Chapter 186: Raising a Little Zombie 4

Instinctively, Xie Hui reached out and caught the fainted Yunyun in his arms. When he looked down, his eyes narrowed slightly. Upon closer inspection, one could see that his blue irises glowed faintly in the darkness.

After thoroughly checking every corner to confirm that there were no Zombies nearby, Xie Hui finally felt at ease and stepped inside.

The owner of this farmhouse had long since disappeared, but the place was surprisingly clean, suggesting that no one else had taken shelter here yet.

Three months into the apocalypse, most people had developed an instinct to avoid places like this.

Resting in open areas might be harsher in terms of environment, but it offered a greater sense of safety.

But Xie Hui was different. As long as it was within his ability, he would always strive to live a little better.

Only with proper rest could he maintain the clarity and composure needed to kill Zombies.

If even rest couldn’t be guaranteed, then no matter how much he reminded himself to stay calm, his exhausted mind and body would eventually spiral out of control.

He laid the unconscious Yunyun on the bed. Though he wasn’t sure if Zombies could feel cold, Xie Hui still covered him with a blanket.

The faucets had long since run dry, so Xie Hui took out a bottle of mineral water from his portable space and used a disposable towel to gently clean Yunyun up.

He then sat at the edge of the bed, closed his eyes, and rested while keeping watch over the unconscious child until dawn.

That morning, the sunlight seemed strangely off. It wasn’t the usual color, but had a bizarre greenish hue. The once vibrant plants wilted the moment the sunlight touched their leaves.

Such anomalies might have made the news before the apocalypse, but now, they barely drew any attention.

Xie Hui closed the window and turned back to glance at Yunyun, who was still lying in bed.

He was lying very still, in the same position as the night before, barely having moved at all.

Xie Hui walked over, lifted the blanket, and placed his hand gently on Yunyun’s abdomen, pressing down slightly.

The moment he did, Yunyun’s eyes snapped open. He instinctively grabbed Xie Hui’s arm, his eyes wide with alarm.

“Daddy, what are you doing?”

Caught red-handed, even Xie Hui felt a little awkward. He retracted his hand and lightly tapped Yunyun’s forehead.

“Daddy, you’re so silly. I don’t even have a heartbeat anymore. How could I have a fever? I’m not sick!”

Before passing out, Yunyun had consumed a large number of Zombie Crystal Cores, so Xie Hui had instinctively wanted to check for any abnormalities.

He hadn’t expected Yunyun to wake up the moment he touched him.

“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Yunyun climbed off the bed by himself, bounced on the spot a few times, then stared at his palms.

“Nope, I feel fine. But… Daddy, I’m really hungry.”

It was the first time Yunyun had felt genuine hunger. He hugged his father’s leg, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

He actually felt a little embarrassed. After all, his dad had spent six hard months collecting those Zombie Crystal Cores, and he’d eaten them all in a single day.

Xie Hui handed him the bag of Crystal Cores. Yunyun unzipped it, reached inside, and pulled out a handful, stuffing them straight into his mouth.

“Ugh, Daddy, these Crystal Cores taste awful.”

He gnawed away like a squirrel sneaking pine nuts, all while grumbling about the taste.

Although Xie Hui had technically been resting the night before, he’d kept a constant eye on Yunyun. Now that the boy was awake, Xie Hui leaned back, planning to catch a quick nap.

He hadn’t even fallen asleep yet when Yunyun’s complaints reached his ears. With a helpless sigh, he opened his eyes and looked over.

“Crystal Cores have flavors now?”

“Of course! Daddy, do you want to try one?”

Yunyun enthusiastically offered what he thought was the best-tasting Crystal Core. If Xie Hui hadn’t grabbed his wrist, the boy would’ve shoved it straight into his mouth.

Though Xie Hui had never said it aloud, he actually had a bit of a psychological aversion to Crystal Cores. He had personally dug out nearly every one of them—from the grotesque, disgusting heads of Zombies.

It was hard to believe that something more beautiful than diamonds could come from such a place.

“Yunyun, you need to understand. Even though you’re a Zombie now, Daddy is still just an ordinary human.”

That one sentence was enough to make Yunyun pull his hand back. He bit into the Crystal Core and nodded seriously.

“You’re right.”

Knowing how clingy and chatty this little guy was, Xie Hui sat up and reached out to ruffle his hair.

Yunyun liked to think of himself as the coolest little Zombie around, but the moment his dad patted his head, he instinctively leaned in and nuzzled against him.

As he chewed on the Crystal Core, Yunyun’s thoughts began to wander.

He couldn’t possibly be the only little Zombie who couldn’t resist head pats from their dad. He had simply made the same mistake every Zombie was bound to make.

“Yunyun, Daddy was worried about you all night and didn’t get much rest. Let me sleep for an hour, and then we’ll head out, okay?”

