Chapter 161

Even if Xie Zhou’s baby was a Little Zombie, the personality he had pampered into him was even more troublesome than that of a typical human child.

For instance, the handkerchief used to wipe his mouth had to be printed with a pattern he liked, or else he would ride Pingping and run away.

The man who had been weeping uncontrollably just a moment ago suddenly froze when his eyes caught the handkerchief Xie Zhou was holding. He lifted his head to stare fixedly at Xie Zhou, speaking in a very certain tone:

“You’re from the Red Star Base.”

That single sentence made Xie Zhou’s heart stop for a beat, and it sent a jolt of tension through the people listening on the other end of the radio.

Xie Zhou possessed extremely high psychological resilience. Even though he had been exposed to his face, he maintained a smile and asked nonchalantly:

“What makes you think that? Red Star Base is too far from here, and the benefits can’t compare to Dawn Base. Why would I ever go to a place like that?”

The man reached out to wipe his tears, a mocking smile touching the corners of his mouth. After taking a deep breath, he said:

“You don’t need to pretend. I can tell you’re different from the people in Dawn Base. Besides, there are no surveillance devices in this place, so you don’t have to worry about being discovered by others.”

With so many ability users in Dawn Base indulging in the pleasures of a decadent lifestyle every day, they occasionally needed a place to unwind, and this was it.

Every time ability users came here to rest, they would release their powers through destruction as a way to relieve stress.

Even if there had been surveillance equipment at the beginning, it would have been destroyed long ago under wave after wave of ability attacks. After they entered, he had used his own abilities to vent his frustration with an indiscriminate attack on the area.

Since he had already spoken so plainly, there was no point in Xie Zhou continuing the act. After a few seconds of silence, Xie Zhou asked:

“How did you tell? I didn’t think I’d left any openings.”

“If you observe the people inside Dawn Base more closely, you’ll know. Mentally, they’re numb, no different from the zombies outside. Also… a handkerchief with that kind of pattern proves you have a child with you. We all know how hard it is for a child to survive in the apocalypse. Only Red Star Base still has them.”

After saying this, the man’s emotions had completely stabilized. His days of drifting in a numb haze had been struck by a sudden blow, and realizing that Xie Zhou had another purpose actually made him feel much better.

“Is there something you want me to help you with?”

From the moment his identity was exposed until now, Xie Zhou had been shocked. He froze upon hearing this question, and only after a long pause did he ask:

“You’re willing to help me?”

“Of course.”

The man sat on the ground, his head still buried in the crook of his arm, his voice slightly hoarse.

Aside from his grandmother, his memories of his parents were very blurred. In his memory, many things he wanted were out of reach due to his family’s financial situation; he could only watch longingly while others had them.

Before, he had been convincing himself that those were his most unbearable past memories.

But now that he possessed everything he once sought but could not obtain, he found himself frantically missing that time when he had nothing.

During that stage of his life, he possessed a happiness that was a luxury to his current self.

Regarding the teachings of his parents and grandmother, he only vaguely remembered one thing: they hoped he would grow up to be someone useful to the country.

He suddenly thought of a certain summer when his grandmother held a cattail fan^[1] and gently fanned him, hoping that while her health was still good, he would bring home a woman he liked so she could help him raise his children.

To be upright and safe, to marry and have children, to live a stable and happy life.

His grandmother’s expectations were so simple, yet he seemed to have achieved none of them.

Rather than saying he wanted to help Xie Zhou, it was more accurate to say he wanted to save his own ruined self.

Waking up from a numb life and being powerless to change the status quo, lending a hand within his capabilities felt like a form of atonement.

When Fang Sinian recruited them, he promised all sorts of benefits. A life of wine, women, and luxury could cause a brief indulgence, but ability users recruited with such things were destined to have no real loyalty to him.

Simply because a sentence from Xie Zhou had triggered his memories of his grandmother, he would turn and betray Fang Sinian without a single shred of guilt.

