Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Xue Ling, having been “cleaned” by her ex-boyfriend, had reached a state of Zen. She couldn't even be bothered to act like a zombie and just sat there stiffly, not moving an inch.

Wen Jiuzhe was combing her hair, untangling the knots, and then sat beside her, studying the pile of skincare products he had found.

Holding a packaging box and a bottle, he looked at the words and muttered to himself, "The bottle is all in English... Oh, this is a lotion, and this one is completely in Russian..."

He poured the liquid from the bottle and rubbed it between his fingers, sniffing it to confirm, "It's water."

Then he pinched his temple, recalling the skincare routine:

"What was your skincare routine after washing your face? I think you patted on water first? Then lotion? Cream? There was also oil, when do you use the oil?"

He wracked his clever brain and looked at Xue Ling as if seeking confirmation, "Oil doesn't dissolve in water, so they can't be used together. You apply water first, then oil, right?"

Wrong, you idiot! Xue Ling couldn't hold it in anymore!

Seeing her about to erupt again, Wen Jiuzhe quickly reached out and pinned her down once more.

Holding the restless zombie in his arms, he used his knee to clamp down on her hands and waist, and then used his thumb and forefinger to grip her chin and lift her face.

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon." Saying that, he already had the water in his hand, ready to pat it on Xue Ling's face.

Xue Ling struggled desperately, wanting to curse, but Wen Jiuzhe lifted her chin, closing her mouth.

"I'm doing your skincare. Don't make a fuss, you were very well-behaved during the bath just now."

Xue Ling, who didn't need to breathe, had the illusion of not being able to catch her breath.

Are you even looking properly? That bottle is makeup remover, not toner! Who starts their skincare routine with makeup remover?!

Are you blind?!

Wen Jiuzhe firmly followed the routine he had deduced and finished the skincare for her.

After his chaotic skincare session, Xue Ling felt even more haggard and didn't have the energy to resist the sunflower-print dress.

She let the yellow, ugly dress be put on her.

Well, at least Wen Jiuzhe remembered to put underwear on her, and the size was more or less fitting.

"There, now you look just like before." Wen Jiuzhe said with a smile as he examined her.

Xue Ling's face was expressionless.

Just like before? Okay, okay, in your eyes, when I was alive, I looked like this deathly pale with red veins, right?

Wen Jiuzhe continued to smile at her and suddenly cupped her face with both hands, squeezing gently.

This gesture felt familiar, bringing back some memories for Xue Ling.

He used to do this when she was smiling happily, suddenly squeezing her face, leaving her full of question marks.

If you asked, it was just his itchy hands.

Xue Ling heard the man, who was being itchy again, ask softly, "How did you become a zombie?"

"When did you... become a zombie?"

...Not to mention, you're asking way too late.

Sitting under a large tree outside the yard of a house, Xue Ling, who had been cleaned up, was placed in a chair under the tree by Wen Jiuzhe, who had also found a large, forest-style sun hat to shield her from the sun.

"I'm going to take a shower, it'll be quick, wait here for me and don't run off."

Xue Ling really wanted to escape, but she knew that if she walked just two hundred meters, Wen Jiuzhe would catch up to her.

As a two-wheel-drive zombie, she couldn't outrun Wen Jiuzhe's four-wheel drive.

And seeing how he was treating a zombie like a living girlfriend, it was clear he wasn't mentally stable. Xue Ling didn't dare provoke him anymore.

Who says only the living fear the insane? The dead fear them too.

Sitting under the tree, feeling the gentle breeze and the scent of body wash on herself, Xue Ling thought, forget it, if Wen Jiuzhe wanted to keep her, let him. He probably wouldn't last long anyway.

In the distance, around the street corner, two men were watching Xue Ling from afar, quietly discussing.

They were brothers who had been active around Anxi City since the apocalypse, making a living by robbing passersby.

There were many like them, usually three to five men in a group, lying in wait by the roadside, targeting lone individuals and vehicles.

Nowadays, anyone daring enough to drive outside alone was usually well-equipped, often carrying a lot of supplies. Robbing them would be a huge score.

The brothers had rarely seen such "fat sheep" near Anxi City, and they were extremely envious when they saw Wen Jiuzhe's car.

A modified car with a high chassis, unlike their old, broken-down vehicle.

"Bro, should we make a move now?"

"Yeah, you go pry open the door, I'll handle the woman."

The younger, dark, and burly man, licking his lips, urged, "Bro, let's take the woman too. It's been ages since we've had any female company!"

His brother, shorter and stouter, looked tempted, "Then hurry up. Pry the door open and see if we can drive it. If we can, we'll take the woman too."

Being locals, the two were familiar with the nearby terrain and had never failed in their robberies before.

They had been attracted by that loud noise two days ago and, not daring to approach upon seeing it was a large motorcade from afar, they had kept their distance. Today, they stumbled upon a lone vehicle, with only two people inside—a man and a woman.

At the moment, the man was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the woman sitting outside. It was the perfect opportunity.

The two brothers observed for a moment and, without much hesitation, immediately decided to make their move.

The older brother slowly approached behind Xue Ling, while the younger one headed straight for the car. He had worked at an auto repair shop before, and was quite skilled at breaking into and stealing cars.

