Failed Hunt, Got Caught Instead

In fact, Qi Xing had heard Jiang Zhaosu's footsteps the moment she approached. He had raised his guard and prepared himself.

Seeing that the intruder was merely a little zombie, Qi Xing had originally intended to spare Jiang Zhaosu.

Unfortunately, this little zombie clearly had no intention of accepting his kindness. Even with her feet bound, she refused to behave, constantly crawling toward him with her mouth open and drooling at him, looking greedily willing to risk her life for a bite of meat.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Qi Xing decided it would be better to kill this little zombie.

"Overestimating yourself."

Qi Xing frowned slightly and spoke softly as he slowly raised his injured arm. His middle and index fingers pointed at Jiang Zhaosu, their joints curling and twitching faintly.

The green vines that had somehow silently emerged from the cracks between the floor tiles and wrapped around Jiang Zhaosu's ankles suddenly sprang up, binding her hands and feet.

Originally, Jiang Zhaosu could still drag herself forward with her arms. Now she was tied up so tightly that even her mouth was covered by a thick branch, leaving her able to do nothing but wriggle across the ground like a caterpillar.

Food came before everything. Even so, Jiang Zhaosu continued struggling toward Qi Xing, low beastlike growls rumbling from her throat as she clamored for meat.

But the next second, Jiang Zhaosu saw Qi Xing remove a dagger from the Thigh Holster strapped to his leg.

The man's long, pale fingers gripped the hilt as he leisurely removed the sheath.

The dagger's blade was thin and sharp. Its cold silver-white gleam reflected toward her, flashing before Jiang Zhaosu's eyes.

"..."

Jiang Zhaosu's gaze instantly cleared, and she shut her mouth.

Watching the beautiful man slowly rise from the ground, take a step with his long legs, and walk toward her with that terrifying dagger in hand—

Jiang Zhaosu suddenly regained her senses and felt as though she was not quite that hungry anymore.

Although the man wore no vicious expression and even looked somewhat indifferent, Jiang Zhaosu instinctively sensed that he meant her harm.

No matter how slow her thoughts were, Jiang Zhaosu now realized that the world she had awakened in was different from the one she had originally lived in.

The handsome man before her, who gave off a sweet, delicious scent all over, was not only a mouthwatering roast goose to her now, but also a dangerous bomb that could blow her to pieces at any moment.

Her body was tangled in vines that had come from nowhere. Jiang Zhaosu was currently sprawled on the ground, able to move only by rubbing her knees against the floor, making movement extremely inconvenient.

It was already too late to turn around. As she watched the man draw closer and closer, Jiang Zhaosu's excited growls turned into terrified whimpers. Every nerve in her brain urged her to run.

Jiang Zhaosu suddenly had an idea. She twisted her body and rolled halfway over, then flipped onto her back. Using a backstroke-like motion, she pushed her feet against the ground and began retreating again.

With her face turned upward, Jiang Zhaosu could not see the man, and she was not quite so scared anymore. She focused entirely on escaping.

Then she heard the man give a surprised "Huh?"

"Isn't this a Low-Level Zombie?"

Although Jiang Zhaosu was fleeing with all her strength, the man was tall with long legs. Qi Xing reached her side in just a few strides and looked down at her lying on the ground.

As if he had discovered something novel, an expression finally appeared on the man's beautiful, cold face. The corners of his lips tilted up slightly as he watched her struggle desperately like a little turtle. "It knows how to run? It's conscious?"

Ordinary Low-Level Zombies had no thoughts. They only searched for living people by instinct, then pounced without hesitation to tear and bite at them to fill their stomachs.

The zombie before him moved stiffly and clumsily and did not seem particularly aggressive, but it knew fear. It knew to flee after sensing danger. It was clearly different from the Low-Level Zombies he usually encountered.

If he cracked open its skull, perhaps there would even be a Crystal Core inside.

That was a valuable thing for humans struggling to survive in the apocalypse.

Qi Xing crouched in front of Jiang Zhaosu and carefully examined the little zombie's appearance again.

Though she was technically already an adult, Jiang Zhaosu had long suffered from malnutrition. She was short and skinny, looking like an underdeveloped little kid.

Because her face looked far too young, Jiang Zhaosu had even found it difficult to get summer jobs. Many shop owners feared she was an underage worker pretending to be an adult and refused to hire her.

She had finally found work at a haunted house, only to lose her life because of it.

Yet it was precisely this childish appearance that had saved her just now.

