The Days Ahead Are Still Long

Jiang Zhaosu and Qi Xing hadn't gone far.

Even by the afternoon of the next day, the two had returned to the village.

The suggestion had come from Jiang Zhaosu. Qi Xing hadn't agreed at first, but when Jiang Zhaosu made a eating gesture towards him, he fell silent.

It wasn't that Jiang Zhaosu lacked food.

It was that he did.

Qi Xing found what Pei Chixuan and Cen Jiao had put in the car utterly bizarre.

The car, with its imposing and sturdy exterior and massive capacity, was decorated inside with romantic touches everywhere.

The windows were hung with luxurious curtains acting as canopies, and on the table were a woman's perfume, a man's razor, the couple's toothbrushes, and even a bulky record player. A small table next to it held half a bottle of opened red wine and two high-stemmed glasses.

There were plenty of things for enjoyment, but useful supplies were pitifully scarce.

Qi Xing rummaged through the car and only found a small dish of strawberries and a dish of blueberries to eat, not even a leftover piece of bread.

He was so angry his face turned pale, and he didn't want to speak for two hours.

Later, he figured it out.

Cen Jiao had a spatial ability, and he heard that space had a preservation function. Naturally, she would put all her food inside and only take it out when they wanted to eat.

These strawberries and blueberries were also taken out by her to snack on after she'd eaten her fill.

Driving such an expensive car, yet they couldn't even eat dried vegetables.

Qi Xing was helpless and could only follow Jiang Zhaosu's lead and return to the village to collect food.

Jiang Zhaosu's decision to return was certainly not impulsive; she had considered it carefully.

The plot of the novel she was reading was actually very simple: the protagonists fall in love, chop up zombies, and save the world along the way.

Cen Jiao and Pei Chixuan's personalities were also very distinct.

Cen Jiao was spoiled and willful, with a bit of a temper. Pei Chixuan was domineering and possessive, doting solely on Cen Jiao.

If it weren't for Cen Jiao's father falling from grace and his downfall, they would have been childhood sweethearts, well-matched in status.

Both were from noble families, celestial beings looking down from above.

And a key characteristic of such people was arrogance.

Because they were inherently noble, they wouldn't even feel anger when provoked by small ants, but rather find it mocking and amusing.

Yesterday's attack by Qin Feng and Duan Yuanyuan was like a joke to them, a farce to spice up their relationship and lives, something they wouldn't take too seriously.

As expected, when Jiang Zhaosu and Qi Xing returned that evening, the village was deserted.

Pei Chixuan and Cen Jiao had already left.

Jiang Zhaosu found Duan Yuanyuan amidst a pile of dismembered limbs, charred corpses, and scattered remains at the intersection.

She too had become a corpse, half her body burned black, the other half barely resembling a human.

The woman's once beautiful and alluring face was now unrecognizable, her skin melted, her gums piercing through her skin to expose her white teeth, her limbs twisted into bizarre positions.

Jiang Zhaosu identified her by the earrings on her ears.

It seemed Duan Yuanyuan loved butterflies very much; the crystal hairpin she gave Jiang Zhaosu was butterfly-shaped, and her earrings were also shaped like butterflies.

Duan Yuanyuan's head had a large hole, and blood, brain matter, and other fluids mixed together, flowing from the hole onto the ground, already dried into a dark brown.

Jiang Zhaosu reached into the hole and retrieved Duan Yuanyuan's crystal core.

She remembered that both protagonists had a slight潔癖 (cleanliness obsession).

Even knowing that mutated species had crystal cores in their brains, they disdained doing such a thing, finding it too dirty and disgusting.

While Qi Xing went to collect food, Jiang Zhaosu found a patch of land by the village edge, dug a deep pit with the help of a mutated giant rat, and placed Duan Yuanyuan inside.

Before filling the pit with soil, Jiang Zhaosu took off the hairpin from her head and gently placed it next to Duan Yuanyuan as compensation for taking her crystal core.

Even though Duan Yuanyuan had given it to her, she had nothing else valuable on her.

Jiang Zhaosu felt that if Duan Yuanyuan knew, she wouldn't blame her for doing this.

After she finished everything, Qi Xing had just finished collecting supplies and came to find her.

Qi Xing paused when he saw the small grave Jiang Zhaosu had made for Duan Yuanyuan and asked, "Is Duan Yuanyuan in there?"

After burying Duan Yuanyuan, Jiang Zhaosu felt a little lighter, and she nodded slightly, "Mm..."

"No wonder you insisted on coming back, you came to collect Duan Yuanyuan's body."

"And you even built her a grave."

Qi Xing stroked his chin, looking at the small grave with a strange expression, and said, "You only knew each other for a few days, and you're being so nice to her."

Was he jealous?

But they were friends.

Jiang Zhaosu thought for a moment and slowly stammered, "If... you... die... I... will... collect..."

If Qi Xing died, she would collect his body too.

They were good friends now.

"Huh?" Qi Xing turned to look at her. "If I die, will Fugui even bury me and build a grave?"

"Umm..."

Jiang Zhaosu also looked up at him, honestly responding.

Meeting her serious gaze, Qi Xing truly smiled this time.

"Haha, that won't be necessary. Digging a grave is too much trouble. Fugui, you'd have to use your little paws for a long time."

Qi Xing said to her with a smile, "If I really die someday, just let Fugui eat me directly. Anyway, Fugui doesn't excrete, so if I go into Fugui's belly, I'll become part of Fugui's body. As long as Fugui doesn't die, I can be considered immortal, and we'll exist together forever."

Jiang Zhaosu: "..."

This was the first time she had ever heard a human request a zombie to eat their corpse.

It was truly eye-opening, like a knife scraping her backside.

As expected, she, a normal zombie, couldn't understand the thoughts of a pervert!

Seeing that Qi Xing genuinely valued Jiang Zhaosu's attitude towards Duan Yuanyuan, he took a seed from his pocket, bent his knees, and buried it in the soil in front of Duan Yuanyuan's grave. Then, he gently placed his hand over it from a distance.

His wrist moved, and a lustrous green light shone from between his slender, fair fingers. The soil beneath his palm began to stir.

A tiny green sprout emerged from the soil, unfurling its tender leaves and growing vigorously.

Its slender branches crept along the ground, rapidly spreading over Duan Yuanyuan's grave. Green leaves grew on the branches, and between the leaves, small, goose-yellow flowers bloomed. Before long, these small flowers covered the entire grave of Duan Yuanyuan.

Jiang Zhaosu's almond-shaped eyes widened, watching the magical scene before her with surprise.

She had seen Qi Xing use his abilities many times, yet she was always amazed by them.

Qi Xing plucked a small flower from one of the branches, stood up, and walked in front of Jiang Zhaosu. He tucked the brightest blooming flower into Jiang Zhaosu's hair and lightly tapped her forehead, which had finally relaxed slightly.

"That's right, don't frown."

"As a little zombie, the most important thing every day is to eat. What's there to frown about?"

Qi Xing's warm fingertips rubbed her eyebrows, with some force, as if trying to smooth them out. He said, "We still have a long way to go, Fugui."