Chapter 32: His Human
“You underestimate me?”
Shi Changyuan pinched the little zombie’s cheek.
“I also fought my way out of a zombie horde. I don’t fight zombies in front of Lingling because I’m afraid of scaring you.”
After all, watching the heads of your own kind being blown open one by one, it’s hard not to feel a sense of kinship.
“That’s okay.”
“The zombie world is all about survival of the fittest. Low-tier zombies will also prey on each other. Only high-tier zombies have a sense of alliance and partnership.”
The little zombie just didn’t like the splattering of blood, which would get his clothes and face all dirty. Only low-tier zombies would let themselves get so messy.
Watching Shi Changyuan go up to the second floor of the supermarket, he didn’t wait in the car. Instead, he sat on a clean step at the entrance of the supermarket.
A little closer, a little more intimidating.
When Shi Changyuan went up to the second floor, he saw a low-tier zombie standing facing the wall, not daring to move.
He smiled, first went to the seasoning section to get a few jars of sauce for the little zombie, and on his way past the toy section, he even had the mind to take a pillow doll.
The little zombie, sitting outside, was not idle either. He looked here and there and found that there were still many zombies on this street. He could even faintly sense the presence of other high-tier zombies.
Suddenly, some movement came from the alley across the street, and then a human walked out.
This human first looked at the car in front of him with a wary expression, then his face was full of amazement. He went up and touched it to confirm that it was real, and then a greedy look appeared on his face.
He walked around the vehicle for a few steps and then saw Lin Ling sitting on the steps behind the vehicle.
This sharp-nosed, monkey-cheeked human looked around and, seeing no one else, approached with ill intentions, his hand reaching for the silver-gleaming sharp weapon at his waist.
“Little beauty, all alone?”
The other person asked in a frivolous tone.
“No.”
The little zombie sat where he was, just looking at the other person, his expression unchanged.
Seeing Lin Ling’s unusual attitude, the human seemed to have sensed that something was wrong, and his steps forward paused.
But the other person seemed to have some backing and still took that step. The next second, another figure shot out from the alley behind him and bit his neck.
Hot blood from the carotid artery spurted out.
The other zombies who smelled the blood also became agitated.
A drop of blood landed at the little zombie’s feet. Lin Ling moved aside with some disgust.
This high-tier zombie had light black pupils. Although they were still a bit blurry and not clear enough, it was obvious that he had consciousness and could think. He met the little zombie’s gaze, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
Little Lin Ling shook his head.
“These humans are not my prey. You can have them.”
“But the human inside is mine.”
The little zombie declared his sovereignty.
The high-tier zombie looked into the supermarket. Before he could see anything, he saw the little zombie immediately stand up and block the entrance.
The high-tier zombie was not that curious. Seeing that the little zombie wouldn’t let him look, he dragged his prey and turned around, returning to the dark alley.
The trail of blood dragged on the ground made the surrounding low-tier zombies howl and stumble after him.
Looking at the high-tier zombie who could communicate with him without any barriers, he sighed. So envious.
The high-tier zombies outside were so good, so obedient, unlike the group at his own door, who he didn’t know if they really didn’t understand or were just pretending not to.
The little zombie sat back down on the steps and reflected on his failure as a boss.
Didn’t he just ask the other zombies to clean the blood-stained streets, help him clean up the bad plants in his yard, and then go and steal the giant goose’s big eggs?
Someone had to do these things!
Those zombies didn’t listen to him when they were low-tier. When they finally evolved to be able to understand, they quickly learned to disobey orders.
While the little zombie was sighing, Shi Changyuan came out from behind him.
His gaze swept over Lin Ling’s body and found no abnormalities or changes.
“Did someone come?”
“No.”
The fresh blood on the ground hadn’t dried yet, but the little zombie was lying through his teeth. Shi Changyuan also nodded, paid it no mind, and put the things he had brought out into the car.
“Then let’s go.”
“Alright~”
Shi Changyuan drove straight through the small town and continued to drive north.
City B and the B02 area were in the same direction. With insufficient supplies, if they went to City B first, they would at least have a place to stay and could resupply on the way.
When the little zombie proposed this idea, Shi Changyuan didn’t object, as if he were completely unaware of the little scheme, and unknowingly walked into the Zombie Emperor’s “trap.”
Is this the feeling of waiting for the prey to walk into the trap, being in control of the overall situation, and having a God’s-eye view?
Why is it so satisfying?
The little zombie’s eyes curved, and he was happy.
“By the way, what supplies did you find?”
Lin Ling took out the box of supplies one by one. The largest and most conspicuous one was a chicken leg pillow.
“Wow! I love it!”
