This little zombie not only looked like a rabbit, but its courage was as small as a rabbit’s too.
Having killed so many zombies, Lu Chen was seeing a zombie that still retained consciousness for the first time.
If he could survive, bringing this little zombie back to the base for those research fanatics in the laboratory would probably be quite valuable for study.
Lu Chen put away his gun and glanced around.
No other zombies were seen nearby, only the other shoe casually discarded to the side.
He walked over and put the shoe on as he went.
When he looked back again, he saw Ling Jiujiu hugging his head, wiggling his butt, and inching forward bit by bit like an earthworm.
Was he… trying to escape?
Lu Chen narrowed his eyes and leisurely followed behind him.
Ling Jiujiu continued wriggling like this for about ten minutes when, for some reason, his body suddenly tilted and he lay motionless on the ground.
…Playing dead?
After all, the little guy was a zombie with only a bit of a brain, so Lu Chen, worried he might be faking it, didn’t go to check on him immediately.
After waiting a while, Lu Chen slowly approached from behind and lifted his foot to nudge Ling Jiujiu’s leg.
Ling Jiujiu remained completely still.
He then nudged Ling Jiujiu’s arm with his foot and threatened:
“If you don’t get up now, I’ll blow your head off with a bullet.”
Ling Jiujiu was still playing dead.
Realizing something was wrong, Lu Chen bent down and scooped up Ling Jiujiu’s body.
At this moment, Ling Jiujiu’s body was ice-cold, no different from a dead person.
But zombies were all like that.
Only, his body was stiffer than before, and his complexion had turned a shade grayer.
Judging by this, he was probably about to fully undergo zombification and become one of those brainless, stupid zombies.
Lu Chen set Ling Jiujiu down and quickly stripped off his clothes to put on himself.
Just as he stood up to leave, his leg felt heavy again.
He turned around and found Ling Jiujiu’s fingers hooked onto his pant leg.
Lu Chen’s eyes darkened slightly. He turned and half-knelt on the ground, placing his hand gently on Ling Jiujiu’s head.
With just a little more force from his hand, he could snap Ling Jiujiu’s neck without wasting a bullet.
Just as he was about to exert force, the “dead” Ling Jiujiu suddenly opened his eyes, mouth gaping as if trying to say something.
His voice was very faint, and Lu Chen couldn’t make out what he said.
Lu Chen pinched Ling Jiujiu’s chin and leaned in a bit closer.
Immediately after, he heard a series of “gurgling” sounds.
“Hungry…” Ling Jiujiu’s soft, slow voice followed.
After saying that, Ling Jiujiu closed his eyes again and resumed playing dead.
Lu Chen couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
This little guy was so hungry he couldn’t even move.
Considering Ling Jiujiu’s research value, Lu Chen scooped him up again.
Since the little zombie had been crawling in this direction, his habitat was probably nearby.
Carrying Ling Jiujiu on his shoulder, Lu Chen hadn’t walked far before he spotted a small wooden cabin in the woods.
He carefully inspected the area around the cabin and, finding nothing unusual, finally carried Ling Jiujiu inside.
The small cabin clearly had signs of life; this was likely the little zombie’s habitat.
After placing Ling Jiujiu on the bed, Lu Chen walked around the cabin, observing.
The cabin wasn’t large but was kept quite clean.
The kitchen was completely empty, even emptier than his stomach.
Lu Chen tidied up a bit, picked up a sickle and an axe, fashioned a simple crossbow, and prepared to go hunting.
Ling Jiujiu gradually awoke from his dazed state.
Opening his eyes, he saw a pair of slender, elegant hands prying his mouth open.
“Mmph?!”
Ling Jiujiu’s mouth was forced open, which felt rather uncomfortable.
Perhaps because his mouth had been open for too long, he felt as if drool was about to drip out.
He stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth.
Lu Chen held a pen, observing his condition while jotting notes in a notebook:
“After eating, body stiffness lessens, tongue softens.
Teeth slightly sharp, no body temperature, breathing, heartbeat, or pulse.
Bite force, language ability, and physical mobility require further observation.”
“Awake?”
Lu Chen put away his notebook and pen, his cool black eyes indifferently gazing at him.
Ling Jiujiu tried to move but realized he was lying naked on the bed, his hands and feet tied to the bedposts with ropes.
“What are you doin’?”
His tongue had just recovered from stiffness, so his speech was still somewhat unclear.
Lu Chen glanced at him faintly and asked, “Do you remember your own name?”
Ling Jiujiu blinked, his expression appearing bewildered but mostly filled with panic and fear.
After a long pause, he finally managed to speak with difficulty, “My name is Lin Jiujiu.”
Lu Chen didn’t catch it clearly, only hearing the last two words.
“Jiujiu?”
Lu Chen’s eyes held a hint of amusement.
It sounded like a pet’s nickname.
Normal people wouldn’t have a name like that.
It seemed he wasn’t planning to reveal his real name—still a cautious little thing.
Lu Chen lowered his gaze, his eyes carefully examining Ling Jiujiu’s body.
Lying naked on the bed while being stared at like this, Ling Jiujiu felt so embarrassed that his eyelashes trembled lightly, not daring to look at the man.
He felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, completely at the man’s mercy.
Suddenly, Ling Jiujiu felt a warmth on his stomach.
The scorching sensation startled him, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.
He looked down and saw that it was the man’s large hand resting on his stomach.
“?” Lu Chen was momentarily puzzled by his reaction.
He removed his hand from Ling Jiujiu’s stomach and then tentatively placed it back again.
Having experienced it once, Ling Jiujiu wasn’t as easily startled this time.
Lu Chen kept his hand on him, observing his reaction.
Ling Jiujiu didn’t understand what he was trying to do, looking at him blankly as the two of them stared at each other, one human and one corpse.
Feeling the temperature of the large hand on his stomach growing hotter, Ling Jiujiu, uncomfortable from the heat, quietly squirmed and tried to move aside.
Noticing his movement, Lu Chen gripped Ling Jiujiu’s waist with his large hand and pulled him back again.
“What are you hiding from?” Lu Chen asked calmly.
Ling Jiujiu blinked, his eyes seemingly misty with moisture, and said in a trembling voice:
“It’s… it’s a bit hot.”
Hearing this, Lu Chen removed his hand from his stomach and asked again:
“You mean my hand feels hot?”
Ling Jiujiu nodded.
“Afraid of heat.”
Lu Chen picked up his small notebook and wrote it down. After a pause, he added, “Easily startled.”
After writing this, he took a wooden stick tied with cloth strips from the nearby cabinet.
“Bite this.” Lu Chen placed the stick near Ling Jiujiu’s mouth.
Ling Jiujiu glanced at the stick, then at the man’s fingers holding it.
After hesitating for three seconds, he chose to bite the stick.
This human was too terrifying, and his hands looked formidable too—they seemed capable of twisting his neck barehanded.
If he bit the man’s hand, his teeth would probably be snapped off.
Ling Jiujiu obediently opened her mouth and bit down on the wooden stick, the cloth strip tied behind her head.
“Don’t move around,” Lu Chen warned in a low voice.
Ling Jiujiu was very obedient and didn’t move, but the man was manipulating her body, moving it around.