Chapter 48 The Corpse Keeper

Chapter 48: The Creepy Corpse Keeper

Its limbs twisted constantly, its mouth…

In the end, the group failed to come up with any useful ideas. After all, their target was a living, breathing person—one with thoughts and emotions. They couldn't treat him the way they would a zombie.

Seeing the stalemate, Bai Suizhi suggested, "How about we just steal it?" Since they couldn't bring themselves to take it by force, a gentler approach might work.

He said it so casually that the others didn't immediately react, habitually agreeing, "Stealing could work. That’s a good idea."

"Wait, no… Brother Sui, are you serious? I thought Gu Ze was the one who suggested it," Chen Yi blurted out, surprised.

Gu Ze shot Chen Yi a glare.

Bai Suizhi shrugged. "In the apocalypse, you do what you have to do." His once-strong moral compass was slowly being recalibrated, gradually veering towards an extreme abyss.

Kahn offered, "We could sneak downstairs while he's asleep."

Oliver teased, "Kahn, you're getting devious too."

Kahn touched the braid hanging by his ear and offered a slight smile.

Gu Ze presented a more refined plan: "To the right of the stairs is the room where he came out and ran into us earlier. Chances are, he'll be resting in that room tonight. We can carefully avoid that area and search elsewhere first. If we still can't find it, we'll figure out a way to sneak into his room."

Hearing this, Kahn suddenly remembered something. "It seemed like there was someone in that room."

Bai Suizhi slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot. It *did* sound like someone was in there. Before he left, it seemed like he was fighting with someone inside."

Kahn elaborated: "Besides the sounds of fighting, there was also a very strange noise…" He paused, then added with uncertainty, "It sounded like a zombie."

Oliver instantly leaped up. "Oh my God—!"

Gu Ze, exasperated, said, "It's just a zombie. How many have we seen already? What's there to be afraid of? Also, get your hands off me."

Oliver didn't let go. Instead, he clung even tighter to Gu Ze, explaining, "I'm not afraid of zombies—I'm afraid of Shen Yu. He's too twisted! He's actually raising a zombie in secret! Ahhh, I can't take it—!"

Kahn looked confusedly at Bai Suizhi. "Was that what I meant just now?"

Bai Suizhi gently reassured Kahn, dispelling his self-doubt. "No, Oliver's just overthinking it."

Gu Ze, now trapped by the octopus-like Oliver, said with a dark expression, "Is your brain wired to outer space or something?"

Only Chen Yi shared Oliver's sentiment. "That Shen Yu guy might actually do something like that."

Gu Ze retorted, "What would he gain from it? Is he just bored being alone?"

Oliver said, "Maybe."

Chen Yi nodded seriously. "Staying alone for too long can drive you crazy."

Gu Ze replied, "So he finds a zombie to keep him company for a long, healthy life?"

Oliver and Chen Yi: "..."

Oliver silently detached himself from Gu Ze and acted as if nothing had happened. "Kahn, you said you heard something like a zombie's cry in that room, right?"

The others: *Hey! That topic change was way too forced! And how did your comprehension and expression skills improve so suddenly?!*

Kahn said, "I'm not entirely sure, but unless that person's mouth was gagged, I can't imagine how a normal person would make a sound like that." It was a strange noise, somewhere between panting and snarling. And so, Shen Yu gained another title—the twisted corpse keeper.

After talking for so long, the sky outside had darkened. The broken floor-to-ceiling window dutifully channeled the sea breeze, stirring the agitated ones' restlessness.

The air was filled with salty dampness, and whether it was their imagination or not, a faint yet persistent hint of blood and gunpowder seemed to linger in their nostrils.

Kahn pulled some food out of his bag again. "Let's eat first."

Bai Suizhi took the bread and distributed it to the others, making the call. "We’ll go down later to scout the area. Try to avoid conflict with Shen Yu. Observe the situation first. If we don’t get the key, it’s fine—we can always snag some more food from downstairs."

Chen Yi smiled wryly. "It’s like playing whack-a-mole."

Gu Ze said, "Then be careful not to get whacked."

Chen Yi looked as if he had made a discovery. "You’ve played that game too?"

Gu Ze: "...I’m curious about what image you have of me in your mind."

Chen Yi: "A young master who’s out of touch with the real world."

Gu Ze: "I'd be happy to give you a firsthand lesson in getting whacked."

Chen Yi cupped his hands in deference. "No need to trouble yourself."

After bickering a bit more, they sat side by side on the floor, nibbling listlessly on their bread while staring blankly at the vibrantly colored sky in the distance. The sky at sunset was always beautiful, like an overturned palette—various colors mixed together: pink, gold, orange, each distinct yet blending harmoniously.

The broken window frame was the only blemish in this perfect picture. The cracked glass and jagged edges were as menacing as the fangs of a beast, as if ready to devour the world within the painting, stirring vague feelings of melancholy and sorrow.

A sigh suddenly broke the silence in the room. "What exactly happened here...?"

No matter how relaxed they seemed at the moment, they couldn’t deny it: the scene on the rooftop had left an indelible mark on each of them. Just glimpsing that one corner had stirred countless terrifying speculations in their minds.