The little zombie was even happier. He put the pillow behind his back and leaned against it.
“This is much cuter than the carrot pillow Auntie Man gave me.”
“Lingling just likes chicken legs more, right?”
“I just like them, I just like them.”
A carnivorous zombie and an omnivorous animal like a human just couldn’t see eye to eye.
Lin Ling rummaged through the box again. There were also various seasonings inside, which could be used for the prey they caught in the wild.
“Wow! I love this too!”
“I love this too!”
“I love all of them!”
He looked at the full box of things and felt that his determination to capture Shi Changyuan and take him back was even stronger.
No other human was more to his liking than this human!
The great Zombie Emperor suddenly understood the feeling Shi Changyuan had described before, “I don’t want anything else besides this.”
He was really going to keep a human.
The little zombie blinked, trying to recall what Shi Changyuan had prepared and done when he was keeping him as a pet.
Hmm, should he also give Shi Changyuan a new name?
**
The closer the vehicle got to the north, the more obvious the change in weather became. By evening, fine snowflakes began to fall.
“It’s really snowing.”
The little zombie was pressed against the window, looking at the crystals landing on the car window. His long eyelashes fluttered, and with each breath, a white mist formed on the car window, blocking this small patch of view.
“Look, I’ll draw you a little heart.”
Looking at the patch of water droplets, Lin Ling reached out his finger and drew two strokes on it, outlining a crooked heart.
“Mm, for me?”
Shi Changyuan stood outside the car window, talking to the little zombie inside through a pane of glass. His voice came through a bit weak and muffled, but it was still hard to hide the amusement.
“How do you prove it’s for me?”
He was lighting a bonfire while talking to Lingling in the car.
This was a leeward slope, backed by a lush forest, and was much warmer than other places. But before the bonfire was burning brightly, Shi Changyuan wouldn’t let the little zombie get out of the car.
After all, there was heating in the car.
“Like this!”
Lin Ling drew three letters, “scy,” to the left of the heart.
“This is your name. Can you understand it?”
The little zombie’s excited voice came from the car again. “Your name is too hard to write, so I wrote the abbreviation. I’ve seen you sign your name like this.”
“I know.”
Shi Changyuan turned around, also reached out his hand, and made two strokes on the outside of the car window.
Two straight, vertical strokes, fleeting and not very obvious, were drawn right to the right of the heart.
The little zombie’s eyes in the car immediately curved. His eyes sparkled as he traced Shi Changyuan’s marks on the outside of the window, using the small water mist inside to draw a more prominent outline.
“I get it!”
“This is my name.”
“Mm.”
Shi Changyuan was about to nod when he saw the car window being opened.
The warm air and cold air collided, and the small water droplets instantly dissipated. In their place was the young man who had directly wrapped his arms around his neck through the car window, bringing a burst of warmth.
“When the bonfire is ready, I can come out.”
“You said so.”
In this deserted wilderness, there was always someone who could hold a warm embrace.
“Alright, I said so.”
Shi Changyuan returned the embrace, lifted the young man directly out of the car window, and steadily caught him on the ground.
“Then did I also say that when Lingling comes down, you should pick a bottle of your favorite sauce from the car and get ready for dinner?”
“I didn’t hear that.”
The little zombie answered righteously, reached back into the car window, rummaged through the box, randomly picked a bottle of sauce, and handed it to Shi Changyuan.
“Let’s eat this.”
“Alright.”
Dinner was freshly roasted and required some waiting time. The little zombie leaned against Shi Changyuan, staring at the bonfire in a daze.
There were only the two of them here, no other humans, no other creatures, no danger, and no need to disguise his identity. It was as if the whole world was left with just the two of them, and he could relax completely.
Perhaps it was too quiet, too comfortable, which made Lin Ling suddenly feel as if he had found another version of himself.
Because other people seemed to have their own worlds.
Brother Song Jing had Auntie Man to accompany him, Old Duan had Sister Miao Xue to protect him, and they all had things they wanted to do and were busy with.
But Shi Changyuan, like himself, was all alone.
Shi Changyuan had no parents, and neither did he. Shi Changyuan lived and worked alone, and didn’t fit in with everyone else, and neither did he.
He was like him.
Then could they… always accompany and protect each other like this?
Would Shi Changyuan be his human?
At this thought, the little zombie felt his heart start to race again, one beat after another, just like the day Shi Changyuan had left the human station for him.
“I’ll protect you well. No zombie can bully you.”
The little zombie looked at the human beside him and suddenly, seriously, almost as a promise, said.
Although Shi Changyuan didn’t understand why Lin Ling was saying this, he still nodded and answered just as seriously, “Alright, I believe Lingling.”
