Chapter 184: Raising a Little Zombie 2

After speaking, Xie Yun still couldn’t quite believe it. He tightened his grip on his dad’s wrist and checked again, carefully feeling for any sign. When he was done, he lifted his head with a serious expression.

Ever since their first meeting, Xie Hui had found it hard to follow this kid’s train of thought.

So he waited patiently, letting the boy speak for himself.

“Daddy, I really don’t have a heartbeat anymore…”

During the mutation, people either evolved into Ability Users or became Zombies. Those who didn’t change were the first to be abandoned by the world.

Once someone turned into a Zombie, they lost their heartbeat and became the walking dead.

Xie Hui hadn’t even had the chance to explain this to Yunyun yet, but the kid had already figured it out on his own.

“That’s right. Because you’re not human anymore. You’ve become a Zombie, just like those monsters outside.”

The moment Xie Hui said that, Xie Yun shook his head without hesitation and firmly denied it.

“No way, absolutely not. I wash my hair every day. My head doesn’t stink!”

He still remembered vividly the stench from that Zombie they encountered at home. After Xie Hui cracked open its skull with a tool, the smell had been unforgettable.

“Only Zombies don’t have heartbeats.”

No matter how patiently Xie Hui tried to explain, the kid was convinced he was being tricked.

While Xie Hui was still thinking about how to get him to accept reality, Xie Yun had already taken off his shoes and jacket, climbed into the hotel bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and started muttering under it.

“No way. There’s no way I’m a monster. I must be dreaming. When I wake up, everything will be back to normal.”

…

The next morning, as soon as Xie Hui opened his eyes, the little guy threw himself into his arms and started bawling.

“Daddy, I really don’t have a heartbeat. I died so young…”

“Who said you died?”

Still half-asleep and already having to comfort the little one, Xie Hui felt a bit helpless. He reached out and gently patted the boy’s back.

“But everyone says if you don’t have a heartbeat, it means you’re dead.”

“Yunyun, the world isn’t what it used to be anymore.”

Xie Hui continued to gently pat his back, waiting for the boy’s sobs to gradually quiet down.

Sure enough, he really was a little Zombie. Even after crying that hard and for so long, his eyes weren’t swollen at all. His blue eyes, washed clean with tears, looked even clearer and purer.

“Daddy, what should we do now? Was it because you found out I turned into a monster that you locked me outside before?”

“Mhm. Yes. Daddy was scared too.”

Xie Hui admitted it without hesitation. That had also been the original thought of the Client. After seeing Zombies outside eating people, and then noticing the changes in his son, he had instinctively separated them into different rooms.

Once separated, even if either of them turned into a Zombie, they wouldn’t be able to hurt each other.

“Then why aren’t you scared anymore? Daddy, I don’t want to turn into an ugly monster…”

Yunyun leaned into Xie Hui’s arms, and with every word he spoke, more tears welled up in his eyes. He looked so wronged and miserable.

“My Yunyun hasn’t become ugly at all. Remember that monster we saw at home yesterday? Yunyun was amazing. They were all scared of you. If it hadn’t been for you, Daddy wouldn’t have been able to deal with that monster.”

Xie Hui remained patient and gently comforted Yunyun’s emotions.

No one could easily accept the fact that they had suddenly become a heartless monster. He completely understood the little guy’s confusion and fear.

It wasn’t until Xie Hui started packing up to go out and look for food that Xie Yun finally pulled himself together.

“Daddy, since I’ve become a monster too, do you still want a monster for a son?”

That question made Xie Hui pause. He turned to meet Yunyun’s nervous gaze, and under the boy’s anxious stare, he gave a firm nod.

“No matter what you become, you’re still my child. That will never change. So of course I still want you.”

Out on the streets, Xie Hui took a backpack from a destroyed storefront. The owner wasn’t around, and there was no way to pay, so he simply took it and left.

He even stumbled upon a club filled with realistic-looking weapons. Xie Hui picked out a relatively light broadsword.

With a proper weapon in hand, it became much easier to take down Zombies.

Xie Yun also carried a backpack of his own, filled with Crystal Cores.

The Client hadn’t prepared any food for the boy. After turning into a Zombie, Yunyun could no longer consume human food.

In the apocalypse, food was far too precious. Over time, to avoid waste, they simply stopped giving him any.

Based on Xie Hui’s past experiences in apocalyptic worlds, high-level Zombies typically evolved by consuming the Crystal Cores found in other Zombies’ brains.

So, after a long day of scavenging, when they finally found a place to rest, Xie Hui handed a cleaned Crystal Core to Xie Yun.

