Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

A minute later, the resilient bald figure clambered back up, trembling with bloodied hands on the window: "Boss, what's with this building...?"

Before he could finish, he was once again swept away by a torrent of water from above.

Shen Xiuzhe couldn't stand it anymore, left the little zombie, went to the window, opened it, and leaned out to speak to the bald man lying on the ground, "Where did you get all that blood from? And why are you clinging to the window, can't you use the door?"

The bald man lay on the ground, staring intensely at the rooftop, only confusedly responding to Shen Xiuzhe's question, "Boss, why is there a leak in this building?"

Shen Xiuzhe turned back to look at the instigator, but the other party had already vanished, likely hiding back in the wardrobe.

"I followed the signs you left and came here. Seeing these charred marks, I knew it had to be you. The key issue was that I didn't know which floor you were on. It's more convenient to enter through the window than to knock on doors endlessly."

The bald man got up from the ground, wrung the water out of his clothes, and then tried to climb through the window again.

"Let's go through the door," Shen Xiuzhe called out.

The bald man, obediently, didn't climb the window again but instead came up the stairs.

Standing outside the door, the bald man was dripping wet with blood, Shen Xiuzhe frowned at him, handing over shoe covers from the rack beside the door: "Take off your coat, and wear these when you come in."

He looked down at his own coat, tattered and bloodstained with black ash and wet from the water, indeed looking a bit unsightly, and promptly took it off, tossing it in the hallway as he put on the shoe covers, asking, "Boss, when did you become so particular?"

"After all, it's someone else's place, it's not good to make it too dirty."

"Is it a friend's house of yours?" The bald man appeared very young, but he always spoke with a slightly raised chin, looking at people from a downward angle, and his bald head gave him the air of a street hoodlum.

"Not exactly a friend, but he saved me when I was injured," Shen Xiuzhe said, omitting the details and the zombie's motive for saving him.

Hearing this, the bald man's eyebrows furrowed in anger as he cursed, "Just mentioning it makes me furious. Those bastards were too deceitful, luring me out and then trying to take you down. Don't they remember who they owe their current stability to? Boss, let's go blow up that damn base tomorrow."

"No need. Those who wanted me dead are already taken care of by me. I've been wanting to leave Chuxi City, and now is a good time to leave directly," Shen Xiuzhe said casually, dragging a chair over for the bald man and sitting down himself.

"Leave? To where?" The bald man was somewhat bewildered, hearing for the first time that his boss had thoughts of leaving.

"To my hometown, Baize City," Shen Xiuzhe said with a determined gaze. If not for this sudden disaster, he might have returned long ago.

The bald man didn't hesitate much: "Sure, this place is miserable, and I have nothing holding me back. Wherever you go, Boss, I'll follow."

Shen Xiuzhe knew the character of Xu Fang, the bald man. Although he didn't look like a good person, he was the only one in the base whom Shen Xiuzhe could completely trust.

"What's with all this blood on you?" Shen Xiuzhe observed the other's clothes still dripping with blood, guessing that the little zombie might soon start splashing water on him.

Xu Fang chuckled, "Those guys tricked me into reinforcing the defenses, but they actually wanted to kill me. I took the chance to fight them and ended up burying them all in a big pit."

Judging by his animated expression, those people probably met a grim fate.

While they were talking, Xiao Fu emerged from the bedroom, eyeing the bald man warily, but didn't bark at him, perhaps sensing no threat from him.

"Hey, there's a dog here too." Xu Fang's eyes lit up, and he immediately reached out to Xiao Fu, coaxing, "Come here, come here."

Xiao Fu glanced at his empty hands and turned, scampering back to the bedroom.

"Why did it leave?" Xu Fang subconsciously wanted to chase after it but was stopped by Shen Xiuzhe.

"Don't run around just yet, you're dripping water everywhere. Clean up first, then you can pet the dog."

Shen Xiuzhe fetched the little zombie from the wardrobe and placed him in front of Xu Fang.

With an extra person in the house, the socially anxious little zombie trembled with his head down, clutching the corners of his clothes under Xu Fang's curious gaze.

"Damn, it's a zombie!" Xu Fang stared for a while before exclaiming loudly.

Startled, the little zombie turned to run toward the wardrobe but was held back by Shen Xiuzhe, "Look, he's so dirty."

It felt like cajoling a child. Xu Fang had never heard his boss speak in such a gentle tone to anyone else, sending a chill down his spine.

Besides, where was he dirty? It was just blood, and in these times, wasn't a man supposed to have some blood on him?

The little zombie, hearing the word "dirty," quickly looked up at Xu Fang.

The next second, a water vortex enveloped Xu Fang, spinning him rapidly in the swirling currents for several minutes before the water finally separated from him and rushed towards the bathroom.

Dizzy and disoriented, Xu Fang finally steadied himself and gazed blankly at the zombie standing in front of him with its head lowered.

Why does this feel so familiar? It's as if I've seen this somewhere before.

Damn! Isn't that a drum washing machine?

They washed him like a piece of clothing and even spun him dry?

