Rebirth In The Apocalypse As A Beastman

Chapter 13 

 

Qin Jiulin, who was handling the wild boar in the bathroom, heard the doorbell ring. He furrowed his brow slightly, thinking it was those people from Zhou Yiyi’s group coming to find him again. Did they not find his words harsh enough? Hadn’t he already driven away the three individuals who came to see him yesterday in that manner? Why wouldn’t they give up on trying to recruit him? In their eyes, he should have been just an ordinary adult, right? Why were they so persistent in their attempts to bring him into their team?

 

However, when Qin Jiulin pulled back the curtains and looked outside, he noticed that the person standing at the front gate was both familiar and unfamiliar. If he wasn’t mistaken, this person seemed to be…

 

Ah! He remembered now. This person was a fellow variant beastman, just like himself, and their transformed form seemed to be that of a giant snake. So, does that mean the one who attacked him last night wasn’t a wild snake undergoing complete atavism, but rather this person?!

 

What audacity! Did this guy consider him as his prey? Unexpectedly, Qin Jiulin had also become the hunted prey of other variant beastmen seeking to hunt down completely atavistic individuals.

 

However, at the moment, this person probably didn’t know that Qin Jiulin was also a variant beastman. So when they communicated later, Qin Jiulin would have to somewhat agree with the current situation.

 

He opened the door and walked outside, reaching the front gate. He and the person outside stared at each other for a moment through the door. Of course, due to his injuries, Qin Jiulin had no problem with his walking posture, but his speed was a bit slow.

 

Qin Jiulin furrowed his brow slightly and looked at the person outside. “Who are you? Do you have something to discuss with me?”

 

He did recognize this person. They had some interactions in his previous life, and even in this life… when television was still working, he had seen this person on TV. However, now with the water and power shut off, and even the communication network being cut, there was no chance to see this person again.

 

“Hello, I… I am Liu Zhongyuan. I have something to discuss with you…”

 

Liu Zhongyuan, this person was the one who expressed interest in Qin Jiulin during his previous life when he was spinning in circles due to Xia Liansheng’s deception. However, at that time, Qin Jiulin didn’t pay him any attention. Their connection and contact gradually faded afterward, or rather, it was Qin Jiulin’s side that faded.

 

After all, Xia Liansheng knew about this matter back then and even said a few words about it in front of Qin Jiulin to some extent, so after thinking it over, Qin Jiulin distanced himself from Liu Zhongyuan.

 

Qin Jiulin looked at his somewhat awkward expression and knew that the giant snake he encountered last night was indeed him. “Mr. Liu?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan nodded and then said, “Um… I have something to discuss with you.”

 

After finishing his sentence, he gestured towards the creature behind him. Qin Jiulin leaned in for a look and saw a wild rabbit, completely atavistic in nature. It was as big as an adult wolfhound, with fangs protruding from its mouth, and its sharp claws were quite menacing.

 

Qin Jiulin raised an eyebrow and asked, “Hmm? What does this mean?”

 

At this point, they still didn’t know each other well, so Qin Jiulin couldn’t show any familiarity towards Liu Zhongyuan. After all, Liu Zhongyuan appeared dull and simple-minded, but in reality, he was highly intelligent. Often, he would unconsciously play the fool and catch people off guard.

 

Qin Jiulin couldn’t afford to underestimate Liu Zhongyuan’s seemingly cold and simple demeanor. He had no idea whether it was genuine or a facade. In their previous life, they hadn’t had the opportunity for deep interactions, so they weren’t very familiar with each other, and Qin Jiulin was uncertain about Liu Zhongyuan’s true character.

 

Liu Zhongyuan stuttered, “Um… How are your injuries?”

 

Qin Jiulin paused, taken aback. “What?”

 

It seemed as if he was thinking, “How did you know I was injured?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan became increasingly embarrassed and struggled to explain, “Last night…”

 

Narrowing his eyes, Qin Jiulin asked, “You were nearby last night and witnessed it?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head. “No, no, I wasn’t. Actually, it was… me. I was the one who… that snake…”

 

Qin Jiulin was stunned, and it took a few seconds for him to react. Perhaps he realized that even without his injuries, he couldn’t defeat this person, let alone in his current condition. Therefore, facing Liu Zhongyuan, he could only grit his teeth and ask, “So, what’s the meaning behind you coming to find me?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan noticed Qin Jiulin’s anger and hurriedly tried to appease him, clumsily saying, “I have no ill intentions. I came here to apologize. Last night… I went out hunting and came across a giant tiger. It seemed completely atavistic, so I… I thought it was… a completely atavistic tiger, and I took action…”

 

While Qin Jiulin remained silent, Liu Zhongyuan continued, “I’ll take care of you during this time until you’ve recovered. What do you think?”

