《Mutant Farmer in The Apocalypse》


 Chapter 1 - Where Is The Eviction Notice?!

    ¡ªThe year 2022, 1 year after Z-20 Virus outbreak¡ª


    The Z-20 Virus that spread through the air had infected all of humanity.


    At least 70% of the humans had turned into brainless zombies that eat human flesh to satiate their hunger. The virus shrunk their brain and turned it into a red crystal nucleus inside their skull. People called this a Brain Bead.


    25% of humans developed a blue crystal nucleus inside their brain called the Mana Bead.


    The Mana Bead allowed them to gain a random ability depending on their DNA. Some were powerful, while others weren''t so lucky.


    And the rest of the 5%¡­ they remained ordinary humans, their only ability was immunity to the virus and infection from the zombie bites.


    The surviving humans that hadn''t turned into zombies started gathering to protect each other. Thus, after one year of chaos, many settlements, from the size of small towns to big cities, started popping out here and there, trying to survive in this harsh world.


    One such person was Yang Zhang, an average human living in Dufan town, a medium-sized settlement in the outskirts of the previously big city.


    Well, he wasn''t anymore because he just got kicked out today.


    ¡ª


    "Hey! You can''t just kick me out like this! I am a normal human! My immunity to the virus is important for research!" Yang Zhang protested as he and his luggage were thrown out of the base.


    The guards looked at each other and then laughed at Yang Zhang, "HAHAHA! Oh, dude, do you really think that you''re so important? We have plenty of humans still inside the base. If the government needs them for research, then we can just hand them out!"


    "Do you actually think you''re one of a kind? Hahahahah!"


    Their rambunctious laughter was pricking Yang Zhang''s ears, but what they said was true, albeit valuable, Yang Zhang wasn''t the only surviving human in this world.


    "You should leave now, dude. We have a food shortage, and we cannot keep too many humans because you''re all dead weight!"


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth and picked up his luggage. He couldn''t argue with them anymore no matter how many times he clammored¡­ or begged.


    But food shortage wasn''t the real reason behind his eviction. In fact he was being kicked out because he had accidentally offended the young master inside the city.


    "It''s not my fault that your ability sucks ass!" Yang Zhang grumbled.


    That Young Master, Deng Fan, tried to woo everyone with his ability to turn his teeth into gold.


    Everyone was ridiculing Deng Fang in their hearts. However, the blunt Yang Zhang accidentally commented that it sucked so bad, not realizing that in this post-apocalyptic world, he was just a no ability human, a dead weight.


    Yang Zhang didn''t know where to go next. He was powerless because powerless humans could not defend themselves against even one attack from a zombie. After all, the feral zombies were a lot stronger than them.


    Thus, his survival instinct kicked in, and he tried to find a hiding spot first in the forest, where there weren''t many zombies, and although Yang Zhang could see some mutated animals here and there, he just had to bear with their grotesque appearance.


    The sun was scorching hot today, so he got tired easier.


    "I can.. use a little bit of rest here¡­ huff¡­." Yang Zhang sat under a random tree as he was catching his breath. He fanned himself with his red cap to alleviate the heat.


    He didn''t know how far he had walked, and by now, he had lost himself in the woods.


    "Alright, I hope there won''t be any mutated animals around here," Yang Zhang wished.


    He took a water bottle from inside his luggage and started drinking.


    Yang Zhang looked at his own shadow under the lush tree until he realized something was moving above his head.


    Yang Zhang looked up reactively, and he saw the giant vine of the tree move and attack him!


    "RARRGHH!"


    "WHA!"


    Yang Zhang rolled to the front to avoid the attack from the giant vine, and it pierced his luggage instead, instantly creating a big hole in his luggage.


    The tree had a face, and it looked angrily at Yang Zhang, "A MUTATED TREE?!"


    The mutated tree glared at him and then attacked with its vine whip once more. Yang Zhang had to leave his luggage and ran away to save his life. He kept running and running until he accidentally bumped into something on the ground.


    "Urk! Ouch!" Yang Zhang grimaced in pain. He checked what bumped into him, and his face paled immediately.


    "Oh no¡­"


    He saw the body of a middle-aged man lying dead in front of him with his head blown off. His brain was grotesquely scattered on the ground. He had probably died not long ago.


    Yang Zhang distanced himself immediately, and he got even more scared when he could sense something was coming.


    "Squeak, squeak¡­"


    Yang Zhang sighed in relief when he saw an ordinary, non-mutated squirrel jump and land near the dead body. The squirrel looked around in curiosity and then jumped into the exploded head of the man.


    It started digging through the mushy brain, much to Yang Zhang''s disgust.


    But the squirrel seemed to find the thing that it was searching for, a blue crystal nucleus called a Mana Bead that had been inside the brain of this corpse, and signified that this dead man had been an ability user.


    The squirrel took the Mana Bead and then ate it.


    "What a stupid squirrel. Do you think that Mana Bead is a chestnut or what? You''re going to die if you eat that Mana Bead!" Yang Zhang commented.


    The squirrel had consumed the Mana Bead completely, but nothing happened with it.


    Until the squirrel''s ear suddenly pointed up and the tail straightened. All the squirrel fur shuddered, and the squirrel suddenly discharged electricity from inside its body, zapping everything around, including Yang Zhang.


    Bzzzzt!


    Yang Zhang was shocked, literally. But the electric zap wasn''t painful, it was just somewhat ticklish.


    "W¡ªWhat is that?!" Yang Zhang stared at the mutated squirrel that still acted as tame as before. The squirrel looked around curiously and then ran away while constantly discharging electricity from inside its body, zapping everything around.


    Yang Zhang''s gaze followed the electric squirrel and then moved back to the dead man.


    "Uncle, that squirrel just turned into a Pokemon."

 Chapter 2 - A Newfound Idea!

    ''Damn, that squirrel turned into a Pikachu¡­ or Pachirisu? Dedenne? Emolga? Ah, whatever, they are all Pikachu 2.0 anyway.''


    After witnessing how the squirrel turned into a Pokemon after eating this dead man''s Mana Bead, Yang Zhang was in deep thought.


    Sitting beside the corpse of this middle-aged uncle, he started thinking of the possibilities.


    Of course, he knew that animals and plants had also mutated due to the spread of the Z-20 Virus. Yang Zhang still remembered the news on the T.V. one year ago. They showed how the zoo animals had turned feral and zombified like humans.


    Some plants had also mutated. They could move around and even launch attacks of their own free will.


    But that was one year ago. Since that day, Yang Zhang had not left the shelter of the Dufan town base. As one of the 5% of surviving humans with virus immunity in the world, he was treated like a king at first, before they realized that the government didn''t need all of the humans to survive because all of them had the same immunity. Even though the development of the cure hadn''t been successful thus far, the government said they only needed a few samples to start the zombie virus vaccine and cure.


    Thus, normal humans became a dead weight. They couldn''t fight like those ability users, and their physiques were generally weaker. Thus, Dufan town started kicking out some of the humans that had bad behavior. After a food shortage, they also started kicking out regular humans without any history of misconduct, like Yang Zhang.


    "Man, those ability users never told me that animals can mutate by eating Mana Beads¡­." Yang Zhang mumbled. "I guess that''s what we call evolution."


    However, there was one thing that bugged Yang Zhang''s mind. He knew there were mutated plants, but he had never seen one with a face before. It was so creepy because the face carved on the tree could move and glare at him. It could even grunt like a human.


    Yang Zhang stared at the tree that attacked him from a safe distance. The face carved on the tree closed its eyes, seemingly sleeping. But once Yang Zhang got up and took one step forward, the eyes were wide open, and the giant vines started swinging around wildly, forcing Yang Zhang to back off.


    "So creepy¡­"


    Yang Zhang then connected the wild vines swinging around and the corpse of a middle-aged man. From the bewildered face of the man, it seemed that it was an unsuspecting attack.


    "Could it be¡­ this uncle is dead because of the vine? He might have come too close to the tree''s territory and gotten killed."


    The vines might have struck his head and crushed it instantly.


    Yang Zhang was still curious about how a tree could mutate to have consciousness and know its territory.


    He continued staring at the tree from a safe distance until he noticed something peculiar. He saw something embedded in the forehead on the face of the tree.


    He squinted to see better and saw a red nucleus embedded on the tree''s face. That red nucleus was only found inside the brain of a zombie.


    "Hold on, isn''t that¡­ a Brain Bead? How could a tree have a Brain Bead on it?"


    Out of curiosity, Yang Zhang decided to investigate. But before he walked away, he looked down at the corpse. Yang Zhang prayed for the uncle''s soul, "I''m sorry for your death, uncle. Please rest well."


    He took a big leaf that had fallen near him and covered what was left of the dead uncle''s head with it. He then circled the territorial tree from a safe distance, trying to discover what happened to it, when he stumbled upon a corpse that had been decaying for a while right behind the tree.


    Although Yang Zhang couldn''t determine whether it was a zombie or ability user that died there, judging by that Brain Bead embedded on the tree, he bet it was a zombie that died from an ability user''s attack.


    The zombie had probably been decapitated cleanly, and the head had rolled towards the tree stump.


    "Wait, does this mean the Brain Bead of the zombie fell to the soil and got absorbed by the tree, turning it into a living mutated tree monster like this?" Yang Zhang hypothesized.


    Honestly, nobody knew the use of Brain Beads and Mana Beads. They mostly just killed the zombie and crushed the Brain Bead because the government told them they must destroy the Brain Bead, or the zombie would constantly regenerate.


    But, by observing the chain of events that happened just now, that meant the Brain Bead and Mana Bead had another function, maybe it was well-hidden by the government, or perhaps nobody had discovered it yet.


    Then, if his hypothesis was correct¡­


    "That means eating a Mana Bead would make an animal absorb the power of the previous ability user while absorbing a Brain Bead would give consciousness to a plant?"


    Of course, this was just his hypothesis. He needed to do more research.


    "But I can use this information to protect myself, right? If I can raise my own plants and animals, I can basically create an army of mutants to work for me!" Yang Zhang optimistically theorized that he could survive this apocalyptic world even as an average human.


    "But how am I going to find those Brain Beads anyway? I can''t even kill one zombie!" Yang Zhang was hit with an obstacle once more. He also didn''t have any fighting skills. "Ah, truly, I really need a partner to help me in this uh¡­ grotesque research. But how do I find one?"


    Yang Zhang was stumped. He was desperate again until he heard the sound of a squirrel nearby, "Squeak, squeak."


    Yang Zhang raised his head and searched the voice source until his eyes locked on the squirrel that ate the Mana Bead, making its body constantly discharge electricity.


    The squirrel was calm as it continued scavenging for food around.


    And an idea popped into Yang Zhang''s head. He fixed his red cap and said, "Alright, Pikachu, I choose you!"

 Chapter 3 - That Catfish Has WHAT?!

    Yang Zhang locked his eyes on the target, a squirrel that constantly discharged electricity. It was busy trying to fit another chestnut into its mouth to no avail.


    Yang Zhang knew he couldn''t just jump in to catch this mutated animal for two reasons:


    First, this animal could zap him.


    Second, he wanted to befriend this animal, sort of making the squirrel his partner in crime. So, of course, he couldn''t do it through coercion.


    Yang Zhang looked around to find a chestnut. Once he found one, he picked it up and dangled it right in front of the squirrel, "Hey, buddy. Hey, psst!"


    The squirrel finally turned its head and looked at Yang Zhang curiously. It approached him to investigate, and once it was close enough, Yang Zhang put the chestnut on the ground and tried to pet the squirrel.


    But once his hand touched the squirrel''s head¡ª


    BZZZZTTT!!


    "Ayayayaya!"


    BOOM!


    The squirrel zapped Yang Zhang with high voltage electricity this time, and the small explosion threw him away.


    Yang Zhang grimaced in pain. His body was still recovering from the zap. It turned out to be a lot stronger than he expected, and that squirrel didn''t even look threatened. It was still trying to fit the chestnut that had been roasted by the shock into its mouth.


    "Damn, little guy, you pack a punch¡ªor a zap, I guess."


    The squirrel decided to drop all the roasted chestnuts inside its mouth and started eating them one by one, not minding Yang Zhang''s presence at all.


    It constantly discharged electricity, zapping everything around it, including the insects.


    Yang Zhang sat on the ground, trying to recuperate after the shock. His body was still trembling after the zap, but he kept his eyes on the squirrel in front of him.


    "Squeak, squeak¡­" the squirrel approached Yang Zhang, asking for more chestnuts.


    "Want more?" Yang Zhang looked around and found one. He put it in front of the squirrel.


    The squirrel did the same thing. It put the chestnut inside its mouth and zapped it to make a roasted chestnut. It asked for more and more until Yang Zhang lost count of how many chestnuts he had picked up for this greedy squirrel.


    Yang Zhang sighed when he watched the squirrel. His stomach also grumbled. He hadn''t eaten anything for the whole day and was also thirsty as heck.


    The squirrel seemed to notice the grumbling from Yang Zhang''s stomach. It picked one of the chestnuts and zapped it inside its mouth. Then the squirrel put it on Yang Zhang''s lap.


    "Wha, this is for me?"


    The squirrel continued doing the same thing until there were four roasted chestnuts for Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang was touched by such a kind gesture from an animal, "Ah, thank you so much, little guy. As expected, animals are better than humans."


    Yang Zhang ate the roasted chestnuts with the squirrel. He started to get used to the small electricity that zapped him. As long as he didn''t touch the squirrel directly, then he would be fine.


    "Dang, I''m still hungry¡­ and thirsty."


    Of course, chestnuts wouldn''t fill him up, but at least he had something to reduce the hunger for now.


    Yang Zhang walked to the river nearby to drink the water, but when he was near the river, he saw bubbles foaming in the clear water.


    He squinted and saw a fish underneath the bubbles. He got even more confused, "Huh? That kind of bubbles¡­ that''s not what a fish would make..."


    But Yang Zhang was too thirsty to think, so he ignored the warning sign and walked in.


    The moment he touched the water, his gaze blurred for a second when something under the water suddenly emerged and attacked him.


    "AAAHH!" Yang Zhang backed off immediately. He thought it was a crocodile until he saw a giant catfish¡ª with legs!


    "CATFISH WITH LEGS?! FREAKING CATFISH WITH LEGS!!"


    The catfish rushed towards Yang Zhang and dashed over with its legs. It was so weird that Yang Zhang couldn''t help but be grossed out.


    "AHHH! Helppp!" he screamed pitifully. Really, the life of a human in this post-apocalyptic world wasn''t easy.


    The catfish finally stopped chasing after a while and returned to the river, leaving Yang Zhang slumped on the ground, dead tired after the adrenaline rush.


    He couldn''t even drink water without getting attacked by a freakish catfish with legs. This was unfair!


    "How am I supposed to live in this world as a normal human!"


    The squirrel approached Yang Zhang out of curiosity. Seeing that Yang Zhang looked sad, the squirrel followed Yang Zhang''s line of sight to the river, "Hey, little guy, can you help me? I''m really thirsty."


    "Squeak, squeak!" The electric squirrel suddenly ran towards the river, which kicked Yang Zhang''s adrenaline rush once more.


    "Wait! Don''t go near the river!" Yang Zhang was worried the catfish with legs would eat the squirrel. So he ran to catch the nimble squirrel, but the moment he was about to grab the little guy, it jumped to the river.


    "NOOOO!" Yang Zhang screamed dramatically, thinking that squirrel was a lunch for that mutated catfish.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    BBZZZTTT!


    Yang Zhang was astonished when the squirrel came out of the water unharmed. Behind it, the fishes started floating on top and washed to the riverside, including that weird-looking catfish.


    But other than that, there were plenty of somewhat normal-looking fishes that died from the zap. The electric squirrel approached Yang Zhang and pointed at the fishes, telling him to go and grab them.


    "Oh wow, thanks for lunch, my little friend."


    Thus, Yang Zhang grabbed a few fishes that looked normal and put them on a leaf, "Uh, little guy, can you help me again?"


    "Squeak!" The squirrel bit the fish and zapped it to cook, resulting in a slightly burnt but still edible fish.


    Yang Zhang sat on the ground and checked the fish, "W¡ªWell, this is the most normal one. It only has four eyes instead of two. That''s still normal, right?"


    He hesitated for a moment, but his rumbling stomach told him to eat it, "Ah, fuck it.. If I die after eating this mutated fish, at least I will die with a full belly."

 Chapter 4 - Chestnut!

    "Ah, fuck it. If I die after eating this mutated fish, at least I will die with a full belly."


    Yang Zhang ate the fish, and after the first bite he swallowed, he closed his eyes, waiting for any side effect inside his body.


    1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds¡­


    And nothing happened.


    Yang Zhang opened his eyes and checked his hands, thinking he might''ve grown another pair of eyes in his palms or something.


    But it turned out he didn''t suffer any side effects from eating the mutated fish!


    He knew that humans unaffected by the Z-20 virus had immunity to the virus and infection from zombie bites. But it turned out he was also immune to whatever side effects there could be from eating mutated fish!


    This was very beneficial for him in the long run. At least he didn''t need to worry about eating weird mutated stuff!


    "Though, I will still eat things that look more normal¡­." Yang Zhang said as he glanced at the dead catfish with legs.


    "Squeak, squeak," the squirrel approached Yang Zhang again. It didn''t seem to have any fear towards him.


    Yang Zhang picked the squirrel and happily nuzzled their cheeks together, "Oh, my cute little Pokemon, you''re definitely my lifesaver! We can be great partners, and I will take you on an adventure!"


    Well, of course, Yang Zhang had no plan on journeying for an adventure. What was there to see in a world full of feral zombies anyway?


    He just wanted to settle somewhere and live comfortably.


    The squirrel looked excited as well and squeaked and discharged electricity again.


    BZZZTTTTT!


    "Ayayayayaya!"


    Yang Zhang''s body trembled after getting electrified again, but at least his body started to get used to it.


    "O¡ªOkay, let''s give you a name."


    "Hm¡­ how about¡­ Pikachu¡ªWait, I can''t use that. I''ll get in trouble. Oh, how about Bolt¡ªAh, that one is taken too."


    The squirrel didn''t understand what Yang Zhang meant, so it just jumped out of Yang Zhang''s hand and started collecting chestnuts again.


    Yang Zhang observed the squirrel and called it, "Hey, Chestnut!"


    The squirrel turned its head and ran towards Yang Zhang again with roasted chestnuts in its cheek pouch. It jumped and sat on Yang Zhang''s lap, taking off the roasted chestnuts for him.


    Thus, that idea popped into Yang Zhang''s brain, "Ah, your name is Chestnut! Yes, Chestnut, we will make a great team!"


    "Squeak!"


    **


    After befriending the squirrel he named Chestnut, he put the squirrel on his shoulder. He could feel the constant tingles from the electric discharge, but it wasn''t as bad as he expected.


    He had plenty of things in mind right now, especially after receiving that information about the function of the Brain Bead and Mana Bead.


    But his main priority right now was¡­


    "Now, how in the hell can I get my luggage back¡­." Yang Zhang asked himself. The luggage was still near the tree stump of that living territorial tree.


    The luggage had a big hole in the middle, and everything inside was probably destroyed. But he could probably get a few essentials, like a blanket, spare clothes, or a water bottle. At least he could get his phone. Although, after the virus outbreak, there was no signal whatsoever, at least he could listen to some of his favorite songs.


    He tried to enter the tree''s territory quietly, but once his feet stepped inside, the face on the tree rotated towards his location and showed an angry look, instantly attacking him with the giant vine.


    Yang Zhang altered his plans and tried to find a long branch. Maybe he could hook and pull it.


    But once he found one and tried to reach the luggage with the stick, it proved to be too heavy, and the stick broke in half in the process.


    He started searching for bigger and longer sticks.


    And after the third try of breaking the stick, Yang Zhang finally gave up and tried to find another method. He continued walking around the forest to find shelter because the sun was about to set.


    He continued walking until he stumbled upon a wooden hut in the middle of the forest.


    It looked dusty and abandoned from afar, but he still had to be careful.


    Of course, not because of ghosts. After seeing those zombies, a ghost was the least of your worries.


    Yang Zhang was scared there might be a zombie inside.


    So he stood in front of the hut and yelled, "Hello! Is there anyone inside?"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    "Guess not!"


    Yang Zhang opened the door only to be greeted by the sight of a zombie lunging at him.


    "Raargghh!"


    "AAAAHHH!" Yang Zhang pushed the zombie away before it could bite him and ran away. The zombie started chasing him and caught up effortlessly. Of course, Yang Zhang was immune to zombie bite infection, but the wound was still a wound, and it might get infected in the process.


    Yang Zhang could feel the zombie''s fingers brush against his shirt, almost grabbing it. Thinking quickly, he suddenly remembered that he had an electric squirrel that could zap anyone. All he needed to do was give him his favorite food.


    Yang Zhang pulled out a chestnut that was still in his pocket and turned around.


    The zombie was literally three feet away from him, so he reacted quickly.


    "Chestnut! Catch this!"


    Yang Zhang threw the chestnut at the zombie, straight into the zombie''s gaping mouth.


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut, the electric squirrel, jumped from Yang Zhang''s shoulder to the zombie''s head, and then¡­


    BZZZZZZTTTTTTT!!


    BOOM!


    Chestnut zapped the zombie with high voltage electric discharge, and the zombie''s head exploded into pieces.


    Yang Zhang watched in shock when the little squirrel picked up the roasted chestnut covered in blood. In fact, its body was completely covered in zombie blood right now.


    Chestnut continued scavenging around the zombie''s corpse and then picked up something and jumped to Yang Zhang''s shoulder, "Squeak, squeak!"


    Chestnut dropped a bean-sized red nucleus on Yang Zhang''s palm.. Yang Zhang observed it and was surprised, "This is¡­ a Brain Bead."

 Chapter 5 - Brain Bead

    "This¡­ this is a Brain Bead."


    Yang Zhang observed the bean-sized red nucleus in his hand. This was initially a human brain, but after someone got infected by the Z-20 Virus, their brain would shrink to this size and become a Brain Bead.


    If you thought about it, it was creepy, but Yang Zhang wasn''t that disturbed. In this post-apocalypse zombie world, something like this wasn''t that gross¡­ at least when compared to that catfish with legs or the tree with a face.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut sat on Yang Zhang''s shoulder and nuzzled its cheek against Yang Zhang''s.


    "Hehe, thank you, little guy," Yang Zhang patted Chestnut''s head. He could still sense the jolting sensation, but at least it wasn''t as bad as before.


    "Alright, let''s just rest inside that wooden hut first, then we can think about what we should do next," Yang Zhang said, including the squirrel in his conversation.


    He pocketed the Brain Bead and walked inside the wooden hut. He looked around cautiously. He didn''t want to get jumped by another zombie. He looked around, and when he sensed there were no more suspicious movements inside the hut, he sighed in relief.


    The sun had set, and it was soon dark. Everything was scarier at night because the zombies were stronger and faster. Yang Zhang still remembered the first time he saw the zombie outbreak plunge his town into chaos.


    He saw so many humans immune to the virus get gnawed on and had their bones picked clean by the zombies. And those who had awakened their ability ran away because none of them were able to stand up to the zombies at night.


    It was even worse when those who still had feelings for their loved ones gave up their lives to be eaten by the zombified version of their family member or lover.


    "Good thing I''m fatherless," Yang Zhang mumbled.


    Checking around the corner, he looked to see if there was any source of light he could use.


    He managed to find a wax candle on the table, but there were no matches to light it with.


    "Ah, why do I need a match when I have Chestnut, hehe~."


    "Squeak?"


    Yang Zhang went outside and took a wooden stick. He handed the end of the stick to Chestnut and said, "Little guy, zap this one, please."


    "Squeak!"


    Bzzzt!


    "Aiya, that burns!" Yang Zhang winced in pain as his hand got burnt by Chestnut''s electrical discharge, and he accidentally dropped the stick that had turned to charcoal.


    Yang Zhang had intended to burn the stick, so it would be red hot charcoal that he could use to light the candle but he hadn''t realized he would burn himself.


    He took off his shirt and wrapped his hand with it to grab the scorching hot charcoal.


    Touching the candle''s wick with the red part of the charcoal lit the candle successfully.


    "Yes! Yes! I''m a genius!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut also looked happy when it saw how Yang Zhang looked overjoyed at such minuscule achievement.


    Yang Zhang held the candle and explored the hut. He had closed all the doors so no zombie or wild animal would think there was life inside the building.


    The wooden hut wasn''t that big, but it was well-kept, only dusted because nobody had cleaned it for at least a year.


    "I suppose that zombie just now was the owner of this hut," Yang Zhang concluded. He entered the only bedroom in the house, but the sight inside the room stunned him.


    Yang Zhang saw a baby in his wooden crib. It seemed that he had died a long time ago, and his body was severely decomposed. However, when Yang Zhang checked on him, the baby had no sign of zombification or any zombie bites on him. It was a natural death.


    "So this baby died from hunger¡­." Yang Zhang assumed.


    He felt pity for this baby and that zombie Chestnut killed before. It seemed the ones living in this hut were a mother and her baby son. The mother had turned into a zombie, while the son had become a human with immunity, just like Yang Zhang.


    But without anyone feeding him, the baby died of starvation¡­


    Yang Zhang sighed. Full of pity, he took a blanket from the bed and covered the baby with it, "I will bury you tomorrow. Rest well."


    Yang Zhang shifted his attention to the wardrobe and found piles of clothes for women and babies. None of them were a fit for Yang Zheng, unfortunately.


    There was another blanket among the stacks of clothes, so he took it and went out of the bedroom.


    Sitting on the chair in the living room, Yang Zhang covered himself with the blanket. Chestnut also curled up with him to get some warmth.


    He fished the Brain Bead out of the pocket in his jeans and observed it carefully near the candle.


    Most people would crush this Brain Bead without a second thought. They said the Brain Bead was the source of the zombies'' strength. As long as the Brain Bead remained, that zombie would never die.


    But that had to be false because Chestnut had brought the Brain Bead to him after exploding the zombie''s head, and although he hadn''t crushed it, the zombie didn''t get up anymore.


    So Yang Zhang assumed that as long as the zombie was separated from their head, it wouldn''t regenerate or move anymore. He could keep the Brain Bead for himself as long as it wasn''t destroyed when killing the zombie.


    "Now, what can I do with this?" Yang Zhang pondered.


    He saw how the tree mutated and became territorial and developed consciousness by absorbing the Brain Bead embedded in its trunk.


    "If I bury this in the same soil as a plant, will that plant also mutate?"


    There was only one way to find out. Yang Zhang got up from the chair and quietly opened the door. He remembered that he had seen a potted plant outside earlier.


    "Ah, there you go, a potted rose," Yang Zhang looked at his left and right cautiously before taking the pot and carrying it inside.


    "Squeak?" Chestnut looked at Yang Zhang curiously.


    "Ah, this is for our small experiment, little guy. Let''s see if my hypothesis is correct!"


    Yang Zhang took out the Brain Bead and then planted it inside the soil of the potted rose.


    1 second¡­ 2 seconds¡­ 3 seconds¡­ and nothing happened.


    Yang Zhang was disappointed. He had expected a magical mutation to happen. He really thought he could start his own army of mutated plants.


    "Oh well, I guess you''re my only friend, Chestnut."


    "Squeak!" Chestnut, the electric squirrel, nuzzled against Yang Zhang''s cheek, and they finally slept on the chair, tucked inside the blanket, unaware that there actually had been a mutation inside the potted rose¡­

 Chapter 6 - First Mutation!

    Yang Zhang woke up a bit late. He was pretty exhausted after a long day yesterday. How was he supposed to know that calling out Deng Fan''s gold teeth ability as lame would cost him to get kicked out of the town shelter?


    He yawned a few times before checking on Chestnut, who was still curled up in a ball on his chest, asleep.


    "Ah, good morning, Chestnut," Yang Zhang patted the squirrel''s head and could sense a faint jolt from the touch. The shock was like a cup of morning coffee for him, making him fully awake.


    Yang Zhang carefully scooped Chestnut and put the sleeping squirrel on the blanket while he got up quietly. He had one task this morning, which was to bury the deceased baby he found in the crib last night.


    He walked to the bedroom and stumbled upon that potted rose he picked last night. At first, he had been so optimistic. After observing that territorial tree with a human face and Brain Bead on its trunk, he had thought that planting a Brain Bead in the same soil as a plant would magically give it consciousness.


    But there didn''t seem to be anything different about the rose, even overnight, and his hope was crushed once more.


    Because there was no change on the rose, it was just the same single rose in a pot.


    Yang Zhang sighed and squatted in front of the rose to gently observe it, and after making sure there was zero change, he checked the Brain Bead he had planted in the soil last night.


    But when he searched for it¡­


    "Huh? Where is it?" Yang Zhang frowned as he kept searching for the Brain Bead in the soil. "Wait, I remember that I planted it here¡­."


    Yang Zhang started digging the soil, trying to find the Brain bead to no avail, but the moment his finger touched the root of the rose, he felt both it, and the stalk started to move.


    He blinked once, thinking that he was dreaming or maybe he was still sleepy, "Did the rose just¡­ wiggle?"


    He touched the root again, and the stalk continued wiggling, "No, for sure it starts wiggling! The Brain Bead works! This rose is alive! It''s alive! IT''S ALIVE! HAHAHAHAH!"


    "Squeak?" Chestnut woke up after hearing its master yelling. It went to Yang Zhang and sat on his shoulder.


    "Ah, morning, Chestnut! Look at this, my friend! The rose is moving! It''s wiggling!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut was also happy with the progress, although it didn''t understand what made Yang Zhang look so delighted since Chestnut had seen plenty of mutated trees in the forest.


    Yang Zhang continued watching the wiggling rose as he continued caressing the root. But then, he quickly realized the rose started moving into some kind of weird pose. The leaves acting as hands suddenly drooped down, and the stalk suddenly created an ''S'' shape, reminding Yang Zhang of¡­


    "Isn''t this¡­ doggy style?" Yang Zhang mumbled. Then he realized what he had just said. "No¡­ wait, WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, YANG ZHANG!?"


    Yang Zhang quickly shook his head and warded off the weird thought in his head, pulled his hand, and covered the root with soil again.


    The rose then stopped moving around and stood straight like a standard plant.


    But whenever Yang Zhang touched the soil, it''d start wiggling like a dancer. It was indeed quite unique.


    But¡­


    "What the hell can I do with a wiggling rose?! I just wasted my¡ªI mean, Chestnut''s hard-earned Brain Bead for this?!" Yang Zhang wanted to knock his head against the wall for making such a stupid decision last night.


    "Squeak¡­" Chestnut still didn''t understand the range of emotion in Yang Zhang and what caused it, but he looked sad. So Chestnut nuzzled their cheeks together.


    "Ah, Chestnut¡­" Yang Zhang looked at the squirrel sitting on his shoulder. It seemed to have marked him as its friend. An idea popped into Yang Zhang''s mind, "Oh, that''s right. Since we have wasted the first Brain bead, we should search for more! I have you, Chestnut! I can enslave¡ªI mean, I can use your power to get more Brain Beads! We can do this together, partner!"


    "Squeak!"


    **


    Thus, Yang Zhang decided to start hunting for Brain Beads with Chestnut.


    But first, he had to bury the baby.


    Yang Zhang went to the backyard and found some tools, like a hoe, pitchfork, and machete, in the tool shed. He took out the hoe and pitchfork.


    "What? Of course, I won''t use a machete. It has a short range, and those zombies are feral and fast! I''d rather use a pitchfork to hold them off!" Yang Zhang said when Chestnut stared at him full of questions.


    "Alright, time to make a deep hole for the baby, so no wild animals can eat him."


    Yang Zhang started digging and digging until he felt the hole was deep enough. Then he got up and walked to the bedroom. Carefully, he wrapped the decayed baby with the blanket and carried him outside.


    He gently placed the baby inside the hole and buried him. When he was done, he took the potted rose from the house and planted it on the grave.


    The rose started wiggling again when Yang Zhang touched the soil, which made him feel slightly guilty for wasting the brain of the zombified mother. To top it all off, the rose continued wiggling after it was planted.


    This is the least he could do to honor the owner of this hut. At least the mother and baby son could rest in peace now¡­


    Yang Zhang was about to give prayer to the grave, but that wiggling rose was too distracting, so in the end, he just turned around with Chestnut on his shoulder.


    He grabbed the garden fork and walked outside, "Alright, Chestnut, be positive! At least we have proven that brain beads can give consciousness to plants! Let''s hunt down some more Brain Beads and experiment!"


    "Squeak!"

 Chapter 7 - Hunting Zombies! (1)

    Yang Zhang armed himself with the pitchfork he had found in the shed. Because it had a long-range and could hold off those zombies, it was his most effective weapon. At least for now.


    Like this, Yang Zhang and Chestnut strode through the forest happily. The forest was a lot safer than the city or anywhere with humans in it.


    Because there wasn''t much in the forest except for lush trees and animals, as long as it wasn''t a tiger or, even worse, a mutated tiger, then Yang Zhang did not need to worry.


    "Besides, I have you, Chestnut!"


    "Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang walked past that territorial tree from yesterday and saw that his luggage was still there. He still wanted to get it back, even though at least half of his belongings must have been destroyed at this point.


    But he still thought that for sure he could save his phone. He needed that phone for documentation and¡­ uh¡­ his file full of downloaded porn, hehe.


    But he knew that he would have to find a way to do it without alerting the tree, or he wouldn''t be able to get his luggage back.


    He stood at a safe distance and then grabbed a nearby stick. He threw it into the tree''s territory, but there was no response. Then he looked at Chestnut on his shoulder and smirked.


    "Chestnut, can you help me?"


    "Squeak?"


    Yang Zhang carefully grabbed Chestnut and placed the squirrel near the tree''s territory. Chestnut tilted its head curiously.


    "Go on, Chestnut. Try to walk inside," Yang Zhang said. He was confident in Chestnut''s agility. If that tree started swinging its vine again, he was sure Chestnut could dodge it.


    Chestnut didn''t seem to understand the assignment. It just entered the tree territory and then started collecting chestnuts, putting them inside its mouth, and then zapping them to make roasted chestnuts.


    "Right, so the tree is not hostile to plants or animals. It''s only hostile to humans!"


    Yang Zhang already knew that putting a Brain Bead in the same soil as a plant would give it consciousness, while letting an animal eat a Mana Bead would result in the animal acquiring an ability.


    "But what would happen if an animal eats a Brain Bead, or I plant a Mana Bead in the soil?" Yang Zhang wondered.


    The more he thought about it, the more curious he got. He wasn''t sure if he could get another Mana Bead, though, since it originated inside the brain of a human ability user.


    But he could collect lots and lots of Brain beads!


    Yang Zhang had set his goal and then called Chestnut, "Chestnut, come here! We''re going now!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut grabbed a few more chestnuts and roasted them as it returned to Yang Zhang and gave some of them to its master.


    "This is our breakfast, right? Hehe, thanks, little guy!" Yang Zhang accepted the food happily. He put Chestnut on his shoulder again and set off. "Alright, Chestnut, we can do this together! Let''s find some Brain Beads and experiment. Maybe we can create a living plant that can grab my luggage!"


    "Squeak!"


    **


    They arrived at the outer part of the forest that was connected to an empty road. The road had been deserted for a year already, so, unfortunately, there weren''t any cars around, or if there were any, they had crashed or been ransacked. Any usable cars had already been taken by humans to their base.


    In this apocalypse world, survival was the most important. People had returned to the primitive way of surviving, so nobody took jewelry, money, or gold.


    Instead, people started trading food and ammo.


    Yang Zhang thought there would be zombies on the road, but he didn''t find any. It must''ve been because he was on the other side of the forest.


    He was actually somewhat lost and he didn''t know how to return to the path leading to his old shelter. He also forgot to mark the path, so he was utterly lost.


    "Well, at least I already marked the path back to that territorial tree. Besides, I have you. You can guide us back to the tree, right, Chestnut?"


    "Squeak?"


    ¡­


    Somehow, he doubted that Chestnut knew the way, either, "Oh well, here goes nothing, I guess."


    Yang Zhang and Chestnut continued walking until they saw a small gas station. There wasn''t anything to find, though, not even abandoned cars.


    Thinking that there might be some supplies that he could scavenge, snacks and water at least, he walked over to the mini-mart.


    But when he entered the empty and dark mini-mart, he found nothing. All the aisles were empty, except for a few. A group of ability users must have reached this place first and taken all the food.


    "Aish, they really left me with nothing," Yang Zhang started scavenging around, trying to find anything usable, or at least something he could eat for lunch.


    It was too dark to see much, but he found a light bulb and then gave it to Chestnut, "Little guy, hold this."


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut held the lightbulb, and it lit up brightly, giving Yang Zhang a better look inside the mini-mart.


    "Hehe, who needs a flashlight when you have an electric squirrel by your side?"


    Yang Zhang only stopped searching once he managed to find a few untouched snacks in the corner.


    "Hehe, at least we can eat chips today, Chestnut!" Yang Zhang said as he took the snacks.


    There were too many snacks to carry without using a bag of some kind, but as he thought about how to solve the problem he was distracted by the feeling of a cold drop of something wet landing on his head. Thinking it was a broken pipe, he ignored it.


    But when a drip landed on his hand, and he realized that it was sticky. He slowly tilted his head up and saw a female zombie peeking back at him from a big hole in the ceiling.


    The zombie''s mouth was opening and drooling continuously at the sight of a human. In a flash, it jumped from the ceiling to attack Yang Zhang.


    "RAARRGHH!"


    "HOLY FUCK!"

 Chapter 8 - Hunting Zombies! (2)

    ??"RAARRGHH!"


    "HOLY FUCK!"


    The female zombie lunged from the ceiling, directly attacking Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang reacted quickly and thrust the pitchfork upward, piercing the zombie''s neck, but the zombie felt no pain, so it didn''t stop her.


    In the end, the weight of the female zombie caused Yang Zhang to stagger, and he fell to the ground. Fortunately, he was still clenching his pitchfork, the sharp end of which had pierced the zombie''s neck, keeping her from reaching Yang Zhang.


    But he was just an average human, and this zombie was feral and powerful.


    "Raarrghh! RAAARGH!" The female zombie tried to reach Yang Zheng''s face with her hands to no avail, but her strength wasn''t reduced at all by the pitchfork in her neck. In fact, she just got stronger and angrier.


    Realizing that he couldn''t hold out much longer, he yelled at the squirrel, "Chestnut! Discharge now!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut dropped the lightbulb and then jumped at the head of the zombie. It started charging electricity in its body, intending to blow up the zombie''s head like it did yesterday.


    In horror, Yang Zhang realized that in this position, his face would get splattered by disgusting rotting zombie flesh, so the moment Chestnut started charging the electricity to shock the zombie, Yang Zhang exerted all his strength to get up and push the zombie away.


    "HYAAAHHH!" Yang Zhang screamed out of desperation, not wanting to end up covered in zombie goo. He finally regained his footing and pushed the zombie back until it fell to the ground.


    At the same time, Chestnut had finished storing enough electricity in its body. It jumped onto the zombie and zapped!


    BZZZZTTTT!


    BOOM!


    The zombie''s head exploded into pieces thanks to Chestnut''s high voltage discharge. With its body covered in the zombie''s dark blood and rotting flesh, Chestnut searched through the remains from the exploded head and retrieved the Brain Bead.


    Chestnut returned to Yang Zhang with Brain Bead in its cheek pouch and spat it out into Yang Zhang''s palm, "Squeak!"


    "Huff¡­ thank you, Chestnut," Yang Zhang pocketed the Brain Bead. He wanted to experiment with it on something later.


    After experiencing that life-threatening event just now, Yang Zhang needed to catch his breath. He might be immune to Z-20 Virus, but if he got bitten, he could still contract common infections like tetanus disease, and those would be difficult for him to treat.


    Chestnut picked up the lightbulb from the ground and bit it again, becoming the only light source in the dim mini market.


    Finally, Yang Zhang got a good look at the zombie. Though Chestnut''s discharge had blown up her head, Yang Zhang was able to determine that it was a young woman, possibly in her early twenties, and from the look of the uniform, she was a clerk at this mini-mart.


    He looked up at the hole in the ceiling. Now with proper lighting, he could see a room in the attic. It was big enough for a person to live in, or at least hide for a while.


    Yang Zhang wanted to investigate and thought there must be a way to get up there. He didn''t think he could just jump from the aisle to the attic after all.


    He searched the female zombie''s body for a key and found it in her chest pocket.


    "Alright, so it''s true, there is a way to go up."


    Yang Zhang decided to drop the snacks and went up to check the attic first.


    Yang Zhang and Chestnut went to the staff door near the cash register and saw that it hadn''t been destroyed. In fact, it looked as if it hadn''t been touched all this time.


    "Huh? Weird, how could those ability users not destroy and plunder everything like they used to?" Yang Zhang frowned.


    He might have never followed the group of ability users when they were on the hunt for supplies. Still, from the stories he heard when he was in the base, the group had to fight not only the zombies but other groups of ability users on the hunt for supplies as well.


    It was quite a ticking bomb because, unlike Yang Zhang and the rest of the humans immune to the virus, those ability users could get infected by eating mutated plants and animals, so they had to get to any food supplies before the other groups.


    The base also started to keep all the plants and livestock that hadn''t been mutated and started a small farm to support the ability users. In contrast, the humans only got to eat randomly mutated cows or pigs the group found in the wild and brought to the base. At least, they always brought those who hadn''t been too terribly mutated, unlike that catfish with legs.


    That was why he was quite unsure of what was happening here.


    With his curiosity getting to him, he used the key to unlock the door.


    The place was dark, as expected, but with the help of Chestnut''s lightbulb, he could see everything in the staff room and the warehouse of this mini market.


    It was all empty, no food or anything else, but there was a long wooden staircase leading to the attic!


    His prediction seemed to be correct. That female zombie must have lived in the attic before she died.


    After climbing the wooden stairs leading to the attic, he found that it had been transformed into a room with a bed, emergency lighting in the form of a flashlight, and food that was probably taken from the mini-market below. So many cans of food had been eaten clean.


    There was even a small stove that used oil as fuel. There was also a window in the attic, so whoever lived here could check outside. It was such a strategic hiding spot that nobody would expect someone to live here.


    "Did that clerk live here? But, of course, she was a zombie. A zombie couldn''t do this, right?" Yang Zhang pondered. But a long skirt and a shirt were hanging on the wall, so that zombie had definitely lived here.


    "So, the one who cleaned up the food in the mini-market below is a zombie, not a group of ability users?"


    Yang Zhang was confused. There was no way a zombie could do all this.


    That was¡­ until Chestnut pointed at a diary on the bed.

 Chapter 9 - A Slow Infection

    That was¡­ until Chestnut pointed at a diary on the bed.


    It didn''t look exactly like the typical diary that a little girl would usually keep. It was just an ordinary book lying open in the middle of the bed. Yang Zhang picked it up and carefully inspected it from the beginning.


    ¡ªXiao Mei''s Emergency Diary¡ª


    Day 1


    Hi, my name is Xiao Mei, 22 years old.


    I worked as a clerk in this mini-mart when the Z-20 Virus outbreak suddenly infected everyone. I don''t know if I have come in contact with the virus. I assume I did because a few people came to buy something before¡­


    I saw a few drivers outside that acted weird during the virus outbreak. The description of zombifying was prominent in their bodies, such as ashen faces and uncontrollable drooling.


    So I locked the mini-mart and turned off the light. I''m afraid those people that had turned into zombies might break the door, so I picked a few things from the minimart and went to the attic. This place is where the staff usually slept when they had an early morning shift.


    I hope I can survive and return to my family.


    ¡ª


    Day 3


    I''ve been surviving in this Mini market for three days. I haven''t seen another living human, and I''ve been surviving by eating the food in the mini-mart and the remaining stock in the warehouse.


    The electricity has been cut off since yesterday, and my phone battery has been slowly running out. I haven''t been able to contact my family. They all have turned into zombies, probably¡­


    I don''t know what will happen to me, but at least I haven''t turned into a zombie. I searched on the internet. They said the virus divided people into three categories.


    The majority were zombified and turned into those things roaming around the city, eating the flesh and brains of the people.


    One minority group had turned into ability users with unique abilities to protect themselves from the zombies.


    And the smallest minority had developed immunity to the virus, and they are basically the same as normal humans, but they have an immunity to the virus.


    I think I am a normal human with immunity. I hope so¡­


    ¡ª


    Day 7


    I checked the main doors. One of the zombies broke the lock last night, so I had to be careful not to alert them when I took all the food items from the mini-market.


    Today I realized there will be no evacuation. This is the end of humanity, and I''m probably one of a very small minority of people that survived.


    Anyway, I''ve grown accustomed to living here, but the food stock has slowly dwindled. At this rate, I''ll run out of things to eat.


    ¡­


    Oh well, it''s fine, I guess.


    Lately, all the food I''ve eaten doesn''t taste good. I feel like puking, and I can only eat meat right now.


    ¡ª


    Day 10


    This¡­


    This is probably my last entry¡­


    I thought I was one of the select humans immune to the virus. But as it turns out, I am one of the zombies.


    I have a slow infection, but I realized that this must be the truth. My skin has been gradually turning ashen, and my body is numb all over.


    I have accepted my fate. There is nobody who can help me anyway¡­


    But I cannot kill myself, I''m afraid, and I don''t even know if dying will keep me from turning into a zombie.


    To anyone who finds this diary and my zombified corpse, please put me to rest. I don''t want to be a hideous monster who will hurt the innocent.


    As a sign of gratitude, I have already gathered all the food in the attic. It''s under the bed, so you¡ªwho have found my body¡ªcan take this as a reward.


    Please save me, put me to rest.


    Thank you¡­


    ¡ª


    That was the last entry of this short diary of Xiao Mei. The rest of the pages had been stained with what was probably the drool from zombie Xiao Mei.


    Yang Zhang''s heart felt stuffy. He knew there were so many tragic stories in this apocalyptic world, but whenever he stumbled across one, he couldn''t help but grieve.


    Xiao Mei survived here for ten days until she realized that she was also becoming a zombie. The virus just spread slower in her body.


    "Maybe the zombie of Xiao Mei could sense there was a human nearby and peeked through that big hole. It''s been a year anyway."


    He had put Xiao Mei to rest, but he kept the Brain Bead of this formidable woman who could survive ten days alone in here.


    Yang Zhang fished the Brain Bead from his pocket and nodded reassuringly, "Don''t worry, Xiao Mei Jiejie, I will make sure not to waste your Brain Bead. I will definitely put it to good use," Yang Zhang promised the deceased woman because he remembered that wiggling rose, and he still felt guilty.


    Looking under the bed revealed plenty of canned foods. Most of them were still edible even after a year, and they had been conveniently put into a bag, so Yang Zhang could just carry them back to the wooden hut.


    He took the canned food. Fortunately, he didn''t need to worry about water because there was a well in the backyard of that wooden hut.


    He also took a flashlight, just in case.


    Yang Zhang stared at the attic room for the last time, and he sighed deeply.


    "Squeak?"


    "Ah, it''s nothing, Chestnut. It''s just¡­ I''m lucky to have immunity from the virus. Xiao Mei Jiejie must''ve been suffering up until her last moment."


    "I''ll make sure to put this Brain Bead to good use. This came from a good person, so I won''t mess around this time."


    With that, Yang Zhang went out and returned to the forest. Chestnut actually remembered the way back, so he didn''t need to worry about getting lost again.


    He would try to scout out another path in the forest because there was nothing but a long tollway and that rest area with the mini-mart he visited just now along this one.


    Yang Zhang stopped in front of the territorial tree and then started thinking, "Okay, now what should I do to get my luggage back?"

 Chapter 10 - Little Ivy (1)

    "Okay, now what should I do to get my luggage back?" Yang Zhang mumbled. The luggage was still in the same position, and although that territorial tree closed its eyes, whenever Yang Zhang wanted to step in, it opened them immediately. It started slashing wildly with its giant whip.


    The tree wasn''t hostile to animals and plants, but Chestnut wasn''t strong enough to retrieve something that big.


    Yang Zhang fished the Brain Bead out of his pocket, "So my only hope is using this Brain Bead to mutate a bigger plant."


    "Though, I''m afraid if I pick a big plant, it will turn out to be similar to this territorial tree and will be hostile to humans as well¡­."


    Yang Zhang looked around to find a good plant. He was thinking of a vine-type of plant that was medium size because he needed something that could catch and drag his luggage back.


    Yang Zhang and Chestnut paced around the forest together, searching for a good plant.


    They stopped when they stumbled upon a tree covered with ivy.


    The ivy was long and thick, already covering the entire tree so well that Yang Zhang couldn''t find its roots.


    He tried to pull on the ivy, but it took more strength than he expected, "Oh, this is perfect!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut looked curious. It jumped from Yang Zhang''s shoulder to the tree, trying to help him pull away the ivy.


    "One, two, hurrah!"


    Yang Zhang pulled at the ivy as hard as he could, trying to get a lot of it.


    "Okay! This is enough, Chestnut!" Yang Zhang rolled the ivy he plucked and returned to the wooden hut with the electric squirrel. Yang Zhang had decided to make that wooden hut his new house. It seemed safe from zombie invasions and ability users who might want to invade for some reason.


    Yang Zhang searched for another pot with dead flowers in front of the wooden hut. Removing the dead flowers first, he then buried the Brain Bead in the soil before planting the ivy.


    Yang Zhang patted the dirt and brought the potted plant inside the house like the rose he''d mutated before.


    "Squeak?"


    "Ah? You''re asking why we returned home before taking my luggage?" Yang Zhang looked at Chestnut, who circled the potted plant on the table. "Well, I think the mutation needs the whole night or something to be effective. So it''s better for us just to take a rest today!"


    Yang Zhang checked the food box that he brought from Xiao Mei Jiejie''s attic and found a pack of roasted nuts.


    "Ah, you may like this, Chestnut!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!" Chestnut excitedly grabbed the pack when Yang Zhang opened it. The squirrel could smell the fragrant scent of the nuts.


    Yang Zhang chuckled and went to the well in the backyard to get some water and boil it.


    But when he passed the grave of the baby son and mother rose, the rose wiggled again, dancing happily.


    Yang Zhang was a bit creeped out, but he couldn''t do much about it anyway. So he tried to ignore it and took some water from the well.


    He returned inside with water and started boiling it with the help of Chestnut, of course.


    After eating two packs of instant noodles, he tucked himself in a blanket with Chestnut. He glanced at potted ivy, "Hopefully, that Brain Bead doesn''t go to waste. I will feel really guilty for Xiao Mei Jiejie if it turned just like that rose¡­."


    **


    Yang Zhang opened his eyes slowly as he heard something rustling and the sound of a whimper.


    "Vii¡­ vii¡­ vii¡­."


    He checked on Chestnut, who was still sleeping, and got up carefully so as not to wake the squirrel. He searched for the source of the soft crying, thinking it was another human.


    "Am I dreaming or what? How come there is a whimper inside this hut?" Yang Zhang thought it might be a ghost, but he wasn''t afraid of ghosts anyway.


    "Vii¡­ vii¡­ vii¡­."


    He listened carefully and found the source of the whimper.


    And it came from¡­ the mutated ivy!


    Yang Zhang saw the ivy he planted suddenly curl up, trying to cover something under its leaves. Yang Zhang could determine the living ivy looked nervous and scared because it was trembling in fear. He approached carefully and pulled gently on one of the leaves.


    "Vii¡­ vii¡­"


    "Ah, this one has eyes?" Yang Zhang pondered as he saw a pair of tiny Beads peeking at him.


    The tiny Beads acted like a pair of eyes as they looked at Yang Zhang, and the trembling on the ivy slowly stopped. It also stopped whimpering, "Vii?"


    "H¡ªHey there, little uhm¡­ little ivy, are you scared?"


    "Vii¡­"


    "Ah, don''t be scared here. We''re inside our hut. There will be no zombies around," Yang Zhang said, and the ivy finally relaxed its guard.


    ''I think the Brain Bead also brings the subconsciousness of the human before they turned into a zombie. Xiao Mei Jiejie must''ve been scared out of her wits when she was hiding in that attic for days. Scared and desperate.''


    ''So that''s why this little ivy mutated with her Brain Bead also has the same fear of the zombies¡­.''


    ''Then¡­ What about that rose? Why is it dancing like that?''


    Yang Zhang was dazed for a moment, thinking about what possible reason there was for the Brain Bead to make it act like that. Little did he know, the ivy would suddenly pluck itself from the pot and jump into his palm.


    "Wha¡ª" Yang Zhang had no time to react when he realized the little ivy had suddenly stretched its vines and coiled them around his hand.

 Chapter 11 - Little Ivy (2)

    "Wha¡ª" before Yang Zhang could react, Little Ivy suddenly stretched its vines and coiled around his hand like a snake.


    "Wha! Let go of me!" Yang Zhang tried flailing his hand to make the ivy let go, but the ivy gripped even tighter.


    Little Ivy whimpered again, "Vii¡­ Vii¡­"


    Yang Zhang stopped flailing when he felt Little Ivy start to tremble again. He watched the plant sticking to his palm. After Little Ivy coiled all its vines on Yang Zhang''s arm, he could finally see its true appearance beneath the leaves.


    It was actually a small stick with two beads as eyes. Little Ivy''s body was covered in ivy leaves, and two more leaves clung to an appendage that looked like a leg, acting as a long skirt for the stick''s lower half, and the limbs that stretched and coiled on Yang Zhang''s hand were made of vines.


    Yang Zhang patted Little Ivy on its head, and it calmed down gradually, "Ah, this Little Ivy is so easily frightened¡­."


    Little Ivy finally sat comfortably on Yang Zhang''s palm after he stopped flailing. Chestnut woke up soon after and saw its master with a strange ivy plant coiling around his left arm.


    "Squeak?"


    "Ah, Chestnut, this is Little Ivy, our new friend!"


    "Squeak?"


    Chestnut jumped on Yang Zhang''s shoulder and then scrambled down his arm. It sat on Yang Zhang''s palm, staring at Little Ivy.


    "Vii?" Little Ivy looked curious as well, and Chestnut started sniffing around. "Vii¡­ viii!"


