Chapter 189: Raising a Little Zombie 7

Although Xie Hui felt that compared to Da Huang, Fugui’er was more like a little puppy, seeing Yunyun’s proud expression, he didn’t have the heart to dampen his spirits. He reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Mm, not bad.”

The greatest threat in this small town was now nestled in Yunyun’s arms. Taking advantage of the rare moment of peace, Xie Hui decided to catch up on some sleep.

Just surviving in the apocalypse was hard enough, let alone doing it while raising a little kid—especially one with an enormous appetite. It had been a long time since he’d had a good, restful sleep.

Every day was a constant struggle, not just staying alert to avoid danger, but also worrying about whether the kid would have enough to eat for the next meal.

Yunyun stood by the bed, holding the Sapling in his arms, and promised solemnly, “Daddy, I won’t get distracted this time.”

Xie Hui reached out and rubbed his head again, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

“Alright. Thank you.”

Standing beside the bed, Xie Yun stared at the dark circles under his father’s eyes. The thought that even during rare chances to rest, his dad couldn’t sleep peacefully made him so angry that he jabbed the Sapling with his fingertip.

The recently awakened Sapling, still dazed, drooped again under the gentle poke.

Zombies didn’t feel fatigue, nor did they tire. But Yunyun still retained his human memories. Remembering how awful it felt to be exhausted back then, he looked at his father’s current state, tilted his head, and leaned in close to feel his warmth. He let out a soft sigh.

He really wanted to be more obedient, to eat less. But right now, he just got hungry so easily.

Lying by the bedside, Yunyun stared at his sleeping father’s peaceful face, letting his mind wander aimlessly.

He was eating so much now—would he one day become the most powerful little zombie in the entire apocalypse?

Not only did he want to be the strongest zombie, he wanted to be the boss of all the other zombies. He’d make them work for him, so his dad wouldn’t have to do anything and could spend all day playing with him.

This time, Xie Hui didn’t sleep for long—just enough to recharge a bit.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the little one lying there, staring at him.

“What is it?”

“Daddy, don’t you want to sleep a little longer?”

“We can’t stay in one place for too long. Go pack your things. We’ll be leaving soon.”

Yunyun’s backpack was practically empty. They didn’t even have food for tomorrow.

Xie Hui found a lidded flowerpot in the house, transplanted the Sapling into it, watered it, and watched its leaves regain a bit of green. Then he handed it to Yunyun.

After packing up, they left the small town.

Most survivors avoided traveling at night. Zombies were more active after dark, making it far more dangerous for humans.

But for someone like Xie Hui, who saw zombies as walking treasure chests, nighttime was actually preferable.

The more zombies that came, the happier he was.

To him, they weren’t terrifying monsters—they were his kid’s next meal.

As they traveled, Yunyun, bored, started chattering again.

“Daddy, I’m a zombie now, and I eat zombie crystal cores. Doesn’t that mean I’m basically eating my own kind? That’s kind of scary, isn’t it?”

Xie Hui, scanning the surroundings, glanced at the little one when he heard that. Under the moonlight, he saw the boy’s dimples and little fangs peeking through a mischievous smile. Clearly, he was just talking nonsense, so Xie Hui played along.

“Eating your own kind… yeah, that does sound a bit cruel. So how about this—Yunyun, from now on, you go vegetarian?”

That one line froze Yunyun’s smile in place.

“Daddy, you’re joking, right?”

He nervously grabbed the corner of his dad’s shirt, looking up at him.

How could a zombie eat vegetables? No proper zombie would ever do that!

“Not necessarily.”

Right after saying that, Xie Hui used his ability to kill a zombie that had tried to sneak up on them. An ice cone shot through its neck, separating head from body. The head rolled a few times on the ground.

This time, Xie Hui didn’t even need to say a word. Yunyun ran over with a little plastic shovel and a blue toy bucket he’d somehow scavenged from a mall.

These were just kids’ beach toys before the apocalypse, but now the little guy had found a whole new use for them.

Xie Hui watched as he twisted open a bottle of mineral water, washed the crystal core clean, and tossed it into the bucket. Then he waved him over.

“Weren’t you just saying this was kind of wrong?”

Yunyun rinsed off his tools too before walking back with the bucket.

“Daddy, look at me—I’m such a clean little guy. How could I be the same as those filthy zombies? So really, we’re not the same species at all.”

Xie Hui didn’t call him out on his twisted logic. He helped tidy up the boy’s hair, took his small hand, and led him onward.

This time, after about three days of travel, they found a farmhouse that looked decent from the outside. As soon as Xie Hui pushed open the door, everyone in the courtyard turned to look at them instinctively.

