Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Three ominous-looking men returned to Shen Xiuzhe's former residence with the little zombie they had 'abducted'.

It was an apartment in the teachers' quarters, modestly sized with two rooms and a living area, a top-tier accommodation in the base where most people lived in student dorms or classrooms. Only psychics of exceptional ability and base high-ups could afford to live here.

The interior was simply furnished; Shen Xiuzhe spent most of his time outside the base, sleeping wherever convenient at night, and rarely stayed here.

But the room was always reserved for him, even if other psychics desired to take it over, they had to weigh their own strength.

In the early days of the apocalypse, people were only terrified of the horrifying, inhuman zombies. Back then, before psychic abilities had awakened, the only instinct when facing zombies was to flee.

But even at that time, Shen Xiuzhe was already fighting on the frontlines, searching the school for remaining zombies, organizing people to fortify the surroundings, and clearing the zombies within about a kilometer outside the school.

Many had seen him in action, slaying zombies with ease, his calm demeanor unshaken amidst fear and despair. Like a death god, his long sword swiftly decimating the undead, his narrow, deep-set eyes looked down on everyone with an air of invincible pride and chilling aloofness.

Many found courage from this scene, gradually becoming the primary force in eliminating zombies within the base.

And so, a deep-seated reverence for this man was rooted in their hearts.

Even though he rarely returned to the base, no one dared to touch his room.

Back at the apartment, away from those almost tangible stares, Lin An slowly began to recover, but the aftershocks seemed severe, shivering continuously.

Shen Xiuzhe didn't task the other two with watching the little zombie. Instead, he had them clean the wardrobe. Once it was clean, he gently pushed Lin An towards it.

At that moment, Lin An’s mind was blank, obediently walking forward, stopping only when he reached the wardrobe.

"Look, the wardrobe is clean now. Stay inside for a while. We will be here for two hours, then return," Shen Xiuzhe planned to speak with the base leader about the zombie tide and confirm some things. Two hours should be enough.

Lin An, who usually loved wardrobes, stood trembling in front of it, unusually reluctant to enter.

"Is it the color of the wardrobe you don't like?" Xu Fang, still holding a cloth, speculated.

"Could it be that we didn't clean thoroughly?" Ouyang Dong joined in the speculation.

Shen Xiuzhe, observing the uncooperative little zombie, said, "Maybe he just prefers the wardrobe at his own home."

Even after testing with another wardrobe in a different room and wiping down both wardrobes multiple times, the small zombie remained indifferent, showing no intention of going inside.

"It seems he really does recognize his wardrobe."

With no other recourse, they let the small zombie nestle on the living room sofa to gradually calm down, with Xiao Fu, the dog, lying at his owner's feet for company.

Shen Xiuzhe was preparing to meet with the base leader and couldn't take Lin An with him; the base was crowded, and there was always the risk that someone would recognize Lin An as a zombie, potentially causing panic. Moreover, his outing would be brief, and with Xu Fang and Ou Yang Dong's considerable abilities, they were more than capable of protecting Lin An.

Xu Fang understood the importance of Lin An, while Ou Yang Dong had always believed Lin An to be part of Shen Xiuzhe's family. Having failed to protect his own family, he sincerely hoped that Lin An would be well.

Shen Xiuzhe left, confident in the abilities of the two men.

Xu Fang and Ou Yang Dong, who had grown up together in Chuxi City, naturally found a lot to talk about. They chatted in the bedroom, keeping an ear out for any sounds from the living room.

Lin An sat quietly on the sofa, his body gradually ceasing to tremble, and he began to take an interest in his surroundings.

So dirty.

Despite the simplicity of the layout, and the fact that the floor had been swept and the sofa cleaned, through the eyes of Lin An—the paragon of cleanliness—this place was filthy.

He slowly stood up and began looking for cleaning tools.

A bald head peeked out from the bedroom door: "An-ge, no need to clean. We'll be leaving soon anyway, and your efforts would be for naught."

The small zombie didn't understand and, as a uniquely fastidious undead, couldn't allow his temporary abode to harbor a speck of dust.

Not a trace of dust, garbage, or grime was to be left!

"Let him clean. Look, he's almost back to himself now. Cleaning can be a way to shift his mood," someone suggested.

Over the past few days, Ou Yang Dong had witnessed just how much Lin An valued cleanliness. Although always expressionless, even somewhat vacant, he seemed genuinely happy while cleaning.

"True, as long as An-ge stays inside and doesn't flood the place with water, I'll be thankful."

So they continued their conversation in the bedroom, occasionally poking their heads out to look.

Lin An swept, mopped, wiped tables, and polished cabinets with such diligence it made the two idly chatting feel almost guilty for not helping.

