My Girlfriend's a Monster - Chapter 32

The shop was eerily quiet, with only the call bell ringing intermittently. Luo Ke waited a few seconds, growing impatient, her face darkening as she spoke, “Not coming out?”

Finally, there was a noise from the operation room, a rustling sound accompanied by a few sharp laughs, which sounded quite creepy. Luo Ke remained expressionless.

Something emerged from the operation room, accompanied by the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor. The first thing that caught the eye was a white chef’s hat, and then Luo Ke saw the face beneath it-swollen, bluish, resembling an ugly goblin with a face like a fathead fish. This Monster was shorter than Luo Ke, yet it dragged a human corpse behind it.

Like the two bodies outside, the flesh was turned inside out, the internal organs completely hollowed out, leaving only the intestines.

The Monster, in front of her, tied the intestines of the new corpse to those of the other two.

Luo Ke pressed the call bell again, twice: “One Berry Sandwich, freshly made, you have ten minutes.”

The fathead fish seemed very displeased at being disturbed, turning around menacingly to bare its teeth, only to be slapped hard, its head spinning on its slender neck.

“Don’t understand? Want to die?” Luo Ke, displeased, smashed the call bell to pieces.

This Monster was still engaged in its human occupation, clearly retaining some awareness. Didn’t it know the customer was always right? She had already waited a damn three minutes.

The fathead fish, dizzy from the slap, suddenly realized the newcomer was not human at all. Instinctively frightened, it tried to flee, only to be slapped again.

“Ah!!!” the fathead fish screamed, “Berry Sandwich!”

It yelled as it rushed into the operation room, just about to knead the dough when Luo Ke barged in and slapped it again. The girl’s voice was chilling: “Not washing your hands?”

“…” The fathead fish was on the verge of tears. Under the watchful eye of this esteemed guest, it meticulously washed its hands seven times before starting to prepare the dough and fry the Berry Sandwich.

Ugh, there were only enough fresh berries left in the fridge for one more serving.

The fathead fish cried as it worked, its level of fear rising, even regaining a semblance of normal human consciousness. It trembled, “I’m almost done! Please don’t hit me again! This one’s on the house, my treat!”

Luo Ke refrained from hitting it again. She wondered why Zhong Qingxiao, who was a good cook himself, was so fond of this shop’s Berry Sandwich. She picked up a berry and popped it into her mouth; the slightly sour and sweet taste was quite nice.

This peculiar young lady was exceptionally silent, staring at it intently… The fathead fish was almost at a loss, but fortunately, the Berry Sandwich was its specialty, even favored by professors at Shencheng University, and it made no mistakes along the way.

Juicing the berries, frying the bread slices to just the right crispness… Ah, how wonderful, the baking process. Its lifelong dream was to run a good bakery, if only it hadn’t been exploited by unscrupulous bosses. It only earned 2800 yuan a month…

Unscrupulous boss, damn boss! Die!

The fathead fish’s eyes grew darker, as if black water could gush out from them.

“Dare to dirty the sandwich, and I’ll kill you.” Luo Ke’s voice suddenly rang out, startling the Monster into instant clarity.

“No! No dirt! Very clean.”

The exquisite packaging was placed in a high-quality kraft paper bag, and the fathead fish wore a satisfied smile, looking rather eerie.

Luo Ke took the sandwich and left the bakery.

Ah, what a pretty and cute girl. The fathead fish watched her back, regretting that it had remained single all these years.

The Commercial Building was cold, as if it were a Cold Storage Room, with the chill creeping up through the pant legs.

In such a building, the elevator was designed for sightseeing, allowing views both inside and outside. The group entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 30th floor.

As the elevator doors closed and ascended from the first to the ninth floor, the outside scenery remained relatively normal and natural, with only some disordered office facilities and commercial shops inside, as if rummaged through by outsiders, appearing quite messy.

“Could someone have been here before us? What if the flamethrower is already gone?” Bai Lan worried about coming in vain and taking unnecessary risks.

“Let’s check it out first; we have to see for ourselves.” Zhong Qingxiao replied.

