Before today,
Xu Chi dared to say that he had never once regretted any of his decisions.
But right now!
He regretted it so much, regretted it to the point of living half-dead, half-alive…
And this time, living half-dead was meant literally.
The stick-thin little zombie, standing only one meter sixty tall—Pho Noan Yi—obediently carried the one-meter-eighty-six Xu Chi on her back.
But she was a zombie; her limbs weren't agile at all.
Her idea of "carrying someone" was: grab Xu Chi's hands, then use her monstrous strength to fling him over her back.
She didn't know how to lift his legs, nor did she know she should wrap her arms around to support him.
It looked more like she had thrown on a cloak at random.
Xu Chi's entire body went numb.
Numb from pain.
Because right now, he was like a long strip of silk, being dragged along the ground.
His broken right leg felt as if it might abandon him at any moment.
Pho Noan Yi had no idea, and her inner voice went like this:
[Where's the food?
Why am I not allowed to eat my food?
Eh?
Why isn't he saying anything anymore?]
Xu Chi's body was covered in blood, his forehead drenched in sweat.
He hated her so much his teeth ground together.
Truth be told, while his body was being dragged across the ground, his soul had already flown off somewhere else.
His right leg was twisted grotesquely as it scraped across the pavement.
His left leg was still intact, but he wasn't sure how much longer it would stay that way.
Both his hands were clutched in hers—his recently healed hand already aching again.
Not to mention the other hand that hadn't yet healed.
He was truly starving, truly in pain.
Unable to say a word…
Fortunately, Pho Noan Yi was a kindhearted, enthusiastic, and eager-to-learn zombie.
She caught the scent of something incredibly fragrant.
It came from right behind her, and her stomach immediately growled with hunger.
Since Xu Chi wasn't answering, she decided to ask him seriously, and at the same time turned around to look.
Absolutely not because she was greedy.
Really, not at all.
When he still didn't reply, she carefully put him down and let go.
Then she awkwardly turned around.
Xu Chi lay limply on the road, covered in blood.
Sweet and fragrant beyond compare.
The stretch of road from the restaurant to here had been painted red by his leg, like a ribbon of blood.
Plenty of zombies were crowding together, bending low to the ground, frantically licking it clean.
The sight made Pho Noan Yi unhappy.
That was her food!
At this moment Xu Chi was half-conscious, half-dazed.
His whole body was drenched in blood, sweat streaming down his face from the pain.
The injury on his right leg had worsened, and the smell of blood was overwhelming.
Pho Noan Yi opened her mouth; her starving heart stirred once more.
[Looks so delicious.]
Xu Chi finally gave in. Before passing out, he gritted his teeth and forced out two words:
"Carry me…"
Pho Noan Yi didn't hear him at all.
She froze in place, bent down stiffly, ready to eat.
But once again, the mental spell "Do not eat humans" interrupted her.
Unhappy.
Very unhappy!
Yet somehow, she felt she shouldn't go against it.
Pho Noan Yi glanced at the ribbon of red, at the sweet, fragrant food wasted because she had been carrying him.
And soon, those ugly creatures would lick it all clean.
So she grabbed him again, slung him over her shoulder, and carried him off.
Staggering, she wobbled forward into the unknown.
This time, Xu Chi was jolted awake by the stench.
At the start of the apocalypse, a thick fog had caused a raging epidemic. Ninety percent of the population developed fevers.
Very quickly afterward, among those who had fevers, some died and turned into zombies, while others awakened strange supernatural powers.
Back then, the air was thick with the stench of blood, as if a bloody mist had seeped into the atmosphere.
Everywhere reeked of rot.
The stench of blood, of death, of decomposing bodies—all so pungent it stabbed into the nose.
Later, heavy rains came, washing away the zombies.
One could say that from the very start of the apocalypse until now, Xu Chi had never once smelled anything this foul.
The stench of rotting fish and shrimp, of moldy food, and even the fermented stench of human waste—all mixed together.
Even before opening his eyes, he felt he couldn't possibly open them.
That stench carried a lethal force, burning his eyes.
Xu Chi held his breath, nearly knocking himself out.
