Chapter 573: Chapter 573: Meat

Both of them now looked serious.

Qin Feng broke the silence first. “These zombie kings are able to enter because of that suit. If we do nothing, this will turn into a real headache.”

Su Jiyai nodded. “I will try to find an alternative. For now, we need to guard the walls properly. Every single one of them.” She looked at him steadily.

“You are in charge of the military here. Deploy soldiers to patrol each gate. Make sure the patrol is tight. No blind spots.”

“I will,” Qin Feng replied. He stepped closer and pulled her into a quick hug. “Looks like some people are getting impatient.”

Su Jiyai nodded in agreement.

Then, something came to her mind. Her eyes brightened slightly. “The zombie virus antidote,” she murmured.

Qin Feng blinked. “What about it?”

“I have the seven scrolls,” she said. “I thought I needed nine, but I was wrong. I only need seven.”

She frowned slightly as she spoke, remembering her earlier mistake. Then her voice grew more confident.

“Since I have them now, I can make the antidote myself. I could not find the person who specializes in it, so I will have to do it. I have studied toxicology for a long time. I believe I can make it.”

Qin Feng’s eyes widened. “You are serious?”

“Yes,” Su Jiyai said. “I will need to isolate myself for a few months to work on it.”

Qin Feng’s brows drew together. “Why isolate yourself? What happened? Is it dangerous?”

“It is not dangerous if I am careful,” she answered.

“But I will need to focus completely. If I am distracted, I might make a mistake. I think I can make the antidote in about four months, as long as I am not drunk or tired.”

Qin Feng still looked concerned. “Jiyai, making an antidote is not easy. You cannot just… guess. Without proper testing, it will not work.”

Su Jiyai reached out and patted his hand gently. “I am not guessing. I have the formula. I do not know who invented it, but it is real. If I follow it exactly, I have a good chance.”

Qin Feng stared at her for a long moment. “If that is true… then the zombie virus could be completely wiped out.”

“Yes,” she said with a small smile.

Qin Feng’s heart was pounding. He pulled her closer and held her tightly.

Su Jiyai’s voice softened. “When this whole zombie apocalypse ends… we should register our marriage.”

Qin Feng froze for a second, then smiled. “I will look forward to that day.”

They stood like that for a while, feeling the quiet around them. Then, without planning it, they kissed.

It started soft, like a whisper. Qin Feng’s lips brushed against hers gently, almost as if asking for permission.

Su Jiyai’s hands moved up to his shoulders. She leaned in, letting the kiss deepen.

“I was scared when Ou Lin suddenly appeared,” Qin Feng murmured between breaths. “I didn’t want you to leave with him.”

Su Jiyai kept kissing him, but she broke away just enough to whisper, “Qin Feng, I would never leave you. Not for Ou Lin, not for anyone.”

He kept his forehead against hers. “You’re sure? I mean, he was there first.”

“I don’t care,” she interrupted softly. “When no one was there for me, you were. You didn’t just stand beside me, you fought for me. That’s worth more than anything in the past.”

Qin Feng smiled faintly, but his arms stayed tight around her. “You really mean it?”

“I do,” she said firmly. “You are my choice now. Always.”

He didn’t answer in words. Instead, he kissed her again, deeper this time, until they both forgot the cold outside and the noise from earlier.

The next morning, the base was buzzing with excitement for another reason entirely.

At the central marketplace, Su Jiyai had finally opened the new food store she’d been preparing. Inside were neatly arranged plates and bowls filled with different kinds of cooked beast meat, each one smelling so good that people passing by had to stop.

A young man at the front of the line sniffed the air and whispered to his friend, “It smells like… heaven.”

“I heard this beast meat isn’t just tasty,” another woman said behind them. “Boss Su said it has… special effects.”

The crowd leaned forward eagerly.

Mark stood behind the counter with a calm smile. “One person can only buy three dishes for now,” she announced. “Try them, and you’ll see why.”

