Chapter 39 (VIP Start)

Chapter 39 (The Inverted V Begins)

Lu Wei stepped onto a large, flat, protruding rock by the lakeside and gently set the obedient Little Thing down from his shoulder.

He then unfolded his folding stool, put the fishing rod together, baited the hook with fragrant bait, cast his line into the lake, and sat down to begin fishing.

This man-made lake was once stocked with many fish, primarily ornamental koi. After the apocalypse began, the fish living in this zombie city were inevitably infected by the virus and mutated.

Half a month ago, Lu Wei discovered that the crystal cores within the brains of these mutated fish were of higher quality than those produced by the animals in the city. So, he found a full set of fishing tackle in an abandoned mall and began his daily fishing routine with Little Thing.

Moreover, he liked this vast, silent man-made lake. There were no terrifying zombies wandering about here, giving him the illusion of being in a peaceful human world.

He was willing to spend large amounts of time each day indulging in this illusion.

Lu Wei wasn't a fishing expert. He had only fished a few times in the past while doing business with clients who enjoyed wild fishing, so he knew a little. However, due to the lack of natural predators and fishers over the years, coupled with their strong reproductive abilities, mutated fish now filled the lake, making them very easy to catch. Each time, he could harvest a large bucketful.

None of the fish caught daily went to waste.

After extracting and absorbing the crystals from the fish brains, Lu Wei would carry the large bucket of fish and walk around the street where he lived, distributing the fish to those zombies who, like Little Thing used to be, lacked the ability to obtain food themselves.

The lakeshore water was like a mirror, reflecting Lu Wei's face.

It was a strikingly handsome, exceptionally good-looking face.

His eyebrows and the corners of his eyes slanted slightly upwards, and his features seemed as if lovingly crafted by the Creator, meticulously sculpted in every detail. His pupils were pitch black, his eyes holding within them a vast, brilliant sea of stars.

Lu Ying resembled him a lot. Seen alone, Lu Ying was also an outstandingly handsome young man. But standing beside Lu Wei, he immediately paled into a clumsy, immature imitation.

Of course, compared to before the apocalypse, Lu Wei had undergone some changes.

Previously, he loved various sports, kept a short, neat haircut, and his skin was a healthy tan. Due to his simple and smooth upbringing and being just in his early twenties, he always carried a sense of youthful exuberance and naivety untouched by the world's hardships.

Now, his black hair fell to his shoulders. No matter how long he stayed under the sun, his skin remained a cool, pale white, as if perpetually bathed in moonlight.

Possessing the memories and experiences of a leader from two lifetimes, his entire presence had completely solidified, becoming profound and unfathomable, yet subtly imbued with an imposing authority.

Lu Wei sat on the stool, his long legs stretched out straight, holding the fishing rod, waiting impatiently for a fish to bite.

Less than five minutes after casting the line, the float moved. Lu Wei, with quick eyes and fast hands, rapidly reeled in the line. A fish with iridescent scales, a brightly colored crest on its head, and a mouth full of sharp teeth was instantly pulled out of the water, its tail thrashing.

As Lu Wei removed the fish from the hook, his finger slipped into its gills.

Apart from the cool, pale hue of his skin, his hands had long, dexterous fingers with neatly trimmed nails, looking no different from an ordinary human's hands, completely unlike those of a zombie. Yet, these hands possessed the strength of a zombie.

The mutated fish's skull was as hard as iron, but Lu Wei easily pried it open, expertly finding and pulling out a transparent, thumb-sized hexagonal crystal.

As the crystal was absorbed completely into his palm, Lu Wei tossed the still-thrashing mutated fish into the bucket and looked at the little zombie who had been waiting obediently beside him. "Little Thing, are you hungry?"

Little Thing's appearance had changed somewhat during this period.

He was becoming... more and more like a real human child.

His skin was no longer the terrifying bluish-purple common among zombies but had turned a lighter duck-egg blue. His eyes had also changed from golden yellow to a very light brown. He had even gained a little weight, looking increasingly adorable.

Was it because his diet changed from mutated rabbits to mutated fish?

Lu Wei didn't know the answer, but he wasn't averse to this change, so he didn't delve deeper. Instead, he became even more enthusiastic about searching for cute children's clothes in malls and supermarkets to dress up Little Thing.

Originally, Lu Wei's question to Little Thing was just out of habit. He often spoke to Little Thing this way to avoid becoming rusty with human language, not really expecting a response.

To his surprise, Little Thing nodded at Lu Wei, walked over to the large bucket, grabbed a fish inside, and began to devour it in large bites.

After a moment of stunned surprise, Lu Wei was overjoyed.

You must know, in the half year he had lived in this zombie city, he had never successfully communicated with a single zombie.

Of course, because Superpower Zombies consumed the crystal cores from ordinary zombies' brains, he always tried to avoid encountering them. The ones he interacted with were ordinary zombies, and he had frustratingly come to accept the fact that ordinary zombies truly had no consciousness.

