Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 91: Latching On, Eighteen

He grabbed the braised pork with his filthy hands and shoved it straight into his mouth. Evelyn was even worried he might get his hair in there too.

His clothes were so dirty their original color was indiscernible, but she could tell they were thin. He had no shoes on, yet he didn’t seem cold at all.

Evelyn Ford took out all the porcelain she had brought back from the tomb.

"I’m returning these to you. Can you leave now?"

The man tilted his head, glanced at the boxes of porcelain on the ground, and finished off the last piece of meat before looking up at Evelyn.

"Hungry."

An idea struck Evelyn, and her expression turned interrogative.

"I can give you something to eat, but you have to answer a few questions. Are you a zombie from the cavern?"

He shook his head.

Evelyn was taken aback. ’If not, then where did he come from?’

"Why are you here? Are you going to kill me?"

"Hungry." He was getting impatient. Evelyn hmphed.

"Are you human?"

He shook his head. Evelyn picked up the flamethrower and aimed it at him.

"Then what are you?"

"Eighteen."

Evelyn froze. "Say that again. What are you?"

"Eighteen."

’Is Eighteen his name, or his designation?’

Evelyn was silent for a long while, running through numerous possibilities. With each new theory, she would mentally compare it against Eighteen.

’He isn’t a robot. No android could be this powerful. Besides, he bleeds. I saw the wound myself, clear as day.’

"What’s your name? Your actual name."

"Eighteen."

Evelyn noticed he seemed much more docile, but she didn’t let her guard down.

"Hungry." He picked up a Crossbow Arrow and, with a casual twist, bent it. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Evelyn took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"I’ll go cook."

However, as she was about to go inside, Eighteen followed right on her heels. Evelyn didn’t want to let him in, and his gaze instantly turned cold. He raised a hand and lifted her right off the ground.

"Holy shit, you lunatic!"

Evelyn whipped out a knife and swung at him, and the two of them started fighting again. Five minutes later, the doorway was a complete mess. Eighteen had been stabbed twice, and Evelyn’s arm was broken again.

Outwardly, Evelyn completely surrendered. What else could she do? She was no match for him.

She went into the kitchen and started to cook. Eighteen blocked the doorway, his eyes locked on her. It suddenly occurred to Evelyn that she had pulled weapons from her space in front of him several times. Her secret was exposed. She had to fight the urge to grab a cleaver and go at him with everything she had.

Evelyn steamed a whole chicken. Watching Eighteen swallow his drool, she felt a sudden sense of the bizarre.

Forty minutes later, Evelyn brought him the steamed chicken. He was just as brutish as before, grabbing it and starting to eat with no sense of decorum.

When he finished eating, he showed no signs of leaving. Evelyn grew frustrated. ’I can’t just let a dangerous entity like him stay in my house, can I?’

"You can leave now."

Eighteen ignored her, his menacing gaze fixed on Mina and Lola.

Evelyn stared back at him. She had laced the chicken with a homemade poison, but he showed no reaction whatsoever after eating it. Evelyn felt a surge of defeat.

’What on earth would it take to kill this madman?’

’Chop off his head?’

’It wouldn’t just grow a new one, would it?’

Evelyn didn’t sleep that night. She and Eighteen just stared at each other, staying like that until dawn.

「Two days later.」

Evelyn looked at the unshakeable, unkillable Eighteen, her despair having faded into numbness.

If she went into the bedroom, Eighteen would try to follow. His appetite was enormous; he could eat a whole basin of food in one sitting.

Evelyn tried luring him deep into the mountains, but by the time she got back home, Eighteen was already there. He had even brought a wild boar with him. The moment Evelyn walked through the door, he pointed at the boar and yelled that he was hungry.

"I really want to kill you," Evelyn said through gritted teeth. This feeling of being unable to beat him or get rid of him was suffocating.

"Fine, you can live here, but on my terms. First, you are not allowed in my bedroom. Second, you are responsible for your own food, which means you’ll go out hunting every day. You’ll also pay me rent—half of whatever you catch. Third, wash your face and hair. You reek."

Evelyn pulled a set of clothes from her space for him and walked over with a pair of scissors.

"Cut your hair. And while you’re living here, you’ll have to clean and get along with Mina and Lola. If you don’t do your chores, you don’t get to eat."

Evelyn had found his weak spot; he would always compromise when threatened with food. But most days, they still ended up fighting over one conflict or another. His recovery was fast, leaving Evelyn to suffer a brutal defeat every time.

So, to turn the tables, she decided to train Eighteen—to turn this savage creature into a docile lapdog.

He picked up the scissors and hacked at his hair haphazardly. Evelyn suspected his intelligence was lower than that of a three-year-old.

’He’s completely incapable of taking care of himself. Like an idiot.’

"A dog could give a better haircut. Let me do it. Sit still. You might be incredibly strong, but in this house, I’m the one in charge. Understood? What I say, goes."

"Hungry."

Evelyn smacked him on the head. He snarled at her, his eyes filled with ferocity.

"Looking for another fight?" Evelyn threatened him with the scissors.

"Hungry."

"Then starve."

Once his hair was cut, Evelyn made him take a shower in the bathroom. His clothes reeked so badly she suspected he’d fallen into a cesspit.

The clothes were from one of Evelyn’s supply runs—all new and clean.

Eighteen was very tall, so Evelyn gave him an XXL-sized set.

An hour and a half later, he finally shuffled out. It was the first time Evelyn had gotten a clear look at his face, and she was stunned. He was surprisingly young and handsome, with fair skin, a high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, and full, red lips.

If it weren’t for his mismatched eyes, Evelyn would have thought he was a completely different person.

"Hungry."

"Go chop firewood. You can eat after you finish chopping the wood outside."

He started to head out barefoot, but Evelyn tossed a pair of sneakers in front of him.

"Put them on."

"I don’t know how," he said, shaking his head.

Evelyn pulled out her knife. "Put them on."

Cowed by her intimidation, he put on the shoes.

"That’s your bed over there. From now on, stop squatting outside my door."

Evelyn pointed to a corner by the fireplace, where she had already set up a folding bed.

He looked displeased, so Evelyn brandished the knife in his face.

Although he recovered quickly, getting stabbed still hurt. He hadn’t lost his sense of pain; he just possessed a healing ability far beyond that of a normal person.

Evelyn’s threat was highly effective. Eighteen chopped all the firewood outside the cabin in record time.

"Very good."

Evelyn closed her copy of the *Dog Training Guide* and offered him a piece of candy.

He popped the candy into his mouth, his eyes widening slightly. His expression was surprisingly innocent.

If one could ignore his otherwise aggressive-looking face, that is.