Chapter 6

Xue Ling, having been cleaned up by her ex-boyfriend, had completely surrendered. She couldn’t even be bothered to pretend to be a zombie and sat there stiffly, motionless.

Wen Jiuze was busy combing her hair, gently untangling the knots, while sitting beside her and examining the pile of skincare products he had found.

He picked up boxes and bottles, reading the labels aloud to himself. “Everything on the bottle is in English… Oh, this is a lotion. Why is this one all in Russian…”

He poured some liquid from a bottle, rubbed it between his hands, and smelled it, confirming, “It’s toner.”

Then he squinted at the assortment of skincare products, trying to recall: “What was your skincare routine after washing your face? It seemed like you first applied toner? Then lotion? Cream? Wait, is there supposed to be oil, too? When do you use the oil?”

He furrowed his brow, looking at Xue Ling as if seeking confirmation. “Oil doesn’t mix with water, so you apply the toner first and then the oil, right?”

That’s ridiculous! Xue Ling couldn’t hold back anymore!

Seeing her about to explode, Wen Jiuze quickly reached out to restrain her again.

He trapped the unruly zombie in his arms, pinning her hands and waist with his knees while lifting her chin with his hand.

“Don’t worry, it will be over soon.” As he said this, his other hand squeezed the toner, preparing to splash it on Xue Ling’s face.

Xue Ling struggled desperately, wanting to curse him out, but he lifted her chin, effectively closing her mouth.

“I’m just taking care of your skin, so stop squirming. You were pretty calm during the shower earlier.”

Xue Ling felt a strange sensation, as if she couldn’t catch her breath.

How could he not see clearly? That bottle contained makeup remover, not toner! Who starts their skincare routine with makeup remover?

Are your eyes blind?!

Wen Jiuze firmly followed his own misguided logic and finished the skincare routine on her.

After his chaotic application, Xue Ling felt even more haggard and had lost the energy to resist wearing the hideous sunflower-print dress.

She let the ugly, yellow dress drape over her.

Thanks for at least remembering to put her in an underwear that fit well enough.

“Alright, now you look just like before,” Wen Jiuze said, surveying her with a smile.

Xue Ling’s expression was blank.

Just like before? Oh, great. So in your eyes, I always looked like this: pale with prominent veins, just like a dead person.

Wen Jiuze kept smiling at her. Suddenly, he cupped her face with both hands and gently squeezed.

This gesture was familiar and triggered some memories for Xue Ling.

In the past, whenever she laughed, Wen Jiuze would do this, squeezing her face and leaving her looking utterly confused.

The man was just being mischievous.

Xue Ling heard him softly ask, “How did you become a zombie?”

“When did you… turn into a zombie?”

…It’s too late for that question.

Cleaned up, Xue Ling sat under a big tree at the entrance of someone’s yard. Wen Jiuze brought over a chair and placed it in the shade, even finding a stylish straw hat to shield her from the sun.

“I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be quick. Just wait for me here and don’t wander off.”

Xue Ling really wanted to escape, but she knew that Wen Jiuze would catch up with her in less than two hundred meters.

She was a two-wheel-drive zombie, while Wen Jiuze was four-wheel-drive.

Plus, seeing how he treated her like a living girlfriend clearly indicated that he wasn’t quite right in the head. Xue Ling didn’t dare provoke him.

Who said only the living fear crazies? Even the dead fear them.

As she enjoyed the gentle breeze under the tree, smelling the shower gel’s fragrance on her skin, Xue Ling thought it might be best to let Wen Jiuze take care of her. He probably wouldn’t keep it up for long anyway.

From a distance at the street corner, two men watched Xue Ling closely as they leaned together, whispering to each other.

They were brothers who had been active near Anxi City since the apocalypse, surviving by robbing passersby.

Many robbers like them operated in groups of three or five, ambushing solitary individuals or vehicles at the roadside.

At this time, those brave enough to drive out alone were usually strong characters, typically carrying a good amount of supplies. If they could rob just one, it would be a significant gain.

The brothers rarely encountered such easy targets in Anxi City. When they spotted Wen Jiuze’s vehicle, their eyes glinted with greed.

The modified vehicle had a high chassis, unlike the dilapidated car they had been using for years.

“Brother, should we make a move now?”

“Let’s do it. You pry open the car door, and I’ll deal with that woman.”

The younger, stockier man leered at the slender figure in the dress, suggesting, “Brother, let’s take her with us too. It’s been so long since we’ve had a woman!”

His older brother, shorter and rounder, showed signs of eagerness: “Then you better be quick. Pry open the door and see if we can drive it away. If we can, we’ll take the woman along too.”

Being locals, the brothers were well-acquainted with the area. They had never failed in their previous robberies.

Just a couple of days ago, a loud noise had attracted them, and seeing a large convoy from a distance, they hadn’t dared to approach. Today, they stumbled upon a lone vehicle, estimating there were only two people inside, a man and a woman.

Now, with the man out of sight, only the woman remained seated outside. This was a golden opportunity.

After observing for a moment, the brothers wasted no time and decided to strike.

The older brother stealthily approached Xue Ling from behind, while the younger brother headed straight for the car. Having worked in a repair shop, he was skilled at prying open doors and stealing cars.

