Chapter 187: Raising a Little Zombie 5

The large blade he had found back then had grown unwieldy after all this time. It wouldn’t be long before it had to retire.

Xie Hui casually tossed the crystal cores onto the ground, pulled out a bottle of mineral water, and patiently began to wash them.

Once they were clean, he dried them with a towel before placing them into Yunyun’s backpack.

After the apocalypse, most people were living in filth and grime. Just surviving was already a blessing.

Someone like Yunyun, who insisted on eating only meticulously clean crystal cores even after the world had ended, was a rare sight.

Every time Xie Hui recalled how seriously Yunyun had once told him that eating dirty crystal cores made him cough, he couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile.

A few days later, the large blade finally gave out completely. It snapped in half, and its edge had long since dulled.

Xie Hui was reluctant to part with it. After all, a weapon that suited him so well was nearly impossible to find in the post-apocalyptic world.

Fortunately, he had awakened his ability. Without a weapon, every second became an opportunity to train his powers.

Zombies were driven by a primal hunger for flesh, but they also seemed to know fear. Some of the lower-level zombies would instinctively avoid Xie Hui and his son when they saw them.

On rare occasions, survivors would witness the bizarre sight of a man chasing after zombies.

To make sure his son had enough to eat, Xie Hui had no choice but to tirelessly hunt down the frightened zombies and collect their heads.

Yunyun was often left behind, watching his dad dash after the zombies. After struggling to catch up, he would tug on his father’s sleeve and grumble with resentment.

“Daddy, did you lose another son again?”

Xie Hui tossed the freshly caught zombie core into Yunyun’s backpack and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Hmph~”

Yunyun let out a little snort and lifted his chin, wanting to righteously declare that he wasn’t that easy to coax.

But he didn’t last three seconds before giving in, wrapping his arms around his dad’s waist.

He snuggled up to his father and let out a giggle. Feeling the heavy weight in his backpack, he started buttering him up.

“Daddy, you’re the best.”

Xie Hui focused on training his ability, completely giving up on using weapons.

His mutated ice ability had evolved into Ice Cones, sharp enough to instantly kill a zombie.

As time passed, Yunyun grew increasingly picky. He only chewed on low-grade crystal cores when he was bored.

The front tooth he’d chipped before had already grown back, and now he crunched through crystal cores with a satisfying crack.

Half a month later, they arrived at a small town. Yunyun, who had been subsisting on low-tier crystal cores, clutched his flat little belly and stared at his dad, trying to persuade him.

“Daddy, how about we go for a big score?”

At that moment, Xie Hui was in the middle of killing a mutated beast. He had it pinned underfoot and was digging out its crystal core when some of the blood splashed across his cheek.

Right then, he heard Yunyun’s suggestion.

“You want another zombie daddy?”

Lately, the zombies Xie Hui had been hunting were the highest-level ones he could manage within his abilities.

The kid had probably been spoiled after they passed through a city and took down two high-level zombies. His appetite had grown too refined.

Back then, just getting a crystal core of that level would keep him happy for ages.

Yunyun instinctively shook his head. He didn’t want another zombie dad. His dad was perfect just the way he was.

After all, since the apocalypse began, he’d only ever met one zombie who still had his wits about him—himself.

It wasn’t that he minded his dad eating crystal cores like him after turning into a zombie. He was just afraid that if his dad did change, he might forget he had such an adorable zombie son.

After extracting the crystal core from the mutated beast, Xie Hui held out the glowing green core to Yunyun.

“Want to try this one?”

Xie Hui believed that zombies could absorb energy from mutated beast and mutated plant crystal cores. He’d once killed a high-level zombie that had already gained self-awareness and had started digging up plant cores.

Yunyun instinctively turned his head away, pulled a crystal core from his pocket, and took a bite.

“Nope. I’m not eating that. It makes me cough.”

Xie Hui sighed and put the core back into his own backpack. He glanced around the small town, a strange feeling creeping into his chest.

This town was far too quiet—so quiet it didn’t feel like part of the post-apocalyptic world.

Along the way, they had only encountered a few low-level zombies. After clearing them out, Xie Hui looked at Yunyun, who was still gnawing on a crystal core, and said,

“Try sensing if there are any other zombies around.”

The kid had eaten plenty of crystal cores, but so far the only ability he’d developed was sensing the presence of other zombies. Aside from that, he was just like an ordinary little boy.

With a half-eaten crystal core in his mouth, Yunyun closed his eyes and concentrated. After a moment, he shook his head at his dad.

“Nope. We’re all clear. Let’s go to sleep.”