“By the way, many people have come to seek revenge on Fang Sinian over the years. What is your reason?”

Xie Zhou did not have a high level of trust in the man before him, but things had already reached this point, so there wasn’t much difference between speaking and staying silent. He told the story of how, shortly after his wife gave birth, she was persuaded by Fang Sinian to willingly give up her life.

Fang Sinian had used his wife’s care for him to persuade her to leave, and in the end, he had driven a knife deep into Xie Zhou’s heart.

The other person nearby who had remained silent suddenly spoke up after hearing this.

“You mean Fang Sinian did that? He shouldn’t have had any reason to do such a thing, right?”

Every time this matter was mentioned, it was difficult for Xie Zhou to calm his emotions.

“Dawn Base didn’t exist back then. He was still an ordinary person, in the same squad as me. My wife was very strong; she would never have committed suicide for such a ridiculous reason.”

“Also… before the apocalypse, Fang Sinian was a psychiatrist, but his license was revoked due to ethical issues.”

A person who wouldn’t follow the law in a society ruled by law would only unleash his nature to the maximum in an apocalypse devoid of discipline and morality, as if he had arrived in heaven.

If only one or two people had encountered such a thing, it could be called a coincidence. But when so many people found that their loved ones had left “for their own good,” calling it a coincidence was a stretch.

Xie Zhou wasn’t sure if they had shared similar experiences, and he was prepared to retreat at any moment.

Although the matter of Dawn Base was important, his own safety was equally vital in Xie Zhou’s heart.

Aside from him, the father, there was likely no one else who could tolerate everything about that foul-tempered Little Zombie.

No matter what, even if it was for the sake of the baby, he would return alive.

“Everything that happened here today, we won’t let anyone else know. If there’s anything you need our help with, you can come find us. My name is Zheng Siwei.”

“Alright.”

For Xie Zhou, as long as they didn’t report him, he didn’t need to evacuate for the time being.

All the ability users in Dawn Base, even Fang Sinian’s trusted aides, had no sense of belonging to the base. They were the type of people who, even if Fang Sinian died right in front of them, would only seriously consider how much profit they could carve out for themselves from the situation.

That day, Fang Sinian returned somewhat late. He had been drinking and began to speak without restraint. Putting his arm around Xie Zhou’s neck, he said drunkenly:

“Xie Zhou, you see, I was right to do what I did back then. If it weren’t for me, how could you have survived until now in the apocalypse while dragging along two burdens?”

Xie Zhou had already reached his own conclusion about that matter long ago, but hearing these words come out of Fang Sinian’s mouth still filled him with inevitable rage.

Forcing himself to pull a smile, he put on an air of indifference and reached out to pat Fang Sinian’s back.

“Yes, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“As long as you’re strong enough, you can have as many women as you want. Children are fragile and hard to raise; how can they compare to the importance of living comfortably yourself, right?”

Fang Sinian made no effort to hide his views, even continuing his attempt to persuade Xie Zhou.

On the surface, Xie Zhou agreed to everything, but in reality, his eyes were filled with coldness.

The hand placed behind Fang Sinian’s back had already clenched into a tight fist. He lowered his gaze to hide his hatred, constantly comforting Fang Sinian’s emotions to ensure he didn’t reveal any flaws.

Some people feel that being alone is freedom, while others feel that having a wife and children is lively.

Everyone chooses the way of life that suits them best, and there is no need to force those with different views to live according to one’s own ideas.

Xie Zhou originally thought that as long as Zheng Siwei and the other ability user didn’t spread the news that he was from Red Star Base, it would already be the best possible outcome for him.

However, over the next two days, they used their actual actions to show that what they could do was far more than that.

Having been part of Dawn Base for so many years, Zheng Siwei and the other ability user’s identities were not suspected, and they possessed the greatest degree of freedom.

Although they didn’t have much affection for the other ability users, they more or less found each other familiar and could exchange a few words.

