Little Family Treasure of the Apocalyptic Boss

Chapter 1: A Different World

An Nuo once again found a person in the forest.

But he swore that he would definitely listen to Grandma Kanglan and not pick up things randomly and bring them home!

It was because of this person, with short black hair and dressed in beautiful black clothes. Even the eyes he opened before falling unconscious were the purest black, like a carefully cut and polished black crystal in the tribe, shining brightly.

Really too handsome.

Nuo Nuo liked black!

So, he picked up the unfamiliar male who resembled a black crystal.

The tip of the little snake sub-beast’s tail shyly curled up. It formed a small, pure white coil, lying in front of a stone bed, eagerly watching the male with his soft, smooth black hair, thinking to himself: he would shelter the male for a little while without any contact or communication with him. This way, he could see the beautiful black gem-like male and ensure the male’s safety during this dangerous time.

A win-win situation.

Nuo Nuo was indeed very clever!

The little snake sub-beast shook the tiny head resting on his arm happily, and the tip of his tail wagged along. Unbeknownst to him, the male who had no intention of meeting him had regained consciousness in silence.

Ye Ze never thought he could survive.

Whether it was the astonishing power of the Zombie King or his final self-explosion, it should have resulted in certain death.

But when he regained consciousness, the existence of his limbs, the pain in his wounds, the fresh air filling his nose, and the dense energy surrounding him all felt so real and incongruent with the various elements of the apocalypse.

Illusion?

Or perhaps another wonder of the interdimensional trading device?

Ye Ze heard rustling sounds by his side, prompting him to ring the alarm bells inscribed in his body. After sensing that the unknown creature had not emitted any malicious or dangerous energy, he opened his eyes after a moment of contemplation.

“!” An Nuo was startled by the sudden radiance of the black crystal. The small gourd-shaped bowl he was holding trembled and fell to the ground, making a “thud” sound.

His reaction was even more intense than that of the small gourd. He swiftly darted into a narrow corner of the cave, cradling his small head, and his tail curled into a pitiful little ball, shivering.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to harm you, nor did I intend to rob you of your reward. Please don’t hurt me!” An Nuo hurriedly spoke, his heart filled with fear.

Wuu wuu wuu. Why did this person wake up so early? He had always been very accurate in estimating the time. He had even saved many unfortunate people with his magical intuition before! QAQ

Ye Ze slowly sat up. His expression was calm and indifferent, concealing the intense pain that felt like knives cutting through his body.

His gaze shifted from the white snake tail, which was different from Earth’s creatures, to the frightened face.

Accustomed to formidable creatures in the apocalypse, the dominant Ye Ze was momentarily speechless. The way the other person looked, it seemed like he was a heavily bullied child.

From the frightened words of the snake sub-beast, Ye Ze extracted the necessary information. He relaxed his expression slightly and spoke in a gentle and probing tone, “Did you save me?”

There was no hostility in his words, and his tone was surprisingly gentle.

An Nuo cautiously peeked out a bit of his vision from between his arms. His eyes were still moist with tears, and he timidly nodded.

During this time, Ye Ze had roughly surveyed the cave’s surroundings.

The snake sub-beast seemed to live alone outside. However, he had adorned the small cave cleanly and beautifully.

A warm, glowing mushroom was placed by the bed, and even the stone bed was covered with stitched fur that Ye Ze couldn’t name. The jars and bottles placed in the corner were obviously not from Ye Ze’s era, and the dried herbs and plants displayed were of varieties Ye Ze had never seen before.

It seemed like he had entered a different world.

One where he had miraculously survived the self-explosion.

Ye Ze came to a conclusion. When he looked at the only native creature he had encountered so far, his gaze softened even more. He extended his hand towards the snake sub-beast and said, “You should come out now. I won’t harm you.”

He added, fearing that the snake sub-beast wouldn’t believe him, “And right now, I have injuries, so I can’t harm you even if I wanted to.”

An Nuo blinked his eyes. When he raised his gaze and met the deep and gentle black pupils of the male beastman, he was immediately captivated.

When Ye Ze mentioned his injuries, An Nuo suddenly realized something. He remembered the small gourd-shaped bowl he had dropped, which contained the herbal soup he had prepared for Ye Ze today!

An Nuo quickly shifted his gaze to where he had passed by earlier and discovered that the gourd-shaped bowl was overturned on the ground, with not a drop of herbal soup left.

The little snake sub-beast was on the verge of tears.

It was all his fault. The gentle black crystal-like medicine was gone!

Ye Ze, following his gaze, also detected the unusual scent of herbs. He had a general idea of the situation and couldn’t help but smile when he saw the teary-eyed snake sub-beast. He patted the spot next to him and said, “Don’t worry. You’ve taken care of me very well, and my injuries will heal soon.”

He had already examined his body earlier, and it was indeed in pretty bad shape. However, the interdimensional trading device was still with him, so there was a way to recover, no matter what.

An Nuo pursed his lips, and his nose and cheeks turned slightly red. He looked aggrieved yet had an innocent and cute appearance.

Hearing Ye Ze’s gentle call, An Nuo slowly stood up. Seeing that Ye Ze didn’t show the disdainful expression for his white tail, his pounding heart gradually calmed down, replaced by a different kind of excitement.

