Chapter 11: A New Homeland

Page 1/3

Xiao Guang glanced at Pei Zhuhyun, then at the shriveled dog’s head. After a brief silence, he said, “You did well. Thanks for your help.” Wiping the blood off his helmet, he put it back on and looked at Pei Zhuhyun again. “Go back inside the truck. Who told you to get down? If you don’t listen, I’ll tie you up there.” Those red eyes stared at Xiao Guang for a moment, then she really turned and climbed back into the truck. Xiao Guang exhaled inside his helmet—good, very satisfying to his vain and competitive spirit. However, Pei Zhuhyun’s strength made him uneasy. Never mind, he decided not to think about it now and continued cleaning the manor.

Perhaps it was the zombie dog from earlier that awakened Xiao Guang’s sense of danger, or maybe Pei Zhuhyun’s actions spurred him on. Swinging the baseball bat with vigor, he felt oddly that his own strength wasn’t as powerful as Pei Zhuhyun’s two strikes just now. The iron chain she wielded moved so fast that the dog’s head caved in almost instantly with just a slight movement of her arm. Xiao Guang tried to imitate it in his mind but felt deeply saddened—he simply couldn’t do it.

His original owner’s identity seemed to have been thrown into the dust. Through the glass of the villa, he looked at the obedient Pei Zhuhyun inside the truck. Initially, he thought he had found a birthday gift; now, who exactly was the gift was uncertain.

“We’ll stay here tonight. Any objections? I’ve already tidied up.” Xiao Guang felt confident, propping the baseball bat on the ground and speaking with his chin raised. Through the window, it was unclear if Pei Zhuhyun heard him, but they locked eyes for several seconds before Xiao Guang opened the door and reached in to lift her out.

She didn’t resist, which pleased Xiao Guang. After some thought, he simply carried her all the way into the villa’s living room and placed her on the sofa.

“We should get another truck to haul all those dead bodies out, but let’s leave that for now. This truck will be used to carry supplies. We’ll make do tonight and officially start building our safe base tomorrow.”

Exhausted and with aching arms, Xiao Guang threw the bat and helmet near the door and took off his gloves, tossing them aside. He had come to a realization—if Pei Zhuhyun really wanted to bite him, he wouldn’t be able to resist. What was the use of carrying all this stuff?

Sitting on the floor catching his breath, he glanced at Pei Zhuhyun sitting quietly on the sofa, clean and calm. Xiao Guang couldn’t help but smile wryly. He needed to regain strength and at least freshen up.

Moving all the items from the truck into the villa was exhausting. Xiao Guang barely finished, panting heavily, tongue out. Looking at the row of water buckets neatly lined up, he licked his lips.

“Hey, Pei Zhuhyun, can’t you give me a hand?”

No response. Xiao Guang lay on the floor and turned his head to see Pei Zhuhyun playing with a small ball on the sofa, taking it out of her mouth and putting it back repeatedly, biting it a bit before placing it in her palm.

He tore off his clothes, not caring anymore. Sweating all over, what was the point of modesty? If he saw Pei Zhuhyun as a pet, she probably saw him the same way.

Page 2/3

Grabbing a bucket of water, he took a couple of gulps. There was a swimming pool in the backyard with a built-in filtration and disinfection system—fancy stuff. Under the circumstances, Xiao Guang didn’t care so much anymore. With this heat, staying alive was important, but living well was even more so.

Walking barefoot through the villa’s living room, Xiao Guang felt Pei Zhuhyun glanced back at him. It didn’t matter. Not only had he seen her bare, he had even washed her thoroughly. Now that she could see him, there was no problem—he wasn’t so stingy.

He dove into the pool. The sensation of being surrounded by water refreshed him deeply. Since the virus outbreak, it had been over three months without this feeling. After splashing around a few times, he leaned against the edge and gazed up at the sky.

The weather was nice today. Since the outbreak, Seoul’s air quality had noticeably improved. The sky was blue, and clouds drifted lazily. Being rich felt good.

“Splash.”

There was quite a splash. Xiao Guang looked at Pei Zhuhyun, who had jumped in. What’s this? Zombies like swimming pools too?

