Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Shen Xiuzhe's first reaction was to wonder if Xu Fang had known the other person before.

The bald man swiftly pulled open the nightstand drawer: "I just saw it, his ID card is right here, and there’s a dog license too. The dog’s name is Xiao Fu, Lin Xiao Fu. Hehe, it’s a fitting name; indeed, a fortunate dog. Everyone I've seen in the post-apocalyptic world has been getting thinner, but Xiao Fu is getting fatter."

Xu Fang's focus was entirely on the dog.

Shen Xiuzhe: "..."

After being dragged home by a zombie, Shen Xiuzhe had been incessantly busy and naturally wouldn’t know the name of the zombie that saved him. Entering the bedroom, he took the ID card handed to him by Xu Fang and examined it closely.

The ID card featured the new version replaced a year ago. The young man in the photo had delicate features but an unhealthy pallor. His eyes slightly downturned and lips pursed, he appeared gloomy and distressed, seemingly reluctant.

What surprised Shen Xiuzhe the most was Lin An's age. Judging by his appearance, he guessed that Lin An had just reached adulthood, but the ID stated he was twenty-three, two years younger than himself.

Lin An was even a few months older than Xu Fang, who, despite his mature looks, was only twenty-two this year. Hence, calling Lin An "big brother" by the younger zombie was indeed no issue.

"Lin An," Shen Xiuzhe murmured the name of the little zombie.

At this moment, Lin An was crouching inside the closet, with two tall men standing outside the open door. The bald one chuckled, beckoning him to come out and play, while the other man stared at the ID card with an unfriendly gaze. Neither seemed like good news.

The two men blocked the closet door, leaving no escape route for the little zombie.

He could only crouch there, trembling.

Meanwhile, Xiao Fu was heartily munching on dog food. Xu Fang had filled the dog bowl with kibble and treats early in the morning, and Xiao Fu had already forgotten yesterday's food snatching episode, wagging its tail happily as it ate, oblivious to its owner's dire predicament.

Suddenly, the little zombie heard a familiar term.

On the first day of becoming a zombie, his head was splitting with pain, and no matter what the boss outside said, he couldn’t understand, only feeling that the voices made him disgusted and afraid.

But now, hearing his own name, the shivering little zombie quickly glanced at Shen Xiuzhe, then lowered his head again.

It was a subtle movement, yet Shen Xiuzhe caught it.

"Lin An?" He doubted what he saw and called out again.

The little zombie moved slightly.

"Lin An."

The little zombie moved again.

"Damn! He can understand us!" Xu Fang pointed at Lin An, his hands trembling. Although he had been tossed around like a ragdoll by a zombie last night, he just found this ability-bearing zombie a bit peculiar. As long as the boss liked him, whether it was a zombie or a ghoul didn't matter to him. But whose zombie could understand human speech?

Does this still count as a zombie?

Or is it some new mutant variant?

"Bro An!" Xu Fang, overly familiar, eyed Lin An with a heated gaze, reaching out to pull the zombie from the cupboard, curious to see how a zombie could understand human speech.

He was met with a sudden splash of water in the face.

Shen Xiuzhe, sensing something amiss, swiftly dodged, leaving only the bald man drenched.

The amount of water wasn't much, but it was enough to make the bald man retract his hand and look at Lin An with a sulky expression, as if to say, "I treat you like a big brother, and you splash water on me?"

After numerous attempts, they discovered that he only reacted slightly to his own name and not at all to other words, not even to his dog Xiao Fu’s name.

Puzzled, Xu Fang rubbed his bald head, "Boss, is he really a zombie? He's nothing like the zombies outside."

Shen Xiuzhe couldn’t be certain either. After all, when he had regained consciousness, this zombie had indeed tried to devour him. Yet, from yesterday to today, it seemed to retain a shred of humanity and possibly memories from before.

Another possibility was that the meteorite caused the change. If so, could this zombie eventually... regain consciousness?

At this thought, Shen Xiuzhe's heart rate quickened.