    "Chestnut, you''re tickling her¡­ is it her? Or him? I''m not sure¡­ I think it''s her¡­." Yang Zhang said uncertainly.


    Chestnut ignored Yang Zhang and suddenly hugged Little Ivy.


    Surprisingly, Little Ivy didn''t look scared at all. It created another pair of vines from inside its body and hugged Chestnut back.


    "Hehe, what a little family we got here," Yang Zhang was relieved that Little Ivy wasn''t hostile to him or Chestnut.


    At least his promise not to waste Xiao Mei''s Brain Bead had been fulfilled. But he still had to prove one thing.


    He opened the door and then walked outside. Seeing another empty pot in the front yard, he looked at Little Ivy still sitting on his palm and instructed her, "Little Ivy, would you mind helping me?"


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang opened his palm and pointed it at the pot a few feet away from him. "Please retrieve that pot for me."


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy created a second pair of arms out of vines and lashed them towards the pot. She carefully grabbed the pot and retracted her vines, putting the pot in Yang Zhang''s other hand.


    "Great job, Little Ivy!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    Yang Zhang scanned his surroundings for another way to test the strength of Little Ivy, then he saw a big log quite far from his position, "Can you grab that, Ivy?"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched her vines again, and surprisingly, the two little vines could carry the big log without any problem!


    That Little Ivy could even swing around the big log easily. Yang Zhang was surprised and scared because Little Ivy was swinging the log recklessly.


    "O¡ªOkay, that''s enough, Little Ivy, you''re doing good."


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy put the log back in its place and looked at Yang Zhang expectantly. She seemed to be happy with that compliment.


    Yang Zhang concluded that Little Ivy was strong enough to grab the luggage near the territorial tree, but he wanted to do one more experiment, "Little Ivy, look at that rock there."


    "Vii?"


    Yang Zhang pointed at a big rock near the log and then instructed, "Would you help me? I need you to break that rock over there."


    "Vii!" Little Ivy looked excited. She stretched her vines and then hit the rock with a whip-like strike.


    CRACK!


    Yang Zhang''s jaw dropped when he saw that Little Ivy''s whip was strong enough to crack open the large rock.


    "You¡­"


    "Vii?"


    "You¡­ are amazing! IVY, YOU''RE AMAZING!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    All three of them were rejoicing over this newfound power. Little Ivy might look fragile and shy, but she had super strength.


    "Alright, let''s go and take back the luggage. I need to change my clothes as well!"


    Thus, Yang Zhang, Little Ivy, and Chestnut paced through the forest and returned to the territorial tree.


    Yang Zhang pointed at the luggage near the tree trunk and coaxed, "Little Ivy, that one is my luggage. Would you mind retrieving that?"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched her vines and grabbed the luggage easily without alerting the territorial tree. With the luggage returned to Yang Zhang, they celebrated, "Little Ivy is amazing!"


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang checked his luggage and found that the initial attack from the tree had torn up half of his shirts and pants.


    But his phone, charger, shoes and sandals, and many other clothes still survived!


    "Yes! I can change my clothes today!"


    "Oh, my phone also survives! But the battery¡­."


    Yang Zhang realized that he didn''t have any source of electricity. In the shelter, the leader used solar panels as a source of electricity for everyone in the base. There he could charge his phone at least once every two days.


    Now that he didn''t have any electricity source¡ª


    "Wait¡ª"


    Yang Zhang looked at the squirrel, who curiously scavenged through his luggage.


    "AH! Chestnut, please help me here!"


    "Squeak?"


    Yang Zhang handed the charger to Chestnut and pointed at the plug, "Hold the plug with your hand."


    Chestnut grabbed the plug, and electricity instantly flowed through the charger. Yang Zhang heard the sound of his phone charging again, and he nodded, "Hehe, thanks, Chestnut."


    "With all of this, we can return and prepare everything first. Then we can hunt for more Brain Beads from the zombies. When Yang Zhang said ''zombies,'' Little Ivy suddenly trembled, terrified. She curled up inside Yang Zhang''s hand and tightened her grip around his arm.


    "Ah, Little Ivy, what''s wrong?"


    "Vii¡­ Vii¡­"


    Seeing that Little Ivy looked so scared, Yang Zhang asked, "Are you scared of zombies?"


    "Vii¡­"


    Little Ivy nodded slowly, and Yang Zhang immediately connected this behavior to Xiao Mei since the Brain Bead originated from her.


    "So it''s true, all the subconscious thoughts of the human are still retained inside the Brain Bead. Xiao Mei is scared of zombies, so Little Ivy inherited that from her."


    "Vii¡­"

 Chapter 12 - Little Ivy (3)

    "Vii¡­"


    Yang Zhang planned to use Little Ivy''s whip power to just¡­ whip the heck out of those zombies and collect as many Brain Beads as possible.


    But when he saw that Little Ivy got so scared when she heard the word ''zombie,'' he bet this little plant wouldn''t even dare to attack when there were zombies around.


    Yang Zhang patted Little Ivy''s leaf gently, "It''s fine. I won''t let any zombies attack you. As long as there is me, you''re safe."


    Yang Zhang tried to calm Little Ivy down, and Little Ivy slowly relaxed. She still coiled around Yang Zhang''s arm tightly, though.


    Yang Zhang sighed, "Well, let''s just return to the hut first before we hunt for uh¡­ undead again."


    Yang Zhang opened his palm with Little Ivy in it. She instantly grabbed the luggage, and they strode through the forest, returning to the wooden hut.


    When they arrived, Yang Zhang told Little Ivy to put down the luggage. He put her down on the soil, and the little plant jumped in and rooted herself again.


    "Okay, I''ll take a bath first and change my clothes. My shirt reeks of zombies'' rotten flesh!"


    When he went to the backyard, the rose was dancing again, but he was used to it and went straight past to take a bath.


    After bathing and changing his clothes, Yang Zhang returned inside the hut. Chestnut and Little Ivy were playing together, so he checked his phone, and it had been fully charged.


    The moment he turned it on and saw the welcome animation, he was so happy that he hugged his phone.


    "Oh, my precious phone, my heart feels empty without you. What am I going to do without my stash of porn¡ªI¡ªI mean, without my camera and radio!"


    After the apocalypse, the only effective method of broadcast from the government was through radio. Its primary use was to share information with the surviving citizens so they could defend themselves against the zombies.


    The government also used it to announce danger zones, places to avoid when moving or migrating from one base to another.


    A danger zone was a strange phenomenon that would affect a random area. It was usually late at night. The air in that area would suddenly smell rotten and putrid without apparent cause, and the scent would attract hordes of zombies. The zombies also got ten times more feral in that area. They were an absolute menace that it was best to avoid.


    Because it was so random, there had once been an accident where a base for humans and ability users suddenly got invaded, and hordes of zombies massacred everyone.


    But that wasn''t an issue for Yang Zhang right now. He was literally in the middle of a forest, so he wouldn''t be affected.


    His focus right now was to collect more and more Brain Beads so that he could get more useful companions.


    Yang Zhang stared at Chestnut and Little Ivy. He patted his shoulder and instructed, "Chestnut, let''s go, we''re going out to hunt zombies!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut happily jumped onto Yang Zhang''s shoulder. But Little Ivy hesitated.


    "Vii¡­"


    Yang Zhang smiled and patted Little Ivy''s leaf, "You can stay here if you want. I will return in the evening, okay?"


    "Vii! Vii! Vii!" Little Ivy panicked. She suddenly jumped out of her pot and coiled around Yang Zhang''s arm again, trembling in fear.


    "What? You don''t like to get left alone?"


    "Vii¡­"


    "Alright then, how about this¡­." Yang Zhang was thinking of utilizing Little Ivy when there was no zombie encounter. "Well, Little Ivy is pretty strong. I''m sure you can help take care of stuff as long as there are no zombies around. When there is a zombie, you can hide inside my sleeve, okay?"


    "Vii!"


    "Hehe, good girl."


    Yang Zhang went out and started wandering aimlessly again, hoping he could get out of the forest after marking a path. He intentionally took another path from yesterday since the only thing he found along the first one was that mini-market next to an empty highway.


    But the farther he went, the more he thought that he might be walking in a circle.


    "Ah, this is bad, the trees are very tall as well¡­" Yang Zhang looked up, and the lush trees almost completely obstructed his view of the sun. At this rate, he would be forced to return to the hut.


    "Vii!"


    "Oh? Little Ivy, you want to help me?"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Huh? Raise my hand?" Yang Zhang didn''t understand what Little Ivy wanted to do, so he raised his hand to the sky and opened his palm.


    Little Ivy pulled out a pair of vines and stretched them to the sky. The vines landed on a tall tree above Yang Zhang and wrapped tightly around the branches.


    Suddenly, Little Ivy retracted the vines, pulling them all to the tall tree above.


    "VII!"


    "SQUEAKKK!"


    "GYAAAHHH!"


    The sudden action caught Yang Zhang and Chestnut off guard but they quickly reached the tall branches above. Yang Zhang immediately hugged the branch, not wanting to move.


    He looked down, and his whole body shook out of fear. He had lost all his strength.


    "L¡ªLittle Ivy, please put me down... slowly, okay?"


    "Vii? Vii! Vii!"


    "I¡ªI mean, I know that you want to help me, but this is too dangerous. One slip and I will end up as a Picasso painting on the ground."


    Little Ivy didn''t seem to listen to Yang Zhang. Instead, she coiled on Yang Zhang''s arm tighter and pulled him up to an even higher branch, higher and higher until they reached the top.


    "Aaahh!"


    Yang Zhang was hugging the tallest branch on top of a pine tree. The branch wobbled left and right as it struggled to hold Yang Zhang''s weight.


    Yang Zhang closed his eyes tightly, unable to look down, but Chestnut suddenly jumped on top of his head and pulled his hair, "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "What? You see something?"


    Yang Zhang slowly raised his head and his eyes moved toward the location Chestnut pointed. The moment Yang Zhang saw what the squirrel was pointing to, he saw a deserted village not far from his current position.


    He couldn''t see what was inside that village. There didn''t seem to be many people, but of course, he already expected there to be zombies there.


    At least he had a direction now. He hoped that he could find some supplies and a Brain Bead before returning to the hut.


    "Alright, the next stop has been spotted! Let''s go, Ivy, Chestnut!"


    "Squeak!


    "Vii!"

 Chapter 13 - Im Gonna Swiiiingg

    "Alright, the next stop has been spotted! Let''s go, Ivy, Chestnut!"


    "Squeak!


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath to brace himself because he was still on top of a pine tree right now. Looking at the tall trees around him, he stretched out his hand and palm open commanded, "Little Ivy, grab a strong branch for me to swing."


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched her vines and grabbed a strong branch in another tree. Yang Zhang took another deep breath. He had to believe in Ivy this time.


    Then, he jumped from the pine tree and swung to another branch. Little Ivy helped by releasing a vine and grabbing the next branch so that Yang Zhang could swing around unhindered.


    "Weeee! I''m gonna swiiiiing like a chandelieeerr~" Yang Zhang was singing around and enjoying the breeze as he swung from one branch to another.


    "Viii!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang, who was scared initially, started to enjoy the sensation of swinging like Spiderman. Chestnut nestled inside Yang Zhang''s jacket, and they quickly passed through the lush forest without much problem.


    They continued swinging until Yang Zhang found a light source in front of him. The exit must be near already.


    "Ivy put me down right here. We can''t be too flashy!" Yang Zhang said.


    Little Ivy obeyed and stopped swinging. She put Yang Zhang down carefully and then retracted all her vines from the tall branches.


    "Hehe, you''re doing great, Little Ivy!" Yang Zhang patted her head. "You can rest for now."


    "Vii!" Little Ivy hid comfortably inside Yang Zhang''s sleeve and covered herself with more leaves.


    Yang Zhang carefully walked out of the lush forest. When he was out, he saw an empty meadow with a deserted village right in front of him, probably about half a mile away.


    He looked around and found nothing. Literally nothing. Not even a zombie wandering around.


    "Huh, that''s weird¡­." Yang Zhang said to himself. "Usually, there would be one or two stray zombies near a village, or any settlement, really."


    "Did they get exterminated by ability users? But I don''t think many ability users have come here because there is no sign of plundering," Yang Zhang commented.


    He looked at the empty village. There was no sign of burned or destroyed buildings. Those ability users usually wrecked everything when raiding and pillaging a place.


    But he still had to be careful. He didn''t know what would happen when he entered the village, especially since he was unarmed right now.


    "Ah, shit. I dropped my pitchfork when Little Ivy pulled me to the pine tree before," Yang Zhang cursed himself for his forgetfulness. He looked around to find some emergency weapon he could use but there was only a long stick near him.


    "Well, better than nothing, I guess. Chestnut, let''s go!"


    "Squeak!"


    **


    Yang Zhang walked through the meadow until he stood right in front of the village gate.


    There were dozens of small houses lined up, on the left and right of the main dirt road, showing that it really was an underdeveloped village.


    It wasn''t that surprising though, this was in the middle of the forest. There was no real road around here, so it must''ve been a gated village with a small population.


    "There should be one or two zombies here¡­ or at least mutated farm animals¡­." Yang Zhang squinted his eyes, looking around suspiciously.


    But since he couldn''t find any trace of living or undead, he guessed the place must have been abandoned, maybe even before the Z-20 Virus spread through the air.


    The village looked creepy as heck, dust all over, but the house stayed intact.


    Yang Zhang clenched his long stick and looked around cautiously. Chestnut also helped to look around, but both of them found nothing until they reached the middle of the village square.


    There was a statue of a bronze cow with blood smeared on it. Yang Zhang was instantly on alert when he saw the blood smeared all over the bronze cow. There must be something wrong here. This place was truly suspicious.


    "I have a really bad feeling about this, Chestnut."


    "Squeak¡­"


    Yang Zhang tiptoed while he approached the bronze cow statue. There was a medium-sized wooden box under the statue, and it was slightly open.


    He used his wooden stick to poke the box. It opened.


    Creaaak.


    "EEEKK!" Yang Zhang jumped out of shock because the first thing that rolled out of the box was a severed head, but it wasn''t the severed head of a zombie. It was the head of a regular human or an ability user. The man''s face stretched in pure agony as if he had been tortured before getting killed.


    "W¡ªWhat the fuck is happening here?" Yang Zhang was terrified by what he found. He poked the head with the long stick. "Surely, a zombie can''t do this, right? They are feral and usually just eat like a monster, you know¡­."


    "What do you think, Chestnut¡ª"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut suddenly jumped from Yang Zhang''s shoulder to somewhere behind him. He turned around and saw Chestnut land right on the head of a zombie that was barely one foot away from him.


    BZZZZTTT!


    The zombie''s head exploded, and its rotten flesh went everywhere.


    Yang Zhang could only stand in silence upon realizing that he was only one foot away from death. Thanks to Chestnut he was saved.


    Yang Zhang sensed something dangerous was coming. His instinct kicked in and commanded, "Chestnut, return here right now! No need to take the Brain Bead!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut returned empty-handed to Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang sensed that something even bigger was coming, "That zombie must''ve been hiding. There is no way a zombie cannot detect the smell of fresh meat from far away. They must''ve been hiding!"


    The moment Yang Zhang finished speaking, a loud growl came from inside the house and a zombie crashed out. In a split second, all of those empty houses suddenly had their doors burst open, and hundreds of zombies came running out towards Yang Zhang!


    "HRAARRGHH!"

 Chapter 14 - Ambushed By Zombies!

    "HRAARRGHH!"


    "Oh fuck!" Yang Zhang jolted in fright as he saw the hordes of zombies hiding inside the empty houses suddenly rushing towards him. There were too many for Yang Zhang to keep track of their numbers.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut was ready to lunge and attack one of the zombies that were closest to them. But Yang Zhang held the squirrel off.


    "Don''t attack! You cannot handle this many zombies!" Yang Zhang warned. He only had a second to react before the zombies caught him. When he looked around, he realized that he was already completely surrounded.


    Frantically he looked over his shoulder and noticed the bronze cow statue behind him.


    ''That''s my only escape!'' Yang Zhang thought. He looked warily at the zombies. One was so close to him it almost got him when it grabbed at his face.


    WHOMP!


    Yang Zhang hit the zombie''s head with his stick, but it wasn''t strong enough to kill it, only causing it to stagger for a moment.


    "Let''s just escape!" Yang Zhang said to Chestnut, and the squirrel hurriedly nestled inside his jacket as he turned to run towards the bronze cow.


    Behind the bronze cow, he could see that they were totally surrounded in all directions, "No fucking way, these zombies litterally ambushed us! How could mindless zombies manage to trap us like this!" Yang Zhang yelled out loud.


    Climbing the bronze cow, he found himself trapped in the middle of the village square, with zombies coming at him in all directions. He lost count of how many zombies were around him, but he was totally dead meat right now.


    Yang Zhang clenched his grip on the cow''s head and warded off the zombies that started crawling up by smacking their heads with his stick.


    Whomp!


    Whomp!


    Whomp!


    "HRAAARGHH!"


    But no matter how hard or how much he smacked them, none of them were injured. At most, they only staggered and fell, getting back up quickly and starting to climb all over again.


    "Oh no, what should I do now¡­." Yang Zhang worriedly asked himself as he continued smacking the zombies. He was lucky it was at noon, so the zombies, though feral, weren''t as strong as they would be at night.


    But he couldn''t do this forever. He was already starting to lose strength.


    Looking around warily, he managed to find a tree quite far from his position but close enough for Little Ivy to reach with her vines.


    The problem was¡­


    "Little Ivy, can you hear me?" Yang Zhang asked gently as Little Ivy''s body trembled in fear.


    "Ivy, I really need your help right now¡­." Yang Zhang tried to control his emotions because he knew if he shouted at Ivy, it would scare her even more.


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy raised her leaf a bit and peeked at Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang smiled and said, "Ignore the zombie''s voice, okay? Look at that tree."


    He deliberately raised his hand up high and opened his palm carefully. In this way, Little Ivy couldn''t see the zombies below her, but she could see a tree not far from their location.


    "Ivy, please help us! Just grab the tree branch with one vine!"


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy''s small body trembled once she heard the zombies growling. She looked back at Yang Zhang, who was pleading with her.


    "Please, help me, Ivy."


    ¡­


    "Vii!" Little Ivy tried to muster some of her courage and then stretched one vine to grab the branch, ready to pull Yang Zhang anytime.


    "Perfect. Remember, Little Ivy, do not look down, okay?" Yang Zhang warned because he knew if the little plant looked down and saw hordes of zombies, then it was over.


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang was about to tell Little Ivy to take him away, but for some unknown reason, Chestnut suddenly jumped out of his pocket. "Wait, Chestnut!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang was dumbstruck. What was in Chestnut''s mind right now? They had no more time, and right now, the zombies were almost able to reach Yang Zhang''s feet, close enough that he had resorted to poking them in the eyes and stomping on their faces.


    "Chestnut! Let''s go! We have no more time!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!" Chestnut jumped and circled on the bronze cow''s head, it seemed to be trying to tell Yang Zhang something, but the latter didn''t really understand.


    "What, what are you¡ªWha!"


    Bzt!


    Yang Zhang was surprised when his hand was suddenly zapped, even though Chestnut was quite far from him right now. Then he realized what the squirrel meant.


    "This statue is made of bronze, and bronze is a good heat and electricity conductor¡ªwait! Chestnut, do you want to use the statue to fight the Zombies?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang placed his palm on the statue and realized it was also hot because of the sun. He realized now, too, that it was hot enough that it even burned the skin of the zombies that tried to climb up, although it wasn''t enough to stop them.


    But since he had Chestnut here¡­


    "Chestnut, I''ve got an idea!" Yang Zhang said. He looked towards Ivy and instructed, "Little Ivy, give me one of your vines!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched one vine towards Yang Zhang, who threw it to Chestnut.


    The vine automatically coiled around the squirrel, ensuring that Chestnut could be pulled to safety at any time.


    "Okay, this is your idea, my friend! Follow my count, okay!"


    "Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang understood what Chestnut wanted to do. By using this bronze cow as a heat and electricity conductor, it could zap and presumably burn all of the nearby zombies.


    "Okay, I''m going to countdown. When I say one, discharge as much electricity as you can!"


    "Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang knew he would be electrocuted to death if he stayed here, so he instructed Little Ivy as well, "Little Ivy, at the same time, you pull us to the tree, but don''t pull the vine attached to Chestnut until I tell you, okay?"


    "Vii!"


    He didn''t know whether his squirrel and the little plant understood his instructions, but it wouldn''t hurt to try.


    Chestnut started charging electricity inside its body, and Yang Zhang began the countdown, "COUNTING DOWN FROM THREE! THREE¡­ TWO¡­ ONE¡­ NOW!"


    Little Ivy quickly retracted the vine that was hooked onto the tree, forcibly pulling Yang Zhang''s body to safety, but she stretched out more vine for Chestnut, so the squirrel could stay on the bronze cow statue.


    As Yang Zhang swung on Ivy''s vine to the tree, he shouted a command. "CHESTNUT, NOW!"


    BBZZZZZZZZTTTTT!!!

 Chapter 15 - The Bronze Cow (1)

    "CHESTNUT, NOW!"


    BBZZZZZZZZTTTTT!!!


    Chestnut discharged an unknown amount of voltage to the bronze statue. The statue zapped all of the zombies that touched it. The electricity and heat even got to the ones that weren''t directly in contact with it standing nearby.


    Yang Zhang had safely landed on a branch, thanks to Little Ivy, but Chestnut was still there.


    Yang Zhang saw Chestnut continuously discharging electricity until the bronze cow turned boiling red from the heat and electricity. He also saw how the bronze cow started steaming up, so there must be something inside the stomach.


    Sensing danger, Yang Zhang yelled, "CHESTNUT! STOP! THAT''S ENOUGH!"


    But Chestnut continued to discharge electricity, and the bronze cow statue was creating way too much steam from the inside. Fearing the worst might happen, Yang Zhang quickly pulled the vine coiling around Chestnut and instructed Little Ivy, "Ivy! Pull in your vine! Save Chestnut!"


    "Vii!"


    Zrrrt!


    Little Ivy retracted the vine attached to Chestnut''s body.


    Yang Zhang skillfully caught the squirrel, who was still releasing electricity, "ARRRGHHH!"


    His grip tightened on another branch while hugging Chestnut tightly. It felt like his body was burned from the inside when he was zapped with such high voltage, but he didn''t want to let Chestnut go.


    Chestnut heard the voice of its master, and when it finally opened its eyes, it saw that it had accidentally zapped Yang Zhang.


    "Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!" Chestnut stopped discharging immediately, but Yang Zhang had lost his strength.


    "I¡ªIt''s okay, bud. You''re doing great," Yang Zhang tried to force a smile, though he was in pain. "G¡ªGood thing that Little Ivy cannot get electrified¡­."


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang had lost his footing, but Little Ivy quickly wrapped four vines around his body, securing him to the branch before he could fall.


    Yang Zhang felt his entire body go numb, and he couldn''t move. Only able to look straight amidst his blurry vision, he could vaguely see the bronze cow had turned boiling red with steam continuously coming out from the nose.


    The zombies had all exploded due to the electric discharge or were melted by the heat.


    But that wasn''t the main show.


    The main show was when the steam escaped from the nose and every other hole on the statue, and¡­


    BOOOOM!!


    The bronze statue exploded.


    Yang Zhang closed his eyes when he heard the medium sized explosion, and the heat that followed burned his skin.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    He closed his eyes for a good while until he deemed it was safe enough.


    When Yang Zhang opened his eyes again, he saw the bronze cow statue was broken in half, the pieces blazing. The zombies in the village square were either exploded into bits by the initial explosion or were cremated by the fire.


    Yang Zhang guessed about half of the zombies in this darned village had been obliterated.


    "How¡­ how could the bronze statue explode?" Yang Zhang asked himself. He only expected the statue to get hot and zap any nearby zombies. But it went full Michael Bay and exploded spectacularly.


    Yang Zhang had suspected something was inside the bronze statue because it started steaming when Chestnut zapped it with too much voltage.


    "Squeak¡­"


    "Vii¡­"


    "Hehe, it''s fine. Let''s just wait until I can move again, okay?" Yang Zhang smiled at Chestnut and Little Ivy, especially Chestnut, who looked guilty.


    The zombies stood bye in silence while watching the fires engulf many of their fellows. They waited until the flame calmed down and started throwing the heads of the fallen ones to the inferno inside the bronze statue, like an offering.


    They threw in the heads of more than 100 zombies that had been wiped out by the explosion, leaving only the ones that had turned into ashes.


    "Ah, welp¡­ that''s 100 Brain Beads wasted¡­." Yang Zhang looked at the pile of disintegrating heads that had been thrown at the bronze statue. They burned quickly, so Yang Zhang guessed that the Brain Beads inside were most likely destroyed in the process.


    "These zombies are weird, don''t you think so, Chestnut, Ivy?"


    "Squeak?"


    "Vii?"


    "I mean, they obviously ambushed us, and when we escaped and killed many of their zombie folks, they stopped chasing me to throw those heads into the fire," Yang Zhang said. "Look at them now. They are bowing their heads in silence¡­."


    "I think these zombies are far more intelligent than what we found in the city. There must be something in this untouched village¡­."


    Yang Zhang, Little Ivy, and Chestnut waited until the zombies finished their silent offering. Then like magic, they turned around and returned to their respective houses like normal humans.


    They were still zombies, though. A few of them still looked at Yang Zhang sitting on the tree branch and started salivating like regular zombies looking at normal humans, but they eventually walked away without fighting.


    What they did was just too appalling to Yang Zhang. But for now, all he could do was rest a bit.


    After taking a break for more than an hour, he could finally feel his body again, and he requested that Ivy release him and put him down.


    Little Ivy did that and comfortably hid inside Yang Zhang''s sleeve again. She had built up a little courage after what happened, but she was still afraid when she thought the zombies might come back.


    "Thank you so much, Ivy, and you too, Chestnut."


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang looked around cautiously to ensure he wouldn''t get ambushed again. Quickly he ran towards the still blazing bronze statue. Unfortunately, he couldn''t retrieve the Brain Beads from the bronze statue anymore because the fire destroyed them. The Mana Bead inside the ability user''s head was also irretrievable because the explosion destroyed it.


    "Aish, really bad luck, ah," Yang Zhang complained. He searched the ground to see if at least one or two were left over that he could keep.


    Chestnut felt terrible for destroying so many chances to obtain Brain Beads, so it jumped out of Yang Zhang''s shoulder and started searching inside the charred zombie heads on the ground.


    Then it started digging in one and was actually able to pull out an intact Brain Bead. When it searched again it found a second!


    "Squeak! Squeak!" Chestnut put the two Brain Beads in its mouth and ran towards Yang Zhang.


    "What is it, Chestnut?"


    Chestnut dropped them inside Yang Zhang pocket, and it happily nestled inside his jacket again.


    "Squeak!"


    "Oh! You found two Brain Beads!?" Yang Zhang was happy that they had these two Brain Beads that Chestnut found that they could bring back to the hut. "You''re the best, Chestnut! Now let''s just get the fuck out of this place before¡ª"


    Yang Zhang froze on the spot when his gaze landed on a teenage boy sitting on a tree not far from his position.


    The moment their eyes met, the teenage boy smiled and said, "You''re the first one to survive here."

 Chapter 16 - The Bronze Cow (2)

    "You''re the first one to survive here." A teenage boy suddenly popped out of nowhere, sitting on a tree not far from Yang Zhang''s position.


    He had dark hair and tattered clothes and looked to be around 15-16 years old. But what surprised Yang Zhang was the boy''s physique. Unlike the typical teenage boy in the apocalypse, this child was vigorous and robust.


    "Who are you?" Yang Zhang asked cautiously. The last thing he wanted was another enemy after so much had already happened today.


    "I''m the only living human in this village. I don''t know how you were able to come to this village alone, but you''re the only one who survived the villagers'' ambush."


    "The only living human in this village?" Yang Zhang frowned. He also felt wronged because he expected a living human to have helped when the zombies attacked him. "And you hid the whole time while I was one inch away from death?!"


    "Hey, you''re fighting a literal village of zombies," the kid complained. "Do you think I can just jump in and go full Rambo?"


    "At least you could have warned me before I entered this damned village ah!" Yang Zhang yelled back bitterly.


    "Warning people is how I got my little sister killed," the teenage boy shouted.


    The surprising dark turn caught Yang Zhang off guard. He didn''t know the story behind it, but out of respect he bowed his head slightly, "I¡ªI apologize for bringing it up."


    "No, it''s fine," the teenager brushed off Yang Zhang''s apology. He looked tough, though even Yang Zhang could see the flash of sadness in his face. "It wasn''t your fault anyway. It''s those ability user bastards."


    "Anyway, I can tell you the story behind this village and why those zombies acted that way. But I have a request for you."


    Yang Zhang cocked his head curiously, "Eh? What request?"


    "¡­ you will know later. Please follow me." The teenage boy walked ahead deeper into the village.


    Yang Zhang hesitated. He could turn around and get the fuck out of this damned village as soon as possible, but he was curious about what that kid wanted him to do, and he wanted to know what happened here.


    Thus, following his instinct, Yang Zhang followed the teenage boy walking through the empty street. Keeping his guard up, he looked around warily, just in case a zombie would suddenly jump out of nowhere and attack him.


    The teenage boy chuckled, "Don''t worry, those zombies only attack when you''re in the middle of town by the bronze cow statue. Now that it''s gone, I''m not sure what they''ll do next, but I''m sure they won''t do anything right now."


    "You''re safe."


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang knew it was a bit ridiculous to trust someone younger than him about this, but he seemed to have a lot more experience than the sheltered Yang Zhang.


    So he just followed the teen boy until they were at the South Gate of the village and left the town.


    The teen boy stopped in a cave not far from the village. He invited Yang Zhang to enter the cave and lit the candle on a stone table.


    "This is the place where I live," the teenager said.


    Yang Zhang was quite impressed by how this young man could survive by himself, "Are you an ability user?"


    "I''m just a regular human," the teen boy replied. "I''d rather die than become an ability user. They''re no better than the zombies."


    Yang Zhang was surprised by the sharp remark. Then he remembered the head of that ability user under the bronze cow, and he cautiously asked, "Why do you hate ability users so much?"


    "Because they''re the one who killed my sister," the teen boy stared emptily at the wall and sighed, "I''ll tell you a story."


    Yang Zhang was all ears when the teen boy started telling the story of this village.


    "This village was a closed community that had almost zero interaction with outsiders. Only the village chief and a select few others could leave the village. Honestly, it was a peaceful place."


    "The villagers mostly live off farming and cattle. That''s why they worshiped a cow god. The bronze statue in the middle of the village is their offering statue. They would usually offer the head of their livestock, like cow, lamb, pig, or chicken by burning it under the bronze cow."


    "My dad was the son of the village chief, so he had the privilege to study in the big city and married my mom, who was a city woman."


    "But my parents were divorced when I was ten, and my sister was only four years old. Then when my grandpa passed away, Dad returned here to be the new village chief."


    "All was good until the virus reached the village. Everyone in town was infected and turned into zombies. Only my sister and I were spared."


    "But then, after a while I realized that my sister''s skin started rotting, and in only ten days, she also turned into a zombie. But she wasn''t hostile. All she did was sit all day long outside or near the river. That''s why I kept her around."


    "She would constantly follow me when I was checking around the village, and those zombified villagers weren''t hostile to me either. Although I was devastated, I was trying to survive alone with my zombie sister in this secluded village."


    "The zombies stayed inside their houses most of the time, only coming out when stray animals entered the village. They would gang up on that animal and eat everything raw until there is only the head."


    "They will then throw the head under the bronze cow as an offering. I don''t know why they act differently than other zombies, though¡­."


    "Then¡­ about eight months ago, four people driving two motorcycles suddenly reached the village and I met them at the gate. I told them not to enter because the zombies here are different. But they boasted that they were ability users, and they could handle a few zombies just fine."


    "They shoved me away and walked brazenly into the village. When they saw my zombie sister, they¡­" Up until this point the boy had been able to relay the story with a calm and even tone, as if it had nothing to do with him, but when he came to this part he choked up before continuing, "They cut her head off with their ability and then walked to the bronze cow."


    "And they got ambushed and eaten by the zombie villagers?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Yes¡­" The boy looked grim and there was an angry fire in his eyes, "I feel no remorse, though. They are so arrogant, and¡­ and they killed my zombie sister¡­"


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath. This stuff was seriously heavy. Unexpectedly this teen boy''s life was so miserable.


    He was also mystified by the zombie villagers'' and the little sister''s behavior.


    It seemed the zombies could retain their memories from when they were human, although it seemed to be mostly instinctual.


    The zombies in the village had their belief deeply rooted inside their subconsciousness, so even after turning into zombies, they still retained that consciousness to make offerings to the bronze cow as part of their religion.


    Yang Zhang stared at the teen boy pitifully, but he said nothing, waiting until the teen boy spoke up about his request.


    "I know this might be weird, but can I ask you a question?" The teen boy said, and Yang Zhang nodded.


    The teen boy looked at Chestnut, who was resting on Yang Zhang''s jacket, and Little Ivy, who was also resting on Yang Zhang''s palm.


    "Your pets are mutated, right? I saw plenty of mutated animals and plants in the forest, but I never saw any of them follow a human command. And I saw you collecting those Brain Beads after that explosion."


    "So, may I ask, are those Brain Beads used to mutate your pets?"

 Chapter 17 - My Little Sister (1)

    "So, may I ask, are those Brain Beads used to mutate your pets?"


    Yang Zhang held his breath as he heard this question because he wasn''t sure how to tackle this question without giving away too much information about the use of Brain Beads.


    He knew that he was holding a big secret, and he should''ve been more careful while he was searching for more Brain Beads, but since his secret was about to be uncovered it was time to decide how to respond.


    Yang Zhang stared at the teen boy in front of him. He was articulate with his words and very observant of his surroundings and had easily determined that Yang Zhang was using the Brain Beads to mutate plants, showing that he was also clever.


    Yang Zhang could''ve shared the idea of using Brain Beads with a select few, but he couldn''t trust this teen boy.


    It might not be his fault, but he had hatred towards ability users because of the ones who had killed his little sister.


    ''I''m worried that he will use this power to hunt ability users, even though not all of them are bad,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    Thus, after a minute of consideration, Yang Zhang got an idea and approached this in a different way, "What if I say that I have an ability to mutate plants?"


    "To mutate¡­ plants?" The teen boy tilted his head.


    "It''s my ability. I am an ability user that can mutate plants and animals."


    The teen boy suddenly looked reluctant. Yang Zhang secretly thought that this was understandable due to the traumatic experience he''d had with ability users. Now that he was claiming to also be an ability user, it was only to be expected that the boy''s attitude would change.


    But Yang Zhang did this as a test and a way to avoid unnecessary conflict.


    If the teen boy kicked him out because he was an ability user, then at least he would be able to keep the secret for himself.


    If the teen boy tolerated him, he wasn''t that hateful towards ability users and could think logically rather than be simply driven by emotion.


    "I thought that you''re just a regular human with immunity like me, and you use that mutated plant to protect yourself," the teen boy said suspiciously. He still couldn''t believe Yang Zhang''s claim of being an ability user.


    "Well, that''s right and also wrong," Yang Zhang lied. "I use plants and animals to protect myself, but that doesn''t mean I have no power. I created my pets with my ability."


    "And how about the Brain Beads? Why are you collecting them? Didn''t you hear from the radio that you should destroy the Brain Beads that come out of zombies?"


    "Well, that''s because I need to consume Brain Beads in order to mutate plants. You see, my ability is quite unique. After I consume the Brain Bead, I will pick a plant and mutate it overnight. Just like my Little Ivy, I have to eat a Brain Bead and then hug the plant. Then it will turn into a mutated plant in the morning."


    ''Oh Buddha, I hope I sound convincing enough,'' Yang Zhang wished in his heart. He was thoroughly bullshitting his way through this, hoping the teen boy would believe him.


    The teenager stared intently at Yang Zhang, reluctant to trust him after discovering that unlike what he''d assumed, he was an ability user.


    But¡­


    "So you can use your ability to transfer a Brain Bead to a plant, right?"


    "W¡ªWell, sort of," Yang Zhang replied.


    "Then, can you help me?"


    "Um¡­ what kind of help?"


    "Stay here," the teen boy said as he got up and went deeper inside the cave. He picked something and returned to Yang Zhang with a small wooden box.


    Inside the box was a shiny Brain Bead with a smooth surface, a sign that it had been taken care of and treasured by this teen boy.


    "This is the Brain Bead of my zombie sister. After she got decapitated by those ability users, this is the only part that didn''t rot within her," the boy explained. "I''ve been keeping this as a memory of my dead sister, but when I saw your Ivy and how you collected Brain Beads, I was thinking maybe¡­ you can help me with this."


    Yang Zhang quickly understood what this teen boy wanted, "You want me to transfer the consciousness of this Brain bead to a plant?"


    "Yes¡­" the teen boy smiled bitterly as he looked at the Brain bead of his dead sister. "I just want to take care of my little sister again. She is my only companion, and I can''t let her go¡­."


    "That''s why, can I request your help?" The teen asked cautiously. "I¡ªI might not have something for a barter right now, but I''ll think of a way to reward you if you can help me here."


    "I will help," Yang Zhang replied. "And you don''t need to reward me. It''s just a small favor anyway."


    "R¡ªReally?! Thank you so much!" The teen boy handed the box to Yang Zhang so that the latter could inspect it.


    Yang Zhang carefully picked up the Brain Bead of the dead little sister. He looked it over carefully and smiled, "What kind of flower does your little sister like?"


    "Uh¡­ she likes Peonies. She had a Peony in a small pot that she kept. Taking care of that Peony was her only source of entertainment before she slowly turned into a zombie."


    "We can use that. Bring the small pot here," Yang Zhang instructed.


    The teenager went out and brought back a pink Peony in a small pot, "I''m the one who has been taking care of this Peony since my little sister''s passing. She loves this Peony so much, Mr¡­ Uhm¡­"


    "Yang Zhang, just call me Brother Zhang," Yang Zhang smiled warmly.


    "B¡ªBrother Zhang, can you help me? I want my little sister back¡­."


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath. This seemingly independent teen boy showed such a childish side as he begged Yang Zhang to bring his sister back to life.


    Yang Zhang was lucky that he didn''t have any close connection with anyone, unlike this boy who had been living alone in this cave for almost a year, grieving for the death of his zombie little sister.


    He wasn''t exactly a saint or anything, but to be able to give the dead little sister back to her brother¡­


    "Okay, I will help," Yang Zhang nodded.. "But the process will take the whole night, so let me stay here until tomorrow morning."

 Chapter 18 - My Little Sister (2)

    "Okay, I will help," Yang Zhang nodded. "But the process will take the whole night, so let me stay here until tomorrow morning."


    "Oh, thank you so much, Brother Zhang!" The teenager was delightfully surprised by Yang Zhang''s willingness. It was very rare to find someone that still had a heart in this apocalypse world. "You can stay here for the whole night! I still have venison left from my hunt this morning."


    "Wait, you can hunt a deer?!"


    "Yeah, it''s not that hard when you''re living in a secluded village. Hunting is a hobby or even a source of food for many in my village, even before the apocalypse."


    ¡­


    ''Well, that''s definitely a good reward,'' Yang Zhang thought. Out loud, he asked, "Anyway, what''s your name?"


    "Xi Feng," the teen boy replied. "And my little sister''s name is Xi Mudan."


    "I see. Nice to meet you, Xi Feng."


    Xi Feng smiled and gave the box containing his sister''s Brain Bead to Yang Zhang, and he got up, "I''ll wash and cook the meat first for dinner. Um¡­ Brother Zhang, please do something for my little sister. Thank you so much."


    "I will. Don''t worry about it," Yang Zhang smiled at Xi Feng, and the latter walked out of the cave to prepare dinner.


    Yang Zhang opened the box, and the luster from the Brain Bead silently told him how much Xi Feng treasured his little sister. Even after her supposed permanent death, he still kept this Brain Bead as the memory of his little sister.


    Yang Zhang opened his palm. Little Ivy was still sleeping, and so was Chestnut. They must''ve been exhausted after what happened in the village.


    He was lucky to quickly find Chestnut and Ivy after getting kicked out of the shelter, so he didn''t have to feel lonely, but Xi Feng spent the whole year alone in this secluded village, surviving by himself. Still, his mental strength was quite commendable; he was able to maintain his sanity in this harsh world alone as a teenager.


    If it was Yang Zhang, he wasn''t sure that he could keep the same level-headedness.


    Yang Zhang saw that Xi Feng was busy setting up the fire to cook the venison, so he used this time to quietly take out the Brain Bead from the box and plant it in the small pot of peonies.


    He buried the Brain Bead deep within and gently caressed the peony''s petals, "I know that you want to hug your big brother again. So please wake up tomorrow morning and accompany him, okay? He is lonely without you."


    Yang Zhang felt like an idiot for talking to a plant, but then, he remembered how Little Ivy was basically Xiao Mei Jie''s soul inside the Brain Bead.


    Xiao Mei Jie in plant form was accompanying him right now.


    So he made a wish that this would work again and that the peony would mutate tomorrow morning.


    After a while, Xi Feng called Yang Zhang out, "Brother Zhang, come and eat with me. I roasted the venison for dinner."


    This was the first time Yang Zhang ate real meat after days of chips and instant noodles from the minimarket. He gobbled the venison happily and then returned to the cave to sleep with a full stomach.


    "Brother Zhang, how is it? Does it have any effect? Can I meet with my little sister again?" Xi Feng asked while looking at the potted peony.


    "It''ll take overnight. I uh... I have consumed your little sister''s Brain Bead and used my ability to transfer her consciousness to this peony. Don''t worry about it. It will work--"


    ''Hopefully,'' Yang Zhang added silently in his heart, praying that it would come true.


    "Then, can I hug my little sister''s potted peony in my sleep?" Xi Feng asked again. "I just want to be the first person my little sister sees once her consciousness has been restored."


    "Sure, why not," Yang Zhang said.


    Xi Feng was sleeping near the cave mouth while he told Yang Zhang to sleep on the bed because he was the guest, and as the night passed, they both fell into a deep sleep.


    **


    Yang Zhang woke up quite early the following day as Ivy tickled his waist, and Chestnut repeatedly jumped around his body to wake him up.


    "Urgh, what?"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang rubbed his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Xi Feng, who was fast asleep, with a mutated plant hugging his neck.


    The plant was twice the size of Little Ivy, and peony petals surrounded her body. Her conjoined arms formed an ''O'' shape and beautiful peony flowers adorned them.


    The ''O'' shape of the mutated peony''s arms was encircling Xi Feng''s neck, creating the illusion that the plant mutated by using the little girl''s Brain Bead was clinging onto her Big brother.


    The mutated Peony saw Yang Zhang and opened her tiny mouth, "Mu... daann..."


    "Yes! Thank you, Buddha, it''s really working!" Yang Zhang was excited and quickly patted Xi Feng''s shoulder. "Xi Feng! Xi Feng! Your little sister is here!"


    Xi Feng immediately opened his eyes when he heard ''little sister.''


    He looked at his left and right but found no sign of his little sister. Feeling a bit pissed, he said, "Brother Zhang, please don''t give me that kind of hope! I really miss my sister--''"


    "No, you idiot, look down. Your little sister is hanging on your neck right now!"


    Xi Feng looked down, and his eyes met with two tiny eyes peeking out of a mutated flower. The plant was cute and looked harmless, just like his little sister. Even after she had been zombified, she had never been hostile.


    "Mudan?" Xi Feng asked to make sure.


    The flower smiled and hugged Xi Feng''s neck tighter, "Daan! Mu...dan!''


    The moment he heard the voice of the mutated Peony, Xi Feng''s tears pooled on his eyes and streamed down on his cheek, wetting the mutated peony in the process.


    "Muu... Muu... daann..."


    The peony noticed the tears and buried her small face on her big brother''s neck.


    Xi Feng gently caressed the petals of this mutated flower. His emotion was uncontrollable right now as he mumbled, "My little sister, Mudan. It''s okay now. Big brother is here with you...."

 Chapter 19 - Second Mana Bead

    Yang Zhang watched the heartfelt reunion between Xi Feng and his little sister that had been turned into a mutated peony. It wasn''t really the best scenario because he bet Xi Feng still missed his little sister in human form¡­


    But this was the best he could do.


    ''If only those mutated animals can turn into a human or at least zombie with consciousness¡­.'' Yang Zhang thought. It was also his silent wish.


    After Xi Feng collected himself, he smiled at Yang Zhang and bowed his head, "Brother Zhang, thank you for bringing my sister back. I know this is her, even if she is a mutated plant. Her eyes, and her voice, it''s the same as my sister, Xi Mudan."


    "Muu¡­ daaan!" The peony also looked happy.


    "Haha, I''m just doing all I can with my ability. I just hope that you''ll know not all ability users are bad. Take me as an example, right?" Yang Zhang said.


    Of course, he knew there were also many scummy ability users. They were arrogant and greedy most of the time, but Yang Zhang also met many good ability users who didn''t discriminate against him, despite the fact that he was only a regular human.


    He didn''t want Xi Feng to bear ill will towards all ability users, just because of a few bad ones.


    "But you still have to be careful with them, of course," Yang Zhang warned.


    "I know, thanks to you, Brother Zhang," Xi Feng said. "Let me cook breakfast. I''ve stored some meat for us to eat."


    "Oh, sure!" Yang Zhang wouldn''t say no to meat. Finding a slightly normal-looking animal was already difficult in this apocalypse world. But now, since Xi Feng had already hunted and slaughtered it, he didn''t need to see whatever weird mutation the animal had.


    **


    Yang Zhang and Xi Feng ate meat for breakfast, while Chestnut ate dried fruits from Xi Feng as a gift.


    After they were all done, Yang Zhang prepared to leave this place because he had his own house to go back to.


    "I have to leave now. I own a hut in the forest. You know, if you want to stay with me, you can come too," Yang Zhang offered.


    Xi Feng shook his head, "I can''t leave the village. This village is still my home, after all. But you should come and visit if you have time. I''ll hunt some animal meat for you."


    "Eh¡­ okay then," Yang Zhang wasn''t very worried about Xi Feng. The guy could survive alone for a year without any problem. If it was his choice to stay, then so be it.


    "Then, I''m leaving now! Take care¡ª"


    "Wait!" Xi Feng suddenly interrupted. He fished out something from his pocket and handed it to Yang Zhang, "Brother Zhang, this is the least I could do. I don''t know whether you will have a use for this or not, but since you can consume Brain Beads, I assume you can do something with this blue bead as well."


    Yang Zhang stared in shock at the Mana Bead in Xi Feng''s hand. It was shining beautifully, proving that it had been cleaned thoroughly.


    "How did you get that blue bead?" Yang Zhang asked Xi Feng. Since it came from an ability user, he assumed the owner was dead, and Xi Feng must have scraped it out of the man''s head.


    "Oh, I got it from an ability user. The zombies gnawed on him until nothing was left other than his head. He was part of the first group of ability users that came to the village. I picked up this blue bead when the head just sort of got crushed because the zombie villagers stomped on it while they were returning to their homes."


    ¡­


    Okay, that was gruesome but pretty tolerable in the apocalypse.


    "I don''t have any use for it. I picked it up because it''s unique. I never found a blue bead before," Xi Feng said. "Take it, Brother Zhang."


    Yang Zhang took the Mana Bead and inspected it. Under the morning sun, the luster was even more brilliant, "Do you know what kind of ability the man had?"


    "Nope, they didn''t have time to do anything when the zombies ambushed them. They just died and were chewed clean to the bones by the zombies," Xi Feng replied.


    "Well, this will definitely help. Thank you so much, Xi Feng."


    "I should be the one who thanked you, Brother Zhang."


    Yang Zhang smiled and pocketed the Mana Bead alongside the two Brain Beads he collected yesterday, "I''m leaving then, please take care, you two."


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "I will, and I will protect Mudan at all cost," Xi Feng said as he waved his hand. "Come back and visit if you want. I''m a good hunter!"


    "Mu¡­ dan! Mu¡­ dan, dan!" The peony also waved towards Yang Zhang as they parted.


    **


    Yang Zhang swung from one tree to another like Tarzan, with the help of Little Ivy, and he soon returned to his hut.


    "Alright, we''re home!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    Chestnut quickly jumped out and went to find the secret stash full of chestnuts it hid inside the hut, like a typical squirrel. At the same time, Little Ivy promptly released her grip on Yang Zhang''s arm and went inside her pot again, sitting comfortably and acting just like a regular plant.


    "Ahhh, there is nothing like our own home, right?" Yang Zhang chuckled.


    He sat on the chair and took out the three beads from his pocket.


    He lined them up on the table and inspected them one by one, "Hm¡­. This is dangerous¡­."


    "Vii?" Little Ivy got curious and checked the beads as well.


    "You see this, Ivy? One Brain Bead is already chipped, and one is half burnt. When I mutated you, and that dancing rose in the backyard, I used Brain Beads that were in perfect condition. I''m afraid this defect would affect the mutated plant¡­."


    "And this Mana bead¡ª" Yang Zhang held the Mana bead and wondered. "What can I do with this? Should I find a new animal, or can I use this on Chestnut or Ivy?"

 Chapter 20 - Brain Bead With Defect!

    "What can I do with this? Should I find a new animal, or can I use this on Chestnut or Ivy?" Yang Zhang pondered.


    Finding animals and experimenting would be quite difficult because his encounter with Chestnut was fated, just like Ash Ketchum and Pikachu kind of stuff.


    And there was a possibility that it might backfire if the animal wasn''t interested in teaming up with him, just like Chestnut before.


    Chestnut wasn''t interested in him, not until Yang Zhang started giving food to that squirrel.


    "And it might go rogue and attack me instead."


    Yang Zhang looked at Ivy and then showed the Mana bead, "Ivy, do you want this?"


    "Vii?" Little Ivy stretched her vine to jump to Yang Zhang''s palm. She touched the Brain bead and observed for a while until she shook her tiny head.


    "Eh? You don''t want it?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Vii¡­"


    Little Ivy didn''t seem to want it. In fact, to make her point clearer, she returned to her pot and covered the soil inside the pot with her vine, making sure that Yang Zhang wouldn''t be able to plant the Mana bead inside.


    "Eh, does that mean plants doesn''t like Mana bead?" Yang Zhang hypothesized.


    He glanced at Chestnut, who was still snacking, "Chestnut, come here."


    "Squeak?"


    Chestnut hopped to Yang Zhang and sat on his arm.


    Yang Zhang showed the Mana bead to the squirrel, "Do you want to eat it?"


    Yang Shang thought that Chestnut would evolve after eating its second Mana bead. Maybe it would mutate and grow a pair of wings, or maybe another power!


    But contrary to his expectation, Chestnut sniffed the Mana bead and got repulsed.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut jumped away from Yang Zhang''s arm and returned to its previous spot to eat more nuts as a snack.


    Yang Zhang sighed in pity. He couldn''t use this Mana bead for Ivy or Chestnut, "Well, I guess I''ll keep it for now. Maybe after I find a new animal to tame, I can give this to them."


    "Vii? Vii!"


    "Hm? What did you say, Ivy? You want me to¡­ eat this?"


    "Vii!"


    "Ehh¡­ But I''m a normal human, I have immunity against the Z-20 virus, so I don''t have any mutation like those zombies or ability users!"


    "Vii? Vii, Vii!"


    "You want me to try it because there is no wrong with trying? Damn, Xiao Mei must''ve been an optimistic girl before the apocalypse."


    He stared at the Mana bead. Honestly, he was also curious whether this Mana bead would give him an ability. Maybe he could copy the original user''s ability and such.


    But he didn''t know what kind of power in this Mana bead and whether it would be harmful to him or not.


    He wasn''t sure if it would actually give him superpowers, or it would do nothing on him, which would be a big waste.


    Yang Zhang was very resourceful and cautious with whatever he had, so he planned something else, "I''ll just keep this for now and see which animal I could use."


    "Vii?"


    "Ah, don''t worry, Ivy! Thanks to you, I have something else on my wishlist, I have to try a Mana bead, but I need to know the power first!"


    **


    Yang Zhang took a bath first and washed his shirt before he went out to hunt for an animal to use the Mana bead.


    He was well prepared to leave the hut. But before he left, he looked around, trying to find good plants first.


    He looked around the hut and found nothing interesting. He walked to the backyard to check whether there was an interesting plant he could plant these two Brain beads on.


    But really, he found nothing interesting here. It was all grass and flowers that wouldn''t benefit him, unlike Little Ivy.


    The moment Yang Zhang stepped near the graveyard of the baby and the mother, the rose was wiggling again as a way to greet him.


    Yang Zhang looked down at the wiggling rose, and he took out the two chipped Brain beads.


    "There must be something that caused Ivy to reject this Brain bead¡­." Yang Zhang wondered. "Maybe because the defect would harm the plants and kill it? I don''t want to take a risk and hurt Little Ivy in the process. But I do need to experiment on this¡­."


    Yang Zhang crouched and a chipped Brain bead inside the dancing rose''s soil.


    This was a safe idea because it was just a wiggling rose rooted in this small graveyard. If it went rogue because of a Brain bead defect, Yang Zhang guaranteed it couldn''t do anything.


    "It''s just a twerking rose. After all, nothing could go wrong, right?" Yang Zhang asked himself. He wasn''t sure, of course. But the rose was a perfect subject for the experiment.


    Yang Zhang glanced at the pitchfork he put near the toolshed and took it as his weapon.


    He took the last glance at the wiggling rose and then left, not knowing that a quick change happened with the dancing rose right when he turned his back and walked away.

 Chapter 21 - Chicken (1)

    Yang Zhang decided to take it slow today and walked instead of using Little Ivy to swing around. His main objective was to find one animal to use the Mana Bead on and one good plant to mutate with the Brain Bead.


    Aimlessly he wandered past the territorial tree and then headed deeper into the forest, with Chestnut accompanying him on his shoulder, and Little Ivy nestled in the palm of his hand.


