Chapter 201: Raising a Little Zombie 19

Previously, those who wanted to follow Huo Li were mostly tempted by his promises of a better life. Who wouldn’t want to live comfortably, especially in this uncertain Apocalypse where survival until tomorrow is not guaranteed? The allure of seizing the day was too strong for them.

When Huo Li mentioned that they were working themselves to the bone to protect ordinary people, and yet their living conditions were worse than before the Apocalypse, he offered the idea of establishing a private base where everything would belong to them. This inevitably swayed some people.

But now, seeing their once-familiar comrade He Fang kneel and personally pull the trigger to kill his own father, and witnessing He Fang’s father, a high-ranking member of the base, face death without hesitation, most of the onlookers were moved to tears, their hearts weighed down by a heavy stone.

The person who spoke up was just the beginning. Soon, many of those who had been persuaded started throwing back the items Huo Li had given them.

“As long as I can have a meal and not starve in the base, that’s enough. Living the good life you promised would weigh on my conscience!”

None of those present could honestly claim they had never been protected by others. Now that they had gained abilities, they could protect those who once sheltered them, or join those heroes in safeguarding a common group.

In such times, how could they entertain thoughts of retreat? How could they even consider it?

“You go live your good life. Seeing the ordinary people I want to protect live peacefully is more satisfying than any feast.”

“Yeah, you and your wife go ahead. I’ll stay here, and if I die, it’ll be a worthy death.”

One of the people who had initially agreed to leave with Huo Li stepped forward and slapped himself hard.

“I remember the year my hometown was flooded, a soldier sacrificed himself to save my grandmother and never got up from the water. I wanted to join the army then.”

“I never made it before, but after the Apocalypse, when I awakened my abilities, Captain didn’t mind and let me join the Guardian Team. And yet, I was planning to leave with Huo Li. I’m such a fool.”

Though Huo Li had convinced most of them, now, apart from the three closest to him, everyone else decided to stay.

This is the darkest era, where the worst of human nature is brought to the surface, yet it cannot extinguish the fire in their hearts.

Those kids who once wielded sticks as weapons, dreaming of being heroes, grew up and chose sacrifice over indulgence.

Yunyun clutched his father’s clothes tightly, wanting to say something but realizing that nothing he could say would be appropriate in this situation.

The wind stirred up yellow sand, blinding many and causing tears to flow uncontrollably, which they wiped away casually.

In this cold wind, their blood ran hot.

Although He Fang’s father had died, his body could not remain, so it was cremated.

The Base Leader personally came to bid him farewell. The bright red on his urn pierced through the darkness enveloping the base, like the first light breaking through the clouds at dawn.

Those Guardian Team members who had planned to leave all went to his grave to pay their respects.

With the Zombie Tide approaching, the farewell ceremony was somewhat rushed. The Guardian Team had more pressing matters, and even He Fang, the only child of his father, had little time for mourning.

Before the tears at the corners of his eyes had dried, he had to change into his Guardian Team uniform and prepare for the next mission.

Instead, it was the ordinary people in the base who spontaneously went to clean the resting places of the heroes.

The Base Leader hadn’t assigned anyone to clean that place, yet it was always spotless.

With the large-scale Zombie Tide approaching, the Guardian Team had already lost many members in just a few days, but those guarding the place never retreated even half a step.

Yunyun finally got his wish, donning an army-green uniform and a small safety helmet made to match the others, becoming the youngest member of the Guardian Team.

During the first Zombie Tide attack on the base, Huo Li, with his three friends and Yao Yu, quietly slipped away while others bravely resisted the Zombies.

Xie Hui, being the highest-level Ability User in the base, went directly to the highest-level Zombies in the Tide and killed them, then helped the other Guardian Team members clear out the rest.

After each wave of Zombies was cleared, while others rested and checked for injuries, Yunyun would grab his small blue bucket and shovel and run over.

His eyes sparkled, with “Food” written on one side and “Hungry” on the other.

To Yunyun, these weren’t terrifying Zombies; they were clearly his meals for tonight, tomorrow, and the day after!

Before those in protective suits could clean up the dead Zombies, he would thoroughly extract the Crystal Cores from their heads.

Since his father’s death, He Fang had matured significantly from the shy, sunny boy he once was. At not even twenty, he became the Deputy Captain of the Guardian Team, capable of handling things on his own.

After confirming everyone was uninjured, He Fang went to Yunyun’s side to help him dig out the Crystal Cores.