...

Three hours later, the group tiptoed downstairs, avoiding the room where Shen Yu might be. The five of them divided into two groups—one to check the living room and kitchen, the other to search the various rooms.

One of the teams consisted of Gu Ze and Oliver. They moved very quietly, using their flashlights only at the lowest setting, practically feeling their way in the dark. It took great effort to finally reach the living room.

Once there, they immediately crouched down and turned the place upside down. As expected, they found nothing.

Oliver, bent over with his butt in the air and rubbing his sore back, hissed, "The key isn’t really with Shen Yu, is it...?"

"Yep."

Oliver widened his eyes and warned, "Gu Ze! Keep your voice down! You’ll be heard!"

"Heard by whom?"

"Shen Yu, of course. Huh? Why does your voice sound like it’s coming from behind?" Oliver spun around like a malfunctioning compass, stopping when he located the source of the voice.

"Ah—"

Gu Ze, who had already moved far to the side, facepalmed in exasperation. *What do you do with a teammate this dumb? So humiliating =_=*

Oliver started stammering again. "H-how are y-you h-here?"

Shen Yu, lording over the sofa with his legs crossed, propped his chin on his hand, with a cocky, couldn't-care-less attitude. "I’ve been sitting here all along. Then I saw two little mice sneaking in, crouching on the floor looking for something... A key, right? Are you looking for a key?"

Gu Ze crossed his arms, selectively ignoring the first part of Shen Yu’s remark, and got straight to the point. "Do you have the key?"

Shen Yu was equally direct. "Yep."

Oliver: "C-could you give it to us?"

Shen Yu mocked his stuttering: "N-no, I can't~"

"Why? Didn't you want to kick us out before? Now that we want to leave, why won't you give us the key?" Oliver was so angry that his stutter disappeared.

Shen Yu looked at him like he was dealing with a bratty kid: "I do want you to leave this place, but did I ever say you could target me?"

Oliver: "But how can we leave without the key?"

Shen Yu smirked teasingly: "That's for you to figure out~"

Without wasting another word, Gu Ze lunged forward, his fingers clamped around Shen Yu's collar while his other hand swiftly reached for Shen Yu's pocket. Shen Yu reacted just as quickly, throwing a punch aimed at Gu Ze's face. Gu Ze didn't have time to follow through and could only release his grip and dodge sideways. The fist grazed past his ear.

Shen Yu backed away, creating distance, and sneered: "So this is your plan."

Oliver tugged at Gu Ze's sleeve: "Bai Suizhi told us not to start a conflict with him."

Gu Ze pressed Oliver's hand down and looked at Shen Yu: "Are you sure you won't give us the key?"

Shen Yu said flippantly: "Yeah, I won't give it to you~"

Gu Ze: "Fine." With that, he pulled Oliver away.

Shen Yu paused, then shouted: "Hey, you're just leaving like that?"

Gu Ze: "Yeah, we're leaving." He had only been sizing him up anyway; he never intended to disobey Bai Suizhi's orders and start a conflict with him.

They hadn't gone far when they ran into their companions who had come looking for them. All three of them had equally grim looks.

Before they could even ask, Bai Suizhi said: "Let's talk upstairs."

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In the end, it was Bai Suizhi who broke the silence: "First, tell us what happened on your end."

Oliver immediately launched into an embellished, dramatized retelling of the entire incident, ending with a puzzled question: "Bai Suizhi, you must have heard the commotion, right? Why didn't you come find us?"

Bai Suizhi looked grave: "That's exactly what we need to talk about. Shen Yu... he really is keeping a zombie."

Chen Yi patted Oliver on the shoulder: "Congratulations, you're quite the prophet now."

Twenty minutes earlier, the trio who had finished searching the rooms heard Oliver's scream from the living room and their hearts dropped, ready to rush to their aid. But just then, the room behind them—the same one Shen Yu had came out of earlier—suddenly, a heavy thud echoed.

Bai Suizhi's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision: "Oliver and the others have probably run into Shen Yu. The two of them should be able to handle him. We'll check this room first, then go find them."

Kahn and Chen Yi had no objections and opened the door as quickly as possible.

The next second, the scene behind the door stopped them in their tracks. Tied to the bed in the center of the room was a "person" whose face was hard to make out, their limbs twitching and writhing nonstop. Their mouth was fitted with what looked like a dog's muzzle, from which a few hoarse, unpleasant "rasping" sounds escaped.

The mutilated body was covered in all sorts of bizarre wounds, and black adhesive tape, soaked through with blood, was barely clinging to the person's skin.

The three of them stood there stunned, staring for what felt like ages, until the voices of Gu Ze and Oliver grew closer. Only then did they snap out of their daze and quickly retreat from the room.

After hearing this, Oliver and Gu Ze felt really torn. If even such a crazy theory had turned out to be true, then the possibility of Shen Yu having supernatural abilities seemed...

*No, no, no! Stop that thought! Please don't let something that terrifying happen—*

Bai Suizhi scrubbed his face, feeling exhausted: "Let's start thinking about Plan C."

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Author's note: Updates will continue for the next four days~