The hearts of the people in Dawn Base were becoming increasingly restless, and by the time Fang Sinian realized this, it was already somewhat too late.

He wanted to improve the treatment of the ability users, but due to the base’s current lack of supplies, he could only give up on the idea.

He wanted to use forceful means to suppress them, but those ability users who could carry out such a task were exactly the ones who needed to be suppressed.

People always obsess over things they cannot have or things they have lost forever.

Now that they had a comfortable life, they couldn’t help but miss the happy times when they were poor but loved.

With Zheng Siwei bringing up the things Fang Sinian had done in the past, some of the ability users who had been numbing themselves with a comfortable life for so many years suddenly realized something was wrong.

Their experiences seemed too consistent.

One of the ability users in Dawn Base at the time had an ability that was already in the upper-middle tier. He had grown up with his girlfriend as childhood sweethearts, and their relationship was deep.

But shortly after joining Dawn Base, his girlfriend began to despise him for not being ambitious or outstanding enough, and she directly abandoned him to leave Dawn Base to climb higher.

For this reason, he had spent all these years playing the field. Almost every man and woman responsible for pleasing them in Dawn Base had some connection to him.

When everyone around him mentioned this, he couldn’t help but suspect: back then, did his ordinary girlfriend really abandon him and leave Dawn Base because she wanted a better life?

In the crisis-ridden apocalypse, could an ordinary person really survive after leaving his side?

Would a girl who was willing to stay by his side and suffer with him when his monthly salary was only three thousand really leave him just because his ability level wasn’t high enough?

When Fang Sinian realized they were all starting to suspect him, he wished he could kill every single one of them. He stayed in his study, incredibly irritable.

Suddenly, the study door was pushed open from the outside. He picked up the cup next to him and smashed it hard toward the doorway, cursing:

“Damn it, didn’t I say not to bother me no matter what happens? Are you all deaf? Did you not hear me?”

Qi Yun had rarely seen Fang Sinian so manic and was startled into freezing in place.

Realizing the person who walked in was his girlfriend, Fang Sinian’s emotions retracted slightly.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. The pressure has been too much lately, and I didn’t notice it was you.”

Qi Yun shook her head, her face pale. Her temperament was very gentle, and even after being treated like that just now, she still answered considerately:

“It’s okay, I don’t mind at all.”

“That’s good.”

“I know you’re upset about this matter. Let me give you a massage.”

“Mm.”

Fang Sinian sat there and closed his eyes. In the apocalypse, there were few people he trusted, and his girlfriend of many years, Qi Yun, was one of them.

Only in front of people he trusted would he let down all his guard and show his fatigue.

He opened his mouth, preparing to tell his girlfriend about the things he had encountered recently, but before he could make a sound, a hairpin was driven fiercely into his neck. Blood sprayed out instantly.

Qi Yun picked up a knife used as decoration on the wall and, taking advantage of Fang Sinian’s inability to react due to the pain, forcefully hacked off his head.

The smell of blood was so thick it was nauseating, but the corners of Qi Yun’s mouth carried a very eerie smile, and tears even flowed from the corners of her eyes.

When the guards outside heard the commotion and rushed in, they were all stunned by the scene before them.

They had no intention of avenging Fang Sinian; they just couldn’t understand why Qi Yun, who had always had a good relationship with Fang Sinian, would do such a thing!

Xie Zhou rushed over when he heard the news. Qi Yun was still in Fang Sinian’s office and hadn’t left, murmuring to herself:

“Xiao Ya, sister has avenged you…”

The scene was a mess. Xie Zhou spoke into the intercom device, telling the people from their base to come over.

He had thought Dawn Base was unshakable, but he hadn’t expected that before they could even do anything, Fang Sinian would die at the hands of the girlfriend he had been in love with for many years.

When the people from Red Star Base arrived, a certain little zombie ran the fastest. He rushed at the front like a small cannonball, heading straight for his father. From about two meters away, he jumped up and hung onto his father’s body.

