Chapter 196: Raising a Little Zombie 14

After speaking, the Captain didn’t even glance at Huo Li’s expression. He simply reached out and ruffled Yunyun’s hair.

“Don’t worry. Uncle won’t let anyone take what rightfully belongs to you.”

In the Guardian Team, the rule was that seniority didn’t matter—once you joined, you were one of them. But at the end of the day, people were still people, and it was hard to be completely selfless.

In this particular incident, even if the person who did this was He Fang, who had the best relationship with them, it was still difficult for any team member to defend him against their conscience.

If it hadn’t been for Xie Hui, they wouldn’t have made it out alive when faced with a high-level zombie like that.

They hadn’t helped at all from start to finish, yet they still wanted to take something from him. That wasn’t just shameless—it was downright despicable.

After a short rest, Xie Hui felt much better. He held Yunyun’s hand and led him out. The other team members helped carry out the ones who had been trapped inside.

Xiao Li, worried about his dog Ping An, couldn’t bear to let it walk anymore. He carried it in his arms like a child.

To him, Ping An wasn’t just a dog—it was a comrade who had fought by his side for years.

Though the biggest threat had been eliminated, there were still lower-level zombies around. With so many non-combatants in tow, even dealing with those would be a challenge.

The group retreated quickly. Huo Li stood in the now-empty space, pulled Yao Yu into his arms, and gently comforted her.

“I’ll find you a better one in the future.”

Yao Yu nodded slightly, but deep down, she knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Huo Li was currently a second-rank Ability User, but that zombie crystal core they had just missed—judging by her instincts—was at least fifth-rank. Its energy matched her current state perfectly.

Even if Huo Li managed to get his hands on another fifth-rank core later, it probably wouldn’t be as useful to her as this one would have been.

On the ride back, Xie Hui didn’t share a vehicle with Huo Li and the others. Yunyun, no longer his usual cheerful and lively self, sat quietly beside his father, clinging tightly to his arm.

Seeing the child so tense, the others didn’t dare tease him. The ride back was completely silent.

When the vehicle arrived at the base and they got out, people came rushing over to carry the unconscious team members inside.

Xie Hui led his son back to their quarters, locked the door from the inside, and had just sat down on the couch when Yunyun, already a big kid, climbed into his lap.

Knowing he’d scared the boy earlier, Xie Hui didn’t say anything about him being too clingy.

Yunyun rested his head against his father’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Ever since his own heart had stopped beating, he’d grown especially fond of listening to his dad’s heartbeat. It was his way of confirming that his father was still alive and safe.

“I’m sorry. Daddy was too reckless and made you worry.”

Xie Hui gently rubbed the back of his son’s head. As soon as he finished speaking, Yunyun nodded seriously.

“Mm…”

Back outside, and given Yunyun’s identity as a zombie, there were many things that couldn’t be said aloud. But now that it was just the two of them, Yunyun lifted his head, stared at the exhaustion on his father’s face, and his nose twitched as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Daddy…”

“I’m here.”

Xie Hui smiled and responded. The boy immediately threw his arms around his father’s neck and choked out,

“I don’t care if Daddy looks ugly, but I don’t want to lose you. I was so scared.”

“That zombie didn’t listen to me at all. He was so mean.”

Listening to his son’s tearful complaints, Xie Hui gently patted his back. Seeing how pitiful he looked, he pulled him into a tighter embrace and said softly,

“Daddy knows he was wrong.”

“Daddy… is it because I was being too selfish? If we were still out there, we could’ve avoided this kind of dangerous zombie earlier.”

When Yunyun had convinced his father to come to the government-run Survivor Base, he had truly wanted to become a great hero.

But no matter how great a hero he became, he couldn’t do it without his dad.

“Yunyun wasn’t selfish. It was Daddy who didn’t think things through enough. Yunyun is better than Daddy. Daddy only wanted to protect Yunyun, but Yunyun wants to protect the whole world.”

Xie Hui would do more to help others, but only on the condition that Yunyun was safe. This little guy, though, wanted to help others as long as he had the ability to do so.

Xie Hui comforted his son for a long time. It wasn’t until a knock came at the door that Yunyun wiped his tears with the back of his hand and quickly climbed off his father’s lap.

He could be a child in front of his dad, but in front of others, he had to be a man who could protect his father.

“Yunyun, Daddy’s really tired right now. Can you help me open the door? Thank you.”

Back outside, he hadn’t felt it as much, but now that they were back in their quarters, Xie Hui didn’t even want to lift a finger if he could help it.

“Okay. You’re welcome.”

Yunyun wiped his tears dry with a tissue, unlocked the door, and pulled it open.

Standing outside was the Captain of the Guardian Team, holding a small fruit basket.

“Hello, Uncle.”

“Hey there, little one. Hello to you too.”

