Confusedly, Lin Qiao turned, glanced at the others and asked, “What’s going on?”
Xie Dong, Lu Tianyi, Lin Kui, and Pesticide all rolled their eyes, then looked at her disappointedly— ‘God knows! Didn’t you cause that? Why did you ask us? Who are we supposed to ask?’
Lin Qiao then turned to look at Xiao-Xiao who was behind her. After a short hesitation, she called her name, “Xiao-Xiao?”
Xiao-Xiao tightly gripped Lin Qiao’s cloth. Hearing the latter call her name, she raised her head and gave Lin Qiao a glance. Her dark eyes were filled with panic and helplessness.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Qiao asked.
Xiao-Xiao didn’t respond, but lowered her head and showed Lin Qiao her dirty hair. Meanwhile, she was still grasping Lin Qiao’s clothes.
‘What’s going on…’
Lin Qiao didn’t understand. Why did the female zombie react that way?
She turned back to the others and said, “You guys are frightening her, aren’t you?”
Lin Kui was at level-seven, and Xie Dong was at level-five. As the weakest two among the group, both Pesticide and Lu Tianyi were at level-four. So, Lin Qiao assumed that the suppression from those higher-leveled zombies had frightened Xiao-Xiao, who had just entered level-two.
The four rolled their eyes again.
‘What does it have to do with us! We didn’t do anything, did we?’
“Uh-em…” At that time, Bao Xiaoguo, who was lying on the couch, let out a deep moan. Lin Qiao and the others were immediately distracted by him.
They saw Bao Xiaoguo lying on the couch with a deep frown ̧ seeming to be in pain. His forehead was covered in sweat drops which were streaming down his cheeks.
Xiao-Xiao was probably attracted by Bao Xiaoguo as well. She stuck her head out from behind Lin Qiao and curiously looked at Bao Xiaoguo. Meanwhile, she reached her nose forward, seeming to be very sensitive to his scent.
Lin Qiao read her mind, and then turned to say to her, “You can’t eat humans.”
Hearing that, Xiao-Xiao raised her head and looked at Lin Qiao confusedly without understanding her words.
She wasn’t thinking about why she couldn’t eat humans. Instead, she was wondering why would she eat humans. Bao Xiaoguo smelled delicious indeed, but from the beginning, she never intended to eat him.
“Eh?” Lin Qiao gave her a glance with surprise, then suddenly blinked and asked, “Do you… know what you are now?”
Xiao-Xiao looked at her with confusion, then automatically lowered her head to look at her hands and body. After that, her expression changed drastically.
“Roarrrrr!” A hoarse screech was heard again.
This time, Lin Qiao was prepared. Before Xiao-Xiao uttered her voice, she quickly covered her ears.
The four all gave a start and quickly turned back to look at Lin Qiao and Xiao-Xiao, who was behind her.
“Urrrr…” Xiao-Xiao covered her arms before her chest, then hid back behind Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao uncrossed her arms and put a hand on her chin as she spent a short while thinking. After that, she took off her coat and covered Xiao-Xiao’s body with it.
Then, she turned and said to the others, “Keep an eye on that young man. I’m taking her upstairs to take a shower.”
Having finished talking, she headed toward the stairs while Xiao-Xiao followed closely behind her.
The others watched them walk upstairs bewilderedly. After that, they glanced at each other again, all wearing a confused look.
Lin Qiao went upstairs and saw Leng Xuantong, who was coming out of his room. He seemed to be lacking sleep. Seeing Lin Qiao, he asked, “I heard screams just now. What’s happening?”
He didn’t see Xiao-Xiao, who was hiding behind Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao stepped aside and let him see Xiao-Xiao. Then, she replied, with, “It was her.”
Leng Xuantong saw a scrawny figure with disheveled hair. The hallway wasn’t illuminated, so he couldn’t see her clearly.
He didn’t see Xiao-Xiao’s eyes, as she had her head lowered.
“Sorry that you’re awake. There won’t be more noises though. You can go back to rest,” Lin Qiao smiled at him and then brought Xiao-Xiao up to the third floor. She found her some clothes, and then brought her to the bathroom on the third floor.
Xiao-Xiao seemed to be panicking. After following Lin Qiao to the third floor, she finally realized something and suddenly grabbed Lin Qiao’s hands.
“Roarrr…” ‘Why… why did I become like this!”
Once she let out her voice, she was stunned again. Then, she covered her throat with her hands and popped her eyes in shock.
