Chapter 195: Raising a Little Zombie 13

Xie Hui noticed that right after Yunyun spoke, the zombie suddenly dropped to one knee. He quickly summoned his ability and drove an Ice Cone straight through the zombie’s kneecap.

Once the zombie was down, he followed up with another Ice Cone to the center of its forehead, precisely knocking loose the crystal core. The ferocious zombie collapsed instantly.

Yunyun’s eyes lit up when he saw the beautiful crystal core. He hopped off his dad, rushed over to pick it up, washed it clean with water, carefully wiped it dry, and then tucked it into his pocket.

“Ping An, come here.”

Xiao Li felt a bit embarrassed recalling what Ping An had done earlier. Although it had indeed leapt out to bite the zombie’s leg to stop it from attacking Yunyun, it had also caused Yunyun to be thrown hard to the ground.

He called out to Ping An, but as soon as the words left his mouth, both the child and the dog turned to look at him at the same time.

Ping An obediently trotted back to lie down at his master’s feet. Before Xiao Li could even scold the dog, Yunyun ran over and wrapped his arms around Ping An’s big head.

“Uncle, Ping An only did that because it was afraid I’d get bitten by the zombie. I didn’t get hurt, and I don’t blame it.”

Since the person involved said it was fine, Xiao Li had nothing more to say. He turned his head to glance at Mr. Xie, worried that he might have an opinion about it.

Noticing Xiao Li’s gaze, Xie Hui turned and praised, “Ping An is really amazing.”

And just like that, the matter was dropped. They moved from the corner to the next floor. As soon as they stepped in, Xie Hui heard a strange noise and instinctively stopped in his tracks.

Yunyun, always his dad’s little shadow, stopped as well, holding onto Ping An and standing at the doorway.

“There’s a survivor… probably in there.”

Xie Hui pointed to a door up ahead, placing his hand on Yunyun’s shoulder and gently guiding him back.

His instincts told him that the zombie inside was powerful—so strong that even Xie Hui felt a flicker of fear.

Seeing how serious Xie Hui looked, Xiao Li also instinctively stepped back a couple of paces and sent a signal to the captain and the rest of the team to have them come over.

Most of the Guardian Team members had been single since birth, and after the apocalypse, they had even less time or energy to think about relationships. But that didn’t mean they were clueless.

Maybe they hadn’t realized it at first, but after observing the expressions on Yao Yu and Huo Li’s faces, the captain quickly pieced things together and gave them both a scolding in front of everyone.

Now, the rest of the Guardian Team members were also full of complaints.

Their teammates were trapped inside, their lives uncertain, and Huo Li still had the nerve to be fooling around?

When they arrived, Huo Li was already wearing a sullen expression, clearly unhappy.

The captain rushed over and immediately asked, “Are you sure they’re trapped in there? Why haven’t you gone in? Any signs of life?”

Xie Hui stared at the tightly shut door and replied, “I’m sure. There’s a high-level zombie inside. Based on my assessment, only five people are still alive.”

The moment he said that, most of the group fell silent. In the apocalypse, death was a daily occurrence.

But the thought of losing comrades they’d lived and fought alongside still hit hard.

The captain had a stronger mental fortitude and was the first to regain composure.

“A high-level one? What level are we talking about?”

“At the very least… fourth-tier.”

Xie Hui had previously asked Yunyun whether there were any third-tier zombies around. When Yunyun had said no, he’d felt relieved.

He hadn’t expected that while there were no third-tier zombies, the one inside started at fourth-tier.

Fourth-tier!

The Guardian Team members gasped when they heard that.

Among them, aside from Xie Hui, the strongest ability user was Huo Li—and he was only tier two.

The Survivor Base ranked among the top in the country, and Huo Li was one of its elites, considered one of the strongest in the nation.

But while most humans were still stuck at tier one, zombies had already reached tier four.

Fear gripped the group, and with it came a deep worry for the future of humanity.

Most tier-one ability users struggled even against zombies of the same level. They could only win when they had a clear advantage in power.

“You say it’s fourth-tier, so it is? Since when do zombies evolve according to your word?”

Still bitter from the earlier scolding, Huo Li found a target to vent on. He’d disliked this Xie guy ever since he joined the Guardian Team.

