Chapter 31: If a Zombie Scares You, Come and Complain to Me…
The little zombie pressed down on his misbehaving, wildly beating heart, looked at Shi Changyuan, his tone filled with doubt, and an expectation he himself hadn’t noticed.
“But you’re a human.”
“I just heard them say, for the future of humanity…”
Before Lin Ling could finish, he was interrupted by a soft laugh. He heard Shi Changyuan say, “Didn’t I join the great Zombie Emperor’s side? Why should I care about the future of humanity?”
With that, he directly led the little zombie to the off-road vehicle and, taking advantage of the fact that the sentry at the gate didn’t know that their officer wanted him to stay, he drove straight out in a grand manner.
After all, in everyone’s eyes, it was impossible for Shi Changyuan, as an ordinary person, to leave his ability user teammates behind and leave alone.
Lin Ling looked at the brightly lit C24 station, a bit dazed. “I thought we would be staying here for a long time.”
“After all, the military’s mission sounded very difficult.”
Shi Changyuan smiled. “It is indeed very difficult.”
“This is an impossible mission. If Lingling hadn’t taken me away today, I would probably have been placed under house arrest for them to study for two or three years.”
The little zombie gasped.
House arrest!
Two or three years!!
How can humans be so cruel to their own kind?
“You’ve already created the serum and the ability-enhancing potion. Is there still something you can’t research?”
“But even if you were placed under house arrest, you would definitely have a way to escape.”
The little zombie sat in the back seat of the driver’s seat, trying to climb back to the passenger seat to chat with Shi Changyuan.
He still remembered Shi Changyuan’s long string of nicknames.
Like “Zombie Virus Terminator,” “Apocalypse Savior,” “Hope of Humanity.”
Watching the little zombie count on his fingers, listing his nicknames as if they were family treasures, Shi Changyuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Am I that amazing in Lingling’s eyes?”
“I told you, you’re just a little less amazing than me.” Lin Ling gestured with his hand, his tone full of sincere approval. “If you were too bad, where would I, the Zombie Emperor, put my face?”
Hearing these words, Shi Changyuan couldn’t suppress the corners of his mouth.
“Those titles are just gimmicks the base uses to stabilize people’s hearts. They’re a bit exaggerated. The previous research was just for fun.”
“Besides, haven’t I turned from darkness to light now?”
Lin Ling had just become a bit puzzled by the phrase “just for fun” when his attention was diverted by the words “turned from darkness to light.”
“Hmph, you know what’s good for you.”
“So where are we going now?”
Looking at the wilderness that had completely darkened and fallen into darkness, the little zombie was a bit at a loss. He had never been so homeless before.
“We can go anywhere. The abandoned laboratory in the B02 area, or City B.”
“But when we eloped, we didn’t bring some things with us. We might need to resupply in the city ruins along the way.”
The little zombie nodded.
The two of them left the station’s range overnight. By the time they had pulled a safe enough distance, it was already the second half of the night.
“I’ve laid it out. We can rest now.”
This off-road vehicle had been modified and had plenty of space. Now that there were only the two of them, they didn’t even need to set up a tent. They just had to move all the supplies piled up in the back of the car to another place to clear out a large enough area.
Lin Ling used sleeping bags, blankets, an inflatable mattress, and his own clothes to lay out layer after layer, like building a nest, to ensure that it was soft and comfortable to sleep on.
“Thank you for your hard work, Lingling.”
The little zombie couldn’t drive and couldn’t take turns with Shi Changyuan. They had to stop to rest, which greatly reduced their travel speed, but at least it saved them the work of keeping watch at night.
Lin Ling placed the small night light by Shi Changyuan’s pillow, curled up in the “nest” he had just built, listened to the sound of the river outside, and chatted with Shi Changyuan, who was washing up outside the car.
“Shi Changyuan, are you scared when you’re alone?”
The moment the little zombie’s question left his lips, a low laugh came from outside.
“Does Lingling want me to say I’m scared, or not scared?”
Seeing that Shi Changyuan was not answering the question properly, the little zombie forcefully patted his pillow, making a “thump, thump” sound, and said loudly, “I’m being serious!”
“Aren’t you afraid that I didn’t drive away the nearby zombies and you got bitten by one?”
But even with such a terrifying question, Shi Changyuan was still laughing.
“Then can I choose to be bitten by Lingling?”
“I don’t accept other zombies.”
“No! You’re not allowed to laugh!”
The little zombie poked his head out of the quilt. Just as he was about to ask what Shi Changyuan was laughing at, he saw the car door being pulled open. Shi Changyuan came in from the outside, bringing in a gust of cold wind.
And… a water droplet rolling down his abdomen.
“Alright, it’s time to sleep.”
In a blink of an eye, the small night light was covered by clothes. The only light disappeared, and the entire car was plunged into darkness.
Before the little zombie could react, he couldn’t see anything anymore. He couldn’t even be sure if he had seen it wrong.
Then, there was a rustling sound by his ear. In the darkness, Lin Ling could feel Shi Changyuan lift the top layer of the sleeping bag and lie down. He could also feel the warmth coming from beside him.
The little zombie subconsciously moved back a little, but his back was against the car wall, and there was no way to retreat.
“You…”
Lin Ling wanted to ask if Shi Changyuan was not wearing any clothes, but he always felt that this question was a bit strange.
