Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Shen Xiuzhe: "...You’re overthinking it."

They had honed their abilities through relentless battles with zombies, whereas ability-infused zombies only used their powers when attacking humans, lacking the consciousness to train themselves, relying mainly on consuming humans to grow stronger.

Lin An was exceptionally fastidious, almost to the point of severe germaphobia. Perhaps from the onset of the apocalypse, he had been using his ability daily to clean his home, inadvertently training his powers.

Moreover, considering the meteorite, which had attracted zombies, it must have contained a vast amount of energy. Now that Lin An had consumed it, the enhancement of his abilities was a natural consequence.

Outside, the water spout continued its bustling dance, moving here and there, twisting and turning.

Xu Fang noticed something amiss: "Doesn’t it seem like the water spout is searching for something?"

Shen Xiuzhe, leaning in the passenger seat, speculated: "Maybe it’s looking for a place to dispose of the trash."

Xu Fang: ...So, it’s been twisting and turning because there’s nowhere to throw these zombies?

"Let’s look around for a dumping ground; this is consuming too much energy."

Xu Fang was familiar with the area; garbage trucks often parked in the alley behind the center, though he wasn't sure if they were there now.

Driving towards the alley, any zombies they encountered were swept up by the water spout, leaving the ground spotless.

At the entrance of the back alley, a white garbage truck was parked, its body a checkerboard of blue and white. Upon encountering the truck, the water spout promptly funneled zombies and trash through the refuse inlet atop the vehicle.

With the abundance of zombies, the garbage truck quickly filled up, and yet, more zombies continued to be stuffed in relentlessly.

Zombies were spilling from a garbage truck when, astonishingly, a waterspout began to forcefully stuff them back in. Eventually, every last zombie was crammed into the truck, not a single one left out.

The garbage truck had a considerable capacity, but seemed miniature in comparison to the countless zombies.

The truck was so packed with zombies that its frame started to swell, as if it would explode any second.

After completing its task, the waterspout dissipated, and the surge of water, level with the car tires, nearly swept the vehicle away. The now murky waters eventually drained away through the sewer.

Observing the pair of flailing zombie legs inverted at the entrance of the garbage bin, Xu Fang remained silent for a moment before resolving, "I must trouble Ang less in the future."

Shen Xiuzhe turned to look at the dazed little zombie in the back seat and chuckled, "Indeed."

Ouyang Dong buried the bones wrapped in a purple cotton jacket near the park by Lin An's house, a secluded spot with few zombies and unlikely to draw visitors, very peaceful.

He then prepared to move with them, assisting with the transport of supplies while searching for his father.

Despite the likelihood that his father was no longer alive, without seeing the body, he wouldn't give up.

Upon returning to Lin An's house with the group, Lin An, now with more people, quietly followed Shen Xiuzhe until they entered the house. Shen Xiuzhe helped him off with his gear when Ouyang Dong pointed at Lin An in shock, exclaiming, "Zombie!"

His voice was high-pitched, trembling with disbelief.

Startled, Lin An sluggishly ran to hide in his wardrobe.

Once home, he had a hiding spot, a wardrobe double, an outdoor shield that Shen Xiuzhe disregarded completely.

Ouyang Dong, stunned to see the zombie run off, couldn't take his eyes off him. He truly hadn't realized it was a zombie—silent, overly armed, and without exposed skin. But something was off; shouldn't zombies pounce at the sight of humans? What was going on?

Xu Fang burst into hearty laughter, having anticipated this reaction.

He immediately enlightened Ouyang Dong with the illustrious history of their leader and Ang, like how Lin An, always a zombie, even kept a dog, and how today's waterspout was his doing.

The glorious history of their leader was abundant.

Xu Fang always believed his leader to be the ultimate badass.

At the onset of the apocalypse, he escaped with friends, fell while being chased by zombies, and his decade-old friend ran off without looking back, even after seeing him fall. If Shen Xiuzhe hadn't pulled him up, he'd likely be just a skeleton now.