    "Squeak, Squeak?"


    "Ah, yes, we''re going to find another animal to feed this Mana Bead to," Yang Zhang answered Chestnut''s question.


    "Squeak!"


    "Ehhh, tiger? You want me to use the Brain Bead on a tiger? That''d be too dangerous since we don''t know whether the tiger will obey my command or make me its lunch. It''s better to find smaller animals, maybe around your size," Yang Zhang explained.


    He was thinking of a bird or another rodent because they weren''t difficult to control, and if they got hostile, it wouldn''t be hard to run away or¡­ kill them, of course.


    Yang Zhang continued walking until he found a nest of junglefowl, or what most people here called¡­ forest chickens.


    "Oh! Junglefowls, and they look normal too!" Yang Zhang was excited when he saw a junglefowl hen, complete with chicks.


    He had seen junglefowl when he was a kid living with his grandparents, but after his grandpa''s death, he was sent to live in an orphanage in the city.


    It was actually a delightful surprise to see one again!


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "What? Friends? You guys want to take one as a friend?"


    Chestnut and Ivy both nodded at once. They didn''t seem to see things like Yang Zhang.


    "I mean, we can take them home, but not as friends¡­." Yang Zhang counted the little chicks, ''Mhm, one fat hen and five chicks. I can start my own chicken farm and eat chicken and egg every day, hehe~."


    Chestnut jumped from Yang Zhang''s shoulder and walked towards the big hen.


    But the moment Chestnut walked too close towards the chicks, the Big hen jumped in and started pecking Chestnut''s head.


    "Squeak! Squeak!" Chestnut returned to Yang Zhang while rubbing its head.


    "Well, I don''t think she''s up for a talk, buddy. Let''s just snatch her and the chicks. We¡ªI mean, I will get a nice supply of eggs for breakfast everyday!" Yang Zhang had one thing in his mind now, snatching the chicks first. With the chicks in hand, the mother hen would ultimately chase after him back to the hut.


    Yang Zhang walked carefully towards the chicks who gathered together while their mother hen searched for worms on the ground. He waited stealthily until the mother hen wasn''t looking, and then¡­


    SNATCH!


    "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"


    The loud noise from the chicks alerted the mother hen instantly. She looked towards Yang Zhang and flapped her wings, chasing after Yang Zhang to get her chicks back.


    "CLUCK! CLUCK! CLUCK!"


    "Hihihi, chase me, mother hen! I''ve got your chicks! Time to make them fried chicken pop!"


    Yang Zhang laughed as he saw the hen chase relentlessly after him. What could a single hen do anyway? Peck him?


    But after chasing Yang Zhang for a while, the mother hen stopped suddenly and stood still for a moment.


    Yang Zhang slowed his pace because he wanted to lead the hen to his hut, and he didn''t want her to get lost on the way.


    "Now what? You don''t want your offspring anymore? I can turn them into fried chicken for a snack, you know~" Yang Zhang taunted.


    Yang Zhang heard the mother hen clucked a few times, and soon after, a junglefowl rooster flew the short distance from the tree it had been sitting in towards her.


    The rooster stared at Yang Zhang, then at the chicks.


    After seeing the five defenseless chicks about to be dipped in sauce, the rooster''s chest puffed up and¡ª


    ''COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!''


    The rooster crowed out so loud that his crow echoed around the deep forest.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "That''s it?" Yang Zhang thought there would be something dangerous coming after the rooster crowed. But nothing happened after that. "Well, if you want to chase me, then do it ah! One rooster and one hen, I''m going to have a chicken farm!"


    Yang Zhang chuckled tauntingly, but that laugh didn''t last long because he suddenly saw something flying from one tree to another.


    It was so quick that Yang Zhang couldn''t tell what that was.


    The rooster and hen were standing still in the same spot and clucked again, "Cluck, cluck."


    "What?"


    ¡­


    "Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck" Yang Zhang suddenly heard the echoing sounds of chickens clucking springing up all across the forest. He looked up and instantly regretted his stupid decision.


    There were hundreds of junglefowl roosters and hens perched on top of all the trees around him. They looked down at Yang Zhang as if he was today''s prey.


    Yang Zhang gulped. Of course, he was intimidated by the sight of hundreds of Junglefowl ready to peck him to death. Even if he commanded Chestnut to zap them all, it wouldn''t be enough because there were simply too many.


    "Alright, screw the hen and rooster, let''s just go now!" Yang Zhang opened his palm and commanded, "Ivy!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched her vines and coiled them around a tree branch, ready to immediately swing away so Yang Zhang could escape intact.


    However, before he could even start, Little Ivy suddenly hollered, "VII! VII! VII!"


    Little Ivy retracted her vines and whimpered in pain, "Vii¡­ Vi¡­"


    Yang Zhang was surprised when he saw that the junglefowl perching on the tree had pecked little Ivy''s vines on the branch. The vicious attack damaged Ivy''s vines, and it must''ve hurt her as well.


    Yang Zhang realized that he wouldn''t be able to use Little Ivy''s help right now, and there was a countless amount of fowls ready to attack.


    "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Welp, guess there''s no chicken dinner for me tonight¡­."

 Chapter 22 - Chicken! (2)

    Yang Zhang stared at the rooster in front of him and silently acknowledged that this rooster must have mutated, either naturally or through consuming a Brain Bead. It didn''t seem to be a physical mutation, but instead, something more like what happened with Chestnut.


    Now, Yang Zhang regretted his decision to rashly snatch the chicks and let the mother hen chase him. He should''ve just snatched and gotten the fuck out with Little Ivy!


    But oh well, what''s done is done, and he was in a pinch right now. Any minute now, the angry mob of junglefowl that surrounded him was going to peck him to death.


    "Those endless hours of playing Zelda should''ve taught me something," Yang Zhang muttered as he looked around. "Don''t fucking mess with the chickens."


    The situation was tense. The beady eyes of the chickens were locked on to Yang Zhang, prepared to attack at any time. One wrong move, and he would be the one getting served for dinner today.


    He couldn''t use Little Ivy in this position because the vines would only get pecked by the chicken.


    He also couldn''t use Chestnut because there were just way too many, and they were spread out, so there was no way to zap everyone simultaneously.


    And running wasn''t possible either. These jungle fowls could easily outrun an average human like him who didn''t have any abilities, and they could even fly above his head.


    So there was only one way out. He wasn''t sure if it would work, but this was his only chance.


    He took the Mana Bead out of his pocket. Little Ivy and Chestnut didn''t want this at all, so the only one who could consume this was himself.


    Gulping, Yang Zhang looked at the bead in his hand. He was afraid that swallowing the Mana bead would kill him, but it should at least be more honorable than getting pecked to death by hundreds of junglefowls.


    "Here goes nothing," Yang Zhang closed his eyes and swallowed the Mana bead with one gulp.


    Ba-Dump.


    Instantly his eyes widened as he felt a strong jolt all over his body. He could hear his own heartbeat, and gradually, he lost his strength. Grasping his chest he fell to his knees.


    The nausea he felt was terrible, as if he had tasted something too disgusting and he was about to puke.


    "Urk!" Yang Zhang quickly covered his mouth with his hands, trying his best not to throw up the Mana Bead.


    Little Ivy and Chestnut panicked and tried to check on their master. They were scared that something had happened to him, and even more than that, they were terrified that Yang Zhang would be maimed to death here.


    "Vii! Vii! Vi!!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    The rooster saw the enemy already kneeling on the ground and took this as an opening. His chest puffed out again, and he crowed at the top of his lungs.


    ''COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!''


    That was the signal to attack! The loud voices from the jungle fowls filled the forest as they jumped from the trees and lunged towards Yang Zhang.


    In only three seconds, Yang Zhang''s body had been buried beneath hordes of junglefowl, ready to peck and poke his skin and eyeballs.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "RAAAARGGHH!"


    BOOM!


    A loud growl, followed by a muffled explosion, shocked all the jungle fowls which hadn''t reached Yang Zhang yet.


    Yang Zhang got up from the ground, overflowing with vigor. He clenched his fingers, and a flame magically engulfed his fist.


    It turned out that the original owner of the Mana Bead was a fire ability user. However, Yang Zhang felt it was a bit different from the regular flamethrower-type fire ability.


    "Chestnut, Ivy, are you two okay?"


    "Vii!" Little Ivy smiled


    "Squeak!" Chestnut got excited and jumped to Yang Zhang''s shoulder again. "Squeak, squeak?"


    "Ah, this ability? It''s a fire ability, but there is something different here. Look at this," Yang Zhang loosened his clenched fist, and the fire died down, but when he clenched his fist again, the fire reappeared on his hand.


    He looked at the big rooster who was acting as the commander of this group of jungle fowl, "Look at this, Chestnut, Ivy. I will show you how this works."


    Yang Zhang widened his legs in a stance and punched the air towards the rooster and hen''s direction.


    The fire launched from his fist like a projectile towards the rooster and hen, and they backed off.


    "See, this fire ability is only usable when I''m moving. This would fit a martial artist more than it fits me, honestly," Yang Zhang said since he knew that he wasn''t really a great fighter. "I''ll call this ability¡­"


    "Dynamic fire."


    After the attack, the rooster got heated and issued new orders for the army of junglefowl, ''COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!''


    The junglefowl followed the instruction and started attacking again, but whenever they were about to get near, Yang Zhang quickly scared them off with his fire.


    "Hyat!" Yang Zhang kicked the air where the attack came from, and the junglefowl were forced to retreat.


    "Heh, come here, and you will be my evening snack!" Yang Zhang taunted, and the rooster commander signaled once more.


    ''COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!''


    "Hya! Hyat! Aaargh!" Yang Zhang kicked and punched left and right to send continuous fire towards the chickens, which warded them off once they realized the fire could burn them badly.


    Yang Zhang continued to do random kicks and punches, which was effective, but it gradually drained his stamina since he wasn''t a martial artist in the first place.


    "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­."


    Yang Zhang was out of breath due to the continuous movement. Thus, Chestnut and Little Ivy readied themselves to replace him.


    "No, no, don''t face them. They''re too dangerous since they attack in a horde," Yang Zhang said. He was trying to find a way to end this duel because these junglefowl were too many and too coordinated to face alone.


    But before he could think of a solution, the rooster commander''s chest puffed up once more.


    ''COCK-A-COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!''


    But the crow this time was different.


    Yang Zhang got tense immediately because he knew the rooster was relaying a different set of orders that he didn''t know.


    Soon, the hens flew back to the branches above. They raised their butt and pointed towards Yang Zhang.


    "Oh no, I think I know what they''re gonna do¡ª"


    In a matter of only a second, all the junglefowl hens started pelting Yang Zhang with eggs.


    "Ack! Egg barrage!"

 Chapter 23 - Chicken! (3)

    "Ack! Egg barrage!" Yang Zhang quickly shielded his face with his arms, but it was to no avail as the hens were attacking from all directions.


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak, squeak!" Little Ivy curled inside Yang Zhang''s sleeve while Chestnut jumped inside the jacket to protect itself.


    "Ack! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"


    Of course, the egg barrage wasn''t too painful, just stung a bit on his skin, but it didn''t give any particular damage to him.


    However, that didn''t mean he was perfectly safe. It seemed the rooster commander was only using the egg barrage for one thing.


    After it stopped, Yang Zhang''s body was all sticky wet, covered with egg yolk, and smelled so bad.


    But that wasn''t the worst of it¡­


    Yang Zhang clenched his fist again, trying to activate his newly-obtained ability, Dynamic Fire.


    But no matter how many times and how strong he clenched his fist, the fire only sparked for a second before it died down.


    "Oh shit! My body is too wet to generate fire!" Yang Zhang tried to wipe his sticky wet fist with his undershirt. Sensing the gaze of the jungle fowls ready to attack at any time filled him with a sense of dread.


    But since it was egg yolk, it stuck to Yang Zhang no matter how many times he tried to wipe it off.


    "W¡ªWait, wait, wait! This isn''t fair! I''m not prepared to fight this!" Yang Zhang panicked as he desperately tried to clean himself first so that he could generate fire again.


    The rooster commander showed a smug expression towards Yang Zhang and was ready to command. This time, it would absolutely decimate Yang Zhang.


    "Arghhh, damn it!" Yang Zhang roared as he looked around. The jungle fowls were all ready to lunge at him again.


    Yang Zhang frantically searched for an idea to save his damn life. Since there was no way out except facing the rooster commander, it might be his end.


    Unless¡­


    Yang Zhang observed how the rooster commander puffed up his chest again, ready to give another order. He watched how the jungle fowls wouldn''t move unless that rooster commander ordered.


    "Ah! I got it!" Yang Zhang suddenly found a great idea and something that he should''ve done in the first place. "Little Ivy, give me your vine!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched one vine for Yang Zhang to hold on tightly. He carefully watched how the rooster commander opened his beak.


    "COCK-A-DOODLE¡ª"


    "Now, Ivy! Aim for the neck!" Yang Zhang threw the vine towards the rooster commander. Little Ivy quickly coiled around the rooster commander''s neck, choking him.


    "COCK-A-DOODLE¡ªOCK"


    Yang Zhang quickly tightened his grip on the vine and made a circular movement upward, imitating a cowboy lasso.


    "I GOT YOUR LEADER. STAY BACK!" Yang Zhang warned, and the jungle fowls distanced themselves obediently, afraid that something might happen to their commander.


    "LEAVE NOW, OR I WILL KILL YOUR LEADER!" Yang Zhang yelled out loud, hoping that it was enough to intimidate the jungle fowls.


    They didn''t leave their spot, however. They kept a safe distance but stayed ready to attack if given an opening.


    Yang Zhang realized then that it would be impossible to kill the rooster commander because he was afraid the commander''s death would make them go absolutely crazy and kill Yang Zhang as an act of revenge.


    ''Alright, since I can''t intimidate them. It''s best to get rid of the source first, far, far away from me,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    Yang Zhang swung the rooster commander round and round and yelled, "CATCH THIS THEN! HYAAAT!"


    Yang Zhang exerted all of his strength to give one last swing and yelled, "Ivy, release!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy released the vine coiling on the rooster commander''s neck right when Yang Zhang flung the rooster away from him. The throw was so powerful that the rooster commander was nowhere to be seen after being pitched away.


    Yang Zhang looked around at the confused roosters and hens, "What? You guys are going to stand around here while your commander is somewhere else? Go search for your leader!"


    The jungle fowls looked at each other and then instantly abandoned their mission, strutting away in search of their boss. "Cluck, cluck, cluck¡­."


    Yang Zhang stood his ground for a good while until all the jungle fowls were gone. Then he allowed himself to collapse on the ground, exhausted after using too much of his strength.


    "Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­." Yang Zhang looked up at the branches and leaves that covered the sky. He patted Little Ivy and Chestnut inside his jacket, "Okay, guys, you can get out now, it''ll be alright¡ªurk!"


    Yang Zhang suddenly felt so nauseous. He could feel the Mana Bead inside his gut rise up to his chest and then his throat. The Mana Bead stuck in his throat, causing him to gag.


    "Urck¡ªAck¡ªACK!" Yang Zhang got up and tried to puke his gut out because he was choking on the Mana Bead.


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy gave out a hand by slapping Yang Zhang''s back until he could vomit up the Mana Bead. All of his strength drained out of him instantly, and Yang Zhang slumped limply to the ground.


    "Urgh, it tastes horrible¡­."


    He stared at the Mana Bead on the ground. It still had the same shape with no defect, but it was covered with his gross saliva, another disgusting thing from his vomit.


    "I got to wash this off and find an animal to use it on," Yang Zhang mused.


    But before he could pick the Mana Bead up, a tiny chick from the horde of jungle fowl suddenly approached him.


    "Chirp, chirp!"


    "Eh?! Why are you here?!" Yang Zhang looked around to check whether the jungle fowls had returned to attack him again, but it seemed this little chick was all alone.


    The chick walked towards the Mana Bead, stared up at Yang Zhang for a second, and pecked it!

 Chapter 24 - Little Chick

    Yang Zhang was surprised when the tiny chick suddenly pecked the Mana Bead as if it wanted to eat it.


    Of course, he didn''t want to use a little chick as his new companion because what could a baby chick like this do? Launch itself into a zombie''s mouth and become its snack?


    After knowing the incredible power of Dynamic Fire from the Mana Bead, he didn''t want to give it up to some random animal. He wanted to give it an animal with superb agility instead, maybe a deer or at least a monkey.


    "Hey! Don''t eat that!" Yang Zhang yelled at the chick, but the little chick ignored his shout and continued pecking. It was starting to create a dent on the Mana Bead.


    "Hey!" Yang Zhang was about to snatch the Mana Bead away, but the Little Chick pecked his hand. "Ouch!"


    He would have thought that a tiny chick''s peck wouldn''t be too painful, but the injured spot actually started bleeding.


    "Holy shit, this little chick is aggressive!" Yang Zhang tried to snatch the Mana Bead with his other hand, but the chick quickly kicked it away from Yang Zhang and continued pecking.


    Yang Zhang tried to get up to no avail. He was spent after using way too much energy against the jungle fowls. Thus, he ordered, "Chestnut, Ivy, catch that chicken!"


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut quickly jumped out of Yang Zhang''s jacket and chased after the tiny chick, but amazingly it quickly dribbled the Mana Bead away from Chestnut like a ball.


    Chestnut tried to tackle the chick, but right when the squirrel was about to catch it, the baby chick jumped up and stomped Chestnut right on the back.


    "Squeaaak!" Chestnut laid limply on the ground in pain.


    "Oh, no, Chestnut!" Yang Zhang glanced at the little chick continuing to peck and creating a noticeable mark on the Mana Bead''s surface.


    "Damn it! Ivy, catch that little shit!"


    "Vii!" Little Ivy unleashed four vines that lashed towards the chick, but the young chick faced the vines that could break apart solid rocks without fear and then gracefully avoided one vine after another before pecking at them without mercy.


    "VIIII!" Little Ivy wailed in pain as the vines were torn, and it was even more damaging than before when the adult jungle fowls pecked her.


    She retracted the vines quickly and showed the damage to Yang Zhang, "Vii¡­."


    "Damn! What kind of chicken is that?! How could that little chick hurt Ivy this badly?!" Yang Zhang yelled. The damage to the Mana Bead was getting worse, and he shouted angrily for the chick to stop, "Hey! Don''t waste that good Mana Bead¡ª"


    Crack.


    "GYAAAAHH!" Yang Zhang was hysterical when he saw the Mana bead had been cracked right in half by the little chick.


    The young chick paid no attention to his cries and started eating the Mana Bead, gobbling it up bit by bit, just like a regular chicken eating seeds.


    Yang Zhang, who was so exhausted that he couldn''t move at all, was only able to watch his dream of some cool helper shatter into pieces as the cracked Mana Bead was slowly consumed by the tiny chick.


    After eating the Mana Bead up, the young chick stared in Yang Zhang''s direction, and slowly, a fiery red aura engulfed its body.


    Of course, it was only a small fiery aura befitting the chick''s size, but it was bright enough, and when it flared up, it acted like a flashbang.


    "CHIIIRPP!"


    Yang Zhang closed his eyes when there was an explosion and a flash from the baby chick. It must have been a goner, probably turned into a bite-sized chicken wing at this point.


    But the moment he opened his eyes, he saw the little chick''s body had turned orange, and he had literal Goku''s Super Saiyan 2 hair on its head.


    "What the¡ª"


    The tiny chick walked towards Yang Zhang''s spot and stood right in front of his face.


    "Oh no!" Yang Zhang closed his eyes again, bracing himself. If the chick wanted to burn his face, maybe as an act of revenge because Yang Zhang tried to snatch the baby chick and all the siblings before, he would have no way to defend himself.


    But surprisingly, the little chick just chirped before jumping up and landing on Yang Zhang''s head.


    It roosted peacefully in his hair, and Yang Zhang opened his eyes cautiously.


    "H¡ªHey, what are you doing up there?" he asked the little chick.


    "Chirp, chirp!"


    "Huh? You want to stay with me because you don''t like your family?"


    "Chirp! Chirp, chirp!"


    "And you''ve been planning a coup d''etat towards the rooster commander all along because he is a dictator?"


    "Chirp!"


    ¡­


    "I didn''t know that a little chick can commit treason against its own dad¡­."


    Yang Zhang didn''t want to think about it anymore, so he changed the subject and started negotiating with the chick instead. It wouldn''t be good to go easy on it. After all, he remembered how the rooster commander could control an entire army of jungle fowls.


    Now imagine the offspring¡­


    "Listen, little guy, when you''re with me, you cannot leave, and you shouldn''t stage a coup d''etat at me, understand?"


    "Chirp!"


    "In exchange, we will go on an adventure of slaying zombies and exploring many places!" Yang Zhang said.


    "Chiiirpp!"


    "Hehe, well, if you are willing, then we should give you a name. Of course, I cannot call you little chick every day. We need a proper name!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Huh? You want to be named Torchic? H¡ªHey, that''s forbidden. We would get copyright trouble if you used that name."


    "Chiirp¡­ Chirp!"


    "What? Do you want to be a military Lieutenant? Sure, but you need a name to follow that title¡­."


    Yang Zhang was thinking of a proper name. He wanted a name that would show the little chick prowess, although he hadn''t seen it show off its power yet.


    "Chicken¡­ wings¡­ wings¡­ hot¡­." Yang Zhang mumbled, trying to find a good name, then he found one!


    "How about¡­ Lt. Spicy Wing!? You know, Spicy wing means you''re a good menu¡ªI¡ªI mean, you''re fiery and strong!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!" The tiny chick hopped on top of his head a few times, showing its agreement.


    "Hehe, okay then! Your name is Lt. Spicy Wing now! Let''s embark on a dangerous but fun journey, okay?"


    "Chirp!"


    "Okay, I''ve found a new member! Time to plan on another journey to find more Brain and Mana Beads!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii.."


    "Squeak."


    Yang Zhang looked at Little Ivy, who was still whimpering in pain, and Chestnut, who lay on the ground, just like him.


    "Alright, we will move¡­ as soon as I can get up."

 Chapter 25 - The Little Chick And Half Head Zombie

    It took about an hour for Yang Zhang to be able to move his body again. Of course, he was still very sluggish, but he could at least get up and pick up Chestnut, who was still lying on the ground.


    He put Chestnut inside the spacious jacket pocket and said to his crew, "Alright, guys. It''s time to go home. I''m afraid another monster will attack us."


    "Chirp!"


    Only Spicy Wing was full of vigor, while the rest were too exhausted or hurt. Honestly, Yang Zhang planned to find a good plant for the Brain Bead to take back with them, but he was too exhausted, and the Brain Bead had a defect.


    He already planted a Brain Bead with that rose right before he left, so it would be better to check on that first before carelessly using another one that was damaged.


    Because she was hurt, Yang Zhang couldn''t use Ivy''s vines, so it was better to just walk, albeit it was quite far from the hut.


    "Urgh, we really need to find medical supplies," Yang Zhang complained as he strode through the forest. Then he silently added medical supplies to his wish list for when he wanted to go out to the cities to scavenge or barter.


    Yang Zhang arrived at the hut after another two hours of trekking. He was so goddamn exhausted that he just collapsed after opening the door.


    "Ivy, close the door, and¡­ urgh, you guys should return to your places and rest. We will¡­ have dinner later¡­." Yang Zhang sighed tiredly. Little Ivy closed the door with her vine and returned to her pot.


    As for Chestnut, it returned to its self-made den filled with chestnuts. Meanwhile, Lt. Spicy Wing was still too energetic to settle down. In the little chick''s mind, it was still too early to go to bed.


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Ah¡­ Spicy Wing, just¡­ do whatever you want. Just don''t burn the hut, okay?"


    "Chirp!"


    Yang Zhang pushed his willpower to the limit as he crawled to the old sofa. Once he had settled in, he fell asleep almost immediately.


    Lt. Spicy Wing looked around the hut, everyone was resting now because of exhaustion, but the young chick still had a lot of vitality. So it started walking around curiously, circling around Little Ivy''s pot, jumping up and checking Chestnut''s den full of chestnuts, and studying Yang Zhang, who fell asleep quickly.


    Now that the chick was alone, it decided to explore the backyard.


    The backyard door was closed, but a small opened window was at the top of the door.


    "Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing quickly jumped from the chair to the cupboard near the door. The young chick easily jumped from the open window, and¡­ voila¡ªit was now in the backyard!


    Lt. Spicy Wing looked around the backyard, and its attention immediately darted at a rose that wiggled around as if greeting the baby chick.


    "Chirp?"


    Wiggle. Wiggle.


    "Chirp¡­" the chick approached the dancing rose and circled around the rose without much care. The rose continued wiggling happily until¡­ Bop!


    A head suddenly popped out of the grave, but only half of one, showing the hair, forehead, and down past the eyes. It was a woman''s head.


    Lt. Spicy Wing was a fearless little chick who had no fear of zombies, let alone ghosts. It was just a bit surprised when a head suddenly popped out, causing it to chirp curiously.


    "Chirp, chirp?"


    The eyes stared blankly at Spicy Wing before winking, and the dancing rose on top of her head continuously wiggled and danced happily. The woman couldn''t speak because she had only half a head protruding from the ground. Instead, she communicated using the rose on top of her head.


    The rose wiggled again and bowed in front of Lt. Spicy Wing.


    The tiny chick puffed out its chest proudly because this half head was greeting him politely, "Chirp! Chirp!"


    The half head made an eye smile and slowly struggled to leave the grave.


    POP!


    "Chirp!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing was excited when the half-head finally popped out, completely revealing the rest of the woman''s face. She was now only buried from the neck down.


    Now, Spicy Wing was able to look at her properly.


    She was around her mid-twenties, with long dark hair and a sweet smile.


    Despite her rotting skin, she looked really beautiful. The girl turned out to be a living corpse, aka a zombie.


    "Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing quickly retreated, readying itself just in case the woman decided to attack.


    But she didn''t have any intention to attack. Instead, she smiled at Spicy Wing and said in a low but gentle motherly voice, "Hello, what''s your name?"


    "Chirp, chirp, chirp!"


    "Lieutenant Spicy Wing? Is that your name?" The woman asked, and the chick puffed out its chest again in confirmation.


    "Chirp?"


    "Ah, my name? I don''t have one, at least not yet¡­" the woman smiled. "I''m just showing up to greet you first, Lieutenant."


    Spicy Wing was proud of its popularity and charisma, which led him to get a greeting from a random zombie, but that wasn''t enough. The little chick wanted to show Yang Zhang about this new finding! A zombified rotting head that could talk, complete with a dancing rose on top of her head!


    When the woman sensed what Spicy Wing wanted to do, it hurriedly said, "Don''t tell him, okay?"


    "Chirp?"


    "Well, I can''t tell you the reason, but don''t tell him yet."


    "Chirp, chirp?"


    "Yes, don''t tell your Uhm¡­ Major General Yang Zhang about my presence. I will show myself once I''m ready."


    "Chirp!"


    "Thank you, Lieutenant. I will bury myself again, but you are free to come and visit me whenever you feel like it. See you later, Lieutenant Spicy Wing!"


    "Chirp!"


    With that, the woman buried her head inside the grave once more, and the dirt magically moved to cover the top of her head, only showing the dancing rose as if nothing had happened.


    Wiggle.. Wiggle.

 Chapter 26 - Lets Go East!

    Yang Zhang woke up groggily the following day. He slept for 12-14 hours since the last time he dropped dead. Yet, his energy hadn''t fully recovered.


    Opening his eyes, he looked around in a daze. He could see that all his mutant pets were already playing around. Chestnut was busy preparing its own breakfast by roasting a few chestnuts, and Spicy Wing was circling around it curiously.


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Squeak?"


    "Chirp!"


    Chestnut then gave one roasted chestnut for Lt. Spicy Wing for breakfast. Meanwhile, Little Ivy was basking herself in the morning sun outside.


    It seemed that Yang Zhang was the only one who hadn''t recovered fully. However, he did understand what caused this.


    "Ugh, two notes to self. First, don''t mess with the chickens."


    "Second, I can consume Mana Beads, but it seems the effect is not permanent since I will eventually puke it out no matter how much I try to swallow it. But at least, I''ve proven that I can use an ability, even though it''s only for a limited amount of time," Yang Zhang said in a low voice. "But that also comes with a cost. My body feels like crap after consuming the Mana Bead."


    Honestly, this was also the first time he ever experimented. It was a newfound idea to consume a Mana Bead to fight with his own power.


    In his shelter, he was basically a shielded hamster in a cage. He knew nothing of the world outside right up until he got kicked out.


    There were no experiments regarding Mana Beads or Brain Beads. People just crushed the Brain Bead once they slew the zombies, and they never really questioned what they could do with Mana Beads because everyone followed what the government said; brain Beads must be crushed, and Mana Beads should be buried.


    Yang Zhang felt many more undiscovered ideas had been kept hidden because the government stopped anyone from experimenting, which was quite understandable from Yang Zhang''s point of view.


    "Imagine if everyone knew that you can create many amazing mutated plants and animals by using those beads. The world would become some crazy fantasy warzone," Yang Zhang mumbled. "At least, in a proper society, it would be a world where there will be gym leaders and elite four. But this is the apocalypse. That''s not going to happen."


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Ah, good morning, Lieutenant," Yang Zhang smiled when the little chick jumped onto his chest.


    Lt. Spicy Wing puffed its chest out and acted as if it was a Lieutenant reporting to the Major General, "Chirp, chirp chirp!"


    "Oh? You''ve been patrolling the whole night, and you saw no intruders? That''s good. You may leave for your breakfast first, Lieutenant."


    "Chirp!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing jumped to the wooden floor and started pecking the roasted chestnut that Chestnut gave it just now.


    Yang Zhang got up from the sofa and stretched his body. He ruffled his hair as he walked to the door leading to the backyard. He wanted to start boiling water to cook ramen.


    When he opened the door, Yang Zhang was instantly greeted by the dancing rose that wiggled happily as he walked past.


    "Wait a minute¡ª" Yang Zhang stopped and turned around. He crouched right in front of the dancing rose and squinted. The rose stood straight instantly as if all the wiggling before was just Yang Zhang''s illusion.


    "Why do I feel like your wiggling has been upgraded to twerking? Hey, you can hear me, right? Did you twerk just now?"


    The dancing rose stood straight with no sign of movement when received the suspicious squint from Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang sighed and shrugged pitifully. He had expected the Brain bead with defect would do something extraordinary. Especially after he found out that Lt. Spicy Wing could still mutate even after eating the Mana Bead by cracking it in half.


    But it seemed that Brain Beads worked differently.


    "Oh well, it might only be me. I haven''t washed my face today anyway."


    Yang Zhang proceeded to do his morning routine, taking a bath near the well and boiling water for breakfast.


    He still had one Brain Bead inside his jacket from before, but it had a defect, and based on his hypothesis after observing the dancing rose, it seemed that Brain Beads with imperfections wouldn''t give him anything.


    "Alright, I should probably start focusing on gathering food and finding better quality Brain beads in the nearby settlement." Yang Zhang planned out his day. He hadn''t forgotten that he wanted to make a self-sufficient farm for himself, so he didn''t need to hunt for food or fight against those powerful ability user groups.


    But to make a farm in the apocalypse, you''ve got to find a way to defend yourself first because if you happened to find a good non-mutated animal, those ability user groups would start hunting you down.


    Thus, Yang Zhang planned to arm himself first before starting a farm, and if he could find crops for farming or non-mutated animals along the way, that would be perfect.


    **


    Yang Zhang put on a fresh jacket and jeans in front of the hut. He was ready for another day.


    "You guys ready?"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Alright, let''s go!"


    With Chestnut hiding inside his pocket, Little Ivy in his sleeve, and Lt. Spicy Wing nestling on top of his head, Yang Zhang put on his earbuds to play one of his favorite songs in his playlist: Super Idol.


    "Super Idol de xi¨¤o r¨®ng, d¨­u m¨¦i n¨« de ti¨¢n


    b¨¡ yu¨¨ zh¨¨ng w¨³ de y¨¢ng gu¨¡ng, d¨­u m¨¦i n¨« y¨¤o y¨£n~"


    Yang Zhang joyously sang the song of his people while swinging from one tall branch to another. He had already decided on the next spot to explore.


    He pinpointed that going south from his hut would bring him to that crazy village full of ambushing zombies, Xi Feng, and his new mutated little sister. Going northwest would lead him to the empty highway where he found the mini-market where he had gotten the Brain Bead for Little Ivy. Therefore he decided to go east for now.


    "Alright, the first rule of surviving in a forest is to always chase the sun!"

 Chapter 27 - Dark Lake And The Water Bender

    Yang Zhang followed the sun while marking a few trees with either Chestnut''s static or Lt. Spicy Wing''s flames, so he wouldn''t get lost on the way back.


    It took a while for him to get far enough from his hut that the area no longer seemed familiar.


    "Squeak, squeak!"


    "Huh, a lake?"


    Chestnut pointed at an easily missable spot while they were swinging around on Ivy''s vines. When Yang Zhang looked in the pointed direction, he saw a calm lake in the middle of the lush forest. It wasn''t a big one, but the water was dark, and it seemed to be really deep.


    "Ivy, let''s go down and check!"


    "Vii!"


    Learning from his encounter with the catfish with four legs, Yang Zhang instructed Little Ivy to stop well before reaching the lake. They landed at least five feet away from the lakeside, afraid that they''d get ambushed by another weird mutated fish.


    The water was so deep when he stretched his neck to check from five feet away, he still couldn''t see any sign of fish swimming in it.


    "Should we check the water?" Yang Zhang mused.


    He cast his eyes down, looking at Chestnut, who was hiding inside his jacket pocket. Yang Zhang tried to convince himself, "I have an electric type anyway. I can win if there is a random water type jumping out, right?"


    Gathering his courage, he advanced a few steps into the murky water. He wanted to check whether he could find any sign of unmutated fish that would be good as a source of protein for him.


    But as soon as he was only a foot away from the lakeside, he heard a soft hum coming from somewhere on the other side of the small lake. Since the forest was quiet, the mellow sound echoed gently among the trees.


    "Oh, shit¡ª" Yang Zhang quickly scurried and hid behind a bush near the lake. He peeked from between the leaves, trying to check what caused the hum. He suspected that another mutated animal or plant was making the sound which reminded Yang Zhang of a woman humming.


    But what he saw was definitely outside his expectations.


    There was a woman, probably around Yang Zhang''s age, early twenties, with wavy, shoulder-length hair. The sky blue color of the woman''s hair was very unusual in this apocalypse world. Hair dying was practically extinct due to the focus of most people being survival rather than beauty.


    She had round eyes and thin lips, and Yang Zhang would be lying if he said he wasn''t stunned by the beauty that hummed while walking toward the lake.


    The only thing she wore was a towel covering her chest and reaching down to her thighs, exposing her smooth and slender shoulders. A necklace hung around her neck with a pendant shaped like a teardrop.


    The song was one that Yang Zhang recognized, Doja Cat - Say So.


    Yang Zhang continued peeking without blinking, lost in the image of the girl walking towards the lakeside and touching the dark water with her toe.


    In an instant, the dark lake turned crystal blue. The water that had seemed scary before, so dark it didn''t show a thing inside, had magically turned into a clear pool filled with fish.


    The girl smiled thinly at the water and was about to take off the towel. Yang Zhang continued peeking, but Lt. Spicy Wing thought it was shameful for a soldier to peek at a lady, so the little chick protested.


    "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Sshh, silence, Spicy Wing," Yang Zhang ordered, ignoring the chick to continue peeking.


    When Lt. Spicy Wing saw that the lady was about to take off her towel, the little chick tried to think of a way to distract Major General Yang Zhang.


    "Chirp!" Spicy Wing jumped from Yang Zhang''s head and did a fiery spin around the bushes, setting them on fire instantly.


    It took a few seconds for Yang Zhang to realize that he felt something burning, "Wait¡ª"


    When he looked around, he found that the bushes had caught fire, and so had his jacket and pants.


    "AAHHHH! My pants! Pants on fire!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Viii!"


    Yang Zhang quickly dashed to the crystal blue water and dove in. Little Ivy and Chestnut also followed Yang Zhang to jump in because they were also burned by the fire. Only Lt. Spicy Wing was spared, chirping around the lakeside, telling his soldiers to be proper in front of a lady.


    After putting out the fire, Yang Zhang quickly swam to the surface while Little Ivy and Chestnut clung to him.


    The moment his head popped out of the surface, he made eye contact with the girl, who was so shocked that she couldn''t even speak.


    Yang Zhang showed an embarrassed smile and tried to break the awkward tension of the situation, "G¡ªGood morning, Miss. The weather is nice today, isn''t it?"


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "GYAAAAAHHHHHH!" The girl screamed hysterically, and the sound summoned an enormous wave out of nowhere that quickly swept Yang Zhang out of the lake.


    "Whaaaaa!" Yang Zhang and his pets were thrown by the giant wave into a nearby tree, and his back hit the solid mass of the trunk behind him. He slumped to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. "Ouch!"


    Grimacing in pain, he rubbed his back and stared at the girl across the lake. Suddenly, she jumped into the lake, summoned a water tentacle, and slammed it into Yang Zhang.


    "Oh shit!" Yang Zhang''s adrenaline kicked in, and he grabbed all his pets, rolling to the side to avoid the water tentacle.


    CRASH! CRACK!


    The water tentacle hit the tree and directly uprooted it.


    "HOLY FUCK!" Yang Zhang paled instantly. He would''ve died immediately if he''d been hit by that.


    The girl summoned another water tentacle, but before attacking this time, she asked, "WHO ARE YOU?!"


    "M¡ªMiss, please don''t misunderstand, I wasn''t meant to peek on you¡ª"


    "YOU''RE PEEKING AT ME?! PERVERT!" The girl attacked with another giant tentacle towards Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang looked at his pets. Ivy was the only one who had recovered from all the water attacks thrown at them, so he hastily called out to her, "Ivy!"


    "Vii!" Little Ivy stretched two vines and grabbed a tree branch on their left. She quickly pulled Yang Zhang to the side, narrowly avoiding the giant water tentacle.


    CRASH! CRACK!


    The huge tentacle crashed into and uprooted another tree.


    Yang Zhang swung to the side, but because Little Ivy was still somewhat wet, the vines slipped and lost their grip, causing Yang Zhang to fall to the ground.


    "Ouch!"


    When the girl found that Yang Zhang was unable to avoid her this time, she summoned two giant tentacles at once and aimed them towards Yang Zhang, demanding, "Tell me who you are before I drown your ass!"

 Chapter 28 - Dark Lake And The Water Bender (2)

    "Tell me who you are before I drown your ass!" the blue-haired girl threatened with two giant water tentacles pointed straight at Yang Zhang.


    At this point, Yang Zhang knew that he couldn''t avoid the attack because Ivy was still wet and slippery, and he wasn''t fast enough to dodge both of the tentacles if they attacked at the same time.


    Quickly raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, Yang Zhang admitted defeat. He had been caught, thanks to Lt. Spicy Wing''s reckless behavior.


    ''I''m so going to eat chicken drumstick tonight,'' Yang Zhang cursed in his heart.


    "Who are you?!" The blue-haired girl asked for the second time.


    Cornered, Yang Zhang was forced to reveal his identity or die for real at the hands, or rather tentacles, of the blue-haired girl.


    "M¡ªMy name is Yang Zhang. I''m just a normal human who lives in the forest to hide from the zombies and ability users. I accidentally found this spot. I got curious about the dark lake and wanted to check, but you suddenly popped out of nowhere while only wearing a towel¡ª"


    "Do you think I will trust you?! You clearly come here to peek at me, right?!"


    "What?! That was spontaneous. I didn''t plan to peek at first¡ªoop." Yang Zhang realized what he had just said and quickly zipped his lips. He cursed at himself in his heart that he fell for such easily noticeable bait question.


    The blue-haired girl gritted her teeth, definitely pissed off. She raised one giant tentacle up, ready to strike Yang Zhang in the next second.


    Yang Zhang''s face paled as he realized that his death was imminent. It seemed that the blue-haired girl wasn''t up for a discussion, nor a truce, since she had the upper hand right now.


    Yang Zhang looked down to check his pets. Little Ivy was still wet because she was mutated from an ivy plant. Of course, it would take a while until she dried up.


    Lt. Spicy Wing had fallen unconscious in an instant after getting hit with the big wave, and that left Chestnut as the only able-bodied companion.


    Chestnut had just opened its eyes and looked around confusedly. Yang Zhang got a sudden flash of inspiration, but it was a bit inhumane.


    However, when he looked up and saw the menacing tentacles, he knew that it was either his life or hers.


    "N¡ªNo need to feel threatened, Miss. I''m just a regular human with no ability whatsoever. I can''t even reach you right now. I''m not a threat, 100%! But what about you? Why are you here in the middle of a deep forest anyway?" Yang Zhang started a conversation to distract the blue-haired girl while he nudged at Chestnut, who was still drying its fur with his shoe.


    "Squeak?" Chestnut looked up towards Yang Zhang, and it was also shocked by the two giant tentacles looming above them.


    Yang Zhang looked down slightly while he kept trying to converse with the blue-haired girl to extend his time.


    He pointed at the lake in front of them with his chin, subtly instructing Chestnut to jump in and start discharging electricity.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut quickly understood what Yang Zhang meant. It quickly rushed towards the lake unnoticed because the blue-haired girl was too focused on debating Yang Zhang.


    "Normal human?! Do you think I''m that stupid?! There are no "normal" humans in this world anymore. They are either zombies or have some dangerous ability that can kill you!" The blue-haired girl said, much to Yang Zhang''s surprise.


    She seemed to be genuinely clueless about the existence of normal humans with total immunity to the virus in this world.


    Yang Zhang saw that Chestnut was already close to the lakeside, and he tried to debate the girl to keep her distracted, "Don''t you have a radio or something? The government categorizes humans into three types: the zombies, ability users, and humans with immunity against the virus."


    ¡­


    "Do you think I am going to trust you!? Even if there is a normal human in this world, they will not survive one day in the middle of a forest full of dangerous animals and plants!"


    ''Well, she wasn''t wrong with that one,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    He glanced at Chestnut again and found the electric squirrel was already on the lakeside, preparing to dive into the clear water.


    Thus, Yang Zhang asked the blue-haired girl, "You don''t believe that a human can survive in this place?"


    "Of course, I won''t believe that bullshit! I know you''re just a pervert who wants to peek at me, right!?"


    "Well, I will show you something to prove that. A human can survive in this forest with help," Yang Zhang said.


    The moment he saw that Chestnut was about to jump into the lake, he yelled, "CHESTNUT! LOW VOLTAGE DISCHARGE NOW!"


    "SQUEAK!"


    "Huh?!" The blue-haired girl didn''t understand what Yang Zhang meant. At least until she noticed a squirrel that started discharging electricity inside the clear lake.


    The electricity turned the clear water brown, and the blue-haired girl could see it spreading fast inside the water.


    Her eyes widened, but it was too late for her to react. The water electrocuted her in a split second.


    BZZZZZTTTTT!


    "AHHHHHHH!" the blue-haired girl screamed in agony when she got zapped. The two water tentacles dispersed, and Yang Zhang quickly picked up Lt. Spicy Wing on the ground and ran away. He hid behind a tree to avoid getting electrocuted by the water from the giant tentacle.


    Chestnut stopped after discharging for 10 seconds and then swam back to the lakeside.


    "Squeak!"


    Hearing the signal from Chestnut, Yang Zhang finally peeked from behind the tree and noticed water in the lake had returned to its original dark color. Yang Zhang approached Chestnut, who was drying its fur again.


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Good job, Chestnut," Yang Zhang praised. He looked in the girl''s direction and found that she was floating on the lake''s surface, unconscious.


    Honestly, Yang Zhang thought about running away and leaving the girl alone since he expected her to attack again as soon as she regained consciousness.


    But then, he realized that it was too dangerous. What if a wild animal found the girl''s unconscious body and ate her for lunch, or another human found this place and took advantage of her while she was unable to protect herself? Though, the second possibility was less likely.


    But it was still possible, and the girl was in a vulnerable state right now.


    "Squeak?"


    "Aish, you''re right, Chestnut. I can''t leave her alone. Let''s just save her first and wait until she wakes up to decide what to do."

 Chapter 29 - Dark Lake And The Water Bender (3)

    "Aish, you''re right, Chestnut. I can''t leave her alone. Let''s just save her first and wait until she wakes up to decide what to do."


    Yang Zhang decided to help this girl to ensure that he didn''t accidentally kill someone because of a misunderstanding between them. He walked by the lakeside to approach the girl floating on the surface and then asked Little Ivy, "Ivy, can you help me?"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched two vines and grabbed the blue-haired girl from the lake, but the moment the girl reached the edge of the lake, the towel wrapped around her body accidentally slipped off.


    "AHHH!" Yang Zhang quickly covered his eyes in panic and ordered. "I¡ªIvy, grab the towel too!"


    "Vii?" Little Ivy grabbed the towel from the lake, but she was confused. "Vii, Vii?"


    "Well, that''s different! I peeked on her before when she was fully conscious and about to take a bath. But she is unconscious right now. It''s not right to look at a girl''s naked body while she''s unconscious!" Yang Zhang tried to defend himself, though he felt that he was a bit of a hypocrite.


    Little Ivy still didn''t understand, but she followed her master''s order. She put the blue-haired girl under the tree and leaned her on the trunk. Little Ivy then covered the girl''s body with the wet towel.


    "Vii!"


    "Oh, you''re done?" Yang Zhang opened his eyes and saw the girl was leaning on a tree. She was still unconscious, and a wet white towel covered her body.


    Yang Zhang looked away for the second time because the wet towel was pretty thin. It showed the two buds from the girl''s big boobs and the shape of her body.


    "I¡ªIvy, tie her on the tree with two vines, so she won''t attack us after she wakes up," Yang Zhang ordered.


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang was waiting for the girl to wake up, but since he didn''t know how long it would be until she regained consciousness, he decided to collect a few dry branches and set up a bonfire to dry his jacket and jeans.


    He fished out Lt. Spicy Wing, who was tucked inside his jacket and shook it a bit to remove some of the water.


    "Hey, you naughty chicken, wake up!" Yang Zhang said.


    Water continued drizzling from the tiny chick''s body until it slowly opened its eyes, "Ch... chirp?"


    Yang Zhang squinted at the little chick who almost got him killed because of its hastiness.


    "Did you know what you just caused?"


    "C¡ªChirp¡­" Lt. Spicy Wing looked nervous and regretful and apologized. "Chirp¡­ chirp¡­"


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath. Honestly, he really wanted to punish this little chick in some way, but at the same time, he knew that Lt. Spicy Wing didn''t mean to put them all in danger.


    "Okay, First Lieutenant Spicy Wing, since you have committed a terrible offense of putting your General and your comrades in danger, then I shall demote your rank into Second Lieutenant!"


    "CHIRP!?" Lt. Spicy Wing was petrified by its demotion.


    "Yes, you have been demoted for misconduct. If you want to regain your original rank, you must work hard to show your worth to me, your General!"


    "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing''s body regulated heat once more, and Yang Zhang finally released the little chick on the ground.


    Lt. Spicy Wing was determined to take its original rank back!


    "Okay, Second Lieutenant, my first order for you is to set those branches on fire. I need to dry my jacket first!"


    "Chirp!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing jumped on the branches stacked by Yang Zhang to make a bonfire. It rolled around, creating flames with its movements that lit the fire.


    "Alright then¡ª" Yang Zhang took off his apparel, wearing only his underwear while he put the jacket and jeans near the bonfire to dry.


    He sat near the bonfire with Chestnut and Spicy Wing as well, trying to warm himself up while glancing at the blue-haired girl, "Please don''t wake up too soon. I need to dry myself first!"


    But the moment he said that the girl slowly opened her eyes and looked around in a daze. The first thing her eyes focused on was a young man, probably around her age, naked except for a pair of boxer shorts.


    "P¡ªPERVERT!"


    "Ah, screw this¡­."


    Yang Zhang sighed deeply, but he didn''t react much when the girl started struggling. Luckily, Little Ivy wrapped her body tightly on the tree so that she couldn''t do her water bender wumbo jumbo.


    "What is this?! Let me go! You pervert, I will kill you if you dare to do something to me!" The blue-haired girl yelled out loud, trying her best to threaten Yang Zhang.


    "Miss, if I wanted to do something bad to you, I''d have done it when you were unconscious," Yang Zhang said.


    "But you''re naked right now! I know you want to do something, right?!"


    "Bro, who the fuck soaked me wet like this? Yeah, that''s right, it''s you who literally summoned a huge wave and tentacles out of nowhere!" Yang Zhang finally fought back once he found that the blue-haired girl wasn''t up for a civil discussion.


    "That''s because you peeked at me! You pervert! Wait until I break free from this¡­ thing, and I will drown your ass!" The blue-haired girl continued struggling. "Urgh, what are these vines!?"


    Yang Zhang rolled his eyes. Since this girl didn''t want to be civil with him, then he would just ignore her.


    "Keep binding her, Ivy," Yang Zhang commanded.


    "Vii!"


    "You¡ªwhat are these weird mutated things binding me? Are you an ability user?" The blue-haired girl asked.


    "I am. That''s why you shouldn''t try to fight me," Yang Zhang said. "Anyway, if you''re able to have a proper discussion and promised not to do your water bender magic stuff on me, then I will release you."


    "HAH! As if I will lower my guard on you! You pervert!"


    "Then you can just sit there while I dry myself near this bonfire!" Yang Zhang said. "You''ll probably catch a cold soon."


    "Hah!" the blue-haired girl scoffed. "The cold never bothers me anyway!"

 Chapter 30 - [Bonus Chapter] Katarang (1)

    "Then you can just sit there while I''m drying myself near this bonfire!" Yang Zhang said. "You''ll probably catch a cold soon."


    "Hah! The cold never bothers me anyway!"


    "Oh well, then you''ll be there for a while."


    The blue-haired girl insisted that she wouldn''t cease her hostility towards Yang Zhang, so Yang Zhang didn''t release her from Little Ivy''s vines.


    One hour¡­


    Two hours¡­


    Three hours¡­


    Yang Zhang''s jacket had dried up, so did his jeans. He went behind a tree, took off his wet boxer, and wore his jeans. He returned to dry his boxer near the bonfire. He also added more branches.


    He glanced at the blue-haired girl whose body started paling and shivering, "You sure you don''t want to give up?"


    "Never!" The blue-haired girl denied. But her teeth started rattling due to the cold. She knew that she was at her limit.


    "So¡­ you''re not going to drop the hostility? The bonfire is still warm," Yang Zhang said.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut gave Yang Zhang and Lt. Spicy Wing chestnuts for a snack. "And my pet has a warm snack for me."


    ¡­


    "Ugh, fine! I won''t attack you, just release me now!"


    "Hmmm?"


    "¡­ please," the blue-haired girl mumbled.


    "Ivy, release her and come here, warm yourself with me!" Yang Zhang ordered.


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy released the blue-haired girl and returned to Yang Zhang. The girl grabbed on the tree bark to get up. Her legs were shaking because she sat for too long and too cold. She stared at Yang Zhang, and Yang Zhang did the same.


    Their eyes were finding each others'' intentions, the girl could''ve just run away back to her hut, but for some reason, she felt like a coward if she did too.


    So she bravely advanced towards the bonfire and sat across Yang Zhang, warming herself with the fire.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    They were in silence for a while before Chestnut suddenly offered the blue-haired girl a roasted chestnut.


    "Huh? For me?"


    "Squeak!"


    "T¡ªThank you," the girl bashfully accepted the chestnut, and the squirrel returned to Yang Zhang''s side.


    The girl observed the weird animals around Yang Zhang, a squirrel with blue stripes, a little chick with spiky yellow hair, and an alive plant. Of course, she knew those were mutated animals and plants. It wasn''t rare to find them in the forest after the apocalypse. But it''s her first time to see them serving a human.


    Yang Zhang noticed how the girl was observing him, and he stroke a conversation first, "So, um¡­ care to introduce yourself?"


    "¡­ I can''t tell you my real name, but you can call me Katarang."


    "So, Katara?"


    "Katarang or I will get copyrighted," the girl said without emotion.


    "O¡ªOkay."


    "What''s your name then?"


    "Um¡­" Yang Zhang didn''t want to tell his real name as well. At first, he thought there was no problem with it. But since the girl wanted to go mysterious and stealthy, he also had to pick a good alias.


    "A¡ªAsh¡­"


    "Ash who?"


    "Ash Ketchup."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Okay, Ash Ketchup, let''s make this clear. Why are you peeking at me in the first place?" Katarang asked, full of suspicion.


    "I told you before, I found the lake and wanted to check. Then you suddenly came, and I hid first. I thought it was another mutated animal or trees," Yang Zhang said. "B¡ªBut it''s also your fault, I tried to explain it to you, but you suddenly attacked me!"


    "W¡ªWell, I was just scared. You know, you can''t really trust humans in the apocalypse era¡­." Katarang said. From what she said, Yang Zhang guessed that Katarang must''ve been similar to him, getting kicked out or escaping from other humans and building herself a home in the forest.


    "Do you live here? In the middle of the forest?"


    "Yeah, I do. I live alone because it''s much safer that way," Katarang said. She looked at the pets around Yang Zhang and got curious. "So, your ability is animal whisperer or something?"


    "Ah¡­" Yang Zhang wouldn''t say that he had no power and was just a regular human with immunity that happened to know the secret behind Brain bead and Mana bead.


    So he just nodded hesitatingly, "Y¡ªYeah, I can control mutated animals and plants, but only for a certain size."


    "I see¡­" Katarang watched how the pets around Yang Zhang seemed to be comfortable around him and even willingly snuggled to get more warmth.


    So she guessed that Yang Zhang at least had a redeemable quality, but she still hadn''t lowered her guard.


    "How about you, Katarang? You''re an ability user, too, right? Water bender like Katara?"


    "Yes and no at the same time. I can control a huge amount of water, but I have to be submerged under the water to do it. So I can''t just use some cool water trick."


    "I saw you turning the dark lake into a clear one, like a pool."