After Little Thing ate more than half of the fish, his little belly slightly bulging, and placed the remaining half back into the bucket, Lu Wei took out a cotton towel, wiped Little Thing's mouth and hands clean, and then tentatively spoke, "Little Thing, come on, call me Daddy."

Little Thing looked up, stared at Lu Wei with his pair of beautiful light brown eyes for a long time, and then his cute little mouth moved, "...Daddy."

After saying that, it seemed as if Little Thing had suddenly opened some valve. He stepped forward, hugged Lu Wei's leg, nestled his cheek against Lu Wei's knee with attachment, and kept murmuring, "Daddy, Daddy."

Compared to the tender, childish voice of a human child, Little Thing's voice was slightly lower, but it was definitely not the hoarse, damaged vocal cords of a zombie.

Lu Wei rubbed Little Thing's fine, soft hair. Wanting to test if Little Thing had truly gained consciousness, he held up the fishhook with one hand and offered the bait to Little Thing with the other. "Come on, help Daddy bait the hook."

Little Thing nodded, let go of Lu Wei's leg, took the bait, and carefully threaded it onto the hook.

"Hahaha, good boy! Good boy!" Lu Wei put down the fishing rod, stood up excitedly, and lifted Little Thing high into the air.

Little Thing waved his short limbs in mid-air, letting out happy giggles, "Daddy! Daddy!"

When Lu Wei put Little Thing down, he noticed that a faint blush of happiness had actually appeared on Little Thing's duck-egg blue cheeks.

"Little Thing... help... Daddy... fish..." Little Thing spoke in unclear, muddled language, turned to face the artificial lake, and stretched out his chubby, cute right hand.

Instantly, over a dozen plump mutated fish seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand. With a splash, they broke through the water's surface, thrashing their heads and tails desperately in mid-air, struggling in vain.

The invisible hand moved the dozen or so mutated fish above the bluestone where Lu Wei stood and then suddenly released them.

The large fish, carrying icy lake water, plummeted from the sky, landing all around Lu Wei and Little Thing on the bluestone slabs, their tails slapping loudly against the stone.

Lu Wei and Little Thing were drenched head to toe by the sudden downpour of lake water. Cold water streamed down their hair, and their clothes clung tightly to their bodies.

Little Thing looked up, dripping wet, and gazed pitifully at Lu Wei. "Little Thing... not good... first time... didn't do well..."

"Haha, good boy, you've already helped Daddy!" Lu Wei laughed and comforted him. Then, filled with joy and covered in a dripping wet mess, he bent down, picked up a fish at his feet, and tossed it into the bucket.

Little Thing curved his eyes as if smiling contentedly, continuously calling "Daddy, Daddy," and began helping Lu Wei pick up fish nearby.

As fish were thrown one by one into the large bucket, although Lu Wei was very happy about Little Thing awakening a superpower, the confusion in his heart grew deeper and deeper.

That Little Thing couldn't absorb crystal cores was an unquestionable fact.

He was the one who could absorb crystal cores. Logically, he should be the one to awaken. How come it was Little Thing who awakened a Superpower instead?

He had been absorbing crystal cores for over half a year. Apart from restoring his human-like appearance and making his body more agile than ordinary zombies, there had been no other changes.

He had also tried asking 031. Unsurprisingly, the system, which was usually about as useful as a decoration, had no answer. He could only explore on his own.

Just as the big and little pair placed the last fish into the bucket, a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind Lu Wei.

"It seems my luck is good."

Lu Wei turned around and saw a tall zombie standing not far behind him.

This zombie was about two meters tall. Unlike the hunched, stiff, and atrophied bodies of ordinary zombies, his waist was straight, and every muscle seemed filled with power.

Moreover, his attire differed from the tattered and filthy clothing of ordinary zombies. His silver-white, shoulder-length hair was neatly tucked behind his ears, and everything from his clothes to his shoes and socks was clean and tidy, clearly indicating frequent changes.

Just by appearance alone, it was evident that this was a zombie with intelligence and special abilities.

Sensing the newcomer's hostile intent, Lu Wei instinctively took half a step back. What was even more terrifying was that he hadn't noticed when this zombie had arrived behind him.

"A king isn't truly a king until he's fully awakened," the tall zombie said, stepping closer to Lu Wei, his words punctuated by a hoarse rasp from his throat. "A king who hasn't awakened yet is merely a great tonic for the strong."

"What... do you mean?" Lu Wei retreated two more steps.

"Heh heh heh heh heh..." The tall zombie let out a series of bone-chilling laughs before sticking out his tongue to lick his mutilated lips. "I think your flesh and blood, along with the crystal core in your head, must be incredibly delicious."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tall zombie suddenly teleported right in front of Lu Wei. He shot forward, his bluish-purple, grotesquely large-boned hands grabbing Lu Wei's shoulders and slamming him to the ground.

They were so close that Lu Wei could even see the bulging, tangled capillaries on the zombie's face and feel the clammy, reeking breath of the creature intermittently spraying against his cheeks and neck.

Author's Note: President Lu's ability is quite easy to guess~~