Lu Chen dealt with a few more zombies and absorbed several white Crystal Cores.
The white Crystal Cores did not contain any supernatural abilities, but they could be used to enhance his own ability level.
His dimensional space successfully upgraded from one cubic meter to two cubic meters.
Lu Chen placed some perishable food items into the dimensional space to test whether it could prevent spoilage.
After exploring the small town, Lu Chen headed back.
On the way back, thunder rumbled in the sky, and soon, raindrops as large as beans began pattering down.
The dirt road was difficult to navigate on a rainy day, and Lu Chen carefully avoided letting the vehicle get stuck in muddy pits.
Since the vehicle couldn’t enter the woods, he hid it near the forest and walked back, only returning to the cabin after dark.
When he returned to the cabin, he noticed messy footprints in the yard.
Due to the rain, the footprints on the ground were very distinct, and there were more than one set.
Among the footprints were several small ones, clearly belonging to someone barefoot.
They were Jiujiu’s.
Lu Chen immediately became alert and slowly approached the cabin, using his Clairvoyance to assess the situation inside.
Candles were lit inside the cabin, and two men were rummaging around.
Ling Jiujiu was tied up and thrown in a corner by the cabinet, his small feet covered in mud, his body soaked, looking utterly pitiful.
Ling Jiujiu was a bit panicked.
He had gone into the woods to look for Lu Chen but hadn’t found him all afternoon.
As it grew dark and rain began to fall, he realized that without any light, he wouldn’t be able to see at night, so he had no choice but to return.
On the way back, two men suddenly jumped down from a tree and stabbed him with a knife.
His clothes were torn, and these were his favorite ones.
Ling Jiujiu didn’t understand—he had disguised himself as a human just as Lu Chen had instructed, so how had these two men recognized him as a zombie at first glance?
Perhaps because they discovered he could speak, they didn’t immediately try to blow his head off.
He had encountered similar situations before.
When humans realized he could speak and communicate, they would still tie him up but wouldn’t harm him, saying they wanted to take him back for research.
Thanks to them not attacking his head, he had managed to escape before.
They threatened Ling Jiujiu, forcing him to lead them to his cabin.
Ling Jiujiu didn’t want to, but fearing they would blow his head off, he had no choice but to bring them back.
He had no idea where Lu Chen had gone and hoped he wouldn’t suddenly return.
These two men seemed dangerous, the type who would attack others just to steal food.
They might keep him alive for research purposes, but Lu Chen would likely be killed by them.
“Big brother, there’s a cellar here with lots of alcohol!” the fat man shouted excitedly.
The other man, muscular with a buzz cut, walked over and glanced inside.
The fat man pulled out a jar of alcohol, opened it, and began drinking recklessly.
As he drank, he said, “Big brother, there’s so much stuff here. Let’s just stay. I don’t want to keep drifting around anymore—it’s too exhausting.”
The muscular man replied sternly, “No, it’s not safe here. A zombie horde will be heading this way in a while.”
But the fat man argued, “Those zombies are missing limbs and broken. Even if they come, it’ll take them eight or ten days. I really can’t walk anymore.”
The muscular man cursed but eventually decided to stay.
Ling Jiujiu smelled the alcohol and nearly drooled.
The burly man noticed Ling Jiujiu’s gaze and snarled viciously:
“What are you looking at! If you weren’t still useful, I’d have already torn your head off!”
Ling Jiujiu shrank back in fear, curling up in the corner of the cabinet.
Seeing how timid he was, the burly man laughed and walked toward him, carrying a wine jar.
Just as Ling Jiujiu was about to look up, a cold liquid poured over his head.
The liquid smelled fragrant, like wine.
Ling Jiujiu couldn’t open his eyes. The wine dripped from his hair down his face, and he couldn’t help but stick out his little tongue to take a lick.
It tasted so good.
Drenched from head to toe, Ling Jiujiu’s eyes were slightly red and swollen, as if he had just been crying. His originally pale complexion was tinged with a faint blush, making the whole zombie look utterly pitiful.
The burly man stared at Ling Jiujiu for a long while, his gaze gradually turning strange.
“Big brother, is this little thing really a zombie? Have you ever seen a zombie that looks like this?”
The muscular man rummaged through the cabinets as he replied, “His eyes are red—can’t you see such an obvious zombie trait?
Besides, have you ever seen a normal person get stabbed and not react at all?
If you’re not afraid of dying, do whatever you want.”
The burly man looked somewhat disgruntled. He pinched Ling Jiujiu’s face and examined it for a while before seeming to think of something and walking away with a smile.
A moment later, the burly man returned with a rusty pair of pliers.
Seeing the pliers, Ling Jiujiu was so frightened that he immediately clamped his mouth shut.
Someone had once tried to pull out his teeth with that iron tool, saying they were afraid he might suddenly bite.
But later, someone said he needed to be brought back intact, so his teeth were spared.
“What are you trying to do?” the muscular man frowned.
The burly man chuckled, “This little thing’s teeth are too much of a nuisance. Let’s just pull them out—it’ll be safer for us to take him along.”
The muscular man glared at him, “Don’t go looking for trouble. If he goes crazy and bites you like those other kids did, no one will be able to save you this time.”
Ignoring the warning, the burly man walked toward Ling Jiujiu with the pliers.
Afraid of having his teeth pulled out, Ling Jiujiu pleaded pitifully:
“I won’t bite anyone. Could you please not pull out my teeth?”
Seeing him like this, the burly man not only showed no mercy but instead grew excited. He grabbed Ling Jiujiu’s neck with one hand and held the pliers with the other.
The burly man’s hand was thick and large, and having drunk wine, he had no sense of restraint. Ling Jiujiu’s neck was nearly crushed.
For a moment, Ling Jiujiu’s vision went dark, and he felt as if he were truly about to die.
But the feeling didn’t last long. The wooden door was suddenly kicked open, followed by two gunshots.
Ling Jiujiu’s vision slowly returned, and he saw the two men lying on the ground, holes in their bodies still oozing blood.
Lu Chen walked over with a knife and stabbed the fallen men’s heads twice more.
Ling Jiujiu stared in shock, instinctively wanting to cover his head. But with his hands tied, he could only tuck his head as far into his chest as possible.
Seeing Ling Jiujiu shrink like an ostrich, Lu Chen went over to untie him, then lifted him by the arms and placed him on the bed. As he wiped Ling Jiujiu’s hair with a towel, he yelled:
“I say you’re foolish, and you really are! Don’t you know that if you bit them, they’d be terrified to death!”
Ling Jiujiu hung his head, too scared to utter a word under the scolding.
Seeing him like this, Lu Chen grew even angrier and tapped his silly head:
“Are your teeth just for show? How could you let them bully you like this?!”
Ling Jiujiu covered her head, looking pitifully aggrieved.
It wasn’t that she was afraid Lu Chen would smash her skull—after these days together, she knew he wouldn’t.
Lu Chen hit her head purely because she had done something wrong, though she had no idea what mistake she had made.