    "Yeah, this small lake is my source of water in the middle of this forest, so I have to mask it to make it look intimidating, just in case any human or strange animal discovered it and took a dip. It''s like my private bathroom."


    ''Aish, so egoistic!'' Yang Zhang cursed in his heart. But he dared not offend the girl again because he was tired of fighting for the second time.


    "I see," Yang Zhang nodded. "So, you live around here? You''re an ability user. Why wouldn''t you live with other ability users in a shelter?"


    Katarang''s eased expression turned stern again, her eyes darkened, and she shook her head, "There is something happened in the past. But let''s just say that I''m a forest girl now. I refuse to live with those crazy ability users."


    From the tone of her voice, it seemed that Katarang had a deep hatred towards ability users, even though she was one of them. But Yang Zhang didn''t want to inquire more about that one. It seemed to be a very sensitive topic for her.


    "How about you, Ash Ketchup? Why are you alone in the forest? You''re not here to kill me, aren''t you?"

 Chapter 31 - Katarang (2)

    "How about you, Ash Ketchup? Why are you alone in the forest? You''re not here to kill me, aren''t you?"


    "Eh?" Yang Zhang was confused by that question. Because that was definitely unexpected.


    Why would he want to kill her?


    "Why would you say that?" Yang Zhang asked confusedly.


    "Just say yes or no. Are you here for my head?"


    "Um¡­ no, I guess?" Yang Zhang got even more confused when Katarang looked so solemn. "Why are you asking that, seriously? Why would someone try to find and kill you?"


    "Because I''m an ability user, obviously," Katarang replied. "They want my head."


    "I''m not catching anything, but that sure sounds creepy¡­." Yang Zhang said. He never heard an ability user get hunted. In his previous shelter, the ability users were the soldiers, the lifeline of the shelter. They are treated better than regular humans with immunity like Yang Zhang.


    It was fair since the lifeline of a shelter was the ability users who constantly went out to find supplies or kill zombies that approached the shelter.


    Katarang sighed full of relief, "Well, I''m just glad that you''re not here to hunt me down."


    "No, seriously, what do you mean that someone is after your head? Why are you here in the forest alone?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "You don''t need to know, but since you''re an ability user as well. Just make sure to stay guarded, okay?"


    ¡­


    "O¡ªOkay," Yang Zhang nodded reluctantly, still with plenty of questions in his head. "At least, tell me, why are you here in this forest alone?"


    "I ran away from my shelter because of something. The forest is the safest place for us because there is no way those people would walk through the forest full of unknown danger, and there are no zombies as well."


    ''So she is basically a fugitive in hiding,'' Yang Zhang concluded in his head.


    "How about you, Ash Ketchup? Why are you in the forest?"


    "Oh¡­ Uhm¡­ I got kicked out of my shelter because of a clash between me and someone," Yang Zhang said. He was too embarrassed to say that he accidentally offended a petty young master and got kicked out.


    "I see, so we''re not so different, huh?" Katarang smiled mysteriously. "This conversation is nice, Ash Ketchup. But I need to go now. I can''t stay here for long."


    "Eh? So quick? I thought we could have more conversation here," Yang Zhang asked. "Is it because you want to keep your secret to the grave, and talking to me will only make you feel vulnerable?" Yang Zhang asked bluntly.


    Katarang gave Yang Zhang an annoyed look and clicked her tongue, "What kind of high school imagination was that?! I need to return to my hut because my body is freezing! I need to dry up quickly, and I''m damn hungry. You literally tied me up for three hours!"


    "Ah¡ª"


    Yang Zhang was a bit disappointed that it wasn''t some dramatic secret that Katarang tried to hide from him.


    "My hut isn''t far from the lake. Since we''ve known each other, you''re free to take a dip or drink in this lake. Don''t worry, I cleaned it every day with my power. It''s probably the freshest water you can find in the forest," Katarang fixed the towel wrapping around her body and asked, "Where do you live?"


    "Um, somewhere quite far from here, I traveled around to find food most of the time," Yang Zhang replied.


    "Well, you''re free to come here whenever you want. Just make sure nobody is trailing you from behind when you''re on your way here, or we will be in danger."


    "WE?"


    "Yeah, we, us, you and I. That''s why you got to be careful," Katarang said.


    "Why do I have to get involved there?"


    ¡­


    Katarang decided to zip her mouth and walked away, leaving Yang Zhang questioning what the well that blue-haired girl was hiding.


    But he got one more priority question before Katarang truly left his line of sight, "Wait! About your hair! Did you dye your hair?!"


    "It''s natural, idiot!" Katarang yelled out loud before disappearing into the woods.


    **


    Yang Zhang wore his boxer again, and he was ready to continue his journey to the east. The sun was already shining bright, so he guessed that it was probably around 1 P.M.


    "Good thing I didn''t bring my phone today," Yang Zhang mumbled. Since the junglefowl incident, he was afraid that his precious phone would get destroyed.


    "Alright, gang, let''s go east. We can''t delay more time," Yang Zhang said.


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak, squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    The pets gathered on Yang Zhang''s body, ready for another journey. Yang Zhang looked at the dark lake and then the direction where Katarang left.


    He had a feeling that they would meet again soon. At least Yang Zhang wanted to meet with that girl often because he was all alone in this forest in the apocalypse era. It would be nice to have a human friend that he could visit often.


    "We''ll come here again later!" Yang Zhang opened his palm, and Little Ivy stretched two vines to start swinging from one branch to another, he didn''t want to delay his time because it was already noon.. He might have to stay somewhere for the night because the trip was quite long.

 Chapter 32 - Bear Attack! (1)

    "Hmm¡­ the east of the forest is so deep," Yang Zhang commented as he swung from one tall branch to another. It had been almost an hour since he left the Katarang and the dark lake, and he was yet to find the end of this lust forest full of tall trees.


    If he used his hut as pinpointed location, he was probably around the southwest of this big forest. Since it was fast for him to find the highway and the mini-market on the west side, it took a while to reach Xi Feng and the Bronze cow village, probably not that far from his previous shelter on the south.


    ''So my hut is not really in the middle of the forest,'' Yang Zhang thought. Because it took a while from his hut until he discovered that dark lake, and now it was even longer to reach the end of this long trip to the east.


    ''That dark lake is probably the middle of the forest,'' he mumbled. He looked up and saw the sun wasn''t on top of his head anymore. So he predicted that it was already around 3 P.M in the afternoon.


    "We can''t do this. We need to find a target location first," Yang Zhang said. "Ivy! Going up!"


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang went up with the help of Little Ivy and stood at the tallest tree branch they could find.


    He squinted his eyes, looking to the east, trying to find a target location. Whether it was a town, village, or even a small hut, as long as he could stop for a while, that would be fine.


    He continued looking around from the top of the branch and couldn''t find anything, "Should we return now? But that means our journey would be a waste! What do you think, gang?"


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "All of you want to continue adventuring? Hmm¡­ let''s just continue to the east. I hope we can find something," Yang Zhang said. He marked the tall tree to avoid going in a circle and then continued swinging for another hour to no avail until Little Ivy complained.


    "Vii¡­"


    "You''re tired?"


    "Vii¡­ Vii¡­"


    "Aish, at least let''s find a place to rest first. It''s about to go dark soon, and we''re in the middle of nowhere. We cannot stay in the middle of a deep forest when the dark comes."


    Honestly, Yang Zhang was just afraid there would be an unseen danger that he couldn''t predict, like a wild animal, or even worse, mutated wild animals.


    Zombies were the least of his worry for now because no zombies would be stupid enough to get strayed in such a deep forest.


    Little Ivy continued swinging until they spotted a small cave, "Stop there, Ivy! We can hide inside that cave!" Yang Zhang said as he pointed at the cave.


    "Vii!"


    They stopped in front of the cave. Yang Zhang looked around and found the small cave, enough for them to rest for the day. But he still had to make sure, "Spicy Wing, ran inside and see what you could find."


    "Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing bravely charged inside the cave, and its body regulated fire, making the little chick act like a small torch. Yang Zhang quietly entered the cave guided by the fire from Lt. Spicy Wing''s body.


    The cave was surprisingly not damp, and it could fit about three adults to sleep inside.


    "Ohh, this cave is quite nice. It''s definitely livable for the night¡ª"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut pointed at the deepest part of the cave and seemed to have noticed something.


    "What?" Yang Zhang frowned when Chestnut continued pointing. He walked carefully, and he finally saw something.


    A stack of dry branches and leaves created a comfortable big bed. It looked like it was recently used since there was a shape of the previous creature that slept on it. It showed Yang Zhang that the creature was probably twice his size. A fresh carcass of two birds and two squirrels bitten in half told him that the creature was a carnivore or omnivore.


    Yang Zhang''s eyes widened instantly. He knew the animal living in this place.


    "We need to leave now," Yang Zhang said urgently.


    "Squeak?"


    "Chirp?"


    "Y¡ªYeah, we seriously can''t stay here for long. The animal living in this cave might return soon, and it is very dangerous," Yang Zhang warned. He grabbed Spicy Wing on the ground and quickly turned his body 180¡ã. He rushed outside to leave as soon as possible before that wild animal came.


    But when he finally emerged from the cave, he saw a big black bear growling at him right in front of his face, "Grrrrrr!"


    "AHH!" Yang Zhang fell backward due to shock. The black bear found Yang Zhang''s position to be that of prey, so it stood with two legs and growled even fiercer, "GRRRRR!"


    "Ah, damn this!" Yang Zhang cursed as the big black bear twice his size attacked him with its claw. Yang Zhang quickly opened his palm and yelled, "IVY!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched her vines to grab a nearby tree trunk. She pulled Yang Zhang to avoid the bear attack, but the black bear realized that its prey was about to run away. So it growled and¡­


    SNAP!


    "VII! VII!"


    The big black bear scratched the vines, and Little Ivy''s vines were cut in half, sending Yang Zhang rolling on the ground, alongside Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut.


    "Ouch! Ack! Ah!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    Yang Zhang felt his body hit the rock behind. The first thing he checked was Little Ivy.


    "Ivy! Are you okay?!"


    "Vii¡­ Vii¡­" Little Ivy looked like she was in pain.


    "You can''t create new vines for a while? That''s fine, Ivy. Rest for now."


    "Vii¡­"


    Yang Zhang looked at the black bear who shadowed him with its big figure, "GRRRR!"


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth, "Spicy Wing, Chestnut, gather to me!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut returned to Yang Zhang despite a few cuts when they got thrown away, "Little Ivy has been injured.. We cannot run this time, my friends. We need to win this, or else we all would be a bear snack!"

 Chapter 33 - Bear Attack! (2)

    "Little Ivy has been injured. We cannot run this time, my friends. So we shall fight!" Yang Zhang commanded.


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing stood in front of Yang Zhang, ready for a command from their master.


    The bear grunted with its claws unsheathed. The bear saw the two little animals and decided to ignore both. It raised its paw and aimed its attack at Yang Zhang.


    "Team, scatter!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "GRAAAA!"


    Yang Zhang dodged the bear attack aimed at him. He jumped back while Spicy Wing went to the left and Chestnut to the right.


    It was a lot more difficult to fight without the help of Little Ivy because he had limited movement, and he wasn''t exactly the most nimble fighter out there.


    ''I have to use Chestnut and Spicy Wing before the bear attacks me again. That''s my only way to balance the fight,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    He glanced at Chestnut and Spicy Wing and then decided to command, "Spicy Wing, try to kick around its stomach! Chestnut, climb to its head!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing started running around the big bear''s feet, regulating fire around its body, and then started kicking the bear''s stomach.


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Grrrr!" The bear looked angry, and the kick from Spicy Wing didn''t seem to be enough to actually hurt it. It was enough to distract the bear, though.


    ''Spicy Wing needs more time to heat up its body. We need to buy time,'' Yang Zhang thought. He saw Chestnut finally land on top of the bear''s head and clenched the bear fur tightly.


    "We need to buy time. Chestnut, discharge!"


    Chestnut''s body was slowly covered with electricity, and the bear was too busy trying to catch the nimble little chick that kept kicking its belly and feet. So, the bear didn''t realize another animal was on top of its head.


    "Squeak!"


    BZZZZTTTT!


    Chestnut discharged a hefty amount of electricity from its body, zapping the bear.


    The bear was shocked for a few seconds, but it recovered quickly when Chestnut finished the discharge.


    "W¡ªWhat is this bear? A ground-type Pokemon?!" Yang Zhang was shocked when he saw the electric discharge did little to nothing to the bear.


    "GROAAARR!"


    The loud roar from the bear shocked Yang Zhang and his pets. In that thin timeframe, everyone stopped reacting for a second, and the bear used the chance to grab Chestnut on its head.


    "Squeak!"


    "GRRRR!"


    The bear grasped Chestnut''s small body in its hand, ready to crush Chestnut in one go.


    Yang Zhang recovered the moment he saw Chestnut in pain.


    "SQUEAKKK!"


    "NOO!" Yang Zhang started panicking when he saw his beloved squirrel in pain. His brain quickly formed a plan to distract the bear before Chestnut got crushed to death.


    He looked around his feet to find any kind of weapon. He regretted not bringing a knife or something because it would be useful in this kind of situation.


    He relied too much on Little Ivy, so he thought he would be all right as long as Ivy was with him.


    "Ah, this¡ª" he quickly picked a fist-sized rock on the ground. It was big but still light enough for Yang Zhang to hold.


    Yang Zhang saw Spicy Wing''s body regulating dynamic fire and slowing heating up.


    "Keep hitting its stomach, Spicy Wing!" Yang Zhang commanded. He knew the use of dynamic wing when he swallowed the Mana bead before. The more he moved his body, the hotter his body would get. And with enough heat, his punch and kick would deal more damage.


    "Chirp!" Spicy Wing continued kicking around the bear''s belly, just like General Yang Zhang commanded.


    "Chestnut, don''t lose your grip. Charge your body again!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut started charging its body again, despite having difficulty of breathing, since the bear was clenching its body tightly.


    Yang Zhang clenched the rock tightly and then rushed towards the bear, "Let go of my squirrel!"


    SMASH!


    Yang Zhang whacked the bear''s skull with the rock as hard as he could, and the bear staggered in an instant.


    And at the right moment, Chestnut discharged all the stored electricity from inside its body, and the high voltage of electric discharge was enough to open the grasp of the bear''s hand.


    Yang Zhang snatched Chestnut from the Bear when it was still recovering from the stagger.


    Yang Zhang quickly retreated with Chestnut in his hand. He saw Chestnut had an obvious wound on its body. The bear''s claw must''ve penetrated its skin.


    Thankfully, the wound wasn''t that bad. Still, he didn''t want to push Chestnut too much, the squirrel was a sole MVP against the enraged Katarang, and now it was injured.


    "Rest for now, Chestnut. I will clean this up. Don''t worry," Yang Zhang tried to calm the squirrel down.


    "Squeak¡­" Chestnut slowly crawled inside Yang Zhang''s jacket pocket and rested for now.


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth as he focused on the bear again. It had recovered from the stagger fairly quick, even though Yang Zhang had already smashed the rock as hard as possible, proving that the bear also had great durability.


    "GRRRRR!" The bear was furious, which Yang Zhang had expected.


    Now that he was down with only Lt. Spicy Wing still fighting restlessly. The heat regulating inside the little chick''s body was enough for Lt. Spicy Wing to leave a burn mark on the bear''s fur, but still not enough to actually hurt the bear.


    Unfortunately, Lt. Spicy Wing, albeit agile, was very susceptible to damage.


    Knowing how the little chick was down with one big wave from Katarang before meant the little chick was very fragile.


    ''That means I have to distract the bear while Spicy Wing continues heating its body!'' Yang Zhang thought.


    He was scared, of course. In front of them, there was a black bear twice his size that would probably rip his body into shreds if he got caught.


    But there was no way out right now, so he had to fight.


    At least if he died, he died fighting!


    "Alright, Second Lieutenant Spicy Wing! It''s only us now! Don''t disappoint me and give it all that you have for your General!"


    "CHIRP!"

 Chapter 34 - Bear Attack! (3)

    "Alright, Second Lieutenant Spicy Wing! It''s only us now! Don''t disappoint me and give it all that you have for your General!"


    "CHIRP!"


    Yang Zhang grabbed another fist-sized rock near him. This was his sole weapon for now. He was facing the furious big bear in front of him. Lt. Spicy Wing continuously kicked around the bear''s feet and belly, making a burnt mark on the bear''s fur, but not strong enough to actually hurt the bear.


    And now, the bear didn''t even care at the little chick under. It focused all its fury towards Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath. It was now or never because there was no way for him to avoid this fight.


    The bear unsheathed its claw again and then rushed towards Yang Zhang, attacking with its sharp claws, "GROARRR!"


    Yang Zhang quickly dodged the attack by taking a step to the left. Thankfully, albeit very deadly, the bear wasn''t nimble, a regular trait for a big animal.


    "Spicy Wing, continue attacking!" Yang Zhang commanded.


    "Chirp!"


    The bear started attacking Yang Zhang relentlessly, clawing him left-right-left-right, and all of the attacks were missed because Yang Zhang quickly dodged them.


    He didn''t know what caused him to be reactive to such dangerous attacks from the big bear, maybe because his adrenaline was pumping right now.


    Yang Zhang saw Spicy Wing''s body start to emit an orange-red aura, and Yang Zhang could sense that Spicy Wing''s hit would leave a wound to the bear.


    "GRAARRR!"


    "Huh!" Yang Zhang avoided the bear''s teeth by stepping back, "Shit, that was so close!"


    The bear started attacking him with its teeth. One attack and the bear would definitely shred his body.


    Yang Zhang saw that Lt. Spicy Wing started making obvious bruises on the bear''s feet and belly, but the bear didn''t seem to notice because it was too focused on killing Yang Zhang right now.


    ''That heat should be enough for Spicy Wing!'' Yang Zhang thought. He was quick to form a plan to take down the bear.


    But he got careless for a split second. He accidentally stumbled on a small rock under his heel, making him fall backward instantly.


    "Ack!" Yang Zhang''s head hit the stone behind him. He gritted his teeth to endure the pain and recovered quickly. The bear charged straight at him again with its mouth open, ready to shred Yang Zhang''s neck to kill him.


    Yang Zhang commanded, "Spicy Wing! Jump up to the bear''s body!"


    "Chirp!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing jumped up and landed on the neck of the bear.


    "GROARRR!"


    Yang Zhang clenched the fist-sized rock in his hand, and he yelled, "EAT THIS!"


    Yang Zhang shoved the rock inside the bear''s open mouth, and the bear was unable to bite Yang Zhang''s neck because of the rock inside its mouth.


    But the bear still had its claws!


    The bear swung its left paw towards Yang Zhang, and the latter commanded, complete with an attack name he made on the go, "NOW, SPICY WING! DRILL ITS SKULL! "HABANERO CHICKEN KICK!"


    "CHIRP! CHIRP!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing followed the instruction from its General. The little chick jumped up high and then spun midair. The little chick lunched towards the bear kicked the bear''s skull right between its ears.


    "GRAAAAA!"


    "AGAIN! KEEP KICKING UNTIL YOU CRUSHED THE SKULL!" Yang Zhang yelled out loud because the bear somehow still had enough strength and attacked Yang Zhang with its claw.


    Yang Zhang had to dodge the claw by sliding under the bear''s body.


    "CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!"


    Crack! Crack! CRACK!


    On the third kick from Lt. Spicy Wing, the bear''s skull was finally crushed open, showing the bear''s brain, and the bear let out the last grunt before its eyes rolled up and it fell to the left.


    Yang Zhang''s heart was beating really fast, he laid on the ground for a while to collect himself, and Lt. Spicy Wing walked towards him.


    The little chick jumped to his chest and reported, "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Ah, thank you, Lieutenant¡­ you did a great job," Yang Zhang said. He didn''t expect Lt. Spicy Wing to be able to kill the bear with three kicks.


    "Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing made a salute gesture, and the heat around its body slowly dissipated.


    "Are you guys okay?" Yang Zhang patted his pocket to check on Chestnut and opened his other palm to check on Little Ivy.


    "Squeak¡­"


    "Vii¡­"


    Little Ivy hugged Yang Zhang''s arm tighter to show that she was scared, while Chestnut came out of the pocket to show it was alright.


    Yang Zhang sighed in relief. He was glad both Chestnut and Little Ivy didn''t seem to get severely hurt. After that adrenaline rush, he collected his strength and then got up to check on the bear.


    "Hmm, Spicy Wing is the MVP here. You did a great job, Second Lieutenant," Yang Zhang praised.


    "CHIRP!"


    Yang Zhang looked at the dead bear with its skull open and had a question in his mind. The bear was twice his size as an adult male, and he was somehow immune to Chestnut''s attack.


    "Either the bear is just very resilient, or he might be another mutated animal," Yang Zhang hypothesized.


    He crouched in front of the open brain of the bear. The brain started oozing out of the bear''s skull, "Okay, let''s check whether this bear can give us something.. I wonder if this bear is actually a mutated animal, or just a tough, regular bear."

 Chapter 35 - White Hand On Your Shoulder

    "Okay, let''s check whether this bear can give us something. I wonder if this bear is actually a mutated animal or just a tough, regular bear," Yang Zhang commented as he crouched near the bear''s head.


    The skull had been crushed and created a big hole that oozed the bear''s brain, proof that Lt. Spicy Wing was actually strong and useful!


    "Wow, great job, Spicy Wing. I guess I have to raise your rank from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant Spicy Wing!"


    "CHIRP!? CHIRP! CHIRPP!!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing jumped around happily. It finally got its original rank back after the grave mistake when fighting against Katarang.


    Yang Zhang still didn''t understand why the little chick looked very happy with that kind of rank. But each of his pets had their own personality, so he didn''t mind much.


    He observed the oozing brain, hoping a Mana bead would come out from the bear''s brain. However, he wasn''t sure if an animal with the ability had a Mana bead in its brain just like a human.


    But when he saw nothing from the oozing brain, he decided to use a stick he found nearby to start scraping the brain.


    After a minute of scraping, he found nothing inside.


    "So it''s just a regular black bear that happens to be a tough one, bummer¡­." Yang Zhang sighed, full of disappointment. He was even more disappointed because he didn''t bring any knife. He could''ve at least skinned this bear, used the bear fur for winter use, and ate the meat for tonight.


    But since he didn''t bring a knife, he couldn''t do anything to this bear.


    He looked at his pets and knew none of them couldn''t possibly cut this bear.


    "Aish, I only have Electric-type, Fire-Fighting type, and a Grass-type. It would be great to find a steel type, seriously," Yang Zhang said. "But how do you actually get a steel type, though?"


    Of course, he could''ve obtained a few types that were readily available in nature, such as fire, water, grass, and flying type.


    But few other specific types were too difficult or downright unobtainable, such as psychic, ghost, dragon, or fairy type.


    Since Yang Zhang couldn''t use this bear''s meat or skin because of no tool to do it, he decided to just drag the bear in front of the cave to act as a deterrent, so no other wild animals would approach the cave once they saw the bear sleeping in front.


    Yang Zhang looked up and saw the sun had set and many dangerous animals would come soon.


    So he quickly collected as many dry branches as possible and then set up a bonfire in front of the cave entrance, just right behind the bear, to warm them all.


    Once the night came, Yang Zhang and his pets huddled together, and Chestnut started squeaking.


    "Squeak, squeak?"


    "Hm? Do you want me to tell stories? Like¡­ horror campfire story?"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii¡­"


    Little Ivy was scared of ghost stories, but she was also curious. So Little Ivy hid inside Yang Zhang''s sleeve with only her eyes peeking.


    Yang Zhang was bored, and he couldn''t sleep anyway, so he made up a corny ghost story and cleared his throat to start the story;


    ¡ª Here is a story of four friends who went on a camp in the middle of the forest. The group consists of three boys and 1 girl. Two boys said that they have to go and pee, so there are only two people on the campfire, a girl and a boy."


    ''Do you believe in ghosts?'' The girl suddenly asked out of the blue.


    The boy, acting brave, shook his head fervently and said, ''I don''t believe in any ghost! They are just stories made by the adults to scare us! Even if there is one, I will just slap his face with a hammer!''


    The girl smiled mysteriously, which creeped out the boy. Because they had just met the girl who said she camped alone, that''s why they asked her to join in.


    ''Are you sure? Because I see a white hand on your shoulder,'' the girl said as she pointed at the boy''s left shoulder.


    The boy looked at his left shoulder and found nothing. He paused for a second because he was getting scared.


    ''Ahahaha¡­ nice trick¡ª'' the boy looked towards the girl again, but he saw nobody sitting in front of him. The girl was gone, poof into thin air.


    He looked to his left and right, trying to find the girl because there was no way she could leave so quickly. But then, he heard a voice right above his head.


    ''I''m up here.''


    The boy froze on the spot. His heart was beating loudly. His face paled, but he collected his courage to look up and¡ª


    "BOO!" Yang Zhang shouted out loud.


    "SQUEAK!"


    "CHIRP! CHIRP!"


    "VIIII!"


    "Hahaha! Are you guys scared now?" Yang Zhang laughed out loud. All he wanted to do was scare his pets, and it worked.


    Chestnut, Spicy Wing, and Little Ivy suddenly scattered to distance themselves from Yang Zhang.


    "Hey, you guys, return to me now. I''m just messing around with you."


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Huh? There is a white hand on my shoulder?"


    "Vii!"


    Suddenly, Yang Zhang felt a cold wind around him and felt a cold hand touch his left shoulder.


    Yang Zhang''s breath stiffened. He had no courage to look over his left shoulder. But he could feel the cold breath on his nape.


    Before he could react even further, the cold hand released his shoulder and dashed to the front.


    Yang Zhang could only see a white mist that went inside the dead bear''s body and¡ª


    The bear, who had been dead for hours, suddenly got up with shining white eyes. It grunted and breathed white mist from its nose. The bear stood in front of Yang Zhang and roared angrily, "GROARRR!"


    Yang Zhang, who had been scared to his bone, couldn''t hold it anymore, his eyes rolled up, and he fainted.

 Chapter 36 - [Bonus Chapter] Finally, A Settlement! (1)

    Pa! Pa!


    "Ughh¡­" Yang Zhang woke up once he felt a vine slapping his cheek plenty of times. He opened his eyes and saw Little Ivy, Chestnut, and Lt. Spicy Wing staring at him with worried eyes.


    Yang Zhang got up dazedly and found himself still in the cave. But the sun was rising, and the bonfire had died hours earlier.


    "What happened?" Yang Zhang asked his pets.


    "Vii, Vii, Viii!"


    "I fainted after the ghost entered the bear''s body?!" Yang Zhang''s eyes quickly darted at the bear in front of the cave. The bear had switched position from the last time Yang Zhang moved it, and the eyes of the bear had turned white, which shouldn''t happen because the bear''s eyes were pure black the last time he saw it.


    Yang Zhang got alert instantly, "I¡ªIs that true? The ghost from yesterday¡ª"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing also told the same thing. The ghost entered the bear''s body and scared Yang Zhang until he fainted. Then the bear dropped like a puppet whose string had been cut.


    "Squeak!"


    "And the white mist flew to the sky?" Yang Zhang heard the story from Chestnut.


    Honestly, as outrageous as it sounded, Yang Zhang saw it with his own eyes, how the white mist entered the bear corpse and scared him until he fainted.


    Yang Zhang swallowed his saliva hardly and then got up quickly from the ground.


    "Alright, gang, let''s just go now. We still have to go to the east. We can''t waste our time here."


    "Chirp?"


    "Scared? Who''s scared?!" Yang Zhang challenged Spicy Wing, who asked if Yang Zhang was scared.


    But when he saw the bear again, he shuddered all around his body and rushed out of the cave.


    "O¡ªOkay, let''s leave now! Time to go for another adventure!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Viii!"


    Little Ivy stretched her new vines and started swinging from one branch to another.


    Little did they know, there was a white mist floating on top of the cave when they left. The white mist entered the bear''s body, and the corpse reanimated once more, with white mist coming from its nose and a pair of shining white eyes.


    **


    Yang Zhang stopped for a drink in the river nearby and had another four-eyed grilled fish for breakfast, while Chestnut and Spicy Wing ate fruits they found around.


    After washing his face, Yang Zhang continued swinging for almost three hours.


    "Vii¡­"


    Yang Zhang realized that Little Ivy was getting tired after swinging nonstop, so Yang Zhang commanded, "Go up! Let''s see if we can find anything!"


    Little Ivy propelled Yang Zhang to the tallest tree she could find. Yang Zhang stood on a branch and squinted to look around the forest, hoping that he could finally find a sign of life anywhere in here.


    He was hopeless when he saw nothing around him. Again, he was left with disappointment.


    Until he suddenly heard a loud sound echoed around the quiet forest.


    BANG! BANG!


    "Waaah!" Yang Zhang hugged the tree trunk as he was shocked by the loud gunshot. He looked around to spot the sound source and found a puff of smoke coming from the northeast of his current spot.


    He didn''t know what happened, nor did he know what was waiting for him if he approached that spot.


    But it was a lot better than swinging around like a lost guy for the whole day. He also didn''t want to return empty-handed to his hut after a long trip.


    "Let''s go there, Ivy!"


    "Vii!"


    Yang Zhang swung towards the direction of the smoke but stopped when he almost reached the spot.


    He told his pets to hide inside his body because he didn''t want them to get noticed, and those new people might start asking questions that Yang Zhang couldn''t answer.


    Yang Zhang sneakily hid behind a tree and peeked. He saw three men holding real guns in their hands. They looked like a regular human, but of course, no one could determine whether they were just humans with immunity or ability users. Because even the ability users usually had guns for further protection.


    ''But there is no way humans with immunity like me can run around freely in open space, with guns as well!'' Yang Zhang thought.


    The government always saw them, the normal human with immunity, as a fragile species treated as lab rats. Because the future of the Z-20 vaccine was with them.


    But, the government had been unsuccessful in creating the vaccine even after one year since the outbreak, and now the normal humans were just a burden.


    ''They must be ability users,'' Yang Zhang concluded. He decided to keep peeking and listening attentively to their conversation.


    "Idiot, don''t waste your bullet like that! It''s hard to get weapons!"


    "Hey, I wasn''t wasting it! I''m trying to shoot that wild boar with rainbow stripes! We can eat that if we could shoot it death!"


    "And you missed!"


    "Well, it''s still a good try, right?"


    "You two, stop wasting our time with your fight. We need to keep hunting," an old man in his 50s warned the two young men in this group of three. "Let''s just keep going."


    The two young men glared at each other but decided to follow the old man deeper into the forest.


    Yang Zhang decided to follow them sneakily, but the moment he stepped once, he accidentally stepped on a branch and¡ª


    Crack.


    The old man turned his head towards Yang Zhang''s direction and fired a shot.


    BANG!


    "Wha!"


    Yang Zhang quickly ducked to avoid the shotgun.


    "Who''s there!?" The old man asked with a loud voice. He cocked his gun again and rushed towards Yang Zhang''s direction.


    "Fuck!" Yang Zhang got up and turned away. He was ready to run but was stunned when the old man fired the second shot from behind.


    BANG!


    Yang Zhang was shocked the hot bullet almost brushed his ear before hitting the tree in front of him.


    "Stay on the spot before I blow your head off!"

 Chapter 37 - Finally, A Settlement! (2)

    "Stay on the spot before I blow your head off!"


    ''Welp, there goes the sneaky-sneaky tactic of mine,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    He raised his hands above his head but said nothing until he waited for the second command from the old man holding a gun behind him.


    "Okay, what''s your name, and why are you sneaking on us?" The old man said, still with his gun pointing at Yang Zhang''s head.


    "My name is Ash Ketchup, and I.. uh¡­ I heard the gunshot and walked here to find the source!" Yang Zhang said, hoping that would make it clear and the old man would put down his shotgun.


    But what he got was even worse. Yang Zhang felt the cold muzzle of the shotgun touch the back of his head, "Do you think I will believe that?"


    "U¡ªUncle, please put down the gun. Let''s have a civil conversation!" Yang Zhang begged. He was sweating all over because the gun muzzle really scared the hell out of him.


    "Besides, it''s not nice to threaten someone like this? Do you know about gun control?" Yang Hang asked, trying to prolong his life.


    "Heh, we''re in the apocalypse, kiddo. There is no gun control bullshit here. And I don''t have to play nice to someone who sneaked around me. Who knows, you might want to ambush my friend and me when we''re unguarded," the old man said. He cocked the hammer off the shotgun, ready to fire.


    "You know, kid. I''m just one click away from blowing your brains out. You should probably use your ability now to escape," the old man said.


    "U¡ªUncle, I¡­ I don''t have any ability," Yang Zhang said truthfully. He thought it would make the old man less hostile.


    But it changed nothing, and the old man commented, "Do you think I will believe that? There is no normal human outside in the wild. They are all lab rats now. I suggest you use your ability now, or you''ll be finished."


    Yang Zhang felt his heart was beating out so loud right now. He could feel that his pets were already moving around in his pocket. They were ready to attack the old man behind as long as Yang Zhang commanded them.


    But Yang Zhang expected the old man must''ve had his finger on the trigger, and if he made a sudden move, then the old man could pull the trigger and kill him instantly.


    They were in this stall situation until Yang Zhang heard a rustle from behind and then voices of two people, "Hey, Uncle, we got the pig¡ªWait."


    "Uncle, who is this guy? And why are you pointing your gun at him? That''s not nice."


    "Yeah, that''s not nice!"


    "Aish, you two, shut up! This guy has been tailing us from the woods. He must''ve been into something!"


    "What is he into anyway? All we have is these guns."


    "Yeah, Uncle, there is nothing that he could rob from us! We''re just regular humans anyway."


    "Eh?" Yang Zhang looked over his shoulder and saw the two young men arguing before. "You guys are regular humans?"


    "Yeah."


    "Mhm."


    "Aish! Shut up! Didn''t I tell you not to tell anyone about our identity!?" The old man reprimanded the two young men.


    "Hey, I''m also a regular human! I''m a human with immunity, I swear!" Yang Zhang said this was the first time he ever saw a group of humans with immunity in the wild!


    "Really? Whoa, we found a new kid!"


    "Uncle, let''s bring him to the village!"


    "You two¡ª" the old man sighed and put his gun down. "You guys have no vigilance! Do you know what would happen if the government saw us!?"


    "What would they do anyway? They already have so many lab rats!"


    "Yeah!"


    ¡­


    The old man glared at Yang Zhang, "You¡ªif you are truly a human with immunity, that means you also have the immunity to eat any mutated plant and animal."


    The old man took out a small fruit from his pocket and handed it to Yang Zhang, "Eat this, and prove that you''re really the one with immunity like the rest of us."


    Yang Zhang turned around and stared at the fruit in the old man''s hand. He hesitated when he saw the fruit''s shape. It was like an apple, but there were black seeds all around like a strawberry, and it was purple-colored.


    Yang Zhang gulped. He never actually ate something as strange as this, and even though he knew he was immune to the virus and all things infected by the virus, he didn''t know if this fruit was poisonous or not.


    "How could I know if this is poisonous or not?" Yang Zhang asked vigilantly.


    The old man was stunned, and he scoffed, "You have more vigilance than these two dumbos behind me. Fine, let me show you."


    The old man ate the purple apple and munching for a while. He opened his mouth after chewing the fruit, showing that he ate it without any side effect, clearing the poison suspicion.


    "See? This is just a mutated apple," the old man said. He looked at the young man beside him and commanded, "Give him your apple. Let''s see if he can eat it. Any mutated plant or animal will be a deadly poison for any ability user."


    "Catch!" The young man threw the same apple from his pocket to Yang Zhang. "Don''t worry, my friend. It''s not poisonous for humans with immunity!"


    Yang Zhang caught the purple apple with black seeds in the skin. He glanced at the men in front of him and took a bit slowly.


    Yang Zhang started munching until he swallowed the fruit.


    One second¡­


    Two seconds¡­


    Three seconds¡­


    No change.


    "Okay, so you really are a human with immunity," the old man said. He looked a lot friendlier after Yang Zhang proved his identity. "My name is Fei Mu, and these two are my nephews¡ª"


    "Fei Baoyan!"


    "Fei Ningyan!"


    "We are all normal humans with immunity living in a settlement not far from here," the old man said. He stared at Yang Zhang for a second and asked, "So, what''s your real name, Ash Ketchup?"

 Chapter 38 - Finally, A Settlement! (3)

    "So, what''s your real name, Ash Ketchup?" The old man asked.


    Yang Zhang gulped out of nervousness. He was considering whether it was okay to tell them his real name. It was easier in the case with Katarang since the blue-haired girl didn''t even want to tell her real name.


    But these people, Fei Mu, Fei Ningyan, Fei Baoyan, all told him their real names.


    ''But is it, though?'' Yang Zhang asked himself. ''There is a chance that they are using fake names, not an alias, just fake names."


    Yang Zhang was naturally a careful person, so he quickly thought of a name and replied, "My real name is Deng Fan."


    "Deng Fan, it is. It''s a pleasure to meet you, young man. We''re all humans with immunity, so you don''t need to be careful around us," the old man Fei Mu said.


    Yang Zhang nodded cautiously and was relieved because the old man believed him easily.


    Of course, he was using Young Master Deng Fan''s name. The man who kicked him out of the shelter because Yang Zhang accidentally commented that Young Master Deng''s ability was sucky as hell.


    Like¡­ what would you do with an ability to turn your teeth into gold? You can''t even grow it back if you break your teeth!


    "Deng Fan, did you run away from your shelter as well?" Fei Baoyan, who was carrying the boar with rainbow stripes, asked.


    "Yeah, most of us escaped our shelter and went to the wood to hide from those pesky ability users and the governments!" Fei Ningyan added.


    "Y¡ªYeah, I did. My shelter is in the far west, by the way. I''ve been surviving in the wild alone. I just happened to find you guys when I heard the gunshot," Yang Zhang added more information to make sure the three men in front of him believed him completely.


    "Well, since you''re here all alone, then you should be staying with us. We have a small shelter specifically reserved for humans with immunity," the old man said. "Come with us. We will introduce you to the other people."


    Yang Zhang followed the three men from behind as they trailed on a narrow road in the forest.


    Yang Zhang looked at the three men warily. He never knew there were humans with immunity in the wild other than him. Because he always thought that all humans with immunity must''ve been sheltered.


    Yang Zhang could feel his pets inside his jacket pocket and sleeve were peeking to check where they were going, and Yang Zhang shoved them back in to make sure they stayed hidden.


    "How long have you been surviving in the wild, Deng Fan?" Fei Ningyan asked while they were walking.


    "Less than a week," Yang Zhang replied.


    "Less than a week? Whoa! I bet the government is still searching for you!"


    "Ehh, that shouldn''t be. We are just lab rats, remember? The government has tons of lab rats!"


    Yang Zhang listened to these two younger men who discussed the sad truth of humans with immunity.


    At first, the government treated them like the most important creatures on earth. But after realizing that 1% in this country meant at least 1 million people, the government only treated them like second-class citizens and lab rats.


    ''But I''m glad to find someone else without power like me,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    **


    After a long walk through the forest, they stopped when the forest trail ended, "Okay, we''re here."


    Yang Zhang looked to the front and saw rows of tall fences made of logs with sharpened tips on top. The sharp tip was also rolled with barbed wire for extra protection.


    Two guards were standing in front of the gate, and they were armed with guns as well.


    The two guards looked at Yang Zhang with scrutinizing gaze when they arrived in front of the gate.


    "He''s a new recruit, another human with immunity like us," the old man said.


    The guards nodded and opened the gate for them.


    Yang Zhang was shocked when he passed the gate.


    It was quite crowded, with people walking around, chatting, and even trading. Yang Zhang saw a woman who set up a food stall and a man who set up a smithy. This place was similar to that zombie village in the north where Xi Feng and her mutated flower sister lived. Yang Zhang imagined that the villagers hadn''t been infected with the Z-20 virus.


    "What are you guys using to pay for that¡ª" Yang Zhang asked, and he pointed at the smithy.


    "Oh, the blacksmith accepts meat and fruits from the wild. He will inspect whether the meat is edible or not, and he will trade them for the weapons he made!"


    "Yeah, we don''t use money or gold here because there''s no use of them in the apocalypse!"


    "Wow, this is¡­." Yang Zhang was stunned by the development of this place.


    "Out of your expectation, right?" Fei Baoyan giggled as he saw Yang Zhang''s surprised face. "This settlement has been here for 8 months. That''s why it has been developed!"


    "Yeah, we''ve been here for 6 months already!" Fei Ningyan added.


    "Quit your babbling. Let''s take Deng Fan to the boss.. You will be introduced and initiated to be one of us," old man Fei Mu said.

 Chapter 39 - Miss Kobra (1)

    "Quit your babbling. Let''s take Deng Fan to the boss. You will be introduced and initiated to be one of us," old man Fei Mu said.


    "Oh, good luck with the initiation, Deng Fan! I''ll have to skin this rainbow boar with Baoyan!" Fei Ningyan said as they went to separate ways.


    The old man Fei Mu escorted Yang Zhang to meet the big boss in his office. Yang Zhang swallowed his saliva when he saw at least 6 men guarding the front of the house, and they looked even fiercer than the ones guarding the gate.


    "Are you scared?" Old man Fei Mu asked.


    "A little," Yang Zhang replied honestly. "I''m just intimidated, I guess¡­."


    "Haha, that''s normal to get intimidated because that''s what Big boss wants," the old man said. "The Big boss has a lot of enemies. Because the government has discovered her as the leader of this human-exclusive settlement. The big boss refused to bow down under the government''s rule to be one of the settlements controlled by them."


    "That''s why the government wants her head, and she has to take precautions."


    "Ah, I see¡­." Yang Zhang nodded while imagining the situation happening to the Big boss. This kind of human-exclusive settlement must''ve been difficult to defend because none of the people have the ability. So they have to compensate by being military-trained, or at least know how to use knives and guns like those in zombie movies without ability users.


    "She is not that scary when you meet her. Let''s go in," Old man Fei Mu opened the front door, and Yang Zhang followed from behind.


    But Yang Zhang realized something just now.


    ''Wait, she?''


    ¡­


    The old man walked to a room inside the house and opened the door. He entered first, whispered something to the Big boss, and then said to Yang Zhang standing outside, "You can come in Deng Fan."


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath and slowly stepped in. He didn''t know what to expect when he entered the room. Honestly, in his imagination, Big boss should be a middle-aged man with a big build and muscle. His vision was that of Big Boss from the Metal Gear Franchise.


    But since the boss was a woman, he expected a military-style tomboy woman.


    But when he stood in front of the Big boss, all of that expectation flew to the window.


    The Big boss was considered a young woman compared to his expectation. She was probably in her late twenties, maybe around 27 years old.


    She had short, black hair and wore a leather jacket with tight-fitting black jeans.


    She didn''t seem to be the kind of woman you''d want to mess up within the normal world pre-apocalypse.


    But to be a Big boss of a human settlement in the apocalypse? That was quite amazing.


    "I will be guarding the door outside," old man Fei Mu said as he walked out.


    The Big boss squinted at Yang Zhang, observing him from head to toe, and the latter stood straight immediately like a soldier.


    "Your name is Deng Fan, right?" Big boss asked.


    "Y¡ªYes, Miss¡­"


    "Miss?" The Big boss raised her brows. "You called me Miss?"


    "Um¡­ is that wrong?"


    There was a slight pause from the Big boss, and then she chuckled, "Okay, that''s quite nice, I guess. But this is not the place for you to call me Miss. I am the Big boss of this human-exclusive settlement."


    "Call me Big boss or by my code name, Kobra."


    "Miss Kobra¡­" Yang Zhang mumbled the name of the Big boss.


    ''Bet she is snake type and evolved from Ekans,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    "You can address me as Boss Kobra, just like how the rest of the people here called me. But¡­" Kobra got up from her seat. Yang Zhang was surprised when she saw that Kobra was a lot taller than he expected.


    In fact, Yang Zhang was only at her bust level, and he was 175 centimeters! So, Kobra must be around 183 centimeters or more.


    Kobra walked towards Yang Zhang and then circled around him. Her eyes were checking on every side of this young recruit.


    Kobra spotted something, but she said nothing and returned to her seat. She seemed to be picking on something but quickly hid whatever she took behind her back.


    Kobra returned to Yang Zhang and stood behind the young man. Kobra leaned in and whispered, "Since you''ve called me Miss before, I guess you can call me Miss Kobra. It''s nicer to hear."


    Yang Zhang felt his hair stand up when Miss Kobra whispered on his ear so closely, and his cheeks also reddened because he was never this close to a woman before.


    "Your name is Deng Fan, right?" Miss Kobra asked, still whispering in Yang Zhang''s ear.


    "Y¡ªYes, Miss¡­"


    "Well, Deng Fan¡ª" Miss Kobra paused for a second, and Yang Zhang could feel a cold muzzle of a pistol touched his left temple.


    "Care to tell me about the little friends inside your jacket pocket?"

 Chapter 40 - Miss Kobra (2)

    "Care to tell me about the little friends inside your jacket pocket?"


    Yang Zhang''s eyes widened when Miss Kobra pointed the gun at his temple, and his heart almost jumped when Miss Kobra asked him about the little friends inside his pocket.


    He looked down to see whether Lt. Spicy Wing or Chestnut''s head was sticking out, but nope, the pets were well hidden under the deep pocket.


    So Miss Kobra must''ve had an excellent observation to spot them.


    Yang Zhang swallowed his saliva hardly. He tried to negotiate first, "M¡ªMiss Kobra, I meant no harm, really¡­."


    "By hiding something from me? You''re such a brave young man, Deng Fan. Are you a spy on a mission? Infiltrating my base because you want to take my head, hm?" Miss Kobra started accusing Yang Zhang, and the latter got even more scared. "It''s a pity. You''re such a cute boy. I was quite happy when you called me Miss Kobra just now."


    "N¡ªNo, Miss! I''m not working with anyone, I swear!"


    "Then show me the little friends inside your pocket," Miss Kobra commanded.


    Yang Zhang truly didn''t want to show his pets to anyone, not in this kind of situation.


    But he had no other way. Miss Kobra already noticed his pets, so he had nothing else to hide.


    "Chestnut, Spicy Wing, come out," Yang Zhang said defeatedly. He purposely didn''t call Little Ivy inside his sleeve because Little Ivy was his only way out if things went really bad in this place.


    He was literally in a base full of armed people. There was no way for him to leave unscathed at this point.


    Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut peeked from the pocket and saw their master was held at gunpoint by a strange woman.


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    They jumped out from the pocket and landed on the table in front of Yang Zhang. They were ready to attack Miss Kobra, but Yang Zhang quickly commanded them, "It''s okay, Miss Kobra won''t hurt us¡­ hopefully."


    "Chirp?"


    "Squeak, squeak!"


    "Ah, uh¡­ she just wants to see you guys, don''t attack her."


    Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut stood still, eyeing Miss Kobra with a cautious gaze, as if they were ready to attack anytime Miss Kobra actually harmed Yang Zhang.


    Miss Kobra was shocked by Yang Zhang''s mutated forest friends. At first, she expected these mutated creatures inside Yang Zhang''s pocket to be an exploding ball.


    The exploding ball was a fist-sized bomb that would explode upon contact with a hard surface, and those bombs were only owned by the government. Miss Kobra had survived many assassination attempts by the government, so she had expected the worst once she saw two fist-sized things curling inside Yang Zhang''s pocket.


    But this was a lot more fascinating than the exploding ball. She knew they were mutated animals from the forest. It wasn''t that weird to see one.


    But the fact that they were hiding inside Yang Zhang''s pocket and even followed his command.


    "Where did you get these mutated animals?" Miss Kobra asked, still holding the gunpoint at Yang Zhang''s temple.


    "F¡ªForest, I found them in the forest," Yang Zhang replied. "I found them in the forest, and they become friends with me."


    "Huh? They voluntarily befriend you?" Miss Kobra frowned. As far as she knew, any mutated creatures, whether plants or animals, were very hostile to humans.


    Whether it was a zombie or regular humans, those mutated creatures would attack anyone on sight. That was why the forest became such a dangerous place.


    Not only big carnivores like tigers, bears, or wolves would attack you, even the smaller animals and plants wanted you dead. So she was surprised by their obedience to Yang Zhang.


    "How could you command them like this? You know they are dangerous, right?"


    ''Well, they are dangerous if you got into their bad side,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    But he shook his head and replied, "I befriend them, and they live with me now. By the way, Miss Kobra¡ªcan you¡­ the gun¡­ I feel like my heart is on my throat right now."


    Miss Kobra still couldn''t believe that Yang Zhang could control them without any ability.


    "How do you communicate with them?" She asked.


    "Um¡­ I talked to them," Yang Zhang said.


    "And you understand their language?"


    "I mean, I guess? It''s not hard to know what they''re talking about," Yang Zhang answered all the questions truthfully. He just wanted to be safe for now.


    ''I can only hear squeaking and chirping from these animals. What the heck is this man talking about?'' Miss Kobra thought.


    Miss Kobra had a lot more in her thoughts about Yang Zhang or in his alias name, Deng Fan right now.


    But what concerned her right now was the fact that Yang Zhang could command these supposedly feral mutated animals with ease.


    A trait that no normal humans should have.


    Thus, Miss Kobra decided to ask the last question, "There is no normal human that can talk with animal like that. You''re an ability user, aren''t you?"

 Chapter 41 - Kobra Badge Obtained!

    "There is no normal human that can talk with an animal like that. You''re an ability user, aren''t you?"


    ''Oh, for fuck sake, how many times do I have to convince her?!''


    "Miss, that old man Fei Mu already tested me before he brought me here. He forced me to eat that weird mutated fruit, and I''m not poisoned after eating it. Isn''t that enough proof already?"


    "Hmm¡­" Miss Kobra hummed for a second before she kicked the small table behind her. The fruits on the table flew up, and Miss Kobra caught it with her right hand.


    She presented the fruit right in front of Yang Zhang''s face, "You have to prove it to me as well, eat that," she said.


    Yang Zhang stared at the same purple apple that the old man had given him.


    He sighed and grabbed the apple before munching and swallowing it without the slightest care.


    One second¡­


    Two seconds¡­


    Three seconds¡­


    "See? Told you I''m just a regular human!" Yang Zhang insisted.


    Miss Kobra finally let Yang Zhang go and put her gun inside a stash. She sat on the sofa again and said, "Come, sit with me, so we can have a chat."


    ''Aish, now you act so welcoming with me after pointing a gun on my head! You guys are all psychos!''


    Yang Zhang quietly sat on the sofa far from Miss Kobra, and his pets jumped to hide in his pocket again, only peeking from the pocket, watching Miss Kobra cautiously.


    Miss Kobra chuckled, "Your pets are very protective of you, it seems. Tell them to relax. All I did was inspect you. You know that I should be careful of any possible threat, right?"


    Yang Zhang nodded. He didn''t know what to say in this situation. All he wanted to do was to find any settlement. Hopefully, he could get the stuff he needed, like a first aid kit, weapons, and, if possible, normal crops and animals.


    Though, it didn''t seem to be the case here. He hadn''t had found any normal-looking animals and plants around.


    "Miss Kobra, does everyone in the settlement eat mutated animals and plants?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Yes, of course. That''s what differentiates us from the ability users, right? They might have some cool superpowers that they could show off. But when it comes to basic necessity, they are the ones at a disadvantage because they can''t eat anything mutated."


    "We, as humans with immunity, don''t have to worry about food. Because everything tasted the same for us. That''s why I set up this settlement near the forest because the amount of food is abundant," Miss Kobra explained, confirming Yang Zhang suspicion that he couldn''t get any normal crops here,


    Miss Kobra looked at Yang Zhang from head to toe and said, "You don''t need to worry about food in here. Even if you can''t get any hunt from the forest, you can ask others. The food is abundant in this place, though. They would probably give you the strangest-looking animal possible."


    "Also, you''ve passed the initiation process by eating that purple apple. It is only edible by humans with immunity, though¡­." Miss Kobra glanced at Chestnut and Spicy Wing peeking from Yang Zhang''s pocket. "I''m still wondering how you could tame them like that. They should be feral to all humans."


    "But you''ve proven your identity as one of us. I can put you in the scouting squad, and you''ll be rewarded with your own house, food, and weapons. Don''t shoot randomly with the guns. We have to keep the ammunition just in case there was an attack from the government."


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang was troubled by the offer. He had no intention of joining this kind of place. Sure it was nice to have people around you, but Yang Zhang had realized how difficult it was to maintain a social life.


    Everyone had to follow whatever Young Master Deng Fan said in his previous shelter. They also had to praise that guy and his gold teeth ability even though it was so damn useless.


    He didn''t want to experience the same social circle again, so he might as well live as a hermit in his hut with his pets.


    "I''m sorry, Miss Kobra. But I have no intention of joining this settlement of yours."


    "Huh? You''re not interested? So you will live alone in the middle of a dangerous forest all by yourself?"


    "Mhm, I''m here because the old man brought me in. And I''m amazed by how developed this place is, but... all I want is to find a supply for myself, like a first aid kit and weapons. I will also try to visit often to trade anything that I found in the forest with the shops here," Yang Zhang said.


    "Ah, that was unfortunate," Miss Kobra had another idea in mind as she found that Yang Zhang with his pets was fascinating. "We could use your pets as a scouting team, you know? We need all the manpower here against those greedy ability users."


    Yang Zhang shook his head. He had no intention of going to war with anyone. All he wanted to do was to live safely and comfortably. And he didn''t want to use his pets as a tool for someone else''s interest.


    "I''m sorry, Miss. But I''m only here to visit. I''m sorry for wasting your time¡ª"


    "No, no, you''re not wasting my time at all. I''m happy to always find fellow humans with immunity," Miss Kobra took something from the drawer and slid it on the table, "This is my Kobra badge. Keep this and show it to the guards at the gate if you want to enter this settlement."


    "I won''t force you to work with me if you don''t want it, don''t worry," Miss Kobra added.


    Yang Zhang picked the Kobra badge from Miss Kobra and checked the shape.


    It had the shape of an Arbok, and even the same color, just with red eyes.


