Chapter 5: The Strange Discovery

Page 1/3

Xiao Guang glanced at the faint teeth marks on the sleeve, then looked at Pei Zhuxuan’s slightly puffed little mouth caused by the teething ring. After thinking for a moment, he took another mask and put it on her.

“Don’t take it off, understand?”

“If you take it off, I’ll hit you—hard, with big bumps all over your head.”

“How did you learn to pinch people now?”

Xiao Guang looked at the marks on the back of his hand. Fortunately, he had washed them clean. He then got up and found a pair of gloves for her to wear. Good, her hands didn’t try to pull off the mask on her face, which made Xiao Guang feel much safer.

“Hiss~ hiss~~~ Announcement~~~ to all citizens~~~ safety level~~~”

The speaker on the coffee table suddenly emitted a sound. Xiao Guang hurried over to check the broadcast channel displayed, gently adjusted the frequency, and the voice inside became much clearer.

“The serum is still under trial. Citizens, please hold on. The United Nations will dispatch rescue forces, expected to arrive in South Korea by the end of next month... hiss... hold on...”

Xiao Guang’s English wasn’t good, but his Korean was decent, so he vaguely caught the gist of the message. He frowned. This wasn’t the first time hearing such news. If the broadcast were true, the rescue teams should have arrived long ago.

Xiao Guang didn’t want to hear such broadcasts. South Korea couldn’t save itself. He wished to hear broken Chinese-accented Korean, ideally not over the radio, but from the streets where people fought zombies with machine guns and broadcast messages through loudspeakers, urging survivors to come out.

In times of crisis, Xiao Guang only trusted the red that had created miracles. He sighed. If this message was accurate, that would be good. But if the rescue teams still hadn’t arrived by the end of next month, he might have to find another place.

The gas supply would eventually be cut off. Small shops and supermarkets nearby couldn’t have unlimited food and water. Once you understand the meaning of “apocalypse,” you must eventually find a safe rural place and learn to sustain yourself.

Did he really want to keep living like this? Xiao Guang fell into deep thought. His phone connected directly to a satellite and was mostly turned off every day. Whenever he turned it on, there were no missed calls. He didn’t even know what he was really holding on to.

His parents loved him so much. If there was even a slight chance, how could they not call him? He had been longing to return to his homeland and had even been self-learning to drive for that reason. Now looking back, it was all lies—he had fabricated a lie to deceive himself.

He didn’t even have the strength to cry. Xiao Guang could only indifferently listen to the broadcast end. The battery still had plenty of charge; hopefully, next time it would bring truly good news.

“I’m untying you. If you try to bite me again, I’ll be angry. I’m not in a good mood right now.”

Xiao Guang untied the rope binding Pei Zhuxuan. She didn’t struggle violently or leap onto him as he had feared. She remained seated, slowly turning her head to look at him. Her red eyes actually suited her quite well.

Page 2/3

Xiao Guang felt a bit hungry. He looked at the half-steamed bun in Pei Zhuxuan’s hand, hesitated, and then took it. How exactly did the virus spread? Could food handled by zombies still be eaten?

Suddenly, Pei Zhuxuan moved. She knocked the bun from Xiao Guang’s hand, then knelt beside him, lowering her head to bite his sleeve. She didn’t make any unpleasant growls, and Xiao Guang didn’t pull away.

This was strange. Xiao Guang looked at his forearm. Pei Zhuxuan only bit the sleeve this time; she didn’t grab his arm and try to shove it into her mouth like before. Maybe it was because of the mask?

Or maybe it was related to the teething ring in her mouth—or perhaps she simply liked it that way. Xiao Guang even fantasized that she couldn’t control the cravings in her mind but restrained herself from hurting him.

Just a fantasy. Xiao Guang stroked Pei Zhuxuan’s hair. Her red eyes lifted to meet his gaze. After a moment, Xiao Guang sighed.

