Rebirth In The Apocalypse As A Beastman

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Chapter 19 

 

After waking up, Qin Jiulin felt much better. His stomach was no longer as painful as before. It seemed that in another two or three days, he would be fully recovered, and by then, he would kick Liu Zhongyuan out.

 

He changed his clothes and walked downstairs. As soon as he opened the door, he smelled a fragrant aroma. Although he wasn’t particularly hungry, the scent made his stomach feel slightly empty.

 

He walked to the entrance of the kitchen and saw Liu Zhongyuan busy inside. “What are you doing?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan smiled and replied, “I made something simple. You don’t have to worry. I caught completely wild animals, and they all taste great. Eating them will also help you recover from your injuries.”

 

Qin Jiulin nodded and then, as if reminded of something, said, “You’re quite proactive…”

 

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Liu Zhongyuan continued his actions as if he didn’t catch the meaning behind Qin Jiulin’s words. “Yes, of course, I should be more proactive. After all, your injuries were caused by me. It’s my responsibility.”

 

Qin Jiulin didn’t say anything further and took some clean clothes to the bathroom. He wanted to take a quick shower. There were two bathrooms on the first floor, one for food preparation and the other for personal hygiene.

 

When he came out of the bathroom, Liu Zhongyuan had already placed the cooked meat on the dining table. “Come and eat. I’ll go wash up as well.”

 

“Okay, I’ll save half for you,” replied Qin Jiulin.

 

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Liu Zhongyuan chuckled, “That’s very kind of you.”

 

He watched Qin Jiulin sitting on the chair and picking up his chopsticks to eat a piece of meat. The way he lightly nodded was somewhat amusing, but after just a brief glance, Liu Zhongyuan shifted his gaze away, took his own clothes (which belonged to Qin Jiulin), and entered the bathroom where Qin Jiulin had just showered.

 

After closing the door, Liu Zhongyuan squinted his eyes and then revealed an indiscernible smile, as if he were feeling the moisture in the air. Then he slowly sat down.

 

He took off his own clothes, revealing his well-built upper body. The muscle lines were just right, not excessively prominent. Every inch of it was perfect, showcasing a sense of power with every move.

 

Unfortunately, he didn’t appreciate himself, and there was no one else here to admire him. The only person was still outside eating meat. Liu Zhongyuan felt a bit regretful as he touched his own abs and muttered to himself, “What’s the use of looking good? Do I really expect someone to admire me?”

 

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He washed himself as quickly as possible, put on his clothes, and went out to eat with Qin Jiulin.

 

Qin Jiulin glanced at him and asked, “You finished washing so quickly?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Yeah, men! We take faster showers.”

 

Qin Jiulin didn’t find anything wrong with that and said, “Let’s eat.”

 

As Liu Zhongyuan ate, he said, “By the way, someone came looking for you earlier, but since I didn’t know them, I sent them away.”

 

Qin Jiulin paused and asked, “Who was it?  What kind of person?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan thought for a moment and replied, “Someone I didn’t recognize. They seemed to be from this villa area. Apart from the two of us, it seems that all the other survivors have gathered together. They mentioned having two people who can transform into beasts to protect them. However, we don’t need their help, so I sent them away.”

 

Qin Jiulin asked, “Were they rude?”

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Liu Zhongyuan said, “Not particularly rude. Have you encountered them before?”

 

Qin Jiulin responded, “They’ve come twice before, and I turned them down both times. I didn’t expect them to come a third time.”

 

Liu Zhongyuan chuckled and said, “Too bad. They aren’t Liu Bei’s brothers, and you aren’t Zhuge Liang. They won’t just leave after three visits.”

 

Qin Jiulin felt a bit uncomfortable with his analogy and said, “In their eyes, I’m just an ordinary person. I guess they wanted me to go with them and become cannon fodder.”

 

Liu Zhongyuan agreed, “That makes sense. Although we can both transform, it seems our situations are different.”

 

Qin Jiulin’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained composed. “Different? How so?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan explained, “Yes, it’s different. In the other villa, I saw the two beastmen—one turned into a pigeon, and the other into a red fox. They looked ordinary, with no abnormalities. But we are different. Look at the giant tiger you transform into and the giant snake I transform into.”

 

“Whether it’s the size, fur color, or my body shape and scales, there are significant differences. It’s like the distinction between non-reversionary and complete-reversionary forms among animals.”

 

Qin Jiulin remarked, “Abnormal… That’s indeed abnormal. Then… let’s call ourselves variant beastmen, those who possess completely reversionary beast forms.”

 

Liu Zhongyuan blinked his eyes, looking somewhat surprised. “Variant beastmen… That’s not bad. I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t expect us to be on the same wavelength.”

 

Qin Jiulin asked, “You were thinking the same thing?”

 

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Yeah, variant beastmen. That name sounds cool!”

 

Qin Jiulin said indifferently, “Whatever, I just said it casually.”

 

Liu Zhongyuan wasn’t discouraged by his cold response. Instead, he approached and continued speaking, “Was it really just a casual thought? It’s amazing that you thought the same as me. Did you secretly listen to me sleep-talking at night?”