As his voice fell, starting from the 21st floor, the scenery inside the building became spectacular. People, densely packed people, or rather, corpses, were displayed like exhibits on the floor, lying neatly, both men and women, with the men mostly in suits and ties, and the women dressed formally, clearly office workers.

The elevator fell silent, no one spoke, but everyone felt a chill down their spine, some even swallowing nervously.

The 21st floor was like this, so was the 22nd, and the 23rd…

Perhaps the scene was too grand, the visual impact too strong, Zhong Qingxiao even thought he vaguely smelled the stench of rotting corpses.

He unconsciously pressed his hand tightly on the flamethrower.

At this moment, a strange whispering voice came from above: “Not enough… New ones are coming, hehe.”

In the sightseeing elevator, Hu Qiang, who had previously opposed, suddenly felt a rustling sound from above. He looked up and immediately screamed.

A hand was covering the top of the elevator, slowly reaching toward them.

Seeing this, everyone’s faces changed, and Zhong Qingxiao, who was prepared at the elevator entrance, quickly pressed the nearest floor button, “Everyone, get out of the elevator!”

Various corpses were displayed outside, but there was no time for hesitation. As soon as the elevator dinged to a stop, everyone rushed out.

As the last one, Grandma Zhong, ran out of the elevator, the unknown arm grabbed the elevator, shook it, and violently lifted the entire elevator. Seeing no one inside, the thing above let out a piercing scream, followed by a sound resembling a baby’s cry.

Waa-waa-

Terrifying.

Bang! The elevator was thrown down like a toy, completely destroyed, followed by a thumping sound from the top floor, like a child running barefoot on a wooden floor, only louder and more terrifying.

“What do we do!!” Hu Qiang was so scared he almost wet himself, “I told you we shouldn’t have come!”

“Go downstairs!” Zhong Qingxiao made a quick decision.

However, before they could reach the emergency exit, they heard footsteps descending rapidly from just one floor above, so fast it made their hearts race. At such speed, even if they ran down the stairs, they couldn’t outrun the Monster.

Zhong Qingxiao glanced at the floor number, 29th floor.

Only one floor left to the 30th. If they couldn’t escape, then perhaps…

Bai Lan thought the same. She nudged the flamethrower in Zhong Qingxiao’s hand, “Get ready, if it comes, we’ll charge up. We’ve come this far, we must get the flamethrower no matter what!”

Zhong Qingxiao tightened his grip on the flamethrower switch. At the brink of life and death, he wasn’t as scared anymore, his eyes fixed on the stairway above, ready to confront the Monster.

“Where is it? The new ones, found them.”

A Monster, as tall as a floor, came running down from above, with a huge head, the largest eyes among its features, a nose almost invisible, and a mouth revealing jagged teeth. Its body resembled a water sack, with a very bloated belly, short legs, but very long arms.

Zhong Qingxiao immediately recognized it as the Monster that had attacked the elevator.

Closer, closer…

But Hu Qiang had already screamed, running downstairs in terror, and the Monster instantly grabbed him, about to smash him against the wall.

No. Zhong Qingxiao frowned and charged up, aiming the flamethrower at the Monster’s head.

Flames burst out, and a huge, shrill scream erupted from the Monster’s mouth. In pain, it dropped Hu Qiang and turned to attack Zhong Qingxiao in a frenzy. Zhong Qingxiao dodged with the flamethrower and ran upstairs without hesitation.

Grandma Zhong and Bai Lan hurriedly followed, while Hu Qiang, scared witless, scrambled and crawled after them.

The 30th floor was more like a large shopping center, with outdoor equipment and a large supermarket. Seeing the supermarket, Zhong Qingxiao felt a glimmer of hope. He told Bai Lan and Grandma Zhong, “You go to the outdoor store, take as many flamethrowers as you can find, I’ll check the supermarket.”

The two nodded, and the three split up.

