Chapter 22

While speaking, Wen Jiuze’s hand had already moved to the gun at his waist, and he pulled out a dagger with his other hand.

His eyes locked on the tiger in the forest, he raised his hand, and the dagger flew, embedding itself in a tree trunk just to the left of the tiger.

The golden tiger did not charge. Instead, it turned and slipped back into the woods, quickly vanishing.

Xue Ling finally released Wen Jiuze’s shirt.

Looking down, he noticed his collar was stretched and the hem of his shirt bore several holes from her grip. It seemed she had become much stronger.

Retrieving his dagger from the tree trunk, he slid it back into its sheath.

“Let’s go,” he said, getting into the car and driving away.

Xue Ling, still rattled, grabbed her writing board and wrote, Tiger!

Wen Jiuze looked at her, puzzled. “What’s wrong with a tiger? What’s so scary about it?”

Tigers eat people! she wrote frantically.

“There are man-eating zombies everywhere. Tigers are just a rare sight,” Wen Jiuze replied.

Xue Ling: “…”

Well… he does have a point.

Wen Jiuze fished out a map from a pile of old and new maps he had collected. “Jiaxing Zoo… We need to go this way.”

Xue Ling stared at him, dumbfounded. He wasn’t just making idle talk—he actually wanted to go?

But…

The tigers have escaped! she wrote.

If the big animals from the zoo were out roaming, wouldn’t it be incredibly dangerous?

Wen Jiuze reassured her, “It’ll be fine. There are lots of animals in the zoo. If the tiger escapes, we’ll just see the others. Not all of them could have run off.”

That’s not even the point! she thought, exasperated.

Eventually, they went to the zoo.

The zoo, located in the outskirts of Jiaxing  City, sprawled across a vast area, much larger than the one Xue Ling had visited in Yu City. Surprisingly, there weren’t many zombies around.

Was it because there weren’t many visitors at the onset of the apocalypse, or was there another reason?

Whatever the reason, it made exploring the park much easier for them.

Xue Ling, anxious that a wild animal could spring out at any moment, stayed close behind Wen Jiuze, glancing around nervously.

Taking her hand, Wen Jiuze led her forward, teasing her, “Even if there’s a fierce beast here, it probably wouldn’t want to eat you. Don’t worry.”

Startled, Xue Ling froze when he held her hand.

Wen Jiuze wasn’t wearing his leather gloves, which he usually used as a barrier against danger. He held her hand warmly, the heat from his palm seeping into her skin.

Suddenly, she remembered the first time they held hands years ago.

…And no, it wasn’t exactly romantic.

Back then, they had just confirmed their relationship and were still somewhat distant. Xue Ling was polite, and Wen Jiuze was equally reserved.

One day, Wen Jiuze waited for her at her school’s side gate, extending his hand toward her.

Before that, when they went out, Wen Jiuze would either walk ahead of her or beside her, hands always tucked in his pockets. Occasionally, when she walked close to the curb, he’d reach out and pull her back, but they never held hands.

So, when he reached out to her, Xue Ling felt both surprised and nervous.

She extended her hand, and he took it.

The warmth of his palm made her shy and a bit anxious. Then, she noticed a wet spot in his hand.

When he withdrew, she found that the back of her hand, pressed against his, was smeared with… grayish-white bird droppings? Bird droppings!

With an apologetic smile, Wen Jiuze explained, “I got bird poop on my hand from the railing while I was waiting for you.”

“…”

From that moment on, the polite tension between them faded, replaced by a kind of playful antagonism, sparking their first real arguments.

After that, they frequently held hands, though Xue Ling would always check his hands first, suspicious he might pull another prank.

She began to wonder less about the excitement of holding hands with her boyfriend and more about whether he’d try something mischievous again.

Snapping out of her memories, Xue Ling realized Wen Jiuze was leading her somewhere. She looked up and saw the sign for the “Wild Beast” area.

You really would walk straight into the tiger’s den, wouldn’t you?

Fortunately, the fence around the wild animal section had a massive hole, and all the animals had escaped.

…Isn’t this even scarier? What if some of them are still lingering nearby?

“They all escaped?”

With a raised brow, Wen Jiuze moved toward the hole to peek inside the area that visitors weren’t allowed in before. But Xue Ling yanked him back, nearly making him stumble.

She almost dragged him away from the area entirely.

The sections housing zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and elephants were all deserted.

When they reached the bird area, they saw a long row of rooms resembling oversized cages. Tags identifying various parrot species still hung outside, but the birds themselves were gone.

In some rooms, only skeletal remains of dead birds were visible; in others, there was nothing at all.

Xue Ling felt a bit uneasy, and Wen Jiuze motioned for her to look up. Above them, two parrots with vibrant feathers perched on a branch. The sight lifted Xue Ling’s spirits as she pointed at one of the parrots and made a soft sound.

