Chapter 4

Everyone pretended to be indifferent, but they were quietly observing Wen Jiuze’s expression.

Wen Jiuze spent some time with them. He was always smiling and never angry. Although he was not very close to others, he didn’t seem to have a bad temper.

However, at this moment, his smile had disappeared, and his serious expression made everyone’s hearts race.

Feng Wei, who was inside the car and being stared at by him, could no longer maintain his smile.

“Get out,” Wen Jiuze ordered firmly.

Feng Wei quickly replied, “Don’t be angry, Xiao Wen. We were just looking out for you. Keeping a zombie in your car is dangerous…”

“I said, get out.”

“But my son, Zicheng, is asleep. If he gets out in the wind, he might get sick. I just…”

Wen Jiuze ignored his excuses and roughly grabbed him by the collar, dragging him out of the car.

Feng Wei stumbled as the grip tightened around his neck, turning his face red as he gasped for air and shouted, “What are you doing? Be careful with the child!”

Without listening to him, Wen Jiuze forcefully pulled both Feng Wei and his son out of the car.

Feng Wei fell hard to the ground while the little boy woke up and began to cry in fright in his father’s arms, drawing the attention of everyone in the convoy.

“What’s happening?”

“Why is Zicheng crying?”

Wen Jiuze ignored their chatter. He turned to Dai Ying, who stood by the car looking lost. “Where is it?”

Dai Ying cautiously replied, “Cousin, please don’t be angry.”

Sister Lu ran over and stood in front of Dai Ying, shouting, “We helped you deal with the zombie. Why do you still want to blame your cousin for a zombie? I think you are a reasonable young man. Why are you so confused?”

Dai Ying understood his cousin better than anyone else present. Seeing Wen Jiuze’s calm yet intense demeanor made his anxiety grow.

Noticing Wen Jiuze reaching for the gun at his waist, he was so frightened that he shouted, “Cousin!” and quickly pulled Sister Lu back in a panic.

With a loud gunshot, the stone at Sister Lu’s feet shattered. If Dai Ying hadn’t pulled her back, her foot might have been shot through.

The flying fragments struck her legs, startling those around her, who screamed in shock.

Feng Wei, who had fallen to the ground, hurriedly held his crying child and backed away, not daring to complain further.

Sister Lu’s face turned pale as her husband dragged her backward.

Everyone present looked terrified at the suddenly furious Wen Jiuze.

Wen Jiuze coldly asked Dai Ying, “Where is she?”

Dai Ying trembled under his intense gaze, stuttering, “I… “I sent her to the wasteland on the roadside.”

Without saying a word, Wen Jiuze put away his gun, got into his vehicle, and drove off without another glance at them.

As night approached, Wen Jiuze navigated the overgrown road, scanning both sides for any signs.

When he reached the location Dai Ying described, he parked the car, turned off the engine, and stepped out to search the desolate field for any trace of Xue Ling.

Zombies have no intelligence. As long as they are not attracted by loud noises or human scents, they will only wander nearby and won’t stray too far in a short time.

As darkness fell, Wen Jiuze found a pile of grass.

There, a shadow lay on its side.

It was Xue Ling. Not seeing anyone nearby, she had attempted to rub the bindings off her hands with a stone but failed and instead grew tired.

She quickly gave up, deciding to try again tomorrow, and lay down on a thick patch of grass to rest.

She never expected Wen Jiuze would come looking for her. Clearly, the people in his team, including his cousin, didn’t want her to stay with them.

They had gone through the trouble to get rid of her. Was Wen Jiuze really going to come back and bring her back with him?

Even couples don’t go that far, let alone exes.

In the quiet, dark wilderness, footsteps approached her through the tall grass.

Xue Ling: “…”

The man sat down next to her, causing the nearby grass to sink.

She heard the sound of a lighter clicking. A faint scent of smoke wafted through the air.

Wen Jiuze said nothing. Xue Ling shifted slightly to turn and saw the glowing tip of a cigarette between his lips. He was staring at her, his gaze obscured.

He seemed to take a deep drag, pressing his thumb against his temple as he muttered to himself, “Almost lost you again.”

Xue Ling desperately wanted to ask what he was thinking, but alas, zombies cannot speak. Even if she shouted at him, he wouldn’t understand.

Wen Jiuze sat calmly beside her, finishing his cigarette. Then Xue Ling felt his hand reach for the bindings she had been struggling with for a long time and he loosened them.

He specifically came to free her? Was he really letting her go?

Before she could feel joy, her wrists were caught in his warm hands.

He rubbed her wrist, noting, “You have purple bruises… Can zombies feel pain?”

“Probably not.”

He said they couldn’t feel pain, but his hands didn’t leave her wrists. Instead, he continued to knead them.

After a while, he relaxed his shoulders and finally lay down beside her, casually throwing one leg over the other.

… How arrogant of you!

Xue Ling felt belittled as a zombie.

With a terrifying scream, she lunged at him.

She admitted that she was deliberately trying to provoke him.

But whether she scared him or not was another matter. Challenging Wen Jiuze’s skills was a terrible decision. She was walking straight into a trap.

Wen Jiuze grabbed both of her hands and placed them in front of her, pinning her legs down so she couldn’t move.

Xue Ling found herself half-pressed against him, unable to move, feeling uncomfortable from his heat.

He didn’t seem to feel that she was heavy and hot at all, and he even buried his head in her.

“Hmm… you smell a bit.” he suddenly remarked.

