Chapter 197: Raising a Little Zombie 15

When Xie Hui fought that Zombie, he could clearly sense that the creature hadn’t even fully developed yet. Rather than being born a Zombie from infancy, Xie Hui suspected that the little Zombie’s mother had been infected during pregnancy.

Once the mother turned into a Zombie, she would have stopped supplying nutrients. Under normal circumstances, the child would have died. But due to some freak accident, the fetus also turned into a Zombie.

Because he could absorb most of the energy from his mother’s body, he ended up with such high combat power.

Xie Hui’s high ability level came from his experience. Ever since the Apocalypse began, he had never stopped training. That made him fundamentally different from the little Zombie.

After hearing all this, Yunyun was a bit frightened. He clung tightly to his father’s arm.

“Dad, are there a lot of Zombies like that? You had such a hard time killing him. If there are more of them…”

As he spoke, Yunyun couldn’t help but start worrying about the base again.

Aside from those two annoying people who were always bad to his dad, he actually liked the base. After hearing about that Zombie, he began to worry about its safety.

“There aren’t many. There may be quite a few pregnant women who got bitten, but very few whose unborn child didn’t die immediately after they turned. It’s like locking a normal person in an airtight room—doesn’t take long before they suffocate.”

“The odds of the baby surviving are already one in a million. For it to survive, become a Zombie, and then absorb energy from the mother? That’s one in a hundred million.”

“In this world, that one was probably the only case.”

After hearing his father’s explanation, Yunyun let out a huge sigh of relief.

He didn’t know how his dad knew so much, but he trusted and admired him blindly. As far as he was concerned, anything his dad said couldn’t possibly be wrong.

“Dad, do you really have to go on that mission? Can’t you wait a bit longer? Let me work harder and get stronger so I can protect you, okay?”

Xie Hui looked into the boy’s worried eyes and gave a helpless smile.

“Yunyun, I promise you, I’ll be extra careful this time.”

But Yunyun could hear the refusal in his father’s tone. He sat there with his arms crossed, puffing up in frustration.

“Yunyun, did you hear what the Captain said? The base is running out of food. If we wait too long, people might starve to death.”

The moment he heard that people might starve, Yunyun’s expression twisted with conflict.

“Dad, I don’t want anyone to starve… but I also don’t want to lose you.”

He let out a sigh and said it softly. He couldn’t make the decision himself, so he left the choice to his father.

“How about this—Yunyun comes with me. I’ll be careful and stay safe. How about that?”

Xie Hui had long since figured out Yunyun’s personality—clever, mischievous, and kind-hearted.

The little one was already wavering. The moment he heard his dad’s offer, the scale tipped instantly. He nodded hard.

“Okay!”

After they settled that, Xie Hui turned his attention to the tightly clenched fist Yunyun was holding and asked curiously,

“Is it because it tastes bad? Why aren’t you eating it? Aren’t you afraid that auntie might steal it from you?”

Yunyun shook his head instinctively, then gripped the crystal core even tighter.

“I’ll protect it. No one’s taking it from me.”

“Once it’s in my belly, I’ll feel safe.”

Xie Hui ruffled his hair. The little glutton, under just a few words of persuasion, subconsciously brought the core to his mouth and took a bite.

After he finished eating, Xie Hui stared at him intently, watching for the slightest change. He was ready to leave with Yunyun at the first sign of anything unusual.

The little one sat there, lost in thought after eating the crystal core. When he noticed his dad staring at him, he tilted his head in confusion.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Dad was just looking at you. You seem to have gotten even cuter.”

By dawn, aside from Yunyun’s eyes turning a deeper blue, there were no other noticeable changes.

The base had almost run out of food. Even though people were working hard, the land had changed after the Apocalypse. Yields were much lower and couldn’t meet demand. That’s why the higher-ups had set their sights on the pre-Apocalypse grain warehouses.

That city had a huge stockpile of food. But because it was densely populated and few survivors ever came out of it, no one dared go near.

Now that they had Xie Hui, they finally had some confidence and quickly began making arrangements.

They assigned some ability users to stay behind and guard the base, while another team was formed for the rescue mission.

The rescue team’s job was critical, and the Captain didn’t feel comfortable sending Huo Li and his group.

He had originally planned to assign them to base defense, but Huo Li kept insisting that if he wasn’t included in the mission, he’d leave the base altogether.

The Captain had been keeping this from Xie Hui, trying instead to persuade Huo Li. After all, Huo Li was a second-rank ability user and could still contribute to the base.