Sharp-eyed as always, Xie Hui noticed one man’s hand twitch toward his weapon, and his guard immediately went up.

“Sorry.”

With a brief apology, Xie Hui turned to leave.

In the apocalypse, anyone kind enough to invite strangers to join them probably already had grass growing tall over their grave. He never expected these people to let him and Yunyun stay.

Even if they did, Xie Hui wouldn’t want to stay with a bunch of strangers—especially not when he was planning to rest and let his guard down.

“Wait, sir.”

A woman’s voice called out from inside. Xie Hui turned instinctively. The speaker was dressed in a leather jacket and skirt, sharp and efficient in both appearance and tone.

“What is it?”

“Sir, I can tell you’re an ability user. You’re headed for the survivor base too, right? They say there are already Tier 3 zombies out there. It’s too dangerous to travel alone. Why don’t we team up?”

“Thanks, but no.”

With that, Xie Hui took his son’s hand and walked away.

Finding a good place to rest was never easy. After passing up that opportunity, the chances of finding another weren’t great. So Xie Hui simply found a large rock nearby and decided to rest there for the night.

As he sat down and brought out their dinner, he noticed that the little one, who usually would’ve been gnawing on a crystal core by now, was instead staring at him with a serious expression.

“What’s wrong? Not feeling well? Don’t want to eat a crystal core today?”

Seeing his dad finally paying attention, Yunyun stood up, walked over, and wrapped his arms around his father’s neck from behind. In a pitiful voice, he asked:

“Daddy, do you think that lady liked you?”

“Huh? What makes you think that?”

Xie Hui had known from day one that this kid had an overactive imagination, but he didn’t expect it to go this far. They’d only just met the woman, and he was already jumping to conclusions.

If that woman from before found out, she’d probably call them a bunch of lunatics behind their backs.

“Daddy, if you get married again, will I still be your favorite little baby?”

Xie Hui simply set his dinner down on the ground, turned his head to glance at the kid puffing out his cheeks in a show of grievance, and reached out to pull him into his arms.

“You’re not a little baby anymore, you know.”

Hearing his dad say that, Yunyun’s face flushed a little, but he still huffed and muttered, “People always say that even when you’re old and gray, you’re still your dad’s baby.”

“Daddy, be serious! Don’t change the subject!”

The client had a decent job and a comfortable life. Before the Apocalypse, he had bought two apartments outright. He was still young, too, so naturally, plenty of well-meaning people tried to set him up.

After it happened enough times, word got to Yunyun. On top of that, he’d heard classmates mention how getting a stepmother often meant getting a step-sibling too. It left him feeling a little insecure.

Xie Hui reached out and poked his puffed-up cheek. Seeing the boy getting annoyed, he chuckled softly before answering, “Daddy doesn’t plan on getting remarried.”

The little guy, who had been sulking just a moment ago, instantly lit up at those words, forgetting all about being upset.

“Really? You’re not lying to a kid, right?”

“Mm, really. I promise I’m not lying. Now go back and chew on your Crystal Core. Daddy’s dinner is getting cold.”

Xie Hui gave his shoulder a gentle push. Yunyun frowned in protest.

“Daddy, you’re the one who pulled me over, and now you’re acting like I’m a bother!”

Despite the complaint, the little guy obediently scooted away, picked up the dinner his dad had placed on the ground, and handed it to him.

Then he fished a Crystal Core out of his pocket and started gnawing on it with a loud crunch.

Whenever he came across a flavor he didn’t like, he’d feed it to his pet, Fortune. He’d just pile it near the base, and the plant would use its leaves to scoop it up on its own. It was incredibly low-maintenance.

“Hey, Daddy, back then you had a good job and could barely pass as a handsome dad. I get why someone might’ve liked you then. But now, you’re so scruffy that only your own son wouldn’t mind. How come people are still interested in you?”

Yunyun sat there chewing on his Crystal Core, getting more and more frustrated the more he thought about it. His dad’s beard was long now, and he looked at least ten years older than he did before the Apocalypse.

“Maybe you’re just overthinking it? You’re the only one who likes Daddy. Other people probably don’t see me as anything special.”

Xie Hui ate quickly, and once he was done, he tidied up and pulled out a portable sleeping bag from his Portable Space.

“Daddy, can you have a little more faith in me? That lady was looking at you with such passion in her eyes. Just like those other aunties the grandmas introduced to you before!”

Clearly unhappy about being doubted, the little guy grumbled a few more lines, trying to convince his dad. Then, worried he might get a rebuttal, he reached out and covered his dad’s eyes, urging:

“Sleep time. Be good, Daddy. Go to sleep now.”