Ji Ruxue slept soundly, a sweetness enveloping her, marking the first time since her rebirth that she felt truly at ease amidst the daily terror.
Her tense spirit finally found release after drinking three bowls of milk powder.
Ji Ruxue didn't know why, considering there was a bloodthirsty zombie right beside her, yet she slept peacefully.
She couldn't even tell how long this nap had lasted.
Ji Ruxue slowly opened her sleep-dazed eyes, feeling like she was floating in mid-air.
It turned out that the zombie had picked her up.
The successive actions of this zombie left Ji Ruxue increasingly baffled, but she was more concerned about where this zombie intended to carry her.
Lu Chuan held the infant in his arms and left the room.
This little baby, just a few months old, would surely perish if left alone in the apocalyptic world, so Lu Chuan decided to take her with him.
Lu Chuan had fainted at the onset of the zombie outbreak near an old residential area, which had seven floors and no elevator.
Lu Chuan continued to climb the stairs, holding Ji Ruxue, and upon reaching the third floor, he decided it still wasn't safe enough, choosing to move to the seventh floor.
The night before, Lu Chuan had already cleared out the remaining zombies from the stairway.
Perhaps due to being an old neighborhood, there were not too many zombies lingering inside.
Additionally, most of these zombies had undergone mutations through gnawing, leaving most of them missing parts.
Zombies typically don't attack each other unless competing over food.
Currently, Lu Chuan as a zombie possessing human thoughts moved among them seamlessly.
Others could only flee in panic upon seeing zombies, but Lu Chuan could swagger through them.
Zombies, having died once, lack the concept of pain.
And unless their head is destroyed, it's difficult to kill nearly immortal beings.
Lu Chuan had seen zombies with broken bones still squirming on the ground, constantly banging on doors, attempting to devour the humans inside.
The human body actually holds enormous potential; however, humans typically inhibit their power out of self-preservation.
For example, humans have great strength but won't exert it fully, as even if they hurt the opponent, their arm may break.
But bloodthirsty zombies lack this restraint, making them stronger than humans.
Yet, the major difference between humans and other animals is that humans employ tools.
Though Lu Chuan is a zombie, he refuses to use his mouth to tear apart foul, rotten corpses...
With a metal crowbar scavenged from a store, Lu Chuan transformed into a stealthy backstabber.
Holding the crowbar, Lu Chuan took out the zombies one by one with headshots, easily eliminating them all.
If he didn't first deal with these zombies, he wouldn't dare to parade around with the little one.
Though zombies were transformed from the dead, akin to moving corpses...
These zombies, however, are exceptionally sensitive to the scent of the living.
With the zombie outbreak having occurred a month ago, survivors have either hidden away or have been eaten by zombies.
These ravenous zombies haven't tasted fresh humans for a long time.
If they were to catch the little one's scent, there would be no path but death.
Upon reaching the seventh floor, Lu Chuan placed Ji Ruxue in the bedroom he had already cleaned up.
Being the top floor, it largely blocked the transmission of scents and sounds, offering a safe place for now.
Previously, Lu Chuan grew accustomed to the post-apocalyptic decay, residing in the store where he had fainted.
After waking, he would gnaw on raw meat, idly sitting by the window watching zombies search for survivors.
Now, seeing the little one, Lu Chuan felt new life infusing shades into his own.
In front of this baby, Lu Chuan didn't want to maintain his zombie side, instinctively trying to reclaim his humanity.
Lu Chuan planned on turning this room into their future home, aiming to restore a human lifestyle.
The dust-covered room had been cleaned beforehand by him.
After a month of desolation, Lu Chuan wiped his body with bottled water, changing into relatively clean clothes.
Besides somewhat grimacing scars and wounds unlikely to heal, he almost looked like a normal human overall.
Most notably, he found in the room's bedroom an assortment of baby clothes, diapers, bottles, toys, and books.
Most likely, the previous residents had children, and when the zombie outbreak occurred, they fled frantically.
Lu Chuan stood in front of the window, gazing at the devastation outside, stretching leisurely.
Perhaps due to the baby, Lu Chuan felt a surge of motivation and hope, despite the ruined world.
Most importantly, his movements seemed frequent over the past couple of days.
Initially upon becoming a zombie, Lu Chuan's limbs were very stiff, as zombies come from deceased humans.
But now, as time passed, Lu Chuan felt his movements becoming more coordinated.
While still not as free-moving as before, he could accomplish some simple human actions now.
"Do all zombies transition like me over time, or is it due to my increased activity?"
Feeling the changes within him, Lu Chuan was puzzled.
Yet Lu Chuan didn't dwell on it; his thoughts remained on the little baby.
Picking up the diapers found in the wardrobe, Lu Chuan prepared to change Ji Ruxue.
"Absorbent and dry, diapers are truly one of humanity's great inventions!"
Lu Chuan, holding the diaper, smiled and proceeded to change Ji Ruxue.
Though complex actions eluded him, simple acts were still achievable.
Ji Ruxue felt a tingling sensation across her scalp; being fed like a baby was odd enough, but changing diapers?!
Feeding might be a biological instinct, yet these baby diapers are a human invention, not executed purely by instinct alone.
An overwhelming thought invaded Ji Ruxue's mind.
"Could it be that this zombie retained human consciousness?!"