“Heh… woo…”

The zombie’s originally stiff rasping sound now seemed to carry a sense of grievance.

Xie Zhou could tell from the way the little one kept rubbing his head against his neck that the separation during this time had really upset the little fellow.

“Alright, alright. Daddy promises you that from now on, I will never be separated from you again.”

The reason he hadn’t brought the little one along back then was for the child’s safety.

Xie Zhou was just a lightning-type ability user, which was relatively rare in the apocalypse, and it just so happened that his ability level was quite high.

The heartless Fang Sinian might have ideas about experimenting on him, but he could guarantee he would walk out alive.

An An was different. His ability level was above level ten, he was a rare space-type, and even after turning into a zombie, he could still retain his memories, thinking ability, and even have emotions.

It was possible that as soon as they stepped into Dawn Base, An An would be dragged into a laboratory for dissection that very day, with those unscrupulous researchers marveling at the wonders of zombies.

An An reached out and tightly hugged his father’s neck. He was too emotional to answer, but Xie Zhou could feel the longing from the way he was almost being strangled.

“Be good, baby be good.”

He reached out and gently patted An An’s back, coaxing him gently and patiently.

The more the little zombie was coaxed, the sadder he became, just like a child who could endure everything while alone but completely broke down after a single question from his father.

On the other side, specialized people went to handle the follow-up matters.

Zhou Li’s long-held desire to take revenge personally was not fulfilled. When they entered Fang Sinian’s office, Fang Sinian was already as dead as could be.

When they entered the room, even those who were used to various bloody scenes in the apocalypse couldn’t help but turn away and vomit from the disgust.

Holding An An, Xie Zhou headed straight for the laboratory he had inquired about earlier. He had always kept in mind Gu Wen’s request to help find his younger siblings.

In the entire Dawn Base, apart from Fang Sinian’s private residence, this place was the most heavily guarded. Entering required layers of verification.

The news that Fang Sinian was dead had not yet reached this place. When the guards saw it was Xie Zhou, remembering what Fang Sinian had informed them earlier, they very enthusiastically welcomed him in.

Several doctors conducting experiments emerged from the laboratory wearing white coats to greet them, wearing very kind smiles on their faces.

They were unaware of the situation outside, assuming Fang Sinian had successfully persuaded Xie Zhou to come and serve as a test subject of his own free will.

Several people from the Red Star Base followed behind Xie Zhou as they entered, having already taken control of the guards stationed above.

It was only when they saw people dressed in military green jackets walking in that the group of researchers finally realized the gravity of the situation, their expressions changing instantly.

Unfortunately, even if they had awakened abilities, their strength could not compare to the ability users from Red Star Base who constantly executed missions in the field. They were quickly rounded up and forced to squat in a corner.

The team searched through the laboratories one by one, and most of the test subjects were released after it was confirmed they posed no danger.

Gu Wen’s younger brother and sister were among them, though both had been tortured to the point of being near death. Gu Wen’s sister, in particular, had lost all her hair, and her body was almost entirely covered in needle marks and scars.

It was only half a month later that Xie Zhou learned the truth of that matter from Zhou Li.

Given that they had been in a deep relationship for many years, the fact that she still chose to kill him without hesitation showed just how profound the underlying hatred was.

Years ago, Qi Yun had not joined Dawn Base alone; she had brought her younger sister with her.

She was beautiful, and in the post-apocalyptic world, she relied on her sister for survival. Furthermore, she possessed a Wood-type ability, which had low offensive power.

In a lawless wasteland where morality had vanished, many people had wanted to take her by force.

At that time, it was Fang Sinian who had rescued her from the hands of those who sought to prey on her.

Back then, Qi Yun had been sincerely grateful to Fang Sinian. Later, he was the one who accompanied her as she emerged from the pain of losing her sister.

Perhaps Fang Sinian did truly have some feelings for Qi Yun, as he had kept every single thing he did over the years hidden from her.

