Chapter 194: Raising a Little Zombie 12

When others heard there might be a high-level zombie nearby, their expressions turned wary.

Only Yunyun, holding his dad’s hand, quietly swallowed at those words.

Um… that probably tastes really good, right? (QAQ)

Since this was Xie Hui’s first mission, to ensure safety, He Fang accompanied them. The captain had even specifically instructed He Fang to help keep an eye on the kid.

A fourth-rank ability user had to be retained at all costs for the base.

After entering the mall, Xie Hui turned to glance at Yunyun. The little one, perfectly in sync with his dad, understood that he was asking if there really was a third-rank zombie. He shook his head gently, a trace of disappointment in his eyes.

Once inside, their nerves instantly tightened, and they moved as quietly as possible.

Sound could attract the attention of most low-level zombies. While killing ordinary zombies that hadn’t even reached first rank was easy, avoiding them saved time and made the mission smoother.

Judging by the distress signal, most of the survivors were likely trapped in the mall’s storage area.

None of them had been to this mall before the apocalypse, so they didn’t know where the storage area was. They could only search every corner methodically.

Aside from the ordinary zombies, they encountered about six or seven mid-tier first-rank zombies.

He Fang had been about to send a signal for backup from the Guardian Team, but before he could even pull anything out, Xie Hui casually waved his hand. An ice cone materialized and embedded itself deep into a zombie’s skull.

During the mission, He Fang got a clearer sense of what the gap between ability levels truly meant.

He had already admitted that Huo Li was stronger than him, but that kind of strength was still something he could feel and grasp.

But with Xie Hui, he couldn’t sense any fluctuation of ability at all.

The former was like a small pond, while the latter felt like an endless ocean.

Wanting to leave a good impression on his dad’s new colleague, Yunyun had deliberately left his little bucket and shovel behind.

So when it came time to dig out zombie crystal cores, he had to make do with whatever tools he could find nearby.

He Fang noticed that Xie Yun always went to pry open zombie heads after Xie Hui took them down. As he helped Yunyun with the task, he asked curiously, “Why does Yunyun collect those things? Zombie heads smell awful.”

“Yunyun really likes zombie crystal cores. He says they’re shiny and pretty.”

“Oh.”

He Fang didn’t press further after hearing that.

Zombie crystal cores came in many shapes depending on the zombie’s rank and elemental ability. Each one was intricately formed.

If this weren’t the apocalypse, such beautiful things would probably be turned into exquisite jewelry.

Xie Hui and the others searched their way through the massive mall. After covering the area assigned by the captain, they regrouped at the central plaza.

Even though he wore gloves, Yunyun still felt his hands were dirty. He tugged at his dad’s sleeve. Understanding immediately, Xie Hui took out a bottle of mineral water from his portable space and handed it to him.

Back when it was just the two of them, Xie Hui always made the kid open bottles himself. After becoming a zombie, Yunyun’s strength had increased significantly.

But since there were too many people around today, Xie Hui twisted the cap off before handing it over.

They weren’t the only ones who had finished searching. As everyone gathered, someone’s gaze landed on them.

When that person saw Xie Hui pull out a bottle of mineral water out of thin air, their jaw dropped in shock.

“He Fang!”

He Fang, who had been sitting and wiping sweat from his brow, looked up casually when he heard his name.

“What is it?”

Xie Hui had already noticed someone watching him. When he turned to look, it suddenly hit him—he’d forgotten to mention his abilities earlier.

He Fang’s eyes were fixed on the bottle Yunyun was using to wash his hands. He clearly remembered that when they left earlier, Mr. Xie hadn’t brought any extra supplies.

Realizing this, his eyes widened in astonishment.

He had thought they’d picked up a valuable asset, but it turned out this asset was worth hundreds of times more than he’d imagined.

“Mr. Xie, you…”

Xie Hui gave a slight nod and held the water bottle so the stream flowed steadily, making it easier for Yunyun to wash up.

“I forgot to mention earlier. My ability is water-based. During my second awakening, it mutated into ice. I also have a spatial ability, but the portable space isn’t that big—about the size of this plaza.”

He was referring to the central plaza of the mall. Having lived through the apocalypse, Xie Hui genuinely didn’t think his portable space was anything special.

But to the rest of the Guardian Team, he sounded like he was being modest.

If this wasn’t considered big, then what spatial ability user dared claim their portable space was?

When Xie Hui first joined, some team members had worried he might be hard to manage. The longer someone spent outside, the more likely their personality would become strange.

If he couldn’t follow orders, no matter how powerful his abilities were, he’d still be a problem.