"How about we help clean together?"

"That works, we have nothing else to do anyway."

As they were dividing tasks, one preparing to clean the ceiling light and the other the toilet, a loud bang suddenly came from outside. The door flew inward, crashing against the living room wall.

It nearly hit Lin An, who was dusting.

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong rushed out from the bedroom.

Damn! Someone actually blew up the boss's door!

A pungent sulfur smell wafted in, accompanied by a cloud of smoke and dust. The shiny floor, just cleaned by the little zombie, was now covered with dust and white wall flakes.

Lin An narrowly escaped being hit when the door brushed past him, the powerful airflow momentarily stirring his bangs.

The metal security door now lay on the ground, its edges curled and the middle deeply dented, while spiderweb-like cracks spread across the wall.

Had he moved a step further to the side, he might have indeed been crushed into zombie mush.

Terrified, Lin An stood frozen, clutching a feather duster, his neck retracted like a quail, daring not to move.

"Shen Xiuzhe! Get out here now!" a group of people swaggered in from outside.

Xu Fang was on the verge of exploding in anger; not only was Lin An almost killed, but nobody had ever dared to be so arrogant in front of them.

"Why are you calling for your grandfather?" he retorted with his chin up and an even more defiant attitude.

The leader, Zhao Tian, sought revenge as his brother Zhao Yihao had been killed by Shen Xiuzhe days earlier, and several team leaders and members at the base had also fallen to Shen Xiuzhe. Learning of his return, they naturally came to seek justice.

"Where’s Shen Xiuzhe? Why is only his lackey here? Don't tell me he’s too scared to show up, playing the coward?"

"You wish to see my boss? Do you even deserve it?" Xu Fang taunted, his skill in belittling opponents top-notch; if zombies could understand human speech, they'd probably be angered to death by him.

Zhao Tian, his eyes red with fury, retorted, "So what if you have dual abilities? Does that give you the right to slaughter the innocent? What did my brother ever do to him, why did he have to kill him!"

Xu Fang sneered, "Who do you think your brother was, deserving my boss's personal attention? If it weren’t for his stupidity, my boss would be too busy killing zombies to notice such trash like you."

The Zhao brothers were notorious at the base for their notorious deeds, both possessing powerful fire abilities. They often bullied ordinary people, and even other ability users couldn't stand up to them.

Once, Shen Xiuzhe returned to the base and caught Zhao Yihao attempting to assault an underage girl, and promptly beat him to a pulp.

Holding a grudge over this incident, Zhao Tian had previously joined in an assault on Shen Xiuzhe, and needless to say, his end was predictable.

Zhao Tian would never admit his own wrongdoing; for him, it was all about avenging his brother's death at the hands of Shen Xiuzhe.

And the group behind him, all ability users, were united in seeking vengeance against Shen Xiuzhe.

Xu Fang could tell from their expression that they were insistent on their innocence. Did they expect their leader to return his brother unharmed and intact after such a foolish act?

Ridiculous.

He signaled to Ouyang Dong; since the opponents were spoiling for a fight and deaf to reason, it might be better to take action. They seemed oblivious to their misdeeds, almost extinguishing the hope of ending this apocalyptic world.

Better to eliminate them first.

As they made their move, Zhao Tian and his group attacked simultaneously.

What was expected to be a fierce battle turned quickly as one of Zhao Tian's men teleported behind Lin An, who had been as still as a quail, took him hostage, and returned to Zhao Tian's side in a blink.

In the brief two seconds, before Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong could react, Lin An was already taken.

Seeing their shocked faces, Zhao Tian knew his plan would work. He sneered, “Your boss's lover is now in my hands. If he dies, you two won't get off easily.”

They hadn't realized they'd taken a zombie hostage. Lin An, wearing a mask and gloves, with his eyes hidden by his bangs, stood quietly, like a frightened Venus flytrap, seemingly a timid and useless beauty covering up his good looks.

Little Fu was previously frightened, too. It was about to fall asleep when the door exploded, almost losing its soul in shock. It had been hiding in a corner, but now seeing its owner captured, it ran out, barking furiously at the men.

Zhao Tian glanced at the chubby dog on the ground, almost drooling: “We'll take this person and the dog. Tell Shen Xiuzhe if he wants his little lover back unharmed, he should send over one of his arms first.”

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong indeed turned pale when Lin An was captured, but more because these guys were so filthy. They reeked even from a distance, their hair greasy with dandruff, their nails caked with dirt, and their teeth stained yellow.

It was a disaster! These guys were dirtier than zombies.

The two exchanged a look, their faces filled with horror.

As expected, the next moment, the apartment was flooded.