Chapter 18: Mission Distress
“When I was taking care of Xiao Zhi, some unexpected things happened, and he accidentally learned how to eat meat. To teach him a lesson, I took him to the quarantine zone so he could see what happens when people get bitten.”
Xie Huaijin looked as though he half-believed the story and half-doubted it, but Pei Zhi could tell the Leader had no intention of calling him out.
“So that’s how it is. It seems I misunderstood a few things.” Xie Huaijin’s eyes remained gentle and calm. “In other words, this little zombie still cannot resist the temptation of meat.”
“I will train him properly.”
“I won’t let him bite anyone again.”
Pei Zhi knew in his heart that after the recent training sessions, the little zombie would no longer take the initiative to attack people—especially living meat that cried out in pain and tried to run away.
“Going on missions is dangerous, and having to divide your attention to watch over Xiao Zhi makes it difficult to manage both. Why not let him stay here with me? I can assign a dedicated attendant to look after him. It would be much safer and far more convenient.”
A faint frost gathered between Pei Zhi’s brows, his reply crisp and decisive: “That won’t be necessary.”
“Don’t misunderstand—I would never harm Xiao Zhi. In my eyes, as long as a creature retains human thought, it still belongs with humanity. But others don’t share that view. You saw what happened today; if you aren’t around, he could easily get hurt.”
“I will protect him. I won’t let something like that happen again.” Pei Zhi’s tone was unyielding.
Xie Huaijin offered an understanding smile and said softly, “Very well. Since your mind is made up, I won’t push the matter. I trust you will take good care of Xiao Zhi.”
Pei Zhi stood up and gave Xie Huaijin a respectful nod.
Seeing this, the little zombie hurried to his feet right beside him, mimicking the motion with an awkward little bow of his own.
Right after that, he quickly picked up his dish and gulped down the very last cube of congealed blood—the piece he had been saving and licking for ages—swallowing it whole with a happy gulp.
Having licked the plate cleaner than if it had been washed with soap, the little zombie tugged at Pei Zhi’s jacket and started shuffling toward the exit, casting longing backward glances at the spotless china as he walked.
A faint smile touched Xie Huaijin’s lips. He turned to a servant and instructed that the remaining animal blood prepared for the visit be delivered to Pei Zhi’s residence.
On the way back, Pei Zhi glanced at the orderly following quietly behind them. Something felt slightly off, but he figured he might just be overthinking things.
To survive in the base, even top-tier ability users had to take on missions regularly to trade for food and essential supplies.
The following morning, Pei Zhi brought the little zombie along to the Mission Office.
While waiting in line, many of the ability users recognized Pei Zhi, and some had fought beside him on previous runs. A few of the bolder ones came over to tease the little zombie.
“Well now, aren’t you the little zombie Captain Pei brought back? This is my first time seeing one so clean and pretty, without a single speck of rot. Are you really a zombie?”
The little zombie nodded earnestly and let out a soft “Awoo.”
The playful ability user was named Xiao Lu. Naturally lively and mischievous, he kept teasing, “I don’t buy it. You look like a regular person playing dress-up. How are you going to prove you’re a zombie?”
Anxious to prove himself, the little zombie popped out his two sharp little fangs, opened his mouth wide, and tapped them with his index finger to show he was the real deal—the kind of zombie that ate meat!
Xiao Lu looked unimpressed. “Just having sharp fangs makes you a zombie? Plenty of us have canine teeth like that. Does that make all of us zombies too?”
Real zombies ate meat. To prove his point, the little zombie grabbed Xiao Lu’s forearm, pulled it toward his mouth, and stopped just short of the skin, snapping his jaws into the air with exaggerated growls: “Awoo! Awoo!”
“Holy crap!”
Xiao Lu shrieked, jumped half a meter into the air, and scrambled backward so fast that he knocked right into another ability user in line, tumbling into a messy heap.
The surrounding ability users burst into roaring laughter.
