Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The shy little zombie stood there, twisting his fingertips together, then rubbing the hem of his shirt, unsure of what to do next.

With his crimson eyes cast downward, lips tightly pursed, he was at a loss for how to respond, and in his hurry, he started to clean the RV with sanitary tools.

The Lin An of the past cleaned out of a subconscious need for tidiness, but now, there was a discernible spring in his step, an ebullience that even the carefree Xu Fang could notice his happiness.

And that most cherished photo frame of Lin An's was placed on the cabinet of the RV, always in sight, and Lin An would glance at it from time to time as he cleaned.

They had successfully evaded the pursuit of the rooftop birds, and those birds had not followed them since.

Perhaps Shen Xiuzhe wanted to leave the birds' habitat as soon as possible, so the RV kept moving without stopping, leaving the occupants to find other ways to pass the time.

Udo was also cleaning, and although the RV was tidied daily, they still managed to sweep up some trash like dust and hair each time.

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong were engrossed in studying the robot gifted by Professor Lin.

The robot, less than a meter tall and plump, appeared very cute.

Little Fu stood by, curiously sniffing the robot. When Xu Fang pressed the power button, the robot's eyes suddenly lit up with blue light, startling Little Fu who immediately darted to Lin An's feet, warily staring at the robot with shiny black eyes.

Lin An, wiping the table, looked down at the dog clinging tightly to his feet, slowly blinked, and then reached out to pat the dog's head.

！！！

Little Fu looked up steadily at its owner, having not been petted by him for a long time.

After becoming a zombie, Lin An had twice realized that creatures like Little Fu, which shed fur and drool, were inedible, so he had mostly ignored it. Although Little Fu's regular meals and water, grooming, and baths were provided on time, other times he was immersed in his own world.

Today, for the first time since becoming a zombie, Lin An reached out to pet him voluntarily.

It wasn't the dog deliberately nudging his head under his owner's hand, but his owner actively petting him.

Little Fu immediately forgot about the peculiar robot, snuggling against its master's leg, whimpering for more affection with a fluffy tail wagging wildly.

Lin An indulged the dog with continued pats on the head, his gaze affectionate and focused on the pet, a smile gracing his lips with a tenderness he himself hadn't realized.

Then he noticed his hand was full of dog fur.

Lin An: "..."

The smile quickly faded, and the bewildered dog, still eager for affection, was led aside by its owner for a brushing.

Meanwhile, Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong were crouched in curiosity, examining the robot as Professor Lin had provided no manual, leaving them to figure it out on their own.

"Is it voice-activated? Or is there a button somewhere for control?" Xu Fang turned the little robot around, finding nothing but the power switch and no apparent charging port.

"Hello, I am Robot Z001," the little robot suddenly spoke, its voice a crisp childlike tone, which matched its stature and seemed quite endearing.

Though it had only spoken once, Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong were immediately thrilled: "It talked!"

But after that, the robot fell silent again, its blue eyes staring ahead motionlessly.

Ouyang Dong, stroking his chin, inquired, "Z001?"

"I am here."

"What can you do?"

"A lot."

……

The atmosphere cooled as the robot was nothing like what they had expected, appearing rather aloof.

Xu Fang sighed, "I thought the robot would call us 'master' or something. Why is it so taciturn? Was this also set by Grandpa Lin?"

Robot: "Heh."

Xu Fang: "...Did it just mock me?"

Ouyang Dong nodded: "Seems like it."

Despite the robot's cool demeanor, they were still keenly interested, even discussing renaming it to something more memorable.

Xu Fang: "How about calling it the 'Invincible Challenger'?"

Ouyang Dong, with disdain, said: "Are you serious? That name is even worse than Z001, 'Deity of the Wilderness' would be better."

Udo, who was cleaning nearby, glanced back and saw the two talking with serious expressions, not joking at all. She twitched her mouth—it was too ugly, and oh so cheesy.

The robot, surrounded by the two, remained motionless. If not for the glowing blue eyes, one might think it had powered down.

Granny Wu, while massaging her legs on the sofa, listened to their various odd names and chuckled: "How about 'Dafu'? We have a 'Xiaofu', now we could add a 'Dafu'."

Indeed, it was easy to remember. Udo found it quite appealing, but Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong were somewhat reluctant; they still believed the names they came up with sounded the best and most domineering.

"Dafu has been registered, name assignment successful," the robot spoke again, finalizing its name with a decisive tone.

The robot's round head featured only two blue eyes; when powered off, the lights went out, leaving behind two black screens, devoid of mouth and ears. Its limbs and body were human-like in their construction.

Without any instructions, the small robot took a few slow steps forward with its short legs, circumventing the two men's encirclement.

It then proceeded to the spot where Lin An had stood earlier, picked up the cloth from the table, and began to clean.

The two visibly displayed disappointment. After all, Professor Lin had described it so mysteriously, they had expected an impressive robot, not a domestic one.

Well, having a domestic robot was quite nice; they couldn't even afford one back in Chuxi City, so having one now was good.