He bore no grudge against Yunyun for being a Zombie. As Uncle Li said, their enemies were the monsters that only knew how to eat people, not cute little Zombies like Yunyun.

He would continue to strive to complete the tasks his father left unfinished.

“Yunyun, once you’re done, head back and don’t wander off. Dad has some things to do.”

The little one, focused on digging into heads, only gave a perfunctory reply without even looking up.

Xie Hui hurried in the direction Huo Li and his group had left. Without Portable Space and with the cars being base property, walking was no match for Xie Hui’s motorcycle.

Huo Li, exhausted from walking, looked up quickly at the sound of a vehicle. Seeing it was someone familiar, his expression turned cold.

Xie Hui parked the bike a short distance away and walked up to them.

“What are you here for? To laugh at us or to persuade us to go back?”

Hearing Huo Li’s words, Xie Hui couldn’t help but find it amusing.

He rarely encountered protagonists who couldn’t grasp the situation even now, lacking even basic sense.

To others in the base, Huo Li’s status as a second-tier Ability User was impressive, but to Xie Hui, it was nothing.

“I’m here to see you off.”

Xie Hui didn’t bother with idle chatter. They say villains die from talking too much, and what he was doing now wasn’t much different from a villain’s act.

After kicking Huo Li, he summoned an Ice Cone to pierce Huo Li’s shoulder. As Huo Li cried out in pain, Xie Hui fed him something he had prepared in advance.

After Huo Li detected the strange taste in his mouth, he ignored the pain in his body and immediately tried to induce vomiting by sticking his fingers down his throat.

Xie Hui treated the remaining people in the same manner. After feeding them the concoction, he looked at the individuals sprawled on the ground and said softly, “Yao Yu, since you’re so eager to experiment on others, why don’t you first experience what it feels like?”

With that, Xie Hui mounted his motorcycle and headed back.

Xie Hui didn’t like using extreme measures to make someone die. He believed such punishment was too mild, as the pain of death is but a moment’s relief. Instead, he retrieved something he had forgotten to discard earlier.

This was a failed potion from his days of learning alchemy in the interstellar realm. It would prevent a person from dying for ten years, no matter how much they were tormented, and it would amplify their pain exponentially.

Items from other worlds would indeed have their effects diminished upon arriving in this world. If they could exert even a third of their original power, it was considered a good outcome.

Xie Hui disabled the abilities of those people, reducing them to the ordinary humans they once looked down upon, and fed them the failed potion. Even if bitten by a zombie, they would only clearly feel the pain of infection. Even if they turned into zombies, they would still retain their sense of pain and memory.

On his way back, Xie Hui saw a small zombie tide heading toward Huo Li and his group.

Back at the base, Yunyun had a fruitful day, digging up three buckets of crystal cores. After cleaning them thoroughly, he stuffed them into his bag. Before he even reached home, he saw many people waiting at his doorstep from afar.

“Yunyun, I managed to get a few crystal cores today too. Here, take them.”

Xiao Li handed a bag to Yunyun. Ever since they learned that this little zombie survived by consuming other zombies’ crystal cores, they would seize any opportunity to dig out the cores and give them to him.

On the surface, he looked like an ordinary zombie child, but the members of the Guardian Team were well aware of Yunyun’s true capabilities. He controlled numerous zombies, significantly weakening their attack power, making it easier for the Guardian Team to handle them.

After using so much mental energy each day, Yunyun would always end up with a headache. Perhaps due to their country’s traditional belief that you should nourish the part that hurts, even when dealing with a little zombie, they decided to let him eat more crystal cores extracted from other zombies’ heads to replenish himself.

Once a child who could never eat his fill, Yunyun was now stuffed daily by the Guardian Team’s offerings, to the point where Fu Gui’er had to use vines to support him as he walked.

Fu Gui’er, benefiting from his master’s favor, could also enjoy plenty of crystal cores his master didn’t like, consuming them cleanly when piled next to its roots.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

When Xie Hui returned, he happened to witness this scene. He glanced at the several bags of crystal cores Yunyun was holding and waved him over.

“Looks like you’re quite pleased today?”

“Yes, Daddy, I have so many crystal cores!”

Yunyun sat there, hugging the bags of crystal cores tightly, his face full of satisfaction.

As the father and son conversed, a person in a white coat knocked on their door.

“Mr. Xie, is it? Professor Yu would like to meet with you. When would you be available?”