Chapter 42: He Really Wants to Kiss Shi Changyuan Now…
“Lingling has a lot of questions now. Ask later, eat first.”
By the time Lin Ling had processed everything and came out, it was already past lunchtime. But Shi Changyuan had thoughtfully saved lunch for him and kept it warm, so he could eat whenever he wanted.
In contrast, Song Jing’s subordinates were not so thoughtful. They had saved food, but it had long gone cold.
While waiting for it to be heated, he could only watch as Lin Ling let out a “wow” at the all-meat lunchbox, the aroma filling the entire office.
While the little zombie was eating, Shi Changyuan stood by his side as usual, occasionally speaking, and with a few words, he managed to soothe Lin Ling, who had been a bit emotional just now.
Song Jing, watching this scene: …
Sometimes he really admired Shi Changyuan. It had to be said that some people deserved to have a partner.
“Have Lingling and General Song finished talking? Do you want to stay here for a few days to look around, or go back to Auntie Man’s place?”
Seeing that the little zombie was almost done eating, Shi Changyuan took the initiative to ask.
Hearing this, Lin Ling subconsciously looked at Song Jing first, then said with an uncertain tone, “I-I guess we’re done talking…”
“But Brother Song Jing said there’s one more thing that we need to discuss with you.”
Hearing the little zombie’s words, Shi Changyuan smiled. He gently pinched Lin Ling’s cheek. “The three of us? What do the three of us have to talk about? Does General Song feel that he doesn’t have the confidence to talk to me alone on behalf of the military, so he wants to pull Lingling in?”
Seeing that Shi Changyuan had already guessed the general idea, Song Jing didn’t beat around the bush. He looked at Shi Changyuan and said bluntly, “Humanity needs you.”
“Everything I do is for Lingling.”
Shi Changyuan’s expression instantly turned cold.
This had already crossed Shi Changyuan’s line, but considering that the little zombie was present, and the other person was Lin Ling’s adoptive brother, he didn’t lose his temper.
“I brought Lingling out of the laboratory ten years ago, not to personally send him back in.”
“I brought Lingling out of City B, not to make it convenient for your military to get their hands on him.”
These two sentences instantly rendered Song Jing speechless.
With that, Shi Changyuan looked at the young man in front of him again, concealed his unpleasant emotions, held out his hand to the little zombie, and said softly, “Does Lingling want to go back with me?”
Lin Ling only hesitated for a second before placing his hand in Shi Changyuan’s palm. He turned his head to look at Song Jing, and finally followed Shi Changyuan out the door.
Song Jing didn’t have anyone stop them from leaving and just watched as they got in the car and left.
“Does Lingling want me to ask first?” Shi Changyuan sat in the driver’s seat, helping the little zombie with his seatbelt.
“Alright.”
Lin Ling nodded.
“What did General Song say to Lingling?”
The little zombie recalled for a moment and answered truthfully, “After I finished watching the things about you, Brother Song Jing said that besides my origin, he had a more important matter to discuss with me.”
“He hopes that I can guide ordinary humans in a new direction, because zombies can evolve into high-tier zombies and regain their consciousness, and plants and animals are also mutating.”
“If more people find out about this, most ordinary humans will face becoming… obsolete?”
Song Jing hadn’t dared to say this too clearly to his still-young brother, but Shi Changyuan knew it all too well.
Once the ability users discovered this, and the high-tier zombies fully awakened and established a new social system, most ordinary people would either become the slaves and vassals of the ability users, or the food of the high-tier zombies, or even be kept in captivity.
After all, they were so fragile and unable to adapt.
And the only breakthrough at present was the life form that had appeared at the same time as the “zombie virus,” and the human professor who had single-handedly developed the serum and the ability-enhancing potion.
They hoped that Shi Changyuan could, through Lin Ling’s genes, once again develop something that could help ordinary humans “evolve.”
To give ordinary people a ticket to this new world.
Seeing Shi Changyuan fall silent, the little zombie nervously tugged on the corner of his clothes, his eyelashes lowered, and said hesitantly, “Did I… bring a disaster to humanity?”
“No.”
Almost subconsciously, Shi Changyuan retorted without any thought. “Why does Lingling suddenly think that? Did Song Jing say something?”
“No, no.”
The little zombie, afraid that Shi Changyuan would misunderstand, quickly shook his head. “I just, saw it.”
Shi Changyuan gently patted the little zombie’s head and smiled. “Lingling was just a cell attached to an unknown substance at the beginning. It can be said that Lingling himself is a victim of human research.”
“And that unknown substance was originally something from the earth. It was sealed in a glacier. Without the excavation eighteen years ago, it would have brought the virus to the world on some future day when the glacier melted.”
“It was only a matter of time.”
“Does Lingling want to know what I call this apocalypse?”
This sentence immediately caught the little zombie’s attention. He looked up at Shi Changyuan.
“This is a new round of biological evolution.”
“A meteorite hit the earth, and the surviving dinosaurs gained the ability to fly.”
“Lingling, don’t you think that’s very similar to the current ability users?”
Shi Changyuan, afraid that the little zombie wouldn’t understand, explained it very simply. He smiled and imagined another possibility.