 

Qin Jiulin swallowed the last bite of meat, put down his chopsticks, and looked at him. “I’m done eating. The rest is yours. Remember not to waste it.”

 

After saying that, he got up and left, heading to the balcony upstairs to bask in the sun.

 

Liu Zhongyuan looked at his departing figure, a bit surprised by the lack of reaction. So, he was being ignored? Well, they weren’t close yet, after all!

 

He resigned himself to eating the remaining half of the large portion of meat. Fortunately, his cooking skills were good, so it didn’t become too monotonous even with repeated consumption.

 

Qi Yue felt really uncomfortable. He felt drowsy all day but couldn’t fall asleep when lying in bed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep, but his body felt extremely uncomfortable everywhere. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact source of discomfort.

 

He tossed and turned on the bed, feeling extremely miserable.

****

 

Qi Jinglan and Duan Qiufeng stayed by his bedside, looking worried about his condition.

 

Qi Jinglan asked, “A Yue, what’s really going on? Are you… Are you truly okay? You look like this…”

 

It seemed as if something was wrong.

 

Qi Yue touched his forehead, feeling uneasy. “I’m fine, sis. Don’t worry. And there’s Duan-ge…”

 

Duan Qiufeng interjected, “Are you really fine? You don’t have a fever or anything…”

 

Qi Yue’s head was in a fog, and even their conversation made him feel uncomfortable. He became a little impatient. “I’m fine, really. Just go outside first!”

 

Duan Qiufeng was interrupted before he could finish his sentence. A hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes, but he still exchanged a helpless glance with Qi Jinglan. Finally, the two of them left his room.

 

Qi Jinglan looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry, A Yue. You must be feeling very uncomfortable now. That’s why you’re acting like this. Don’t mind it. You know how much he likes you.”

 

Duan Qiufeng nodded. “I didn’t take it to heart. I just…”

 

Qi Jinglan understood the meaning behind Duan Qiufeng’s unfinished sentence. Qi Yue had been in this state for two days now, during which he didn’t do any work and only rested. Everyone had their opinions, even Wang Boming and Lin Yuzhe’s expressions had changed slightly. For them, being unable to work and contribute value or become cannon fodder for protection during dangerous times meant having no value at all.

 

However, Wang Boming and Lin Yuzhe would certainly not voice these opinions themselves. But even if they didn’t speak, others naturally would. For example, the other people who always observed their expressions.

 

Fu Jingjing was someone who had a peculiar temperament. Sitting next to Zhou Yiyi, she turned her fingers and said in a strange tone, “Oh my, he’s so lazy.”

 

“I wonder who everyone is working so hard for. Now is a difficult time for everyone. No matter what they do outside, it’s a great risk. But it turns out someone locks themselves in their room and acts like a big shot, eating and drinking all day?”

 

Zhou Yiyi forced a smile, feeling a bit embarrassed. However, she didn’t refute her good friend because what she said was true. Especially since she had also observed the attitudes of Lin Yuzhe and Wang Boming, they were indeed somewhat dissatisfied.

 

When Fu Jingjing spoke, the expressions of everyone else in the living room remained unchanged. After all, the situation was as it was. Now it depended on how Qi Jinglan and Duan Qiufeng would respond.

 

After Fu Jingjing finished speaking, an eerie silence filled the entire living room. Even Fu Jingjing herself was a bit startled by the sudden silence. She changed her cross-legged posture to a more guilt-ridden one, legs flat on the ground, and leaned against Zhou Yiyi. Did she say something wrong?

 

Zhou Yiyi quickly adjusted the atmosphere. “Oh, well… Everyone has uncomfortable times. Let him do more work when he recovers, it’ll be fine.”

 

If it could be done that way, it wasn’t a problem. But who knew when he would recover?

 

Duan Qiufeng thought for a moment. “Alright, I’ll do the work during his discomfort.”

 

Qi Jinglan also looked at him with grateful eyes. Although everyone was somewhat dissatisfied, at least someone would be working in Qi Yue’s place, and they wouldn’t have to do as much. If it didn’t concern them, they wouldn’t want to meddle.

 

At most, they would make a few sarcastic remarks. Qi Yue had such a caring boyfriend, while they wondered why they hadn’t encountered such a good lover.

 

Qi Yue didn’t know what was happening outside. He felt as if his entire body was constantly spinning on a carousel while lying in bed. Sometimes, he couldn’t even feel his own limbs, as if they had disappeared.

 

Every time he would be startled awake from a drowsy dizziness, only able to truly feel his body, hands, and feet when he was awake. But each time, the longest period of wakefulness wouldn’t exceed five minutes, and the shortest he didn’t bother to measure, but it probably didn’t exceed thirty seconds.

 

Qi Yue had no idea what was happening to him. Could he be sick? But there were no doctors available to examine him, and even if there were, there was no way for him to go to the hospital. Besides, even if there were a hospital, there would be no one to take him there.