“Calm down and listen… just calm!” Lin Qiao hurriedly put a hand on her shoulder.
Xiao-Xiao calmed slightly; it might be because of the comforting vibe from Lin Qiao’s palm or because her tone of speaking eased her anxiety.
“Look at yourself. You should know that you are no longer a normal human being. Actually… you are not even a human being anymore,” Lin Qiao said to her, looking at her in the eyes.
‘Not a human being? What does she mean? What am I then?’ Xiao-Xiao looked at her with confusion.
Her mind wasn’t clear, and she hadn’t remembered anything yet. However, the moment she saw herself, she had sensed that something was wrong. After that, she suddenly realized that she was supposed to be human.
However, human bodies shouldn’t look like that!
“You are a… zombie,” Lin Qiao looked at her in the eyes and said.
Xiao-Xiao paused briefly; her dark zombie eyes froze for seven or eight seconds. After that span of time, she slightly popped her eyes, and next, surprise and disbelief filled those eyes. She didn’t want to believe Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao dragged her up to the mirror in the bathroom, then said to her, “Look at yourself.”
Xiao-Xiao turned and saw a woman who hadn’t showered in years in that dirty mirror. Her hair were messy, and that face under the hair did not look like the face of a human being.
At that point, she also realized that everything in her eyes had lost color!
Lin Qiao understood that she was slowly regaining her intelligence and common sense. She needed time to process all the shocking facts that she had just learned.
“I’m leaving these clothes here. We have water here. You take a shower and calm yourself. When you’re ready, come out and tell me what happened to you on the outside.” Lin Qiao put the clothes on a basket next to Xiao-Xiao while speaking, then went out of the bathroom with gentle steps.
Xiao-Xiao stayed motionless, her eyes fixed on the mirror.
Lin Qiao turned and went downstairs. There, she saw that Leng Xuantong was also in the living room, seemingly attracted by Bao Xiaoguo.
“What happened to him? He doesn’t look good,” Seeing Lin Qiao come down, Leng Xuantong asked curiously. Pesticide didn’t scare him, and Lin Kui was standing right beside him. So, he would not be shocked by another zombie.
“I think he’ll soon recover,” Lin Qiao walked over as she looked at Bao Xiaoguo and responded.
Confusedly, Lin Qiao turned, glanced at the others and asked, “What’s going on?”
Xie Dong, Lu Tianyi, Lin Kui, and Pesticide all rolled their eyes, then looked at her disappointedly— ‘God knows! Didn’t you cause that? Why did you ask us? Who are we supposed to ask?’
Lin Qiao then turned to look at Xiao-Xiao who was behind her. After a short hesitation, she called her name, “Xiao-Xiao?”
Xiao-Xiao tightly gripped Lin Qiao’s cloth. Hearing the latter call her name, she raised her head and gave Lin Qiao a glance. Her dark eyes were filled with panic and helplessness.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Qiao asked.
Xiao-Xiao didn’t respond, but lowered her head and showed Lin Qiao her dirty hair. Meanwhile, she was still grasping Lin Qiao’s clothes.
‘What’s going on…’
Lin Qiao didn’t understand. Why did the female zombie react that way?
She turned back to the others and said, “You guys are frightening her, aren’t you?”
Lin Kui was at level-seven, and Xie Dong was at level-five. As the weakest two among the group, both Pesticide and Lu Tianyi were at level-four. So, Lin Qiao assumed that the suppression from those higher-leveled zombies had frightened Xiao-Xiao, who had just entered level-two.
The four rolled their eyes again.
‘What does it have to do with us! We didn’t do anything, did we?’
“Uh-em…” At that time, Bao Xiaoguo, who was lying on the couch, let out a deep moan. Lin Qiao and the others were immediately distracted by him.
They saw Bao Xiaoguo lying on the couch with a deep frown ̧ seeming to be in pain. His forehead was covered in sweat drops which were streaming down his cheeks.
Xiao-Xiao was probably attracted by Bao Xiaoguo as well. She stuck her head out from behind Lin Qiao and curiously looked at Bao Xiaoguo. Meanwhile, she reached her nose forward, seeming to be very sensitive to his scent.
Lin Qiao read her mind, and then turned to say to her, “You can’t eat humans.”
Hearing that, Xiao-Xiao raised her head and looked at Lin Qiao confusedly without understanding her words.
She wasn’t thinking about why she couldn’t eat humans. Instead, she was wondering why would she eat humans. Bao Xiaoguo smelled delicious indeed, but from the beginning, she never intended to eat him.