Qi Yun only vaguely knew that the ability users in the base were not particularly loyal to him, and she had even wondered if she should help him resolve the issue. At the time, Fang Sinian told her not to worry about it and to leave everything to him.

It wasn’t until the events within Dawn Base escalated to a point where Fang Sinian could no longer suppress them that the news finally reached Qi Yun’s ears.

Qi Yun had grown up in a family that favored boys over girls. To her, her sister was not just a sibling, but a reflection of her past self who had never been loved.

She wanted to redeem her former self by providing for her sister and giving her a happy childhood.

During the most difficult periods of struggling for survival in the apocalypse, even when Qi Yun was so hungry she lacked the strength to move, she would save half a piece of bread for her sister.

She had once wondered if someone had said cruel things to her sister, causing the girl to view herself as a burden to her older sister and choose to run away in secret.

But she had never imagined that the person spreading those words might be the man lying beside her.

Xie Zhou remained silent for a long time after hearing this. He took a deep breath and asked:

“And what about Qi Yun now?”

“Dr. Li suggested she undergo counseling with a psychologist. She’s still at Dawn Base. Aside from Fang Sinian, she is the person who understands the base’s operations best.”

“There were many illegal experiments at Dawn Base. According to Dr. Li’s estimations, if they had been given another six months, they would have created a monster stronger than any zombie.”

Those in Dawn Base who still possessed a conscience were temporarily sent for psychological counseling, while those who were truly birds of a feather with Fang Sinian were driven out.

Although Fang Sinian’s conduct was deplorable, it had to be admitted that the strength of Dawn Base was indeed formidable. Once integrated with Red Star Base, it would allow more people to survive.

“Fortunately, we arrived in time. Those who were on the verge of being transformed into monsters… they all committed suicide after gaining their freedom.”

Zhou Li had accompanied Dr. Li while clearing away the corpses. Not a single inch of skin on the “monsters” was intact. It was unknown how many types of drugs had been injected into them; even their blood had lost its original color.

In a state of total consciousness, they had felt every minute change in their bodies with agonizing clarity. They could foresee themselves turning into monsters, yet they were forced to watch helplessly in their impotence.

In that environment, they had long since been driven to mental breakdowns.

When they finally had a chance to choose, almost all the test subjects chose to end their lives without hesitation.

Gu Wen’s brother and sister had still retained their ability to think and their memories. They remembered they had an older brother who loved them dearly, and they had managed to endure the hardship by clinging to memories of him.

The tenacious life force of the siblings had amazed the researchers time and again, leading to increasingly excessive experiments being performed on them.

No one had forgotten anyone, and no one was at fault, but unfortunately, their reunion came a little too late.

When Gu Wen finally saw his siblings, who had been tortured beyond recognition and were nothing but skin and bones, there was no time for catching up. They grabbed Gu Wen’s sleeves and knelt before him, begging their brother to kill them with his own hands.

The Little Zombie, who had rarely seen the dark side of the world, subconsciously hugged his father’s arm upon hearing Zhou Li’s account. Xie Zhou gently patted his back to comfort him, whispering:

“It’s okay, it’s okay, baby.”

After soothing the child, Xie Zhou carefully weighed his words and asked about Gu Wen.

“So, how is Gu Wen doing now?”

“He’s also receiving psychological counseling. It will likely be very difficult for him to move past this.”

Xie Zhou hadn’t had the chance to look closely at the time; he had only felt his scalp go numb at everything in the laboratory. Furthermore, because An An was afraid, he had taken the baby outside as soon as it was confirmed that Gu Wen’s siblings were alive.

Even the best psychologist in the world would find it difficult to alleviate the pain of personally killing the loved ones one had yearned for day and night.

Though they were siblings, the age gap meant it was more akin to a father raising children.

After searching bitterly for so many years and sacrificing everything for them, they were reunited for only a few dozen minutes before he was asked to personally send them on their way.

