The little guy isn’t sleeping in the middle of the night and instead comes out to fish?
Lu Chen couldn’t quite figure out what was going on in that little head of his.
Could it be that after being infected for so long, his brain has deteriorated further?
Humans turning into zombies is a gradual process.
Before the apocalypse arrived, there were many news reports online, even videos.
A fairly well-known female influencer had her videos dug up, documenting her process of zombification.
Out of curiosity, he watched it once, seeing the face of a young girl in her prime go from delicate to decayed.
The girl’s personality also gradually shifted from cheerful and lively to irritable and easily angered, her memory deteriorating until she forgot everything, leaving only the single thought of “eating.”
Lu Chen wasn’t sure what exactly was going on with Ling Jiujiu’s body, only hoping he wouldn’t degenerate into a true zombie.
He didn’t disturb Ling Jiujiu, simply observing his every move.
Ling Jiujiu’s luck was decent—as dawn approached, he managed to catch three fish.
Only three fish, and Ling Jiujiu wasn’t very satisfied.
But he was also worried that if he returned too late, Lu Chen might leave without him, so he had no choice but to pick up the bucket and hurry back.
Lu Chen ran back to the cabin ahead of him, pretending he had just woken up.
Ling Jiujiu handed him the fish bucket: “Take this to eat on the road.”
Lu Chen glanced down and saw the bucket still filled with river water, so the fish wouldn’t die anytime soon.
He tried to put the live fish into his dimensional space but couldn’t manage it.
It seemed his storage space couldn’t hold living things.
Lu Chen planned to slice the fish later before storing them, which would also keep them fresh.
Seeing Ling Jiujiu wearing the bite guard, looking harmless and innocent, Lu Chen couldn’t help but ask:
“Aren’t you going to ask me why I put this on you?”
Ling Jiujiu’s big, round eyes curved into a smile as he replied, “I know, it’s to protect me, so I won’t break my teeth.”
Looking at Ling Jiujiu’s little face, Lu Chen felt even more that this little guy wasn’t suited for life in this world.
In this current apocalypse where people prey on each other, someone as naive as him would likely be sold out and still help count the money.
Better to keep him close and watch over him, lest he gets captured the moment he turns around.
After a simple breakfast, Lu Chen picked up his things and said to Ling Jiujiu, “Let’s go.”
He walked out the door and glanced back, only to find Ling Jiujiu still standing there, staring at him without blinking.
Looking closely, the little guy’s eyes seemed red, his lips pursed, as if he were about to cry.
Lu Chen was puzzled: “What’s wrong? Reluctant to leave?”
Ling Jiujiu nodded: “Can you come back to keep me company when you have time?”
He was too lonely here all by himself as a zombie. No other zombies could talk to him, and humans never spoke to him either. Only Lu Chen would keep him company.
He didn’t want to part with Lu Chen.
Lu Chen was stunned for a long moment, then suddenly laughed as he looked at the little guy’s reddened eyes.
So the little guy thought he was going to abandon him and leave? It wasn’t the cabin he was reluctant to part with—it was him.
Lu Chen rubbed his forehead and chuckled softly: “My fault for not explaining clearly.”
Then again, with that simple mind of his, how could he possibly figure it out on his own?
Ling Jiujiu tilted his head: “?”
Lu Chen said, “Those two people yesterday also mentioned that a large wave of zombies will be coming this way soon.
This isn’t a safe place. You’re coming with me.”
Ling Jiujiu was dumbfounded. He had to leave too?
A horde of zombies is just a horde of zombies—he wasn’t afraid of them anyway.
But outside, there were people everywhere. His head wouldn’t be safe.
“I’m not leaving. It’s too dangerous out there. I’d rather stay here,” Ling Jiujiu shook his head.
Lu Chen hadn’t expected the problem to lie here. He could only try to reason with him slowly:
“Those two people yesterday came down from the upstream area because the zombie horde was closing in.
There are more than just those two in the upstream area. In less than a day, more people will come here. What if they catch you again when I’m not around?”
Ling Jiujiu thought it over and realized it did make sense.
Things always drifted down from upstream in the river, which meant there were people up there.
He really didn’t want to go through what happened yesterday again.
Once he understood, Ling Jiujiu didn’t hesitate much and followed Lu Chen out of the cabin.
Seeing Lu Chen carrying bags of all sizes, Ling Jiujiu worried his body wouldn’t hold up and went over to help share the load.
“You’re quite observant.”
Lu Chen ruffled Ling Jiujiu’s hair and handed him a small backpack as a gesture.
The young master’s skin turned red just from being tied with a rope, and it took half a day for the marks to fade. How could he dare let him carry anything heavy?
Besides, this little weight was nothing but a drizzle to him.
The truly heavy jars of wine were all stored in his storage space.
The man and the zombie walked out of the woods. Lu Chen pushed aside a pile of branches and found the hidden car.
This wasn’t Ling Jiujiu’s first time in a car, but it was the first time he voluntarily sat in the front seat.
Before, he had always been tied up in the back seat, his head pressed against the window, filled with fear and completely unable to appreciate the scenery outside.
Along the way, Ling Jiujiu pressed against the window, his eyes full of wonder as he watched the scenery fly by outside.
Seeing him stare outside for nearly two hours, Lu Chen smiled and asked, “How’s the outside world?”
Ling Jiujiu snapped back to attention: “The houses outside are so big, but they’re a bit dirty and look messy.”
Nearly a year into the apocalypse, after the baptism of artillery fire and the destruction by zombies, the once-prosperous cities had long become massive graves.
Skyscrapers had turned into ruins, the streets littered with rubble and debris, scattered with rotting corpses and remains. Occasionally, a few highly decomposed zombies could be seen wandering by the roadside.
The entire world was eerily silent, with no trace of its former beauty to be seen.
Arriving at a deserted small town, Lu Chen stopped the car.
Perhaps it had been evacuated early in the apocalypse—the town showed no signs of people, nor were there any zombies.
After driving all day, Lu Chen was tired and wanted to rest here for the night before continuing.
He picked a house that didn’t look too messy to stay in and got up to search for more supplies.
Lu Chen didn’t let Ling Jiujiu idle either, making him come along to search.
He did his best to teach Ling Jiujiu common human knowledge, keeping his mind active to prevent it from deteriorating.
Though the town was small, it had everything one needed.
Lu Chen took Ling Jiujiu to the town’s largest supermarket.
He carefully checked every corner, making sure there were no zombies or people inside, before letting Ling Jiujiu enter.
Lu Chen pushed the door open, and the wind chime at the entrance let out a crisp, tinkling sound.
Ling Jiujiu curiously examined the chime making the noise, his eyes sparkling.
Lu Chen shook his head helplessly. The little guy was curious about everything, like a child who had just been born.
“If you like it, take it.”
Ling Jiujiu reached out to grab it, but the wind chime was hung too high, and even jumping up, he couldn’t reach it.
Lu Chen pushed a handcart over, and Ling Jiujiu stood on it, easily retrieving the chime.
Just as he was shaking it in his hand to listen to the sound, the ground suddenly trembled, as if an earthquake had struck.