“Glurglur~~!”

Something was off. The splashing grew louder. Xiao Guang watched as Pei Zhuhyun sank underwater. He quickly moved over and supported her waist. With her hair disheveled, she seemed to have swallowed a good bit of water.

Pei Zhuhyun’s wildly flailing arms slapped him twice, but he held her head above water.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”

Pei Zhuhyun stopped thrashing and looked at Xiao Guang. Those red eyes made him uneasy. Where was that gum? How did it fall out? Looking at her small white teeth, Xiao Guang tried to appear unafraid.

“Don’t move. I’ll help you to the shallow end. As long as you can stand, you won’t drown.”

Speaking cautiously, he also stayed alert for any attempt she might make to bite him. He brought her to the pool’s edge. Pei Zhuhyun showed no intention of climbing out. So, she wanted to soak a little longer?

“Normally, after turning into a zombie, your bodies feel cold. So I guess you want to soak because you’re used to being clean, right?”

Pei Zhuhyun spat the little ball out again. It floated on the water’s surface, and she quickly grabbed it.

Xiao Guang looked at her clothes and hesitated.

“You must be uncomfortable soaking like this, right? Let me help you take them off.”

That seemed reasonable to him. He gently began removing her outer clothes. Pei Zhuhyun didn’t react, still fixated on the ball. After taking off the outer layer, Xiao Guang saw the wet underwear beneath and thought, might as well take that off too.

Page 3/3

His fingers slowly reached the button on her jeans. Xiao Guang glanced at Pei Zhuhyun, unsure why he felt afraid. She was a zombie—why worry about such things? Being timid like this was a misguided thought. She wasn’t human; what was there to be ashamed of?

“I mean, I’ll help you take off your pants now, okay? It’s been a few days since I last gave you a bath anyway.”

The ball bobbed on the water’s surface. Pei Zhuhyun’s small hand slapped it away, sending it flying far. She stretched to reach it, and Xiao Guang quickly drew back his hand to retrieve it for her.

“Alright, I’ll help you take them off. I’ll find you more comfortable clothes soon.”

Holding his breath, Xiao Guang entered the water, gently unbuttoned her jeans, and lifted her leg. He looked at the lace panties—carefully chosen for her. Better to keep those for now.

Xiao Guang and Pei Zhuhyun soaked by the pool for half an hour. Looking at her expression, different from a few days ago, Xiao Guang felt he had discovered something new. Pei Zhuhyun seemed somewhat happy at this moment.

“I’m going to get some toiletries. Stay here and don’t move, okay? Otherwise, you’ll sink.”

Xiao Guang picked up the ball and put it back in Pei Zhuhyun’s mouth. When she locked eyes with him, he earnestly gave her the warning and quickly dashed into the villa’s bathroom, grabbing shampoo and body wash—both were important now.

He lifted Pei Zhuhyun out of the water. She seemed a little reluctant, but skin shouldn’t stay soaked too long. Sitting her by the poolside, Xiao Guang thoughtfully placed a towel under her.

“This will be our home now. Although we haven’t left Seoul and it’s not the countryside, this place is actually very secluded. The tycoons used to enjoy this area. They claimed it was a nature reserve, but built villas here. Now, look down and close your eyes.”

After speaking, Xiao Guang sighed. Here he was again—faced with Pei Zhuhyun’s red eyes. What was there to fear about shampoo?

He pressed her head down gently with both hands, squeezed some shampoo, and began massaging her long hair. Somehow, Xiao Guang felt quite adept at this. Could it be he had the potential to become a “Tony the Teacher”?

But after only a few strokes, Xiao Guang stopped—not because he didn’t want to continue, but because a sudden, immense danger struck him. The danger came so fast that he dared not move.

Sitting cross-legged to wash Pei Zhuhyun’s hair, he might have pushed her head down too far, causing her gaze to naturally drop.

His most vulnerable spot was now within her reach. Considering Pei Zhuhyun’s hidden strength, Xiao Guang had a strange illusion that she could, as easily as picking a mushroom in the mountains, help him experience another kind of life.