Chapter Two

Chapter Two

As the morning sun rose, the city of Chu Xi was already bustling with the day's work. Despite last night's spectacular meteor shower, life went on as usual.

"Annoying, why do I have another pimple?" a woman in professional attire complained in front of the mirror.

Her brows furrowed at the reflection, a prominent red pimple on her forehead.

"It wasn't there last night; how am I supposed to go to work?" She tried to cover it with her hair, but the pimple was right in the center of her forehead, impossible to hide.

Even concealer couldn't mask such a large pimple. The woman tossed down her makeup in frustration, rolling her eyes: "So annoying, I’m definitely going to be laughed at work."

She walked to the dining table in a gloomy mood, looking at her parents having breakfast, and noticed that they seemed to have an odd pallor today.

"Mom, Dad, did you sleep poorly last night? Your complexions seem a bit ashen," she asked while eating her fried egg.

Her parents looked up puzzled: "No, we went to bed early. But you, staying up late to watch the meteor shower, now you have a pimple, we told you not to stay up late..."

The woman devoured her fried egg in two bites, hastily grabbing her purse to head out: "I know, I know, geez, you two look paler than I do, yet you always nag me until my ears are calloused."

On her way out, a thought suddenly struck her, and she licked her lips: "Oh, that's right, Mom and Dad, let's buy some meat today, how about braised pork for dinner?"

"We were just talking about that. Don't worry, we'll buy some meat later."

In the supermarkets and butcher shops of Chuxi City, there was an unusually high number of people buying meat since the morning. The meat, still oozing blood on the cutting boards, emitted a raw scent, yet the faces of the customers revealed an identical eagerness as if the raw meat before them had already transformed into delicious delicacies.

At noon, people in every corner of the city began their lunch, but today's meal seemed bland and left many unsatisfied and hungry.

Even after having lunch, why did they still feel so hungry, as if they needed something more?

Suddenly, there was a strong craving for meat.

*

Lin An was also preparing to eat.

Only, his meal was a light-yellow-colored puppy, its ivory canines mere centimeters from the dog's neck, ready to plunge in and release a fountain of crimson blood.

Feeling his master's presence behind and drawing ever closer, Xiao Fu turned its head to look at Lin An, who was inches away with his mouth open. Xiao Fu blinked its large eyes and began to wag its tail happily.

Because Lin An was a neat freak, the closest he usually got to Xiao Fu was petting its head, maybe adding a combing, brushing its teeth, or giving it a bath. Such proximity had never occurred before.

Xiao Fu was delighted, affectionately licking Lin An's cheek before burying its head back in its meal.

Facing Lin An, it showed no hint of wariness, only pure joy and dependence.

Lin An, poised to tear into his prey, froze in place, his eyes gradually widening.

Now, the undead Lin An had heightened senses of smell, vision, and hearing. He could detect the scent of fresh flesh beneath Xiao Fu's fur and, of course, other odors.

The smell of chicken-flavored dog food, mixed with the metallic scent of blood and the dog's saliva, lingered where he had been licked, a strange combination of aromas.

Lin An: Gag~

He scrambled away in a roll, and even though he now lacked reason and memory, the licked spot on his face felt as if it had been corroded, causing him unbearable discomfort, almost as if he wanted to peel off his entire face...

What about everything?

Unaware, Lin An could only frantically turn around, his face covered in chicken-flavored saliva.

"Ugh, my face feels terrible, all covered in drool, bleh~"

"Xiao Fu finally had his fill. The stainless steel bowl was so clean it could reflect a dog's shadow, even cleaner than if it had been washed."

"Licking his lips contentedly, he walked out of the bedroom, intending to bask in the sun, but instead found his owner wandering slowly around the living room. The well-fed dog briskly approached his owner, extending his head towards him."

"Master, pet me."

"Although he was still hungry and could smell the tantalizing scent of flesh nearby, the overwhelming odor this food emitted made Lin An instinctively avoid it."

"The dog tilted its head, puzzled: ?"

"Not understanding why his master wouldn't pet him, Xiao Fu continued to move closer."

"Lin An kept avoiding him."

"Thinking it was a new game, Xiao Fu happily chased his master. But Lin An was so slow that Xiao Fu caught up to him in just a few steps."

"After catching up, Xiao Fu would bounce away, then chase again, utterly delighted. He loved this game. The roles of hunter and prey had reversed; the once fierce hunter was now defeated by the dog's drool, forced to flee awkwardly."

"Lin An ran slowly, eventually cornered into the bathroom by the slobbering little hunter."

"Perhaps due to the overwhelming experience, Lin An smartened up and shut the door before Xiao Fu could enter the bathroom."

"Standing quietly at the door for a while, ensuring the chicken-scented creature couldn't enter, Lin An finally turned around slowly."

"The next moment, he was startled by the reflection in the mirror."

"Hunching his neck, he stared at the mirror in horror, and the person in the mirror mirrored his expression, looking utterly terrified."

"Lin An peered curiously for a long time, not realizing the person in the mirror was himself. He even reached out to touch the reflection, only to meet the cold, hard surface. Unable to smell the scent of flesh and still hungry, he quickly lost interest in the mirrored figure."

Now, other than feeling hungry, his greatest sensation was the discomfort on his face, spreading from one patch of skin, as if his whole body itched, or as though countless germs and stains were spreading from him to the ground, air, and walls, contaminating the entire space.

"Lin An even had the thought of tearing off the saliva-scented skin, but he dared not touch his cheeks with his fingers."

"His fingers would get contaminated too."

"He needed... he needed water."

"Lin An finally remembered what he needed the most."