Now, seeing Xie Hui calmly analyzing the situation like some know-it-all, he couldn’t take it anymore and snapped.

Xie Hui lifted his eyes and glanced at Huo Li. He recalled how the original story had described him—domineering, controlling, obsessed with his wife.

But now, all he saw was a complete egomaniac with no self-control, like a beast ruled entirely by desire, oblivious to time or place.

He couldn’t even be bothered to respond to Huo Li. Instead, he turned to look at the captain.

The captain, still upset over what had happened earlier, looked furious at Huo Li’s outburst. His tone was sharp as he warned, “Huo Li, have you forgotten the rules of the Guardian Team? Without solid evidence, you are not to question your teammates!”

After rebuking him, the captain turned to Xie Hui and sincerely apologized.

Xie Hui didn’t want to make a fuss at a time like this. He simply replied, “It’s fine,” then took Yunyun’s hand and pushed open the door.

The sound of the door creaking open instantly put everyone on edge. Even those who had been skeptical, like Huo Li, instinctively held their breath.

This was a warehouse in the mall. The goods had been piled up for so long that the air reeked of mildew.

Once the door was open, the only sound was their own breathing.

After a long silence, nothing happened. Huo Li sneered, curling his lip in mockery.

“This is the so-called fourth-tier zombie? What, is it invisible? Wow, I’m really shaking in my boots.”

Just as he finished speaking, Ping An, who had been held by Xiao Li, suddenly grew restless, pawing anxiously at the ground. Sensing something, Xiao Li quickly leaned down and unfastened the leash.

In the next instant, Ping An lunged toward a spot behind a cardboard box and sank its teeth into something hidden there.

Usually, when Ping An attacked, it would let out a low, threatening growl. Today was no different, but Xiao Li could hear the strain in its voice. Alarmed, he looked over.

The zombie looked small, but its wrist—no thicker than an adult’s finger—twitched once, and with that single motion, it flung Ping An aside like a ragdoll.

The heavy thud of Ping An hitting the ground made Xiao Li’s eyes go bloodshot with fury. He shouted instinctively:

“Ping An!”

This was the first time Xie Hui had encountered a zombie in this world that he found truly troublesome.

In a battle at fourth-tier and above, the rest of the Guardian Team couldn’t even get involved. Instead of helping, they’d only get in Xie Hui’s way.

Whenever someone tried to step in, Xie Hui would bark at them to back off.

He realized now that calling it a fourth-tier zombie had been too conservative. This one, which didn’t even look fully developed, was at least on par with him.

And when it came to equal levels, zombies were unquestionably stronger than humans.

Relying on his wealth of combat experience, Xie Hui barely managed to hold his ground.

But the longer the fight dragged on, the worse it got for him. No matter how good his stamina was, it couldn’t compare to a tireless zombie. On top of that, he had to constantly dodge its bites and claw swipes.

Yunyun stood watching from the side, nerves stretched taut, clutching the crystal core he’d been holding earlier. When he saw his dad nearly get caught by the zombie, tears welled up in his eyes.

In that moment, he even began blaming himself. He’d eaten so many crystal cores already—so why was he still such a useless little brat?

Useless… The word stung. Yunyun immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out Fugui’er, the little plant that only knew how to absorb crystal cores. He poked its leaf with a fingertip, urging it on.

“Help my dad. I’ll give you lots of tasty treats when we get back.”

Fugui’er, who’d been lazily drooping its leaves, perked up the instant it heard that. Vines shot out from the bottle in Yunyun’s hand, wrapping tightly around the zombie’s limbs.

A high-level zombie and a plant that only knew how to bask in the sun—this was like serving a dish right to its mouth. Fortunately, Xie Hui was still there to anchor the fight, so Fugui’er only needed to assist.

Xie Hui seized the brief two-second opening, gathered all his power, and formed an Ice Cone that he drove straight into the zombie’s crystal core.

The zombie froze, then collapsed to the ground.

After confirming it was dead, Xie Hui dropped to the ground himself. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his hair clung damply to his scalp.

For the first time, Yunyun didn’t rush over to dig out the pretty crystal core. Instead, he set Fugui’er aside and ran straight to his dad, throwing himself into his arms and wrapping his arms tightly around Xie Hui’s neck. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

He reached out with his chubby little hands and wiped the sweat from his dad’s forehead, then clung to him tightly.