The building was unlit, the lighting dim. As Zhong Qingxiao searched for the cold storage area, he suddenly heard a voice very close to him: “I can’t reach it… can’t reach it, I can’t reach it…”

He instantly held his breath, then saw a human-shaped sludge crawling on the floor, as if crushed into this state by a foot, yet somehow still alive. This thing crawled around the supermarket floor, occasionally reaching for the shelves.

It could only reach the third shelf, but its hand kept stretching upward, unable to reach the items above.

“I can’t reach it… I can’t reach it…”

Suddenly, the Monster’s eyes locked onto Zhong Qingxiao.

Zhong Qingxiao instinctively took a step back. The flamethrower was no longer usable; he wondered if he could smash this one with it.

“I want… that, the molten center cookies, can you get it for me?”

Zhong Qingxiao turned, spotting several boxes of chocolate molten center cookies on the five-tiered shelf beside him. He hesitantly took one down and slowly handed it to the Monster.

“Tha… thank you.” The Monster took the cookies and crawled away.

Zhong Qingxiao found it surreal. This Monster didn’t harm people and even communicated with them? How bizarre…

After it left, the Monster continued crawling around elsewhere, muttering, “I can’t reach it… I can’t reach it…”

The voice seemed to call out to the soul, and in this eerie atmosphere, Zhong Qingxiao rushed to the cold storage area.

This Commercial Building was clearly a high-end supermarket, with a cold storage room made of ice blocks. Some had already melted, water stains spreading on the floor, but the meat on the unmelted ice still looked fresh.

Zhong Qingxiao’s eyes lit up. He went over, picked up several pieces, sniffed them, confirmed they had no odor, then sealed them in plastic bags and packed them in his backpack.

He had just packed five or six pieces when the chilling sound of a child’s cry emerged from nearby: Waa-waa-

The Monster wasn’t dead! Zhong Qingxiao felt a chill in his heart. The cold storage room was sealed; he couldn’t hide here. Zhong Qingxiao left the supermarket, hiding among the shelves, carefully observing the situation outside.

The Monster roamed the corridor, constantly emitting cries, its face charred black by the fire, with only one eye left, darting around.

Not good, it was heading toward the outdoor equipment store.

Zhong Qingxiao frowned. Grandma Zhong and Bai Lan were still there… but he had no weapon left.

The Monster’s footsteps passed the supermarket entrance, getting closer to the outdoor equipment store. Zhong Qingxiao gritted his teeth, placed his backpack in a conspicuous spot, and dashed out.

He grabbed a can and hurled it at the Monster. The Monster turned, its remaining eye oozing thick black water upon seeing Zhong Qingxiao, who immediately turned and ran.

But he had overestimated himself, forgetting that the Monster’s arm could stretch indefinitely. Before he could reach the stairwell, a large hand grabbed him and dragged him back.

Zhong Qingxiao’s heart stopped.

“I can’t reach it…”

As he was dragged back, he saw the supermarket’s sludge Monster crawling over, their eyes meeting, and Zhong Qingxiao couldn’t help but swallow.

At this moment, the sludge Monster suddenly lunged at him. Zhong Qingxiao, terrified, closed his eyes and raised his hands to block, but the expected pain didn’t come. Instead, the grip on his waist loosened.

Zhong Qingxiao looked back, seeing the sludge Monster biting the other Monster’s arm.

“Kind person, helped me, thank you… thank you… molten center cookies.”

Zhong Qingxiao still felt a chill down his spine. He got up without hesitation and ran, sprinting to the stairwell at his fastest speed ever, catching a glimpse of the sludge Monster being thrown to the ground and stomped on by the giant Monster, then swallowed.

The horrifying scene made Zhong Qingxiao’s sanity drop rapidly. He ran upstairs desperately, soon hearing the Monster’s pursuit and cries behind him. Zhong Qingxiao tightly closed his eyes.

Please, please, let him survive.

He ran up six floors in one breath, and when he came to his senses, he was already on the 36th floor. The fear of being on the brink of death and the immense physical exertion left Zhong Qingxiao somewhat exhausted, yet the building seemed to have suddenly fallen silent.

Not a sound could be heard, eerily quiet.

“Hey.”