Hence, he had followed Shen Xiuzhe ever since. Initially apprehensive because of Shen's aloofness and his scornful look that seemed to say "I'm the best, now get lost," he later realized that scornful look was just his resting face, even when pondering lunch.

At first, he nearly wet himself with fear when killing zombies, but Shen Xiuzhe dispatched them with a steady hand, never blinking, his ruthless efficiency made him wonder if Shen had ever really killed before. Once he learned that Shen was an adventurer who had faced countless wild beasts in the wilderness, his admiration grew; after all, who hadn't dreamt of being an adventurer as a child?

Ouyang Dong went from initial shock to admiration, and upon hearing that Shen Xiuzhe was an adventurer, he sighed, "I also dreamed of becoming an adventurer, but my father threatened to break my legs if I dared, and my mother spent the night awake, fretting that they would be constantly worried if I went to the wilderness. I realized they had a point; as their only son, what would they do if something happened to me? But now... now..."

Ouyang Dong couldn't continue and started to cry where he sat.

Xu Fang wasn't good at comforting others, and this kind of grief was something no one else could ease; it had to be overcome by oneself.

He handed over some tissues and let Ouyang Dong sit and cry it out, understanding that some people prefer to suffer in silence, fearing to show their vulnerability, which can lead to deeper issues.

In the early days of the apocalypse, the base was often filled with crying; some found relief through their tears, knowing they had to carry on living, while others could never move past their grief.

"Let's go, move the supplies up." While the two were talking, Shen Xiuzhe had already discarded the used masks and gloves of the small zombie into the trash and changed into fresh clothes.

Xu Fang acknowledged with an 'oh' and suddenly realized that Xiao Fu had been sitting quietly by the carpet at the door the whole time.

"What's the matter?" He was so engrossed in promoting his leader to Ouyang Dong that he hadn't noticed Xiao Fu's stillness.

"Hungry?" That seemed unlikely, as he had already been fed in the car.

Xiao Fu grunted and scratched at the carpet a few times with his paws.

Xu Fang: ???

He looked at Shen Xiuzhe, who offered only an indifferent back: "I don't understand dogs, sort it out yourself."

After much ado, he finally understood Xiao Fu's hint.

The dog's paws needed to be wiped before entering the house.

This dog was practically human.

How on earth did Lin An raise him? How was it that both he and his dog were so formidable?

At night, the three men slept in the living room, with Shen Xiuzhe and Xu Fang each on a sofa, and Ouyang Dong spread some things out to sleep on the floor.

Xu Fang, who usually slept well, was woken by noise; he turned to see Ouyang Dong on the floor, thrashing about and crying for his mother, and sighed to himself.

"Even though I understand his grief, how is anyone supposed to sleep with this noise in the middle of the night?"

Shen Xiuzhe, hands behind his head, gave him a speechless glance at the comment; a snorer had no place to criticize a sleep talker—pot calling the kettle black.

A noise from outside prompted Shen Xiuzhe to rise swiftly: "Keep an eye on the inside, I'll go check."

They had encountered a special type of zombie when scavenging for supplies during the day, and now another appeared, leaving Shen Xiuzhe resigned to deal with it.

By the time he returned, Xu Fang had lost all sleepiness, attentively listening to Ouyang Dong's sleep talking.

Seeing the other engrossed in his dream, unlikely to awaken soon, Xu Fang whispered, "Boss, do you think he knows his mother might be..."

Shen Xiuzhe lay back down: "He might, hence his subconscious avoidance. He's avenged her anyway. Get some sleep; Lin An will be out soon."

"Ah, why's he coming out?" Xu Fang had forgotten his surprise from the morning at seeing the neighbor's place transformed.

Shen Xiuzhe didn't reply, just closed his eyes, leaving Xu Fang to close his own with a mind full of questions.

It wasn't long before Lin An tiptoed out.

Ouyang Dong continued to gesticulate in his dreams, and each time he moved, the tiptoeing Lin An would pause. Finally, seeing he was still lying there asleep, the small zombie began to clean with his tools.