"He looked around blankly, searching for water, but the sink was spotless without a single drop of water, and the soft, dry towel was neatly placed on the rack. There was no water anywhere."

"The only water was in the toilet bowl..."

"Lin An, with his sluggish mind, never thought of using the toilet water and even avoided it with a bit of disgust."

"After a long search, he accidentally touched the silver faucet on the sink. When the clear water started flowing, he finally found the water he needed."

"As if it were a habit, Lin An bent down to wash his face. The moment the running water touched his cheeks, the discomfort and irritation that had been plaguing him vanished."

"The water flowed continuously over his hands, slipping through his fingers and every crevice, ungraspable and unretainable. Yet, this flow brought immense relief to Lin An, like a fish in a dried-up pond finally finding its life-sustaining water, tranquil and serene."

"Lin An kept washing his face, his sense of smell was very sharp, and he could detect even the slightest odor on his face."

"He continued until every trace of the dog's chicken-scented drool was washed away."

"Lifting his wet face, his bangs were completely soaked, and his ruby-red eyes were clear and clean but unfocused, giving him a somewhat silly look."

"Suddenly, there was a gentle and rhythmic knocking at the door, followed by a young male voice: 'Mr. Lin, I've left your lunch at the door, along with your breakfast. Please remember to take them inside.'"

"Not only did Lin An hear it, but he also caught the scent of fresh flesh, a delicacy far surpassing that of any slobbering creature, reigniting the hunger he had just forgotten."

"Food! The food is outside!"

"Lin An immediately turned around with his mouth open, eager to find this new, tantalizingly scented meal."

"But he ended up bumping his head against the door."

"Earlier, he had inadvertently closed the door to avoid Xiao Fu and now couldn't open it, only managing to push against it with his head, seemingly trying to force it open."

"The door remained immovable."

"As the delicious scent grew fainter, Lin An became frantic, head-butting the door repeatedly."

"'Thud! Thud!'"

"The sound of the door being hit grew louder with each thud, but the person who had delivered the meal had long gone, leaving only Xiao Fu in the house to hear the noise."

"Lin An usually closed the bathroom door when grooming, so Xiao Fu had gone to the balcony to bask in the sun, merely lifting his tail in response to the knocking, a sound he had grown accustomed to hearing three times a day. This morning, when it first sounded, his owner was still asleep."

"However, upon hearing the noises from the bathroom, Xiao Fu's ears perked up, and he immediately stood up."

"Recognizing it was coming from where his owner was, Xiao Fu slowly approached the bathroom door, listening to the thudding inside. After a while, he suddenly stood up on his hind legs, attempting to reach the doorknob with his front paws."

"But he was only six months old and a bit smaller than other dogs his age due to a difficult puppyhood, so he couldn't reach the doorknob."

"Xiao Fu kept jumping, trying countless times until he finally managed to hook his front paw on the doorknob and successfully opened the door."

"The capable dog managed to rescue his owner from the bathroom."

"Lin An emerged expressionlessly, a large red mark on his forehead, and his red eyes brimming with tears. Tears slowly streamed down his unemotional face, dampening his curled eyelashes. It was unclear if the tears were from the pain of bumping his head or the hunger caused by the missing food outside. He looked both pitiful and amusing."

"No longer able to smell the scent of flesh from outside, Lin An slowly made his way to the door. The breakfast and lunch left outside smelled unappetizing to him. He stood at the door, red-eyed, as if waiting for the food to be delivered again."

"Xiao Fu also sat at the door for a while, but Lin An completely ignored him. The recent incident of being doused in saliva left a very unpleasant memory, and he had now excluded the drool machine from his list of food."

"Half an hour passed, and Lin An was still standing there."

"Xiao Fu had gone back to his room to amuse himself with toys, and there was still no one outside."

"Lin An touched his stomach, then hung his head in disappointment."

"As he lowered his head, his gaze suddenly fixated on something."

"On the light-colored wooden floor, a crystal-clear droplet lay perfectly still."

"It had fallen from Lin An, who remembered to wash his face but forgot to dry it, leaving his entire face, including his bangs and hands, dripping wet."

"Turning slowly, he looked behind him. From the bathroom door, a trail of water stains extended to his feet."

"Among them were paw prints left by Xiao Fu, which had been tracked to other areas."

"Staring blankly at the water stains on the floor, Lin An began to feel uncomfortable again."

"It was distressing to look at, distressing not to wipe it clean."

"Even without memories, the repeated actions had left a muscle memory. Lin An found a mop and began to slowly mop the floor from the door, even rinsing and cleaning the mop when it got dirty before continuing."

"Looking at the sparkling clean floor, Lin An's face remained expressionless, but he felt much more at ease inside."

"Naturally, wiping the tables and furniture became the next task."

The diligent little zombie was wiping the dining table when he suddenly stopped and turned his head towards the door.

He sensed the aroma of fresh flesh and blood again.

Although it wasn't the same person as before, the meal this time seemed more abundant than the last.

Disordered footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, heading straight here. As they grew louder, Lin An could smell the increasingly intense scent of blood and flesh.

One, two, three, four... meals.

Gulp!

Unable to control the secretion of saliva, Lin An, starving for a long time, dropped the cloth in his hand and stumbled towards the door.

He still didn't know how to open the door, so he could only sniff the fresh human flesh scent through it.

So hungry, I really want to eat.

A series of knocks sounded on the door, accompanied by a lazy tone: "Xiao An, I know you're home, open the door."

Initially poised to eat with his mouth open, Lin An froze upon hearing the familiar voice, his pupils constricted as if hitting a pause button, standing motionless.