If possible, the Captain didn’t want to lose anyone.

But then, while out playing with Yunyun, Xie Hui overheard the conversation by accident. He went to the Captain himself and said he was fine with going on the mission together.

Inside the base, Xie Hui couldn’t make a move. But once outside, anything that happened would be unpredictable.

Based on the original plot and the client’s memories, Xie Hui had thought it was all just a misunderstanding.

But now that he’d met the male and female leads, he was even more convinced that the whole “for the future of humanity” narrative was just a cover for their selfishness. Yunyun’s death might not have been an accident at all.

On the way back, Yunyun looked up at his dad and asked curiously,

“Dad, don’t you really dislike them? Why did you agree to go?”

“When did I say I disliked them?”

“I guessed.”

“Well, you guessed wrong.”

Yunyun blinked in surprise. He was pretty sure he hadn’t guessed wrong. He really thought his dad didn’t like them.

Xie Hui saw the confusion on his face but didn’t plan to explain.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like them. He loathed them to his very bones. So technically, he wasn’t lying to the kid.

There were a lot of things Xie Hui didn’t want such a young child to know. He was afraid it would corrupt him.

When they set out, Xie Hui and Yunyun rode in the same vehicle as Xiao Li and the other team members.

Huo Li and Yao Yu were in another car. When Yunyun saw Ping An, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, he eagerly scooted over to snuggle with him.

Ping An was usually a fierce military dog, so intimidating that many team members were secretly afraid of him.

But in front of the little one, he always lay down obediently. Even when Yunyun reached out to tug his ears, he only let out a soft, aggrieved whimper.

The city they were headed to had taken six to seven hours to reach before the Apocalypse. Now, with most roads destroyed, it would take even longer.

That first night, they found a clearing to rest and set up a pot to cook dinner.

Once the meal was ready, Xie Hui brought his and Yunyun’s portions back to the truck, explaining that he wasn’t used to eating outside—too much dust and sand, not clean enough.

“Alright, just remember to bring the dishes out later. We’ll clean them together.”

Everyone had their quirks, so the Captain accepted it easily and turned back to eat.

Xie Hui had already mentioned that Yunyun didn’t eat much. To avoid waste, his portions were always small. After helping him finish his food, Yunyun brought the dishes out.

That night, a few people were assigned to keep watch.

Not everyone on the mission was an ability user. There were also over a dozen regular people with strong physiques and rich experience.

Even though Xie Hui was a fourth-rank ability user, he didn’t ask for special treatment. When it was their turn for night watch, Yunyun happily followed his dad.

It was cold at night, but to avoid attracting Zombies, they didn’t light a fire.

Even though he knew Yunyun wasn’t afraid of the cold anymore, Xie Hui instinctively wrapped him in his coat.

The restless little one poked his head out through the zipper and grumbled,

“Dad, I can’t see anything.”

After two hours, their shift ended and the next group came to take over. Before heading back to the truck to rest, Xie Hui went to a public restroom a short distance away.

Yunyun, who hated the smell, squatted outside waiting for his dad. Bored, he rested his chin on his hand and looked up at the stars.

Just then, with his heightened hearing since becoming a Zombie, Yunyun picked up on a strange sound. It sounded familiar, and he instinctively went to check it out.

When he saw the two people kissing in a hidden spot, he immediately slapped his hands over his eyes.

His mind went blank. Oh no. The little Zombie saw something he wasn’t supposed to. Dad’s going to scold him for sure.

Just before he covered his eyes, Yunyun noticed a Zombie heading straight for the couple.

In that instant, a flood of thoughts rushed through his head. At first, he considered just ignoring it. After all, those two were always bullying his dad.

But then he thought more carefully. He might dislike them, but not enough to let them die.

He really did want to throw a sack over them and give them a good beating. But watching them get attacked by a Zombie? He couldn’t do that.

“Watch out! There’s a Zombie!”

The childish voice rang out, snapping Yao Yu out of her daze. She instinctively tried to push Huo Li away, but he only held her tighter.

Yunyun, thinking he was already helping, was stunned. He hadn’t brought Fugui’er with him—his little companion needed rest at night and wouldn’t wake up no matter how much he poked it.

And he didn’t have any abilities himself, so all he could do was run over and try to push them apart.

The Zombie attacking Yao Yu clawed at Yunyun, who had rushed over to help. Just then, Xie Hui came out of the restroom and saw the scene. He immediately ran over, pulled his son into his arms, killed the Zombie in one swift motion, and shouted,

“Are you out of your minds?!”