But injured as he was, starving as he was, the hunger gnawed at him worse than the pain.
If he didn't eat soon, he wouldn't die from blood loss—he'd starve to death first.
Weakly, he cracked open his eyes.
He saw the little zombie with the cat-ear helmet—Pho Noan Yi—tilting her head left, then right.
As if studying him.
And all around him were piles of rotten vegetables, spoiled meat, and an entire basket of dead fish and shrimp.
Stacked high, right beside him.
It was as if someone had tossed him into a garbage heap.
Xu Chi gagged dryly, squeezing his eyes shut.
Might as well just die now…
Pho Noan Yi had no idea what humans ate.
But she was a kind little zombie.
Once she learned the principle of "give and take," she decided she had to find food for him.
Her reasoning: where there were lots of zombies, there would be food.
She wandered around.
Judging from the number of zombies, she had walked straight into a small farmers' market.
There were far more zombies in the city center than in the outskirts—nearly a hundredfold.
The dense population meant that anyone without transport, or anyone who failed to react in time, had died.
Which made supplies here abundant.
But no one dared come scavenge.
The fresh meat in the farmers' market had already drawn the zombies.
But there wasn't enough to satisfy them.
After wrecking most of the place, and finding nothing else enticing, they simply loitered around.
At first glance, it looked like the market was still bustling, as if before the apocalypse.
The moment Pho Noan Yi approached, however, the zombies scattered.
Either running outside or hiding in the little shops nearby.
Not a single one dared come close to her.
Her service attitude was impeccable.
She placed Xu Chi at the spot that seemed to have the most food.
Which was, in fact, a literal garbage pile in the farmers' market.
Xu Chi felt worse than dead, trapped in boiling hell.
Beneath him was a swampy mess of crushed vegetable leaves, and around him were zombies desperate to eat but too afraid to come closer.
No place to hide.
Pho Noan Yi noticed that he had opened his eyes just a moment ago.
She hurriedly straightened, stepped closer, and rasped in her hoarse voice:
"More!"
If she couldn't gnaw on him, then at least he should eat something else.
She was hungry again.
Pitifully hungry.
Xu Chi fought down the rising nausea in his throat.
He tried to stand.
But his right leg sank into the pile of rotting fish and shrimp.
And he went numb once more.
That leg, if not treated soon, would truly be ruined.
Starving, furious, trembling, Xu Chi reached out a hand toward Pho Noan Yi.
"Little zombie, help me up."
Pho Noan Yi wanted to pout, to show her frustration and grievance.
But her stiff face was even more stubborn than she was.
She took a step forward, her bluish-purple finger pointing at the trash heap around them, and rasped:
"Eat food!"
The implication: You eat first, then let me eat afterward.
Xu Chi swore that if he were healthy and able to move right now—
His dinner would definitely be this zombie girl's core!
Xu Chi was so furious he inhaled sharply.
Nearly suffocated.
Coughed harshly, his chest and organs aching.
"I'm not eating that!" he snarled through gritted teeth, forcing down his emotions.
"Over there."
He pointed toward the dried seafood shop.
There was a zombie standing by the shutter door, cowering timidly.
It was eyeing Xu Chi hungrily.
The sweetest-smelling food in the entire market.
Pho Noan Yi was a stubborn zombie, but a very good-natured one.
She stepped forward and grabbed Xu Chi's hand.
Once she had him, she gave a mighty yank.
Xu Chi soared through the air like a long strip of silk, utterly dizzy.
For a moment, all his anger vanished.
Fine then, just drop me and let me die!
Luckily, Pho Noan Yi—though small—was monstrously strong.
She swung him in a great arc through the air.
And set him down, intact, outside the trash heap.
Then she hoisted him onto her shoulder again.
Xu Chi turned his head aside, drew in a deep breath.
Still reeking, but at least breathable.
Pho Noan Yi carried him toward the dried seafood shop.
The zombie cowering by the door shrieked excitedly:
"So hungry."
Even though it was just two words, Xu Chi clearly caught the hidden meaning—
As if it were saying: Thanks, boss, for home delivery.