Xu Fang, undeterred, stood behind the busy robot, bombarding it with questions, but the robot, seemingly oblivious, continued to wipe the table diligently, ignoring him.

U Shuangxue sat on the sofa, pondering. A robot specially sent by Lin Huai couldn't just be for domestic chores.

"Dafu? What else can you do?"

The robot, pausing its cleaning, turned humanely to U Shuangxue: "Basic functions include cleaning, playing music, driving, grocery shopping and cooking, weather reporting, and killing zombies. Advanced functions are available after learning."

Xu Fang asked, "What are the advanced functions, and how can we upgrade?"

The little robot resumed its task of wiping the table.

U Shuangxue inquired, "Dafu, how do you learn the advanced functions?"

The little robot: "I can initiate upgrade functions through mimicking and learning human actions, but currently, my learning level is insufficient to commence upgrades."

Xu Fang nearly cried out in frustration: "This robot is so hypocritical."

Lin An, currently engaged in one task at a time, was so focused on grooming Xiaofu that he completely missed the interactions between the others and the robot.

When he finished grooming and returned to resume cleaning, he discovered his cloth had been taken.

He searched blankly around, and his gaze eventually fixated on the small robot, less than a meter tall, holding the white cloth in its hand. Lin An suddenly realized his job had been usurped.

Unable to muster the courage to snatch the cloth back, Lin An glared at the robot, staring intently at it.

Dafu, the robot, looked up, meeting Lin An's gaze.

If it had been a person, the socially anxious Lin An would have quickly averted his eyes, even if it were familiar people like Shen Xiuzhe. But now, it was just a robot staring back at him, so Lin An bravely glared back, intent on reclaiming his cloth.

Lin An: "The cloth! It's mine!"

The little robot, unable to interpret the message in his eyes, placed the cloth on the table and stretched out a hand towards Lin An.

Xu Fang grew even more resentful: "Look at this guy, wanting to shake hands with Brother An, such a double standard. I feel discriminated against."

Lin An, taken aback by the robot's extended hand, shifted from a glaring to a bemused gaze. After a moment of thought, he awkwardly extended his hand as well.

What was meant to be a cute meeting between a big adorable and a little adorable creature became a heart-melting scene.

But in the next second, the robot's mechanical hand suddenly transformed into a sharp, large blade. Despite the robot's total height being less than a meter, with arms only forty centimeters long, the blade it produced was over a meter in length.

"Zombie detected, request permission to kill," the robot's childlike voice stated calmly, causing panic among everyone.

"No, don't!"

"Don't kill, don't kill!"

"That's not a zombie, well, it is, but it's also our companion."

"Quick, quick, drag away this robot."

"It has a knife, quickly take Lin An away."

After much chaos, they finally managed to instill in the robot the concept that Lin An was a companion, not to be harmed.

Meanwhile, Lin An, cornered by a robot wielding a blade and robbed of a cloth, crouched in the corner like a small mushroom.

The group remained concerned, given the seemingly harmless robot's possession of dangerous blades. They feared Lin An might accidentally get hurt.

Having heard the small robot could drive, Xu Fang asked Shen Xiuzhe to stop the RV, letting the robot try. If it could indeed drive, it would keep Lin An safe, and they could save some effort.

Entering the RV, Shen Xiuzhe immediately noticed Lin An crouched in the corner, looking like a mushroom. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's up with him? He seems unhappy."

"Boss, you don't know, An Ge was nearly killed by that robot. Suddenly, it extended a meter-long sword to kill zombies, scaring us to death."

Xu Fang, carrying the robot outside, was curious to see it drive. Considering its short stature, how would it even reach the brakes, let alone drive?

Xu Fang ran ahead with the robot, while Shen Xiuzhe approached Lin An, looking down at him: "What's the matter, got scared by that robot?"

Lin An wasn't scared; he had a lot to say but hesitated to speak, especially since Shen Xiuzhe seemed so intimidating.

Since the day he was affected by the photograph, Lin An's comprehension had improved rapidly. He could understand most simple conversations now, though his speech was still not fluent, and he rarely spoke.

"Really scared, huh? Should I throw that robot out?" Shen Xiuzhe suggested, turning around only to have the hem of his shirt tugged.

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips, his narrow eyes twinkling with amusement. Having spent some time together, he had a good sense of Lin An's character and knew just what to say to get a reaction.

Lin An harbored no resentment towards the small robot; instead, he had a sudden realization, something he had always overlooked.

"I, am, a zombie."

Speaking the words haltingly, Lin An looked down, on the verge of tears.

Everyone's treatment of him as just another person had led him to forget this fact until the robot's comment reminded him: he was different, a zombie.

A zombie that should be eliminated.

"Oh, so what?" Shen Xiuzhe seemed indifferent to Lin An's distress, responding casually.

Lin An bit his lip, weighed down by his thoughts.

Suddenly, there was movement beside him. He glanced quietly to see Shen Xiuzhe sitting nearby.

Lin An curled up in a corner, while Shen Xiuzhe leaned against the wall, one leg drawn up, the other stretched out, in a relaxed, indolent pose that was inexplicably attractive.

