The Undead and Unstoppable Apocalyptic Queen novel Chapter 197

Chapter 197 A Toast to Trust

Chapter 197 A Toast to Trust

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“Charlotte, we finally made it out. And we’ve been lucky enough to be taken in by a kind–hearted woman. Life’s only going to get better from here!” Theresa wrapped an arm around Charlotte’s shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

Charlotte nodded blankly in her arms like a prop, saying nothing.

Since she was always quiet, Susan didn’t think much of it. Still, there was a trace of doubt in her tone. “But your knife skills just now were incredible. Are you really saying you can’t handle yourself?”

“No matter how good we are, we’re still just normal people. They’re ability users–how could we possibly beat them?”

The moment Theresa mentioned “ability users,” Susan’s wariness melted away completely. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the two girls. “That’s won–I mean, that’s terrible! But don’t you worry. You’ve come to the right place. You haven’t eaten, right? Lincoln, Gus, bring something over!”

Two of the men stationed outside the door left right away, but the other two stayed behind. That alone told Theresa everything she needed to know. They were still being cautious. However, she didn’t show a hint of suspicion as she asked, “Ms. Lisker, who are those men outside?”

“Oh, they’re folks who used to run guesthouses nearby with me. Charlotte, you should recognize the guy who helped you with the ladder–he’s our neighbor from Maple Spring Inn. And the other one’s the manager of Azure Lodge. The younger two are his nephew and my own.”

“And the rest of the people from the inns?” Theresa asked.

This entire time, they’d only seen these five staff members. Not a single guest.

Susan’s smile froze for a beat before she recovered with a cheerful reply. “When the zombie virus broke out, we were all just trying to survive. We couldn’t worry about anyone else. The few of us who made it holed up in this building–it was one of the rare places with no infected.”

“So, what have you all been eating?”

Just then, footsteps approached from outside. The youngest of the men entered, carrying two cups of tea. “Have some tea first. Lincoln’s in the kitchen making you something to eat.”

“Yes, yes, have a sip!” Susan beamed, pouring each of them a cup. “You probably haven’t had tea this good in ages! We only have it because the guesthouse stocked up on supplies. Out there, in this apocalypse? You wouldn’t even smell tea!”

She pushed the cups into their hands, eyes gleaming with insistence, as if not drinking it would be an unforgivable offense against the rare treasure she’d just offered.

“I’m not thirsty,” Charlotte said flatly, not touching hers. She wasn’t as sharp as Theresa, but she wasn’t stupid either. In a world like this, no one with a sense took food or drink from strangers without a second thought.

“Are you worried I poisoned it?” Susan’s smile stiffened, her voice laced with offense. “After everything I’ve done? I took you in, offered you food, treated you like my own!”

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Chapter 197 A Toast to Trust

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Before the situation could spiral, Theresa stepped in and took Charlotte’s cup. While they’d been talking, she’d already ‘downed‘ her cup. Now, she tilted Charlotte’s cup to pour the contents into her mouth.

“Oh, you’re too young. Would a woman like Ms. Lisker harm you? If she meant to hurt us, would she have saved us carlier? You’ve got to learn to be grateful, sweetheart.”

Charlotte braced herself, thinking she’d be forced to drink, but to her surprise, not a single drop touched her tongue. Theresa held the cup high enough to cover her mouth and silently dumped the tea into her domain, the liquid vanishing without a trace. Then she showed the empty cup to Susan.

“She’s just young and didn’t know better. She gets it now.”

Susan’s face lit up again, and the tension in her eyes vanished. She had assumed Charlotte would be the easier one to manipulate. The girl was beautiful, but clearly timid. Theresa, on the other hand, had seemed like trouble–sharp, dangerous.

But lo and behold, this one was the dumbest of them all!

Seriously, unbelievably stupid! First, she gave up her weapon, then she blurted out everything without hesitation! Not to mention, she drank the tea and even forced Charlotte to drink it too! This is going better than I could’ve dreamed!

This girl may have a flashy way with a blade, but that’s all she’s got. The moment she put it down, she signed her death

warrant.

“So, Ms. Lisker,” Theresa asked, “are these really the only people in your camp?”

Now that she believed they’d drunk the tea, Susan dropped the act and gave a more honest answer. “Actually, we have a base downstairs too–just a few more people. Come on, I’ll take you there. Dinner should be ready anyway.”

“Sounds good.” Theresa reached for her sword.

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