Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 92: Dog Training Guide

Ever since Eighteen arrived at the cabin, Evelyn Ford had been living in utter misery. At first, she’d even dreamed of ways to kill him. After realizing he was practically unkillable, she had no choice but to accept her reality.

But she was never a good-tempered person to begin with. That evening, they started fighting again over a chicken drumstick.

This time, however, it was Eighteen who started it. He had been eyeing the meat in Evelyn Ford’s bowl, and not only did he covet it, he actually reached out to snatch it.

Evelyn Ford pinned him to the floor, grabbed him by the hair, and landed two punches.

He swallowed the drumstick, lifted Evelyn Ford up, and tossed her into a snowdrift in the yard.

"I have to kill him. I’m so pissed, so pissed!" Evelyn Ford was fuming. She, who was normally so calm and composed, had been turned into a complete shrew.

That night, Evelyn Ford snuck up to a sleeping Eighteen with a concoction of chili water. She began spraying it in his face, only to be thrown out into the yard once again.

The next day, Evelyn Ford simply stayed in bed and refused to cook. He went hungry all morning, and by the afternoon, he was going stir-crazy. He went out and returned carrying two wild boars. Evelyn Ford looked at the long spines on the boars and sighed with a hint of regret.

’Why didn’t they stab him to death?’

"They’re all for you." ’Is he surrendering?’ Evelyn Ford just stared at him, saying nothing. He pursed his lips and left again.

Two hours later, he returned carrying two wild pheasants in his hands and a roe deer slung over his shoulder.

Evelyn Ford...

"Enough! You’re going to wipe out all the animals in the mountains."

"They’re all for you."

"So, do you admit you were wrong?"

He shook his head.

’Evelyn Ford figured that, since dogs don’t understand human speech, you can’t just beat and scold them. You have to reason with them—appeal to both their heart and their mind.’

"You can’t snatch food from me. Got it?"

"Mhm."

This time, he nodded. The dog training was starting to pay off. Evelyn Ford was satisfied.

"Get them cleaned and prepped. We’re having barbecue tonight."

His eyes lit up, and he swallowed hard.

Evelyn Ford went back inside to sleep, planning to come out only after he was done.

Evelyn Ford was merciless in her exploitation of him. To her, Eighteen was a dangerous individual, a freeloader mooching off her food, drink, and shelter—like a debt collector from a past life. And now, she was the creditor.

He had certainly seemed like an idiot at first, but now he was starting to resemble a normal person. He could speak in complete, coherent sentences, his reflexes were sharp, and his memory was even better than Evelyn Ford’s.

Evelyn Ford had a nagging suspicion. Eighteen was likely a genetically-engineered human, not one of the zombies from the cavern. Only someone who had lived in a laboratory for years, rarely seeing the sun, would have such unnaturally pale skin.

Every one of his traits pointed to him being a genetically-engineered human.

He was ferocious, but he could be tamed.

Evelyn Ford was suddenly struck by a possibility. The Abnormal Pupil captured by the base in her past life... that was Eighteen. Someone had captured and tamed him to make it easier to harvest his flesh and blood.

Evelyn Ford looked at Eighteen, who was standing to the side, swallowing his saliva nonstop. Her feelings were complicated.

’The poor guy... he’s actually kind of pitiful.’

"Hungry," he urged impatiently. Evelyn Ford shot him a glare.

He bared his teeth at her in response, and the two almost started fighting again.

"If you bare your teeth at me again, I’ll knock them out."

"I’ll bite you to death," he snorted, baring his teeth again.

Evelyn Ford pulled a red brick from her dimensional space and hurled it at him. He instantly leaped out of the yard.

"Come on, then! Come bite me to death! Let’s see what’s harder, my brick or your teeth."

He still looked defiant, but when Evelyn Ford picked up a skewer of meat and took a bite, he grew anxious.

"I want meat."

"Who was wrong?"

"Eighteen."

"And who is Eighteen?"

"Me."

"So?"

"I was wrong."

Evelyn Ford beckoned to him, as if calling over a disobedient wolfhound.

"You need to know your place."

The heavy snow stopped for a few days. After a brief shower, a blizzard returned.

Eighteen went out hunting again. When he came back, Evelyn Ford saw he was carrying a fish and a wild pheasant.

Evelyn Ford was very surprised. "There are still fish? Where did you find it?"

"Out back."

Seeing his punchable face, Evelyn Ford tossed him a piece of candy.

"The pond out back."

"Just one?"

He shook his head. "Lots."

"Then why did you only catch one?" Evelyn Ford didn’t understand. Hadn’t he been able to bring back a lot more before?

"I only have two hands." He gave Evelyn Ford a look like she was an idiot. She raised her brick, and he immediately shut his mouth.

"I’ll take you there."

"Okay, tomorrow then. Go clean the fish. I taught you how before—descale it, gut it. I’m going to lie down for a bit longer."

He took it as a royal command and immediately went out to get to work. Evelyn Ford hugged Mina and went back to sleep.

Half an hour later, he stood at the door and knocked, waking Evelyn Ford.

"How do you want to eat it?"

"Braised." It was the only cooking method he knew.

Evelyn Ford actually wanted him to cook for himself, but he had zero talent for it and had nearly burned the kitchen down. To keep this great Buddha of hers fed, Evelyn Ford had no choice but to get up and cook, braving the biting cold wind.

’For the hundredth time today, I want to kill him.’

’Maybe I’ll just push him into the water and drown him tomorrow.’

Evelyn Ford finally got to experience a taste of true winter abundance—the joy of chiseling through ice to catch fish.

The pond was quite far from the cabin. On the way up the mountain, Eighteen ran so fast that Evelyn Ford could barely keep up.

The pond was located in the heart of a mountain hollow, hidden by towering trees and surrounded by thorny thickets.

"This is the hole you chiseled yesterday? How did you do it?"

He went to the side, picked up a large rock, and slammed it onto the ice with all his might. The surface cracked. He then jabbed at it with a stick a few times, sending several chunks of ice into the water below, and a hole appeared.

’Well then. Simple and brutal as always.’

"I’ll catch, you collect."

He was about to spear fish with a wooden stick, but Evelyn Ford, who had a fishing net on her back, quickly stopped him.

"Use this."

Evelyn Ford demonstrated for him, scooping up a fish in one go.

Evelyn Ford handed him the net and stood to the side, her hands in her pockets. ’Should I give him a kick?’

’Nah, he probably wouldn’t drown anyway.’

"Are you thinking about killing me?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Evelyn Ford looked at him, puzzled. ’How does he know?’ she wondered. ’Does he have some Mind Reading Technique?’

"No."

"I can feel your killing intent," he said with a completely serious face.

Evelyn Ford let out a dry laugh. "Well, who asked you to be so damn hard to kill? Besides, I can’t beat you in a fight."

"But you’ve slashed me with a knife several times," he said, staring at Evelyn Ford darkly.

"Ten times."

"And you broke my arm, remember? And threw me in the snow. What, you want to fight again?"

He snorted. "You only use a knife on me because you can’t beat me otherwise."

’He has the nerve to say that?’

Evelyn Ford really wanted to slap him and smash his face in.

"You deserved it."

"You also fed me something bitter." ’That was poison, you moron.’

"Was it tasty?"

"I threw up."

Evelyn Ford...

"Get back to work, or you’ll meet my brick."

"Tonight, I want braised pork, barbecue, and fish."

"Eat shit."