“Daddy…”

Xie Hui’s limbs were sore and weak, his strength drained, but he still managed to lift a hand and gently pat Yunyun’s back, soothing him softly.

“I’m here.”

Several of Fugui’er’s vines had been severed by Xie Hui’s powers while restraining the zombie. Before it could even mourn its lost leaves, it was tossed to the ground. It had to use its leaves to push itself along the floor, slowly hopping its way back toward Xie Hui.

Yunyun casually scooped Fugui’er back into his pocket, then buried his face in his dad’s chest again.

That scene just now had scared him out of his wits. His heart was still pounding from the lingering fear.

Seeing how much Yunyun was clinging to him, Xie Hui reached out and pulled him fully into his arms.

Just then, a small door on the other side opened. The first to step out was a woman, her clothes tattered and barely holding together. When she saw familiar faces outside, she collapsed to the ground.

“Captain… you finally made it.”

Hearing her voice, He Fang walked over and helped her up. Following the direction she pointed, the rest of the team entered the room and brought out the other survivors.

There had been twelve people in that squad. Now, only five remained. All of them were gaunt and pale. A team member handed them water.

“Captain, we have to go… the zombie…”

After drinking some water, Jiang Shi regained a bit of strength. She tried to push herself up as she spoke.

“Don’t worry. That zombie’s already been taken care of.”

Seeing how anxious she was, He Fang explained calmly. But Jiang Shi still didn’t believe it. Instead, she grew even more agitated.

“I’m talking about the little zombie!”

“Right. Where is it?”

He Fang pointed to the ground. Jiang Shi looked over and saw the zombie lying there. It took her a moment to process it before tears welled up in her eyes. She nodded, choking on her words.

“Yes, that’s the one.”

At that moment, Yao Yu’s eyes were drawn to the zombie’s crystal core. Her heart began to race. She turned to exchange a glance with Huo Li.

Huo Li, well aware of his girlfriend’s special ability, gave her a subtle nod.

Yao Yu walked over and crouched down, reaching toward the core. But before she could touch it, Yunyun popped out of his dad’s arms and darted over, snatching the core and clutching it tightly in his palm. He glared at her fiercely.

Yunyun might have been small, but he held a grudge.

He’d seen this woman with the one who had insulted his dad. There was no way he could like her.

“It’s just a little thing. Do you really have to act like that?”

Noticing Xie Hui’s cold stare directed at Yao Yu, Huo Li frowned and spoke up casually.

“Besides, this was found during our mission. By the rules, shouldn’t it be split among us?”

Xie Hui was sitting on the ground, leaning against a pillar to recover. When he heard that, he frowned and looked up. His icy gaze made Huo Li’s breath catch in his throat.

The Captain, who had been comforting the rescued squad members, heard this and his temple twitched with anger. Ignoring the people around them, he slapped Huo Li across the face.

“Since when was that a rule? How come I’ve never heard of it?”

If Xie Hui hadn’t been here today, there was no guarantee any of them would’ve made it back alive.

Seeing how exhausted Xie Hui still looked after fighting that zombie, and then hearing Huo Li shamelessly try to claim the crystal core, the Captain was furious.

That pretty little thing might not have much practical use, but since Xie Hui was the one who killed the zombie, it belonged to him.

“Captain?”

Huo Li hadn’t expected the Captain to take someone else’s side over his.

Yao Yu, standing beside him, could already faintly sense the power radiating from the crystal core.

If she could get her hands on it, her ability level would definitely meet the threshold to join the Guardian Team.

The thought made her breathing grow heavy. She reached out and clung to Huo Li’s arm.

Her dejected expression snapped something in Huo Li’s mind. All he could think about was not letting Yao Yu suffer any injustice because of him.

“Captain, are you really going to hurt a veteran’s heart for the sake of a newcomer? It’s just a crystal core. So what if Yao Yu wants it? If that kid wants one, I’ll go find another for him later.”

The Captain patted Yunyun’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.

“In the Guardian Team, there’s no distinction between newcomers and veterans. Once you’re in, everyone is treated the same. Even if you’ve been on the team longer, you still need to play fair. Aren’t you ashamed of snatching something from a kid?”