    ''Kobra badge, obtained! Guess the first gym leader is a poison-type trainer!'' Yang Zhang announced in his head. He pocketed the Kobra badge and bowed his head to Miss Kobra.


    "Then, I will leave, Miss. If you''ll excuse me."


    "Yes, don''t be shy to come if you want to work with me, okay?" Miss Kobra said.


    Yang Zhang finally opened the door and left the room. Meanwhile, Miss Kobra was staring at the door and said, "What an interesting kid, his name is Deng Fan, right? I''ve got to inquire more information about him. I should ask my spies in each nearby settlement.. I think he has more than meets the eyes."

 Chapter 42 - Gauntlet Gun! (1)

    Yang Zhang left the room and was stopped by the old man standing in front of the door.


    "How was it? Did you get the badge?"


    Yang Zhang showed the Kobra badge to the old man, and Fei Mu''s face brightened instantly. He patted Yang Zhang''s back and said, "Kid, you''re now part of the settlement. This human settlement is called The Cobra Shelter. So if you''re out there and someone asked you where you came from, just tell them that you''re from Cobra Shelter."


    "Um¡­ I''m sorry, Uncle. But I''m not interested in joining the settlement. I already told Big boss about this, and she said it is fine. I can visit the settlement anytime since I have the Kobra badge now."


    "Ah, really? You''re not interested in joining with us?" Old man Fei Mu asked.


    Yang Zhang shook his head, confirming that he wouldn''t be part of this settlement.


    Old Man Fei Mu sighed pitifully, "Well, if that''s the decision from Big boss. You''re allowed to explore the settlement yourself. I can''t accompany you around, though. I also have things to do."


    Yang Zhang bowed his head slightly to show respect, "Thank you, Uncle. I''ll leave now."


    Yang Zhang went out and started exploring the city. The first place he wanted to visit was the smithy.


    When he came to the smithy, the blacksmith was busy pounding a soon-to-be sword with a hammer.


    ''Huh, people still use a sword in the apocalypse?'' Yang Zhang thought. Because he always thought the normal humans here used guns, and the ability users out there didn''t need a weapon. Even if they did, they would use a gun as well.


    "Good afternoon, Uncle. I''m here to look for weapons!" Yang Zhang said as he entered the smithy.


    The blacksmith stopped pounding the sword and looked at the door. He got up when a customer was standing at the door. He observed Yang Zhang from head to toe, "You''re new here, aren''t you?"


    "A¡ªAh, yes! My name is Deng Fan. I got recruited just now."


    "Can you show me your Kobra badge?"


    Yang Zhang showed the Kobra badge to the blacksmith, and the middle-aged bearded man nodded with a hum.


    "Go pick something that you like here. It''s free of charge," the blacksmith said.


    "Eh? You allow me to take a weapon for free?" Yang Zhang was surprised. He came here to check around and asked what the blacksmith would accept in exchange for the weapon. But now he got one for free after showing his badge?


    "The Kobra badge has the privilege to take something for free for the first purchase. The big boss told me that it would encourage you to go and hunt something with a regular weapon instead of guns. Because we''re low in ammo," the blacksmith said.


    "So take one, and go hunt something."


    The blacksmith returned to his seat and started pounding the sword again, allowing Yang Zhang to look around the shop to pick his favored weapon.


    What the blacksmith said was correct. It was better to hunt with traditional weapons like knives or spears because ammo was difficult to obtain in the apocalypse.


    In his previous shelter, only the higher-ups could use guns because of the limited ammo production.


    Yang Zhang looked around. He saw swords, spears, mace, sickles. It really looked like a smithy came straight out of a medieval fantasy game.


    Yang Zhang was fascinated by the range of weapons that he could choose. He was interested in the sword, especially big swords like a greatsword.


    So he picked up the claymore and dragged it to the middle of the shop, where there was an empty space.


    "Okay, I can do this. One... two¡­ hrrrggghhh!" Yang Zhang tried to swing the greatsword. But no matter how much strength he extorted to lift the sword, he couldn''t even make it budge even a little.


    All he could do was drag it left and right, which was definitely not battle-worthy.


    "Ugh, and those lolis in anime could use greatsword or claymore easily, talk about unrealistic," Yang Zhang complained. He put the greatsword back and then checked the other swords.


    He tried all the swords, from the big ones to small ones, and found himself lacking.


    His swing was weak, his posture was wrong, and his arm started hurting when he held the sword for too long. He never trained to be a martial artist, so he had no physical strength.


    Yang Zhang decided to try other weapons, from the spear to mace.


    Yet, he still found himself lacking.


    He spent an hour trying everything he could touch and returned them to their place. He could only sigh pitifully as he realized that he had no talent to be a warrior.


    The blacksmith had been eyeing Yang Zhang for a while. Seeing the kid look so depressed, he got up from his chair and asked, "Kid, you never had any training before?"


    "No, I don''t, Uncle. That''s why I can''t use these weapons," Yang Zhang replied honestly. He really didn''t have experience with it anyway.


    "Hmm¡­ for a scrawny kid like you, I don''t think you''d fit to fight in close range. It''s very dangerous, and you have no fighting capability at all," the blacksmith commented.


    "Ouch, that hurts a bit, Uncle."


    "Hey, I''m not here to talk you down. I''m just observing how you handle all weapons. Obviously, you have no training at all. It surprises me that you can escape and find this settlement."


    The blacksmith rubbed his beard for a moment, seemingly thinking about something important, and he said, "How about I give you a ranged weapon instead? It should fit your cowardly style better."


    ''Ack, that''s so mean! At least try to make it less obvious!'' Yang Zhang was spitting blood in his heart, but he just nodded in agreement.


    At least, he would get a weapon that he could actually use.


    "Okay, hold on, let me get it for you."


    The blacksmith went inside his forgery for a while and returned with a gauntlet in his hand, "This is what I''m talking about, a good weapon for you, gauntlet gun."

 Chapter 43 - [Bonus Chapter] Gauntlet Gun! (2)

    The blacksmith went inside his forgery for a while and returned with a gauntlet in his hand, "This is what I''m talking about, a good weapon for you, gauntlet gun."


    "Eh¡­" Yang Zhang frowned when he saw the gauntlet. It was more like a bracer with a gun barrel strapped on top, with the trigger wired to fit in the palm.


    "This gauntlet gun is my newest invention. It doesn''t use real ammo because you we''re short of ammo. And the barrel is in the same size as a regular barrel."


    "Then, if it doesn''t use a bullet, what do you use then?"


    "We can''t use ammo freely here. That''s why you can use pebbles around the size of a regular bullet as the ammo. Let me give you a demonstration," the blacksmith went out and took a few pebbles in front of his workshop.


    He returned to Yang Zhang and demonstrated how the gauntlet gun worked. He strapped the gauntlet on his left hand and filled the cartridge with pebbles.


    He aimed the gun on a target practice made out of hay, "You pull the trigger by clenching your fist to pull the wire and¡ª"


    BANG!


    Yang Zhang saw the gauntlet gun fired the pebble just like how a regular gun fired a bullet armor.


    The pebble shot and pierced the hay target practice.


    "The gauntlet gun is currently in development. It cannot fire as strong as a regular gun because we can''t use ammo. But it should be strong enough for you to hurt anyone from medium or close range," the blacksmith said. He took off the gauntlet and gave it to Yang Zhang. "Here, this is for you. I think this is the only suitable weapon for you, if you need it fixed or upgraded later on, just bring me some of your hunting meat, or if you can find pre-apocalypse meat or fruits, then I would be very grateful."


    It was the problem with the mutated animals and plants. Of course, humans with immunity could eat them without any side effects, but most would still miss the privilege of eating regular meat like ability users.


    Yang Zhang nodded as he accepted the gauntlet gun, "Thank you so much, Uncle!"


    The blacksmith smiled, "Go, I need to make an order for Boss Kobra."


    **


    Yang Zhang stepped the gauntlet in his right hand since he already had Little Ivy in his left hand.


    He deactivated the trigger, so it wouldn''t shoot randomly. He raised his right hand in the air to marvel over his shiny new toy.


    "OMG, I feel like a character in Assassin Creed!" Yang Zhang said as he giggled and walked away from the blacksmith.


    "Chirp?"


    "Squeak?"


    "Ah¡ª" Yang Zhang was surprised when his pets'' heads popped out from the pocket. They looked at the new gauntlet and marveled upon it as well.


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Y¡ªYou guys, don''t pop out in this kind of place! What if someone sees you? Go hide again!" Yang Zhang scolded as he looked around, ensuring that nobody saw a squirrel and little chick in his pocket.


    He hid the gauntlet gun by rolling down his jacket sleeve and then walked to find some sort of florist in this town, if that was possible.


    Because he already planned upon something else for the bullet. He reckoned that pebbles were sufficient, but he wanted to experiment on creating the ammo. Since he knew that he could mutate anything with the Brain bead, he wanted to buy a few plants in the florist.


    Yang Zhang strolled around and then found near Miss Kobra''s base.


    This time, the seller was an old lady, and Yang Zhang bowed his head politely when she entered, "Good afternoon, Grandma."


    "Ah, a customer?" Grandma looked hesitant. "Are you here as a customer, or do you have something to ask?"


    "Um, I''m a customer, Grandma. I want to buy plants," Yang Zhang said.


    "You¡­ really want to buy plants? Flowers or anything else?" Grandma asked again. "I can''t believe someone actually wants to buy plants¡­."


    "Eh, what do you mean, Grandma? Your place is great! Flowers are blooming everywhere!"


    "Ahahah¡­ thank you for the compliment, young man. It''s rare to see a young man come and buy a flower. Is it for your significant other? A girl that you like?"


    "Um¡­ it''s for me. I''m just looking around to find what I need first, Grandma!"


    "Ah, then suit yourself, young man. You can look around if you want," Grandma said, and she returned to her seat, sitting idly while looking at Yang Zhang with a smile lingering on her face.


    Yang Zhang looked around and was fascinated with the variety of the flowers. All of them were also non-mutated plants because¡­ well¡­ any plants that had been mutated would turn hostile against humans.


    But flowers weren''t what Yang Zhang wanted. He had learned his lesson with a flower before. When he planted a good Brain bead inside the soil of a rose, and the rose did mutate¡­ as a dancing rose.


    ''I think it has been evolved, right? From a wiggling rose to twerk. That rose now twerks in front of me¡­.''


    Yang Zhang looked around and found nothing but flowers. Which was unfortunate because he couldn''t use flowers to defend himself.


    He went to the old shopkeeper and asked, "Grandma, do you have anything other than flowers here? I¡­ uh¡­ I have a lot of flowers in my home already."


    "Ohh, are you a gardener?"


    "¡­ Farmer," Yang Zhang said. ''Soon to be farmer, hehe.''


    "Ohh! A farmer in the apocalypse? It must''ve been hard to maintain the farm! I''m a gardener, and I''m always scared that one of my plants would turn into a mutated monster!"


    Yang Zhang could feel Little Ivy tighten her grasp on his arm. Yang Zhang winced in pain but still tried to maintain his calm expression.


    "So you want something like crops?" Grandma asked."


    "Ah yes¡ªwait, you have¡­ crops?! Like¡­ real crops!?"


    "Yes, of course! I don''t have much, but I can always give you the seed if you want!" Grandma said happily.

 Chapter 44 - Sudden Gym Battle! (1)

    "Yes, of course! I don''t have much, but I can always give you the seed if you want!" Grandma offered happily.


    "Grandma¡­ you have like¡­ real seed from non-mutated crops??"


    "I told you, I do! I never thought anyone would want it, so I just grew it and ate the crops all by myself. But if you want some seed, then I''d love to give it to you! Come, follow me inside the sterilized room!"


    Yang Zhang was so jaw-dropped by the revelation that he could only nod and obediently follow Grandma to enter a room barred with a steel door, very different from the wooden door in most shops in this settlement.


    Grandma opened the door, and Yang Zhang gazed in awe as he entered a spacious room with a small indoor greenhouse in the middle. The room was brightly lit by the lamp, and there were lines of good air vents also an automatic watering system for the plants.


    Yang Zhang could see fresh fruits that hadn''t been mutated inside the greenhouse, from grape, strawberry, watermelon, et cetera. There were also carrots, eggplant, chili, and many more.


    Though, from what he counted, what Grandma said was correct. She had various plants, but most were only one plant each. There was only one grapevine, carrot, and chili tree in a pot.


    But that was still amazing. There was almost zero chance for an individual to own crops like these in the apocalypse. Because everything was confiscated by the government because all the ability users were only able to eat from these kinds of crops, not the mutated ones, unlike Yang Zhang


    But that also raised a question for him, "Grandma, how did you get all of these?" He asked. "It''s almost impossible for you to keep this from the government, right?"


    They said raising crops was a lot harder than livestock because the chance of mutation on the sapling was higher.


    Yang Zhang still remembered what his ability user friend said in the previous shelter, that crops needed a constant spray of disinfectant in the apocalypse because there was still a 50% chance that growing crops would turn into a random mutated plant that might ruin the rest of the crops or even killed the one farming it.


    That was the horror story one of the ability users told back in his previous shelter. Since the humans with immunity were given mutated plants for food, they had no access to the heavily guarded greenhouse.


    Grandma smiled mysteriously. She didn''t answer Yang Zhang''s question. Instead, she threw the question back, "Do you think an old woman like me could keep such a big secret?"


    Yang Zhang carefully backed off, distancing himself from the old lady. For some reason, his gut feeling told him that Grandma wasn''t a random kind old lady that would give you cookies every during grandparents'' visit.


    Grandma continued smiling and turned her head slowly at Yang Zhang, "Do you know why I let you, a random kid that I just met to check such a big secret of mine?"


    "No¡­" Yang Zhang said as he shook his head. That was the base of his suspicion. He was also questioning the kindness of this old lady. As kind as you could be, this was the apocalypse. Everyone was in their most desperate attempts to survive.


    Someone so sweet would definitely backstab you.


    "Well, that''s because it takes one to know one," the grandma said. "I know that you have little friends inside your pocket. You should try to make it less obvious, or you will be trapped, just like this!"


    Grandma raised his hand, and Yang Zhang quickly reacted when his instinct signaled him to duck because he sensed something was approaching from behind.


    Yang Zhang looked up and saw a sharp knife almost pierced his head had it not for him to react quickly.


    Yang Zhang saw the knife was being held by a vine, just like what Little Ivy had, and he also heard a grunt from behind, "Hrrr¡­."


    Yang Zhang looked over his shoulder and saw a human-sized mutated plant come out from a hidden door. The mutated plant was made solely out of vines wrapping around its body, reminding Yang Zhang of Tangela and Tangrowth from the Pokemon franchise.


    The mutated plant held at least 6 knives with each vine and was ready to attack Yang Zhang again.


    "Hrrr¡­."


    "You should order your pets to fight, or this would be a messy bloodbath, young man. I''m not really a kind person to let you off," Grandma said with a smirk on her face. "I don''t know how in hell you can pass the test to get the Kobra badge, but you''re not leaving this place nor taking my crops without a fight."


    Yang Zhang looked at the mutated plant with knives, ready to chop him down, and then looked at the old grandma who had a devious smirk on her face.


    He gritted his teeth and dashed straight to the door. He had no intention to fight in this place because he was afraid there might be an even bigger trap waiting if he took out his pets.


    But the old lady commanded, "Block his escape, Vinocious!"


    The mutated plant called Vinocious stretched its vine to block the door, and Yang Zhang could see the knife barely missed his nose as he halted his step.


    Vinocious stretched three more vines to completely block the exit, forcing Yang Zhang to fight in this battle.


    "Young man, you should know that I''m not going to give you the seeds for free. I know what you want to do with it," the grandma said. "I think you should know there is no pity in the apocalypse. You either fight me or die getting chopped by that mutated plant."


    "Hrr¡­"


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth and commanded, "There is no way out, Lt. Spicy Wing, Chestnut, get out! We have a gym battle to defend our lives¡­ and our Kobra badge!"

 Chapter 45 - Sudden Gym Battle! (2)

    "There is no way out, Lt. Spicy Wing, Chestnut, get out! We have a gym battle to defend our lives¡­ and our Kobra badge!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing jumped out from his jacket pocket. They looked at the enemy in front of them and tilted their heads simultaneously.


    "Chirp?"


    "Squeak?"


    "Y¡ªYeah, we''re fighting that old lady!" Yang Zhang said. "Don''t be fooled with her appearance! She is very fierce!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut looked eat each other confusedly. They didn''t expect they had to fight an old woman.


    "Also, what you''re fighting is not her, but that thing!"


    Yang Zhang pointed at the mutated plant called Vinocious that blocked the door.


    "Hrrr¡­"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Oh-ho, now you''re finally willing to fight me, young man. Your pets are pretty unique. Did they listen to your command with their own free will?"


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang zipped his mouth. He refused to say anything to this old woman. She already knew too much, and Yang Zhang just didn''t want to take the risk.


    The old woman only smiled thin when Yang Zhang refused to speak, "Well, I''ll force you to talk once I chop your pets, prepare to die, young man. Vinocious, come here, stand in front of me and fight!"


    "Hrrrr!" Vinocious, the big ivy plants slowly walked towards the old woman. It didn''t seem to be quick on its feet, but any attack from the vines was definitely deadly.


    Now it was Vinocious versus Chestnut and Spicy Wing.


    He still had Little Ivy hidden in his sleeve, but he refused to use her because the enemy used knives that could easily cut Little Ivy''s vines. It would only hurt the poor plant even more.


    So it was down with Spicy Wing and Chestnut again. However, Yang Zhang already knew that he couldn''t really use Chestnut here, at least not the electricity, because the vines weren''t good electric conductors.


    So his only hope was Lt. Spicy Wing gain.


    "Well, if you don''t want to attack first, then let my Vinocious do it for you, attack his pets!" The old woman commanded Vinocious.


    "HRRR!" Vinocious attacked by swinging two vines holding sharp knives towards Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut.


    "Dodge!"


    The pets dodged the attack nimbly, especially Spicy Wing, who had a very agile movement. Yang Zhang decided to make a group attack in this one, and he commanded, "Chestnut, grab one vine and climb it to that plant! Spicy Wing, kick and burn the vines!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing started doing somersault for every attack it evaded and slowly regulating heat around its body, while Chestnut quickly grabbed one vine and started climbing it to reach the big but slow Vinocious.


    "Do you think I will allow that? Vinocious, attack that squirrel with your other vines!" Grandma ordered.


    "HRRR!"


    Vinocious raised two vines with knives and then attacked Chestnut, who was still trying to climb the vines.


    "Chestnut, Jump!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut hopped from the vine to another to avoid the attack, but Vinocious also started to get angry with Chestnut, who kept dodging, so it raised four vines with knives to ensure that Chestnut shouldn''t be able to dodge any attack or hop from one vine to another.


    "HRRR!"


    Yang Zhang counted the number of knives directed at Chestnut. There was no way that his squirrel could dodge so many attacks, no matter how nimble he was.


    Yang Huang took a deep breath, he didn''t want to do this, but he wouldn''t let any of his pets get hurt severely, let alone die terribly.


    He raised his right hand and pulled the sleeve up. He pointed his newly obtained gauntlet gun at the vines attacking Chestnut.


    He focused his gaze at the vine closest to Chestnut''s body and¡ª


    BANG!


    Yang Zhang pulled the trigger and shot a pebble to the vine. It hit right at the knife and diverted the aim of the knife. Thus, Vinocious, the big vines, missed its attack.


    "Oh? That''s such a nice weapon, young man," Grandma commented, still with a smile pasted on her face. "You can use it to attack me instead. I''m pretty sure that you can put a hole on my forehead if you use that fancy gun on me."


    "Shut up," Yang Zhang said as he kept focusing his gaze on the vines. He had no intention of hurting the old woman because this was a fight between their pets, not them. Besides, he still had enough logic to know that killing her would only put a bounty on his head because she was part of this settlement.


    He aimed at another vine that was about to attack Chestnut again and fired the second shot.


    BANG!


    The pebble hit the knife again, and Chestnut was able to climb half of the long vines towards the body of Vinocious.


    "Continue climbing, Chestnut! The only dangerous thing from its body is the vines with knives!" Yang Zhang commanded.


    "Squeak"


    "Spicy Wing, continue pecking that vine and heat yourself!"


    Yang Zhang warily checked on the old woman''s expression, seeing if his command would scare her.


    But the old lady kept her smile and said nothing, indirectly telling Vinocious to solely focus on Chestnut.


    BANG!


    BANG!


    Yang Zhang continued shooting the pebbles to the knives that were about to attack Chestnut, he tried to aim at the vine instead, but the pebble did nothing when it hit the vine, only causing stagger for a second before Vinocious resumed its attack, proving that Vinocious'' vines weren''t as fragile as Little Ivy''s vines.


    Yang Zhang checked on Chestnut and found that the squirrel was close to Vinocious''s body. Thus, he commanded, "Jump in, Chestnut! Enter the vines and start biting on everything you can find!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut hopped when the last vine that Yang Zhang missed with the pebble attack was about to hit.


    Chestnut landed safely on top of Vinocious, the mutated big ivy. It reminded Yang Zhang of his fight with that bear.


    "Grandma, I suggest you surrender before I kill your pet!" Yang Zhang warned this was the last thing he could do to stop the old lady from attacking him relentlessly.

 Chapter 46 - Sudden Gym Battle! (3)

    "Grandma, I suggest you surrender before I kill your pet!" Yang Zhang warned this was the last thing he could do to stop the old lady from attacking him relentlessly.


    But contrary to his expectation, the old woman didn''t even budge when Yang Zhang threatened to destroy Vinocious, the big Ivy.


    "G¡ªGrandma, I can command my pets to literally tear and burn your mutated plant! Surrender now and tell your plant to stop attacking!"


    "You should probably do that if you can, I''ve already set this mutated plant to attack until it got destroyed. It will never stop until you kill it, young man," the old woman said. She looked at Vinocious and ordered, "Vinocious, unleash all your vines and attack them!"


    "HRRRRRR!"


    Vinocious roared and unleashed six more vines, so he had 12 vines swinging around, ready to attack them all. Six vines were holding knives, and the rest didn''t, but if you were caught by any of those vines, then you were dead meat!


    Yang Zhang observed the situation right now. Chestnut was clinging desperately on Vinocious body, while Lt. Spicy Wing was busy trying to heat its body and ready for that big attack.


    ''I can''t use Chestnut''s electricity here. It won''t be effective and would leave Chestnut in a vulnerable state,'' Yang Zhang thought. Since grass has resistance against electric attack, that meant the only thing Chestnut could do was¡­


    "Chestnut, try to distract that plant, jump to its eyes!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut followed Yang Zhang''s command and jumped in front of the big Ivy''s tiny eyes. Chestnut tried to cover the vision of Vinocious, and it seemed to work. Since Vinocious started swinging all of its tentacles wildly.


    "HHRRRRR!"


    Yang Zhang checked on Spicy Wing, whose body emanated an orange aura. The little chick was almost ready for that one big attack.


    Then he checked on his gauntlet gun, "Only 3 pebbles left," Yang Zhang counted.


    He checked the vines swinging wildly on the air and saw whether his pets were safe from them.


    "HRRRR!"


    Yang Zhang saw Vinocious start aiming at Chestnut, who covered its eyes. When the vines with knives attacked Chestnut, he quickly fired three shots to deflect them all.


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    Clank! Clank! Clank!


    Then he counted the number of vines without knives that tried to grab Chestnut, and he opened his left palm, "Little Ivy, show yourself! Summon four vines and grab them all!"


    "VIII!"


    Little Ivy that had been hiding inside Yang Zhang''s sleeve the whole time, finally showed herself. She stretched four vines and aimed at the vines without knives.


    She grabbed those vines to stop them from reaching Chestnut.


    The old woman was surprised, "Wow, I didn''t expect you to have another trick in your sleeve. You''ve been hiding that one as your trump card, huh?"


    "She is not really a fighter. That''s why I don''t want to put her into a dangerous situation," Yang Zhang replied. "But that''s not important. Grandma, this is the last warning before I burn your plant, stop now, or it will die for real!"


    Grandma still didn''t budge, and the smile on her face widened, "There is no way for me to stop this plant. That''s not how my ability works."


    Yang Zhang''s eyes widened. The old woman just told him that she wasn''t a normal human with immunity.


    "You are¡­"


    "Yes, I am an ability user," Grandma said. She didn''t look nervous after revealing something that was supposed to be life-threatening for her. "Kill that plant, or it will kill us all."


    Yang Zhang gulped. He didn''t feel wrong when he killed zombies. But mutated plants like this¡­ since he had three mutated pets, he got a bit of sentimental value about them.


    "That plant won''t stop until you kill it, young man."


    Yang Zhang clenched his fist and nodded. He looked at Lt. Spicy Wing, whose aura had turned red, ready to attack under Yang Zhang''s command.


    "Hrrrr¡­" Vinocious stopped struggling after Yang Zhang restraint its movement with the help of Little Ivy and blinded it with Chestnut.


    Yang Zhang commanded, "Spicy Wing, now! Charge straight to its body!"


    "BURN IT! HABANERO CHICKEN TACKLE!!" Yang Zhang gave out the order, and Lt. Spicy Wing charged straight at the vulnerable mutated big Ivy.


    "CHIIIRRP!"


    Crash!


    Lt. Spicy Wing tackled the big mutated Ivy and actually pierced straight to Vinocious''s body with its extreme heat.


    "HRRRR!!" Vinocious groaned in pain as its body was engulfed with flame soon after.


    "Guys, return to me now! Ivy, release your vines!"


    "Vii!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak, Squeak!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut rushed back to Yang Zhang, and they watched the big Ivy grimaced in pain as its body was burning.


    It was such a horror for Yang Zhang because he could see that Vinocious was in obvious pain, but the old woman didn''t seem to worry much.


    "Hrrr¡­"


    The fire started to get out of control. It would possibly burn the greenhouse and them both, "Grandma! Let''s leave! We will die here!" Yang Zhang yelled. His eyes were already looking at the door.


    Grandma chuckled and pressed a switch on the wall, and five emergency fire sprinkles popped from the ceiling and rained them all.


    Grandma took an umbrella on the wall behind her and watched Vinocious. The mutated ivy slowly died, and the hall of its vines had turned into ashes.


    She looked at Yang Zhang and tilted her head slightly, "What a pity, hm? That one is such a fine mutated specimen that I found."


    "But it''s fine. There are tons of mutated plants in the wild. I can just find one or two of them later."


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang watched the death of the mutated plant, and stared straight at the old lady, "Grandma, what is the meaning of this? Why are you suddenly attacking me, and about your ability¡­."


    "You have a lot of questions, I see," Grandma giggled lightly. "How about we have a talk after you dry yourself. You''re soaked from head to toe.. Come, I''ll serve you a cup of tea."

 Chapter 47 - Similar Ability (1)

    "How about we have a talk after you dry yourself. You''re soaked from head to toe. Come, I''ll serve you a cup of tea."


    Yang Zhang couldn''t trust this old woman. She had such a kind and gentle exterior, but who would''ve expected that she was actually so vicious.


    He was fully guarded as he kept staring at the old woman warily.


    The old woman sighed and stepped on the burned dead plant she called Vinocious just now. She walked to the small greenhouse, plucked fresh tea leaves, and then dried them under the lamp, like drying regular tea leaves in the open.


    She collected the already dried ones and put them inside a box.


    She walked out of the greenhouse and smiled at Yang Zhang, "Here, I have the tea leaves ready. I''ll guide you to the bathroom, so you can take a bath and dry yourself first. There is a clean towel there."


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang was still cautious, but he knew that the old woman had no chance to fight against him since he had already burned her mutated plant.


    Yang Zhang decided to follow the old woman outside, and she did guided him to the bathroom, "Don''t worry, Young Man. I don''t have anything to fight you now. You just killed my only mutated plant for now."


    "I will be waiting at the diner table, and I will tell you everything you want to know."


    ¡­


    The old woman closed the bathroom door, and Yang Zhang inspected the whole bathroom, trying to find any more traps that might have been set by that dangerous old woman.


    But after finding nothing, Yang Zhang took a deep breath and told his pets, "Okay, guys, let''s wash first, and then prepare ourselves if that old woman is trying to attack again. I really need a bath right now."


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii!"


    "Hm? All of you want to guard the front door? Uh¡­ I don''t think¡ª''


    Little Ivy used her vine to twist the doorknob, and all of them stood outside, guarding their master as he was about to take a bath.


    Yang Zhang was stunned by his pets'' behavior, but since they were already outside, he decided to take it easy and took a bath. He hadn''t taken a proper bath since the long trip yesterday.


    **


    "Oh-ho, what do we have here?" Grandma crouched in front of the three small pets guarding the bathroom door. She smiled at them and asked, "You guys are guarding your master?"


    "Vii!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "I see. That means you really like him, hm?"


    All three nodded simultaneously. They looked at the grandma, but they weren''t as hostile as Yang Zhang.


    Because they were able to sense that this old woman wasn''t as evil as they thought, especially after Grandma spoke to them.


    "Hehe, were you surprised that I can communicate with you guys?" the old woman asked.


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii¡­"


    "That''s because I''m also mutated, just like you three. But not everyone can speak to mutated plants and animals, of course. Probably only the ones with similar abilities, like your master and me. He must''ve controlled you guys with similar fashion as well."


    Lt. Spicy Wing, Little Ivy, and Chestnut looked at each other confusedly, not understanding what the old woman was talking about.


    "Huh? You guys are not controlled? Then how could you guys follow that young man''s order without question?"


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    ¡­


    The old woman was silenced after hearing what these mutated creatures said about that young man.


    They said they weren''t controlled. They just like staying with their master because he cared for them so much.


    "Hmm¡­ that''s weird¡­." The old woman thought that these three mutated creatures were bound by direct control from that young man. Because her ability acted similar to that.


    But these creatures said that they could leave anytime they wanted, but willingly stayed with that young man because they really liked him.


    "It''s certainly new. I shouldn''t have attacked him, I guess," the old woman sighed. "But such a young man, I need to teach him a lesson, or he will get caught by someone else for hiding mutated creatures like these."


    ¡ª


    Yang Zhang dried himself with a towel and wore his fairly dry jacket and jeans.


    He opened the bathroom door, and his pets jumped to him immediately.


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Whoa¡ªare you guys okay?" Yang Zhang asked warily. He was scared that the old woman might''ve done something to them.


    "You have such good pets, young man," The old woman said. She sat at the dining table while brewing hot tea for them. "Why don''t you accompany me, and we can have a peaceful talk together?"


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang observed the room, trying to find another ambush attack.


    But this place was just a regular wooden house, much different from the crazy room with a small greenhouse in the middle.


    Yang Zhang sat face to face with the old woman. He kept his silence, even when the old woman served a cup of tea in front of him.


    "Drink it while it''s hot. It''s good to replenish your energy."


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang didn''t touch it. Obviously, he suspected that the old woman might''ve put something inside.


    The old woman sipped her tea elegantly. She put down the cup and smiled, "You can ask me anything. Aren''t you surprised that I''m an ability user, not a normal human with immunity?"


    "Yeah... how could you pass that test from Boss Kobra?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "That''s simple. I just didn''t," the old woman replied. "I didn''t take that fruit test because I will die instantly after eating that. Don''t you see that I''m raising my own crops because I can''t eat anything in this settlement?"


    "Then how could you get accepted to live here?"


    "Because I''m just a pitiful old woman who will do no harm to anyone, right?" The old woman''s smile turned into a mysterious grin.. "I have an agreement with Kobra to save my life, that''s why."

 Chapter 48 - Similar Ability (2)

    "I have an agreement with Kobra, that''s why," the old woman said.


    Yang Zhang frowned, "What kind of agreement did you have with Boss Kobra? I thought she is a¡ª"


    "Normal human with immunity?"


    "¡­ yes."


    "She is, but that doesn''t mean that she hates the ability users," the old woman replied. She chuckled lightly, "Her late mother was an ability user in our previous shelter, just like me."


    "We escaped only a month after that shelter was erected. Because Kobra was the finest human with immunity specimen, the government wanted to use as their first test subject."


    "They started injecting so many variations of the Z-20 virus, hoping that one could result to mutation inside Kobra''s bloodstream, and would give them any lead to the vaccine of the virus. But what they created was just a lady with superhuman strength."


    "I was one of her caretakers, alongside her own mother," the old woman''s eyes looked up, reminiscing of the situation back there. "She was in so much pain that her mother and I decided to rescue her. We let her escape, but in exchange, her mother was killed by an ability user when we three ran away from those group of ability user soldiers."


    "In the end, only the two of us survived the escape and settled deep into the forest until she decided to retaliate."


    Yang Zhang didn''t expect the old woman to be closely related to Miss Kobra. He thought this old woman infiltrated this human with an immunity-only settlement.


    "So, you''re the only ability user in this settlement?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Indeed, I am. Kobra only allowed me because she saw me as her new mother. She protected my identity as an ability user as well," the old woman said. "Do you want to know my ability?"


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang said nothing, but from his gaze, he was actually waiting for her to show her ability.


    "Mine is quite similar to yours. At least, that''s what I thought first," the old woman said. She got up and took something from a room.


    She returned with a pot with a cactus with two small beads as eyes. The cactus looked at Little Ivy, Chestnut, and Lt. Spicy Wing and waved its body greeting.


    "Vii!" Little Ivy waved back, happy to find a friendly mutated plant like her.


    The old woman sat in front of Yang Zhang again and then put the pot of cactus in front of her.


    "This is one of my naturally mutated plants. It should be hostile to anyone, had it not because of my ability to speak to any mutated plants or animals. So this plant is at least not hostile to me."


    "So, your ability is communicating with those animals and plants?" Yang Zhang asked. He glanced at his pets and thought¡­


    ''Isn''t that exactly what I''m doing? I mean, you don''t need any ability to talk with them. They are naturally intelligent after mutated. Of course, they will understand what you''re saying, right?''


    "Oh-ho, that''s not my true ability. That''s just an added bonus of what I could do with my ability," the old woman said. "This is what I can do."


    The old woman touched the thorn with her finger and pricked herself in the process. The blood started dripping from her finger and was absorbed by the soil in the pot.


    Yang Zhang and his pets saw the grade change on the small cactus.


    The seemingly timid mutated plant suddenly grew bigger. Its thorns also got bigger and could kill anyone with only one stab.


    Crack!


    The cactus grew bigger and bigger until the pot was split into two, and the cactus got as big as a regular adult.


    Yang Zhang and his pets backed off instantly because the cactus was staring at them with hostility. He suspected this one would be even harder to tackle than that mutated big Ivy before.


    "Ho-ho, don''t be scared, young man. This creature won''t attack unless I tell it to. It is now in an idle state and will listen to my order only once. That''s why I told you to kill that big Ivy before because there is no way to stop it from rampaging the room."


    The old woman got up and commanded the big cactus, "Stand near the door, wait until I finished talking to my guest, and you will follow me to my greenhouse."


    "Hrrrr¡­"


    The big cactus grunted the same thing as what Vinocious, the Big Ivy, did. As if they were the same soul, just different bodies.


    "Did you notice it?" The old woman asked. "All of the plants that I controlled is basically one entity, just in a different body. I think it''s because of my blood."


    "Now, you see, my power is called the Blood fertilizer. With the drop of my blood, I quicken the growth of a mutated creature, and they will listen to my order only once. They will either go hostile to anyone except me or stood idle like that for an indefinite amount of time."


    "Unlike your pets, my mutated plant doesn''t have consciousness. Maybe because the blood corrupted them."


    "So, you enslaved them?" Yang Zhang asked bluntly.


    The old woman smiled and nodded, "More or less, they are my mutated plant slave now. Unfortunately, I can only control one until it got destroyed, then I can make a new one just like this."


    Yang Zhang watched the big cactus in horror. This old woman basically used these mutated creatures as a private guard without a brain, just a shell of a powerful, enraged creature.


    "Vii¡­"


    Little Ivy got scared and hid inside Yang Zhang''s sleeve again. Meanwhile, Chestnut and Spicy Wing were staring at the big idle cactus for a while.


    "Your pet plant must''ve been scared because of this, but well, this is the apocalypse. I think you understand there is no such thing as a moral compass in here, right?"


    ¡­


    "Right," Yang Zhang nodded lightly. He wouldn''t lie that he had experienced the harsh situation outside, and something like this wasn''t morally wrong.


    "Well, how about you, young man. I''ve shown you my ability.. I think you should show me as well."

 Chapter 49 - Pick A Plant (1)

    "Well, how about you, young man. I''ve shown you my ability. I think you should show me as well."


    Yang Zhang felt that the old woman was trying to slander him by that accusation, "Grandma, I don''t have any ability. I''m just a normal human."


    "Oh, can we pass that pretend play already? I know for sure that you have a similar ability to mine. Probably animal and plant control? You can talk to your pets, right?" The old woman asked.


    Yang Zhang looked to his pets who were clinging onto him, and he shook his head, "Grandma, I have zero ability. I''m not an ability user. I can talk to them because¡­ they are mutants, right? They have higher intelligence than normal animals and plants."


    The old woman smiled, "That is correct. They have higher intelligence, but that doesn''t mean they can communicate with anyone. I talked with your pets before, and they said they like you."


    "Eh?" Yang Zhang darted his eyes at his pets again, and they hugged him tightly.


    "Vii¡­"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "You don''t need to be scared around me. Just tell me what kind of ability you have because I''m curious," the old woman pressed him further, but Yang Zhang couldn''t answer that.


    Because he also didn''t know what kind of ability he had, nor did he think he had one.


    "Grandma, I seriously don''t have any ability. I think my pets like me because I take care of them, and they naturally follow me around," Yang Zhang explained. "Besides, if I''m an ability user, I wouldn''t be able to eat that mutated apple twice. Because it''s deadly for ability users."


    "That''s what I''ve been asking as well. Did you create a trick to fool Kobra?" The old woman asked.


    Yang Zhang shook his head, "I just ate it, and nothing happened to me. Grandma, my pets, and I have a natural bond, I don''t use any ability to control them, and I''m pretty sure they already told you, right?"


    "I think we should drop this, Grandma. There is no point in accusing me. I won''t tell anyone about your true identity as an ability user, but please stop the accusation," Yang Zhang said. He was already pissed off with this old woman. He would rather find any plant in the forest, even if it was harder to get good plants.


    As long as he didn''t have to face this old woman anymore.


    The old woman laughed dryly, "Okay, don''t be mad, young man. I''m just curious about you. But since you said that you really have no ability whatsoever, then I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the bond between you and your pets is indeed natural. I really envy you, then. Since my pet is basically a mutated plant without free will."


    "Then, if there is nothing and we all good¡ªlet me just¡­ leave now¡ª" Yang Zhang turned around. He didn''t want to spend more time with this old woman full of insidious traps.


    "Wait, didn''t you say that you want a seed from me?"


    "No, thanks. I can find it outside," Yang Zhang refused.


    "Oh, come on, young man. Why do you become so hostile? Is it because I attacked you suddenly? It''s just a test. Haha, an old woman like me needs to laugh more, treat it as an exercise, okay?"


    ''You old wretch! Your joke almost killed me and my pets!'' Yang Zhang cursed in his heart.


    He walked away from the old woman, but the old woman kept on pestering him, "I have plenty of non-mutated crops and seeds. You can take one from my greenhouse, free of charge."


    Yang Zhang halted his step immediately. He saw the small greenhouse the old woman had, and he wanted plenty of crops.


    Of course, things like pea, watermelon, grapes, et cetera weren''t available in the wild forest. So this was his only chance.


    "I¡ªI can take one, right?"


    "Sure! Let''s return to the greenhouse. Don''t worry, I have no more trick against you this time," the old woman said.


    Yang Zhang hesitated for a second, but once he looked at his pets, who were ready to protect him, he finally braced himself and followed the old woman to the greenhouse for the second time.


    This time, the old woman quietly opened the greenhouse and led the way for Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang entered the greenhouse, and the fresh scent of various plants wafted in his nose. He inhaled deeply, and his tongue somehow could taste all kinds of normal fruits and vegetables before the apocalypse started.


    He missed the taste, of course. Because all that he ate was mutated plants and animals, and they all had the same bitter aftertaste, no matter how much he tried to season it.


    The old woman checked her crops, plucked a grape from the vines, and threw it to Yang Zhang, "Here''s a green grape, try it. You must''ve missed the taste."


    Yang Zhang caught it. It was just a single piece of grape, something ubiquitous in the supermarket before. But now, it was almost nonexistent unless you were allowed to eat something from the government-owned greenhouse farm inside a shelter.


    Yang Zhang opened his mouth and ate it without hesitation. He winced when the sour taste of the grape melted in his mouth. A taste that he missed so much.


    The old woman smiled, "It''s been a while since your last normal food, hm?"


    "Y¡ªYeah, I''ve never tasted anything non-mutated after I joined the shelter," Yang Zhang replied.


    The old woman chuckled, "Well, I''d love to give you all the crops here. But this is my only way to survive. I cannot eat any mutated crops. If any of the crops is mutated during the budding process, I isolated it from the rest and turn it into my pet with my blood, or just burn it."


    "So, I can only give you one type of seed.. Pick one, and the seed will be yours," the old woman said, allowing Yang Zhang to take a good look at the various crops inside the greenhouse.

 Chapter 50 - Pick A Plant (2)

    "So, I can only give you one type of seed. Pick one, and the seed will be yours," the old woman said, making sure that Yang Zhang took great consideration of which type of seed he wanted because he only had one choice.


    Yang Zhang actually had something in mind already because he wanted to fill the ammo of his gauntlet gun with something other than pebbles.


    Because he had dedicatedly played Plant vs. Zombie even to the newest release before the apocalypse, the first thing in his mind was the peashooter.


    He wanted a plant that could supply his infinite ammo of tough pea for his gauntlet gun, and that would fulfill his Plant vs. Zombie fantasy hehe.


    But now that he was standing in the middle of various crops. He had to think twice. Because he was eyeing the potato the whole time.


    If he could grow a potato farm right now, that would be beneficial. Rice was out of the question because it was very difficult to grow and very prone to many climate changes, possibly from the Z-20 virus as well.


    So if he wanted to start a farm, potato was the very first thing he needed for his source of carbs.


    But¡­


    ''Do I have enough time to take care of my farm right now? Since I''m traveling to search for many primary needs first.''


    ''And since I have only one seed to grow, that means I only have 1 chance. What if the crop turned out to be mutated once budding? That would be the biggest waste of time since the potato would be inedible.''


    ''So the most logical pick would be¡­.''


    Yang Zhang turned at the old woman and said, "Please give me the pea."


    "Hm? Pea? Out of all these crops, and you picked pea? You won''t fill yourself with that, young man," the old woman said as she shook her head. "I suggest you take potato or at least any type of fruit."


    "No, Grandma, I want the pea. And if it''s possible, I don''t need the seed¡­." Yang Zhang insisted. "I want a grown pea plant."


    The old woman was bewildered by the insistence. She didn''t know, nor could she guess what would this young man do with a pea plant.


    Of course, the peas were edible, but they wouldn''t fill his stomach.


    But since the young man really wanted a grown pea plant, there was nothing she could do.


    "Well, if you insist, I have a grown pea plant. Come with me."


    The old woman led Yang Zhang deeper into the greenhouse and pointed at a small pot with a grown pea plant.


    There were three big pea pods hanging, much to Yang Zhang''s joy.


    "Okay, I want that, Grandma!"


    "Hmm, I still don''t get why would you take this, but if you insist¡­." Grandma walked to the front door of the greenhouse and took a tote bag. She returned to Yang Zhang and handed the tote bag to him. "You can use this to bag that pea. Don''t worry, I still have the seed. I can replant it if I want."


    Yang Zhang carefully grabbed the pot and then put it inside the tote bag. He put the tote bag over his shoulder and nodded at the old woman, "Grandma, thank you for the pea. I really need this one."


    "It''s fine, young man. I''m sorry if I scared you by my attack. I just want to run a little test before," the old woman said. "I hope we are in a good term after this."


    "Yes, Grandma, thank you so much!"


    Yang Zhang bowed his head repeatedly after getting what he wanted.


    ''Instead of TM or HM, I got this pea plant after that sudden gym battle. I mean¡­ I wouldn''t protest, of course,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    The old woman led him outside until he was in front of the main door leading to the settlement''s main road.


    "Young man, are you planning to stay in this settlement for a while?"


    "Ah, no, Grandma. I want to return to my hut in the east. That''s my real home right now," Yang Zhang replied. He looked at his left and right, then leaned in to speak in lower volume to the old woman.


    "Grandma, do you know if there is an abandoned town near this human settlement?"


    "Abandoned town? The one with zombies wandering around?"


    Yang Zhang nodded in response, and the old woman hummed for a moment.


    "There is one north from this settlement. It''s a village that''s supposed to be our second settlement, but from what I heard from Kobra before, there are still few zombies wandering around," the old woman informed. "What are you going to do there, young man?"


    "Uh¡­ I want to scavenge. Maybe I can find any medical supply for myself," Yang Zhang said half-truth of his true intention. Of course, all he wanted to do was to collect Brain beads.


    "Well, good luck. I don''t think you''ll find any trouble against those zombies. Just don''t go after the sun has set because those zombies will be twice more feral at night."


    "I know. Thanks so much, Grandma. I will visit whenever I come to the settlement for a trade," Yang Zhang said.


    "Oh, one more, may I know your name, young man?"


    "¡­ Deng Fan."


    **


    Yang Zhang quietly exited the main gate after he showed the Kobra badge. He walked to the forest, far from the gate, and then commanded, "Okay, guys, you can show yourself now!"


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    Little Ivy, Chestnut, and Lt. Spicy Wing popped out at the same time after their master allowed them to come out.


    They looked much more comfortable after leaving, so did Yang Zhang.


    He felt liberated after he was all alone in the forest.


    "Ahh, what a breath of fresh air. Being alone is the best feeling ever!" Yang Zhang said. He opened his palm and aimed at the tall tree branch on top. "Okay, guys, do you want to meet a new friend?"


    "Vii!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Then, let''s go to that village and collect Brain beads!"

 Chapter 51 - Peashooter

    "Okay, guys, do you want to meet a new friend?"


    "Vii!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Then, let''s go to that village and collect Brain beads!"


    Little Ivy stretched out two vines and then started swinging from one branch to another, heading to the north where the village was located.


    Yang Zhang started singing Chandelier by Sia again. His pets also started singing because Yang Zhang taught them the song, making some sort of bizarre duet in the middle of the forest.


    "1 2 3, 1 2 3¡ª"


    "Chirp!"


    "1 2 3, 1 2 3 ¡ª"


    "Squeak!"


    "I''m gonna swinggg from the¡ª''


    "Viii!"


    Yang Zhang enjoyed his afternoon swinging around and singing with his pets until he saw the sight of an abandoned village that the old woman mentioned.


    "Ivy, pull up!"


    Little Ivy pulled up, allowing Yang Zhang to take a good look at the village from a tall branch.


    The village should be smaller than Xi Feng''s bronze cow village. But there were indeed a few zombies wandering around the outer village, and there were probably more wandering inside.


    "Okay, I need to refill my ammo first," Yang Zhang said. He looked around for a river, and after he found it, he told Little Ivy to swing in that direction.


    He let his pets find fruits to eat and drink in the river first while collecting pebbles to refill his gauntlet gun. After the preparation was complete, Yang Zhang commanded, "Little Ivy, go to the village''s west side. I saw it''s less crowded compared to the rest."


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy obediently swung to the west side of the village and then landed behind a tree.


    Yang Zhang quickly hid behind the tree and stuck his head out to check on the zombies wandering around the west gate.


    "Okay, there are three zombies. I can take them down alone," Yang Zhang said to himself. He couldn''t use any of his pets right now because Chestnut would generate a lot of noise with its electricity. Spicy Wing needed a long charge time before it could do any meaningful damage. Little Ivy¡­ yeah, she was still scared of zombies, and she was currently hiding inside his sleeve.


    Yang Zhang climbed the short tree and then aimed his gauntlet gun. He squinted at one zombie, and then¡ª


    Bang!


    "Grrrrarrh!"


    The pebble hit the temple of a zombie, but it wasn''t an instant kill. It did stagger the zombie, though.


    The other two zombies looked at their fellow zombies and then returned to their previous activity of wandering aimlessly.


    Yang Zhang aimed again at the previous zombie, and he shot twice.


    Bang! Bang!


    "Grrhh¡­" Yang Zhang hit the head two more times, and the zombie was down with his dark blood leaking from the holed skull.


    Yang Zhang did the same for the other two, he aimed at their weakest spot, but he really needed three shots to take one down, which was far from efficient.


    "Three zombies, and they already depleted my ammo by half, tsk!" Yang Zhang clicked his tongue in annoyance.


    He climbed down from the tree and walked towards those three zombies. Yang Zhang then grabbed a medium-sized stone and cracked the zombie''s head by repeatedly bashing it a few times until it cracked in half.


    The brain from a zombie was black and rotting. It was also only half the size of a normal human with the Brain bead in the middle.


    Yang Zhang used a stick to scrape the stinky zombie brain and found the Brain bead intact. He collected the Brain bead and put it inside the tote bag on his shoulder.


    He did the same on the second one and found another Brain bead, but when he cracked open the head of the last zombie he killed, the Brain bead was already shattered because of the pebble he shot.


    "Dang, so we ruined one Brain bead," Yang Zhang sighed pitifully. "Well, at least we get two Brain beads! We should find a place for shelter first while planting this Brain bead inside the pea."


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii¡­"


    Yang Zhang found it difficult to find pebble within the shape and size that would fit his gauntlet gun, and the pebbles that had been shot were already chipped or cracked.


    "Well, that gives me more reason to make my own ammo," Yang Zhang said as he looked down at his pea plant inside the tote bag.


    Yang Zhang looked at the sun that started setting, and he could hear the grunt of a zombie near him. He didn''t think it was possible to come inside the village right now because it was way too dangerous, especially with his ineffective pebble gun.


    So he carefully looked around for a place to rest for the day, and after he found a small cottage near the entrance of the west gate, he went in and closed the door carefully.


    "Okay, this place should be safe for the night, I guess," Yang Zhang said in a low voice because this was still around an area with zombies wandering nearby.


    "Guys, you can come out now, but don''t make noises, okay? We''re still near many zombies."


    "Vii¡­"


    "Squeak."


    "Chirp?"


    "Ah, are you asking when will we go all Rambo on them?"


    "Chirp!"


    "Well, I think we can start raiding tomorrow morning. Because I really need a better way to stock my ammo or at least stronger bullet than just pebbles," Yang Zhang said. He put down the tote bag containing the pea plant in a pod and two Brain beads he had just collected.


    "And that''s why we''re going to make a new friend!"


    "Vii!


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Yang Zhang wiped one Brain bead with his shirt until it was clean and then carefully planted it inside the soil of the pea plant until the Brain bead touched the root.


    He closed the soil and nodded, "Well, we should wait for the whole night, and we will meet our new friend tomorrow morning."


    "Chirp?"


    "Yes, then we can go full Rambo on those zombies tomorrow as well, now let''s just wait."

 Chapter 52 - Poddie (1)

    Yang Zhang and all his pets decided to rest after a long, tiring day.


    Yang Zhang fell asleep quickly because he was exhausted, but not one of his pets, Little Ivy. Little Ivy was worried because she could hear the grunting voice of zombies walking outside of the cottage.


    "Viii¡­" Little Ivy whimpered and wrapped her vines around Yang Zhang''s arm even tighter than before, making the man frown in pain.


    He opened his eyes slowly and then patted Little Ivy in a daze, "It''s okay¡­ Ivy. I''m here¡­ Zzzz¡­."


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy was still restless. She looked around the cottage with only small candle lit by Lt. Spicy Wing an hour ago.


    Her small beady eyes darted at the peat in the pot where her Master planted a Brain bead inside the soil. She witnessed how the leaves started shaking on their own, and all the leaves and branches of the pea plant suddenly rooted inside the soil, leaving only the three pea pods hanging with a small trunk supporting them.


    Slowly, a bigger pea emerged from the soil and went up on the trunk. Two small beads popped and acted as eyes, similar to Little Ivy''s beady eyes.


    One big pea emerged and became its body, two smaller ones emerged to be its legs, the three pea pods tied up into one, making a big pea pod bag for the living plant, and to complete it, the plant made a small hat made out of a leaf.


    And¡ªwala!


    "Vii?" Little Ivy called the newly mutated plant, unsure of what to do next since she never saw her kin that wasn''t hostile to her master before.


    The pea pod turned around, and his beady eyes stared at Little Ivy. He looked like a little boy, complete with a little hat and carrying a bag bigger than his body.


    "Pii?"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy was excited the moment the pea pod answered her. She slowly released her tight grip from her master but still had one vine grappling on the wrist. She slowly approached the pea pod and stretched one of her vines, trying to touch the little pea pod.


    "Vii¡­ Vii¡­"


    "Pii!"


    The little pea pod cheerfully approached Little Ivy and gave her a hug instead.


    They were hugging for a while until the little pea pod asked where they were and their identities, "Pii?? Pii, Pii?"


    "Vii!" Little Ivy pointed at Yang Zhang, who was still in a deep sleep, and told the little peapod that person was their master.


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Pii!"


    Little Ivy raised one of her vines, and then¡ª


    SLAP!


    Little Ivy slapped Yang Zhang''s cheek hard to wake him up, and Yang Zhang quickly opened his eyes and looked around in full alert, thinking that he had been attacked, "Who''s there!?"


    "Vii! Vii!" Little Ivy pulled the vine grabbing Yang Zhang''s wrist, and showed the little animal that had just mutated.


    Yang Zhang stared at the little mutated plant carrying a bag of pea pod that was bigger than his body. The little plant looked up and stared at Yang Zhang and then greeted, "Pii¡­."


    "WHOA! You''ve finally mutated!"


    "GRRRHHH!"


    Yang Zhang zipped his mouth instantly when he heard the sound of the feral zombie outside. Zombies were very active and dangerous at night, it would be a handful to fight one right now, so it was best to keep his silence.


