That simple decision proved to be a massive success. Within five hours after they made the deal, Summer managed to obtain the orange cores of fifty feral zombies.
She slammed her invisible fist straight through the chest of another monstrous brute, tore into its head, and yanked out the glowing crystal.
[Feral zombie killed.]
[EXP gained: +50]
Summer swallowed the fiftieth core without hesitation, feeling the rich energy dissolve instantly into her bloodstream. She clenched her small fists, enjoying the newly added power coursing through her body.
"Summer," she muttered softly, prompting the system to display her interface.
[Status]
Name: Summer
Evolution: Zombie Girl (Feral) (50/100)
Racial Trait: Undead Body
Class Skill: Puppeteer
Level: 7 (400/700)
Skill(s): None
HP: 110
Mana: 70
STR: 11 | AGI: 16 | CONST: 11 | INT: 7
Free Attributes: 12
Each level up increased her overall attributes by one and gave her two free attribute points. The increase of power with each level was highly noticeable, making the stat boosts from her equipped gear feel terrifyingly effective.
If before she had to punch two or three times to kill a feral zombie, currently simply landing on one with her boots would instantly crush its bones and kill it.
’What should I do with free attributes?’ she asked inwardly. The system had told her earlier to keep them for now, or else she would have dumped every single point straight into her Strength attribute.
[Wait until you reach Level 10 and evolve to an Elite.]
Summer pouted her lips at its vague answer. She was dying to know the exact reason, yet the voice kept giving her veiled hints.
’I hate you,’ she complained internally.
[My pleasure...]
’Hmph. I am ignoring you,’ she added.
[That is not going to happen. You cannot stop yourself from asking stupid questions. Remember last time you asked why a ’bra’ is worn inside the dress instead of outside? You even asked that question to the human girl and became the very first pervert zombie in this world.]
Summer recalled the event that had happened two hours earlier. During a fierce fight against a mutated zombie, her upper clothes had been completely torn into useless shreds.
The timid human girl, Ella, had kindly offered Summer her spare overcoat to cover herself.
That was when Summer had noticed the spongy undergarment underneath Ella’s clothes. Thinking the soft clothing looked much more visually appealing than a plain coat, Summer had plainly asked why she wore it hidden inside.
That simple question had made the poor girl scream and run away in absolute panic. Ever since then, Ella had been avoiding Summer like the plague.
’Still, my opinion stands. Bras look much more appealing to wear on the outside,’ Summer stated firmly.
[Whatever...]
"The sun is setting. It will be dangerous to hunt now," Jacob said, stepping toward her from the edge of the street.
When he noticed the cold skepticism flickering in Summer’s crimson eyes, he quickly added, "Dangerous for us."
"Oh..." Summer nodded her head in understanding. These humans were far too weak. Even against ordinary zombies, they could not hold out in a fight.
There had been multiple moments during these short five hours where Summer had to intervene directly so they would not end up as more mindless zombies on the pavement.
Inwardly, she was very happy she had chosen to become a Zombie Girl. That choice was the reason she had grown so remarkably strong.
Summer pulled on several thin mental threads, commanding the zombies under her direct control to scout the surrounding area and kill any wandering stragglers nearby.
After her Intelligence attribute had increased to 7, the maximum number of zombies she could command using her Puppeteer skill had expanded significantly.
Currently, she could control a whopping thirty-five zombies at once!
They formed a small, reliable army of cannon fodder to protect the human family in case a sudden threat appeared while she was busy elsewhere.
The humans chose a secure, three-story residential building to set up camp for the night. It was located directly opposite an abandoned convenience store, which had allowed Jacob to safely gather plenty of canned food and bottled water.
Inside the ground floor living room, they built a small controlled fire to cook their meal and warm their cold bodies.
Summer did not feel cold, nor was she hungry for normal food. Although the four humans had officially accepted her protection and company, their wary fear of her had never completely disappeared.
She could sense their subtle panic every single time she made a sudden movement.
She felt slightly sad because of that distance. Summer wanted to make friends, talk normally, and ask questions about the strange human world she could not remember.
[You have me. Ask me anything...]
Summer bit her pale lower lip and nodded internally, though her red eyes drifted back toward the four humans huddled tightly around the crackling fire.
Unlike mindless zombies, humans possessed a deep sense of belonging.
They loved each other, cared for one another, and were willing to throw themselves into danger for the sake of their family.
Jacob, as a father, was actively risking his life to serve as bait just to guarantee his family’s safety. His wife, Mary, constantly comforted her daughters whenever danger drew near, almost throwing her own body forward earlier when one of Summer’s controlled zombies approached to hand them a bottle of water.
Was this kind of deep bond what made them human?
Did Summer also have a place somewhere in the world where she belonged?
Could she ever become someone’s precious companion too?
Tap, tap.
A soft pat landed on her shoulder. Summer tilted her head to stare at the zombie standing right beside her.
It was a tall male zombie she had designated as ’One,’ appointing him as the squad leader for her small army of controlled undead.
As she stared into its dull, unfocused eyes, One awkwardly raised a stiff hand and patted her shoulder again in a robotic rhythm.
Summer smiled softly at the gesture, until...
[Pfft. Haha! Did you really use your Class Skill to make a mindless corpse mimic human affection? And seriously? You made a rotting zombie act like a reassuring father figure?]
’Shut up,’ Summer thought, a wave of embarrassment washing over her blank mind.
[What is next on your list? Starting a family with thirty-five mindless corpses?]
Summer bit her pale lips tightly, her bright crimson eyes almost watering from the teasing tone. ’You are always bullying me.’
She was right on the brink of tears when the sound of quiet, hesitant footsteps echoed across the floorboards.
"You..."
Summer looked up to see Ella standing a few feet away from her. The young girl was trembling slightly, holding out a small, warm piece of roasted canned meat on a clean metal lid.
"...eat," Ella mumbled softly, her eyes darting nervously to the floor.
Summer stared at the girl, and then down at the glistening piece of meat in her hands. Inwardly, her dark predatory instincts whispered that she would much rather eat Ella instead...
[Cough...]
’I am just joking...’ Summer quickly reassured the system.
Human food did not look appealing or tasty to her undead tongue at all. However, she could clearly feel the genuine intent and gratitude behind the gesture.
Ella struggled with her fear for a few long seconds before taking two brave steps forward, carefully placing the meat onto Summer’s extended hand.
The moment the meat left her fingers, Ella turned on her heel and sprinted right back to her family near the fire.
Summer’s gaze followed the girl as she sat down. She noticed Mary quickly turning her head away to pretend she was looking at the wall, Ilas staring intensely up at the ceiling as if counting cracks, and Jacob suddenly becoming deeply fascinated with stroking his own beard.
None of them wanted to make direct eye contact with her.
Summer lifted the warm piece of meat and stuffed the entire thing into her mouth, chewing slowly as her pale cheeks puffed out like a squirrel.
She was full. Very, very full.
Not in her stomach, but somewhere deep inside her chest.