If that was the case, it would confirm the meteorite as the key to ending this post-apocalyptic world.

The meteor shower that night lasted the entire evening; surely, more than one meteorite had fallen. It seems necessary to be on the lookout for more on the journey to Baize City.

The two planned to scavenge for supplies in the coming days. Six months into the apocalypse, most places had been picked clean, leaving only the city center with any remaining supplies.

That's where the highest concentration of zombies was, and ordinary people would give it a wide berth, certainly not seeking their demise there.

"Xiao Fu, do you want to go outside? I can't take you, though. You'd be nothing more than a snack for those zombies," Xu Fang crouched at the door, playfully interacting with Xiao Fu. He was tempted to take the dog for a walk, but they were heading into a zombie horde; bringing a dog would be like delivering food to them.

Xiao Fu, not one to hold grudges, was wagging its tail looking for fun with Xu Fang today.

Hearing the word 'play' outside, it immediately ran back into the bedroom and came out with a leash. The pet shop owner had sold Lin An not just dog food, but various toys, leashes, dog beds, and more.

Xiao Fu had many leashes and toys, all kept in its bedroom.

Clutching a red leash in its mouth, Xiao Fu wagged its tail at Xu Fang, its shiny black eyes imploring.

After being stared at for two seconds, Xu Fang surrendered, securing the leash on the dog, and shouted to Shen Xiuzhe, who was still pondering over the zombie, "Boss, I'm going to take the dog for a quick walk around the complex, I'll be right back. After that, we can head out."

Shen Xiuzhe was still trying to communicate with Lin An, but Lin An mostly just crouched there, staring at the ground, showing no progress in their interaction.

Hearing Xu Fang's voice, he frowned slightly, "We'll walk the dog after we get back tonight; we need to leave now."

Xu Fang was very obedient to his leader, and upon hearing this, he could only give up, "Xiao Fu, we'll go out and play tonight."

Avoiding Xiao Fu's bright, gleaming eyes, Xu Fang and a ready Shen Xiuzhe quickly left the house.

Xiao Fu sat at the door for a while, its tail drooping, forlornly seeking its owner.

With the cupboard doors wide open, Xiao Fu, looking at its owner crouched in the corner, ran back to its bedroom and brought out a ball.

Over the past six months, whenever Xiao Fu got anxious at home, it would bring a toy to its owner, hoping to play, but the zombified Lin An never understood, instinctively cleaning the toy and putting it back in its place.

Perhaps the morning interaction with Xu Fang stirred memories of playtime with its owner, prompting Xiao Fu to bring out the ball again.

The ball, released from its mouth, bounced on the floor before rolling toward the wall.

Lin An lifted his head, looking at the ball by the wall, and slowly stood up from the wardrobe to pick it up.

Xiao Fu's tail immediately began to wag excitedly, anticipating playtime with its owner.

Gazing at the ball in his hand, Lin An cleaned it with water, ready to return it to its original place, Xiao Fu's bedroom, only to see Xiao Fu watching the ball, tail wagging.

After a moment's hesitation, Lin An tossed the ball away.

Xiao Fu dashed after it with excitement, standing under the dining table with the ball, and with a toss of its mouth, flung the ball away.

Lin An jogged to retrieve the ball and cleaned it once again.

The zombie and the dog played a game at home, not even ten minutes into their fun when the lock at the door suddenly made a noise.

Xiao Fu's first reaction was to bark furiously at the door, retreating while barking until it was back at its owner's feet.

Outside, there was a sudden silence, and the lock noises ceased.

Unlike usual, Lin An didn't run back into the cupboard to hide; his gaze at the security door was full of disdain, as if seeing something filthy, and the next second he hurled water at the door with his hydrokinetic ability.

Water flowed down the security door to the wet floor, but Lin An kept staring at the door, with Xiao Fu barking and trembling at his feet.

After a long pause, the core of the security door's lock started to make noise again, and with a click, the door was opened.

A person hunched over, with arms so long they drag on the ground, stands at the doorway, head bowed.