Xue Ling: “…”

Wen Jiuze wasn’t prepared for her sudden outburst and nearly lost his grip on her.

“Why are you suddenly making a fuss? Are you hungry? It can’t be that you understood what I said and got angry, right?”

I don’t understand! I can’t understand your nonsense!

Xue Ling threw aside the little humanity she had left and went completely berserk.

Seeing her causing a scene, Wen Jiuze had no choice but to release her and stood a short distance away, clapping his hands, “You want to attack me? Come on, let’s see if you can catch me.”

At that moment, old grudges resurfaced in her heart, and Xue Ling forgot about their difference in skills, determined to confront him.

Wen Jiuze braced himself with his hands, dodging her attempts, and seeing her furious expression made him chuckle, “You’re swaying like a penguin.”

It can only be said that some people become ex-boyfriends for a reason.

He was just too irritating!

After chasing him for a long time, Xue Ling’s anger dissipated, and she hadn’t even touched a hair on the annoying man.

She stopped, suddenly grateful she was already dead and wouldn’t be driven mad again.

Wen Jiuze sauntered over.

“Do you still want to play?”

Xue Ling suddenly reached for his side, but Wen Jiuze dodged. He came closer, presenting a smiling face, “Want to try again?”

Xue Ling didn’t want to play anymore and turned to wobble back to the grass pile.

Wen Jiuze followed behind and exclaimed, “You seem more lively than before.”

I’m already dead! How can you say I’m lively? Listen to yourself!

Xue Ling tumbled into the grass pile, intending to throw herself into it. Halfway through, an arm reached in and pulled her back.

“Do you want to sleep here, or should we go to the car?”

He stuffed her back into the rear seat of the car. This time he didn’t tie her up and instead took out a blanket to cover her.

Then he closed the door and stepped outside.

In the darkness, he gradually lost his smile, leaning against the car door. He lit another cigarette and sat outside the car all night without sleeping.

Xue Ling thought he would quickly drive her back to the camp, but he didn’t. The next morning, he still remained there.

Xue Ling lifted her head and peered out from behind the car window. She saw him washing his face in a nearby ditch, wiping his hair dry, and then coming toward the car with a twisted towel.

She immediately stiffened and lay back down.

The car door above her opened, and a cool, damp towel was pressed against her face as he rubbed it gently.

Wen Jiuze held up the towel and examined the dirt on it. He said, “No wonder it smells a bit off. Just look at how dirty it is.”

Xue Ling felt her fists clench.

As a zombie, her body was stiff, and it was difficult for her to maintain personal hygiene. Since she mingled with a crowd of zombies, her fellow undead didn’t care whether she washed her face daily, and humans certainly wouldn’t care either. Naturally, she had become a bit lax.

Moreover, a zombie that looked too clean would stand out among others, making it very dangerous. If she encountered a group of humans, she could easily be the first to be killed.

Wen Jiuze was human, so how could he understand the survival instincts of a zombie?

“How about I find a place for you to wash up?” Wen Jiuze offered.

He pulled up his black T-shirt and added, “I haven’t bathed in two or three days either, and I think I might smell.”

From her angle, Xue Ling could see his well-defined abdominal muscles and his chest beneath the lifted shirt. How did he get so fit? He seemed even more attractive than three years ago.

She closed her eyes.

Before the car could move, Dai Ying and Brother Mi approached.

“Cousin, you didn’t come back all night,” Dai Ying said nervously, looking like he had done something wrong. “Are you not planning to go back?”

“I’m not going back,” Wen Jiuze replied casually.

Brother Mi stepped forward to persuade him, saying, “Xiao Wen, everyone made mistakes in this situation. We’ve discussed it, and you should come back with us. After all, we’ve spent so much time together. Let’s finish this properly. Once we’re done, you can leave if you want.”

“You can bring that zombie back too. I told them that as long as you keep the zombie from hurting anyone, it’s fine.”

“You seem to have misunderstood,” Wen Jiuze said, leaning against the car, a faint smile on his lips but with an edge to his voice. “I don’t care what they think. The reason I’m not going back is not because they disagree. It’s because I don’t want them to harm Xue Ling.”

Dai Ying looked momentarily stunned, while Brother Mi shook his head disapprovingly. “You’re skilled, but no matter how good you are, there will always be times when you can’t handle everything alone. In such cases, as humans, mutual help is the key to survival.”

“Mutual help? What have you done to help me? Haven’t I been helping you all along?”

Wen Jiuze’s earlier casual demeanor vanished, and his gaze became piercing.

“Enough of this nonsense. I want the gasoline and bullets you promised me. I’m leaving immediately.”

Dai Ying walked away in tears, hurt by his cousin’s indifference. He had not expected Wen Jiuze to react so angrily that he wouldn’t even look at him.

They didn’t have much interaction before, and they only interacted more frequently a few years ago, but they are family after all.

Xue Ling secretly observed from behind the car window and saw them parting on bad terms.

Wen Jiuze had fallen out with the group because of her, and now they were going their separate ways.

What was happening?

Wen Jiuze placed the gasoline and bullets in the car, then drove away with Xue Ling, heading in the opposite direction of the camp.

When he wasn’t smiling, his expression exuded pressure and a chilling indifference.

After driving for a while, Wen Jiuze noticed the back seat was silent and turned to take a look.

He then shifted back to a cheerful demeanor, extending his voice with curiosity, “Hmm? Why is it so quiet? Did the people from earlier scare you?”

“It’s fine. We’re not going back to where there are many people. We’ll find a secluded spot, and that way, no one will come to harm you.”