Chapter 72

“Roar—”

It was five in the morning, and the sky was still dark.

The nearby apartment buildings and distant mountains were all shrouded in pitch blackness.

Lin Zao stood on a long stool, leaning over the windowsill as he gazed quietly out the window.

A familiar roar echoed from the distant forest.

It sounded just like a dog’s bark.

When one dog barked around here, the others would quickly join in.

Soon, dogs were howling across the hills.

Lin Zao furrowed his brow, his face grim as he tilted his head to listen, straining to pick out a more familiar voice amid the chorus.

Where was Brother Cheng?

Was he out there too?

He thought he could hear Brother Cheng’s voice.

Vivid images began to form in Lin Zao’s mind.

A horde of zombies, their clothes ragged and their bodies torn, clustered beneath a massive tree. They roared and cavorted in circles, dancing like cavemen in a jungle.

“Roar roar roar! Roar roar roar!”

“Eat human flesh! Drink human blood!”

“Welcome the new zombie to the pack!”

All the zombies turned as Fu Cheng appeared at the end of the mountain path.

The more Lin Zao thought about it, the more alarmed he grew. Fear gripped him until he couldn’t hold back a shudder.

No… this wouldn’t do!

Brother Cheng couldn’t stay with those man-eating zombies.

It had taken so much effort to teach him to eat human food. He absolutely couldn’t let the other zombies corrupt him!

Snapping out of it, Lin Zao pulled his gaze away and hopped down from the stool.

No, he had to go out and find Brother Cheng.

He didn’t know where to look, but he could follow the sound, drive there, and drag Brother Cheng back!

Lin Zao dashed to the shelves, stood on his tiptoes, and took down the coat hanging there.

The weather had warmed up lately, and he’d grown less wary of Fu Cheng, so he hadn’t worn the coat again.

It hung downstairs, and he’d stashed the back door and garage keys in its pocket.

Lin Zao reached into the coat pocket, planning to grab the keys and drive off in search of Fu Cheng.

But after rummaging for ages, he found nothing. The pocket was empty.

What was going on?

He was sure the keys had been…

Lin Zao froze as realization dawned.

He lunged forward and seized the back door handle, pressing down hard.

The door was locked!

Fu Cheng must have unlocked it to leave.

And he’d taken the keys with him!

He’d locked Lin Zao and Little Bao inside the house!

Lin Zao rushed to the garage roller door and yanked on it.

That was locked too. No way out.

Fuming, Lin Zao jumped up and down, swinging his fists at the empty air in front of him.

How could there be a zombie like this in the world?

Sneaking out for a party and locking his wife and son at home.

What the hell was Fu Cheng up to?

Lin Zao was livid, but he couldn’t get out.

The doors were locked, and security bars covered the windows.

What had once been a sturdy family fortress now trapped him inside.

Lin Zao swung his fist again and accidentally struck the coat hanging nearby.

It fell to the floor with a clatter, as if something had spilled out.

Frowning, Lin Zao picked it up.

Beneath it lay five or six chocolate candies—the foil-wrapped kind Lin Zao loved most.

He stared in disbelief, eyes wide.

At the start of the zombie outbreak, he’d inventoried every bit of food in the house.

That winter, he’d worn this coat every day.

How could he have missed the chocolates inside?

Lin Zao picked one up and saw it dusted with grime and flecked with bloodstains.

He stood and rummaged through the shelves.

Sure enough, in a toolbox full of screws, he found two or three more chocolate candies—and a couple of plastic toy cars.

They looked like toys for Lin Xiaobao.

But Lin Zao was certain he’d never bought any of this for Little Bao.

Just then, the little dog stirred in its dog bed, woken by the noise. It grunted and rolled over.

Lin Zao looked closer and spotted a polished tree branch pinned beneath it.

Chocolate—for him.

Toy cars—for Little Bao.

Chew stick—for the little dog.

All these new things had appeared in the house out of nowhere.

No doubt about it: Fu Cheng had brought them back from outside, and more than once!

Fu Cheng had been sneaking out behind his back all this time!

Lin Zao ground his teeth, tore open a wrapper in a huff, and shoved the chocolate into his mouth.

That damn Fu Cheng—sneaking out to play not just once, but repeatedly!

Unforgivable!

Lin Zao munched on the chocolate with loud smacks and marched to the utility room door.

He wasn’t sleeping anymore. He’d wait right here.

See how long it took Fu Cheng to come back!

A little past five, dawn was just breaking.

Dozens of zombies had gathered in the mountain forest.

Some squatted on the ground, digging in the dirt. Others climbed trees to pick fruit.

A few older zombies cradled little zombies, lulling them to sleep.

Fu Cheng sat on a large central rock, wearing his familiar black tank top.

That’s right—this was his territory.

Not long ago, enemies had invaded Happiness Street and threatened his wife and son.

He’d summoned these dozens of zombies, led them into battle, and driven the intruders away.

He couldn’t just use them and abandon them.

Whether human or zombie, one had to honor loyalty. He was responsible for them.

He’d settled them on this mountain—the same one where Little Zao had helped him dig and plant potatoes.

The zombie roars Little Zao had heard while digging? That was them calling out to Fu Cheng, greeting their big boss.

Lately, he’d been slipping out while his wife and son slept to visit his brothers and sisters.

He’d head home once the sun rose.

Neither his wife nor his son had caught on yet.

Just then, Fu Cheng’s peripheral vision caught a middle-aged zombie in its forties furtively stuffing a potato into its mouth.

He shot to his feet and pounced, slapping the zombie’s head while roaring fiercely: “Roar!”

The zombie whined pitifully: “Roar roar roar?”

—Big Boss, why’d you hit me?

“Roar!”

—These are seed potatoes! Not for eating! Plant them in the soil—now!