When Qi Xing had first discovered Jiang Zhaosu, he had not attacked immediately because this little zombie looked somewhat like his fourteen-year-old younger sister.

Qi Xing had lost contact with his sister three years ago.

After the apocalypse arrived, danger lurked everywhere. Qi Xing was not an optimist.

Though he hoped his sister could survive alone in the apocalypse after leaving him, reason told Qi Xing that for a sister who had yet to awaken an ability, that possibility was minuscule.

Even so, Qi Xing had not given up searching for her.

If she was alive, he wanted to see her. If she was dead, he wanted to see her body.

Compared with the zombies he had seen before, Jiang Zhaosu's skin had begun to rot, and her nose had just been broken in the fall. Her face was covered in rotten flesh and filthy blood, but at least she still looked vaguely human.

Everyone in Qi Xing's family had the same long, narrow Fox Eyes, with cold and distant features, while the little zombie before him had round almond-shaped eyes.

Though she had clearly turned into a zombie, with rotten flesh peeling from her cheeks and blood and gore all over her face, the little zombie's eyes were still lively. Her distinct black-and-white pupils rolled around as she stared at him like a living person.

Perhaps he had seen too many bizarre-looking zombies in the apocalypse, but being stared at by such a harmless little zombie, Qi Xing actually found her somewhat adorable.

Still, adorable or not, a zombie had to be killed.

Recognizing that she was not his sister, Qi Xing sighed in disappointment and raised the knife in his hand. Since this little zombie was still a child, he intended to give Jiang Zhaosu a quick death.

While Qi Xing examined Jiang Zhaosu, Jiang Zhaosu was also watching Qi Xing.

She had already thought Qi Xing was very handsome when she saw him from afar. Now that he was close, the man's nearly perfect face made her feel as if her heart was racing.

Of course, that was an illusion.

After becoming a zombie, Jiang Zhaosu's heart no longer beat.

But that did not stop Jiang Zhaosu's face from turning red when Qi Xing approached, her adrenaline from surging, or her whole body from beginning to tremble.

This reaction was not because she was dazzled by an exceptionally handsome man, but because the fear carved into her instincts was warning her.

The closer Qi Xing got to her, the stronger the scent of blood around him became. That sweet fragrance made the starving Jiang Zhaosu drool uncontrollably.

But when Qi Xing smiled at her, Jiang Zhaosu instantly lost all appetite and felt chills run down her spine.

Fear forcibly drove away the hunger in her stomach. Jiang Zhaosu's instincts had already told her that this beautiful man was extremely dangerous.

When she saw Qi Xing raise the knife in his hand at her, Jiang Zhaosu's eyes widened in shock.

Ahhh! Oh heavens! Murder!

This man was actually going to kill her!!!

Seeing Qi Xing's knife about to fall toward her skull, Jiang Zhaosu twisted desperately, struggling with all her might.

Her mouth was blocked by vines, so she could only let out muffled "woo woo" screams from her throat. In her panic, she even squeezed out two tears. She rubbed her face against Qi Xing's shoe, trying to beg the man to spare her, who had only just died and come back to life.

But her face was covered in decaying flesh. With that rubbing, not only did she fail to look pitiful or cute, she instead smeared rotten meat and pus-filled sores all over Qi Xing's shoe.

An ordinary person would probably have vomited on the spot.

Fortunately, Qi Xing was not an ordinary person.

Seeing Jiang Zhaosu cry, Qi Xing's expression remained as calm as ever, but inwardly, he could not help feeling somewhat surprised.

This little zombie could actually express emotions besides fear.

A zombie with human emotions could already be considered a High-Level Zombie. More advanced ones could even understand human speech and communicate with humans.

But zombies of that level were not something a Rank A Ability User like Qi Xing could handle alone.

Yet aside from that, the little zombie before him displayed even less aggression than an ordinary zombie.

Had it mutated?

Having grown accustomed to vicious, cruel zombies and scheming humans in the apocalypse, Qi Xing rarely encountered such an amusing little zombie. He suddenly did not want to end this zombie's life so quickly.

Looking at his shoe, which Jiang Zhaosu had smeared into a complete mess, Qi Xing slid the knife back into its sheath. He used the sheath to lift Jiang Zhaosu's chin and asked, "Little zombie, can you understand what I'm saying?"

Jiang Zhaosu's mouth was blocked, so she hurriedly answered from her throat, "Awoo!"

"If you understand, nod. If you don't, I'll kill you."

"Awoo!!!"

Seeing that there was still hope of survival, Jiang Zhaosu nodded desperately like a pecking chick.