.

“Aunt Luo, Dad, quickly get water and pour it on the door. Someone set a fire outside!”

“What!?” Luo Meihua rushed to the bathroom, and Zhong Shuping followed after a moment of hesitation.

Zhong Qingxiao held Luo Ke’s hand tightly, trying to warm her with his body heat. Eventually, he ended up holding her, just like before.

Could the monster’s influence still be lingering? Or was Xiao Ke inherently weak?

“Aunt Luo,” Zhong Qingxiao asked, “has Xiao Ke always been in poor health since she was a child?”

Luo Meihua was stunned and denied, “No, she’s always been very healthy, never been sick.”

In fact, during occasional check-ups, her health indicators were almost perfect. Luo Meihua, a head nurse for many years, had never seen a healthier child than Luo Ke.

Tsk, such uncooperative humans.

Luo Ke whispered, “I just got a bit dizzy from the smoke.”

Zhong Qingxiao understood. The fire must have been burning for a while. Xiao Ke had already taken the most critical measures, preventing the security door from catching fire. Otherwise, it would have been too late by the time he noticed.

“Too dangerous,” Zhong Qingxiao said softly. “Next time, tell me if something like this happens.”

Luo Ke nodded. “It was my first time encountering something like this, so I didn’t react immediately.”

“Zhong Qingxiao, those people outside… they’re so scary. Do they want to kill us? Why? Didn’t we approach them with good intentions?” Luo Ke asked softly.

Her expression seemed full of fear, and the room was dark, making it hard for Zhong Qingxiao to see clearly.

But the question made him fall silent. He knew exactly what the arsonist wanted. Those people hadn’t eaten their fill for two or three days. Zhong Qingxiao had planned to organize everyone to gather food together once they agreed to his proposal in the morning. But on the first night, they had already harbored evil intentions.

This must have been instigated by someone, most likely those thugs.

Starting to suspect now, right? Luo Ke observed Zhong Qingxiao’s expression. She had said before that forming a team with those foolish humans was a bad idea. A bunch of cowards, unable to resist their malicious thoughts. Why couldn’t they just hide behind her and enjoy her protection? Wasn’t it enough to have only her in their lives?

Why seek out other humans to gather?

Only the weak gather in groups.

All the survivors here were safe because of her protection. Now that she had removed the restriction, would the monsters come?

Hoo-hoo, there might be a good show to watch.

Luo Ke was thrilled. She disdained to kill the fragile humans herself, but she didn’t need to. The monsters would help her, wouldn’t they?

Monsters, aren’t you coming?

The clock struck two in the morning in Luo Ke’s mind. What she had been waiting for all night finally appeared. The footsteps were very clear, thud, thud, thud.

How did those two trash from the other day fare? Who won? Tonight, the answer would be revealed. She was looking forward to it!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The very clear footsteps shook everyone’s nerves. The middle-aged man who had been standing in front of Room 1801, his eyes empty, was suddenly awakened by the footsteps. He belatedly heard the fearful whispers of the people in the hallway.

“Do you hear that… or is it just my imagination?”

“Doesn’t this sound familiar?”

“It’s that…”

Heavy breathing came from the stairwell, and the crowd instantly panicked, scrambling to hide. Even the leading thugs showed bewildered expressions.

“Boss! What do we do? It seems like something is coming.”

The Bald Man struggled to stand, instantly drawing his knife.

The corridor between Buildings A and B was long but had no cover. To be honest, the entire exposed part was designed to be simple and to minimize shared space, so there was no cover.

The footsteps grew closer, and the panicked crowd scattered, running everywhere. Some ran to the stairwell on the B side, trying to escape.

“Boss! Maybe we should run too!” Flat-Top Man said quickly.

The Bald Man disagreed. If he didn’t get treatment tonight, he wouldn’t last long. From morning till now, his head injury had worsened, affecting his vision. If they didn’t succeed in robbing Room 1801 tonight, he would die sooner or later.

“Keep an eye on the door,” the Bald Man growled. “We must wait for the people in 1801 to come out.”

“But there’s a monster coming,” the usually silent Scarred Man said. He was the youngest, looking only seventeen or eighteen, and usually very quiet.

“I said keep an eye on 1801!” the Bald Man shouted, just as the middle-aged man who had set the fire ran towards them in panic.

Run! Run! The middle-aged man shouted, trying to cross the corridor and escape through the stairwell on the other side. But he didn’t make it.

