Chapter Five BT's Body

“You’ve grown so fast, you must be turning into a monster,” Liu Wen exclaimed, deeply surprised. Growing ten centimeters in one night—was this some kind of mutation? Suddenly, her thoughts shifted to her husband, a tall man of nearly six feet, and sorrow welled up inside her. They had only been married for about a month, counting the days apart when he was on business trips and she stayed at her parents’ home, they’d spent barely ten days together. The two had met through a matchmaker; he was a senior executive in a company, with a solid family background.

Ma Yi offered a bitter smile. “Who knows!” Yet, when he heard no response for a while, he curiously peered out of the hole and saw Liu Wen, her face clouded with sadness, lost in memories. He understood a little—after all, she had just married, and couples are usually inseparable at that stage. Losing her husband so suddenly, anyone would be distraught for a long time.

“Sister, don’t be sad. These things are beyond anyone’s control. Since we’re still alive, we have to look ahead. After all, there are still loved ones in this world—even if it’s just for them, we must survive,” Ma Yi comforted her.

“Mm, I understand. I won’t do anything foolish. But, by the way, how old are you? You called me ‘sister,’” Liu Wen sniffled, wiped the tears from her eyes, and responded. Now, all she could do was live well. Suddenly, hearing Ma Yi call her ‘sister’ made her feel old, so she asked in return.

“I’m twenty-six this year,” Ma Yi replied, a little perplexed. He’d always thought of Liu Wen as his young sister-in-law, so ‘sister’ felt right. In truth, he didn’t even know her exact age.

“You’re older than me. I’m only twenty-two. Don’t call me ‘sister’ anymore, just use my name,” Liu Wen said with a furrowed brow.

“What? Only twenty-two? Are girls these days all so well-developed?” Ma Yi muttered inwardly, but aloud, he feigned surprise, “I didn’t mean you were old, it’s just that most people don’t develop so well.”

“I work out regularly, so it’s only natural that I’m in good shape.” Though annoyed that Ma Yi seemed to think she was older, Liu Wen still felt proud when he praised her figure.

“Do I not look good?” Liu Wen posed the dangerous question.

“Of course you do! Not just pretty, you have elegance, a great figure—you’re a rare beauty,” Ma Yi’s heart tightened, but he unleashed a stream of compliments, hoping flattering words wouldn’t get him in trouble.

“Smart answer,” Liu Wen smiled, her sadness easing considerably.

Over the next few days, Ma Yi kept himself self-isolated in the bathroom, while another room became Liu Wen’s bathroom. It had originally been renovated for an indoor shower; though the toilet wasn’t installed, there was a drain.

Ma Yi’s appetite was enormous. As their relationship became more familiar, Liu Wen gradually took on the role of housewife, cooking daily and making stir-fries. Most of the food ended up in Ma Yi’s stomach, she left just enough for herself.

The terrifying thing was that Ma Yi kept growing taller every day. Not only his height, but his muscles were developing, transforming him from merely toned to resembling a bodybuilder. Not to an extreme degree, but enough to make him stage-worthy. His face became more angular, but thankfully, it didn’t turn monstrous.

Now, Ma Yi stood over six foot three, his muscular build truly formidable. But what pleased him most was not just his height and muscles—a certain other ‘asset’ grew along with them. For a man, having good equipment was always a source of confidence.

Though Ma Yi hadn’t yet put his ‘asset’ to real use, at least he had it—who knew when it might come in handy someday.

Unfortunately, their peaceful days didn’t last.

“It looks like things will get troublesome from now on,” Ma Yi remarked. The power had failed. Normally, you wouldn’t notice how inconvenient life without electricity is, but once it’s gone, the hardship becomes clear—backed by even greater difficulties.

This was only the fifth day of the apocalypse. Yesterday, the voltage had been unstable, and today, it was gone altogether. Things were bound to get worse. In other areas, especially those not powered by wind, electricity probably went out right after disaster struck, like Liu Wen’s sister’s place, where they’d managed to get by thanks to her power banks.