One by one, people came forward, buying plates of steaming food. The first man took a bite, and his eyes went wide.

“This is… wow!” he exclaimed. “I feel warm all over. Wait… my cultivation level just went up a little!”

“What?” shouted another man nearby. “Let me try!” He grabbed his dish and took a big bite. “Oh! My stamina! It’s like I can run for hours now.”

A woman holding a smaller plate gasped. “I feel lighter. My agility just improved! I can… I can almost jump twice as high as before!”

Someone else suddenly shouted, “I can shrink! Look!” He shrank down to half his size, causing several people to jump back in shock.

Within five minutes, the entire base was buzzing with amazement.

“This food is magical!” a teenager cried.

“It’s like a weapon against the zombies,” an older man said, gripping his bowl protectively.

People started rushing back into the line, trying to get more, but Mark blocked them with a stern look. “Three per person. Rules are rules.”

Despite the limit, many left smiling and clutching their food like it was treasure.

……………

That afternoon, a group of fighters set out from the base gates. Their bags were full of the beast meat dishes, carefully wrapped.

At first, the battle outside the walls went as it usually did. Zombies rushed toward them, snarling and swinging their arms.

“Hold the line!” shouted one of the fighters.

Swords and powers clashed against undead bodies. But these zombies were stronger than expected. Soon, several fighters were breathing hard, their energy nearly gone.

One woman staggered back. “I can’t… keep going,” she gasped.

A man beside her remembered the food. “Wait! Try the meat!”

She fumbled in her bag, pulling out a small wrapped dish. She shoved a bite into her mouth, chewing quickly.

Her eyes lit up. “It’s back! My superpower… it’s full again!” She blasted a zombie with renewed strength.

The others quickly followed her example.

One fighter tore into a plate of meat and roared, “Strength boost! Watch this!” He swung his sword and knocked a zombie clean off its feet.

Another man ate a spicy-looking dish and laughed. “Speed boost! These zombies can’t even touch me now!” He darted between them, striking before they could react.

Even the man who had the shrinking ability earlier used it in battle now, ducking under zombie arms and slashing at their legs.

Within minutes, the tide had turned completely. The zombies, confused and overwhelmed, began to slow down.

“They’re tired,” one fighter said. “And we’re just getting started!”

With every bite of the magical food, the fighters felt like they were at full power again. The zombies were pushed back farther and farther from the gates.

Finally, the last of the horde stumbled away, too weak to keep fighting.

The fighters stood panting but grinning. “We did it,” the woman from earlier said. “And it’s all because of Boss Su’s food.”

When they returned to the base, they were greeted with cheers.

“Did it really work?” someone in the crowd asked.

“It works better than we thought,” a fighter said proudly. “Not only does it heal your stamina, it boosts your powers. If we all had this during every battle, we could win every time.”

………………..

The news of the magical beast meat spread like wildfire throughout the base.

By the end of the day, every single piece was sold out. The shelves in Su Jiyai’s store were completely empty, and even the plates and trays looked lonely without the steaming dishes.

Mark counted the earnings with wide eyes. “Boss… do you see this? The sales… this is insane! We earned more today than I thought we’d earn in a month.”

Su Jiyai stood there, still stunned. “We… stocked enough for a whole week. I thought people would buy slowly.”

“Well,” Mark said with a laugh, “when the food makes you faster, stronger, and… able to shrink, people aren’t going to wait.”

Qin Feng walked in, carrying a small stack of empty baskets from the market. “I couldn’t even walk two steps without someone asking if there was more. They’re treating this meat like gold.”

Su Jiyai sighed, rubbing her temples. “This is a problem.”

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. “A problem? You just made more money than you imagined.”

“Yes,” she said seriously, “but if the demand is this high, how are we going to keep up? If we can’t supply enough, people might start fighting over it.”

Mark nodded. “And you saw the fighters today. They’re counting on this food for their battles now.”