    "Vii¡­"


    "Pii¡­"


    Little Ivy and the small pea pod grouped together and hugged Yang Zhang at the same time. They looked scared whenever they heard the sound of a zombie grunting.


    Yang Zhang drew out the conclusion quickly, "Little guy, are you¡­ scared of zombies?"


    "Pii¡­" the small pea pod nodded weakly. "Pii... Pii¡­ Pii!"


    "Ah¡­" Yang Zhang knew what the small pea pod was talking about. He said that he had never heard that kind of scary grunt. He was raised in a quiet place with a kind grandma.


    "I see. Since you''re raised in a greenhouse, you never heard of zombies or see any scary things," Yang Zhang mumbled.


    "Pii¡­"


    "Okay, okay, I understand," Yang Zhang carefully picked up the little mutated plant and smiled at him, "It''s okay, I will protect you from all harm. Since you''re now with me, we should give you a name, alright?"


    The little pea pod stared at Yang Zhang and felt that this human was just as kind as Grandma, who cared for him every day until he grew up. Thus, the little pea pod agreed, "Pii¡­."


    "Hmm¡­ now, what kind of name would suit you?" Yang Zhang thought. He was considering a few names solely based on the characteristic of this new mutated plant.


    "How about Little Pod? Little pea? Little Peapod? Poddie?"


    "Pii!"


    "Oh? Do you like Poddie? That name is simple, but it sounds cute," Yang Zhang said.


    "Pii! Pii!" The little pea pod was now named Poddie. He seemed to like his new name.


    Yang Zhang giggled and patted Poddie''s head, "Okay, Poddie, you should introduce yourself to your other friends as well."


    Yang Zhang patted Spicy Wing and Chestnut, who were still sleeping. They must be tired after a long day of fighting zombies and fighting that old woman''s mutated plant.


    "Chirp¡­"


    "Squee¡­"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing opened their eyes slowly. They saw that their master was already holding a new friend that stared at them curiously.


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Hehe, are you guys surprised? This is our new friend. His name is Poddie!"


    "Pii! Pii!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut jumped on Yang Zhang''s hand and snuggled with Poddie to make him feel at home.


    "Vii! Vii!" Little Ivy also jumped in and stretched her vines, hugging them all at the same time, "Vii!"


    "Hehe, let''s work together from now, Poddie. I will make sure to protect you from any harm!"


    "Pii!"


    After they relished this fun family time, Yang Zhang yawned again, "Okay, guys, let''s sleep again. We will talk about our next plan tomorrow. You too, Poddie, come here, sleep with us," Yang Zhang said as he patted a spot beside his head.


    "Pii!"


    Poddie jumped and used his pea pod bag as a pillow.


    Yang Zhang smiled and closed his eyes, "Good night, guys."


    Yang Zhang closed his eyes again, and the rest of the mutated pets also fell asleep soon after, except Poddie.


    Poddie stared at Yang Zhang''s sleeping face. This was the face of his new master.


    "Pii¡­" Poddie drew near and hugged Yang Zhang by his nose, and slowly, the pea pod bag that he used glowed in the dark. The bag slowly filled up with round-shaped peas.


    Poddie smiled full of relief once he realized that his pea pod bag was filled with a lot of peas. He didn''t know if this would be useful for his new master or not, but this was what he could do, creating as many peas as possible for Yang Zhang.


    "Pii, Pii!"


    ¡ª


    Announcement: Hello, Pupa here.


    I''m sorry for the slow update because I''ve been busy with my real life study. But I will try to do daily updates starting from March 1st.


    Thank you so much for reading, and thank you for your patience.


    Cheers!


    ¡ª

 Chapter 53 - Poddie (2)

    Yang Zhang woke up the following day with full energy. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Poddie hugging his nose, sleeping while using his full pea pod bag as a pillow.


    He carefully pulled Poddie from his nose and got up, ready for the day once more. The sun was hitting the holes in the ceiling, and he patted his pets to wake up.


    "Wake up, guys. Don''t you want to kill some zombies today?"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing opened their eyes instantly. They stood in front of Yang Zhang like two soldiers ready for battle.


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Hehe, you guys are really eager to slay some zombies, huh?" Yang Zhang checked Little Ivy, already wrapping her vines around Yang Zhang''s arms.


    "Viii¡­"


    "It''s okay, Ivy. You can always hide inside my arm, I will protect you¡ªunless I''m in real danger and really require your help, of course," Yang Zhang said. He checked the last pet that was still sleeping.


    He patted Poddie''s head gently, "Wake up, little guy. We have a lot to do today."


    "Pii¡­" Poddie opened his eyes slowly and stared at his master for a few seconds before sprung up full of excitement.


    "Pii! Piii!" Podio grabbed his pea pod bag and tried to drag it towards Yang Zhang, even though it was really heavy for him now.


    "Huh? What''s that?"


    "Pii!" Poddie pushed the pea pod bag to Yang Zhang and opened the small zipper.


    "Piii! Pii!"


    "Ohhh!" Yang Zhang was excited when he saw a lot of peas inside the bag. By the first look, he could already determine that the peas were hardened. Hopefully, it was similar to his expectation.


    "Everything is for me?"


    "Piii!"


    Yang Zhang nodded and picked one pea from the bag. He tried to pinch it and realized that it was really tough and relatively heavy, just like a steel bullet.


    Thud.


    Yang Zhang dropped the pea on the wooden floor, and it made a sound similar to a steel bullet falling on the wooden surface.


    ''So it''s really similar to a bullet,'' Yang Zhang thought. He picked it up and put it inside his gauntlet gun, and it was a perfect fit.


    Yang Zhang aimed at the ceiling and pulled the trigger.


    BANG!


    Crack!


    The pea bullet shot high and pierced through the wooden ceiling, making a peephole on the ceiling.


    It was definitely stronger than using pebble, probably because the pea shape was perfectly round. It really helped the strength when it was propelled with the gauntlet gun.


    "Whoa¡ªWHOA!" Yang Zhang was excited about this finding. He grabbed Poddie and rubbed the little pea plant cheek to cheek. "Poddie, you''re amazing! You basically gave me a lot of ammo!"


    "Pii! Pii! Piii!" Poddie was also rejoicing because he could be of use for his master.


    Truthfully, Yang Zhang''s first thought had something similar to a peashooter from Plant Vs. Zombie, a plant that could continuously shoot pea bullets.


    But with Poddie here, he could stock hundreds of deadly pea ammo for his gauntlet gun. It was still a win condition for him!


    Yang Zhang quickly grabbed the pea pod bag and poured all the bullets inside his gauntlet gun''s bullet chamber or magazine.


    When his bullet chamber was already full, he put the pea bullets inside his jeans pocket as well, just to be sure. Then he gave the bag back to Poddie, "Thank you so much, Poddie!"


    "Pii!" Podio happily accepted his empty bag now.


    Yang Zhang didn''t know how many pea bullets Poddie made overnight, so he asked, "How many peas can you make inside your bag, Poddie?"


    "Pii, Pii, Pii!"


    "Oh, so you can store as many as possible overnight and only at night?"


    "Pii!"


    "Hmmm, that means the only detriment was how safe you feel, right?"


    "Pii!"


    Yang Zhang wondered a bit about that information, though. Since they were literally in an abandoned cottage with zombies still walking around out there. But Poddie seemed to be safe enough to produce hundreds of bullets. There must be something that made him feel absolutely safe to produce a lot of it.


    "Well, no matter. That means Poddie is useful! All of my pets are very useful¡ªexcept for that wiggling rose in our hut, she is pretty useless," Yang Zhang said. "Alright, gang, do you want to go full-on Rambo now or have breakfast first?"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Ah, okay, then, let''s have breakfast first before we go into the fray!"


    **


    After the preparation was ready, Yang Zhang sat on a branch in a tall tree. He was still on the west side of this village, and those zombies that he killed last night had disappeared after 12 hours.


    Zombies without their Brain beads would rot and melt by themselves, turning into liquid. Not even bones were left.


    But their spots were taken by other zombies. No matter how many times ability users tried to kill them, the number of zombies seemed to never end.


    "Alright, here''s what we''re going to do. Poddie, Ivy, stay hidden under my sleeve and tote bag," Yang Zhang said as he knew that Little Ivy was still terrified with zombies, and Poddie had no fighting capability.


    "Vii!"


    "Pii!"


    "Chestnut, you''re the eye of this mission. Remember that you should sit on my shoulder and look around if there is any surprise zombie attack like what happened in that village? I will keep using my gauntlet gun to take them one by one."


    "Squeak!"


    "Remember, you can always jump and zap their brain quickly, but after that, you must return back to me, got it?"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "And you, Lieutenant Spicy Wing, you should be ready for any aggressor if there is any big zombie around. I know that you need time to charge yourself. That''s why you should try to keep your movement and keep flapping your small wings. It should at least be enough in case of urgent emergency, okay?"


    "Chirp!" Spicy Wing gave General Yang Zhang a salute, ready for the attack against the zombies.


    "Okay, my little friends, we can do this! Let''s go!"

 Chapter 54 - Attack The Village!

    "Okay, my little friends, we can do this! Let''s go!"


    After the war cry from the little mutated friends, Yang Zhang, who already made three lines on his cheeks with mud from the river and called it military disguise, charged towards the five zombies near the gate.


    "Take this!" Yang Zhang aimed his gauntlet gun at the zombie about twenty feet apart from him and pulled the trigger twice.


    BANG! BANG!


    Yang Zhang easily killed the zombie with two bullets, a clean shot on her neck and skull, and the zombie dropped dead instantly.


    "Grrr¡­" the other four zombies heard the gunshots and looked at Yang Zhang. They charged straight at him together, and Yang Zhang aimed his gun at them one by one.


    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!


    The sound of gunshots from the gauntlet gun rang loudly on the village''s west side, and Yang Zhang had killed four zombies with few shots. He surprisingly had a good aim, but not perfect, because he missed a few times.


    And those misses attracted many other zombies to come to the west side.


    "Hrrrrrr¡­."


    "Squeak!"


    "You''re right, Chestnut. I can''t continue to stay on the west side like this. I need to enter the village, or it would be a never-ending attack from this side. We will have to take the Brain bead later. Our main target right now is to enter the village, kill zombies inside and find any supplies, at least a first aid box for us."


    Yang Zhang opened his palm and aimed at the wooden gate, "Ivy, grab the gate, we''re entering the village!"


    Little Ivy, who closed her eyes, peeked from in-between her vines, and after making sure there was no zombie around, she stretched her vines and grabbed the village''s wooden gate, "Viii!"


    Yang Zhang was pulled to the gate, and Little Ivy quickly retreated when she saw another zombie near the gate.


    Yang Zhang lost his footing for a second and quickly shot the zombie at random spots because the zombie was too close.


    BANG! BANG!


    Yang Zhang hit the stomach and the neck of this zombie, not enough to kill him. But the sound already alarmed other zombies.


    Yang Zhang quickly ended the zombie by a shot in-between his temple.


    He ran to the side and shot all the zombies that tried to block his way.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    "HRRRRR!!!" Many zombies started to get alerted, and Yang Zhang cursed, "Damn, this gauntlet gun is really loud. They are all alarmed."


    "We can''t fight in such close combat like this. We need the higher ground!" Yang Zhang said. He looked at a balcony of a bigger house in this village. The house had two floors, which was actually rare. Though, it was quite far, probably about six houses away.


    ''That big house must''ve something inside. Whether it''s food or a first aid kit. I need to check it.''


    Yang Zhang and thinking of a way to climb that. He knew that his only chance was using Little Ivy to swing around freely, but Ivy was hugging his arm tightly right now because she was terrified by the sound of zombies surrounding them left and right.


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth and aimed his gun at the window on the house in front of him. He shot the glass with four bullets to destroy it.


    "Chestnut, Spicy Wing, cover me!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Yang Zhang kicked the remaining glass shard, reached for the window handle, and opened it outside.


    Meanwhile, Spicy Wing and Chestnut jumped from one zombie to another. Chestnut could zap and explode only a few of the zombies'' heads before it started to run out of energy.


    Unfortunately, Spicy Wing''s body temperature wasn''t hot enough to kill any of the zombies. Its kicks were only able to stagger them for a moment.


    After a moment of struggle, Yang Zhang finally grabbed the window handle and opened it. He used his gauntlet gun to shoot a few zombies that were getting way too close to them and recalled his pets.


    "Spicy Wing, Chestnut, return now!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing jumped from one zombie''s head to another to reach Yang Zhang again, and once they regrouped, Yang Zhang quickly entered the house and then closed the window again. He looked around in this small house. It was made out of concrete.


    The house was already abandoned, but the door was locked. So, Yang Zhang''s guess was the owner was outside when the zombie apocalypse started, and who knew what happened to them?


    The zombies outside tried to reach Yang Zhang inside the house, but they couldn''t get him. So only their heads and hands were stuck on the window and door


    Yang Zhang looked around to find anything worth taking, but the only thing in this house was dust and house rat¡ª


    "Wait, rats?!" Yang Zhang looked at the pack of rats, probably around twenty rats looking at Yang Zhang. Their eyes were red, and they didn''t seem scared of him.


    "H¡ªHey, little friends, I don''t think we have any grievance to one another, right? Just tell me that you''re not mutated."


    The rats were squeaking, but their squeaks sounded weird, unlike Chestnut.


    The big one was looking at Yang Zhang and then squeaking loudly.


    "Oh no, I think I''m going to have PTSD from that chicken attack before," Yang Zhang said. "Why do I keep bumping into weird stuff like this?"


    And he was right. The rats dispersed and tried to attack Yang Zhang from all directions.


    "ACK!" Yang Zhang tried to shoot with his gauntlet gun, but those rats were small and agile. It was hard to aim at them.


    Yang Zhang felt something was biting his leg, he winced and flailed as hard as he could, and the rat was thrown to the wall. But it didn''t die, and attacked again!


    "Damn it, why am I always unlucky!" Yang Zhang cursed as he climbed the table. "Guys, help me! I can''t fight these small things alone!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"

 Chapter 55 - Ack, RATS!

    "Damn it, why am I always unlucky!" Yang Zhang cursed as he climbed the table. "Guys, help me! I can''t fight these small things alone!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing jumped from Yang Zhang''s body and landed on the ground. They had small bodies, so it should be easier to hit those mutated rats.


    Because Yang Zhang was only able to hit one or two after wasting so many pea bullets.


    "Spicy Wing, try to fight one or two of them until your body heat is enough to burn them!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Chestnut, charge electricity around your body and tackle them one by one, careful not to get bitten!"


    "Squeak!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing started doing its Kungfu chicken and kicked those rats one by one. Its body started to emanate an orange aura, and the temperature around this room also started to heat up.


    Chestnut also fought against those rats, it started charging, and the electricity around its body got zapped those rats before they could even touch Chestnut.


    Yang Zhang continued to command his mutated pets while shooting the rats that tried to climb the table. He checked whether Ivy could help him because this rats problem would be solved in less than five minutes if Little Ivy could just¡ªsmack them all on the face with her vines.


    But when he realized that Little Ivy got even more scared when she heard the sound of zombie hordes from outside, he quickly scrapped that idea.


    Yang Zhang remembered how he defeated those mutated jungle chickens by flinging the rooster commander far from them, so the chickens had to follow their leader.


    Since Yang Zhang was trapped in this house with these rats, the only way was to defeat this horde of rats was by killing the big rats, aka the rat leader.


    Yang Zhang aimed at the big rat sitting far from the attacking rats, the big rat was probably three times the size of the small ones, and it didn''t move an inch, making it a perfect target for his gauntlet gun.


    BANG!


    Yang Zhang fired a shot towards that rat, and the rat turned its head at him.


    The rat stared at the bullet firing towards it, and¡ª


    Clank!


    "What the¡ª"


    The rat deflected the pea bullet with its small claw-like it was nothing.


    Yang Zhang''s jaw dropped when he saw that. He gritted his teeth and fired the second shot.


    BANG!


    Clank!


    BANG! BANG!


    Clank! Clank!


    "What the¡ªhow could that goddamn rats deflected all my bullets!?" Yang Zhang shook his head out of disbelief, he tried to attack again, but this time, he aimed at its stomach, hoping that the short arm wouldn''t be able to reach its stomach.


    BANG!


    The pea bullet was fired at an amazing speed. But before the bullet could hit the rat''s belly, the rat backed off and bit the pea bullet.


    The rat crushed the pea bullet with its yellow teeth, even though it was comparable to a steel bullet.


    The big rat screeched, and the horde of rats that fought Chestnut and Spicy Wing stopped attacking and returned to the big rat to make a formation.


    The big rat screeched again, and those small rats climbed on top of each other to make a rat wall to protect their big boss, while the rest started making coordinated attacks towards Yang Zhang.


    They quickly climbed on the furniture and tried to jump on Yang Zhang, attacking him with their sharp teeth.


    "Fuck!" Yang Zhang quickly jumped to a chair and then a wooden dresser. He was standing on top of the tallest furniture in the house right now.


    He aimed his gun at the rats about to climb the dresser now and checked the surrounding.


    This house had a lot of wooden furniture that was definitely flammable, but the wall was made out of cement, so there was no way the fire would burn the zombies outside.


    If he used the Spicy Wing''s fire here, the only one who would be cooked to death was him and the rats.


    So this was the time for Chestnut to shine because the electricity wouldn''t be enough to set the furniture on fire.


    He commanded Chestnut and Spicy Wing for another move to counter the swarming rats.


    "Chestnut, come to me and charge your body! Surround your body electricity and make an electric dome!" Yang Zhang commanded. "Make sure no rat can climb this drawer!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut stood in front of the drawer, right in front of the rats that tried to climb the drawer to attack Yang Zhang.


    "Do it, Chestnut! ELECTRIC DOME!"


    "Squeak! Squeaaak!!"


    BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!


    Chestnut started charging its body and then unleashed a dome of electricity around its body. Chesnut''s electric dome automatically zapped any rats and cooked them crispy, deterring the rest from climbing the drawer to reach Yang Zhang.


    "Hehe, Chris P. Rats," Yang Zhang chuckled and quickly shook his head to remind himself, "Okay, stop playing around, Yang Zhang."


    Yang Zhang saw that Spicy Wing was standing in front of the rat wall. They were trying to protect their boss behind them. Yang Zhang got an idea, he doubted that Spicy Wing''s attack could kill that big rat, but it could definitely stagger the big rat with a surprise attack.


    He checked whether Spicy Wing had enough heat inside its body and made sure it was enough. He commanded, "Chestnut, go ham on them! Roll on them and break that rat wall!"


    "HABANERO CHICKEN BOWLING! STRIKE!"


    "Chirp! CHIRP!" Spicy Wing rolled like a ball of fire and then dashed straight to the rat wall.


    The ball of fire was proven to be too hot for the rats. It struck through them like a bowling ball hitting all the pins and headed straight to the big rat.


    Yang Zhang quickly aimed his gauntlet gun at the big rat, and when Spicy Wing was able to hit the big rat and stagger it for a few seconds, Yang Zhang took the chance and started firing his gun.


    BANG!


    "Scrheee!" The big rat screeched in agony. Since it couldn''t deflect or bite the bullet, the big rat was forced to take the hit of the pea bullet.


    Yang Zhang continued firing pea bullets at the big rat, hitting its head and belly many times. The bit rat turned vulnerable as long as you could stagger it for a second and continued attacking, though it would take at least three bullets to hit the same spot and pierce through its skin.


    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!


    "SCHREEEEE!" The big rat was finally down after Yang Zhang lost count on how many times he shot it.


    The remaining rats that hadn''t been cooked to a crisp by Chestnut or burned by Spicy Wing were staring at their dead big boss rat and then quickly rushed to enter a hole, escaping from Yang Zhang and his mutated pets.


    Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut joined their master and hugged him to celebrate.


    "We did it! We killed the mini-boss in this village!" Yang Zhang said excitedly.


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    After making sure there were no remaining rats, he checked the window and the door.


    This house was already surrounded by zombies, so leaving from the window and the door was impossible. The only way out was¡ª


    "The chimney," Yang Zhang said. He jumped down and entered the chimney. It was actually quite big, at least it would fit for Yang Zhang''s body, and he could see the clear sky from the end of the chimney.


    "Little Ivy is our only hope for now," Yang Zhang said. He opened his palm and patted Little Ivy''s small head. "Ivy, can you help me right now? You''re the only hope."


    Little Ivy sensed the plea from her master. She opened her trembling vines slowly and looked at Yang Zhang, "Vii?"


    "Yeah, can you pull us out? Don''t worry, we''re inside a house right now. The zombies can''t get in," Yang Zhang said.


    "Vii¡­"


    Little Ivy stretched one vine and grabbed the end of the chimney. She pulled Yang Zhang and the rest slowly until they came out of the chimney. Little Ivy quickly hid inside her master''s sleeve again after doing her job.


    Yang Zhang heard the sound of the zombies under the house. It seemed that they hadn''t noticed Yang Zhang had already escaped through the chimney.


    Now that he was on top of a house, he could see the whole village clearly.


    The village was quite small but densely populated, seeing the narrow distance between one house and another. There were zombies everywhere. Even though that old woman told him that the village would be the second base for humans with immunity to live in, it seemed there hadn''t been any meaningful zombie extermination.


    "Well, let''s forget about that for now, because the main goal is right in front of us, that big house," Yang Zhang said as he pointed at the two stories house that was noticeably bigger than the rest of the houses here.


    "We need to go there!"

 Chapter 56 - A Sad Struggle (1)

    "Well, let''s forget about that for now, because the main goal is right in front of us, that big house," Yang Zhang said as he pointed at the two stories house that was noticeably bigger than the rest of the houses here. "We need to go there!"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing stared at the big house and asked;


    "Chirp?"


    "Squeak, squeak?"


    "Hehe, I don''t know what''s inside. But one thing is for sure since it''s the biggest house in this village, that means it belongs to a rich man! We''re going to be like a Robin Hood here, stealing from the rich and giving it to the poor."


    "Chirp?"


    "Oh, who''s the poor one?" Yang Zhang had a wide grin on his face. He giggled evilly, "Us, of course! We''re the poor one here!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing didn''t really understand who Robin Hood was, nor understanding why did they need to steal from the rich.


    But if their master said so, that meant it was right!


    "Now, what should we do to go there without the help of Little Ivy?" Yang Zhang thought. Since Little Ivy was terrified of the sound of so many zombies around them, it wasn''t morally correct to force her right now.


    Thus, Yang Zhang measured the distance between one roof to another, thinking if his jump would be enough to cross each roof until he could jump to the balcony of the big house.


    There were waves of zombies under him. So, if he failed the jump, he would be a lunch for them.


    "Okay, the gap is narrow enough. Just hope that we don''t slip," Yang Zhang said. "Hang on tight, guys!"


    Yang Zhang took a few steps back and then dashed straight.


    "Hup!" He jumped when he reached the roof''s edge and landed safely on the other house.


    He counted the number of roofs he had to pass to reach the balcony and nodded, "Alright, four more! Continue to hang tight, guys!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Yang Zhang took a few steps back again and jumped to another roof. He did it two more times until he landed on the last roof before reaching the balcony of the big house.


    But when he was about to prepare the jump to the balcony, he accidentally stepped on a cracked roof tile and¡ª


    CRACK!


    "AHH!!"


    The roof tile was destroyed, and Yang Zhang fell to the house under him.


    He closed his eyes, afraid that his body would be crushed to death once he landed.


    But he actually landed on a soft bed¡ªwell, not really soft. It was dusty and old, but it was still a bed.


    Yang Zhang coughed a few times as he inhaled the dust while his pets were scattered on the bed after the fall.


    "Everybody okay?" Yang Zhang asked as he checked on his pets.


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing seemed alright, just covered in dust now.


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy was still wrapped tightly on Yang Zhang''s arm.


    "Okay, and¡ªOH, PODDIE!"


    Yang Zhang completely forgot about Poddie since Poddie was well hidden inside the tote bag in his arm the whole time. He didn''t make any noise either.


    Yang Zhang quickly checked the tote bag and saw that Poddie was gone.


    "Oh, no, did I drop him somewhere?! NOOOO, PODDIEEE! You''re so young and died so fast¡­."


    "Pii?"


    Yang Zhang turned his head towards the source of the voice and found Poddie sitting at the edge of the bed. He was completely fine, though covered in dust.


    "PODDIE!" Yang Zhang snatched the pea plant and hugged him tightly, "Oh, Poddie, I really thought that I lost you! You''re too young and cute to die!"


    "Pii! Pii!" Poddie tried to separate himself, and after he could break free, Poddie returned to the edge of the bed and seemed to be pointing at something under the bed.


    "Huh? What is it?"


    "Pii!" Podio jumped to the floor and then pointed at something under the bed. "Pii! Pii!"


    "Huh? You see something under the bed?"


    Yang Zhang got curious, and it didn''t seem to be a zombie or other dangerous thing since Poddie didn''t seem scared at all.


    Yang Zhang got up and checked under the bed, then he found something that shocked him to the core.


    It was a corpse, like¡­ real corpse, not a zombie. It was the corpse of a female, looking at her tattered skirt. But other than that, there was no identification. Judging by her spot of death, she might die out of starvation or might have been wounded terribly by someone and died alone under the bed while hiding.


    "And she doesn''t seem to be an ability user or a zombie, since there is no Brain or Mana bead inside her skull," Yang Zhang assessed as he shook the skull, hoping that he would find the rare Mana bead.


    She had turned into a skeleton, hiding under the bed, clenching into something while putting her hands on her chest.


    "And she doesn''t seem to be an ability user or a zombie since there is no Brain or Mana bead inside her skull.


    "What is that?" Yang Zhang asked himself as he carefully opened the skeleton hands, trying to reach something she held.


    After reaching it, Yang Zhang pulled his hand and opened it to see what he had just stolen from the skeleton.


    "A key?" Yang Zhang frowned. From the shape of the key, it didn''t seem to be the one on the front door. Since this key looked too antique for such a regular house like this.


    "Maybe this is a key in a secret room or something," Yang Zhang thought. He looked around the bedroom and found nothing valuable as well.


    "Let''s just keep this key, for now. I have a feeling this key would be helpful for us," Yang Zhang said. He looked at his pets and commanded them to gather.


    "Okay, let''s explore this house first before going to the next door. Maybe we can find something," Yang Zhang said.


    **


    Yang Zhang checked the bedroom first, trying to find anything valuable. But this bedroom was very simple, and there was nothing worth taking here.


    He opened the door carefully and peeked first, trying to see whether this house had been broken down by those zombies.


    Fortunately, the front door was locked, and he could see zombies walking around in front of the house, unaware that Yang Zhang was there.


    Yang Zhang took a deep, relieved breath and then looked around in the living room.


    This place was very much deserted, and the woman in the bedroom seemed to live alone. Yang Zhang checked the kitchen, trying to find things that might be useful.


    Since he was wearing a gauntlet gun on his right and Little Ivy in his left palm. He couldn''t use a short-ranged weapon now.


    Not that he wanted to. Getting too close to the zombies scared the heck out of him.


    Again, he found nothing worth taking, except a note on the kitchen counter.


    He got curious and read the note. It was probably written a year ago before the zombie apocalypse started.


    ¡ª


    To Nurse Xie:


    Nurse, please prepare yourself for dozens of patients. It seems that everybody has gotten sick since last night. The clinic will be crowded today.


    ¡ªDoctor Liu


    ¡ª


    "Wait, that woman¡­ was she a nurse?" Yang Zhang wondered. "Ah, too bad she is dead. At least she could give me a heads up on where she hid her first aid kit, hehe."


    Yang Zhang and his pets continued searching until Chestnut discovered something.


    "Squeak?"


    "Huh? What did you see?"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut pointed at a door well hidden behind a cupboard. The door was quite antique, and it should fit with the key that Yang Zhang just recovered from that skeleton.


    "Okay, so that''s the door for this key. Damn, this place is like an escape room or something, hehe," Yang Zhang pushed the cupboard that was actually lighter than he thought and then used the key.


    Click.


    The door was opened, and Yang Zhang was baffled by what was behind the door.


    "What a dark corridor¡­." Yang Zhang mumbled.


    There was a long corridor behind the door, a passage that led to another door at the end of the corridor, but it was so dark Yang Zhang couldn''t see anything.


    "Lieutenant Spicy Wing."


    "Chirp!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing understood the order. It jumped from Yang Zhang''s body and started running around in a circle to light up its body, making itself a walking torch.


    But, even with the help of Spicy Wing, Yang Zhang still couldn''t see clearly, so he asked his other pet, "Chestnut, light up your body."


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut charged itself and turned into a flashlight for Yang Zhang.


    Now, with the help of two pets to light up the dark corridor, he could clearly see what was inside the corridor, and Yang Zhang got sick immediately.


    "Oh my god¡­ URK¡ª" Yang Zhang puked his breakfast this morning upon seeing the scene.

 Chapter 57 - A Sad Struggle (2)

    "Oh my god¡­ URK¡ª" Yang Zhang puked his breakfast this morning upon seeing the scene.


    Because what he saw was absolutely horrific. It was a dark corridor full of human remains. And there was a zombie at the end of the corridor, looking straight at Yang Zhang and rushing to bite him.


    "Hrrrhhh!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Spicy Wing and Chestnut killed the zombie easily when Yang Zhang was recovering from the shock.


    He was reacting like this because he had never seen something so tragic right in front of his eyes.


    There were probably more than 20 skeletal remains here, judging from the size of their skull. At least half of them were kids or young teenagers. It wasn''t difficult to make up the scene of what was happening inside this dark corridor.


    They were probably tried to hide from the zombie attack, but they didn''t know that one of them was mutated into a zombie. They had nowhere to run and became a feast for that single zombie that was killed by Spicy Wing and Chestnut''s attack just now.


    Yang Zhang was just too shocked to react, nor did he wants to think more about this. It was traumatizing, to say the least.


    "Poor kids, why do they have to meet such gruesome end?" Yang Zhang mourned their deaths. Deaths in the apocalypse were a daily occurrence. At some point, it didn''t faze anyone at all.


    But it was still pretty sad and disturbing when it was a child''s death. Because they had a long way to go but got cut short because of the situation.


    Yang Zhang bowed his head slowly to pay respect. But in the end, he still had to bypass the course because he needed to see what awaited him at the end of this dark corridor.


    He had a feeling there was something more sinister yet important for him to discover when he opened the door at the other side.


    So he took a deep breath to brace himself and walked past the line of bones heading to the door at the end of the corridor.


    Even though it was already more than one year after this incident, the heavy air and smell of blood were still very strong here.


    Yang Zhang reached the door and found that it was actually barred from inside with a plank.


    Yang Zhang lifted the plank and slowly opened the door.


    It made a creaky nose, so he just opened it a bit and peeked at what happened behind the door.


    Yang Zhang saw an office destroyed and a skull lying near the window. There were no more bones except the skull, though. The death of that person must''ve been very gruesome.


    After ensuring that everything was safe, Yang Zhang opened the door and entered the office. He looked around to see if there was a zombie hiding, but after making sure that everything was alright, he observed the office that had been completely destroyed from the desk that had been flipped, the cupboard that had been destroyed, and the hospital bed that was full of deep scratches.


    "This is¡­ a doctor''s examination office," Yang Zhang commented. "There must''ve been a really terrible fight here."


    Yang Zhang decided to look around for a clue, knowing what had happened. Since everything had been destroyed, all he could do right now was to check inside the desk''s drawer.


    He checked the flipped desk and slid the drawer.


    He found many doctor''s notes that he didn''t understand, but there was one that caught his eyes. It had a title in front.


    [Doctor Jun''s Daily Examination.]


    Yang Zhang decided to start reading the exam book to see what Doctor Jun wrote.


    Luckily, he wrote in normal handwriting in this book.


    ¡ª


    June 12:


    There was a patient that came late at night. He said that he was feeling really sick. I asked what happened, and he said that his body felt so weak, and he couldn''t eat anything.


    No matter what he ate, he always threw it up. The only thing he could do right now drink a lot to keep his energy. He said that he had been feeling this for at least three days.


    I checked his mouth and stomach, but I saw no other symptoms. I thought it was just regular stomach acid, so I just gave him medicine, and I told him to return in three days.


    ¡ª


    June 15:


    The same patient returned, saying that he still feels the same. It''s even worse now, and he also felt very lightheaded. He couldn''t think of anything, seemingly lost in his own empty thought.


    He is worried he will die because he can''t eat anything.


    I''ve never seen something like this. At least, it''s not within my range of knowledge. It seems that he has a severe case of GERD.


    I told him to go to the city to check his health, but he was too poor.


    So I gave him money. He needs to be treated ASAP.


    ¡ª


    June 16:


    There are three more patients with similar illnesses coming today. They couldn''t eat anything because they''d always throw it up. They also felt lightheaded, saying that they had empty thoughts. Whatever they were doing something, they felt like a walking corpses because they did everything by instinct. Everything felt like a dream for them.


    I don''t know what is happening with them. It sounds very serious, so I used my savings to send them to the city. They really need to be treated with better equipment and a professional.


    ¡ª


    June 18:


    There are 8 patients today with the same symptoms. Now I''m starting to suspect there might be a new virus that hasn''t been discovered yet. Because something that could spread so quickly like this meant that it was caused by a virus.


    I checked the water in the public well and the river, but there didn''t seem any different. It was still clean and hasn''t been contained as well.


    It makes me wonder if there is something wrong going on.


    ¡ª


    June 20:


    I had a call with my friend from the city, and they said they also experienced the same thing. In fact, the hospital was filled with hundreds of people feeling sick over the same mysterious illness.


    What I can do right now is keep track of our patients and just try to calm them down because there is no medicine for this illness.


    __


    June 22:


    The clinic is crowded today. There are more than 30 people that have the same illness. People have been asking what is going on, and there is still no answer from the government.


    They are hiding something, but we''re just regular citizens. All we can do right now is to survive.


    ¡ª


    June 23:


    A patient went rogue today. He acts like a wild dog that wants to pounce on people and eat their brains out. We had to tie him on his bed to ensure that he wouldn''t hurt anyone.


    He also refused to listen, nor do I think he has any way of understanding human language anymore.


    Judging from his behavior, I have to admit that he looks like a zombie from this typical zombie apocalypse movie.


    ¡ª


    June 24:


    Three more people went rogue today. They act more like a wild dog infected with rabies or zombies straight out of movies. Their skin also turned really ashy, and they couldn''t communicate anymore.


    At this point, I really doubt that they still have any way to think because their action seems to be instinct-driven.


    One of them actually attacked her husband for no apparent reason. He has been treated, but he also felt lightheaded after the bite for some reason.


    ¡ª


    June 25:


    I don''t know if things will get worse after this. Since I also start having a weird feeling inside my body. I can feel my body burning up from inside, but I can still eat normally.


    I feel dizzy, but it''s not empty-headed kind of dizzy. In fact, my head felt very heavy, and I could feel something was growing in my head.


    It''s a terrible feeling, but at least I can still survive to treat anyone who has been attacked by their loved ones that had gone crazy.


    ¡ª


    June 27:


    The government finally announced that there is a dangerous virus called Z-20 Virus. It will turn people into a mindless, hostile zombies that will attack any human by their instinct.


    When a human has turned into a zombie, there is no way to cure them. The only way to stop them is to put a bullet in their heads.


    I have personally killed the rest of the zombies under my care, and I try to save as many living humans as possible.


    We will be staying inside this clinic to defend ourselves from the zombie attack. Hopefully, the government will save us since we''re trapped here.


    I just hope that I have enough good in my fridge to feed the remaining group around me.


    Anyone, please save us.


    ¡ª

 Chapter 58 - A Mana Bead!

    ¡ª


    June 30:


    The whole village has been surrounded. There is no way out anymore. We''re here waiting for aid from the government to no avail.


    If the zombie breaks our defense, I will have to hide the remaining youngsters inside the dark corridor that connected my clinic to Nurse Xie''s house. I''ll tell her to lock her side and let the kids hide until the situation is safe.


    ¡ª


    That was the last entry written by Doctor Jun in his exam book. It was around when the zombie apocalypse started to go really crazy and uncontrollable.


    It was just like a small pandemic at first, but for some reason, the government hid the existence of the virus until it was too late, and everyone was infected by it.


    No humans were spared. Even a newborn would develop and turn into either a zombie, ability user, or regular human with immunity.


    Yang Zhang could conclude that Doctor Jun probably told the remaining people to hide inside the dark corridor, but he didn''t know there were people with slow mutation, like Xiao Mei from the mini-market.


    Yang Zhang closed the book and let out a heavy sigh. He thought there was no life outside of the shelter. They had to either stay in the shelter or die outside.


    But when he got kicked out, he realized that the world was still going on. He found many new friends, enemies, and his little mutated pets.


    Yet, he also found many sad stories.


    From Xiao Mei Jiejie''s story, she got stuck inside that mini-market. She suffered a slow infection until she turned into a zombie.


    Xi Feng''s story, he lived inside that village full of mutated zombie villagers. He got her little sister killed by an ability user.


    Miss Kobra decided to rebel against the government and set up her own settlement exclusive for humans with immunity.


    And now, Doctor Jun tried his best to save this village from the villagers who had been mutated into zombies.


    Yang Zhang looked at the skull near the window and slowly bowed his head to pay respect. He didn''t know what Doctor Jun looked like, but he must''ve been a good doctor.


    He was even kind enough to use his own saving to help those villagers to the city for better medication.


    As Yang Zhang was paying respect, a gust suddenly blew from the broken window, hitting the skull, and flipped it, showing a shiny blue bead hidden inside the skull.


    Yang Zhang was stunned. The blue bead was shining under the sun, inviting him to take a look.


    Yang Zhang took a step forward and grabbed the Mana bead.


    Before he inspected the Mana bead, he put Doctor Jun''s skull on the hospital bed, so it wouldn''t get blown away by wind anymore. He also put the doctor''s examination book beside the skull to honor him and all his effort. Though, in the end, it was all fruitless because everyone would die in the apocalypse anyway.


    "Thank you for your sacrifice, Doctor Jun. You''re a great and selfless man. I hope your soul Rest In Peace."


    Yang Zhang pulled a chair and sat while checking the Mana bead he had just found.


    It was a perfectly persevered Mana bead. It was a little dusty because it had been sitting inside Doctor Jun''s skull for so long.


    "I wonder what kind of ability this Mana bead has," Yang Zhang mumbled.


    "Squeak?"


    "Chirp?"


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing jumped to help inspect the Mana bead. This was probably the shiniest Mana bead that he had ever encountered because most of the time, the Mana bead would be really dirty or stained with blood.


    It made him wonder whether it had a stronger effect or something else¡­


    Doctor Jun also hadn''t discovered his ability until his death, it seems. Because there was no mention of him doing something powerful inside his exam book.


    "I''ve heard from some people in my previous shelter that there are few ability users who are late in their mutation. So they don''t know that they have an ability until that ability mutates inside their body."


    "I think that''s quite a pity too because they will either die getting eaten by Zombie or grouped with us, humans with immunity."


    Yang Zhang continued staring at the Mana bead until he nodded, "Well, there is only one way to find out."


    Yang Zhang wiped the Mana bead and took a deep breath to brace himself again. He opened his mouth and¡ª


    "Upp¡ªUrk!" Yang Zhang covered his mouth, trying his hardest not to puke the Mana bead out.


    "Gulp," Yang Zhang successfully swallowed the Mana bead, but he felt the same sensation just like when he swallowed the Mana bead when fighting those jungle fowls in the forest before.


    He could feel the Mana bead was stuck under his throat as if it refused to get consumed by Yang Zhang.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang closed his eyes, waiting to see the reaction of the Mana bead inside his body. Slowly, he could feel that his body was burning from the inside, and he lost his consciousness for five seconds, and then¡­ nothing.


    "Uhh¡­ where is the power?" Yang Zhang thought. There was no change in his body after he swallowed the Mana bead.


    "Squeak?"


    "Chirp?"


    "Yeah, there is no change in my body after I swallowed that Mana bead," Yang Zhang said. He tried to punch the air, "Fire fist!"


    ¡­


    Nothing.


    He tried to open his mouth and breathe out, "Ice breath!"


    ¡­


    Nothing.


    "Damn it, don''t tell me that Doctor Jun''s ability is like Deng Fan''s useless ass, gold teeth ability," Yang Zhang complained. He never saw someone with ability as bad as Deng Fan. That was already a very low bar because apparently, Deng Fan couldn''t grow his teeth back if he lost one. Hence, he only has a set of gold teeth that was literally useless.


    Yang Zhang tried various poses, hoping that one would make him do something. That Mana bead started to get uncomfortable under his throat.


    His poses slowly turned more and more ridiculous, to the point that Yang Zhang almost laughed at himself on how ridiculous he was.


    He was about to give up until he heard the sound of a zombie from the other wooden door. Yang Zhang checked and saw a zombie was walking down the stair to an empty clinic corridor filled with dried blood everywhere.


    The zombie wandered around mindlessly, but maybe he heard Yang Zhang''s voice and decided to follow the sound.


    Yang Zhang gulped. The first floor of this clinic had no zombies except the one from the second floor.


    So he guessed the rest of the zombies were upstairs right now.


    He didn''t want to make a noise because he couldn''t fight a horde of zombies inside this clinic without a plan. Because this clinic wasn''t big enough for him to move around.


    If he used Chestnut and Spicy Wing right now, they would make loud noises that would alert all other zombies. His gauntlet gun made a loud gun noise as well.


    Yang Zhang thought he should just return to Nurse Xi''s house through the dark corridor.


    But then, he remembered his main mission, finding a first aid kit, or at least any medicine that might help in the future.


    Yang Zhang watched the zombie carefully, he was thinking of a command, but before he could say something to his pets, he had the sudden urge to spit.


    "Peh," Yang Zhang spat on the floor, and then he discovered something.


    "Wha¡ªmy spit left a crack on the floor?" Yang Zhang saw that his spit broke and made a crack on the floor as if it had been hit by a rock.


    "Peh! Peh!"


    Crack. Crack.


    "No, it''s not my saliva that made the crack. It''s the wind I made when I spit!" Yang Zhang discovered.


    When he pouted his lips like he was about to whistle and blew the wind out of his mouth, he actually made a strong gust that could crack a wooden floor, as if he had an invincible dart from his mouth.


    It was a very specific shape of his lips that activated this ability. That was why he had difficulty recognizing it before!


    "Okay, if I can already crack the wall by using the wind only, that means I can also use other things¡­."


    Yang Shang nodded and took one pea bullet from his pocket. He looked at the zombie outside. He aimed at the zombie, pouted his lips, and put a pea bullet in front of his mouth.


    "Puh!"


    Yang Zhang blew the pea bullet, and it launched just like using his gauntlet gun.


    Pshew!


    "Hrrrhh! Hrrh¡­."


    The pea bullet hit and pierced the back of the zombie''s skull, killing him in one hit and probably destroying his Brain bead in the process as well.


    "Wow, this ability is¡­ well, useful, at least. It''s not some cool stuff, but it will definitely help me here!" Yang Zhang said.


    He heard the zombie noises from upstairs again and firmed his decision, "Alright, let''s go upstairs and kill those zombies one by one."

 Chapter 59 - Bullet Rain!

    He heard the zombie noises from upstairs again and firmed his decision, "Alright, let''s go upstairs and kill those zombies one by one."


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!!"


    "Sshh! Don''t be loud. We need to be stealthy because we''re dead meat if they attack us in a horde," Yang Zhang warned his pets because he knew his pets had the tendency to go rash and loud.


    "Time to go tactical and no scope 360 them one by one," Yang Zhang said as he grabbed a few pea bullets and slowly tiptoed. He stuck his head out in front of the staircase to see if there was a zombie on the stair.


    Once he found one, Yang Zhang pouted his lips and put the pea bullet in front of his mouth. He blew the pea bullet, and it launched quickly.


    Pshew!


    "Hrrr! Urk!"


    Again, Yang Zhang hit the back of the zombie''s head and killed the zombie in one shot. The other zombies hadn''t noticed him yet, much to his relief. He slowly ascended to the second floor and shot any zombies in front of him with the same method.


    So far, Yang Zhang had killed around 5 zombies, and they died in one shot on the back of their head. Yang Zhang peeked before he climbed to the second floor and saw the second floor was already swarmed with zombies.


    He tried to count it but lost count soon after.


    ''It should be more than 40. I don''t know if I should just attack them in Rambo mode or not. I''m afraid using Spicy Wing and Chestnut would only harm me since this building is made mostly of wood. It''s so easy to start a big fire with Spicy Wing or Chestnut''s skill.''


    ''So it leaves everything to me and this newfound ability I got from Doctor Jun.''


    Yang Zhang covered his mouth when he felt about to puke again. He realized that he couldn''t keep this ability for so long because the moment he vomited the Mana bead out, his energy would be fully drained, and he couldn''t move a finger.


    So he had to be decisive.


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath, cupped his hand in front of him, and made an ''O'' shape with it. He didn''t want to do a 360 no scope against them because he knew that he would only alert all of them once they realized their fellow zombies had fallen by a mysterious attack.


    So Yang Zhang took a deep breath and threw as many pea bullets in his other hand to the air.


    Yang Zhang blew the air from his mouth as hard as possible, creating a strong gust that launched all the bullets in a random direction, destroying anything they hit first.


    PSHEW!


    Crack! Crack Crack!


    The pea bullets started hitting the walls, making either a big crack or pierced straight through and made a hole. Many of the bullets also hit the zombies in a random spot. Yang Zhang could see at least the bullets killed 10 zombies simultaneously.


    "HRRRRR!!"


    "RAARRGHH!!"


    The rest of the surviving zombies looked in Yang Zhang''s direction and then rushed towards Yang Zhang at the same time.


    "WHA!"


    Yang Zhang quickly descended to the first floor, and the zombies tried to chase him.


    After Yang Zhang went down, he saw the zombies were about to reach him. The creaky wooden staircase signaled Yang Zhang that he could use this as some sort of a trap!


    "Alright! I can do this!"


    Yang Zhang took another handful of pea bullets, pouted his lips, threw the pea bullets into the air. He blew his breath out and created a big gust, enough to launch the pea bullets.


    Yang Zhang didn''t aim at the zombies because he knew fruitless, knowing how many they were.


    So he aimed at the upper staircases.


    PSHEW!


    Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! CRASH!


    "HRRRR!!!"


    The pea bullets made a lot of holes in the already cranky wooden staircase, and when the zombies stepped on them. Half of the staircase was destroyed, and the zombies plunged to the first floor.


    Yang Zhang looked down to check on them. The zombies were stacked on top of each other, unable to move for now. The fall from such a high place probably staggered them for now.


    Yang Zhang chuckled, feeling proud of himself, "Hehe, good thing I''m a genius~."


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Piii!"


    "Okay, now, what to do next?" Yang Zhang mumbled as he looked at the stair to the second floor. Since the upper half of the stair had been destroyed, he had to find a way to climb up there. Judging by so many hospital cabinets on the second floor, Yang Zhang guessed there were many medicines he could take for himself.


    Of course, the easiest way to climb was using Little Ivy''s vines.


    But right now, the little plant was gripping his arm tightly, too scared to even make a noise.


    "Little Ivy, can you help me?"


    "Viii!!!!"


    Little Ivy tightened her grip on Yang Zhang''s arm, refusing to open her eyes.


    Yang Zhang sighed, and she asked, "Ivy, can you at least give me one of your vines? I will use it to grab something, so we can climb up. You''re my only hope right now, Ivy."


    "Viii¡­" Little Ivy slowly stretched one vine and gave it to Yang Zhang''s palm. She didn''t want to open her eyes, but of course, she could lend a vine to her master.


    "Thanks, Ivy!"


    Yang Zhang looked up, trying to find a spot for the vine to grip on.


    "Oh, there you are!" Yang Zhang noticed a door handle on the second floor. It seemed to be strong enough to hold him for a few seconds.


    He threw the vine like a lasso to the door, and the vine automatically gripped the door handle tightly.


    "Okay, Ivy, pull up!"


    "Vii!" Little Ivy retracted her vine, successfully pulling Yang Zhang to the second floor.


    Yang Zhang landed safely. He looked around instantly and saw a few zombies standing on the balcony. Yang Zhang quickly used his gauntlet gun and killed them with a few shots. The second floor was all clear from zombies now.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    "Hrrrr¡­"


    Yang Zhang looked to the big hole on the staircase, the zombies had recovered, but they couldn''t reach Yang Zhang because they had no way to climb up.


    "Hehe, thanks to Genius me!" Yang Zhang puffed his chest. His pets looked at him in awe because they thought their master was really smart.


    "Oh, and you guys as well, we make a great team!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii!"


    "Pii!"


    "Spicy Wing, Chestnut, Poddie, you guys can get down and help me here. Don''t worry. There is no zombie around. I''ve cleared them all," Yang Zhang said. "Well, their corpses are still here, Chestnut, Spicy Wing. Can you crack their head and see whether their Brain beads are still intact?"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing started cracking the zombies that died on the second floor during the first bullet rain attack from Yang Zhang. They were checking whether the Brain bead was still retrievable or not because some of the zombies had such a fragile Brain bead it was difficult to take them without breaking them in pieces.


    Yang Zhang saw Poddie jump from the tote bag. He smiled and said, "Poddie, please help me check whether there is anything we can take in here."


    "Pii!"


    Yang Zhang and Poddie started looking around, trying to find something that would be useful for them.


    The second floor of Doctor Jun''s clinic has a lot of hospital beds that were lined up. From the number of beds, Yang Zhang concluded that he must''ve put most of his patients upstairs, probably because he knows there is something really wrong with them, and isolated them at the same time.


    He also saw the skeletal remains of a few patients. They were probably the family members of those zombies that refused to leave them and died being eaten by their loved ones, such a tragic end.


    "Urk!" Yang Zhang almost puked again once he realized that the Mana bead started to go up in his throat. He had to be quick before he lost his strength for hours.


    Yang Zhang started opening one cabinet after another, he found many medicines. Of course, he didn''t know what the medicines were used for, but he could always ask that old woman from the human settlement because she was a researcher, right? She should have knowledge of these medicines.


    He grabbed all the medicines he found and put them inside his tote bag. He also found a first aid kit inside a cabinet. He checked the inside and was excited when he saw all the basic first aid kits needed!


    "Guys! We found the first aid kit! We also found medicines!" Yang Zhang announced.


    His pets were also happy by the good news, Spicy Wing and Chestnut returned to Yang Zhang with two brain beads each, so there were 4 good quality Brain beads for him!

 Chapter 60 - Free Running Water!

    His pets were also happy by the good news, Spicy Wing and Chestnut returned to Yang Zhang with two brain beads each, so there were 4 good quality Brain beads for him!


    Yang Zhang quickly put the Brain bead inside the tote bag.


    "Okay, we got all we need in this hospital. It''s time to go home and take a rest for a week or two, hehe. It''s been quite a trip, right, guys?"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Piii!"


    "Hehe, let''s return to our home. Maybe we can¡ªURK!" Yang Zhang covered his mouth and realized that he was about to vomit the Mana bead out.


    He felt his body slowly lose its strength and panicked, ''Shit, it will probably take me hours to recover after this. I need to find a safe space to rest. I''m afraid one of those zombies would find a way to the second floor.''


    Yang Zhang looked around desperately and realized a door behind him. He hooked Little Ivy''s vine in the door handle to climb up.


    Yang Zhang tried to open the door, but it was locked. So he used his gauntlet gun and shot the door handle many times until it was broken.


    He opened the door and found himself in a clean but dusty room. It was quite spacious, complete with a bathroom. Yang Zhang quickly closed the door and pushed a drawer to block the door.


    The room had a window that showed the back garden¡ªthat was will with zombies, of course. But before Yang Zhang could check more, he dropped on the wooden floor and vomited the Mana bead out.


    "URK! HUCK! URRKK!"


    The Mana bead fell from his mouth to the floor, it was covered with his saliva, but it was still intact, thankfully.


    Yang Zhang rested on the dusty wooden floor. He was numb all over, and he could only move his head around.


    "Squeak?"


    "Chirp?"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing sat on his chest, looking at him curiously. Meanwhile, Little Ivy panicked when her master dropped to the ground.


    While Poddie grabbed Yang Zhang''s hair, trying to drag him to the bed to no avail.


    "Haha, it''s okay, guys. I just lost my strength because I swallowed the Mana bead. But we need to stay here for a while because I don''t think I can recover for at least five hours," Yang Zhang said. "We cannot go out as well because by that time, it''ll already be dusk, and the zombies are a lot more dangerous at night."


    "So we''re going to stay here for the night, do you guys agree?"


    His mutated pets voiced their agreement at the same time. They didn''t seem to be distressed by the zombies walking around the hospital, except Little Ivy, of course.


    She was still terrified when she saw zombies and would grip Yang Zhang tightly if she heard a zombie lurking around.


    "Squeak?"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Yes, you guys can look around. Just don''t make too much noise, and don''t burn anything. You will cook us all," Yang Zhang warned.


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing started looking around, searching for something interesting to play around with. They had the habit of finding something good and playing with it or showing it to their master since their master loved searching for many weird things that they didn''t understand.


    Yang Zhang turned his head towards the Mana bead beside him and sighed in relief, "Well, I will think of a good animal that would fit this Mana bead. Since it''s a wind type of ability, I think a bird would suffice?"


    "Chirp?"


    "Oh, no, not you, Lieutenant. I''m thinking of the flying one."


    "Chirp! Chirp!" Spicy Wing wanted to prove that it could fly, so it jumped to the drawer and jumped.


    "Chiiirpp¡ª!!" Spicy Wing fell and hit the floor face first. Yang Zhang laughed at the little chick.


    "You can''t fly, but it''s okay. You''re still my reliable Lieutenant."


    "Chirp!"


    "Well, I still need to find a good animal to use this Mana bead. I wonder if we could find a good bird that would be friendly to us," Yang Zhang wondered. Unlike the plants, even after eating Mana bead, the animals seemed to have their own free idea. Like Chestnut and Spicy Wing, they decided to join Yang Zhang because they liked him.


    But they could leave if they wanted to, so he had to find a good animal that would willingly join him in his adventure.