"We'll be visiting several cities later, where people, upon discovering you, will surely cry out to kill you, to drive you away. They'll be frightened, fearful, and disgusted. We might encounter all these reactions."

Lin An's head drooped even lower.

"But what of it? Those who like you won't care that you're a zombie, and those who dislike you won't acknowledge your good deeds regardless. You know this."

Shen Xiuzhe turned his face to rub Lin An's hair and noticed a small red mole on the back of his neck, at the center, previously hidden by hair but now apparent as Lin An hung his head low.

Narrowing his eyes for a moment, Shen Xiuzhe withdrew his hand: "So what if you're a zombie? You haven't eaten anyone or done bad things. You're far better than those who lost their humanity in these apocalyptic times."

Lin An silently digested Shen Xiuzhe's words, feeling somewhat consoled. He lifted his head and asked softly, "Will they... dislike me?"

This incomplete sentence was clearly understood by Shen Xiuzhe; Lin An was concerned that everyone they would meet in the future would dislike him.

Due to experiences in his youth, Lin An was very sensitive to others' opinions. A single ambiguous word or a disdainful look could trouble his sleep for days, making him wonder what he did wrong.

Now, realizing he had become a zombie, an outcast, he was already distressed at the thought of being disliked and cursed by many.

"No worries. If someone says they dislike you, tell me. I'll sort them out; a good thrashing and they won't dare to make a peep," Shen Xiuzhe said confidently, as he was accustomed to such confrontations since childhood.

"Many people fear, respect, or even worship those stronger than themselves, while they scorn and bully those they perceive as weaker. They foolishly think they're superior. So don't be soft with such people. Your abilities are formidable; teach them who's the boss in no uncertain terms, and they'll quickly shut up."

It took Lin An a while to process this before he nodded in agreement.

"Besides, you don't need to care about those people. They're just passing strangers. Whether they hate or like you is irrelevant; you might only see them once and never again. It's enough that we, your companions who are always with you, like you."

Lin An turned to scrutinize Shen Xiuzhe through the parting of his hair. Shen Xiuzhe's features were strikingly handsome, with a defined face and narrow, phoenix-like eyes that smiled without smiling. From the side, his nose was straight and prominent, but his strong presence often made people perceive him as fierce at first glance.

Even Xiaofu would tuck its tail and scurry to its owner's side after a glare from Shen Xiuzhe.

But now, Lin An realized that Shen Xiuzhe was genuinely a good person.

The RV suddenly lurched forward a few meters then halted abruptly, causing Lin An to bump his head against the wall, and others almost fell over.

Shen Xiuzhe's previously smiling eyes turned cold, and he rose to storm out of the RV.

Lin An, rubbing his head, secretly pondered while watching Shen Xiuzhe's retreating figure.

In truth, he was still quite fierce.

Dafu, the robot, indeed knew how to drive. Despite some initial mistakes, it had performed without issues thereafter.

The RV was originally purchased from Mechanica City, so Da Fu only had to plug into a socket on it for it to self-drive without any need for brakes or a steering wheel.

Over the following days, it was always Da Fu driving while the others took turns keeping watch from the passenger seat.

Like the RV, the robots also ran on solar power; just a little sunbathing in good weather was enough to maintain their normal functions.

Three days later, the road ended, and they had to continue over the bumpy terrain.

However, as vegetation increased, the endless wasteland gradually gave way to lush mountains, and the RV could no longer proceed.

Udo packed up the RV along with the robots into a space, and the group proceeded on foot into the forest.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered animals turned into zombies and even zombified plants, learning for the first time that plants could be infected and some were quite troublesome to kill.

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, having previously provoked a spider, were extremely cautious upon entering the forest, even pairing up for trips to the restroom.

Invited to join them, Shen Xiuzhe replied expressionlessly, "I'm not accustomed to holding hands with other men to go to the restroom; go on without me."

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong kept looking back every three steps, instructing the group not to wander off as they would return shortly.

Seeing Shen Xiuzhe roll up his sleeves as if to fight, the two hurriedly ran off.

The rest of the group rested on the spot, with Lin An holding Xiao Fu, who found everything fascinating in this new environment, yet too timid to stray far, instead sitting tongue-out beside his owner, looking around.

Observing the surroundings, Wu Shuangxue said to Shen Xiuzhe, "I'm not sure how much longer our journey is. We should ration the non-perishable food. There's plenty to forage here, and we can also hunt."

Shen Xiuzhe sitting on a rock replied, "That was my thought as well. When those two come back, I'll look for game nearby."

Soon, Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong returned, but as the group turned to look at them, their gaze fell behind them.

Shen Xiuzhe frowned, "What have you brought back with you?"

The bewildered pair looked back but saw nothing.

"Boss, it's broad daylight, and the forest is eerie enough—don't start with ghost stories," Xu Fang said nervously and uneasily.

"Behind you, at your feet," Udo couldn't help but interject.

Turning to look at their feet, they discovered a round, plump grey furball tightly following behind Ouyang Dong.

Ouyang Dong immediately defended himself, "I really didn't do anything this time!"