Liu Wen and her sister had agreed to call each other every day at 4 p.m. to check in, then switch off their phones to conserve battery. Luckily, she’d charged Ma Yi’s spare battery in advance; otherwise, her phone would be useless once its power ran out.

Gradually, Liu Wen emerged from the grief of widowhood. When Ma Yi chatted with her, he could see her smile from time to time—a promising start. He reminded himself his goal was ten days of isolation, and now half had passed.

Without electricity, water would soon run out too. Liu Wen scrubbed all containers clean and filled each with tap water, lining the kitchen and living room with vessels full of water.

The meat in the fridge, the rice in the kitchen—under Ma Yi’s extraordinary consumption, it would last maybe another two weeks at most. To avoid starvation after isolation, Ma Yi began exercising in the bathroom. He’d read in online novels that after isolation, it would be time to search for supplies; he couldn’t just rush out unprepared. Even if he was sure he’d mutated, without skills, how could he compete with zombies for resources?

Liu Wen said nothing about Ma Yi’s situation, but tried to ensure he got enough food while cooking. Now, she understood that if she went out alone, she’d just be a snack for the zombies. Ma Yi was different—even if she knew his body had mutated, as long as he didn’t harm her, there was nothing to fear.

Ma Yi now did two thousand push-ups and two thousand squats every day. With his mutation, his strength soared. His skin turned bluish-grey, gleaming like metal, resembling street artists painted for performance.

Once, he accidentally scraped his finger. He watched as new flesh grew from the wound, which healed in minutes, leaving no trace. Testing further, Ma Yi took a knife to his palm; only a white mark appeared, no cut at all. Emboldened, he experimented several times and discovered he was nearly impossible to injure.

He pressed the knife tip against his thigh, increasing force bit by bit. After dozens of trials, the knife’s edge curled, and only a bead of blood appeared before healing instantly. His bluish skin’s defense was truly astonishing.

The most unpleasant change for Ma Yi was the loss of all his hair. Whether on his head or body, it kept falling out—even his eyebrows vanished. Liu Wen teased him several times, saying a man without hair couldn’t be trusted. Ma Yi was speechless.

The water supply stopped, as expected, but fortunately Liu Wen was prepared. Rationed carefully, it would last many days. Now, the biggest worry was fuel. Luckily, Ma Yi’s rented apartment used bottled gas rather than piped, otherwise they’d have no fire.

Fire is essential to civilization—without it, people would revert to beasts, tearing at raw flesh. Even with food, an empty stomach couldn’t be filled without fire. Judging by the size of the gas cylinder, it wouldn’t last long if used daily.

Ma Yi calculated that after isolation, he’d have to acquire those essentials—liquefied gas, food, water. These three were non-negotiable.

Now it was the ninth day. Ma Yi’s height had surpassed two meters; the old apartment’s ceiling was three meters, so he could touch it just by raising his arm. The food reserves, carefully calculated by Liu Wen, had dwindled rapidly due to Ma Yi’s increased consumption. What was meant to last a month or two was nearly gone in just ten days.

“I can’t wait any longer. I should go out today,” Ma Yi said, noticing Liu Wen’s anxious face. Her beautiful features had grown thinner, her skin had lost some of its glow.

“Let’s wait until the food’s finished. I’ll go with you,” she replied. The bathroom lock had been opened two days ago, indicating Liu Wen no longer feared him. Now, it was Ma Yi who worried about infecting others.

“No need, just stay at home. I’ll go alone. Move aside, I’m coming out,” Ma Yi instructed. But Liu Wen remained seated on her small stool. Ma Yi bit his lip, his fingers trembling as he unlatched the door. The door creaked open a crack.

Liu Wen’s brows twitched slightly. Over the past days, she’d come to realize why Ma Yi had saved her—it wasn’t just proximity or familiarity. Everyone knew the real reason.

Ma Yi hadn’t shown any intent to harm her; at least she felt that, in this apocalyptic world, having a man to rely on was a good thing. She was just a woman, skilled at housekeeping but with no special talents. Fighting? She’d never done it, even as a child. Although she’d kept fit and had decent stamina, fighting zombies was a terrifying prospect.

—End of section—