“Okay! Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll stay right here and be good. If any Zombies come, I’ll eat them!”

As he said this, Yunyun smiled brightly, revealing a pair of tiny, sharp canines. His innocent expression was both adorable and deadly.

“Good boy.”

After making the agreement, Xie Hui lay down and closed his eyes to rest.

Worried that the sound of him chewing might disturb his dad, Yunyun took the backpack and moved to a corner. He stared at the dwindling supply of Crystal Cores and sighed.

Daddy worked so hard to get these Zombies. I should eat less and save some.

Though he said he’d sleep for an hour, Xie Hui ended up resting for nearly an hour and a half.

When he woke up, he realized that the strange light from earlier really was abnormal. Before, only humans had mutated into Zombies, driven by a hunger for flesh and blood.

But after this strange light passed, many plants and animals had begun to mutate as well.

And among humans, a second awakening had begun.

Since the client had always believed he was just an ordinary person, Xie Hui hadn’t thought much of it.

But after this second awakening, he discovered that in addition to his original water-based ability, he had now developed a mutated ice ability.

Though it had evolved from his water power, it at least made up for his previous lack of offensive capabilities.

According to the client’s memories, there was something very strange about this apocalypse: human Ability Users could only level up by consuming Crystal Cores from mutated plants and animals. The ones from Zombies provided almost no energy.

Just like the Crystal Cores that came from ordinary humans after death.

The most unique thing about the female lead was her ability to convert what were originally useless to human cultivation—humans and Zombie Crystal Cores—into plant and animal Crystal Cores that humans could actually absorb.

Before Xie Hui could even begin to ponder this, Yunyun had already pounced on him.

“Daddy, you’re awake?”

As Xie Hui lifted the blanket and got out of bed, he noticed Yunyun quickly hiding his backpack behind him. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, he asked, “How many Crystal Cores do you have left after eating?”

“Daddy, I…”

The moment Yunyun heard his dad bring that up, he shrank his head back guiltily.

“You finished them all?”

“No, Daddy, I still have twelve left!”

Of course, those were the ones Yunyun had carefully picked out as the worst-tasting.

“Go ahead and eat the rest. Get ready—we’re heading out again. Time to gather more Crystal Cores.”

They had been on the move constantly, never really heading toward a specific destination, just drifting toward areas with more zombies.

Originally, Xie Hui had only intended to train himself. The Crystal Cores were an unexpected bonus. He never imagined they’d end up becoming his kid’s snacks.

“Daddy, you used to scold me for eating too many snacks…”

“Are you mad at me for eating too much? Are you going to abandon me? I saw on TV that people always give their kids a big meal before they leave them behind.”

Even as he said this, Yunyun kept stuffing Crystal Cores into his mouth without the slightest pause.

“I scolded you for eating too many snacks because they were bad for your health.”

“Why would I abandon you? Once you get stronger, you’ll not only have to find your own Crystal Cores, but you’ll also need to help Daddy find food.”

As Xie Hui packed their things, he casually reached out and patted Yunyun on the head. When the boy looked up at him, he gave him a small smile.

“You’ll understand one day—every Crystal Core you eat now isn’t free.”

In an apocalypse where the darkest sides of human nature had been fully unleashed, claiming that a father’s love expected nothing in return sounded hollow. But this was Xie Hui’s way of teaching Yunyun, and it was a lesson the boy could actually accept.

The moment he heard that the Crystal Cores weren’t free, Yunyun shoved another one into his mouth, chewing hard as he replied, “Then I’d better eat more right now.”

Xie Hui slung his bag over his shoulder and picked up the pack that held the Crystal Cores. Yunyun, already used to the routine, came over and took the pack onto his own back. The two of them left the place together.

“Daddy, when other people hear the word ‘zombie,’ they run like crazy. Why aren’t you scared of me?”

The journey was long and dull. At first, they had a car, but once the fuel ran out, walking actually became more comfortable.

Yunyun had always been a chatterbox, and with hardly anyone to talk to in the apocalypse, he’d turned into a full-blown little motormouth. His small mouth never stopped moving.

After asking his dad that question, Yunyun was already bracing himself for praise. He cleared his throat and tried to look modest.

“Because you’re my son.”

Xie Hui answered while cleanly slicing off a zombie’s head with his broadsword. As he reached in to retrieve the Zombie Crystal Core, he casually responded.

Before the apocalypse, that sentence might not have meant much. But now, in this world, it hit completely differently.

Yunyun froze when he heard it. Then, as he came back to his senses, he reached up and clutched his chest.

Zombies weren’t supposed to have heartbeats. But just now, he felt as if a warm current had filled his chest to the brim.

He was so happy he could burst. If he had wings, he probably would’ve flapped them twice and flown straight into the sky.