XG 7 - Not everyone is as fearless as you, mother

 

"Your father is useless," Suzie Yap heartlessly scolded her husband. "He will be fetching us from Penang Island with his helicopter, so we will need to travel there first."

 

Hearing that, Wong Xue Guo's suspicion lessened, even if it was strange that her mother would scold her husband. A monster would never make that detailed plan to trick its prey. This might really be her mother… her levelled-up mother.

 

Ding! Super mother has joined your team! ☆ ～(^▽^人)

 

"Mother, where are the bodyguards?" Were they all dead?

 

"Those bodyguards are also useless shits." Suzie Yap scolded like an unsatisfied lady boss. "They shoot at the wrong place, wasting all the bullets. Do they only have muscular bodies but a pig’s brain? Coming up with me will be a waste of time, so I have them guard our car and wait for us."

 

Woah. (⊙_⊙)

 

Her mother had never scolded anyone in such a crass manner in front of her before but in a short span of time, she scolded two parties brazenly right in front of her without much filter. Did her mother think that the world was ending and finally no longer needed to uphold the mother of the year image?

 

Wong Xue Guo smiled freely without worry as her expression was mostly hidden under her mask. She liked this mother that gave her a sense of closeness and was more down to earth.

 

What was the use of stretching herself thin in guessing whether this woman was her mother or not? She had shown she could handle the zombie easily and will protect her as a 'mother'. 

 

The thought of her mother might be a time traveller or a stranger's soul transmigrated into her mother's body like those web novels she had read did enter her mind. Recalling the tearful phone call that warned her to hide and the genuine maternal concern from her gaze, was it more likely to be a time travel accident?

 

Strangers could never show that deep maternal emotion unless they were bloody good actors. 

 

Anyway, the strongest mother detector was her father. Until then, she will play house with this woman, who gave her the opportunity to experience the motherly love that she had craved when she was younger.

 

With the conflict untangled in her heart, Wong Xue Guo was much more relaxed.

 

As she was facing her mother, she was the first to notice something was moving inside the third cubicle.

 

"Mother!" Wong Xue Guo's body had instinctively moved, her protective instinct surged like a tidal wave. 

 

One, or maybe both of the calendar friends had changed into a zombie!

 

Even before Wong Xue Guo could reach half of the distance, her mother had already made her move to deal with the danger.

 

With an expression as calm as dealing with an annoying mosquito, Suzie Yap stabbed into the zombie's head, holding it a distance before stabbing another knife into its chest. The two stabs immediately stopped the zombie and it no longer moved, much less twitched. 

 

One had to wonder how strong Suzie Yap was to be able to stab a person, where bones could not even slow her down. It was also something to ponder on how many times she had done this to be familiar with the stabbing move.

 

Had I accidentally discovered my mother's hidden profession…?

 

It strangely makes more sense, since her father was more of a type that would not fall in love with a simple woman. 

 

To make sure no more surprises will pop out, Suzie Yap stabbed the heart of the other female corpse with white streaks on her hair, who had most of her flesh eaten clean.

 

To be eaten alive… what a painful way of dying.

 

Today, the clean, sophisticated design of the female washroom and soft music had met their end and become a crime scene. No one would bother cleaning this place, or any other place in this shopping mall because everyone will be busy running for their lives. Wong Xue Guo doubted the military will be able to contain the spreading quickly and efficiently. None of the zombie apocalypse novels she had read ever had their government able to control the situation and the whole world was in code red in just a few days.

 

Would reality fare better?

 

"Guo Guo, is that umbrella your weapon of choice?" Suzie Yap mentioned what her daughter was holding.

 

Once again, Wong Xue Guo flashed her death exemption tag. "Father said it's a barely acceptable weapon if I use its ribs."

 

"Him again." Suzie Yap scowled before her face was once again smiling sweetly at Wong Xue Guo. "Come, let mommy fix it for you."

 

For a moment, Wong Xue Guo resisted the idea of handing her only weapon to her mother. It was just for a moment.

 

As she watched how easily her mother's fair, dainty hands easily ripped apart the umbrella without hesitation, she told herself she could not use her father’s name to block her mother. At least until their father joined them. Even if her mother was displeased with her father, unknown for what reasons, her father would easily coax her to the sweet wife mode again when they finally reunited.

 

"These are still weak." Suzie Yap eyed the umbrella ribs with a frown, eying them as low-graded goods.

 

Wong Xue Guo silently agreed with her mother's analysis. After searching around a small cupboard hiding cleaning supplies, she pulled out two brooms.

 

"You are such a clever child, baby!" Suzie Yap generously praised her, even bestowing her with a kiss on her cheek-covered mask.

 

With her body assaulted by heat flush, Wong Xue Guo does not remember when was the last time her mother kissed or hugged her. Why was she finally given what she had long given up on at the time of the apocalypse?

 

Final wish granted before your death?

 

Suzie Yap took the wooden brooms and her heels stepped at the neck to hold it still as her hand snapped them off easily. She passed two long sticks to Wong Xue Guo, who silently accepted it and was no longer surprised by her mother's strength. As for the umbrella spine and ribs, she stored them in her sling bag, thinking that they would be useful for something else.

 

"Guo Guo, outside will have many failures. Remember to stick to me and don't leave my side, okay? Leave all the fighting to mommy."

 

"Failures?" Wong Xue Guo repeated the word that caught her attention. Why would her mother call those zombies with that particular term that was full of meanings?

 

"I don't know what to call them. Since Guo Guo called them zombies, let's call them that." Suzie Yap's expression was acted well, full of nonchalant and disregard for the issue. 

 

But Wong Xue Guo had spent more than ten years trying to decipher her parent’s body language and expression to avoid any landmines.

 

"I just called them randomly. They are similar to the zombies I've seen in the movies." Wong Xue Guo smiled and did not press on the issue since her mother does not want to speak of it. 

 

“Hmm, they are truly alike to zombies,” Suzie Yap readily agreed as she went to the sink and cleaned her bloodstained hands, face and hair, but her dress could not be saved. “Alright, let’s go.”

 

It was a lie if Wong Xue Guo was not afraid of going out. It will be more chaotic and dangerous out there, but they have to face them if they want to get to safety. "Mother, are there a lot of zombies outside?"

 

"Yes, so Guo Guo has to follow mommy closely, okay?"

 

"Do we need to walk quietly?" Wong Xue Guo asked.

 

"No need. With me here, there's no need to hide from them. I will kill any that approach us."

 

Not everyone is as fearless as you, mother.

 

Basically, she got zero useful information from her mother and could only see the situation for herself.