    Poddie stopped pulling Yang Zhang''s hair and checked the Mana bead. The bead was a perfect sphere that attracted Poddie, "Pii?"


    "Hm? What do you want?"


    "Pii! Pii!" Poddie opened his pea pod bag and showed an empty pod. He pointed at the Mana bead and to his pod. "Pii!"


    "You want to keep it safe for now? Oh! Thank you, Poddie! Please keep it safe until we return home!"


    "Pii!"


    Poddie grabbed the Mana bead and then put it inside his pod bag. Yang Zhang rested while looking blankly at the ceiling for a while. Since he couldn''t do anything right now.


    Chestnut and Spicy Wing started to bring many things for Yang Zhang to examine.


    "Squeak?"


    "That''s a pencil."


    "Chirp!"


    "Yeah, that''s a small mirror. Where did you get that?"


    Yang Zhang continued entertaining his pets to pass the time. Meanwhile, Little Ivy and Poddie seemed to be busy talking to each other, maybe because they originated from plants, so they had their own connection to one another.


    Yang Zhang spent the house talking with his pets until five hours passed, and he slowly regained his strength. He got up after a while and cracked his tired body.


    He looked around the room and commented, "This must be Doctor Jun''s private bedroom."


    It was a regular bedroom, complete with a bed with a flower motif and a wardrobe full of middle-aged men''s outfits. Yang Zhang walked to the bathroom to check whether the water was still running.


    He twisted the faucet, and much to his surprise, dirty water started flowing. But after about 10 seconds, the water turned into freshwater, so the water tank in this place must''ve been well preserved.


    "Guys, come here!" Yang Zhang said excitedly. His pets entered the bathroom, and Yang Zhang pointed at the faucet, "We can drink and take a bath tonight, hurray!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Vii!"


    "Pii!"


    Yang Zhang quickly filled the bathtub and the bathroom sink with water. He then helped his pets one by one first.


    First, it was Spicy Wing which only needed a small dip because of its fire attribute.


    Second, it was Poddie and Little Ivy. They scrubbed themselves clean and went out with Spicy Wing as Yang Zhang put Doctor Jun''s shirt on the floor, so they could rub their bodies on the shirt to dry themselves.


    The last was Chestnut.


    Now, Chestnut was a little different than the rest. Yang Zhang knew that Chestnut actually liked bath. Yang Zhang would pour water in a bowl for Chestnut to bathe in most of the time because Yang Zhang would die by an electric shock if they bathed together.


    Yang Zhang allowed Chestnut to use the bathroom sink as a pool. Then, Yang Zhang stripped his clothes and took a dip in the cold bathtub.


    It might be cold, but it was still refreshing for Yang Zhang, knowing that he had to take a bath in the river when he wasn''t in his hut most of the time.


    The river water was fresh and all, but there was plenty of mutated fish that might actually kill him. He also had to watch for crocodiles, so he usually asked Chestnut to jump first and zapped the river to kill whatever was inside before taking a dip.


    Yang Zhang checked the shampoo and soap that Doctor Jun had. Most of them were already expired, but fuck that, of course, he would use it. It had been three days since the last time he used shampoo and soap. He had them in his hut, thanks to the mini-market he plundered before. He also took all the bathroom necessities.


    Yang Zhang started to get drowsy after he shampooed his hair. He saw that Chestnut finished the bath and rubbed its body around the shirt, just like the rest of his pets. They were sitting together on the bed, ready to rest.


    So Yang Zhang cleaned his hair and was about to follow them.


    Yang Zhang got up and dried himself with Doctor Jun''s towel. Suddenly, he felt that something was touching his back. He turned his head and found nothing.


    He continued drying himself until he saw a white hand on his left shoulder, just like before.


    He gulped nervously, "I swear to god if this is another jumpscare, I would¡ª"


    Before Yang Zhang could finish his sentence, a big, black bear that he killed before suddenly appeared in front of him and roared, "GROARRH!"


    "Ah¡ª" Yang Zhang was stunned for a second before his eyes rolled up, and he fainted on the spot.

 Chapter 61 - New Pea Bullet!

    "I swear to god if this is another jumpscare, I would¡ª"


    Before Yang Zhang could finish his sentence, a big, black bear that he killed before suddenly appeared in front of him and roared, "GROARRH!"


    "Ah¡ª" Yang Zhang was stunned for a second before his eyes rolled up, and he fainted on the spot.


    The other pets were terrified of the black bear, especially when it turned around and stared at the mutated pets with its shining white eyes. They were terrified and hugged each other out of fear.


    "VII!"


    "SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"


    "CHIRRP!"


    "PII! PII!"


    The black bear had a mist coming out of its mouth, and it suddenly giggled when looking at the pets.


    "Tee¡ªhee¡ªhe-he-hee~."


    Slowly, the black bear turned into a white mist that circled around the mutated pets. It looked playful and harmless around Poddie, who was the most naive and had no experience with this white mist ghost before.


    "Pii?"


    "Tee¡ªhe¡ªhe-he-he~" the white mist ghost continued giggling. It grabbed Poddie and flew around the room for fun.


    "Piii~ Piii!" Poddie was excited as he flew around the room and landed safely on the bed. The white mist ghost giggled again, playfully teasing the pets and checking on Yang Zhang, who fainted on the bathroom floor.


    "Vii! Vii!" Little Ivy panicked as she realized that her master was still there. She stretched her vines and carefully grabbed Yang Zhang. She dragged Yang Zhang to the bed and covered him with a blanket.


    "Tee¡ªhe-he-he-he~" the white mist ghost circled around Yang Zhang''s head before floating up and disappearing into the ceiling.


    The mutated pets were looking up, making sure the mischievous white mist ghost had left, and then sat around Yang Zhang''s face, hoping that their master would wake up soon.


    It would take more than twenty minutes for Yang Zhang to regain consciousness. He was shocked when he saw his pets surrounding him with their concerned eyes.


    "Vii! Vii!" Little Ivy hugged Yang Zhang immediately. She was scared that something might happen to her master.


    But Yang Zhang was unresponsive for a while, still trying to process what just happened to him.


    "W¡ªWhere is the ghost before? Is it gone?"


    "Vii! Vii, Viii!"


    "That ghost is the same ghost that scared us in the cave before?"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Damn, what is that thing?" Yang Zhang wondered. "Is it a ghost-type poke¡ªI mean, ghost-type mutated animal? That''s a bit too strange, though. All mutated animals would retain their Mana bead, but that ghost has no Mana bead and can pass through walls¡­."


    This was the second time Yang Zhang was jumpscared until he fainted, and with the same method as well.


    "Ugh, I will make sure to catch that ghost if we find it again! I''ll go full ghostbuster on her ass!"


    Yang Zhang spent the whole night disgruntled over that jump scare while his pets were all sleeping in peace.


    **


    Yang Zhang woke up when the sun from the window hit his face. He opened his eyes slowly and found his pets were all ready for the day.


    Yang Zhang checked the window, and the sun was already rising. He yawned and briefed his mutated pets, "Okay, guys. We''re going home today. Who''s excited to sleep in our own hut? Raise your hands!"


    Everyone raised their hands readily, especially Poddie, who was quite excited upon seeing his new home. He was raised in a greenhouse. He didn''t move much, so he had to admit that he missed the security provided in a house.


    Yang Zhang washed his face first and took anything valuable from Doctor Jun''s room, though there was nothing much he could take anyway.


    But at least, he got all he needed, especially the medicine and the beads.


    He obtained 4 usable Brain beads and 1 good Mana bead.


    Oh, speaking of Mana bead, Yang Zhang carefully grabbed Poddie to sit on his lap and asked, "Poddie, may I see the Mana bead now?"


    "Pii!"


    Poddie carried his bag full of pea bullets produced overnight and opened the zipper.


    The Mana bead was still inside the pod safely. Yang Zhang sighed in relief, he picked the Mana bead to inspect it, but the other pea bullets fell out once he pulled the Mana bead.


    "Ah, sorry, Poddie."


    "Pii! Pii!"


    "Huh? What do you mean? I should discard all of my previous bullets? But I think I still have enough in my gauntlet gun."


    "Pii!"


    Yang Zhang frowned when Poddie said that the pea bullet could rot. He checked his gauntlet gun on the table and then opened the magazine.


    The pea bullets from yesterday fell to the floor, and all of them had turned brownish, and they turned mushy, just like a real pea.


    "Ah, so the pea bullets only last for 24 hours?" Yang Zhang asked Poddie as he picked one rotten pea bullet and squished it.


    "Pii!" Poddie nodded and shoved his pod bag to Yang Zhang, telling him to take all the new pea bullets.


    Yang Zhang thanked Poddie and checked the new pea bullet. He then realized that there were plenty of different colored pea bullets.


    At least around 20% of the pea bullets color had turned sky blue. It had the same shape but was lighter than a regular pea bullet.


    "What is this, Poddie?"


    "Pii! Pii!"


    "Eh? This is the new variant of your pea bullets after putting that Mana bead inside your pod?"


    "Pii!"


    Yang Zhang got curious. He guessed that the sky blue bead must have a new effect. Since it had been imbued with the wind Mana bead. So he picked one sky blue bead and put it inside his gauntlet gun. He aimed at the drawer that blocked the door.


    BANG!


    WHOOSH!


    Yang Zhang was shocked by the recoil from his gauntlet gun. The regular pea bullet wouldn''t create such a strong recoil as if he had just used a shotgun.


    The sky blue pea bullet launched towards the drawer, and it pierced through the wooden drawer straight to the door. Then, Yang Zhang could hear the pea bullet hit a few other things on its way out until he couldn''t hear the sound anymore.


    Everyone looked at the holes created by the sky blue pea bullet.


    Yang Zhang inspected the whole in the drawer and a hole on the door.


    He opened the door slowly and measured how the pea bullet launched after piercing the wooden door.


    "Holy shit, that new pea bullet launched so strong!" Yang Zhang said.


    He quickly returned to grab his gauntlet gun and filled it with another sky blue pea bullet.


    He opened the window and aimed at the walking zombies in the back garden.


    BANG!


    WHOOSH!


    Yang Zhang was more prepared with the recoil, and he watched how the sky blue pea bullet hit the head of one zombie and pierced straight without stopping. It continued hitting the rest of the zombies in the line until the pea bullet hit the ground, making a small, deep hole in it.


    With only one pea bullet, Yang Zhang had killed two zombies instantly while wounding four more in the process.


    "Holy shit, that is amazing!" Yang Zhang excitedly grabbed Poddie and asked, "Poddie, can you create as many of these sky blue pea bullets as possible?"


    "Piii¡­" Poddie looked sad and shook his little head. "Pii, Pii¡­"


    "Ah, so the amount of pea variant you produced is random?"


    "Pii!"


    "Okay, then how about the Mana bead. Do you need to use it constantly?"


    "Pii, Piii!"


    "Wait, you only need it one time inside your bag for at least one night, and your pod bag will continuously create a variant of it?"


    "Piii!"


    "WOW! Poddie, you''re amazing!" Yang Zhang rubbed his cheek with Poddie. "That means I can still use this Mana bead to someone else. You''re so useful, Poddie!"


    "Pii! Piii!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii?"


    "Hehe, all of you are all useful. Everyone here is helping me, except that wiggling rose in our hut," Yang Zhang said as he hugged everyone.


    Yang Zhang decided to separate the sky blue pea bullet from the regular one. He wanted to keep the new pea bullet inside his pocket, so he could always use it on demand, while the rest of the regular pea bullet goes inside the gauntlet gun.


    After he was prepared, he told everyone, "Okay, guys. We''re going up!"


    Yang Zhang shot the roof with his gauntlet gun a few times to make many obvious holes, so it would weaken the ceiling. Then, he asked Little Ivy, "Ivy, break the roof and climb up!"


    "Vii!" Little Ivy wasn''t that scared since she was far from any living zombies, so she easily broke the roof with her vines and pulled Yang Zhang up.


    Yang Zhang stood on top of the highest building in this village, and he looked at a spot that was safe for him to use Little Ivy''s vines to propel him directly out of the village. He wasn''t in the mood to fight another wave of zombies.


    "Let''s see¡­."

 Chapter 62 - Back To The Hut! (1)

    Yang Zhang stood on top of the highest building in this village, and he looked at a spot that was safe for him to use Little Ivy''s vines to propel him directly out of the village. He wasn''t in the mood to fight another wave of zombies.


    "Let''s see¡­."


    Yang Zhang checked the north, east, south, and west. He checked all directions and found that the east of this building was the closest to the big tree outside of the tall wooden fence surrounding the village. The fence was made out of wood logs sharpened at the end, so it was pretty sturdy.


    Now, the next question was¡­


    "Can Little Ivy reach that tree with her vines?" Yang Zhang asked himself.


    He looked at Little Ivy, who hid inside his arm, and patted her head gently, "Ivy, can you help me now?"


    "Vii¡­"


    Yang Zhang sighed. Of course, Little Ivy was scared. Yang Zhang raised his palm up to the sky and then commanded, "Okay, you can open your eyes now, Ivy. Don''t look down. Just look at the big tree. Do you think you can reach that?"


    Little Ivy opened her beady eyes slowly and stared at the big tree outside the tall fence.


    "Vii!"


    "Oh great! Your vine can reach that? Try to grab it then, and pull us quickly, so we don''t lose momentum!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched two vines and grabbed the big branch of that tree.


    "Okay, guys, hold tight!"


    "VIIIII!"


    "AAHHH¡ªURK!" Yang Zhang screamed loudly when he was pulled towards the tree, he hit the trunk, and Little Ivy wrapped another vine around Yang Zhang''s body tightly, so he wouldn''t fall to the ground.


    Yang Zhang shook his head. He sat on the branch and thanked Little Ivy, "Thank you, Ivy! You''re always the lifesaver!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    Yang Zhang checked his other pets. After making sure that everyone made it, he looked at the long way to return home.


    Of course, he already marked the trees that he used to swing with Little Ivy''s vines.


    Before he got his gauntlet gun, he marked the tree by using asking Chestnut or Spicy Wing to make a mark on the trunk.


    But now, all he needed to do was to shoot the trunk with his gauntlet gun. Little Ivy was also familiar with the forest. As long as she had wrapped her vines around the trees, she would be able to remember the route back.


    "Okay, let''s go home! Ivy!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy started their journey by swinging from one tree to another. Yang Zhang tried to kill the boredom of a long swinging trip by singing one of his favorite songs.


    Of course, it wasn''t Chandelier by Sia. He sang that song so many times already. He started singing that very popular song when he was a child. Maybe not many people still remember that song, but he did!


    He also taught his pets to sing with him, so they would make a choir full of mutated pets.


    "Tsamina mina¡­"


    "Chirp, chirp!"


    Waka waka¡­"


    "Squeak, squeak!"


    "Pii!" Poddie suddenly popped out from the bag while complaining.


    "Oh? Do you want to sing too? Okay!"


    "Tsamina mina¡­"


    "Pii, Pii!"


    "Waka waka¡­"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Tsamina mina, zangalewa¡­


    This time for Africa!"


    Yang Zhang swung past Miss Kobra''s human settlement. He wanted to stop by and ask the grandma about the medicine, but he decided to continue his trip instead.


    Why? Because he missed his first hut. If he spent his time in that settlement, he would have to stay in an inn or somewhere for the night.


    "Besides, I miss my home so much," Yang Zhang said, as he mentioned the first hut that became his base after he was kicked out of his old shelter.


    Yang Zhang continued swinging until he could see the dark lake where Katarang usually took a bath. He wanted to meet Katarang to check whether she was alright since they had exchanged somewhat of friendly banter.


    "Ivy, let''s check the dark lake!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stopped swinging at the tree and helped Yang Zhang land softly on the ground. Yang Zhang walked towards the dark lake. He was also quite thirsty, so he scooped the water to drink it.


    Like Katarang said before, this dark lake actually had the tastiest water in this forest because she purified it daily.


    "Ash Ketchup?"


    Yang Zhang looked up when he heard someone calling his fake name.


    Katarang walked towards him from the other side of the dark lake. She was only wearing her towel that covered half of her boobs, down to his thigh.


    She had her blue hair tied to a bun.


    "Where have you been?" Katarang asked. She stepped on the lake, and the water magically turned crystal clear.


    She strutted on the lake surface lightly and walked towards Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang was enamored by Katarang''s hourglass body shape. He was still a man in the end.


    He swallowed his saliva hardly, and when Katarang stood right in front of him, she asked again, "Ash? Are you alright?"


    "I¡ªI''m alright. Are you here to take a bath? I¡ªI will leave now."


    "No, you don''t need to leave," Katarang said with a smile. She made a small kick and turned the water into a dark lake again. She created a water bubble that wrapped around Yang Zhang''s eyes, so Yang Zhang couldn''t see anything while she dropped her towel.


    Katarang took off her towel and dipped into the lake, only allowing her head and half of her chest on the surface as she snapped her finger, dispersing the water bubble around Yang Zhang''s eyes.


    Yang Zhang blinked a few times and saw that Katarang was swimming around in the dark lake. She returned to Yang Zhang after she was felt refreshed, putting her hands on the lakeside and staring at Yang Zhang with a smile on her face.


    Yang Zhang sat on the lakeside, right in front of Katarang. They stared at each other for a while, and Katarang opened the conversation, "So where have you been? I''ve waited for your arrival since you said that you''re heading to the east."


    Yang Zhang felt that Katarang was a lot more relaxed than the first time he met. Which got him suspicious, "Uh¡­ why are you so friendly at me now? You attacked me so harshly before¡­."


    "Huh, I did it because you''re peeking at me!" Katarang huffed. "Well, at least you didn''t do anything wrong while I was unconscious. Besides, I''m just quite lonely, since I''ve been living in my hut alone. It''d be nice to have a chat with another human."


    "So, tell me, what did you find in the east?"


    "Well, I found a unique settlement," Yang Zhang replied.


    "A unique settlement?"


    "Yes, it''s a settlement exclusive for humans with immunity. So there is no ability user into that place because there is an initiation method that is foolproof."


    "Oh? What kind of initiation method?"


    "It''s using a mutated fruit. For us humans with immunity, any mutated fruit is basically the same. Well, they can have a weird taste, but they''re not poisonous to us."


    "But for ability users, any mutated fruits is deadly, right? That''s why it is a foolproof method."


    "And you passed that test?"


    "Of course! I am a human with immunity, after all. Of course, I can pass the test easily, hehe," Yang Zhang grinned proudly.


    But not with Katarang. She frowned as if something was wrong with Yang Zhang''s claim just now.


    "You can pass it? You can eat it without killing yourself?"


    "Yep!"


    "¡­ but aren''t you an ability user? You can speak to your mutated pets, right?" Katarang asked. "Ability can vary in many ways. Maybe that''s yours."


    "Eh, I think talking with my pets is just a natural thing to do. Once you heard them enough, you will understand them."


    "They literally spoke one word over and over¡­." Katarang said.


    "And you will still understand them, trust me!" Yang Zhang insisted. "Besides, if I''m an ability user, I would die since day 1 after I entered my previous shelter. Because the humans with immunity are forced to eat much weird mutated stuff, while all the normal thing was given to the ability users."


    "That''s correct¡­." Katarang was in doubt, but Yang Zhang''s was correct. Any ability user would die after eating any mutated animal or plant. So they had to be extra careful of what they ate."


    "Oh, I also brought a new friend," Yang Zhang said. He looked inside his tote bag and called, "Poddie, I have a friend here. Why don''t you introduce yourself to her?"


    "Pii!" Poddie excitedly went out of the tote bag and stared at the beautiful lady with blue hair.


    Poddie was smitten when Katarang smiled at him, "Hello, little friend, your name is Poddie, right?"


    "Pii!" Podio nodded happily. "Pii! Pii!"


    Poddie jumped from the tote bag and held Katarang''s little finger as a small handshake.

 Chapter 63 - Back To The Hut! (2)

    "Hello, little friend, your name is Poddie, right?"


    "Pii!" Poddie nodded happily. "Pii! Pii!"


    Poddie jumped from the tote bag and held Katarang''s little finger as a small handshake.


    Katarang chuckled when Poddie tried to shake her little finger. She patted the head of the mutated plant and asked Yang Zhang, "Ash, it makes me wonder, what kind of magic did you do to find all these friendly mutated creatures. Most of them hate humans, I won''t lie. I had to kill plenty to survive in this forest."


    "Well, uh¡­ I guess I''m just friendly looking?" Yang Zhang gave out the dumbest answer, but Katarang chuckled and nodded.


    "Well, that''s not wrong either," Katarang smiled. "It''s nice to find a friend. I''ve been living in the hut all alone."


    "Well, I''ll make sure to visit often. I travel around to find a supply for myself and find people that might help me. You know, the apocalypse is harsh, and it''s not hard to make an enemy. But there are good people out there, at least that''s what I believed," Yang Zhang said.


    Katarang smiled mysteriously but said nothing while staring at Yang Zhang and his pets.


    They stayed in silence for a while until Yang Zhang asked, "Oh, Katarang, are you familiar with medicine?"


    Katarang''s relaxed face sharpened instantly. She looked at Yang Zhang with an alert gaze, and she distanced herself from the lakeside, where Yang Zhang was sitting, "What about it? What do you want?"


    "Oh, I''m just asking because of¡­ uh¡­." Yang Zhang took a strip of pills from his tote bag and showed it to Katarang. "I found medicines from my expedition to a village. I took it all, just in case I need it. But I don''t know what it''s for. So¡­ if you know medicine, would you mind telling me about the use of each medicine?"


    Katarang peered at Yang Zhang suspiciously. She seemed to be very alert when Yang Zhang mentioned medicine.


    ''I guess I accidentally opened the pandora,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    "Is there something wrong?" He asked.


    "Nothing, it''s just quite suspicious because you could easily obtain medicine. Medicine is really difficult to make and costly, especially in the apocalypse," Katarang said with a hint of suspicion in her tone. "Are you sure you accidentally found those medicine?"


    "Wha¡ªwho said that I easily obtained it? I found these in an abandoned clinic in a village, invested with zombies. I had to fight my way through to get these!" Yang Zhang huffed. He didn''t want to be looked down on by Katarang.


    "Just say that you don''t want to help! Hmph!"


    "I¡ªI will help, geez," Katarang pouted. "I''m just being careful here."


    Katarang swam to approach the lakeside again and then grabbed the medicine in Yang Zhang''s hand.


    "This is for light headache, usually complimented with fever reduction pill. It''s good if you get a high fever or stressed out over something. It has the side effect of making you drowsy."


    "Ah, I see¡­." Yang Zhang nodded, Katarang returned the pills to Yang Zhang. The latter gave out another one for Katarang to identify.


    "This is for stomach acid reflux, or simply GERD. It''s really important for those who suffered from it. I actually need this for general use because I have bad acid reflux."


    "Eh? You need it?! Then you should take it," Yang Zhang said.


    "Oh, don''t worry about me. I will only feel the acid reflux when I haven''t eaten anything for the whole day. Otherwise, I''ll be fine," Katarang said. She wanted to hand it back to Yang Zhang, but the latter refused.


    "I think you should keep it for an emergency. I don''t have that acid reflux thing, so I will be fine," Yang Zhang said.


    Katarang stared at the medicine in her hand. Honestly, she had a lot of stomach problems. It was an illness before the apocalypse. The medicine was available in the shelter, but she wasn''t there anymore.


    So this medicine would help her so much.


    But she didn''t believe in free lunch. There was nothing free in this world. Katarang looked at Yang Zhang, who stared at her with such a kind gaze, and she quickly submerged her body inside the dark water until only her head was out of the water.


    "What do you want in exchange for this?"


    "What do I want? Eh¡­" Yang Zhang was confused by that question. Because he hadn''t thought about trade between them.


    "Uh¡­ I don''t think you need to trade for anything. I just gave it to you because you need it. Besides, you allowed me to drink the purified water of this lake. I felt like drinking those bottled mineral water in the pre-apocalypse world, haha!" Yang Zhang answered.


    ¡­


    Katarang felt that Yang Zhang was just being callous, maybe he had something planned in the future for the exchange, and he did this in order to gain Katarang''s trust.


    "Just take it, alright? You can help me identify all of the medicines I got, so I wouldn''t accidentally overdose on random pills," Yang Zhang said.


    "Alright, that''s fair, I guess¡­."


    Yang Zhang and Katarang spent the whole afternoon identifying all the medicines he obtained. Yang Zhang tried to remember them one by one, so he wouldn''t get it all mixed up in the future.


    Little Ivy was also listening to Katarang''s explanation of each medicine as if she actually understood and remembered all the medicines.


    Meanwhile, Poddie, Chestnut, and Spicy Wing played around the lakeside. They didn''t dare to jump in because the water was so dark, like a big pool of ink. But the water was indeed very refreshing!


    After getting all the information he needed, Yang Zhang nodded and thanked Katarang, "Thank you so much, Katarang. I was glad that you could help. I don''t know what would happen had it not been you who helped me identify each."


    "W¡ªWell, I also thank you for the acid reflux medicine. I do need it as well for an emergency situation."


    "Hehe, you''re welcome ah. We are now friends, right?" Yang Zhang asked while stretching his hand, waiting for a handshake.


    "I guess¡­" Katarang shook Yang Zhang''s hand reluctantly. She was still cautious of Yang Zhang since she never found someone that looked so carefree like Yang Zhang in this depressing apocalypse world.


    "Why do you look so carefree, by the way? Don''t you see that we''re in the apocalypse, and many dangerous things are out there?" Katarang said. "Backstabbing between peers is very common, and killing for food is normalized."


    "Giving medicine to a person you met twice will not help you curry good favor," Katarang said.


    Yang Zhang was a tad surprised by Katarang''s cynical statement.


    It wasn''t wrong, actually. Because that was just the reality that everyone faced in the apocalypse. But it was still damn depressing to think about.


    Yang Zhang hummed for a second and shrugged, "Well, when I got kicked out of my shelter, I really thought that I would die getting eaten by zombies or probably die out of starvation."


    "I was scared out of my guts until I found my very first mutated pet, Chestnut, that electric squirrel who defeated you before," Yang Zhang said while looking at Chestnut, who played tag with Spicy Wing right now.


    "I befriended Chestnut, and we started searching for food, hunting for mutated fish to eat, and also killing zombies in the process. Then, I met Little Ivy, Lt. Spicy Wing, and also Poddie."


    "I think, when you have friends by your side, you won''t be scared at all, even in such a bleak world in the apocalypse," Yang Zhang said.


    "Viii!" Little Ivy was happy to be mentioned and hugged Yang Zhang''s hips with her vines.


    "Hehe, just like Little Ivy. She is scared of zombies, and she feels safe when she''s around me. In exchange for protection, I asked her with a lot of favor, mostly to transport me in this big forest."


    Katarang looked at how harmonious Yang Zhang and his pets were. She didn''t feel envy because she knew that she couldn''t be like this man who could easily befriend these supposedly unnameable creatures.


    She was a bit sad, knowing that she didn''t have the privilege to have easier life like Yang Zhang, "You have such a childish way of thinking. This is the apocalypse. Your power of friendship won''t help here."


    "Well, I don''t plan on befriending many people, just people that I think is safe enough to approach," Yang Zhang said. "I''m befriending you because you feel safe enough to approach, Katarang."


    Katarang and Yang Zhang stared at each other for a while. Katarang''s cheek reddened in the process, "S¡ªStop saying sappy stuff. You won''t get anything from me!" Katarang said as she turned away.


    "I will finish bathing today and return soon. You should go now if you don''t want to be stuck in the forest late at night," Katarang said.


    Yang Zhang nodded, "I think so too.. I will leave now. See you later, Katarang!"

 Chapter 64 - Mugged!

    "I will finish bathing today and return soon. You should go now if you don''t want to be stuck in the forest late at night," Katarang said.


    Yang Zhang nodded, "I think so too. I will leave now. See you later, Katarang!" Yang Zhang got up and called his pets, "Guys, let''s go home!"


    "Pii! Pii!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Viii!"


    Everyone gathered around Yang Zhang and sat on their designated spot; Little Ivy gripped Yang Zhang''s arm while Chesnut hid inside Yang Zhang''s pocket. Poddie was hiding inside the tote bag, and Lt. Spicy Wing was perching on top of Yang Zhang''s head.


    Katarang saw this, and she had a small chuckle.


    "Eh? Why are you laughing? What''s so funny?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Nothing," Katarang replied with a smile. "I''m just thinking that your pets must''ve loved you so much."


    "Mm, okay then, I will leave now. I shall visit often!"


    "Sure, you''re welcomed here," Katarang said. "Now go. I also need to dry up and return to my hut."


    Yang Zhang nodded, and he aimed his palm towards a tree. Little Ivy automatically swung in that direction, and they left Katarang alone in the lake.


    Yang Zhang felt that Katarang was a bit weird today, "Why is she so friendly today? Or maybe it''s just because our first meeting was very awkward. That''s why I always see her as a dangerous person?"


    "Maybe she is not that bad¡­."


    "Pii! Pii!" Poddie, hiding inside the tote bag, climbed out a bit to talk with his master while they were swinging.


    "Eh? What do you mean?"


    "Pii!"


    "Eh¡­ that''s so ridiculous," Yang Zhang denied. "How come you said that she might like me? What kind of story do you think is this? Enemy to lovers?"


    "Pii?"


    "Well, it''s not impossible, but¡­." Yang Zhang imagined himself dating. He was always alone in his life, and he thought he didn''t need a partner, let alone a girlfriend. "I don''t think I need one right now."


    Yang Zhang told Little Ivy to stop and go down before reaching the territorial tree.


    That tree would whoop them if he accidentally passed the territory without knowing, and he would probably die on the spot, knowing how strong that tree was.


    Yang Zhang walked around the territorial tree who still closed its eyes.


    "Poddie, look at that," Yang Zhang said as he pointed at the face of the big tree. "It''s so scary, right?"


    "Pii?" Podio tilted his head. He looked at the sleeping tree and didn''t find any danger around. "Pii, Pii?"


    "Huh? Kind, big tree? That tree can kill you, you know¡­."


    "Pii!" Poddie jumped from Yang Zhang''s tote bag and walked towards the territory of the tree.


    "Oh no, Little Ivy, help him!" Yang Zhang commanded, but Little Ivy only stared at Poddie and refused, "Vii!"


    "What do you mean he will be okay¡ªOh¡­." Yang Zhang looked at Poddie, who walked towards the tree without worry, and the big tree didn''t react as well.


    "I forgot that big tree is not hostile to plants," Yang Zhang commented.


    "PII!" Poddie rolled around the fresh grass around the territory of the tree. He wouldn''t lie. The grass around the territorial tree looked very green and comfortable to sit on. Probably because there were no animals or humans that could touch the area.


    Yang Zhang waited until Poddie was satisfied, and said, "Okay, let''s go, Poddie! Our home isn''t far from here!"


    "Pii!" Poddie got up and waved at the big tree, saying goodbye to it, "Pii Pii!"


    Poddie returned to Yang Zhang, and he asked, "What do you mean you will return again?"


    "Pii!"


    ¡­


    It seemed that Poddie was more free-spirited than the rest of his teammates. He told Yang Zhang that he would be visiting this big tree whenever he had the chance.


    But Yang Zhang didn''t say yes to that, but he was quite positive that they wouldn''t have the time to visit this scary tree anymore.


    Yang Zhang continued walking until they could see the hut from afar. He quickened his steps, unable to contain his excitement to return to the good old hut that he liked the most.


    But when Yang Zhang was about to reach the hut, he saw a figure coming from a different direction.


    "Hey you!" a man called him from afar.


    Yang Zhang stopped and stared at the man who walked towards him. The man swaggered towards Yang Zhang as if he was walking in a peaceful park, not a dangerous forest filled with mutated plants and animals.


    He had spiky hair and played with a knife when he approached Yang Zhang.


    The man continued swaggering until he stopped about 10 feet away from Yang Zhang.


    "Hey, you, what''s your name? It''s very rare to see a man walk around the forest like this. Are you part of a survey corps or something?" The man asked.


    Yang Zhang observed him from head to toe, and he concluded that this man was probably one of the ability users tasked to go out and find something to eat.


    He looked dangerous, though, especially when he played with that knife. He was 100% adept at using it.


    Yang Zhang clenched his fist, trying his best not to look suspicious in front of this man because he knew this man was up to no good.


    "My name is Ash. I''m one of the survey corps from a nearby shelter," Yang Zhang replied. "And who are you?"


    "Me? Why do you want to know my name?" The man asked with a smirk on his face. "It''s you who easily give your name to me. I don''t have any obligation to tell you my real name, right?"


    Yang Zhang''s eyes widened. He had been tricked into the simplest way possible.


    Maybe because he had been surrounded by mostly good people in his journey outside of the shelter, he got a bit too lenient.


    Yang Zhang tried to keep his expression as flat as possible and shrugged, "Alright then, I don''t have any intention of knowing you either. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I will leave now."


    "Where are you going? Don''t tell me that you live in that hut?" The man pointed at Yang Zhang''s hut with his knife. "You told me that you''re a survey corps from a nearby shelter. Either you''re lying, or you''re running away from your shelter. Which one?"


    "I have no obligation to answer you as well," Yang Zhang replied, giving back the same words that the man told him a moment ago.


    "Oh, ho ho, playing with words now, I see," the man''s lips twitched. He didn''t seem to be happy with Yang Zhang''s arrogance.


    "Well, I''m quite interested with the pets on year head and bag. Do you happen to have the ability to communicate with the animals? Or perhaps enslave them to fight for you?" The man asked.


    Yang Zhang kept silent. He didn''t want to say anything after realizing his fault.


    He wanted to walk away, acting as if he didn''t know anything about the hut, and he wasn''t living there.


    But before he could walk too far, the man suddenly threw a knife at Yang Zhang, and it barely scratched Yang Zhang''s cheek.


    Yang Zhang was stunned, and the man chuckled, "What''s the hurry, my friend? Do you think I don''t know what you''re hiding inside that tote bag? You seem to be working hard, I see¡­."


    Yang Zhang quickly clutched his tote bag like a lady that was about to get mugged in an empty street, "What do you want?"


    "Huh? Of course, the medicine, idiot! I know that you''re hiding a medicine inside that bag. Give it all to me, and I will let you walk free, and let''s pretend that we never met before."


    "I¡ªI can give you one or two if you have an illness," Yang Zhang said. He was mostly non-confrontational to ability users unless that person attacked first.


    "If you don''t give it all to me, you''ll be the one who needs the medicine to live. So give it all to me before I lose my patience," the man said. He took out another knife from his sling bag, ready to attack Yang Zhang again. "The first throw is a warning. The second one wouldn''t be so kind, Ash."


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth. He was trying to negotiate peacefully. He would be willing to give medicine if the man was sick.


    But this was a straight-up robbery in daylight!


    "I don''t want any fight. Can we just¡­ pretend this never happens? You can leave peacefully, you know¡­."


    "Don''t be an idiot. Do you think my boss would be happy if I came empty-handed? It''s either you or me, my friend. This is the last warning, give the medicines to me now, or you will be food for the mutated crocodile in the river."


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath and shook his head, "I won''t let myself die like Thomas and Martha Wayne. You''re going down, Mr¡­ whatever your name is."


    The man smirked and prepared his stance, "Wrong choice, kid."

 Chapter 65 - Deadlock (1)

    Yang Zhang took a deep breath and shook his head, "I won''t let myself die like Thomas and Martha Wayne. You''re going down, Mr¡­ whatever your name is."


    The man smirked and prepared his stance, "Wrong choice, kid."


    Yang Zhang didn''t know what stance he should take since he wasn''t adept in martial arts. The man in front of him seemed to have some experience with martial arts, though, and it intimidated Yang Zhang so much.


    ''Okay, Yang Zhang, don''t lower your guard. You might not be able to fight him toe-to-toe, but you have mutated pets and your gauntlet gun! I can do this!'' Yang Zhang tried to encourage himself because this would be his first fight against a seemingly dangerous ability user.


    Yang Zhang noticed that all his pets were peeking to see the enemy.


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Pii!"


    "Oh no, you guys, don''t do anything rash without my command. This guy in front of us is serious trouble. He will seriously kill us all!" Yang Zhang scolded his pets, that were about to prepare themselves for the battle.


    "Squeak?"


    "Yeah, I don''t know this guy. This guy is not as forgiving as the old lady in that settlement. Let''s see what he can do first, okay?" Yang Zhang said.


    The man looked at Yang Zhang''s interaction with his weird pets. It seemed that this kid could communicate with those mutated animals.


    But none of them seemed to pose a serious threat for him. Combined with that non-threatening man, this would be easy.


    "Heh, goofy-ass kid, that bag full of medicines will be mine!" The man dashed straight towards Yang Zhang with a knife ready to slash.


    "WHA!?" Yang Zhang was caught off guard, he tried to back off to dodge, but the man was so quick. So he ducked, and the knife almost hit his hair.


    Yang Zhang pushed the man and ran away, distancing himself from him again, "Geez! What''s wrong with you? I''m not ready yet!"


    "Pii! Pii!"


    "See? Even my pet said it''s not fair!"


    "Do you think I will wait?" The man chuckled. "Well, I guess you do have a good reaction. The next attack wouldn''t miss. I will not go easy on you."


    The man dashed again with a knife in his right hand, but this time, he threw another knife towards Yang Zhang while running, so the latter''s attention would diverge.


    Yang Zhang didn''t want to continue fighting in this situation. He would lose since the man was quick and adept at using knives.


    Yang Zhang jumped to the side and opened his palm towards a tree, "Ivy!"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy stretched two vines and grabbed the tall branch. Yang Zhang was pulled towards the tree and sat on the branch, "HAH! I have the high ground now!" Yang Zhang said while sticking his tongue out to mock the man on the ground. He prepared his gauntlet gun and loaded the regular pea bullets since he could freely shoot the man from above now.


    The man stared at Yang Zhang sitting on a branch while loading something that seemed to be a gun. This goofy kid has some unique tools, it seemed.


    The man licked his lips, and his smirk grew wider, "So many unique things. Killing you will give me many unique things, HAHAHA!"


    The man threw a knife at Yang Zhang, and Yang Zhang dodged by ducking.


    "WHAT!" Yang Zhang got up and hid behind the tree to avoid the second knife.


    "Damn it, this man is seriously adept at throwing his knives," Yang Zhang mumbled. He wanted to attack, but when he tried to peek from behind the tree, the man quickly threw another knife, not giving him a chance to attack.


    He could also clearly see Yang Zhang''s location, even behind the tree with lots of leaves covering him.


    Yang Zhang suspected that the man had an ability that compliments his throwing skill, probably a sharp eyes that could see through things.


    "I need something to divert his attention," Yang Zhang looked at his pets and then decided to use Chestnut since the squirrel was also adept in the tall tree branches.


    "Chestnut, try to divert his attention by running from one branch to another, so I have an opening to attack him," Yang Zhang said.


    "Squeak!" Chesnut readied itself to jump, Yang Zhang waited for another knife throw, and once he heard another knife hit the branch, he commanded.


    "Now, Chesnut!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut started jumping from one branch to another, hiding behind the leaves. Chestnut intentionally shook the branch to ensure that its master''s enemy noticed the movement and attacked Chestnut instead.


    When he heard the branches rustling, the man was holding a knife, ready to throw it again. He squinted to see who was running in the branches since the leaves were a perfect hiding spot.


    Thanks to his ability, the man could easily see a squirrel jumping around to make a noise.


    "You think I don''t know your dirty little trick?" The man said in a low voice. He saw that goofy kid was still hiding behind the trunk, waiting for an opening.


    The man decided to take another knife and threw one towards the squirrel, he knew he''d miss it because the squirrel was so agile and small, but the goofy kid reacted by jumping another branch and aiming at him with his unique gun, much to the man''s expectation.


    "I saw you, kid."


    **


    Yang Zhang waited for the man to throw the knife towards Chestnut. Once, he heard the knife hitting on a branch near Chestnut''s position. He jumped to another branch and aimed at the man with his gauntlet gun.


    But before he could attack, the man had already thrown a knife in his direction, and it was too late for him to dodge.


    "ARGH!"


    Yang Zhang winced in pain when the knife stabbed his arm. He lost his balance and fell from the tall tree.


    "VII!" Little Ivy quickly grabbed the branch with two vines, ensuring her master wouldn''t get hurt.


    It took a moment for Yang Zhang to recover from the pain. The stinging pain was still there, but he knew he couldn''t wail in pain here. Because this was a life or death situation.


    The man chuckled and threw a knife aimed at Yang Zhang''s head, and Little Ivy helped by swinging Yang Zhang from one branch to another, so they could avoid the knives.


    "So unique, I see that your pets are actually helpful," the man commented while he kept throwing his knives.


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth and grabbed the knife planted on his arm.


    "Urrrghh! RARGH!" Yang Zhang grunted as he tried to endure the pain. His jacket was now bloodied around the arm, but he didn''t care. He had to kill this man first.


    Chestnut rejoined after seeing their master get hurt.


    "Ivy, continue swinging!"


    "Viii!"


    Yang Zhang endured the pain when he lifted his arm to aim at the man. His hand was shaking because of the wound, and he started shooting the man while he was swinging around the man.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    The man saw a pea bullet propelled in his direction. He raised his eyebrow because he thought he saw it wrong.


    ''It really is a pea. Why would he shoot a pea at me? What a goofy kid. Does he think the apocalypse is some sort of a comedy show?'' The man thought. He didn''t move when the pea bullet almost hit his arm.


    But when the pea bullet actually hit his arm¡ª


    "ARGHHH!"


    The man screamed because the pea was almost like a steel bullet pierced through his skin and wounded his right arm, right at the same spot where he hit that goofy kid.


    "Yeah! Arm for an arm!" Yang Zhang screamed victoriously. He saw the man was wounded, so he continued the attack.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    The man gritted his teeth. He dodged the pea bullets this time. He started bleeding. The sensation was eerily similar to getting hit by a steel bullet.


    ''How could that kid create a pea with the toughness of a steel bullet?'' He pondered.


    But there was no time to think right now because Yang Zhang continuously barraged the man with pea bullets, ensuring that the man could not attack him anymore.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Clank! Clank! Clank!


    The man started deflecting the pea bullet with his knife. But he was in the losing spot here because he couldn''t hit that goofy kid, thanks to the swinging plant.


    "Alright, time to activate my trump card," the man dodged rows of pea bullets before he closed his eyes for a three-second and opened it.


    "Deadlock," The man said in a low voice, and his eyes changed their shape, turning into a ''+'' sign and automatically aimed at his target.


    He could easily read the pea bullets projectile in this mode and dodged without even using his knife.


    He took a knife from his pocket and looked at Yang Zhang. He could automatically aim at Yang Zhang''s head, but instead, he aimed at the vine that helped him swing continuously.


    "I got you in my sight."

 Chapter 66 - Deadlock (2)

    "Deadlock," The man said in a low voice, and his eyes changed their shape, turning into a ''+'' sign and automatically aimed at his target.


    He could easily read the pea bullets projectile in this mode and dodged without even using his knife.


    "I got you on my sight."


    The man aimed at the vine, and his eyes could read the movement easily. He threw a knife towards the vine, cutting one vine easily.


    "VIII!" Little Ivy was wailing in pain. Yang Zhang quickly looked up, and he was horrified when he saw that Little Ivy''s vine had been cut, just like what happened when they fought the big black bear before.


    "Oh, no! Put me down, Ivy. You will get hurt even more!" Yang Zhang said, but Little Ivy refused.


    "Vii! Vii!" Little Ivy said, insisting that she would continue swinging to protect her master.


    But the man didn''t let her. He threw another knife to cut the only vine that was still swinging.


    "VIII!" Little Ivy was wailing in pain, and Yang Zhang fell from such height that would crush him.


    "VIII!" Little Ivy didn''t want her Master to get hurt, so she pushed herself and stretched one more vine to grab whatever branches she could find, and Yang Zhang landed on the floor safely.


    "IVY!" Yang Zhang checked on Little Ivy, that was still grimacing in pain after getting two of her vines cut. Of course, she would recover, but the pain was real.


    "Vii¡­"


    "No, no, you''re doing great. Just rest inside the tote bag with Poddie right now. Don''t come out. I can handle this."


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy was still worried that something would happen to her master, but since she would be no help after getting her vines cut, she went inside the tote bag and hid with Poddie inside.


    "Heheh, this is a fair fight now, don''t you think?" The man snickered. "Your swinging pet is so unique. I am 100% positive that you can command your animals with your ability. This is getting interesting!"


    Yang Zhang stared at the man coldly. He wasn''t really an anarchist that would fight without provocation. He liked to mind his own business, but since this man dared to hurt his mutated friend¡­


    "I will make sure that you will regret provoking me," Yang Zhang said. He picked the Mana bead in his pocket. It was Doctor Jun''s Mana bead that could give him the power to shoot compressed air from his mouth, like an air gun.


    He didn''t know the side effect if he swallowed the Mana bead twice, but if that was the price of avenging the man who had hurt his mutated friends¡­


    Yang Zhang swallowed the Mana bead without hesitation, and the Mana bead was stuck on his throat again, just like the previous use.


    His body felt hot and cold all over, and he almost fainted after the sharp pain in his brain, as if the Mana bead activated something inside his brain.


    The man peered at Yang Zhang, who had just swallowed a blue bead. He had seen the same bead coming from inside a dead ability user''s head. It was just like that useless brain bead.


    ''No, but surely, he is not swallowing something that originates from a man''s brain, right?'' The man wondered. Like what the government broadcasted every time, they had to destroy those blue and red beads because it was dangerous and could sprout an even worse monster from the ground.


    The man was a tad intimidated by Yang Zhang right now because he never expected a man to eat such a gross thing.


    Yang Zhang started sweating bullets right now. He felt that his head was getting hammered, and his heart was beating uncontrollably. This was the effect of swallowing the same Mana bead for the second time.


    The effect seemed to take a toll on his body so much, but he couldn''t give up here. He didn''t want his mutated friends to get hurt even more.


    Yang Zhang got up on his feet and stared at the man in front of him, he was breathing heavily, but he tried to brush off the pain and filled his gun with pea bullets.


    "What an idiot, do you think using those pea bullets would hit me again? You hit me once because I underestimated the strength, but it turns out your pea bullets are as strong as a real steel bullet, huh?"


    Yang Zhang didn''t answer, but he realized that Spicy Wing and Chestnut were ready to attack.


    "No, guys, you two should hide inside my pocket or the tote bag. Look at that man''s eyes? It seems that his ability is like Sharingan or something. You can read a movement a second faster, right?" Yang Zhang confronted the man.


    "Correct," the man confirmed. He had no worry about telling his ability because he took pride in it.


    "What do you think? You might have a cool ability, but mine is a lot more practical," the man said.


    Yang Zhang had no intention to deny that, although he was actually just a human with immunity. He smiled thinly and nodded, "Your ability is indeed great. It''s perfect for me."


    "Huh? Perfect for you?"


    "You will know soon," Yang Zhang said. He thought he could befriend, or at least try to act as if nothing had happened between them, and they could leave in a separate way.


    But this man wanted a death fight, and Yang Zhang would give it to him.


    That Mana bead would be perfect for him. It was indeed a practical ability for a fight.


    They were preparing their stance and faced each other, waiting for an opening to attack first.


    The man got impatient since Yang Zhang didn''t move, so he threw a knife to start a fight.


    Yang Zhang used his gun and aimed it at the knife to deflect the knife with his pea bullet.


    BANG!


    CLANK!


    The man chuckled when he saw Yang Zhang''s shaking hand. The stab wound must''ve hurt badly right now, at least compared to his pea bullet would, Yang Zhang had so much worse.


    The man threw a knife towards Yang Zhang and rushed towards him with a knife in his hand, just like before.


    BANG! BANG!


    Yang Zhang shot twice to deflect the bullet and attack the man, but the man''s deadlock eyes easily read the second pea bullet launching at him. He deflected it with the knife in his hand.


    CLANK! CLANK!


    Yang Zhang knew that would happen as well, so he pouted his lips and blew a strongly compressed air at the man.


    The man didn''t know what Yang Zhang did, so he continued charging.


    But when he was only five feet away from Yang Zhang, he suddenly felt an invisible bullet made out of the air that hit his thigh. It wasn''t strong enough to hurt him, but it did make him lose his balance.


    "AH!" The man staggered for a moment, and Yang Zhang used this to attack with another pea bullet.


    BANG!


    The man barely dodged the bullet since his attention was diverted. He backed off and distanced himself from Yang Zhang again.


    ''What was that?'' The man asked himself. He didn''t know what had just hit his thigh, and his deadlock eyes caught nothing from Yang Zhang other than the pea bullets.


    Yang Zhang smirked this time after he saw the confusion in the man''s eyes.


    "What''s wrong? You can''t read my move with your deadlock eyes? I guess it''s not very practical, huh?" Yang Zhang said half mockingly.


    "Shut up," the man tried to ignore the creeping fear in his heart. He felt that he might be too hasty to fight this goofy kid. But there was no turning back now.


    Yang Zhang sensed the fear in his enemy, so he took the chance to attack first now.


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath from his nose. He felt that his lung was a lot bigger when he used this Mana bead, so he could run faster than usual.


    The man clutched his knife and read the attack with his deadlock eyes. He threw another knife towards Yang Zhang, which Yang Zhang deflected while running by shooting it with his gauntlet gun.


    BANG!


    CLANK!


    Yang Zhang quickly reached the knife that had been deflected and grabbed it with his free hand since Little Ivy wasn''t using his left hand anymore.


    Yang Zhang dashed straight towards the man with a knife in his hand, and the man read the pattern of Yang Zhang''s attack.


    Yang Zhang swung the knife to cut the man''s neck, but the man dodged to the left and thrust his sword to attack Yang Zhang''s left arm.


    Yang Zhang turned his head around and blew compressed air to the man''s face, and it hit the man''s right eye.


    "ARRGGGHHH!" The man jumped backward when he felt another invisible bullet hit the edge of his right eye. He couldn''t dodge it because his eyes couldn''t read the invisible attack at all.


    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!" The man yelled while covering his right eye with his hand.

 Chapter 67 - Deadlock (3)

    Yang Zhang turned his head around and blew compressed air to the man''s face, and it hit the man''s right eye.


    "ARRGGGHHH!" The man jumped backward when he felt another invisible bullet hit the edge of his right eye. He couldn''t dodge it because his eyes couldn''t read the invisible attack at all.


    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!" The man yelled while covering his right eye with his hand.


    Yang Zhang stared at him coldly, "What''s wrong? Why are you backing off like that? I thought you said you want to kill me."


    "SHUT UP!" The man started panicking in his heart. He didn''t know what kind of ability he was fighting currently and how this goofy-ass kid suddenly became intimidating.


    He started hesitating, thinking that he shouldn''t pick a fight against this goofy kid in the first place.


    ''Should I run now?'' The man thought. He didn''t know what kind of unpredictable attack the goofy kid would do next.


    The man took another step back, but Yang Zhang shot three times on the man''s feet, which the man dodged quickly.


    "Don''t try to run. Arm for an arm, you hurt Little Ivy, my pet. I will make sure to cut your arm to make up for that," Yang Zhang said ruthlessly.


    Yang Zhang took another deep breath, enlarging his lung, and dashed so fast, the man got nervous when Yang Zhang charged at him. He even forgot to activate his deadlock eyes and could not read the movement.


    STAB!


    Yang Zhang stabbed the man''s right arm first, and the man screamed in agony, "AAAARRGHHH!"


    The man staggered as he clenched his arm in pain. He tried to run away from Yang Zhang because the man started to get too ruthless, and he wasn''t prepared to fight against this presumably goofy kid.


    Yang Zhang dashed again, and this time, the man was able to use his deadlock eye, "Deadlock!"


    The man could read Yang Zhang''s movement, but not as perfect as before. Because he got one eye injured after Yang Zhang attacked him with that invisible bullet.


    The man tried to find a weak spot while Yang Zhang was dashing towards him, but when he slashed in Yang Zhang''s direction, the latter dodged quickly, and the knife accidentally cut the strap of the tote bag.


    "Pii!"


    "Vii!"


    The tote bag fell to the floor alongside Little Ivy and Poddie inside. They rolled on the ground and called their master.


    "Pii!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Ivy! Poddie!" Yang Zhang was surprised because he didn''t expect the man to hit the tote bag instead. He abandoned his attack towards the man to grab Poddie and Little Ivy.


    The man saw that Yang Zhang prioritized his pets more than attacking him. So he took this chance to dash and grabbed one of the mutated pets that had fallen from the tote bag.


    Yang Zhang had successfully grabbed the one near him, Little Ivy.


    But the man also grabbed the other, which was Poddie.


    "PII! PI!!!"


    "PODDIE!"


    Yang Zhang was about to kill the man by grabbing Poddie, but he aimed his knife at Poddie''s neck instead.


    "Stay right there! I will kill this goddamn thing if you dare to attack me!"


    "No, Poddie!"


    "PII!" Poddie was utterly scared. He tried to struggle to no avail, and he had no way to defend himself either.


    "Release him!" Yang Zhang said.


    Truthfully, the man also had no intention of keeping this mutated pet for himself. It seemed that goofy-ass kid would go into a rampage and kill him instantly if he dared to kill one of his pets, so he used this thing as a hostage instead.


    "Stay where you are, don''t move, or I will kill this thing!" The man threatened. "And drop your knife!"


    Yang Zhang gritted his teeth, but the safety of his pet was his priority. So he dropped the knife and stood still, waiting for the next movie from the man who dared to use his pet to threaten him.


    "Throw all of your medicine to me!" The man said.


    Yang Zhang grabbed the tote bag and threw it near the man''s feet.


    The man checked the tote bag with his feet, and after making sure that it was filled with medicine and a first aid kit, he was grinning victoriously.


    He grabbed the tote bag with his right hand, even though he was still bleeding from the stab on his arm.


    The man looked back for a second and realized a river nearby, which would be enough for him to escape with the medicine. This goofy-ass kid wouldn''t be able to shoot him with his pea bullet since he would be underwater.


    "Stay still!" The man ordered. He started walking backward with Poddie as his hostage. Yang Zhang stayed still, and when his pets were about to attack, he told them to stay still as well.