If such a thing were to happen to his baby, Xie Zhou felt he would go insane just thinking about it.

The ability users in Dawn Base were accustomed to Fang Sinian’s way of doing things. They had expected Red Star Base to act as they once had when seizing other bases, simply killing everyone outright.

A few with extreme personalities similar to Fang Sinian’s were driven out to fend for themselves, while those who were not beyond redemption were all allowed to stay.

Fang Sinian had only cared about the lives of those within Dawn Base, but the leaders of Red Star Base thought of much more.

The current population situation was extremely dire. For an entire year, not a single newborn had been born in the vast Red Star Base, and most couples had no desire to have children.

Under these circumstances, other matters became secondary. It would take a very long time to rebuild their home.

In addition to the difficulties of survival, they had to face various natural disasters that could appear at any time. To return to the quality of life from before the apocalypse would take at least several hundred years.

Dr. Li and the other doctors in the laboratory turned their research toward improving the environment, as this was the most pressing issue before them.

They worked on fertilizers to thoroughly purify the soil, potions to help crops grow faster, and portable pills that could briefly suppress the spread of the zombie virus, buying enough time to return to the base for a healing-type ability user to resolve the infection.

To deal with the acid rain that fell periodically, they even developed new tiles that could provide shelter and isolation.

Once this material for tiles was developed, production became extremely convenient. It was estimated that within two years, they could completely cover all the farmland used for growing grain.

That way, even if delicate seedlings were unfortunate enough to encounter acid rain, they could still grow sturdily.

It took Gu Wen a full six months to emerge from the grief of losing his younger brother and sister one after another.

Healing-type ability users were very rare, and he was the most powerful among them in the entire base.

During the period when he had locked himself away, the other healing-type users had found the workload extremely taxing.

His siblings had already left this world, and Red Star Base had shown him genuine kindness. Gu Wen forced himself to pull his spirits together and began to move on with his life.

Everyone was busy with their own affairs. Even for a little zombie like An An, every day involved riding Pingping and taking Xiao Guai along to go to school.

Xie Zhou’s recent headache was that the two little ones in his house were not very serious about their studies. As a parent, he was frequently summoned to the school.

The vast majority of small bases on this land could not withstand one natural disaster after another. However, there were some with better luck that managed to survive. After hearing that Dawn Base was no more, they approached Red Star Base with an uncertain mindset to seek refuge.

Red Star Base opened its gates to these seekers.

They even publicly declared that as long as a being possessed rationality, whether they were a zombie, a mutant beast, or a mutant plant, they could live within the base.

All of humanity united as one, beginning to clear out the mindless zombies at a very slow but steady pace.

Dr. Li and the other members of the laboratory had tried many times. Once a person completely turned into a zombie without retaining any consciousness, there was no way to restore them, regardless of the method used.

In other words, zombies in that state were indeed nothing more than the walking dead.

The difficulty of restoring these zombies was no less than turning a bone back into a living person.

Once it was confirmed they could not be restored, the base began to deal with them. Digging out the crystal cores to keep as snacks for the little zombies raised in the base was a good alternative.

The little zombie who had to study every day was feeling a bit of a headache. Although the one teaching him was also a zombie, as fellow zombies, they were completely different!

The teacher looked very smart and knowledgeable at a glance. Even his “he-he” sounds carried an indescribable air of wisdom.

But An An was just an ordinary little zombie who only knew how to swallow crystal cores. When the teacher occasionally asked them to recite texts, An An would just hold the book and make random “he-he” noises.

He gambled that the teacher wouldn’t understand him. He lost that bet and his parent was called. After going home, he was punished by his father to stand facing the wall for a full hour!

The little zombie felt incredibly wronged, but since he had indeed made a mistake, he could only steal glances at his father with his small eyes to see if the anger had dissipated. He didn’t dare crawl over to ask his father for a hug.

Dr. Li led the other researchers in the laboratory to carry out one study after another, and the results were very encouraging.