Through it all, Pei Zhi’s face remained completely deadpan. Finally, he spoke up, his voice dropping into a chill: “What, are all of you out of things to do?”
The laughter cut off instantly, and the crowd obediently shuffled back into line to log their assignments.
The task Pei Zhi accepted this time was equipment maintenance. A power generator along the outer perimeter of the base had been damaged by wandering zombies, cutting off electricity to the communication arrays and positioning systems in that sector. This temporarily severed contact between the Western District Base and neighboring settlements.
Assigned to Pei Zhi’s team were Xiao Lu, the joker from earlier, and another seasoned ability user.
The mission carried unpredictable risks. Although it didn’t call for an active horde sweep, the turbine stood quite far from the base, and whether they would run into migrating swarms or high-tier zombies along the way was anyone’s guess.
Restoring power was urgent. Pei Zhi loaded his team into the military vehicle and drove out through the main gates.
They skirted around scattered zombies along the road. Refusing to get bogged down in needless skirmishes, Pei Zhi drove the entire day without taking a break, taking turns at the wheel with Xiao Lu so they could eat lunch on the move.
By dusk, the group finally pulled up to the turbine site.
Perched atop a barren slope stood a wind turbine. Its once-white blades were streaked with rust, turning at an agonizingly sluggish pace while grinding out a harsh, metallic screech. The entire tower shuddered faintly with every rotation.
Several loose cables dangled from the generator hub, running down into a tarnished distribution box below where faint indicator lights flickered unevenly.
A handful of zombies were shambling around the base of the tower. Pei Zhi cut the engine, drew the sidearm from his holster, and put two rounds cleanly through their skulls.
Xiao Lu and the other teammate jumped out immediately to secure the perimeter.
The little zombie hopped down from the cabin as well. Assuming they were simply out to enjoy the fresh air, he looked thrilled, scampering around the grass before squatting down near a cluster of boulders to carefully pick out smooth, pretty stones.
Pei Zhi kept one eye on the boy. Once he was sure the immediate area was safe, he inspected the severed cables, which had been gnawed straight through.
A long stretch of wire was completely ruined. Pei Zhi retrieved a spool of aluminum-core wire from the trunk, stripped the rubber insulation, climbed up to the turbine motor, flipped the primary breaker, and set to work splicing the lines.
The other two ability users picked off straggling zombies that wandered too close, keeping their eyes peeled on the tree line.
Just as Pei Zhi finished securing the final connection, Xiao Lu’s face drained of color, and he yelled at the top of his lungs: “Captain Pei! A massive horde is barreling straight for us!”
Pei Zhi kept his cool, finishing the last turn of electrical tape before throwing the main breaker. The dormant blades began to pick up speed, gradually settling into a smooth, steady rotation. The harsh grinding stopped, and the control box lit up green, confirming that power had been restored.
Pei Zhi dropped down from the platform and shouted to the pair, “Back to the truck, fall back!”
The little zombie was still absorbed in his rock collection when Pei Zhi swept him up by the waist in one fluid motion and sprinted for the vehicle. Tossing the boy into the passenger seat, Pei Zhi jumped behind the wheel while the other two dived into the back.
Pei Zhi fired the engine, floored the gas pedal, and smashed through several screeching zombies that lunged in front of the bumper.
Heading down the mountain track, the undead multiplied rapidly, swarming out of the dark like an endless wave of ants throwing themselves at the chassis.
At first, the heavy truck could still ram its way through, but the creatures quickly piled on top of one another, forming a solid wall of rotting bodies that choked the road completely.
The vehicle ground to a dead halt under the crushing weight. Ghouls surged over the hood; the side windows shattered under violent impacts, and the military truck was swallowed whole by the roaring mob.
At that desperate second, a brilliant golden light erupted around the vehicle. Blinding arcs of high-voltage lightning tore out from the metal frame, instantly blowing the crawling zombies to smoldering ash and blasting the horde clean off the truck…
The Food-hoarding Zombie Was Kidnapped by the Apocalyptic Boss