“If we say that humanity was caught off guard by this evolution, but when that future day comes, and a real Zombie Emperor with no feelings for humanity wakes up from the glacier, humanity might go extinct directly.”
“So, from any perspective, in any situation, Lingling has not done anything wrong.”
Hearing Shi Changyuan’s words, the little zombie couldn’t control his emotions again. He said, “I want to hug you.”
Hearing this, Shi Changyuan was stunned for a moment, then directly stopped the car, got out of the driver’s seat, went around to the other side of the vehicle, opened the door, and opened his arms to the young man.
“For Lingling to hug.”
The little zombie immediately jumped into the familiar, warm embrace and was held steadily.
They had already left the restricted area of the laboratory. The weather outside was very cold, and a puff of mist would come out of their mouths when they spoke. The sky was gradually darkening, and it seemed to be starting to snow again.
Just like the night before they entered City B.
“Did you prepare for a long time for this sentence, to comfort me?”
Lin Ling finally asked the question he most wanted to ask.
“You said that everything you do is for me. Does that include making the serum and the evolution potion, all to ease my anxiety and guilt on the day I learn the truth?”
“Is this the personal reason you mentioned?”
The little zombie couldn’t see Shi Changyuan’s expression, but he could hear him laugh and then answer irrelevantly, “Because I always feel that Lingling is a soft-hearted child.”
“And you were adopted by such a good family and raised to be so good. You must have a hard time choosing between the two camps.”
Shi Changyuan carried Lin Ling back into the car and turned on the heat.
“Just like how Lingling chose to live alone in a deserted city for two years to take care of Auntie Man, so as not to make Song Jing sad.”
He reached out and touched the fangs that had grown at the corner of the little zombie’s lips, his words full of pity. “It’s hard to restrain your nature, isn’t it?”
Meeting Shi Changyuan’s eyes, Lin Ling suddenly felt that he no longer needed any disguise. He buried himself in the other’s embrace, his tone suddenly filled with grievance.
“So hard…”
“When those people were screaming, my first reaction was not to save them, but to follow the sound and bite them.”
“But they were my neighbors, my classmates, the owner of my favorite dessert shop.”
“My genes, my brain wanted me to bite them, but when I saw their scared expressions, I really couldn’t do it…”
In the two years that he was unwilling to leave City B, Lin Ling was actually also running away from certain things.
He had even thought that it would be good if a human captured him, locked him in a cage, and didn’t allow him to bite people. He also couldn’t go out and rule the world as his genes told him to.
Shi Changyuan patted the little zombie’s back and said with dissatisfaction, “It’s this gene that’s being ungrateful.”
“How can you let the Zombie Emperor personally bite people? That’s too degrading for the Zombie Emperor.”
Lin Ling, who was suddenly unable to feel wronged: …
W-Well, that seems to make sense.
“Lingling, don’t be sad. Whether Lingling wants to be the Zombie Emperor and rule the world, or the savior of humanity, I will support you.”
“On the premise that Lingling doesn’t bully yourself.”
The little zombie was nestled in Shi Changyuan’s embrace, finding it really hard to choose.
Of course, he wanted to follow his instincts and be the real Zombie Emperor. After all, he had nothing to do with other humans, but what about Shi Changyuan?
Shi Changyuan was just an ordinary human.
A large part of the reason why Lin Ling could be persuaded by Song Jing was also because of Shi Changyuan.
After all, the apocalypse had already passed for two years, and time had erased many things. Auntie Man would soon become a high-tier zombie, and Brother Song Jing was also a very, very powerful ability user with an official position. No one could bully him.
Then what about Shi Changyuan?
What about the Shi Changyuan who had to secretly take a serum with side effects behind his back after being touched by the weakest mutated leaf?
Would he also be constantly hurt and wronged in places he couldn’t see?
“I-I can’t choose…”
The little zombie, as if running away, buried his head in the crook of Shi Changyuan’s neck. Even with his eyes closed, his eyelashes trembled uneasily.
“I really want to choose both.”
“Alright, then we’ll choose both.” Shi Changyuan gently kneaded the back of the little zombie’s neck and, following his words, agreed to everything.
Lin Ling just thought Shi Changyuan was comforting him again and didn’t even lift his head. “Is there really such an option?”
“There is. When have I ever lied to Lingling?”
Hearing that Shi Changyuan’s tone was not like he was joking, the little zombie’s eyes suddenly snapped open.
Then he heard Shi Changyuan continue, “Didn’t I say before that you don’t have to hesitate over some things?”
“As long as Lingling wants it, you can have it all.”
Whether it was choosing his favorite room decorations, or choosing between the research institute and City B, or the instincts of a zombie and the camp of humanity.
As long as Lingling wanted it.
He could offer it all with both hands.
Shi Changyuan looked at the shocked little zombie and smiled, saying, “How do you know if you don’t try?”
Lin Ling couldn’t hear anything else Shi Changyuan said after that. He could only hear his own increasingly loud and obvious heartbeat.
And an increasingly strong thought.
He really wants to kiss Shi Changyuan now.