“Daddy, what are you doing?”

“I heard that Zombies level up by eating Crystal Cores. Want to give it a try?”

Xie Yun took the Crystal Core and, hearing his father’s words, hesitated. He clutched the Core tightly in his palm and said in a low voice:

“Daddy, aren’t you afraid you’ll end up raising a super powerful Zombie?”

“You mean raising a super powerful Zombie to protect me? That’d be great. But if that super powerful Zombie gets too strong, he can’t let Daddy hold his hand when we walk anymore.”

Xie Hui twisted open a bottle of mineral water and drank half of it in one go.

He had already stored plenty of supplies in his Portable Space, enough to survive for a whole year without issue.

The reason he dared to give the Crystal Core to Xie Yun was because he knew that once a Zombie gained rationality, they no longer craved flesh and blood like mindless beasts.

With their minds intact, they would only continue evolving and upgrading.

This kid had grown up under the red flag, with a strong moral compass. At first, when he was still in shock, all he could think about was turning himself in to the police.

With a child like this, no matter how powerful he became, Xie Hui didn’t believe he would ever harm others.

“Daddy, have you seen other Zombies before? Are they as cute as me?”

“Why are you asking about other little Zombies? Are you tired of the one at home already? Boohoo, Daddy, you have to believe me, the ones outside aren’t good Zombies.”

According to the Client’s memories, this little guy hadn’t been such a chatterbox before. But ever since he started spending time with Xie Hui, the moment they had any downtime, his mouth just wouldn’t stop.

“I haven’t seen any other Zombies. And none of them could ever be as cute as my son.”

“If you haven’t seen the others, how do you know they’re not cuter than me?”

Xie Yun sat there, arms crossed in frustration, glaring at his dad with a look that said he wasn’t backing down anytime soon.

“Because in my heart, my son is the cutest of them all.”

At those words, Xie Yun had no room left to dodge the issue.

Xie Hui could see how he was stalling and took the initiative to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“Dad, are we supposed to eat this directly? Don’t we need to cook it first? Can you even eat it raw? What if a Zombie gets a stomachache from it? And if a Zombie does get sick, is there Zombie medicine for that?”

Xie Yun stared at the crystal core in his hand, still hesitant to take a bite.

His mind was filled with thoughts of how such a beautiful thing had been dug out from who knows where. The more he thought about it, the more he resisted, until finally, his eyes welled up with tears as he looked at his dad and asked:

“Do I really have to eat this?”

“It’s not that you have to, but Yunyun, there are a lot of unknown dangers in the apocalypse. Right now, I can still barely protect you, but in the future… I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to keep you safe.”

Xie Hui didn’t intend to force him to eat the crystal core. After all, the kid was still young. These were things a father should worry about, not a child.

“I’m not saying you have to protect me, but I do think you should have the ability to protect yourself.”

“Okay, Dad. Then I’ll give it a try.”

Xie Yun was finally persuaded by his father’s words. He held the crystal core tightly, determined to at least find out what it tasted like.

“Dad, I’m really going to eat it now.”

“Mm.”

Xie Hui finished off the rest of the bottled water in one go. When he looked over and saw Xie Yun still frozen in place, he couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

“What’s wrong? Still scared to eat it?”

“Dad, real men aren’t afraid of anything!”

Of course, Xie Yun would never admit he was scared. He frowned at the beautiful stone in his palm, but the more he tried not to think about it, the more vivid the images became in his head.

That awful stench… he could almost still smell it at the tip of his nose.

“Yunyun, think about it. Other Zombies just bite into people without a second thought. Who knows if those people even showered.”

Xie Hui’s comment actually comforted the little Zombie a bit.

Compared to those unhygienic Zombies, Xie Yun even felt a strange sense of pride. He lifted his chin and nodded seriously.

“That’s right, Dad! I must be the cleanest little Zombie ever!”

“My Yunyun definitely is. But remember, you can’t tell anyone you’re a Zombie, okay? If people find out, they might…”

Before Xie Hui could even finish, the little guy nodded seriously.

Some things didn’t need much explaining. Xie Yun already understood how to protect himself.

“Dad, I… I…”

After all that stalling, Xie Yun still couldn’t bring himself to take a bite.

“If you really don’t want to, you can always try again next time.”

As soon as Xie Hui said that, it seemed to offend his son’s pride. Yunyun puffed up, clearly unhappy at the implication that he was chickening out. With a snort, he bit down on the crystal core in his hand.

And the very next second, his wails filled the air.

“Wuuu—”