The ability users who had joined Red Star Base from Dawn Base initially felt a natural aversion toward the laboratory.

Back when they were at Dawn Base, they had visited the labs there. Even with their own lack of conscience, seeing those experimental subjects who had been tortured beyond recognition had made their skin crawl.

As time passed and the things researched in the lab appeared before their eyes one by one, they finally let go of their prejudices completely.

There were no human experiments, and no drugs were ever injected into zombies or humans. Everything that came out of the laboratory benefited the country and the people.

Crops and vegetables could finally be grown from the soil again. The frequency of acid rain grew less and less, and wild flowers could occasionally be seen blooming on the roadside, looking full of vitality.

The children in the base were well protected. The lively and cheerful appearance of those little ones made many ability users feel a sense of peace in their hearts.

Compared to their time at Dawn Base, their treatment had dropped by more than just a little. They wore slightly coarse cloth and had to complete missions every day.

When farm work was busy, they even had to roll up their sleeves to dig the earth, working until they were drenched in sweat.

Yet, those ability users who had come out of Dawn Base were very satisfied with this kind of life.

Perhaps it was because they now had faith and something to look forward to. They were certain in their hearts that their future would get better with each passing day.

In Red Star Base, the sight of the little zombie riding on the mutant husky, with the little black snake hanging off the husky’s tail, was a scene most people looked forward to seeing.

With a person, a dog, and half a snake to raise at home, Xie Zhou was under a lot of pressure. Fortunately, the other half of that snake was raised by Zhou Li, which lightened his burden slightly.

Among so many people, Xie Zhou went on missions very frequently and had successfully worked his way up to becoming a team leader.

As life improved day by day, the base leaders began to consider renovating their living quarters.

It didn’t need to be as luxurious and exquisite as Dawn Base once was, but it should at least be decent so the survivors wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

When this plan was put on the agenda, the little zombie, who was lying there with a bitter face doing homework, heard his father talking to Uncle Zhou. He raised his head to stare in that direction and let out a “he-he” sound.

He originally wanted to join in the chatter, but he couldn’t withstand the sharp glare Xie Zhou shot his way, followed by a cold question:

“Is your homework finished?”

An An made a “he-he” sound in his throat. The whole zombie looked indignant, very indignant.

He stood up and tugged at his father’s hem, pulling him to the window. He pointed toward the area outside the base and gestured to his father.

The wild zombies outside only needed to hop around every day and dig out their companions’ brains to eat. They lived exceptionally leisurely lives.

A domestic zombie not only had to dress neatly, tie his shoelaces, and wash his hands, but also had to listen carefully in class and complete homework. If he didn’t do well, he had to stand against the wall as punishment.

He was a level fifteen zombie, after all. Couldn’t he be given some face? The noble Lord Level Fifteen Zombie requested to play with toys for a while before doing homework!

After Xie Zhou realized his meaning, he leaned over and rubbed the small head, explaining with a smile on his face:

“But baby, the zombies outside are all going to be killed sooner or later.”

“He-he…”

An An drooped his head and thought about it seriously, his voice clearly starting to weaken.

Fine, compared to that, his little life was actually okay.

The next morning, Xie Zhou took on a new mission. The reward for completing this task was very rich, but it would take some time, and he couldn’t guarantee he would return the same day.

He discussed it with his little zombie. Only after An An nodded in permission did he head out. For these two days, after school, the baby would take Pingping to stay at Uncle Zhou’s house.

Although Zhou Li appeared a bit cynical and unreliable, Xie Zhou felt at ease with him regarding these matters. The meticulous way he had looked after Xiao Guai before was something even Xie Zhou felt he couldn’t match.

When he returned to the base to hand in his mission, Zheng Siwei came running over out of breath. He grabbed Xie Zhou’s wrist and pulled him toward the laboratory, saying in an urgent voice:

“I heard An An was taken to the lab. They said they’re going to inject him with something. Hurry and go take a look!”