“Bite if you want. I won’t hit you. Actually, I’m curious. What does it feel like to be in your state? Most zombies I’ve seen are weak, but some become incredibly strong, fearless of pain, rampaging through the streets.”

It was time to eat. This troubled Xiao Guang a lot. He had tried to limit himself to two meals a day, but hunger was hunger. For this meal, he decided to add a little extra. Earlier, when he went out, he had found some canned luncheon meat.

Still steamed buns. To be honest, the buns Xiao Guang made were poorly shaped and tasted a bit sour, but they were edible.

Seeing the gas was still working, Xiao Guang gently touched Pei Zhuxuan’s cheek beside him. “What are you looking at the gas for? Does this scene remind you of something?”

Pei Zhuxuan would follow him. If he tried to keep her away, she would bite. Seeing the mask start to move, Xiao Guang could only stroke her. This action calmed her down; he had no intention of testing this on another zombie.

“After all, you’re still flesh. You need to eat a little.”

“You need to eat the bun too. I don’t even know if your digestive system still works.”

“Stop struggling and swallow quickly.”

Xiao Guang was mean. He stuffed some food into Pei Zhuxuan’s mouth and stepped on her chest with his foot. She lowered her head, unable to bite, and with gloves on her hands, she wouldn’t scratch him.

Watching her sulk and protest, Xiao Guang slowly enjoyed his dinner. When Pei Zhuxuan behaved a bit, he tore off another piece of bun, thoughtfully added some luncheon meat, pinched her cheek, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Did this count as having dinner with someone? Xiao Guang thought it should. Especially since Pei Zhuxuan was so beautiful. This was something to be grateful for. Grateful that amid the apocalypse, he still had the chance to be close to a popular celebrity.

“I wonder where Han Hyo-joo and Son Ye-jin are. Have they become like you, or have they long turned into those zombies roaming the streets? Sigh... I really hope those scientists can find a solution. I can’t imagine what it’s like now.”

Page 3/3

Xiao Guang felt powerless about the apocalypse—or rather, he hated it. But that was human nature: only when you lose something do you realize how precious it was.

He thought back to the times he argued with brainless netizens on forums, calling their brains eaten by zombies. He didn’t even know what expression to make. Was this a wish fulfilled?

Pei Zhuxuan finished eating again. Xiao Guang saw her quietly put her foot down and looked at the remaining water in the bottle. He poured more water into her mouth.

This time, Pei Zhuxuan struggled fiercely, kicking her legs wildly. But Xiao Guang’s actions were unwavering. A person can’t survive without water. Without moisture, skin becomes terribly unsightly. He liked Pei Zhuxuan’s current state. He was doing a good deed.

Pei Zhuxuan choked on the water, even spitting out a lot. Xiao Guang tossed the bottle aside and looked at her. What was going on? Did zombies breathe like normal people?

Xiao Guang really had no experience with this, but he remembered an American TV show calling zombies the “living dead.” So what exactly were zombies?

He released Pei Zhuxuan and thought for a moment. Taking his baseball bat, he pushed open the door and went outside to the young woman with the broken leg. He observed her carefully. She was breathing—very faintly, but definitely breathing.

This wasn’t right. Wasn’t she supposed to be dead? Why was she still breathing? Seeing the woman recoil in fear, he glanced at the blackened broken leg and frowned, then returned to the room.

When he went out again, Xiao Guang had steamed buns in hand and threw some near the young woman. She showed no interest, keeping her eyes fixed on him the entire time.

Back in the room, sitting on the chair, Xiao Guang couldn’t help but ponder. If they still breathed, did that mean they were still human?

If an infected person still breathed and was thus still human, then pushing a family of four off the balcony—was that murder?

“Pei Zhuxuan, can you understand me? Well, maybe not. Huh~ you tidied your clothes yourself?”

The steamed bun crumbs on Pei Zhuxuan’s clothes had vanished, and the water stains from choking had clearly been wiped away. Hearing him speak, she lifted her head and stared at him with her red eyes. Xiao Guang still felt that she wanted to bite him.