His tail swayed, and he dashed out of the cave like a streak of lightning.

“I… I’ll prepare something for you to eat!”

Ye Ze watched the fleeing figure of the snake sub-beast, his silver hair concealing the faint redness in his ears. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

He was such an easy-to-fool kid.

This was great.

An Nuo was a hardworking little snake sub-beast. Even though he lived alone in a cave outside the tribe, he had prepared a stone slab for grilling meat and a clay pot for stewing soup. He tried to collect more types of spices and prepare a variety of foods for himself as much as possible.

This way, he could have a sense of security and a fulfilling life.

So, when the snake sub-beast entered with a bowl and chopsticks, Ye Ze was surprised to find that in this seemingly primitive and backward era, such exquisite food could still be produced.

Of course, this level of sophistication couldn’t compare to his original world, but it was far from the roughness he had imagined.

It was evident that the person who made these had put in considerable effort.

Ye Ze took a sip of the porridge, made from fruits he couldn’t identify, and then picked up a piece of grilled meat. Unlike the soft and sweet texture of the porridge, the grilled meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. He could also taste flavors reminiscent of seasoning like salt and lemon.

For a moment, his feelings towards the little snake sub-beast became even more complicated.

He would repay the snake sub-beast.

As the first act of kindness he encountered while traversing this different world.

At least, he would ensure that the snake sub-beast’s life wasn’t as impoverished as it was now.

That’s what Ye Ze thought as he roughly gathered information about the surroundings from the snake sub-beast’s explanation.

In general, he was currently in the border region of this world. In the vast forest, there was only one small tribe, the Black Snake Tribe, where the snake sub-beast lived.

The tribe was located in a plain area more conducive to entering the forest for hunting and gathering. It consisted of small wooden houses. There were often patrols of beastmen on the outskirts, guarding the safety of the elderly, weak, women, and children within the tribe. The tribe had a population of about three thousand.

Among them, the beastmen were the primary force of this world, capable of transforming into beast forms. They were the main combat force and could practice the power of beasts, similar to the attack class in a game.

Among the beastmen, males were responsible for combat and hunting, while females were tasked with household chores and reproduction. A very rare subset of the population had the qualifications to practice the power of gods and become revered priests, somewhat similar to support characters or healers in games.

Even while heavily injured and unconscious, Ye Ze still possessed a fully humanoid form, leading the little snake sub-beast to mistakenly believe him to be a male beastman.

Regarding this beautiful misunderstanding, Ye Ze had no intention of explaining it deliberately.

“I’m Ye Ze. Thank you for taking care of me earlier. I wonder if I have the honor of knowing your name?” Ye Ze had a gentle smile on his face, and his eyes shone brightly in the soft light. His jet-black hair swayed gently with each movement, tugging at An Nuo’s heartstrings.

He effortlessly captured the heart of the snake sub-beast who loved black gemstones.

“I… I’m An Nuo.”

It was the first time someone had asked his name with such seriousness.

The little snake sub-beast felt a bit awkward. Hastily mimicking the actions of the sub-beastmen in the tribe, he lightly grabbed the hem of his clothes and gave a bow to Ye Ze.

It was supposed to be a dignified and elegant gesture, but when performed by the flustered little snake sub-beast, it turned into an adorable and goofy display.

Ye Ze couldn’t help but chuckle. Since the apocalypse, he had rarely experienced such a relaxed and pleasant moment.

He waved his hand, indicating that An Nuo didn’t need to be so polite.

An Nuo stared at Ye Ze’s smiling face in a daze, blushing once again.

Ye Ze was the gentlest and most handsome person he had ever seen!

Nuo Nuo hoped that Ye Ze would recover quickly.

An Nuo looked at the empty medicine jars in the small warehouse, his face filled with worry. Swinging his tail, he walked out of the food storage room. As he passed by a shelf, he suddenly paused.

On the crescent-moon-colored wooden shelf were rows of woven straw crafts. Smoothly woven straw was intricately crafted into various adorable little animals. They were chubby and incredibly cute.

They were always favored by passing merchant caravans.

An Nuo had managed to survive in the wilderness as a lone individual, mainly thanks to these skills.

The little snake sub-beast stared at the straw dolls on the shelf, lost in thought for a moment. Suddenly, he stepped forward, carefully taking down three straw dolls and cradling them in his arms. His gaze became determined.

A few days ago, Hei Mang suddenly approached him, offering to trade items for the straw dolls he had in his possession.

But An Nuo wasn’t familiar with him.

Coupled with the uneasy feeling he got from Hei Mang, An Nuo had declined the offer.

Now, he wondered if he could still make the trade successfully.

“Ye Ze.” The little snake sub-beast peeked out from the entrance of the stone cave, hiding behind a rock, looking secretive. He whispered to Ye Ze, “I need to go out for a bit. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Ye Ze opened his eyes and watched the little snake sub-beast’s furtive actions in his own home. His lips involuntarily curved into a smile as he nodded in response, “Alright. Be careful on the way.”

The tip of the little snake sub-beast’s tail twitched upwards, wagging like a dog’s tail. Smoke rose from his head as he happily descended the mountain.