“Alright.”

Xie Hui searched the small town for a while but couldn’t find a suitable place. Hotels were long since trashed beyond recognition.

Everything had rotted and dried out from neglect.

Eventually, he found a relatively clean house. After tidying up a bit, he lay down on the bed.

Yunyun sat on a stool, staring at a flowerpot on the windowsill.

“Daddy, I can’t believe there’s still a flower here after all this time.”

Hearing his voice, Xie Hui looked over. In a deep red flowerpot, a single green sprout was growing.

Just one stalk, with two thin leaves. When the wind blew, it swayed gently, looking pitiful in a strangely endearing way.

“Yunyun, come rest.”

Yunyun was still staring intently at the flowerpot. When he heard his dad call, he pouted a little, reluctant to leave. He lay on the table, still watching the sapling, and muttered softly,

“Daddy, zombies don’t get tired.”

“But little zombies need plenty of rest if they want to grow tall.”

Xie Hui beckoned him over. No matter how reluctant he was, the moment he heard that line, Yunyun obediently walked over.

He climbed into bed next to his dad and tucked himself in.

Zombies didn’t have body heat, but they could still feel warmth.

Ever since he turned into an ice cube, Xie Yun had grown especially fond of clinging to his dad. He liked feeling the warmth of his father’s body and that familiar scent. Even in the middle of the Apocalypse, it brought him a strange sense of peace.

“Daddy, you don’t mind me anymore?”

The weather had become unpredictable after the Apocalypse. Back when it was so hot that even a T-shirt would get soaked in sweat, Xie Hui actually enjoyed hugging this little zombie who came with a built-in cooling effect.

But now, the weather had turned chilly.

Yunyun snuggled close to his dad. After feeling his father tuck the blanket around him, he blinked his eyes and asked curiously.

“I don’t mind you.”

“But Daddy, you clearly said before that in winter, when I’m all cold and try to crawl into your bed, you just want to kick me out.”

Yunyun looked a little aggrieved as he said this.

Xie Hui reached out and smoothed down the tuft of hair sticking up on his head. As for that… well, that was the original client’s fault.

The client had been a careless father. He did love his child, but most of the time, he was stingy about expressing it.

In the dead of winter, when this cold little kid came over hugging a pillow, or during the height of summer when the two of them stuck together and ended up drenched in sweat, the client just wanted to kick him away.

But Xie Hui was different. He liked when children were close to him.

“Maybe it’s because now that we’re in the Apocalypse, Daddy’s afraid something might happen to you.”

Xie Yun nodded thoughtfully, seeming to accept that explanation.

“Don’t worry, Daddy. You go ahead and sleep. I’ll keep watch like a good boy!”

As he said this, he mimicked how his dad used to pat his back to lull him to sleep, and gently patted Xie Hui’s back.

“Alright, thanks, Yunyun.”

Even though the kid was still young, Xie Hui trusted him.

He hadn’t had a proper rest in a long time. The longer they stayed out here, the harder it was to find a safe place.

With no one maintaining anything, mutated beasts and plants had taken over a lot of areas. Hotels, farmhouses—those had long become playgrounds for mutated creatures.

Even if they weren’t, buildings left abandoned for too long had already fallen into disrepair.

So finding a place like this today—relatively clean and comfortable—was already a rare stroke of luck.

In the days before, Xie Hui had made do wherever he could. Leaning against a big rock and dozing off with his eyes half-closed counted as rest.

Xie Yun patted his chest and promised, “Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll definitely protect you!”

Just before drifting off to sleep, Xie Hui heard the little guy mutter softly under his breath.

After his dad fell asleep, Xie Yun stared curiously at his sleeping face. He reached out and gently touched the stubble on Xie Hui’s chin with his fingertip. It felt prickly, so he quickly pulled his hand back.

Before the Apocalypse, his dad had at least been handsome—always well-groomed and refined. People were constantly trying to introduce him to potential stepmothers.

But now, after going so long without grooming, his beard and hair had both grown out.

In the Apocalypse, just staying clean was already a challenge. Trimming hair or shaving? No one had the energy to bother with that.

Xie Yun sighed helplessly. At least now, he didn’t have to worry about some stepmom showing up and having another kid to steal his dad’s love.

With a dad this scruffy, probably only a sweet little zombie like him wouldn’t mind.

Xie Hui slept deeply. But in the middle of his dream, a sudden sense of danger jolted him awake. His heart began to race, and he forced his eyes open.

The once warm and cozy room was now filled with vines, white flowers blooming along them. He felt something tightening around his body and instinctively looked down.