Ling Jiujiu ignored the gazes of the zombies and walked straight to the glass window, carrying a large bundle of rope.
A few zombies pressed their faces against the window, howling at Xu Jie, who was clinging to the outside like a gecko.
Over a dozen zombies knew nothing but howling—not a single one could even open a window.
Ling Jiujiu pushed aside the zombies near the window, but as soon as one was moved away, another crowded in.
“Stop crowding me, I have important business to attend to.”
Unfortunately, there was a language barrier, and the zombies persisted in pressing closer.
Ling Jiujiu couldn’t even get near the glass window.
If he forced the window open, these brainless zombies wouldn’t care about falling to their deaths—they’d all rush out to grab Xu Jie.
With no other choice, Ling Jiujiu could only gesture to Xu Jie outside the window.
Seeing a living person mixed in among the zombies, Xu Jie’s heart inexplicably raced a few beats.
But upon closer inspection, his anxious heart completely stopped racing.
Those crimson eyes were unmistakably those of a zombie.
And one that retained human consciousness at that—Boss Lu really had found a treasure.
Xu Jie watched as the little zombie gestured at him, its small frame completely obscured by the other zombies. He couldn’t see anything.
Seeing that Xu Jie hadn’t moved, Ling Jiujiu jumped up and gestured again.
This time, Xu Jie understood—he was being told to go to the window next to him.
The building’s windows were side by side, so Xu Jie moved to one with fewer zombies.
Ling Jiujiu entered the room, used a stool to isolate the five zombies inside, and then turned the window handle, opening a small half-pane.
After handing the rope to Xu Jie, Ling Jiujiu quickly ran off.
By the time Ling Jiujiu ran downstairs, Xu Jie had already reached the ground using the extended rope.
Nearby zombies were rushing toward them. Lu Chen tossed the injured and exhausted Xu Jie to Ling Jiujiu while he stayed behind to cover their retreat.
Dragging Xu Jiu as he ran, Ling Jiujiu felt like he was hauling a heavy pillar—it was incredibly weighty.
How strange. Neither Lu Chen nor this red-haired man looked particularly heavy, so why were they so weighty?
What exactly were their bodies made of? Surely not sheet metal, right?
With immense effort, Ling Jiujiu dragged Xu Jie into the car. Seeing Lu Chen entangled by several zombies, he climbed into the driver’s seat and prepared to drive straight at them.
The car engine roared to life.
“Screech—swish—swish—”
Leaning back in the rear seat, Xu Jie: “…”
“If you don’t know how to drive, just stay put. It’s just a few zombies—Boss Lu can handle them.
I’m genuinely afraid you’ll end up running over Boss Lu with the car.”
Ling Jiujiu flushed red and quietly climbed into the passenger seat.
Soon, Lu Chen snapped the necks of several zombies, leaped into the air, and jumped in through the car window.
With a stomp on the accelerator, the car roared forward.
Ling Jiujiu’s eyes lit up as he watched Lu Chen.
Xu Jie stared at those glowing red eyes, feeling as though the little zombie might bare its fangs at any moment and lunge to bite Lu Chen’s neck.
Just as Ling Jiujiu leaned over to see how Lu Chen was driving, several ropes inexplicably appeared in front of him.
In just a few seconds, he was firmly tied to the seat.
Xu Jie knotted the ropes securely, finally feeling somewhat at ease.
Ling Jiujiu tilted his little head in confusion.
What’s this for?
“Let him go.” Lu Chen shot Xu Jie a sidelong glare.
Habit was a terrifying thing.
Without a word, Xu Jie untied Ling Jiujiu.
But there was no other way. After so many narrow escapes, he had long developed the survival instinct to follow Lu Chen’s orders without question—if Lu Chen said go east, he would never go west.
“Boss Lu, he’s a zombie,” Xu Jie couldn’t help but remind him.
Lu Chen replied, “He saved my life.”
Xu Jie fell silent.
“Little brother, my name is Xu Jie. I’m Boss Lu’s sworn brother who’s been through thick and thin with him. From now on, we’re family.”
Ling Jiujiu was baffled. “?”
The zombie horde was drawn by the explosion, and the previously empty town was now swarmed with zombies. They couldn’t stay any longer.
Lu Chen drove the car farther away. As night began to fall, he found an empty house by the roadside with no people or zombies and settled in for the night.
Xu Jie wasn’t seriously injured—just a bite on his arm—but in a way, it was enough to be fatal.
“Boss Lu, everyone said you were dead, but I didn’t believe it. I knew you wouldn’t die so easily.”
When he led his team back to the base, he was told that Lu Chen and the entire 001 squad had been wiped out. He was completely stunned.
After calming down, he felt that Lu Chen couldn’t have died just like that.
Once, they were trapped on a rooftop, facing hundreds of zombies below, and they still managed to escape alive.
How could a fully armed squad, even if everyone else died, possibly take Lu Chen down?
He suggested going to find Lu Chen and the 001 squad—at the very least, to confirm whether they were alive or dead.
But the awakened at the base disagreed, offering all sorts of excuses to stop anyone from searching.
He knew these awakened had long held a grudge against Lu Chen and had even considered eliminating him.
Ever since they arrived at the base, Lu Chen had unwittingly become their spiritual leader.
After gaining supernatural abilities, these awakened felt superior and began to resent Lu Chen’s presence.
He even suspected that the incident with Lu Chen’s 001 squad was orchestrated by those awakened.
His life had been saved by Lu Chen—in fact, he owed Lu Chen three lives now.
If others wouldn’t go looking for Lu Chen, Xu Jie couldn’t just sit back.
If it weren’t for Lu Chen insisting on staying at Sea Serpent Base, he would have left long ago.
Now, he had even less reason to stay.
He followed Lu Chen’s trail all the way, but unfortunately, it disappeared completely by a river.
Left with no choice, he had to survive alone in the apocalypse while searching for Lu Chen.
Unexpectedly, before he could find Lu Chen, a zombie horde arrived.
Who would have thought that in a town with no zombies in sight, they were all gathered inside a single building?
If he didn’t know that zombies were mindless and lacked intelligence, he would have suspected they had set a trap for him.
He was saved again—another life owed, this time to a little zombie.
Well, he’d worry about repaying the debt if he survived this Infection first.
He might not even make it through this.
After sorting out his thoughts, Xu Jie studied Ling Jiujiu, who was sitting obediently on the sofa.
The little zombie’s face was deathly pale, different from the bluish-gray pallor of typical zombies—more like the refined vampires from TV shows.
Putting aside the zombie identity, the little guy was actually quite good-looking, delicate as if from a retouched photo.
Curious, Xu Jie asked, “Little zombie, how did you become a zombie? And how do you still retain human consciousness?”
This person had tied him up earlier and called him “little zombie.”
Ling Jiujiu was annoyed and didn’t want to talk to him.
“Little zombie, say something to me. I know you can speak human language.”
Ling Jiujiu glanced at him with a frown, puffing his cheeks in irritation. “My name is Ling Jiujiu.”
Lu Chen: “…”
Ling Jiujiu… isn’t that Jiujiu?