Xu Fang, furious, was about to lash out at the zombie but then noticed his boss standing behind it, staring at him with a faintly amused smile.

You dare to utter a word? Xu Fang read this message from his boss's smile.

Xu Fang: "Thank... thank you?"

Shen Xiuzhe nodded: "Alright, now you can move around the house freely. We'll be staying here for a few days. Be careful not to dirty the place. Once I gather the necessary supplies, we'll leave together."

"Boss, the person who saved your life... it couldn't be... this zombie, right?" After all, there were no other living people in the house.

"Yes, it's him."

"My goodness, zombies saving people now? This one must be a special ability type, a rare water ability zombie," Xu Fang said, his eyes burning with curiosity as he stared at Lin An.

Noticing the little zombie stiffening under Xu Fang's intense gaze, Shen Xiuzhe immediately waved him off to go play with the dog.

Xu Fang, who was usually carefree, would have already run off to find the dog if not for the shock of seeing a zombie.

He rubbed his bald head, revealing a sly grin: "Hehehe, Gou Gou, here I come."

"Alright then, let's get going," Shen Xiuzhe said, a hint of amusement still lingering in his eyes.

Then, rubbing his hands together, he hurried towards Xiao Fu's bedroom.

Shen Xiuzhe: ...I always feel a bit sorry for that dog.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shen Xiuzhe grabbed the little zombie and headed to the bedroom for a body check, fearing the meteorite piece might have been digested.

It's no wonder he was so anxious; that meteorite was essentially the only clue in this post-apocalyptic world. Dawn City, renowned for its agriculture and industry, had rather mediocre medical and scientific research capabilities. Even now, they could hardly find a few researchers, making a thorough study of this meteorite virtually impossible.

But Bai Ze City was different, possessing the largest medical research system. Even with the apocalypse, the remaining researchers were skilled enough to conduct studies.

If the meteorite were digested, all hope would be lost.

While Shen Xiuzhe was examining the little zombie, Xiao Fu, lying on his side, sprinted away in panic, followed by Xu Fang with a sleazy grin: "Xiugou, where do you think you're going? You won't escape today."

He was like a ruffian teasing a young girl.

The doors of the side and main bedrooms faced each other. As Xu Fang was chasing the dog, he caught a glimpse of the boss in the main bedroom. What was meant to be a casual glance left him so shocked that he forgot about the dog and stood there, dumbstruck.

Shen Xiuzhe held a white device in his hand, one Xu Fang had seen only once before. It belonged to a couple who used to live next to him, specifically for monitoring the development of the fetus in the womb. Sometimes, looking at the indistinct, barely human-shaped baby on the screen, they would smile foolishly.

So in his mind, that device was only used for checking babies in the womb.

What's going on here!

What had happened without his knowledge?

No, that zombie should be a man, definitely not what he thought.

Xu Fang asked softly, "Boss, what are you doing?"

As soon as Xu Fan stopped, Shen Xiuzhe had already covered the zombie's abdomen. Hearing the question, he casually replied, "There's something of mine inside this zombie's stomach. I'm checking to see if it's still there."

Shen Xiuzhe hadn't shared his hypothesis about the meteorite with anyone. After all, it was just his speculation. Perhaps the meteorite would turn out to be useless, unrelated to people's mutations, just an ordinary rock.

Greater hopes only lead to greater disappointments. It's better to wait for the final results.

It's confirmed now.

Xu Fang's mouth opened and closed, speechless, even his normally straightforward self unsure of what to say at this moment.

So, zombies and humans can...?

Do zombies get pregnant too?

When, when is the due date?

What will be born? Half-human, half-zombie? Would that be considered mixed-race?

His mind was racing with wild questions, and his already not-so-bright brain was nearly tying itself in knots, finally managing to blurt out dryly, "I'll... I'll close the door for you."

The bedroom door was gently closed, then flung open again. Xu Fang gave Shen Xiuzhe a thumbs-up: "Boss, you're awesome!"

Then he closed the door again.

Shen Xiuzhe: "...What on earth is always going through your mind?"

The meteorite inside the little zombie's stomach was still there, unchanged. It would be good if it stayed that way, at least until they reached Bai Ze City, where it could be surgically removed.

Because Lin An acted so much like a human, Shen Xiuzhe always subconsciously regarded him as one.

The young zombie was still scared, pinned on the bed, staring at the wardrobe as if wanting to dash into it.

The sound of hurried pattering echoed from outside; it was the noise of Xiao Fu's paws against the floor as it scampered about the house, mixed with Xu Fang's sleazy chuckles and the rhythm of pursuing footsteps, creating a lively commotion.

Shen Xiuzhe: "...I knew Xu Fang liked small animals like kittens and puppies, but I never expected this kind of fondness, it's a bit rough on the dog."

"Boss, come quick, there's actually a secret room here!" Xu Fang's voice suddenly came from outside, along with the sounds of dogs barking urgently.

Shen Xiuzhe immediately walked outside.

A secret room? Why would there be one here?