On the 32nd floor, a girl in delicate little shoes appeared, staring at the ugly, twisted Big Eyed Monster.

“Which hand touched him?” Luo Ke smiled sweetly, appearing gentle and harmless.

“Big… big sister…” The Big Eyed Monster suddenly stopped its cries, its glossy black eyes looking at Luo Ke, “My toy is lost, big sister… mom, mom can’t find it.”

“Oh, how pitiful.” Luo Ke showed a sympathetic expression, “Look at your deformed self, have you checked your stomach?”

“Stomach?” The Monster lowered its head, actually tearing open its own belly, black water and rotten innards spilling everywhere, along with several colorful plastic toys and a female corpse.

Luo Ke sneered, “Idiot.”

She wasted no more time with the dimwit, her tentacles sprang into action, piercing the Monster through, writhing in agony as it died.

So filthy, these low-level Monsters.

Luo Ke turned and headed upstairs.

Zhong Qingxiao dared not go downstairs, cautiously observing his surroundings, discovering that the entire 36th floor was a gym, with a whole wall of huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the outside.

In the dead silence, a sudden massive tremor caused Zhong Qingxiao to sway. What was happening? An earthquake?

This was too much misfortune.

Before he could figure it out, another loud rumble shattered the windscreen in front of him. Zhong Qingxiao quickly retreated to avoid being hit by flying debris.

The entire building shook violently, feeling very much like a major earthquake. Zhong Qingxiao’s eyes showed despair, and the next second, a massive shockwave blew him out, the gym equipment unsecured, even though Zhong Qingxiao quickly grabbed a heavy stretching machine, he floated out the window like a feather with the equipment.

There was no way to survive…

In an instant, the endless floors below came into view as Zhong Qingxiao fell almost vertically, the wind roaring loudly. He closed his eyes tightly, the survival rate from the 36th floor was…

Something wrapped around his waist, the touch surprisingly familiar.

Zhong Qingxiao opened his eyes, seeing a dark red giant octopus tentacle coiled around his waist, reminiscent of many nights before in his dreams. He was stunned, following the tentacle to its source.

At the source stood Luo Ke, inexplicably appearing here, her expression indifferent, her right arm half human, half…

“Xiao Ke?” Zhong Qingxiao’s voice trembled, his face blank, completely uncomprehending what was happening.

Tsk, what a hassle, her reflexive action after fully merging had exposed her. What should she say now? It was impossible to hide anymore.

Luo Ke’s brows furrowed slightly, shaking the bag in her hand to attract Zhong Qingxiao’s attention.

“Your sandwich.” Luo Ke looked at him, “Do you want to eat it now or later?”

The familiar kraft paper packaging didn’t distract Zhong Qingxiao’s gaze for even a moment. He still stared blankly at the tentacle around his waist, his expression like an emoji: 0.0.

The wind roared noisily in his ears as Zhong Qingxiao, wrapped in the tentacle, was brought back inside. As he landed on the floor, his legs gave way, and he stumbled, then was caught by Luo Ke.

Her movement was like a gentlemanly knight supporting his bride, her voice carrying a gentle smile: “Watch out for the glass shards.”

In Zhong Qingxiao’s bewildered eyes, his girlfriend’s smiling face was reflected. Why… was her reaction so natural?

“Xiao Ke, when… did you become a Monster?”

His voice trembled, his entire body subtly shaking.

Luo Ke watched his expression, her lips curling slightly. Did Zhong Qingxiao think she was a Monster? How amusing.

“I don’t know.” She replied.

“You…” Zhong Qingxiao frowned tightly.

Ah, his expression was so beautiful, his emotions so vivid. Luo Ke easily read his confusion and helplessness, surprise and fear, these rich emotions like colorful lights, displayed in his beautiful eyes.

Exquisite.

Many memories slowly surfaced in Zhong Qingxiao’s mind. When did he notice something was wrong? Didn’t he feel anything at all?