In the Guardian Team, teamwork mattered more than individual strength.

Although Xie Hui wasn’t particularly warm or outgoing, considering he’d survived out there with a child for so long, his attitude was understandable.

He followed the captain’s arrangements without complaint. Aside from needing to bring his son along, he never caused trouble.

A fourth-rank ability user, dual-element ice and water, and now a portable space too!

The looks the Guardian Team members gave Xie Hui were now filled with admiration and excitement.

As the search teams gradually regrouped at the open center of the plaza, the captain did a headcount and noticed that Huo Li and his girlfriend hadn’t returned.

“Has anyone seen Huo Li?”

Everyone shook their heads. They had split up to search and hadn’t crossed paths since.

Though Huo Li wasn’t the most likable person, his absence still made the others uneasy.

Only Xie Hui and Yunyun sat calmly, showing no visible concern.

Yunyun, growing restless and impatient, ran off to play with Ping An. Thinking they were already good friends, he quietly reached out and gently touched Ping An’s ear.

After the pat, Yunyun cautiously glanced at Ping An to check its reaction. Once he was sure it wasn’t angry, he boldly reached out and wrapped his arms around its head, pressing his face close in an affectionate cuddle.

Hehe, puppy.

Xiao Li, who had originally been worrying along with the others about whether Huo Li and the rest were safe, looked down and saw this scene, and his previous anxiety was soothed.

Yunyun had very fair skin and wore a pink safety helmet. As he hugged Ping An’s head, the look of pure satisfaction on his face, the genuine joy radiating from him, was infectious.

“Alright, you guys keep searching the other side. Leave three people here to wait.”

The captain glanced at his watch and decisively ordered them to split up.

Seeing how much Yunyun liked Ping An, Xiao Li handed him the leash.

The little one, who had thought just getting a hug was already heaven, stared wide-eyed at the leash now being offered to him.

“Uncle, you’re letting me hold it? You’re really letting me hold it?”

“Yeah.”

Ever since Ping An mutated, its intelligence seemed to have increased significantly. Xiao Li had no worries at all.

Even before the apocalypse, when Ping An used to accompany him on missions, it had always liked children. Though it was a large dog with a bit of a temper, it would always lie down obediently when facing human kids.

Yunyun, holding Ping An’s leash, ran back to his dad’s side. He liked Ping An so much that he switched from following Xie Hui to sticking with Xiao Li instead.

There were still quite a few zombies in the mall, most of them low-level Tier 1, easy to deal with. The kind of zombies whose crystal cores Yunyun wouldn’t even bother to chew on if you handed them to him.

They searched the entire mall but couldn’t find the team member who had sent the distress signal.

After another round of searching, while they were taking a break and rehydrating, Huo Li and the others finally appeared. He had one arm around Yao Yu’s waist, and there was an unusual flush on her face.

Most of the team were lifelong singles. One of the girls from the Guardian Team leaned over and asked Yao Yu if she wasn’t feeling well.

Given the seriousness of the situation and the fact that some teammates’ lives were still uncertain, no one thought too deeply about it.

Except for Xie Hui, who noticed the strange look on Yao Yu’s face when she was asked, and the satisfied expression on Huo Li’s.

For a moment, Xie Hui even felt a bit disgusted.

“Since there’s nothing here, let’s continue searching the surrounding area.”

After issuing the order, the captain also told them to gather any useful supplies. Resources at the base were starting to run low.

They had originally planned to bring people back, so they’d only brought two vehicles, which wasn’t enough to carry everything.

But now that they knew Xie Hui had a spatial ability, that concern disappeared completely.

If this had been a privately-run base, the missing would’ve already been presumed dead. But the Survivor Base, established by the government, wouldn’t do that.

As long as there was even a one percent chance, they wouldn’t abandon their comrades.

Since mutating, Ping An’s sense of smell had become much sharper. As Yunyun led it along, it kept sniffing diligently.

Ping An had been walking slowly to match their pace, but when they passed a corner, it suddenly broke free from the leash and dashed forward, yanking Yunyun down hard in the process.

Yunyun hit the ground and had to let go of the leash. When he looked up, tears were already welling in his eyes.

Before the tears could even fall, he saw Ping An, now off-leash, charge forward and sink its teeth into a zombie’s leg.

The zombie, reeking after so many days and hideously ugly, scared the little one so much that he scrambled to his feet in an instant.

With one leap, he threw his arms around his dad’s neck, burying his face into the crook of it, clinging to Xie Hui like a koala as he whimpered,

“Wuuu, Daddy, there’s a zombie. Such an ugly zombie.”