The zombie reluctantly set the potato down and did as told.

Fu Cheng watched it, then patted the mound of dirt firmly twice.

Truth be told, while Little Zao had been learning to plant potatoes from Grandpa Zhang, Fu Cheng had secretly picked up the trick too.

He stood, glanced at the lightening sky, and decided it was about time. Raising his hand, he let out a roar.

The other zombies turned at his call, shuffling toward him.

“Roar.”

—Big Boss, we’re here. No need to rush.

“Roar roar roar!”

—Quiet! All zombies, silence! Now, I have a big announcement!

The zombies fell still, lifting their dull, lifeless eyes to Fu Cheng.

Fu Cheng clenched his fist, his expression grave as he unleashed a series of roars—

I know many of you are starving right now!

It’s our zombie physiology. We’re always hungry, never full, which draws us endlessly to humans, chasing and biting them.

But humans are clever, cunning, and brave—like my wife. We can’t feast on them unlimited. They fight back and can even kill us.

That’s why I taught you all to hunt, to farm. I’ve brought you new food—

Potatoes!

Potatoes are high-yield and tasty. Smart humans grow them, so we zombies can’t fall behind.

From today on, every zombie focuses on planting potatoes. Wait for harvest—especially the old, weak, sick, and disabled. No more hunting humans!

—Got it?

“Roar!” the zombies replied in unison.

Fu Cheng nodded, deeply satisfied.

With the pep talk done, he prepared to head back.

His wife and son slept late, but they’d wake around eight.

He needed to be home before then.

Fu Cheng pushed through the dense foliage and started down the mountain.

A dozen zombies trailed after him, reluctant to see him go.

“Roar roar.”

—Big Boss, when will you come back?

“Roar roar roar.”

—In a few days. Gotta stay home with the wife and son lately. I’m different from you. I have memories. I’m a zombie with a family.

—Oh, Big Boss is scared of his wife.

Fu Cheng scowled.

—Nonsense! I’m the head of the household. I tell the wife and son to eat meat, and they wouldn’t dare touch veggies.

—Big Boss knows idioms!

—Big Boss is mighty!

—Safe travels, Big Boss!

Fu Cheng reached the base of the mountain, bid farewell to a few zombies, and headed toward the city. The post-apocalyptic streets were deserted and desolate.

Fu Cheng walked boldly down the road without his bite guard.

He’d snuck out like this several times without Little Zao knowing.

If he ran into anyone, he’d just raise his hand, roar menacingly, and feint a chase. They’d scream and bolt.

He had nothing to fear.

Passing a small supermarket, Fu Cheng paused.

No one inside; the doors and windows were shattered.

He crunched over the glass and strode right in.

At the back, he opened the warehouse door and sifted through the mess on the floor until he found a chocolate candy.

Sneaking out behind Little Zao’s back wasn’t great. It felt like betraying him a little.

So every trip, he tried to bring something back for Little Zao.

He remembered how much Little Zao loved chocolate candies.

The first time, he’d found this supermarket and grabbed some candies.

Second time, after teaching the zombies to catch wild chickens on the mountain, he’d hit a toy store and picked up some cars for Lin Xiaobao.

Third time, with nothing else, he’d snapped off a tree branch, sanded it smooth, and made the little dog a chew stick.

He’d brought back plenty, but he hadn’t dared let Little Zao find out yet.

He worried Little Zao would get mad.

Fu Cheng pocketed two chocolates and kept walking without looking back, straight through a broken window.

Zombies didn’t bother with doors—they just barreled through.

Fu Cheng sniffed the cool morning breeze and followed the familiar scent home.

A few minutes later, he reached Happiness Street and scaled the back wall to return.

Oh, right—Little Zao had added broken glass to the top.

But it didn’t faze him. His hands were rough and tough; a few scratches didn’t hurt.

Finally, Fu Cheng stood before his own back door.

He paused outside, brushed off his tank top, smoothed down his buzz cut, and pulled the bite guard from his pocket to strap it on.

Back to being the obedient, innocent house zombie.

All clean. Time to go in.

Fu Cheng fished out the key, slid it into the lock, and twisted with practiced ease.

He’d learned to open and close doors by watching Little Zao.

Lately, Little Zao had been taking him in and out so much that he’d picked it up quick.

Wife, son—I’m home!

With a creak, the back door swung open from the outside.

In the darkness, Lin Zao heard the noise. Cheeks puffed with chocolate, he poked his head out from the utility room, eyes gleaming.

Let’s see who’d come back.

Fu Cheng stepped inside, quickly turned to lock the door behind him.

Fu Cheng hummed a tune like Lin Zao did, though his voice was gravelly and tuneless—not very pleasant.

But he seemed in high spirits.

One hand held the key, the other a chocolate candy. He headed to the shelves.

Back in the pocket went the key; into the toolbox went the candy.

“Today… Little Zao’s gonna… marry me…”

Humming, Fu Cheng climbed the stairs.

About time to make breakfast.

Check on Little Zao and Little Bao first, then cook.

Making breakfast—as an illiterate zombie, he’d just realized Little Zao’s “Zao,” breakfast’s “early,” and being full all shared the same character.

Little Zao eats breakfast, Little Bao eats his fill, little dog eats dog food.

So cute!

Fu Cheng passed the utility room door.

The next instant, something felt off.

Someone was in the utility room! Had to be that thief again!

Fu Cheng halted abruptly, whipped around, clenched his fists, eyes fierce—ready to deliver a killing blow.

A second later, the utility room door eased open.

Lin Zao leaned against the frame, arms crossed, head cocked as he stared steadily at Fu Cheng.

He said nothing, but his expression said it all.

—Well now, Dead Ghost. Decided to come home after all?