They had a solid plan and good coordination, but things went slightly awry.

As the older brother lunged to restrain Xue Ling, covering her mouth and nose to prevent her from shouting, he suddenly felt something was off and locked eyes with her dark red, zombie-like gaze.

Xue Ling, whose mouth was covered by a stranger:??

Xue Ling’s eyes flashed with ferocity as she instantly understood the current situation.

If she couldn’t handle someone as strong as Wen Jiuze, how could she be overpowered by this chubby man?

With his arm right by her mouth, Xue Ling didn’t hold back and took a big bite.

“Ah!” The chubby man, horrified as he recognized her, screamed and stumbled backward, scrambling away.

“That woman is a zombie! I’ve been bitten!”

His panic sent the younger brother reeling, terrified by his brother’s despairing cry.

It was no wonder he was so desperate. Although zombies were not particularly agile, they had high defenses and could carry toxins and contamination.

With a bite from a zombie, he could easily turn into one himself in no time.

Seeing him terrified and confused, Xue Ling spat out the blood in her mouth.

Just as she planned to sit back down, a gunshot rang out.

The chubby man, who had been scrambling toward his brother, fell to the ground, his head tilted, quickly pooling blood beneath him.

Wen Jiuze stepped out of the house, his body still steamy from the shower. He hadn’t even put on a shirt, exposing his toned chest and abdomen, with wet hair clinging to his collarbone, droplets cascading down.

He held a gun, expressionless, as he shot the chubby man dead and then aimed it at the other stocky man by the car.

The man, looking to be in his thirties, immediately raised his hands in surrender, crying out, “No, please! Don’t shoot!”

He stammered out a string of incoherent pleas.

Xue Ling thought Wen Jiuze was about to shoot him too, sending both men to the grave.

However, Wen Jiuze didn’t pull the trigger again. Instead, he tied up the stocky man with ropes.

His method of binding was skillful, rendering the man immobile as he tossed him into the yard.

After binding him, Wen Jiuze dragged the chubby corpse away, disappearing around the corner of the yard.

Before long, he returned, his hands still wet as he wiped them by Xue Ling’s mouth.

“Let’s go sit in the yard,” he said.

Xue Ling stared at his chest, unable to help but think how muscular it looked, almost appetizing.

This was not a baseless thought; she had tasted it before.

Xue Ling quickly averted her vacant gaze. No, no, eating people is not acceptable.

Wen Jiuze pushed her into the yard and rearranged her chair before returning to finish his unfinished shower. He soon emerged wearing an oversized white T-shirt.

Xue Ling was starting to doubt whether he had washed himself properly.

She watched as he wrung out the clothes he had changed out of and hung them up to dry in the yard. He then wiped the dirt off his boots and finally pulled out a sharpening stone to sharpen his knife.

As the sound of sharpening filled the air, the bound stocky man nearby began to whimper.

Xue Ling shot him a glance, thinking, Why is this guy crying? He’s not sharpening the knife to cut you.

After a long while, Wen Jiuze finished sharpening the knife. He suddenly sighed and looked at Xue Ling.

“Don’t you want to eat?”

Xue Ling: “?”

After a moment of processing, she finally grasped what Wen Jiuze meant.

If she were still human, goosebumps would have erupted all over her body at that moment.

The bound stocky man next to her was what Wen Jiuze had prepared for her.

He had been waiting for her to eat.

No wonder he threw the man at her feet. She thought he was deliberately trying to scare him, thinking that evil people would be punished by zombies.

But the reality was…

Xue Ling stared wide-eyed as Wen Jiuze approached her, squatting down to ask, “Now that you’re a zombie, are you still picky about food?”

His expression was calm, with a hint of helpless amusement, paired with his words, making it chilling.

“Or is it hard to eat, and you want me to cut it for you?”

He had said something similar when they had gone to eat steak together.

Xue Ling’s face stiffened, unable to show any expression. She wanted to grab his damp, disheveled hair and roar, Are you the zombie, or am I the zombie?!

The wicked demon has ruined my cultivation. I’ve been a zombie for three years and haven’t eaten a single person. Now you come along and want me to break my vow!

Xue Ling grumbled to herself, flailing her arms to distance herself from both him and the stocky man.

Stay away! I don’t want this!

Seeing her wander aimlessly in the yard without any intention of eating, Wen Jiuze sighed and gave up. He stood up again, dragging the stocky man outside.

When he returned, he rinsed the blood off the knife, opened a pack of compressed food, took a few bites, and then offered it to Xue Ling.

“Do you want to eat this?”

Xue Ling ignored him and walked past, eventually turning to face the wall and lightly banging her forehead against it.

Help! Why is Wen Jiuze acting so crazy right now?

After finishing his meal—whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, who could tell—Wen Jiuze walked over and took her hand, gently patting the dust off her forehead.

“Let’s go, let’s go to another place.”

Where are you taking me?

Xue Ling was shoved into the passenger seat as Wen Jiuze secured her tightly with two seatbelts.

As the car started moving, Xue Ling spotted a bakery outside with shattered glass windows and suddenly recalled the first time she had met Wen Jiuze.

**

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