Chapter 190: Raising a Little Zombie 8

Xie Hui could completely understand why this little guy was so prone to suspicion, but he still wanted to correct his thinking.

According to his plans, they would eventually have to interact with other humans.

Humans were social creatures. While he himself could adapt to solitude, Yunyun was still just a child. He needed companions to grow up with.

They couldn’t have him suspecting every woman he met of wanting to become his stepmother. That kind of drama would only make things awkward for everyone involved.

But when Xie Hui felt the strength with which Yunyun was covering his eyes, he had no choice but to let it go for now.

He seriously suspected that if Yunyun’s hand had been over his mouth and nose instead, he might have suffocated him by now.

“Alright, Daddy’s going to rest now. I’ll be counting on you tonight.”

“Mm-hmm, got it!”

Zombies didn’t need rest. At first, Xie Hui had tried to make him follow the same sleep schedule, but every time he fell asleep, the little guy would sneak out of bed on his own.

Once it was clear that Yunyun truly couldn’t sleep, Xie Hui stopped forcing him and only reminded him not to stray too far.

Most of the time, Yunyun was quite obedient. When he stayed by his father’s side, he would dig out his own crystal core, stuffing the ones he liked into his backpack and feeding the ones he didn’t like to Fugui’er.

At first, the sapling had been a bit defiant, often wrapping its vines around Xie Yun’s wrist. But after getting smacked a few times and bribed with the less tasty crystal cores, it had learned to behave.

“You’d better eat more. You’re going to help me out in the future, got it?”

Yunyun muttered as he fed it crystal cores.

He was just too bored. Back in school, he was always the one teachers called out for whispering—he loved to chat.

Now, after the apocalypse, other than his dad, he only had this one little plant. Whether it could understand him or not, Xie Yun would still talk to it.

The next day, Xie Hui unexpectedly ran into the same group of people they had met at the farmhouse. They drove past in an off-road vehicle and stopped not far from them.

Two people got out of the car, led by the same woman he had seen before—Yao Yu.

“You’re heading toward the national Survivor Base, right? At your current pace, who knows how long it’ll take you to get there? Why not come with us? It’s safer to travel together.”

“Don’t worry, we’re all Ability Users. We don’t mean any harm.”

Xie Hui noticed the superiority in her tone when she mentioned the words “Ability Users,” and instinctively felt a bit repulsed.

“No thanks. I’m not planning to go there for now.”

With that, he quickly left with Yunyun, heading in the opposite direction. As they walked away, the system reminded him in his mind:

“Host, that woman you just saw is Yao Yu.”

In the original plot, the male and female leads had a falling out with the Survivor Base precisely because the female lead, a researcher, believed that human trials might help develop a vaccine.

But when she submitted the proposal, her superior harshly rejected it and even gave both of them a severe scolding.

“Daddy, what’s a Survivor Base?”

Yunyun had stayed quiet until they were far away, then finally voiced the question that had been on his mind.

“It’s a government-run base. Everyone inside is a survivor, and it’s a place where they can live safely.”

There wasn’t just one Survivor Base—there were many across all provinces in the country.

“Then why aren’t we going there, Daddy? That way, you could finally get a good night’s sleep.”

Thinking about how restless his dad had been while sleeping lately, Xie Yun’s eyes lit up. If it was really like his dad said, he truly wanted him to go there.

Xie Hui stopped walking, crouched down, and looked Yunyun in the eye. Meeting those clean, blue eyes, he gently reminded him:

“Did you forget? You’re no longer a normal human.”

Yunyun had been thinking that maybe his dad didn’t want to go because those places felt too restrictive. He’d even been trying to come up with ways to convince him otherwise.

He hadn’t expected this to be the real reason.

“But Daddy, as long as we don’t tell anyone, then I’m just a perfectly normal human.”

Yunyun looked completely innocent, even flashing his dad a smile.

“Hehe, see? There’s no other little zombie as well-behaved as me. Even if you told people I was a zombie, no one would believe it.”

Given Yunyun’s appearance, he really could fool people.

“But aside from that, have you thought about this? You’ve eaten so many crystal cores and haven’t shown any reaction. What if something happens to you after we get to the Survivor Base?”

Xie Hui believed he had the ability to restrain this little guy, but he couldn’t guarantee that there would be no casualties.

“I want to raise you because I’m willing to accept all the consequences—even if one day you really do become a zombie.”

