Chapter 14: Kill Him!
The little zombie did not eat much of the human food. After picking through barely half a bowl of rice, he refused to take another bite. Seeing this, Pei Zhi dumped the remaining rice into his own bowl and cleared every last grain in a ravenous sweep.
Once dinner was finished, Pei Zhi tied on an apron to wash the dishes in the kitchen, while the little zombie curled up on the sofa, happily fiddling with his solid gold ingot.
The moment Pei Zhi dried his hands and untied the apron, the boy bounded over, tugging playfully at the hem of the man’s shirt to pester him for another game of stone-tossing.
Pei Zhi indulged him for several rounds. The man’s broad palms could scoop up every falling stone in a single effortless sweep, leaving the little zombie giggling with delight.
By ten in the evening, Pei Zhi pulled the boy up to wash his face and head to bed.
Early the following morning, Pei Zhi prepared to take the little zombie along on an assignment.
To his surprise, staff from the registration office came knocking on the front door.
Every survivor brought back to the base was required to undergo identity verification and receive an official post-apocalyptic ID card.
Pei Zhi had already stepped out earlier to claim the day’s assignment. By the time he walked back, the screening clerk was already waiting on the porch.
When they had passed through the outer checkpoint, the boy’s true identity had been thoroughly masked. Anyone cleared into the inner base was presumed to be human by default, and given Jiang Xiaozhi’s clean appearance, no ordinary person would ever suspect he was an undead creature.
This particular task required Pei Zhi to lead a strike team to clear wandering infected around the outer perimeter walls. The squad would not need to travel far and was expected back before noon.
Pei Zhi turned to the clerk and instructed, “Once his registration is complete, take him straight to Lin Feng. Have Lin Feng keep an eye on him until I return.”
The registration staff all recognized Pei Zhi and knew his formidable standing in the settlement, so they promised to follow his directions to the letter.
Lin Feng and the other quarantined survivors had already recovered and were released from observation. The sudden turn of events had caught the attention of the base’s research council and chief leadership. Yet after extensive questioning yielded no answers, they had no choice but to let Lin Feng return home to rest.
The registration went smoothly. Pei Zhi handed over Jiang Xiaozhi’s pre-apocalypse ID card for the clerk to copy down the details, keeping the mother’s letter safely tucked away in his own pocket.
The clerk sat the boy down across from the office desk and began the formal intake facing a recording lens.
“Full name.”
The little zombie tilted his head. “Awoo…”
The clerk glanced at the old card beside him. “Jiang Xiaozhi, right? Age.”
The boy blinked innocently. “Awoo-lawoo…”
The clerk scribbled into the ledger: “Eighteen years old…”
“Registered address.”
This time, the little zombie didn’t even bother whining. He simply tilted his head, watching the clerk with wide, curious eyes.
Dropping the pretense, the clerk laid the original card right next to the logbook and transcribed the rest of the information by hand. Once the paperwork was settled, he led the boy to an adjacent studio booth to take a fresh photo.
With his porcelain-white skin, soft curls, and bright, soulful eyes, any candid snapshot turned out looking lovely.
Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Xiaozhi’s brand-new base ID card was pressed into his hands.
The little zombie turned the plastic card over and over in his palm. The clerk reminded him, “This is your official base pass. Don’t lose it.”
The boy let out an obedient chirp to show he understood, then tucked the card away into his spatial realm.
On the walk over to Lin Feng’s quarters, the little zombie pulled the pass out again, flipping it between his fingers. He tapped a finger against his own face in the portrait, dragged it across to the printed characters, and read his name aloud syllable by syllable: “Awoo… awoo… awoo…”
In a shadowy alleyway nearby, Cheng Yu watched the scene unfold with venom in his eyes. Did Pei Zhi really go out of his way to get that creature an official base card? Is he genuinely planning to keep this zombie at his side forever?
Spite gnawed at his chest. How am I inferior to a walking corpse?
His hand brushed against the wrapped bundle hidden inside his rucksack, a sinister glimmer flashing in his gaze. He was determined to see if this monster could survive the day!
As the boy walked along with the clerk, a chunk of raw meat suddenly tumbled from the shadows, landing right before his feet.
The little zombie quickly tucked his ID away, hurried forward, scooped the meat up, and brought it to his nose.
