The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window into the room.
Before Lu Chen was fully awake, he felt something furry and damp on the wound on his thigh.
He lifted the blanket and saw a small, fluffy head with a tuft of hair sticking up.
Lu Chen was instantly wide awake.
He threw the blanket aside and discovered it was Ling Jiujiu.
Ling Jiujiu’s eyes were still closed, seemingly half-asleep, as he hugged Lu Chen’s thigh and nibbled on it.
Well, not exactly nibbling—he was sticking out his little pink tongue, licking the wound on Lu Chen’s thigh with relish.
Only then did Lu Chen remember that he had applied alcohol to the wound, and the faint scent of liquor still lingered.
The little guy must have mistaken his wound for a bowl of wine to lick.
As Ling Jiujiu’s actions grew increasingly bold, Lu Chen stiffened and quickly grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up.
“Yummy, so yummy…”
Ling Jiujiu was dreaming of soaking in a wine jar, where he could drink delicious wine just by licking his tongue.
Just as he was immersed in this wine-filled fantasy, a pair of ruthless hands yanked him out.
Startled awake, Ling Jiujiu frowned and slowly opened his eyes.
After blinking a few times, he realized he had actually been lifted up.
Lu Chen tossed Ling Jiujiu off the bed and muttered, “I really should gag your mouth.”
Ling Jiujiu looked bewildered, his head filled with question marks.
Lu Chen said sternly, “Get out.”
Seeing Lu Chen’s fierce glare, Ling Jiujiu shuddered and reluctantly walked out.
As he left, Ling Jiujiu couldn’t help but grumble to himself.
This man was so strange—yesterday he was all smiles, but today he was fierce and mean.
Based on his observations of humans, Ling Jiujiu had noticed that humans had a very strong sense of territory.
Whenever they arrived somewhere, they would kill the zombies there, loot the place, or simply take it over.
Even though the zombies were there first and hadn’t provoked them.
Just like his current situation.
That man had said yesterday he was just staying temporarily, but after waking up, he kicked him, the owner, out of the house.
The more Ling Jiujiu thought about it, the more wronged he felt. He stomped his foot angrily. “Bad guy!”
But this was his home. If he left, he’d have to wander again.
Outside, there were humans everywhere who would try to blow his head off without a second thought. He didn’t dare run around recklessly.
He had to find a way to avoid being kicked out.
After some thought, Ling Jiujiu picked up the bucket and fishing rod by the courtyard gate and wobbled toward the river.
If he could prove his worth, maybe he wouldn’t be so easily driven out.
When Lu Chen came out, Ling Jiujiu was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard.
He tentatively called out, “Jiujiu?”
No response.
Had the little guy hidden himself away?
Lu Chen’s condition wasn’t great at the moment. He had been running a fever all night, his mind so foggy it felt like it could boil an egg.
He was probably close to turning into a zombie. It was wise for the little guy to keep his distance.
While he still had his senses and strength, Lu Chen decided to head into the woods to gather enough food for the next few days.
If he turned into a zombie, this food could serve as payment for Jiujiu’s temporary stay.
If he was lucky enough to become an awakened, he’d likely have a high fever for several days, and he’d need plenty of food to regain his strength.
Yesterday, he had discovered some traps left by previous human hunters in the woods. With a little adjustment, they could still be useful.
He took the crossbow, made some minor repairs to the remaining traps, and went hunting in the distance.
There were few creatures left in the forest. Lu Chen only managed to hunt one bird, which wasn’t even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
Perhaps the exercise had accelerated his blood flow, as Lu Chen felt his mutation had worsened.
His body grew increasingly heavy, and his energy and spirit were far from sufficient.
But relying on just one bird, he couldn’t possibly survive the mutation period.
Lu Chen had no choice but to force himself back to the trap area, climb a tree, and wait for prey to come to him.
Leaning against the tree, he unknowingly fell asleep.
In his dazed slumber, a sharp cry jolted him awake.
Lu Chen looked down and saw that something had fallen into the trap.
But that sound just now was…
Lu Chen walked to the edge of the trap and peered into the pit.
There he saw Ling Jiujiu, covered in mud and water, with a small fish still flopping on his head.
At that moment, Ling Jiujiu’s mind was filled with one thought: Humans! Traps! I’m done for!
He was just about to get up when he caught a glimpse of a shadow above the pit, seemingly watching him.
In this critical moment, he had a sudden idea—he’d just lie there and play dead.
Based on his observations, humans wouldn’t waste time on zombies that were already dead.
Ling Jiujiu pretended for a while, but the person at the pit’s edge still hadn’t left, making him uneasy.
Was this person so cautious that he had to deliver a finishing blow?
Seeing Ling Jiujiu sprawled out and playing dead, Lu Chen pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling somewhat helpless.
A trap meant for rabbits had somehow caught this little troublemaker.
And he still had the nerve to say he wasn’t foolish?
“Jiujiu, stop pretending.”
Hearing Lu Chen’s voice, Ling Jiujiu scrambled up from the pit in an instant.
The water from the bucket had spilled into the pit, leaving Ling Jiujiu covered in mud from head to toe—a perfect little mud figure.
Ling Jiujiu stood up and bounced a few times in place, but his short legs lacked the jumping power to even reach the edge of the pit.
He stretched out his hand, having no choice but to ask Lu Chen for help.
“Bad… Lu Chen, I can’t jump up. Can you help me?”
Lu Chen looked down at Ling Jiujiu below. The little one tilted his dirty, smudged face and stretched out both hands toward him, like a spoiled young master throwing a tantrum for a hug.
Lu Chen stretched his limbs and jumped into the pit.
Seeing this, Ling Jiujiu’s expression turned to one of utter despair:
“Why did you jump down?!”
He had wanted Lu Chen to pull him up, not to jump into the trap himself.
Now, they were both stuck in the pit.
There was no way out.
Ling Jiujiu slumped to the ground and stared at Lu Chen. Though he said nothing, his little eyes seemed to question Lu Chen’s intelligence.
Of course, Lu Chen could have pulled him up from above.
But considering that Ling Jiujiu was a little zombie who had undergone zombification for over thirty days, his skin and flesh might not withstand such intense pulling.
Lu Chen had encountered highly decomposed zombies before—with just a bit of force from an average man, an entire arm could be torn off.
He hadn’t yet tested the extent of the little one’s flesh decomposition and couldn’t take the risk.
Lu Chen lifted Ling Jiujiu from the ground, supporting his waist.
“Can you climb up?”
Ling Jiujiu hadn’t expected Lu Chen to be so strong, able to lift him entirely.
He quickly reached up, but still couldn’t touch the edge of the pit.
“A little higher. I can’t reach it.”
Hearing this, Lu Chen hoisted him up a bit higher, shifting his support to the little one’s bottom.
Finally, Ling Jiujiu reached the edge of the pit.
Lu Chen supported her legs from below, pushing her upward.
Ling Jiujiu braced her arms and kicked hard against the pit wall.
At last, Ling Jiujiu emerged from the pit.
She turned back to help Lu Chen out, only to see him kick off the pit wall and leap out on his own.