“Even if you want to bite me, I still won’t give up on you. But other people aren’t the same. They have no obligation to bear that risk.”

Xie Hui gently rubbed the back of Yunyun’s head. Reality could be cruel for a child this young, but it was something Yunyun would have to understand eventually.

Yunyun lowered his head and thought for a long time. He looked like a stray cat that had just been abandoned. After a while, he looked up, trying to hold back his emotions, but when he spoke, his voice was already trembling.

“Daddy, why did I have to become a zombie? I would’ve been fine even as just a normal person…”

Along the way, Yunyun had encountered a few people. Though not many traveled together, he had seen too many children who, after being bitten by zombies, were killed by their own parents without hesitation.

Compared to that, he cherished his dad even more and felt deeply for all the hardship he endured.

“If one day I stop being smart… then Daddy, you should just kill me.”

Yunyun hugged his father’s waist and buried his face in his chest, continuing in a muffled voice:

“But if you really can’t bear to and still want to keep me around, then make sure to get a strong muzzle—the kind little dogs wear. That way, I won’t be able to bite you.”

Xie Hui had only intended to explain that Yunyun’s identity was different now, but the conversation had suddenly turned emotional.

“Daddy believes you won’t.”

“Mm, I won’t bite anyone.”

Yunyun nodded hard, but after a moment, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into tears.

In the apocalypse, emotional breakdowns were all too common. Xie Hui didn’t blame the child for being fragile. He patiently patted his back and comforted him.

“Don’t cry. Look, when other people turn into zombies, they lose all reason and start biting everyone. But my Yunyun is still amazing, isn’t he?”

Yunyun’s sobs gradually quieted. He sniffled and nodded firmly.

“Yeah!”

Before, he was just a little afraid that his stepmother and younger brother would steal away some of his father’s attention. But now, things felt different. With such a wonderful dad, he didn’t want to share even a little bit of him with anyone else.

“Daddy, you promised there won’t be a stepmom, right?”

The sudden shift in topic made Xie Hui pause for a moment. But seeing the lingering dampness clinging to his curled lashes, he nodded gently.

“Mm, I promise. There won’t be one.”

On the road ahead, Xie Hui continued killing zombies while Yunyun carried his little bucket, carefully searching through the zombies’ heads.

It had been a long time since Yunyun’s second evolution, and the zombies left in this world were getting uglier by the day.

Especially since they didn’t know how to take care of themselves after turning into zombies, they looked downright filthy.

The more hideous zombies Yunyun saw, the more certain he became—he was definitely not the same as them!

Xie Hui had thought that matter was over and done with. It was fine for the two of them to keep living like this. As long as he killed enough zombies out there to keep Yunyun well-fed and help him evolve slowly, things were good.

Aside from being a bit tiring, there weren’t really any downsides.

But to his surprise, not even three days had passed before Yunyun brought it up again, this time with a serious expression.

“Daddy, I think we should go to the Survivor Base.”

“Hm? Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

At that moment, Xie Hui had just found a decent place to rest and was taking out a few of Yunyun’s clothes from the portable space.

Even though zombies didn’t sweat, the harsh environment of the apocalypse—wind, sun, and dust—still left them looking dirty.

Today, Xie Hui picked out a white jacket. It wasn’t the most practical color, but it looked really good on Yunyun.

“Daddy, don’t you think I’m kind of strange? Why do the other zombies only know how to eat, but I still have my mind and don’t even want to bite anyone?”

Yunyun had been puzzling over this lately. He was sure it wasn’t just that he was rational enough to control his urges—he genuinely had no desire to bite anyone at all.

“It is a little strange.”

“That’s why, Daddy, we should go to the Survivor Base. You can turn me in. Who knows, maybe they’ll give you a big villa in exchange!”

For some reason, Yunyun even looked a little proud when he said that.

Even if he had to be handed over, he was worth a big villa. He was definitely the most valuable little zombie out there!

The moment he heard that, Xie Hui frowned and refused without even thinking.

“No.”

“Why not, Daddy?”

Seeing the boy’s innocent face, Xie Hui reached out his hand like he usually did. Yunyun thought his dad was going to ruffle his hair, so he lowered his head to make it easier for him.

But instead, Xie Hui gave him a solid smack on the head. Yunyun yelped in pain, instinctively clutching his head as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Daddy? What was that for? Ow, it really hurts! I’m gonna have to eat a few extra crystal cores tonight to recover!”