In the gap of his hesitation, Shi Changyuan, as if nothing had happened, in his usual posture, pulled him into his embrace.
The body heat, separated only by a layer of cloth, seemed even more fiery.
As if sensing the little zombie’s unnaturalness, the culprit even took the initiative to ask, “What’s wrong?”
The little zombie didn’t answer. The next second—
“What are you touching?”
This time it was Shi Changyuan’s turn to stiffen. His voice was tight as he grabbed the mischievous claw.
“I’m touching your clothes.”
The little zombie’s tone was innocent.
“I don’t think I saw your clothes. I wanted to confirm, where did your clothes go?”
Shi Changyuan’s temple throbbed.
“I washed my clothes when I was showering. They’re hanging outside to dry.”
“Will they dry?”
“They will.” Shi Changyuan ground his teeth, a hint of gritted teeth in his voice. His eyes were terrifyingly dark in the night.
“Can we sleep now?”
The little zombie huffed and rolled over, turning his back to Shi Changyuan, and said with dissatisfaction, “I just touched you once. Why are you so fierce? I’m not talking to you anymore.”
“I wouldn’t be fierce even if you touched my stomach.”
Hearing these words, Shi Changyuan felt as if several large hats had been placed on his head. He choked and didn’t know where to start his defense.
“I’m not being fierce.”
“When did I touch your stomach?”
“I said if.”
Perhaps it was because they had left the unfamiliar place and the crowd, and now there were only the two of them, but the young man in front of him seemed a bit excited.
First, he had stayed up with him until the second half of the night while he was driving, and he had been chatting with him nonstop. Now, he didn’t seem sleepy at all.
“Do you want to touch my stomach? Although I don’t have as many abs as you.”
Shi Changyuan’s breath hitched.
After a long while, the little zombie only got a sigh and a pleading tone.
“…Lingling, don’t say anymore.”
Sensing the “fatigue” in Shi Changyuan’s tone, Lin Ling obediently said “oh” and then snuggled into Shi Changyuan’s embrace and went still.
The little zombie didn’t fall asleep that night and served as a pillow for the person behind him all night.
Shi Changyuan was probably really tired, and the person in his arms was so trusting. He slept very, very soundly and didn’t wake up until noon.
Then, the moment he opened his eyes, he met a pair of sparkling eyes that reflected his own image.
He subconsciously wanted to lean down and kiss those eyes when he heard Lin Ling’s joyful voice, “You’re awake! I’m so hungry.”
“You held me so tightly, I couldn’t break free. I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch.”
“…Alright.”
Hearing the young man’s complaint, Shi Changyuan could only get up quickly and hunt for Lin Ling.
There were many fish in the river they had found. Shi Changyuan had discovered them when he was showering last night and had cast a net. It wasn’t in vain.
“Your skills are getting better and better.”
Lin Ling gnawed on the roasted fish, eating eagerly with big mouthfuls, and at the same time, he was so hot that he had to open his mouth and pant.
“Be careful of the bones.”
Shi Changyuan looked at the mutated fish in his hand, whose bones were several times larger, and confirmed that all the small bones had been removed before handing it to the young man.
“There’s a small town ahead. We need to go there to resupply, but there might be a zombie horde inside.”
“Mm-hmm, that’s a small problem. I’ll protect you. I won’t let the zombie horde surround you.”
Shi Changyuan smiled. “Alright.”
After lunch, the two of them drove towards the small town. But before the zombie horde appeared, a group of humans appeared, seemingly resting on the spot.
When the group saw Shi Changyuan’s car, they scattered and hid in the nearby houses.
“Are they hiding from us?”
The little zombie didn’t quite understand.
Shi Changyuan frowned and observed carefully. The group of people also seemed to be watching them with binoculars. After confirming that there were only two people in the car, they came out of the houses.
“They’re up to no good.”
The moment he finished speaking, the group of people gradually approached. The man in the lead was holding a crude gun and was shouting at the two of them, seemingly telling Shi Changyuan to stop the car.
“Lingling, sit tight.”
Shi Changyuan sneered, turned the steering wheel, and drove straight towards the group of people.
Those people were also scared and scattered like birds.
The leader of the would-be robbers seemed to be angry. He took the crude gun and fired two shots. They hit the car window with two bangs, but didn’t even leave a scratch.
“Wow, your car is so amazing.”
“Of course, it’s from the military.”
Shi Changyuan drove straight into the streets of the small town and drove away in a grand manner.
“Since there are people squatting here, there probably aren’t many useful supplies left. Food and water are most likely gone.”
“Lingling, pay attention to the streets over there.”
“Alright.”
This small town was bigger than Shi Changyuan had expected, and there were also many zombies inside, but they were all wandering in various corners.
The closer they got to the center of the town, the more zombies there were on the streets. They would consciously avoid Shi Changyuan’s car when they saw it.
“There’s a supermarket ahead. There are still things on the second floor.”
“Then Lingling can wait for me in the car.” Shi Changyuan parked the car at the entrance and took out the gun from his waist.
“Wait a minute.”
The little zombie pulled on Shi Changyuan, then opened his arms and gave him a big hug, even rubbing against the crook of his neck.
“Alright, now you’re covered in my scent. They won’t dare to bite you. If they scare you, you can come and complain to me.”
The great Zombie Emperor’s eyes curved, revealing two sharp fangs.
“I’ve got your back!”
