Chapter 17: The Strange Radio Sound

The broken radio brought over from the apartment crackled and hissed again. Xiao Guang carefully adjusted the dial, catching fragmented sounds inside.

“Please everyone continue to hold on. The United Nations has resumed normal operations. The next... step... production... rescue...”

What kind of lousy signal was this? Xiao Guang wanted to reach out and tap it, fearing he might miss some crucial information.

The voice on the broadcast was a man speaking English. Xiao Guang had no idea where the channel was coming from—whether from a signal tower or a satellite. He didn’t understand; this wasn’t his field.

“I studied film and television, planning to polish my skills at Seoul National University, then work at a film studio. I imagined living an easy life, hanging around sponsors and directors. Who would have thought the world would turn into this? Tell me, what use is my major now?”

Xiao Guang pulled Pei Zhuxuan into his arms, positioning her so she faced outward. Wrapping his hands around her from behind, he gently touched her belly. Pei Zhuxuan obediently bent down to sit in front of him. Xiao Guang looked down at her round, full moon-like belly and sighed, then skillfully gathered her long hair.

“I really don’t know what use a worthless person like me has to live. If Mom and Dad get infected with the virus, do you know how heartbroken I’ll be?”

“I feel like a bug trapped in a cage, eating all the food inside, then quietly dying in a corner. I just checked my phone—it still has signal, but I can’t reach anyone.”

“If I die someday, there’ll be no one to look after you. You’ll probably get dirty again. But by then, I won’t be able to see it. If that day really comes, can you dig a grave for me? I don’t want anyone ripping off my arms to play with. Alright, your hair’s tied up now. Do you remember the order I taught you to put on your clothes?”

Xiao Guang had dreamed last night of his parents trapped inside the house by zombies. Eventually, the zombies broke in; his father charged forward, and his mother jumped out the window.

When Xiao Guang woke, tears were on his face. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Pei Zhuxuan’s red eyes fixed on him, as if curious about his state.

His mood was terrible. Even holding Pei Zhuxuan and staring blankly at her for a long time didn’t help. Adding to this, the damn radio kept giving muddled information, and Xiao Guang felt despair once more.

“Like this with your hands—yes, put your sleeves on first. Don’t bite, don’t bite! Why are you so impatient? Put on one sleeve first, then the other. Yes, yes. No, wait... Ah, I’ll just help you put it on.”

Without Pei Zhuxuan, Xiao Guang might have spent the day in such despair. But because this little snow-white being constantly stared at him with her red eyes, he felt a sense of responsibility.

To care for Pei Zhuxuan, to wait for her to lose her mind, or to wait for that unreliable rescue to come, for the serum to be developed. If there’s a serum, would he still get to see his parents?

After dressing Pei Zhuxuan neatly and looking at her lovely face, Xiao Guang decided to feed her instant noodles this morning. Soft noodles would be easier to get into her.

Whether it was his rough technique or the powerful breath from Pei Zhuxuan, the noodles came out of her nostrils. Xiao Guang quickly stopped and carefully wiped her clean.

“Swallow, swallow. Didn’t I say you have to swallow? Puffing air out all the time won’t do. Look at you, glaring again. I’m doing this for your own good. You can’t be mad at me.”

Xiao Guang noticed something surprising: he could now sense Pei Zhuxuan’s emotions through her red eyes. When feeding her noodles, her gaze seemed to scold him but restrained itself from hurting her.

“You have feelings now? Look at me. Were you mad at me for feeding you noodles just now?”

“Ah~”

“But if I don’t feed you, you can’t eat on your own. How will your body recover?”

“Ah~~”

He was really exasperated by this bad temper—unable to do things herself yet getting angry at others.

Unbeknownst to Xiao Guang, thanks to Pei Zhuxuan’s presence, the despair brought by last night’s dream was slowly dissolving.

By noon, Xiao Guang even had the energy to drive around the estate for a while, taking a big loop, then standing frowning in the small garden in front of the villa.

“Do you think I should build a wall? Maybe dig a moat too?”

No response. Xiao Guang turned to look, and Pei Zhuxuan was standing at the villa’s door, dazed, tilting her head at the second-floor window. He had no idea what she was doing.

“Pei Zhuxuan, I’m talking to you.”

Hearing his voice, Pei Zhuxuan slowly turned her head. The movement was slow and somewhat eerie, but Xiao Guang simply walked over, took her hand, and led her to where he had just stood. Pointing ahead, he said,

“I mean building a wall just behind this flowerbed, right here. A little forward, to enclose our house and the energy base behind. What do you think?”

“Ah~”

What was that supposed to mean? Xiao Guang glanced at Pei Zhuxuan, who turned and walked back to the villa’s door, tilting her head again at the second-floor window, lost in thought. Watching her back, Xiao Guang bitterly smiled—her single “ah” seemed to say, “Don’t brag, you can’t do it.”

She was right. Xiao Guang couldn’t do it himself. Never mind where to get the wood for a fence, or the envisioned barbed wire. Digging a moat seemed easiest, but a shovel wouldn’t cut it—it required an excavator.

“I just thought of another way. What if I bring back a bunch of trucks? Could they block the zombies?”

“No, trucks are too wide. If zombies climb on top, it’d be trouble. What else could act as a wall to keep zombies out?”

“Can’t think of anything. Forget it. I’ll just move the supplies inside the house first. Pei Zhuxuan, hey! Don’t pull on the fence! It’s still a barrier, after all. Hey, hey—don’t crawl inside!”

He pulled Pei Zhuxuan out of the fence and saw the little tree she was clutching.

“Why are you pulling on that? It has no flowers. Come help me work.”

Another listless day. The frantic struggle to survive the apocalypse didn’t exist for Xiao Guang. After moving the truck’s supplies into the villa, he felt drained. Turning on the villa’s stereo, a melodious symphony played as Xiao Guang lay down on the living room sofa, resting with his eyes closed.

“Hiss~~~ ah~ hiss~~ ah ah ah~~~ hiss~~~”

The radio crackled again. Xiao Guang glanced up and couldn’t help sitting up. What was going on? The sounds from the radio resembled zombie noises. Could it be that the station broadcasting the news was also overrun by zombies?

Just as he leaned in to listen closely, Pei Zhuxuan suddenly circled around behind the sofa. She stared intently at the radio, seemingly listening carefully to the sounds.

This scene shocked Xiao Guang. He looked between the radio and Pei Zhuxuan, wondering what was happening. How could Pei Zhuxuan understand the strange noise from the radio?

After a while, the radio quieted. Pei Zhuxuan glanced at it, then turned to Xiao Guang. He could clearly detect a change in her red eyes—was she happy?

Feeling Pei Zhuxuan’s joy, Xiao Guang sensed something serious was brewing. A wild thought immediately sprang up in his mind.

Zombies awakening??!!