The parrot observed the humans and zombies below, then opened its beak and cried, “Awooo.”

Wen Jiuze laughed, “Hahaha, you really nailed that impression.”

Just then, an odd laugh echoed through the woods: “Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga, like!” They realized it was the parrot making the sound.

Xue Ling and Wen Jiuze shared a look: “…”

Unlike caged birds, swans, mandarin ducks, and red-crowned cranes in the surrounding landscape ponds were surviving well. On the far side of the lake, Xue Ling spotted a nest with eggs, though she couldn’t tell which bird had laid them.

Next to this scene, the peacock cage was empty. However, the peacock itself was strolling down the path, its long tail trailing elegantly. When it noticed them, it raised its neck with a proud look, glancing their way before marching on.

Wen Jiuze watched it with interest, musing aloud, “I wonder if peacock meat tastes good.”

Xue Ling hesitated briefly but then nudged him forward, silently deciding it was too beautiful to consider eating.

They passed small bridges and lakes where fish swam leisurely in ponds, oblivious to the apocalypse. Ornamental fish, although beautiful, generally didn’t taste good.

To prevent Wen Jiuze from attempting to catch any, Xue Ling shook her head and gestured that these fish weren’t worth eating. Wen Jiuze then pointed at the fish pond’s edge, where she noticed bloated zombies submerged, surrounded by fish nibbling nearby.

Zombies find fish unappetizing, but it seems fish don’t mind zombies, Xue Ling thought, feeling her appetite for fish disappear.

In the past three years, Xue Ling had seen animals bitten by zombies typically die quickly without mutating like humans. 

What about the fish that ate the zombies? Would they survive, or would they die too?

They crouched by the pond, observing, but nothing unusual happened. Nearby, two zombies stumbled over, and Wen Jiuze swiftly chopped them up and tossed them into the pond as food. Curiously, the fish dispersed rather than approaching the fresh zombies.

“They don’t eat fresh ones, but will eat it after soaking—is it that soaking somehow makes it less poisonous and safe to eat?” Wen Jiuze guessed.

Xue Ling held a different view. She wrote, “Maybe it’s hard to chew if it’s not soaked.”

Indeed, the longer a zombie was around, the tougher and more resilient its body became, like metal. Poor-quality blades couldn’t even penetrate them, making it tough for fish to nibble.

What intrigued Xue Ling more was how Wen Jiuze could decapitate a zombie so effortlessly with just a dagger.

In contrast, the fish in the ornamental tanks hadn’t been as lucky. The stagnant water had turned green due to lack of maintenance, with all the beautiful fish in the tank now lifeless.

After a quick glance, they moved on. Wen Jiuze led Xue Ling to a rocky area, where she saw a giant python coiled behind a glass panel.

Startled, Xue Ling involuntarily clutched Wen Jiuze’s shirt, nearly tearing it in her grip. Fortunately, she retained enough sense not to claw his skin, though his shirt bore the brunt.

The python, still as a statue, lay behind the glass. Xue Ling cautiously looked at its vibrant patterns, wanting to ask if it was alive but dreading that Wen Jiuze might break the glass to find out. She nudged him forward instead.

She averted her gaze from the snakes, fearing one might appear underfoot. When they reached the crocodile enclosure, they found the creature, jaws open, resembling a sculpture.

Wen Jiuze squatted down, tapping the glass. “Is it alive or dead?” he wondered aloud.

Xue Ling understood his intention and watched in exasperation as he pressed on the glass, as if ready to break it to check on the crocodile. Her attempts to restrain him only left her tired, his old T-shirt nearly shredded by the time they left.

They continued to the next area, Monkey Mountain, which was bustling. Unlike the other enclosures, this one thrived with life. The monkeys had declared themselves rulers, spreading their tribe across the rockery and nearby trees. At least a hundred monkeys watched as they arrived, screeching and calling in unison.

Realizing the trouble, Wen Jiuze grabbed Xue Ling’s hand, pulling her back. “Run!” he urged. The once unflinching Wen Jiuze was now escaping from a swarm of monkeys.

Though Xue Ling felt a bit bad for him, she couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. It was rare to see him, fearless in front of tigers, fleeing from monkeys.

Behind them, the monkeys hurled clumps of dirt, pebbles, and dried fruit pits in a chaotic downpour. Wen Jiuze shielded Xue Ling as best he could, practically dragging her to safety.

When they finally stopped, Wen Jiuze looked completely disheveled, covered in dirt, and with leaves tangled in his hair. He was a sight, utterly unlike his usual composed self.

Xue Ling wanted to laugh, but unfortunately, she couldn’t make a proper expression of it, so she just bared her teeth a little.

Wen Jiuze looked at her knowingly and patted his hair. “Are you happy now?”

No! Xue Ling immediately retracted her bared teeth.

After their impromptu visit to the zoo, where they were unexpectedly attacked by monkeys, the two of them set off again.