 

Qin Jiulin carefully scrutinized him for a while before cautiously asking, “Why should I believe you?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan didn’t know how to make Qin Jiulin believe him. In a moment of desperation, he blurted out, “If I wanted to harm you, I could easily have done so.”

 

Upon hearing this, Qin Jiulin was dumbfounded. Was this guy openly declaring himself to be weak… No, a paper tiger? So brazen?

 

After saying this, Liu Zhongyuan seemed to realize what he had said. He appeared flustered but eventually mustered a clumsy smile and whispered, “I… I didn’t mean it that way.”

 

Qin Jiulin had a vague feeling that the dull and honest appearance Liu Zhongyuan had displayed in their previous life was definitely a facade. This person was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a classic case of playing dumb to catch others off guard.

 

Since that was the case, if someone willingly came to be oppressed, wouldn’t it be a loss not to enjoy it?

 

With a cold expression, Qin Jiulin said, “Qin Jiulin.”

 

He then opened the front door and turned to walk back inside.

 

Outside the front door, Liu Zhongyuan blinked in surprise, followed by a smile. He brought along the rabbit he casually caught after having a satisfying meal last night and walked inside, conveniently closing the door behind him.

 

Entering the living room, Liu Zhongyuan looked somewhat lost as he gazed at Qin Jiulin already resting on the sofa. He pointed to the bathroom on the first floor and said, “Didn’t you say you’d take care of me? You can take charge of cooking from now on.”

 

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “No problem, leave it all to me.”

 

Qin Jiulin watched him go into the bathroom on the first floor and heard him ask, “Should I continue to process the wild boar in the bathroom?”

 

“Of course, it’s food. Should we just waste all that meat?” Qin Jiulin responded.

 

In the bathroom, Liu Zhongyuan obediently began to prepare the ingredients. The kitchen was already arranged, although it lacked running water and electricity. However, it was still a place to cook. There were piles of firewood, neatly arranged, obviously collected by Qin Jiulin. It looked very tidy and pleasing to the eye.

 

Qin Jiulin furrowed his brow, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. He lay down on the sofa to relax. Surface-level injuries weren’t a concern; it was the internal injuries caused by the squeezing last night that bothered him. He had no idea how many days it would take to recover.

 

With his eyes closed, Qin Jiulin didn’t notice that Liu Zhongyuan, who was processing the ingredients in the bathroom, had a calm expression on his face and an interesting look in his eyes as he observed Qin Jiulin lying on the sofa.

 

However, upon noticing his furrowed brows, Liu Zhongyuan’s expression became somewhat guilty and unnatural. He quickly averted his gaze and continued to skillfully handle the ingredients in front of him.

 

He sighed inwardly. The most important thing now wasn’t anything else but… what excuse he would use to stay after Qin Jiulin recovered from his injuries.

 

After all, once Qin Jiulin recovered, Liu Zhongyuan wouldn’t have a reason to stay anymore. What if Qin Jiulin insisted on driving him away?

 

After all, last night he had treated Qin Jiulin as prey to kill. If Qin Jiulin hadn’t acted decisively and immediately broke free from his transformation and escaped, he might have ended up as Liu Zhongyuan’s meal by now.

 

This kind of matter couldn’t be easily brushed aside by anyone. If it were himself, he would definitely find a way to secretly get rid of the other person.

 

But now, this person was himself… What could he do? He felt helpless as well.

 

Liu Zhongyuan truly understood it. At the front door, Qin Jiulin had allowed him in because he knew Liu Zhongyuan was no match for him.

 

Most likely, Qin Jiulin wouldn’t make a move against him in the future. However… whether he could continue staying here remained uncertain. Well, he couldn’t come up with a good solution right now. He would figure it out later.

 

Perhaps due to his injuries, Qin Jiulin fell asleep on the sofa. When he woke up, he discovered that he was covered with a blanket, and a delicious meaty smell wafted from the kitchen.

 

*******

 

Translator’s note: 

 

Hello, guys! Sorry for the super late update. I just got so busy! I plan on uploading one today, but someone supported me on Ko-Fi, I’ll add two more. Thank you so much Mostnem!