“Eh?” Lin Qiao gave her a glance with surprise, then suddenly blinked and asked, “Do you… know what you are now?”
Xiao-Xiao looked at her with confusion, then automatically lowered her head to look at her hands and body. After that, her expression changed drastically.
“Roarrrrr!” A hoarse screech was heard again.
This time, Lin Qiao was prepared. Before Xiao-Xiao uttered her voice, she quickly covered her ears.
The four all gave a start and quickly turned back to look at Lin Qiao and Xiao-Xiao, who was behind her.
“Urrrr…” Xiao-Xiao covered her arms before her chest, then hid back behind Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao uncrossed her arms and put a hand on her chin as she spent a short while thinking. After that, she took off her coat and covered Xiao-Xiao’s body with it.
Then, she turned and said to the others, “Keep an eye on that young man. I’m taking her upstairs to take a shower.”
Having finished talking, she headed toward the stairs while Xiao-Xiao followed closely behind her.
The others watched them walk upstairs bewilderedly. After that, they glanced at each other again, all wearing a confused look.
Lin Qiao went upstairs and saw Leng Xuantong, who was coming out of his room. He seemed to be lacking sleep. Seeing Lin Qiao, he asked, “I heard screams just now. What’s happening?”
He didn’t see Xiao-Xiao, who was hiding behind Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao stepped aside and let him see Xiao-Xiao. Then, she replied, with, “It was her.”
Leng Xuantong saw a scrawny figure with disheveled hair. The hallway wasn’t illuminated, so he couldn’t see her clearly.
He didn’t see Xiao-Xiao’s eyes, as she had her head lowered.
“Sorry that you’re awake. There won’t be more noises though. You can go back to rest,” Lin Qiao smiled at him and then brought Xiao-Xiao up to the third floor. She found her some clothes, and then brought her to the bathroom on the third floor.
Xiao-Xiao seemed to be panicking. After following Lin Qiao to the third floor, she finally realized something and suddenly grabbed Lin Qiao’s hands.
“Roarrr…” ‘Why… why did I become like this!”
Once she let out her voice, she was stunned again. Then, she covered her throat with her hands and popped her eyes in shock.
“Calm down and listen… just calm!” Lin Qiao hurriedly put a hand on her shoulder.
Xiao-Xiao calmed slightly; it might be because of the comforting vibe from Lin Qiao’s palm or because her tone of speaking eased her anxiety.
“Look at yourself. You should know that you are no longer a normal human being. Actually… you are not even a human being anymore,” Lin Qiao said to her, looking at her in the eyes.
‘Not a human being? What does she mean? What am I then?’ Xiao-Xiao looked at her with confusion.
Her mind wasn’t clear, and she hadn’t remembered anything yet. However, the moment she saw herself, she had sensed that something was wrong. After that, she suddenly realized that she was supposed to be human.
However, human bodies shouldn’t look like that!
“You are a… zombie,” Lin Qiao looked at her in the eyes and said.
Xiao-Xiao paused briefly; her dark zombie eyes froze for seven or eight seconds. After that span of time, she slightly popped her eyes, and next, surprise and disbelief filled those eyes. She didn’t want to believe Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao dragged her up to the mirror in the bathroom, then said to her, “Look at yourself.”
Xiao-Xiao turned and saw a woman who hadn’t showered in years in that dirty mirror. Her hair were messy, and that face under the hair did not look like the face of a human being.
At that point, she also realized that everything in her eyes had lost color!
Lin Qiao understood that she was slowly regaining her intelligence and common sense. She needed time to process all the shocking facts that she had just learned.
“I’m leaving these clothes here. We have water here. You take a shower and calm yourself. When you’re ready, come out and tell me what happened to you on the outside.” Lin Qiao put the clothes on a basket next to Xiao-Xiao while speaking, then went out of the bathroom with gentle steps.
Xiao-Xiao stayed motionless, her eyes fixed on the mirror.
Lin Qiao turned and went downstairs. There, she saw that Leng Xuantong was also in the living room, seemingly attracted by Bao Xiaoguo.
“What happened to him? He doesn’t look good,” Seeing Lin Qiao come down, Leng Xuantong asked curiously. Pesticide didn’t scare him, and Lin Kui was standing right beside him. So, he would not be shocked by another zombie.
“I think he’ll soon recover,” Lin Qiao walked over as she looked at Bao Xiaoguo and responded.