The Captain stepped inside and, seeing Xie Hui sitting on the couch, placed the fruit basket on the coffee table.

After the apocalypse, most people survived on instant food. Fresh fruits and vegetables were rare and expensive.

Bringing a fruit basket as an apology showed the Captain’s sincerity.

“I’m really sorry, Xie Hui. I didn’t expect Huo Li and the others to be so clueless. Don’t worry, from now on, whenever you’re on a mission, I’ll make sure he’s assigned elsewhere. I won’t let anyone be an eyesore in front of you again.”

As he apologized, the Captain carefully watched Xie Hui’s expression, afraid that this incident had upset him enough to make him reconsider staying with the Guardian Team.

Initially, they’d wanted to keep Xie Hui because he was a fourth-rank powerhouse. But after seeing his strength firsthand, they were even more determined. They couldn’t afford to lose him.

“Alright.”

Xie Hui nodded. He really didn’t want to go on missions with the male and female leads. Watching them act like animals in heat was both disgusting and a bad influence on his kid.

“Um… about that supply transport mission I mentioned before, what do you think?”

“Contact me once the mission time is confirmed. My condition is still the same—I’m bringing my son.”

“Yes, of course. No problem.”

The Captain had worried before about the safety of bringing a child, but after seeing what Yunyun could do, and confirming he could protect himself, those concerns were gone.

“Uncle, my dad’s really tired right now. If there’s anything else, can we talk about it tomorrow?”

Yunyun had been watching them the whole time. As soon as they finished talking, he couldn’t wait to start urging the man to leave.

“Alright. I’ll come back once the mission time is set.”

After seeing the guest out, Yunyun imitated his father and locked the door from the inside. Then he ran back to the sofa and gently nudged his father’s shoulder.

“Dad, go sleep in the bed.”

“Mm.”

Xie Hui forced himself to stay awake just long enough to make it to the bedroom, then collapsed straight onto the bed. Normally a stickler for cleanliness, he didn’t even manage to take off anything but his jacket.

Watching his father fall asleep, Yunyun let out a helpless sigh. He walked over and busied himself with tucking the blanket around his dad.

Then, noticing the dirt smudged on his father’s face, he found a clean towel, dampened it, and carefully wiped his father’s face clean.

Once everything was done, Yunyun pulled over a small stool and sat by the bedside. He rested his elbows on his knees, propped his chin on his hands, and stared at his father, his thoughts drifting back to the Zombie they’d encountered earlier that day.

He himself was a Zombie too, and he could talk. No one could tell he was one.

But when he compared himself to that other Zombie, he realized he fell short in every way—except for having a pampered little plant kid to raise.

On top of that, the kid had an incredible appetite for Crystal Cores.

The more Yunyun thought about it, the more he found himself exasperated with his own uselessness. At the same time, he secretly felt a pang of guilt and heartache for his father.

Before the apocalypse, his dad had worked hard to support him, and he still didn’t behave. After the apocalypse, his dad fought Zombies to keep him fed, and he still wasn’t of much help.

Xie Hui slept for a long time this time. By the time he woke up, it was already the latter half of the night. The first thing he felt when he opened his eyes was hunger. Before he was even fully awake, Yunyun had already pounced on him eagerly.

“Dad, you’re finally awake! Mr. Sun is about to head off to work!”

Zombies didn’t sleep, so Xie Hui figured Yunyun must’ve been really bored while he was out.

As he lifted the blanket and got out of bed, he scooped Yunyun up in his arms.

“Dad, I’m a big kid now. Can you still carry me?”

Even though he said that, Yunyun actually loved being carried by his dad. His blue eyes sparkled with joy.

“No matter how big you get, I’ll still be able to carry you.”

Xie Hui walked out and turned on the lights. Besides safety, the best thing about the base was having running water and electricity. It was a far cry from their days on the run, relying on flashlights to get by.

The fruit the Captain had brought earlier was still sitting on the coffee table. Food was precious these days, and Xie Hui didn’t want to waste any. Since it was already late and he didn’t want to disturb others, he just washed a few pieces to eat.

While Xie Hui was eating, Yunyun took out the Crystal Core he had picked up during the day. It was a mysterious shade of blue, shimmering under the light.

Yunyun had never eaten such a high-grade Crystal Core before. He couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

But when he remembered the scene from earlier, he quietly clenched the Core in his hand, reluctant to eat it.

“What’s wrong?”

Xie Hui noticed Yunyun’s small movements and turned to look at him.

“Dad, why didn’t that Zombie listen to me?”

Yunyun had discovered before that when his thoughts were especially strong, many Zombies would act according to his will.

He couldn’t control too many at once, or else it gave him a splitting headache.

But yesterday, no matter how hard he tried—he couldn’t stop that Zombie’s actions. Not even for a second.

Xie Hui took a bite of his apple and shared his guess.

“He’s not a normal Zombie.”