The two of them were well-coordinated and had a solid plan, but something went wrong.

The older brother, responsible for subduing Xue Ling, lunged from behind, covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. But as soon as he made contact, he sensed something was off—he was staring into the dark red eyes of a zombie.

Xue Ling, having a stranger cover her mouth: ?

Realizing the situation in an instant, Xue Ling's eyes flashed with ferocity.

If she couldn't take on the strong and powerful Wen Jiuzhe, at least she could handle this chubby guy who looked all flab and no muscle.

With his arm conveniently at her mouth, Xue Ling wasted no time and bit down hard.

"Ah!" The short and stout man, upon seeing her clearly, screamed in terror, jerking away from her like he had been electrocuted, scrambling and crawling to the side.

"She's a zombie! She bit me!"

His panicked voice startled his younger brother, who was in the middle of prying open the car door, causing him to stumble.

It wasn't surprising that he was so desperate—zombies, while not very agile, were highly defensive, toxic, and contagious. Being bitten by one meant turning into a new zombie within half a day.

Watching the man flee in terror, Xue Ling spat out the blood from her mouth.

Just as she was about to sit back down, a gunshot rang out.

The short and stout man, crawling toward his younger brother, fell forward, his head tilting to the side as red quickly pooled underneath him.

Wen Jiuzhe emerged from the house, his upper body still bare, water vapor rising from him. His wet hair clung to his collarbone, dripping continuously.

He held a gun in his hand, his expression blank. After shooting one person dead, he aimed the gun at the black, burly man near the car door.

The man, who looked to be in his thirties, immediately raised his hands in surrender. "No, no! Don't shoot!"

He babbled a string of incoherent pleas for mercy.

Xue Ling thought Wen Jiuzhe was going to put a bullet in him next, sending him to join the man on the ground.

But Wen Jiuzhe didn't fire again. Instead, he tied up the black, burly man with practiced skill, rendering him immobile before dragging him to the yard.

After tying him up, Wen Jiuzhe grabbed the short and stout corpse, dragging it away into the corner of the yard.

He returned shortly after, his hands wet, and casually wiped them near Xue Ling's mouth.

"Better sit in the yard."

Xue Ling stared at his chest, unable to help but think that those muscles... looked so tasty.

This wasn't just a random thought—she had tasted them before.

Xue Ling averted her lifeless gaze, thinking to herself, no, cannibalism was not allowed.

Wen Jiuzhe pushed her into the yard, reset her chair, and went back to finish his interrupted shower. Soon, he came out wearing an oversized white T-shirt so large that Xue Ling wondered if he had even finished washing.

Watching him scrub and wring out his soiled clothes, hanging them casually in the yard, then cleaning the dirt off his leather boots, and finally pulling out a whetstone to sharpen his knife, she felt a chill.

As he sharpened the blade, the bound black, burly man whimpered and cried.

Xue Ling glanced at him, thinking, why was he crying so much? Wen Jiuzhe wasn't sharpening the knife to cut him.

After a long while, Wen Jiuzhe finished sharpening the knife and suddenly sighed, looking up at Xue Ling.

"Not hungry?"

Xue Ling: ?

It took her a moment to understand what Wen Jiuzhe meant.

If she were still human, she would have gotten goosebumps all over.

The black, burly man tied up next to her was prepared for her by Wen Jiuzhe.

He had been waiting for her to feed.

No wonder he had thrown the man at her feet. She had thought he was just trying to scare him, thinking that a villain would get what he deserved.

But...

Xue Ling stared blankly as Wen Jiuzhe approached, crouching in front of her.

"Even as a zombie, you're still picky?" he asked, his expression calm, with a helpless smile that sent chills down her spine.

"Or do you want me to cut it up for you?"

The last time he had said something like that was when they were having steak together.

Xue Ling's face stiffened, unable to make an expression, wanting desperately to grab his wet, messy hair and scream: Are you the zombie or am I?!

The damned monster is ruining my cultivation. I've been a zombie for three years and haven't eaten a single person, and now you show up wanting me to break my vow!

She muttered to herself, waving her hands wildly as she moved away from him and the burly dark-skinned man.

Go away! I don't want to!

Wen Jiuzhe watched as she wandered around the yard, showing no intention of eating, and had no choice but to give up.

He stood up again, carrying the burly man out.

After returning, he rinsed the blood off the knife, opened a pack of compressed rations, ate a couple of bites, and then offered it to Xue Ling.

"Want to eat this?"

Xue Ling continued to ignore him, walking past him, and finally faced the courtyard wall, tapping her forehead against it.

Help! Why has Wen Jiuzhe become so erratic now?

Having quietly finished a meal that could have been breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Wen Jiuzhe walked over, took her hand, and patted the white ash on her forehead. "Let's go, we'll move to a different place."

Where are you going now?

Xue Ling was stuffed into the passenger seat, and Wen Jiuzhe securely fastened her with two seatbelts, one on each side.

As the car started moving, Xue Ling caught sight of a bakery with a shattered glass window. It suddenly reminded her of her first meeting with Wen Jiuzhe.