A knife stabbed into his back, once, twice, three times. The Bald Man’s strikes were swift, more like venting his anger.

The middle-aged man screamed and convulsed, collapsing to the ground, still alive.

The Bald Man looked at him and sneered. “We can feed him to the monster later. If we offer all the humans in this building to the monster, maybe we can become friends!”

Flat-Top Man felt a chill. The sound seemed to be from that big guy from the other night. He thought it had died fighting the Six-Eared Monster. But it was still alive… His sinister gaze swept over the Bald Man. Should he kill this fool?

At this moment, Scarred Man glanced back and said, “They’re back.”

The others turned to see the dozen people who had run out returning, each with the same terrified expression.

“Monster… monster…” they stammered.

Flat-Top Man noticed two of them had blood splattered on their faces, a lot of blood. Someone had just died.

So, there were monsters on both sides of the stairwell?

The screams outside Room 1801 were clear, as were the chaotic footsteps. Someone had died, perhaps killed by the monster, or perhaps…

Inside, the expressions of the people were dark. They had agreed before going to bed that unless there was an absolute necessity, they wouldn’t open the door at night. So Bai Lan and Zhu Yiming’s doors remained closed.

The three families were so close that 1801 couldn’t have heard the sounds without them noticing.

They’re here. Luo Ke exhaled lightly.

Zhong Qingxiao thought she was scared and held her tighter. But Luo Ke was smiling.

Without her restriction, these foolish low-level creatures couldn’t wait to act. All the survivors were here, right?

Ooh-her dear wife’s embrace was so soft, she didn’t want to leave.

Finally, the monsters appeared. Luo Ke didn’t need to go out to see clearly. Those eyes were really useful. It was the fat pig from the 17th floor. Luo Ke thought the two monsters had killed each other-

Wait, Luo Ke squinted. The monster coming up from the stairwell emitted a foul odor. It easily broke the stairwell door, with completely black eyes, a huge, fat body, and-six arms?

Besides its own two arms, the other four belonged to the slender monster. It had been devoured. The 17th-floor monster, a Primordial Entity, had evolved.

“What… what is that thing?”

Everyone’s faces were filled with terror, but they had nowhere to run because another monster soon crawled up from the other stairwell.

“Brains, brains, protein…”

The monster coming up from the other side looked like a giant mantis, with a thin, emaciated body. The only difference was the huge brain on its head, black with a greenish tint, pulsating as if alive.

“What the hell, looking like that and calling itself a monster?” Flat-Top Man muttered. This monster could be killed by cutting off the brain, right? Right?

In the corridor, the monsters closed in from both sides, trapping the people in the middle. Their faces turned pale, feeling they were doomed.

In the few minutes of standoff, a man seemed to have a mental breakdown and suddenly screamed, “Run! Hahaha! Run!”

He ran madly towards the giant monster in Building A, but after a few meters, his back was pierced simultaneously by a withered black hand and a bright red tongue, from two different monsters.

“Protein…” the brain-topped monster muttered in a strange tone. Its tongue seemed to latch onto the man’s body, sucking his blood in large gulps. The gurgling sound made everyone present shiver.

In less than ten seconds, the man was sucked dry, like a deflated milk carton, his shriveled skin falling to the ground like trash.

“Daddy!” a little girl screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Both monsters focused entirely on the people in the corridor. The fire outside Room 1801 had significantly diminished. Zhong Qingxiao quickly grabbed two flamethrowers, standing at the entrance, taking several deep breaths.

Should he go out? He was the one who proposed killing the monsters in the first place. But now there were two of them, and he couldn’t guarantee his survival.

If he died, what would happen to the people at home?

Bai Lan had also heard the commotion. She put out the remaining fire outside Room 1801 with water and nervously called out, “Is anyone there? Monsters are coming up. What do we do?”

Zhu Yiming hadn’t made a sound, either sleeping too deeply or unable to move yet.

Zhong Qingxiao took a deep breath and opened the door. He opened it quietly, letting Bai Lan in, then quickly closed it again. “We have to kill them,” he said seriously.

If the people in the corridor were slaughtered, they would be doomed.

Bai Lan seemed to think the same. She stared at the flamethrower in Zhong Qingxiao’s hand. “But will this thing really work? We haven’t tried it. If we fail-”

She had seen clearly from behind the wall. Both monsters outside could attack from a distance!

“So we need to coordinate,” Zhong Qingxiao’s voice trembled slightly. He admitted he was scared, but he had no choice.