Was it the unsettling feeling that arose when making eye contact with his girlfriend, the fact that she seemed too normal every day, even knowing there were Monsters outside, she remained indifferent…

Or…

What was it? His girlfriend actually behaved perfectly, he couldn’t find a single flaw, except for the occasional human instinct that made him feel fear.

If he had to say, it was probably when she broke a Monster’s arm with just a cane, when she always returned unscathed, how did she bring him back home from the 17th floor when he was unconscious?

His girlfriend, his first love of three months, was… a Monster?!

There were almost no signs, but Zhong Qingxiao had a strong intuition. He looked at his girlfriend and asked, “You’ve been one all along, haven’t you?”

She had been all along, clearly raised with public education, why was her mindset so strange? Zhong Qingxiao always attributed it to the orphanage, but she had left there at five or six years old.

Then, Aunt Luo wasn’t…

“Mom isn’t.” Luo Ke leisurely spun around the metal pole, “You’re the first to know.”

“Zhong Qingxiao.” She softly called his name, turning back to smile at him, though her eyes were dark, “You won’t break up with me because of this, will you?”

Zhong Qingxiao was at a loss for words, unable to answer the question. All his thoughts had stalled, it felt like a dream, even his brain seemed frozen, he had experienced too much today.

He even wondered if he was really dreaming. He saw the red giant octopus from his dream again, heard his girlfriend’s voice, wasn’t this a dream?

The glass window was gone, the hot wind blowing into the room, gently brushing his stiff, numb limbs.

“I brought this just for you.” Luo Ke handed him the kraft paper bag, “Aren’t you going to eat it?”

Zhong Qingxiao instinctively took it, a Berry Sandwich, seemingly freshly made, still warm.

In this Monster-infested apocalypse, his girlfriend had brought him a freshly made Berry Sandwich from the bakery.

Zhong Qingxiao felt cold all over, everything seemed to make him shiver. He slept in the same bed with a Monster every day, they had kissed countless times, he, with a Monster.

Luo Ke had been deceiving him, her discomfort was an act, her fear was an act, even her human identity was a disguise!

He had been completely deceived.

But… but his girlfriend hadn’t harmed anyone, right? She had saved his life, his father’s life, maybe even Bai Lan and Zhu Yiming were saved by her.

Just now, she saved him from falling to his death.

These things wouldn’t be erased just because his girlfriend was a Monster. No matter what, Xiao Ke had saved them, many times, many times.

Are there benevolent Monsters?

If the supermarket Monster hadn’t helped him, he might have been killed by now, yet it was willing to be eaten to save him, just because he helped it get a box of molten center cookies.

Countless thoughts intertwined in Zhong Qingxiao’s mind, his head throbbing, and hunger followed. He really wanted to eat this sandwich.

The perfectly crispy fried bread slice, the slightly sour taste, Zhong Qingxiao took a big bite, even though his hand holding the sandwich was still trembling. The familiar taste, he knew with one bite that this was definitely made by that bakery’s chef.

Zhong Qingxiao didn’t remember telling his girlfriend about this preference, maybe he mentioned it casually, and she remembered.

“Xiao Ke.” Zhong Qingxiao finished the entire sandwich before looking up, asking, “When we’re at home, Monsters never come to the 18th floor, is it because of you?”

Thinking about this? Luo Ke nodded, unabashedly claiming credit.

Yes, it was all because of her. Did he know how much she had done to protect everyone during this time? She had said countless times, she was a great contributor.

Another thing surfaced in Zhong Qingxiao’s mind: “That day, when the Monster charged at me on the corridor, was it you who pulled me?”

Did he notice that too? Dear wife is very clever.

Luo Ke nodded again.

At this moment, she had returned to her human form, looking like an ordinary girl. She spoke, “Zhong Qingxiao, I wasn’t human to begin with. When Luo Meihua adopted me from the orphanage twenty years ago, I was already not human.”

Anyway, it had come to this, revealing the truth didn’t matter anymore.

All the disguises were irrelevant now.

She stood on the gym equipment, looking down at Zhong Qingxiao with a surprisingly superior gaze. Her expression was calm, making a question she was determined to ask: “So, have you thought about the mating thing?”