It was real, fresh meat!
His appetite flared instantly.
He racked his brain to recall what Pei Zhi had taught him: Walking, running, living people cannot be eaten because they feel fear and agony. But a scrap of meat like this has no thoughts at all, so it should be fine to eat, right?
He gave it another sniff. The rich scent of blood sent saliva pooling in his mouth. Fighting his urge, he poked the scrap with a finger, then parted his lips in a mock bite.
Sure enough, the meat did not scream or scramble away. It clearly felt no pain. Unable to hold back any longer, the little zombie dug in, chewing with ravenous gusto.
The clerk panicked and reached down to pull him away. “Why are you eating raw meat off the ground? Aren’t you afraid of getting sick?!”
Right on cue, Cheng Yu sprang out from the corner. Keeping a safe distance, he pointed an accusatory finger at Jiang Xiaozhi and screamed at the top of his lungs, “He is a zombie! Come look, everyone! He’s eating human flesh!”
Pedestrians along the avenue froze at the shout, turning their heads toward the kneeling boy in unison.
Jiang Xiaozhi remained completely oblivious, his head buried in his prize as he chewed away happily. He hadn’t harmed any running meat, yet he had managed to fill his belly—he felt entirely satisfied.
The clerk processed Cheng Yu’s words with a sickening jolt, his heart skipping a beat as he quietly backed several paces away.
Terrified that the creature might lunge at him in a frenzy, Cheng Yu kept his distance while continuing to incite the crowd: “Look at his fangs! He’s an infected monster that slipped past the gates disguised as a normal person!”
Panic rippled through the street. The survivors stared at the boy with mounting terror and visceral hatred.
The boy was frail and slender, lacking the rotting gore of the mindless abominations beyond the walls. He looked utterly fragile, practically harmless.
Seeing how small he was, someone in the mob found their courage, pointed a trembling finger at Jiang Xiaozhi, and bellowed, “Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
Cheng Yu took up the chant immediately. “Put this monster down!”
One by one, the bystanders joined in, their angry shouts swelling into a deafening chorus.
Sensing the hostility closing in around him, the little zombie let out a frightened whimper. Dropping the meat to the dirt, he pulled his knees to his chest and curled in on himself with an aggrieved squeak.
Don’t hit me… I won’t eat it anymore.
Out of nowhere, a heavy stone flew through the air, striking Jiang Xiaozhi squarely across the shoulder.
He staggered sideways from the blow, looking up at the furious mob with wide, bewildered eyes, lost in helpless confusion.
Seeing that the creature didn’t fight back and only cowered in fear, the crowd grew brazen.
More rocks pelted his small frame. Several men snatched wooden staves from nearby stalls, swinging them brutally against his shoulders and head.
Terror seized the boy. Clamping both arms over his skull, he scrambled to flee, only to be tripped by an outstretched foot and thrown hard onto the cobblestones.
A hail of stones and heavy sticks rained down on his back. Several strikes landed squarely against his head, driving him into absolute panic.
From the edge of the circle, Cheng Yu egged them on with gleeful venom: “Hit him harder! Kill the abomination! If he lives, he’ll devour us all in our sleep!”
Just as the beating reached a fever pitch, a searing arc of heat tore through the air like a sudden firework. Whistling into the center of the mob, the fiery blast swept outward, knocking the attackers off their feet in a sprawling heap.
Lin Feng strode forward through the smoke. Pulling the battered little zombie from the ground, he stepped between him and the crowd, his face freezing into a murderous glare.
“Anyone who lays a finger on him dies right here!”
Cheng Yu pointed a furious finger at him, screeching in outrage, “Lin Feng! Are you openly protecting an infected monster?!”
“And what if I am?!”
Before the words fully cleared his lips, Lin Feng channeled his fire ability. A jet of bright flame shot from his fingers, engulfing Cheng Yu’s sleeve in an instant.
Shrieking in agony, Cheng Yu scrambled toward a rainwater barrel by the curb, throwing himself inside with a huge splash to extinguish the blaze.
Watching the raw display of power, the mob shrank back step by step, not a single soul daring to advance another inch.
The Food-hoarding Zombie Was Kidnapped by the Apocalyptic Boss