Luo Ke sat on the sofa, watching Zhong Qingxiao and Bai Lan plan. What was this? He had just been holding her.

“Remember to apply body lotion,” Luo Ke interrupted. There were two monsters outside, so body lotion was necessary, right?

Zhong Qingxiao hesitated, then returned to the room. It was indeed necessary.

Bai Lan also took out her hand cream and carefully applied it.

The bedroom light had long been replaced by Luo Ke. She watched Zhong Qingxiao take off his clothes and immediately got up and entered the room.

“!” Zhong Qingxiao was startled. Seeing it was Luo Ke, he relaxed a bit.

“Can I help you apply it on your back?” Luo Ke’s eyes were filled with concern. “I’m afraid if it’s not enough, there might be an accident.”

Something that could save his life, Zhong Qingxiao didn’t refuse. He nodded.

Xiao Ke’s hands, though better than before, were still a bit cold. When they touched him, Zhong Qingxiao gasped. He didn’t pull away, trying to get used to the intimate contact.

Xiao Ke’s every move was gentle, always asking him first. It was just that Zhong Qingxiao wasn’t used to such intimate interactions… He should be completely open.

He felt like a husband about to go to war, uncertain of his fate, instinctively feeling he owed his wife, wanting to make amends but not knowing if he would have the chance.

“What are you thinking?” Luo Ke gently hugged him from behind, her lips against his smooth back.

Zhong Qingxiao took a deep breath. “I’ve refused you too many times before, Xiao Ke.”

In the apocalypse, there was no need to cling to his conservative thoughts. He wanted to be with Xiao Ke. At this moment, facing the possibility of death, he realized he really wanted it.

A love at first sight, completely his type. As a man, how could he always remain calm? The pressure had made him feel he had no time, but now, facing death, he felt relieved.

Luo Ke’s eyes lit up instantly, like an excited cat.

“Zhong Qingxiao,” she pretended not to understand, “what do you mean by that?”

There seemed to be no need to hide anything now. Zhong Qingxiao turned around, momentarily forgetting his bare upper body, and hugged Luo Ke, gently pressing her head to his chest.

“If I come back this time, I mean you can do whatever you want in that regard.”

That regard? Which regard?! Mating?

Luo Ke’s body trembled. She mustn’t have misunderstood, right?

“Can I ask for something now?”

A kiss? Zhong Qingxiao instinctively thought so. He didn’t refuse, looking into Luo Ke’s eyes and nodding. A kiss before parting.

But Luo Ke’s actions completely surprised him. She didn’t lift her head, didn’t kiss him. Instead, she opened her mouth and gently sucked, not favoring one over the other. Before Zhong Qingxiao could react, she had bitten both.

Zhong Qingxiao’s face turned red. Did his girlfriend have such a hobby?

“Come back,” Luo Ke bit him again. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Zhong Qingxiao avoided her gaze, hurriedly dressed, and left the room.

“Ready?” Bai Lan saw him come out and was about to pick up the flamethrower, but Zhong Shuping grabbed it first.

“Uncle?” Bai Lan was stunned.

Zhong Shuping said firmly, “I’ve heard your plan. My son and I will go. The coordination between us is bound to be better than between the two of you.”

His face was resolute-he was prepared to protect his son if necessary.

“Let’s go, Qingxiao.” Zhong Shuping opened the door, and Zhong Qingxiao quickly shook off the subtle emotions lingering from earlier and followed him out.

Behind them, Luo Ke walked out leisurely, her lips curling into an uncontrollable smile.

Her mood had improved immensely. What had her dear wife said earlier? If they returned safely, she could do whatever she wanted.

Had he accepted her to this extent already? Was this what it meant to be completely in love? Could she even use her True Form now?

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and the excitement bubbling inside her was almost written across her face.

Ah, this was taking forever. She couldn’t wait another second-if she left it entirely to these humans, how long would it take? Would it drag on until dawn?

“Keke.” Bai Lan, still visibly tense, pointed to the door. “Should we go check it out?”

“Sure,” Luo Ke replied, lowering her eyes. She casually took a weapon for self-defense, her pupils gleaming eerily in the dark of the night.

Those two outside were complete trash, weren’t they? She’d graciously help these poor humans clean up the mess. After all, it wasn’t a big deal.

Her sweet, dear wife had just rewarded her, hadn’t she?

The soft leather soles of her brown shoes stepped out of the door of Apartment 1801, and the girl’s delicate, beautiful face radiated an unmistakable murderous intent.