Perhaps due to the increased number of people at home, he cleaned much faster than before, finishing in just two hours.

He even washed Xiao Fu's leash today.

After cleaning, Lin An didn't retreat to his closet but stood in the dining area, looking towards where the others slept.

He stood there a long time before finally moving closer.

The two pretending to be asleep were curious, peeking sideways; Lin An, oblivious to their gaze, kept his ruby-like eyes fixed on Ouyang Dong on the floor.

He looked rather appetizing.

Lin An wasn't hungry, but Ouyang Dong's plumpness made him appear more delicious than the leaner fare.

Wondering what he might taste like.

He swallowed and crouched beside Ouyang Dong.

At this moment, Ouyang Dong, free from his nightmares, slept peacefully, utterly unaware of the hungry little zombie eyeing him beside.

A thin stream of water meticulously cleansed Ouyang Dong, meandering through the air into the bathroom. The person, already fair and plump, appeared even whiter after being washed.

Satisfied at last, Lin An opened his mouth to reveal a pair of small fangs and slowly moved towards Ouyang Dong's neck.

"What the—!"

The two feigning sleep leapt into action, vaulting over the coffee table. One yanked Ouyang Dong and the sheet beneath him away, while the other hoisted the small zombie up by the back of its shirt.

The caught little zombie didn't dare move, shrinking its neck and bowing its head.

At this moment, Ouyang Dong remained unaware, still not awake.

When Xu Fang arrived yesterday, Lin An had already consumed the stone and was unaware that his leader had been brought back as food by the small zombie, believing this zombie was truly different and did not eat humans.

"What do we do now?" Xu Fang asked dryly.

"It's fine, go back to sleep."

Shen Xiuzhe, holding the little zombie by the shirt, entered the bedroom and closed the door.

As soon as Lin An's collar was released, he tried to dash for the wardrobe, but Shen Xiuzhe shut the wardrobe door before him.

Shen's tall frame, leaning against the closet, cast an imposing shadow over the small zombie, adding a sense of oppression.

Lin An, like a quail, shrunk his neck towards the wardrobe, making a feeble attempt to pull it open, but his meager strength was no match for the closet.

"You like to eat humans, right? Here, have a bite," Shen Xiuzhe said, forcing the little zombie's head to turn towards him and then rolling up his sleeve.

Lin An might not have been bright, but he was not foolish; he remembered yesterday's events and wouldn't be fooled.

Shen's smile was unusually warm, the kind that would attract many admirers under normal circumstances; indeed, it worked well, as Lin An, peering through his hair, felt less frightened by his expression.

Seeing Lin An not fall for the trick, Shen Xiuzhe pressed his own arm with his other hand, showcasing the firm, yet supple muscle, which did not seem tough.

The little zombie appeared perplexed and extended a finger to press down, then quickly retracted it.

It was indeed soft.

"Want a taste?" Shen Xiuzhe offered himself to the little zombie.

The small zombie slowly opened its mouth, moving closer, and again stretched out a hand to test. Its teeth gently clamped down on Shen Xiuzhe's arm—it was soft indeed.

He bit down hard, nearly chipping his teeth again.

Lin An: "Oof~"

Afterwards, the little zombie stayed huddled in the cabinet, unwilling to come out; the trust between zombies and humans was as fragile as his chipped tooth.

Shen Xiuzhe didn't go out that night but stayed in Lin An's room, as he couldn't be certain when this unique zombie might suddenly become violent.

After two days together, he learned the zombie's name, knew that he liked reading, was tidy, feared people, kept a chubby dog, and longed to venture into the wilderness.

He used to confront zombies without hesitation, swiftly beheading them.

But now, he didn't want Lin An, the zombie, to meet the same fate.

Once he tasted human flesh, there would be no going back.

In the following days, they still took Lin An with them to scavenge for supplies every day, with Ouyang Dong providing various fruits while looking for his father during the search.

On the fourth day of searching for supplies, they didn't find Ouyang Dong's father, but Shen Xiuzhe encountered someone he knew.

The only space manipulator in the base, Jiang Laixu.