    "Don''t do anything rash. We don''t want Poddie to get hurt," Yang Zhang commanded.


    "Viii¡­"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut were fuming in rage, but Yang Zhang didn''t want Poddie to get hurt, or even worse, get killed.


    He also didn''t want Spicy Wing and Chestnut to get hurt either.


    The man reached the edge of the river. He had no plan to bring this weird mutated thing with him because he knew Yang Zhang would chase him down.


    All he wanted to do right now was to escape with the bag of medicine.


    "HAHA! See? I still get what I want, you idiot! That''s why I am the winner here!" The man yelled at Yang Zhang, complete with his mocking laugh. He threw Poddie to the ground while jumping to the river with the tote bag full of medicine that Yang Zhang spent days journeying to the east.


    But Yang Zhang didn''t stop there once he ensured that Poddie was saved. He asked Little Ivy first, "Ivy, I know it''s difficult, but can you summon at least one vine to grab that tree?" Yang Zhang asked while pointing at the tall tree near the river.


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy didn''t want to waste her master''s hard work, and she felt that it was also her fault for getting her vines cut by that evil human.


    "VIIII!" Little Ivy exerted her strength. She was in pain, but she insisted, and two vines grew from her body. She grabbed the tree branch and pulled Yang Zhang to the top.


    Yang Zhang landed safely. He sat on the tree branch and saw that the man was swimming slowly in the slow river. He must''ve thought that he was completely safe right now.


    Yang Zhang looked at him coldly. He threw out all the pea bullets inside his gauntlet gun''s chamber and loaded all the sky blue pea bullets inside. This pea bullet would rot in 24 hours anyway.


    Yang Zhang aimed at the man''s body. He was mostly submerged underwater but visible enough for Yang Zhang. He was sure that the sky blue pea bullet would work even underwater.


    Yang Zhang closed one eye and aimed at the man with deadlock eyes. He then shot his first blue bullet from the gauntlet gun, and the sound was ringing across the quiet forest.


    BANG!


    PSHEW!


    Yang Zhang gripped the branch because the recoil was so strong, and the wound on his arm must be so severe right now.


    The blue bullet launched towards the man. When the man heard the gunshot, he quickly dived underwater to avoid it, but the bullet didn''t lose its momentum even underwater and hit the man''s nape.


    "URK!"


    The man''s eyes widened. He was so shocked that he started drowning when he realized that he had been shot, the shot was so strong that the bullet pierced through his neck, and the man felt numb all over while he continued to bleed.


    He could only look around underwater because and saw the water had been stained with his blood, which attracted a certain predator.


    The man''s eyes widened when he saw a twin-headed crocodile suddenly swimming towards him, but after he got shot, he couldn''t do anything except for accepting his fate.


    Yang Zhang saw a twin-headed crocodile suddenly pop out of nowhere and bite the man, dragging him somewhere far, which was exactly what Yang Zhang wanted.


    If he shot the head, then it would be instant death, but since this guy dared to use his pet as a hostage, then a more gruesome death would be sufficient. That was why he aimed at his neck instead, which probably hit the whole nerve system.


    "Don''t ever try to hurt my pet," Yang Zhang said as he looked at the bloodied river coldly, and he pointed at the tote bag floating on the river, "Ivy, can you grab the tote bag?"


    "Vii!"


    "Ohh, and Poddie too!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    Little Ivy used one vine to grab the tote bag on the river and Poddie with the other. She pulled them to Yang Zhang''s side, and Yang Zhang hugged Poddie first.


    "PODDIE!"


    "PII! PIII!"

 Chapter 68 - The Rose Girl (1)

    Little Ivy used one vine to grab the tote bag on the river and Poddie with the other. She pulled them to Yang Zhang''s side, and Yang Zhang hugged Poddie first.


    "PODDIE!"


    "PII! PIII!"


    Yang Zhang checked Poddie''s body, afraid that the little guy was hurt somewhere, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt somewhere?" He asked.


    "Pii!" Poddie replied, ensuring Yang Zhang that he was alright.


    "Poddie¡­" Yang Zhang also saw his pets who surrounded him. He embraced them all for one big hug.


    "I will never let you guys get hurt. You''re all my friends in this difficult apocalypse world," Yang Zhang said.


    "Vii!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Pii! Pii!"


    **


    After the big warm hug, Yang Zhang asked Little Ivy to bring them down, and Yang Zhang carried the now-soaked tote bag and his pets that hid inside his pocket and sleeve.


    He walked to the hut that he missed so much, even though it was just two days since the last time he left this place.


    Yang Zhang opened the door and expected the place to be at least a bit dusty.


    But much to his surprise, the house was clean. There was no sign of dust, mess, and dirt spots made by Lt. Spicy Wing and Chestnut when they played tag around the hut before.


    Yang Zhang got suspicious instantly. He was afraid that a man had broken into his hut and thought this place was abandoned.


    He started tiptoeing to look around, to check whether there was a sign of human other than he lived here in the past two days.


    "Vii?"


    "Ssh! We don''t know if there is someone here. Stay silent," Yang Zhang said, and all his pets zipped their mouths instantly.


    Yang Zhang grabbed the bedroom door handle. Since there was nobody in the living room, then he guessed that the intruder must''ve been sleeping on the bed right now, not knowing the history of the dead baby in the crib inside.


    Just imagining himself sleeping in the same room with the dead baby, Yang Zhang''s hair stood on end.


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath, twisted the knob, and slammed it open, "HA!" Yang Zhang aimed his gun at the bed, thinking he got the intruder.


    But he found nobody, the bedroom was also empty.


    But strangely, the messy bedroom was now all squeaky clean, including the crib. The last time Yang Zhang visited this bedroom, the crib was left untouched after picking the baby''s bones and burying him in the backyard.


    "This intruder is surely a very clean person. Look at how clean and tidy they did this," Yang Zhang commented.


    After finding out that the intruder wasn''t in the bedroom, there was only one place that he hadn''t checked yet, the backyard.


    Yang Zhang went to the backyard, and when he looked around, he still hadn''t found anyone.


    "Huh, this is so strange¡­." Yang Zhang mumbled. "Why would an intruder tidy up the hut? And even if there is one who thinks he can stay, what''s the point of cleaning up when he''d leave again?"


    Nothing changed in the backyard. Only the dancing rose twerked when Yang Zhang opened the backyard door.


    Yang Zhang peered suspiciously at the dancing rose. He might have gone mad because he kept on thinking that the dancing rose was actually the one who took care of the house while he was out.


    Yang Zhang approached the twerking rose and then crouched in front of it. He continuously peered at the rose suspiciously, and the rose seemed to have noticed the suspicion and stopped dancing. The rose stood straight, like a rod. Even the leaves became stiff due to nervousness.


    "AHA! I know that you can hear me!" Yang Zhang shouted, and the rose started trembling as if it was scared.


    "Come and talk to me! Tell me if you can uproot yourself, like Little Ivy and Poddie. We need to talk!"


    The little rose started trembling again, even trying to cover the petal with her leaves in shames.


    Lt. Spicy Wing remembered that Miss Rose didn''t want to show herself in front of their master because she was still shy and wasn''t prepared.


    So Spicy Wing jumped from Yang Zhang''s head and shielded the twerking rose, "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Huh? You don''t want me to bully this twerking rose? But you don''t know if this rose is dangerous or not!" Yang Zhang insisted.


    "Chirp!" Spicy Wing continued defending the twerking rose, and Yang Zhang thought it was very strange for Spicy Wing to defend the rose.


    It made him wonder if¡ª


    "D¡ªDid you fall in love with this rose, Lieutenant?"


    "CHIRP!? Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" Spicy Wing was shocked by the accusation. He tried to explain to General Yang Zhang that it was forbidden for him to date in the military field because it would distract him from a mission.


    Yang Zhang hummed as he listened to Spicy Wing''s explanation.


    "Alright, then let me check what is under the rose. Maybe this dancing rose has something underneath. Maybe it can actually uproot itself, like Poddie and Little Ivy. Move to the side, Lieutenant, or I will demote your rank."


    "CHIRP!?" Lt. Spicy Wing finally yielded when it heard that General would demote the little chick for disobeying an order. But before Yang Zhang could touch the rose, he suddenly lost all of his strength.


    "Ark! ACKKK!" Yang Zhang felt the Mana bead slowly come up from his throat, and he vomited the Mana bead out.


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "Vii!"


    "Pii! Pii!"


    "Squeak!"


    The wound in his arm also opened again. He had an adrenaline rush before, so he sort of ignored the stab wound. Now that he finally puked out the Mana bead, he could feel that blood started leaking out again from the stab wound.


    Yang Zhang fell to the ground, and he couldn''t move even a single finger. The only thing he could do was stare at the sky.


    ''Ah¡­ shit¡­''


    Slowly, Yang Zhang closed his eyes as he fell into a deep slumber due to exhaustion.


    "Chirp!?"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Pii!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    The pets were panicked when they saw Yang Zhang fall to the ground and fainted on the spot. The blood in his arm also started leaking again.


    Little Ivy tried to grab Yang Zhang''s body first, at least to bring him to the hut. But Little Ivy was also exhausted after exerting so much strength despite getting wounded against that evil man with a knife before, so she couldn''t carry Yang Zhang at all.


    Amidst the panic between them, the rose started twerking again, and ahead suddenly popped up from the ground.


    "VII!"


    "PII!"


    "SQUEAK?!"


    Everyone except Spicy Wing was shocked when they saw a woman with long dark hair and a sweet smile. She was around mid-twenty and didn''t show any hostility at all to the mutated pets.


    She looked really beautiful, but her skin was rotting. But Spicy Wing realized that her rotting skin wasn''t as bad as before. As if some of them had been manually stitched by using thin roots to act as a thread for stitching.


    The woman looked concerned at Yang Zhang, who fainted with blood leaking.


    "Oh no! Master is in bad condition! Let''s bring him inside first and treat his wound!" The half-head girl suddenly uprooted herself and showed half of her body. She had a rotting zombie body but stitched in many spots to ensure no skin fell from her body.


    She was naked when she showed half of her body, but she didn''t seem to care about it, even when being looked at by these mutated pets.


    The woman smiled at the pets and asked, "I''m sorry for my indecency. Let me cover myself first."


    The zombie woman patted her body. Black roses started sprouting from her body and covering herself with a dress made out of roses.


    She easily uprooted the rest of her body from the ground and patted her dirt-stained roses dress.


    She squatted in front of her master, Yang Zhang, and was about to touch his chest when Little Ivy suddenly jumped onto Yang Zhang''s chest and slapped the zombie''s hand with her vine, "VII!"


    Little Ivy tried to protect her master, afraid that this woman that had just uprooted from the grave of the mother and child would hurt Yang Zhang.


    The woman smiled at Little Ivy and explained, "Don''t worry. I know that you''re just trying to protect him. I''m here to help because he is also my master, you know?"


    "Vii?" Little Ivy looked up to the zombie woman, asking if she was also Yang Zhang''s pet, just like the rest of them.


    "Hihi, I am Master Yang Zhang''s pet, just like you guys. I just have a different body," she replied. "Wait, we can''t have a talk here. We need to stop the bleeding first, at least."


    The zombie woman gently touched the wound on Yang Zhang''s arm, and white roses magically sprouted and bloomed on Yang Zhang''s arm to close the wound instantly.

 Chapter 69 - The Rose Girl (2)

    "Hihi, I am Master Yang Zhang''s pet, just like you guys. I just have a different body," she replied. "Wait, we can''t have a talk here. We need to stop the bleeding first, at least."


    The zombie woman gently touched the wound on Yang Zhang''s arm, and white roses magically sprouted and bloomed on Yang Zhang''s arm to close the wound instantly.


    "Ah, that would close the wound temporarily. But we need to clean it first, at least with alcohol. Let''s bring him inside first," the woman grabbed Yang Zhang''s waist and carried him like carrying a sack of potatoes.


    They entered the hut, and the zombie woman carefully put Yang Zhang on the bed. She took off his jacket to see the stab wound.


    Thanks to the black roses sprouting on his arm, the wound had stopped leaking. But the wound was still terrible-looking and had to be cleaned and bandaged quickly.


    The woman looked at other pets who were waiting for her to do something to Yang Zhang, and she commanded, "Little Ivy, can you grab me the tote bag that Master Yang Zhang brought today? Chestnut, Lieutenant Spicy Wing, please bring a towel here. We need to clean this wound."


    "Vii!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Squeak!"


    The pets went their separate ways to make the request, while Poddie was the only one looking out for Yang Zhang right now, "Pii, Pii?"


    "Master Yang is fine. He just fainted because he was exhausted. He just needs to rest and get his wound treated," the zombie woman said.


    "Oh, you''re new here, right? May I know your name?" The zombie woman asked.


    "PII!"


    "Poddie? Okay, then, Poddie, why don''t you go to the backyard and grab that Mana bead he vomited before."


    "Pii!"


    Poddie also went out to grab the Mana bead for Yang Zhang.


    The zombie woman looked around the house and had a sense of nostalgia, especially with the bed and the baby crib. As if she had a personal connection with them.


    But she remembered nothing, and after she gained consciousness of her own and could move her entire body, the first thing she did was clean the hut for the man who gave her life, Master Yang Zhang.


    She didn''t have a name, let alone any memories of her previous life, but she knew everything about this hut in the back of her head. She even knew how to clean up and do many chores. It was all an instinct at this point.


    So when Master Yang Zhang was out for two days, she took the initiative to uproot herself and started cleaning the house, even washing Master Yang Zhang''s dirty clothes and drying them up under the sun.


    All the pets returned not long after with all the requested items that the zombie woman asked.


    "Thank you, everyone, now let''s start helping Master Yang Zhang first," she said.


    She plucked all the black roses from Yang Zhang''s arm and opened the first aid kit. Of course, she did everything by instinct, but everything seemed to be very clear to her.


    She picked the bottle of alcohol from the kit and then started pouring it gently on the wound to kill the bacteria.


    Yang Zhang frowned a few times because of the pain, but he remained unconscious throughout the process.


    She patted the wound with antiseptic wipes to clean the rest of the dirt before using her own all-natural thread made out of very thin roots. She stitched the stab wound before wrapping it with a bandage.


    After all, was done, she got up from the bed and looked at Master Yang Zhang''s other pets.


    "Let''s take a rest for now, okay? I know all of you must''ve been tired."


    Everyone except the zombie woman gathered around Yang Zhang, about to rest with their master. But not with her, the zombie woman stood in silence before walking to the door and left.


    "Vii?" Little Ivy asked why the zombie wouldn''t sleep with them, but the zombie was a bit shy. "Master Yang Zhang is not used to me, and my body smells horrid. I''ll rest in my resting spot in the backyard."


    "Viii¡­" Little Ivy was still wondering how a zombie could become friendly like that. And how could she not feel scared around her?


    "Vii¡­"


    "Chirp?"


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy told Spicy Wing that she had no fear of that woman despite her zombie appearance.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut barged in and gave its opinion.


    Maybe Little Ivy is scared of the grunting sound that zombies make, but not by their appearance.


    Or¡­ maybe because that zombie woman wasn''t hostile in the first place. She also spoke just like their master, and she looked like a beautiful human!


    Of course, she had greyish skin and had stitches here and there, but if you ignored that, the zombie woman with a dancing rose on top of her head looked and acted like a normal human.


    The pets were discussing the possibilities, but of course, they couldn''t come up with any conclusion because the only all-knowing man in this world was their master, Yang Zhang.


    Thus, they decided to snuggle around Yang Zhang and guarded him against any harm, just like how Yang Zhang protected them.


    **


    Yang Zhang was in deep slumber for more than 12 hours. And when he regained his consciousness, his body was in too much pain that he couldn''t even open his eyes right now.


    All he could do was listen and feel his surrounding.


    ''Okay, I definitely heard the snore that Chestnut and Spicy Wing usually made.''


    ''I feel something is hugging my nose right now. That''s definitely Poddie. Since he really likes hugging my nose.''


    ''Oh, I could also feel the heat on my chest and top of my head. Only the mutated animals can produce the heat, so Chestnut and Spicy Wing are on top of me right now.''


    ''Little Ivy is circling her vines around my uninjured arm, like always.''


    ''Oh, speaking of my arm¡­.''


    Yang Zhang felt the stinging pain was still there, but it wasn''t as bad as before. Either he had lost too much blood and was dying right now, or he was getting treated.


    But if he was dying right now, how could his pets be sleeping comfortably right now. They must''ve panicked to the bone, especially Little Ivy, who was pretty protective and clingy with him.


    Yang Zhang suddenly heard the creaking wooden floor as someone approached him. Now he got even more confused and nervous at the same time. He kept guessing who was the person approaching him right now.


    The last time he remembered, he fainted in the backyard, but now he was sleeping on top of comfortable bedding.


    Since Yang Zhang couldn''t do anything right now, all he could do was pray that the person approaching him wasn''t hostile.


    "Master, I''m here to wipe your face and chest. You''ve been sweating all night long."


    Yang Zhang felt a cold hand carefully brush his bare chest, scooping Chestnut, who was sleeping on top of his chest, and put the squirrel right beside Spicy Wing on top of his head.


    "Please excuse me, Master¡­."


    Yang Zhang felt a brush of a damp cloth gently wiping his face. The woman had a cold hand, but her touch was undeniably gentle and comfortable.


    She put her palm on top of Yang Zhang''s chest and commented, "Master, your heat has returned. I think you will be conscious soon. Pardon me for being brazen and touching your bare chest."


    ''Oh, I am fully conscious right now,'' Yang Zhang said in his heart since he couldn''t open his mouth right now.


    He wondered who this lady was. From the way she spoke, she seemed to be a polite woman.


    ''It''s definitely not Katarang. I also doubt that woman would call me Master. The only way she''d address me is by using ''hey you,'' so Katarang was definitely out of the question.''


    ''But who would be kind enough to take care of me while I was unconscious?''


    Yang Zhang had many questions in his head, and he still found no answer to any of them.


    ''Oh well, I will find out after I can open my eyes. Let me just¡­ enjoy her care, for now, it feels nice, not gonna lie.''


    Yang Zhang relaxed as he felt the woman''s damp cloth go down to his neck and chest.


    She carefully wiped the sweat on his chest, down to his flat stomach.


    Yang Zhang was somewhat embarrassed because it would definitely be 10x sexier if he had abs. At least he had something to showcase there.


    The wipe continued to go down until Yang Zhang felt the damp cloth was wiping his belly button and went down near his crotch.


    Though he still had his pants, the woman didn''t feel shy to wipe his waistline.


    Yang Zhang felt ticklish, especially since the woman''s cold hand brushed near his dick.


    ''Oh, shit¡­''


    Slowly, he felt his pants tighten, and he got a boner.


    The woman stopped wiping and suddenly commented, "Master, Did I do something wrong? Why are you hard?"


    She suddenly whispered in Yang Zhang''s ear, "Master, do you want me to do something about it?

 Chapter 70 - The Rose Girl (3)

    Slowly, he felt his pants tighten, and he got a boner.


    The woman stopped wiping and suddenly commented, "Master, Did I do something wrong? Why are you hard?"


    She suddenly whispered in Yang Zhang''s ear, "Master, do you want me to do something about it?


    ''Wait, hold on! Please waittt!'' Yang Zhang started panicking as he felt the cold hand slowly unbutton his jeans'' rivet. He couldn''t do anything right now. He was basically in a coma.


    ''Lady, please wait! At least wait until I can feel my body first!'' Yang Zhang protested. Not because he didn''t want it, but because this would be his first time, and if he lost his first time while he was literally half a corpse right now, then he would lose all the excitement!


    "Master, are you nervous?" The woman asked.


    ''You bet I am, damn it!'' Yang Zhang could only curse in his heart as he couldn''t say a thing nor do anything right now.


    Zrrrtt!


    "Me too, Master. I don''t know what I am doing right now, but I feel like this is the right thing to do to serve you¡­." the woman said as she unzipped Yang Zhang''s jeans. "Everything I did is instinctual."


    ''Lady, at least introduce yourself first! Where is the courtesy of knowing each other before going full homerun?'' Yang Zhang complained.


    There was only a thin brief between his erect dick and the woman''s cold touch. Yang Zhang was screaming internally, unable to accept that he was about to lose his virginity while he couldn''t even open his eyes!


    "Master, do you want me to do it? I can¡­ do something with my hands¡­.''


    But before the woman could do more, Yang Zhang suddenly felt a touch of a vine; Little Ivy''s vines suddenly wrapped around his hips and zipped his pants back. She also buttoned the rivet and scolded the woman, "Vii! Vii! VII!"


    "Ah, I''m sorry. I don''t know that I''m supposed to wait for Master Yang Zhang to wake up. I thought it would release some pent-up frustration and exhaustion in him¡­" the woman commented.


    ''I mean¡­ it''s not wrong, but you should at least wait for me to wake up lady,'' Yang Zhang commented.


    "Well, I shall return to my place now. You can call me if Master Yang Zhang has woken up or got another fever. We need to take care of him," the woman said.


    "Vii!"


    ''Y¡ªYeah, I guess I should thank you, Little Ivy,'' Yang Zhang thought, though he kind of regretted the fact that he was so close upon getting a hand job, and Little Ivy was a cockblocker this time.


    Yang Zhang heard the footsteps that slowly got smaller and smaller as time passed. The woman must''ve gone somewhere. So Yang Zhang quickly determined that he was staying in his own hut, in the bedroom.


    Now, he only had one question; Who was that woman just now? She acted like she was Yang Zhang''s personal nurse, from tending his wound, wiping his sweat, and even willing to service Yang Zhang if he was sexually pent up.


    ''Did I accidentally die after using the Mana bead twice in my body, and I got reincarnated in another world with my own sexy maid?''


    ''I mean¡­ that''s the most plausible answer for this¡­.''


    **


    Yang Zhang spent the whole time thinking about the identity of his caretaker until another five hours rolled in. His pets were already wandering somewhere, probably playing around in the living room while he was still in this vegetative state with only Little Ivy sleeping beside him.


    Finally, Yang Zhang could feel that his strength slowly returned to his body, and he opened his eyes.


    He blinked a few times until the view of the ceiling was crystal clear. Indeed, he was currently lying on the bed. He was in the bedroom and was probably carried by Little Ivy because Little Ivy was the only one strong enough to carry Yang Zhang''s adult body.


    He could feel that Little Ivy was snuggling near his armpit, as she was the most clingy and protective of all her pets. Yang Zhang didn''t dislike it. He was happy that Little Ivy really liked him as a master.


    "Thank you for protecting me, Ivy," Yang Zhang said in a low voice.


    But his voice quickly woke Little Ivy up, she checked on her master, and when she saw that Yang Zhang had opened his eyes and smiled at her, she was excited.


    "VII! VII! VII!"


    Little Ivy wrapped her vines around Yang Zhang''s body, hugging him tightly. Her voice alerted everyone in the living room. All his pets rushed to the bedroom and climbed to see their master, who had woken up.


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    "PII!"


    All his pets hugged Yang Zhang tightly, and Yang Zhang giggled lightly, "Hehe, I''m okay, guys. Do you think I will die just because I swallowed the Mana bead?"''


    "Well, I felt like dying after I vomited the Mana bead for the second time. I guess it''s really not advised to do so," Yang Zhang commented. "But I''m alright now! I just need to recover for a moment. I think I can get up after an hour or so."


    "Oh, by the way, who is the woman who treated me before? I have my consciousness when I feel that someone is wiping the sweat on my body. Who and where is she?" Yang Zhang asked. He wasn''t that worried because his pets were relaxed.


    The indicator was his pets. They were a lot more alert and protective towards Yang Zhang. So if there was a dangerous intruder, they would be the ones who killed that intruder first before Yang Zhang could do anything.


    "Chirp! Chirp!"


    This time, Lt. Spicy Wing took the lead and explained that the rose girl was the one who took care of Yang Zhang while he was unconscious.


    "The rose girl?" Yang Zhang asked, frowning as he had never heard of this name before. "What rose girl?"


    "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"


    "The dancing rose girl?"


    Okay, now Yang Zhang got really confused. Spicy Wing referred to the twerking rose in the backyard as the rose girl, and Yang Zhang definitely felt a touch of a cold human hand.


    It was really cold, but it was definitely the touch of a human. She spoke like a human, unlike his other pets, who could only say one or two unknown words or speak in their animal language.


    Besides, the rose in the backyard could only dance and twerk, nothing else.


    "I seriously don''t understand what are you saying, Lieutenant," Yang Zhang said.


    "Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing got frustrated and jumped from the bed. It went outside and had no sign of returning.


    "Huh, what''s up with that little chick?" Yang Zhang wondered. He looked at his other pets. Since the only pet that interacted with the woman while he couldn''t do anything was Little Ivy, Yang Zhang had to ask her first, "Ivy, who is the girl that took care of me when I fainted? I heard that you argued with her before."


    Little Ivy tilted her head as if she was confused with the question and then repeated the same answer that Lt. Spicy Wing gave just now.


    "Vii, Viii! Viii!"


    "The rose girl? No, seriously, who is this rose girl you guys are talking about? Is it really the dancing rose in the backyard?"


    "Squeak!"


    "PII!"


    Chestnut and Poddie also confirmed the same thing, the one who was taking care of Yang Zhang, was the dancing rose.


    "I''m pretty sure that I felt a human cold human touch and the voice of a human¡­." Yang Zhang mumbled. But since he couldn''t see anything before, he now had some doubts.


    Lt. Spicy Wing returned to the bedroom while continuously chirping about the rose girl who cared for him.


    "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" Spicy Wing jumped around in front of Yang Zhang while pointing at the door.


    Yang Zhang turned his head to the door and saw the dancing rose suddenly peeking from the door. The dancing rose stood straight when Yang Zhang was looking at her. She looked nervous and suddenly retrieved back.


    "Wait! Please don''t leave!" Yang Zhang shouted, and the dancing rose peeked again from the door. It looked real as the leaves acted as a pair of hands who waved to Yang Zhang shyly.


    But Yang Zhang also saw a black hair and half-human head peeking at him slowly, Yang Zhang was surprised at first, but he quickly remembered that his pets weren''t scared, so this dancing rose was definitely not hostile.


    "Okay, don''t be shy and show yourself. I can''t move right now. That''s why I can''t come to you," Yang Zhang said. "And this is an order, by the way."


    The dancing rose curled, looking shy, but nodded in the end.


    Slowly, Yang Zhang saw a human female leg step in, her leg was slender, but it had stitches and was grey colored.


    It reminded him of¡ªA zombie.

 Chapter 71 - [Bonus Chapter] The Rose Girl (4)

    Slowly, Yang Zhang saw a human female leg step in, her leg was slender, but it had stitches and was grey colored.


    It reminded him of¡ªA zombie.


    Yang Zhang held his breath when he saw the zombie''s leg. That ashen grey skin was evidence that the woman was a zombie.


    But how could a zombie take care of a human? All they could do was grunt while wandering around aimlessly, waiting for another victim since they could live forever without any food.


    "Stay around me, guys! It''s a zombie! Especially you, Little Ivy, stay close. I know that you don''t like zombies!"


    "Vii?" Little Ivy tilted her small head confusedly.


    "Wait, you''re not scared?"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    Yang Zhang was surprised by Little Ivy''s answer. She told Yang Zhang that she wasn''t scared of this zombie because she didn''t make a grunting noise, and also¡­ beautiful?


    "Wait, you''re calling a zombie beautiful?" Yang Zhang asked. He had to confirm because he thought he heard it wrong.


    "Vii!" Little Ivy confirmed again. She did call the zombie as beautiful.


    Yang Zhang got even more curious, so he told the zombie, "You can come inside now, don''t be nervous."


    The female zombie seemed to be nervous as her body stiffened. She showed half of her body in the process, looking at Yang Zhang with her eyes.


    Yang Zhang''s prediction was correct. The girl was indeed a zombie. She had long dark hair, and her skin was ashen grey. She had stitches all over, so there was no falling skin on her.


    But what caught Yang Zhang''s attention the most was her eye. She was staring at Yang Zhang with an eye of a human. A zombie''s eyes would be all black or white, with no pupil.


    But this zombie had a beautiful eye with a dark pupil. She looked meek, judging by her, who tried to avert her gaze when Yang Zhang stared back.


    "You can come in," Yang Zhang persuaded again. "You''re the one who took care of me when I''m unconscious, right? So don''t be scared. I should be grateful for your help instead."


    The girl was finally convinced, she slowly walked into the bedroom, and now, Yang Zhang could see her appearance from head to toe.


    She was indeed a zombie with ashen grey skin and stitches everywhere. She had dark hair and eyes glistening with tears. She was a young adult woman, probably in her mid-20s, but it didn''t hide her beauty.


    Yang Zhang felt that he had seen her face somewhere, but he quickly dismissed the idea.


    She was covered in a short dress made of black roses and white roses in front, making an illusion that she was wearing a maid dress. To complete it all, she had a single rose on top of her head, showing her true emotion. If she was happy, the rose would twerk or dance. It would stand straight like a pole or tremble in fear if she was nervous.


    The girl fidgeted in front of Yang Zhang nervously, clenching the hem of her rose dress while looking down when Yang Zhang was staring at her.


    Yang Zhang tried to get up and talk to the rose girl in front of him, but he was still paralyzed from the neck down, "Ivy, can you help to prop me on the bed? I want to talk with her while sitting."


    "Vii!" Little Ivy helped Yang Zhang sit on the bed.


    "M¡ªMaster, I can help you¡ª" the rose girl suddenly said.


    "Master?" Yang Zhang raised his brow bewilderedly. He didn''t expect the girl to call him ''Master'' while he was fully conscious right now, unlike before, when he couldn''t move his body.


    "Don''t move from your position. Ivy can help me," Yang Zhang commanded. "I need to ask you a few questions first."


    "O¡ªOkay, Master¡­"


    Yang Zhang''s lips twitched when he heard the girl call him Master. But he decided to ignore it for now because his questions were more urgent.


    "Okay, first, are you a zombie or a mutated plant? Or maybe an ability user? What are you really?"


    "I¡ªI don''t know either, Master. I got my consciousness after you planted me in the backyard. I show my expression with the rose on top of my head."


    "You don''t know yourself? Then how about a name?"


    "I don''t have a name, Master. It is your right to give me a name since you''re the one who breathes life in me," the girl said.


    Yang Zhang hummed for a while. This zombie rose girl told him that she didn''t know what was her, whether she was a zombie or ability user. She also had no name, so she might be in the same species as Little Ivy and Poddie¡­


    "If you can already show your feeling by the dancing rose on top of your head, why wouldn''t you come to me sooner?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "That''s because um¡­ I don''t have a body until you planted the second red bead inside my soil, Master¡­" the girl said. "You¡­ planted the second one, and I suddenly have a body for myself!"


    "Eh?!" Yang Zhang was surprised to the core. Of course, he didn''t expect this because he thought that planting two Brain beads inside one soil wouldn''t do anything.


    But now he found that two Brain beads would actually give a mutated plant a zombified body?


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang slowly turned his head at Little Ivy, who refused to take the second Brain bead, "How about you, Ivy? Can you get that same effect if I plant another Brain bead inside your soil?"


    "Vii! Vii!" Little Ivy insisted that she couldn''t be changed. She refused to take another Brain bead, especially after seeing how another Brain bead inside her root might''ve turned her big like the girl in front of them.


    That meant Little Ivy wouldn''t be able to swing around with Yang Zhang again if she got a human body.


    "Okay, then, if you don''t want it," Yang Zhang mumbled. He returned his attention towards the zombie girl and asked more questions, "Then, how come you haven''t uprooted yourself when I''m home?"


    "Um¡­ the flesh in my body is falling off. I have to stitch myself first before presenting myself to you. I''m sorry for the wait, Master¡­" the girl answered, and she lowered her head ashamedly.


    Yang Zhang was still trying to process that now he had a mutated plant + a zombie in one package.


    "Alright, then what can you do?"


    "Pardon, Master?"


    "What kind of ability that you have?" Yang Zhang asked. "I mean, Little Ivy can stretch out her vines for various things. Poddie can produce pea bullets, Chestnut can discharge electricity and be a portable charger, and Spicy Wing can regulate the heat in its body."


    "So I believe you can do something, right?"


    "Umm¡­" the rose girl seemed to be thinking for a moment. She answered, "I can grow roses from a wound, Master. It is to stop bleeding and soothe the pain for a while until you get a real medical treatment. I can also create thin threads for stitching, Master," the girl said as she showed how her fingers produced thin threads.


    "I can also grow roses everywhere. I''ve wanted to decorate the front and backyard with flowers. If you allow me to, Master."


    Yang Zhang looked at the window. The soil around this house was quite big but barren. It would be better if this rose girl could turn it into a small garden.


    "Okay, I will allow you to decorate the soil around the hut to make a small garden," Yang Zhang accepted. The rose girl was so happy that she bent her back a few times, "Thank you so much, Master! I will grow other plants if I find them around the hut as well! The place will be filled with flowers!"


    "Oh, Master, may I know what name will you give me?" The rose girl asked.


    "Name?"


    "Yes, Master. You''re the one who created me. I need a name, just like your other pets¡­."


    "Hmm¡­ how about¡­ Roselia?" Yang Zhang said. "I think it will fit you since you come from a single rose, right?"


    "Oh! Thank you for the name, Master! I am now Roselia!" the rose girl bowed again.


    "Oh, Master, I can also do another task other than gardening," Roselia said.


    "Other task?"


    "Um¡­ I can cook, clean the house, wash your clothes, and do another private service," Roselia said.


    "¡­ private service?"


    "Yes, Master. If you''re exhausted or pent up, I can um¡­ do something about it," Rosalie said. She looked even more embarrassed than before.


    Yang Zhang immediately remembered what happened when he was unconscious, and his cheeks also reddened, "N¡ªNot now! Not in front of the kids¡ªI mean, other pets!"


    "Ah, I understand, Master. Then I will go and bring you breakfast. You must be starving," Roselia said. She bowed her head politely and left.


    Now, Yang Zhang had more questions than answers, and the main question was;


    "What is the formula to create Roselia?"

 Chapter 72 - The Rose Girl (5)

    "What is the formula to create Roselia?" Yang Zhang wondered. "Is it two Brain beads? Because all I can remember is planting two Brain beads in Roselia''s soil."


    Yang Zhang started theorizing because he might be the first person to ever discover the creation of a mutated plant mixed with zombies.


    Roselia had a clear zombie body, but she could speak like a normal human and function like a normal human. She could cook, clean, and even put some thought about gardening around the hut.


    Yet, she didn''t have a name before Yang Zhang gave her one.


    "Master, I cooked porridge for your breakfast. I have to use the stock in your food container because I want to give you healthy food¡­." Roselia said as she sat on the stool beside the bed.


    She stirred the porridge and scooped the content before offering it to Yang Zhang, "Master, let me feed you. You have had a long exhausting week."


    Yang Zhang stared at Roselia for a second and then at the porridge.


    The porridge didn''t seem to be poisoned, and Roselia must''ve mentioned the food container he took from the Minimarket before. There were few packs of instant rice.


    Yang Zhang opened his mouth, and the warm and smooth porridge warmed his mouth and his body instantly. It had been a while since he had real food.


    Since his travel to the east, he mostly ate mutated river fishes or fruits in the forest. Since he was immune to any mutation, he had no worry about getting sick.


    But of course, nothing beats one bowl of real food suitable for humans before the apocalypse. Even a bowl of porridge made out of instant rice already made him feel grateful for what he had right now.


    "Roselia," Yang Zhang called.


    "Yes, Master?" Roselia responded while she kept stirring the porridge.


    "Do you know nothing about your past life? Even if you don''t remember your name, you still know how to care for this house and even tend my wound. So you must''ve remembered a few things at least."


    Roselia stopped stirring the porridge and nodded lightly, "I am familiar with this house, Master. I know every spot in this house, but I''m not sure if I lived here before or not."


    "And other than that, do you remember something else?"


    "Yes, I remember that this bedroom is the safest place to hide, so I put something here to keep it safe. But after that, I don''t remember anything else."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Master, are you alright? Why do you become silent suddenly?" Roselia asked worriedly. "Did I do something wrong?"


    "No, it''s nothing," Yang Zhang said. He cleared his throat as he felt a bit thirsty.


    "Please drink first, Master," Roselia said as she offered the glass of water.


    "Well, whatever your past is, I will accept you as part of the group. I just want you to take care of the hut while I''m outside, okay?" Yang Zhang said.


    "Oh! Yes, thank you so much, Master!" Roselia looked genuinely happy after she got accepted by Yang Zhang.


    But Yang Zhang felt a bit complicated because somehow, he could guess the identity of Rosalia before her mutation to be one of Yang Zhang''s pets.


    "Master, you should rest for now. Your body fully recovers in a few hours," Roselia said. "I will clean the house again. Please excuse me."


    "Un, thank you, Roselia."


    "I¡ªIt''s my duty, Master¡­." Roselia might not have any blood flow to show that she was embarrassed, but her fidgeting body already told Yang Zhang that she was happy and embarrassed to be thanked by her master.


    Roselia left, so did the rest of his pets except Chestnut.


    Because Yang Zhang told Chestnut to stay.


    "Squeak?" Chesnut asked why it wasn''t allowed to leave.


    "Chestnut, do you not remember the face of the zombie we faced when we entered this hut for the first time?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Squeak?" Chestnut tried to remember. Yang Zhang knew it was difficult to identify because the zombie attacked them so suddenly, and it was kind of dark.


    It didn''t help that Chestnut literally blew the zombie''s face with its electric explosion.


    But Yang Zhang knew the zombie was a female, and she didn''t seem to wander around because she stayed in the house, waiting for someone to come, so she could ambush them.


    But if his theory was correct¡­


    "Rosalie is probably the young woman living in this hut before the apocalypse and then mutated into a zombie," Yang Zhang theorized. "She mentioned just now that she thinks this bedroom is the safest, yet we only see the baby''s skeletal remain here, so she must''ve realized that there is something wrong with her and decided to separate herself from her baby. She turned into a zombie while the baby died because of starvation¡­."


    Yang Zhang based his theory on his experience with Xiao Mei Jiejie, whose Brain bead created Little Ivy.


    Little Ivy inherited Xiao Mei''s fear of zombies since she spent the rest of her apocalypse life inside the attic of that Minimarket, wishing there would be someone who could help her.


    But her wait became a futile effort when she realized that she had a slow mutation until she became a zombie, the last day of her life must''ve been filled with dread.


    That was why she got scared of zombies.


    "Squeak¡­" Chestnut looked sad because it was the one who killed Zombie Roselia before.


    "Oh no, don''t feel sad. Those zombies are hostile, and they will kill us if we don''t kill them first," Yang Zhang said, so Chestnut wouldn''t be upset. "Besides, we did the right thing by planting Roselia''s Brain bead inside the rose, and she is now happy with us, right?"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut''s mood gradually improved again.


    "Just make sure the secret stays with us," Yang Zhang said.


    "Squeak?"


    "If we tell Roselia about it, I''m afraid she will be sad. Especially the fact that she had a baby, and the baby did not survive. She remembers nothing, so let her forget her past life and be happy for now, okay?"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang smiled and patted Chestnut''s back, "Good boy, you can go and play with your friends now."


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut left Yang Zhang alone in the bedroom. Yang Zhang observed the bedroom, thinking he could find something, maybe a picture to confirm that Roselia was the first female zombie that Yang Zhang killed.


    But this hut was very simple. There was no picture hanging on the wall, as if it was intended to put Roselia in this lonely hut in the middle of the forest, maybe to lock her up because of something.


    "Well, it''s in the past. Roselia has no memory of her previous life, and she seems happy right now¡­."


    Yang Zhang gradually felt warmth all over his body after an hour. He could finally move his body again, though he didn''t want to move so much, afraid that it might injure him.


    He sauntered to leave the bedroom and saw that his pets were playing around in the living room.


    Chestnut took out its stash of chestnuts and roasted it inside its mouth before giving them to everyone, including Roselia.


    Lt. Spicy Wing ran around Roselia, who was busy sweeping the floor with a broom. It seemed that Spicy Wing saw Roselia as some sort of big sister or its senior.


    Meanwhile, Poddie and Little Ivy were talking in their own languages. They were very calm while rooting themselves in two small pots filled with soil.


    Yang Zhang cleared his throat to alert everyone, his pets quickly turned their head at Yang Zhang, and Rosalie was the first one to rush to Yang Zhang.


    "M¡ªMaster, please don''t move too much. You''ve just recovered!"


    "No, I''m okay. I need to walk a bit anyway," Yang Zhang smiled.


    Roselia assisted Yang Zhang to sit on the long chair, and his pets all gathered around him.


    "You guys, why are you gathering around like this?" Yang Zhang asked. "I was just resting! Why do I feel like a Godfather or something?"


    "Chirp! Chirp!" Spicy Wing saluted and told Yang Zhang that he was the honorable General Yang Zhang.


    "Pii! Pii!" Poddie opened his back and showed the Mana bead inside.


    "Oh! Thank you for keeping it safe, Poddie!"


    "PII!"


    Yang Zhang picked up the Mana bead. The color was still brilliant blue, but holding it for too long reminded Yang Zhang of how torturous it was to swallow this Mana bead twice.


    It was because he needed to win the fight against that man with deadlock eyes, but the payoff was definitely not worth it because of the unbearable pain.


    "Okay, do we still have some Brain bead inside the tote bag?" Yang Zhang asked. He hadn''t checked the content of the tote bag after it washed away in the river.


    He should have at least 4 to 5 Brain beads before.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut grabbed the Brain bead inside the tote bag, showing that there was only 1 surviving Brain bead, while the rest were washed away in the river.

 Chapter 73 - Dandelion (1)

    "Okay, do we still have some Brain bead inside the tote bag?"


    He should have at least 4 to 5 Brain beads before.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut grabbed the Brain bead inside the tote bag, showing that there was only 1 surviving Brain bead, while the rest were washed away in the river.


    "Oh no, only one?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Squeak?" Chestnut checked the tote bag to find the remaining Brain bead but came out empty handed. "Squeak¡­"


    "Ah, damn it. Everything must''ve been washed away in the river," Yang Zhang said as he cursed himself. He blamed himself for being too vulnerable against that man with deadlock eyes. He was the one to blame because he couldn''t protect his pets and lost the Brain beads he worked so hard to find.


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath a few times to calm himself down and then cupped 1 Brain bead and 1 Mana bead in his hand.


    "Alright, we will have to experiment right now. Who knows planting Brain bead and Mana bead in the same soil might give us something," Yang Zhang said.


    **


    Yang Zhang walked around the hut once he was able to walk normally. He still felt weak, so he couldn''t explore far away.


    Besides, his pets deserved to rest after long days of journey and meeting many dangerous situations.


    Yang Zhang walked around the barren land surrounding the hut. Other than a few potted plants that Roselia might have planted before the apocalypse, there seemed to be nothing more.


    Maybe that triggered Roselia to start her own gardening job and plant the backyard with many flowers later.


    Yang Zhang looked at the beads in his hand. He had one Brain bead and one Mana bead.


    Based on the previous uses, you could only use Brain beads on plants and Mana beads on animals.


    At least, so far, neither Chestnut nor Spicy Wing seemed to have any interest in Brain bead. So, Yang Zhang assumed that animals were only interested in Mana beads.


    "Squeak?" Chestnut asked its master as it climbed to Yang Zhang''s shoulder.


    "Ah, Chestnut, I''m just trying to find something that we could mutate. Maybe a plant or animal," Yang Zhang said. "I wonder if there is any plant that would be useful with Brain bead. I don''t know about the Mana bead, though. Finding a suitable animal that wants to join us is pretty difficult."


    "Squeak?"


    "Huh? You want to try it?"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Uh¡­ no, not now," Yang Zhang hummed for a second. Chestnut basically said that the squirrel was interested in eating the Mana bead.


    Yang Zhang wondered what would happen if a mutated animal ate their second Mana bead as well, but he had another idea for now.


    He wanted to see what would happen if he planted Brain bead and Mana bead at the same time.


    So he was trying to find a good plant for now, too bad the land was quite barren.


    Yang Zhang found himself circling around the hut for at least 3x already. He saw that his pets starting to get bored, and he got an idea, "Guys, do you want to do a mission?"


    His words quickly got into his pets'' ears. They listened attentively to the next order given by Yang Zhang.


    "Hehe, let''s do a fetch mission, okay? You guys are free to roam near the hut, don''t get too far, and don''t be separated. Take a plant that interests you, and return to me after that, understood?"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "PII!"


    "Squeak!"


    The pets quickly went to the bushes near the hut. Yang Zhang watched them, trying to find a plant that would interest them.


    "Master, do you want me to accompany them?" Roselia asked as she came out from the hut.


    "Oh, sure, just make sure they don''t get into trouble. Poddie and Ivy aren''t exactly fighters. They might be in danger if facing wild animals," Yang Zhang said.


    "Certainly, Master."


    Roselia did a few quick steps towards the other pets and watched them taking plants that took their interests.


    After about 20 minutes, everyone returned safe and sound towards Yang Zhang. They were bringing plants they liked, and Yang Zhang checked them one by one.


    "Okay, start from you, Chestnut."


    "Squeak!" Chestnut climbed Yang Zhang''s body and gave the plant he plucked on his palm.


    Chestnut gave him a¡ªwell, a freshly roasted chestnut! Duh!


    "Why would you give me a roasted chestnut?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Squeak!"


    "Ah¡ª" Yang Zhang wasn''t sure on how to answer that. Basically, Chestnut thought that Yang Zhang was just hungry and wanted his pets to find him some food, so the squirrel went to find chestnut, roasting it inside its mouth, and gave it to Yang Zhang to eat.


    Yang Zhang sighed, but he ate the chestnut anyway, "Thank you so much, Chestnut. I''m not hungry right now, but that''s definitely a good snack."


    "Squeak!"


    After Chestnut, Little Ivy offered her finding; a few berries. But these berries were obviously mutated because there was a rainbow-colored berry and also a berry shaped like a heart.


    "Berries?"


    "Vii, Vii! Vii!"


    "Ahh, thanks, Ivy."


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy told Yang Zhang that he needed to eat berries because it was rich in vitamins, suitable for Yang Zhang, who was still recovering after being unconscious for a while.


    Yang Zhang ate the berries and then accepted the plant from Spicy Wing.


    Lt. Spicy Wing offered Yang Zhang nothing but a long wooden stick, which baffled Yang Zhang.


    "What is this?"


    "Chirp! Chirp!" Spicy Wing replied while giving Yang Zhang a dedicated salute.


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang wanted to facepalm as he felt it was so ridiculous. Lt. Spicy Wing said that Yang Zhang was the respected General but didn''t have a swagger stick to show his authority that should be respected by everyone.


    That was why Spicy Wing brought that stick for Yang Zhang to use as a swagger stick.


    Yang Zhang wanted to scold Spicy Wing for this. But he had to spare his energy. He sighed and patted Spicy Wing''s head with the stick gently, "Thank you for the gift, Lieutenant. I appreciate it."


    "CHIRP!"


    Now, the last was a gift from Poddie.


    "What do you have for me, Poddie?"


    "Pii!" Poddie approached Yang Zhang with its small legs and then tried to climb the feet.


    Yang Zhang helped him by picking him up, and Poddie gave him his gift, a dandelion.


    "Eh? Why did you gift me this?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Pii¡ªPii¡­" Poddie was a bit shy to tell the reason. He said that Master Yang Zhang should enjoy life more. That was why Poddie decided to give Yang Zhang a dandelion because Yang Zhang could play with it!


    Yang Zhang was speechless. He realized that all of his pets weren''t taking something that interested them solely for themselves. They were finding stuff that would benefit their master in their own opinions.


    Yang Zhang was quite touched, honestly. He knew that he had a good team, but their cares were a lot more than what Yang Zhang ever received in his life.


    He tried to hide his smile as he stared at the dandelion and also the stick.


    "Alright, since this is an experiment, let''s see what would happen if I plant this dandelion in a pot with Mana bead and Brain bead each."


    **


    Yang Zhang returned to the hut while carrying a potted plant filled with soil from the front yard. He sat and put the pot on the table. He carefully planted the dandelion and then planted the Mana bead and Brain bead at the same time inside the soil.


    "Alright, let''s see what will happen in uh¡­ 12 to 24 hours?" Yang Zhang wondered. He checked his phone, "Oh, it''s already 5 in the afternoon. We will probably see a new friend tomorrow morning!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "PII!"


    "Squeak!"


    His pet was excited to meet new friends since that meant there would be more members playing their tag or hide and seek around the hut.


    "Master, I will cook dinner for you. Do you want to request anything? I''ve checked your food container. It has plenty of instant food," Rosalia offered.


    "Oh, please just cook me another instant rice porridge, and give me the cracker too," Yang Zhang requested. "I will try to find something better to eat later when I''ve recovered."


    "Yes, Master," Roselia nodded, but before she could leave, Yang Zhang suddenly grabbed her wrist.


    "Wait!"


    Roselia was shocked. She froze on the spot and looked at her master in doubtful gaze, "M¡ªMaster, is there something wrong? Do you need me to do something? Or do you¡­ um¡­ do you want to be serviced on the bed?"


    "Eh?! N¡ªNo, not yet¡ª" Yang Zhang denied. His cheeks reddened in the process. "I¡ªI just want you to prepare a warm bath for me as well, if you don''t mind, of course. My body feels so sticky right now."


    "Oh, surely, Master! Lieutenant, please help me lit the fire."


    "Chirp!"

 Chapter 74 - Dandelion (2)

    "I¡ªI just want you to prepare a warm bath for me as well, if you don''t mind, of course. My body feels so sticky right now."


    "Oh, surely, Master! Lieutenant, please help me lit the fire."


    "Chirp!"


    Roselia and Lt. Spicy Wing went to the kitchen to start cooking and set up a warm bath for their Master while Yang Zhang and the rest of his pets were waiting in the living room.


    Yang Zhang checked his phone to pass the time. Since there was no more internet provider after the apocalypse, Yang Zhang used his phone to look at his old pictures, especially his pictures with his grandparents since he didn''t have any parents.


    "Pii?"


    "Hehe, they are my grandparents. They died when I was in high school. I was born fatherless and was soon motherless as well," Yang Zhang replied. "I was raised by my poor grandparents until I got a job in the city. That''s why I''m used to living alone like this, hehe."


    "Vii?" Little Ivy asked when she saw Yang Zhang taking a selfie with a girl.


    "Oh, haha! This is Liling, she was my girlfriend for 1 week, so we haven''t done anything intimate, just a few dates. But she went to another province before the apocalypse started. I lost contact with her after that, though, so I''m not sure what she is up to¡ª or whether she is still alive right now," Yang Zhang replied.


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Hm? What is it? You want to be my girlfriend? Haha, you''re already clinging to me every hour. I think you''re already my girlfriend at this point," Yang Zhang joked.


    It seemed that Little Ivy didn''t know the concept of a lover, maybe because her mind was still pretty immature, so if Little Ivy was a human, she would be a 5 years old little girl who would say love, marriage, or girlfriend innocently.


    And Yang Zhang just went along with it.


    "Viii!" Little Ivy was happy and hugged Yang Zhang''s arm tighter. Meanwhile, Poddie was staring at Little Ivy and Master Yang Zhang, and then asked;


    "Pii? Pii?"


    "Oh, you want to be my girlfriend too?" Yang Zhang asked. "But you''re a boy, Poddie."


    "Pii¡­" Poddie looked sad after the rejection.


    Yang Zhang sighed. Really, both Ivy and Poddie were basically little kids. "Fine, you can be my girlfriend too. I guess everyone can be my girlfriend," Yang Zhang said.


    "Pii!" Poddie hugged Yang Zhang''s nose like usual as a sign of dependency.


    Chestnut was looking outside and seemed to have noticed something.


    "Squeak¡­"


    "Huh? What is it, Chestnut?" Yang Zhang heard Chestnut was mumbling over something.


    "Squeak," Chestnut pointed at something outside.


    Yang Zhang got up and peeked from the window. He saw a silhouette standing far from the hut. From the shape, it was either a short man or a big monkey that stood with two feet.


    It could also be something else, this was the apocalypse, so mutated animals weren''t that uncommon. It was hard to determine the identity of the silhouette at dusk in this dark forest.


    It was already dusk and would be dark soon, so Yang Zhang also hesitated to check, afraid there might be stray zombies that jumped on him. He was also in bad condition right now.


    The silhouette stood in the same spot, unmoving, and it seemed to be staring in the direction of Yang Zhang''s hut.


    Yang Zhang decided to close the window and check it tomorrow morning to see if the thing was still standing in the same position.


    "Squeak?"


    "Oh no, don''t go there. It seems dangerous. Who knows, it might be a dangerous animal or zombie," Yang Zhang said. "Let''s just sit inside the house for now. We will check it tomorrow."


    "Squeak!"


    **


    Roselia came to Yang Zhang with a bowl of instant rice with a cracker as a side dish.


    "Master, this is your food, and the warm bathtub is ready. I can help you whenever you like, Master," Roselia said.


    Yang Zhang raised his brow suspiciously, but he decided to dispel his suspicion for now because he was starving.


    Roselia wanted to spoon-feed Yang Zhang, but the latter said that he could eat it himself.


    While he was eating, he saw Chestnut and Spicy Wing also ate their small meals, but the plants didn''t eat at all.


    It was already a long unanswered question for Yang Zhang. Thus he asked, "Roselia, what do you eat? I never saw you, Poddie, and Little Ivy eat anything."


    "Pii?"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Ahahah, Master, we don''t eat like you or Chestnut and Spicy Wing. In order for us to eat, we just need to root ourselves inside fertile soil, and get nutrients from the sun, just like all plants should be. I''ve taught Little Ivy and Poddie to root in the backyard as well because the land is very fertile."


    "Vii!"


    "Really, it''s very fertile?"


    "Indeed, Master," Roselia nodded. "The land around the hut is very fertile and good for plants. You can plant anything, and it would definitely grow quick and healthy!"


    "Pii!"


    Little Ivy and Poddie also confirmed the same thing. The land was very fertile and good for them.


    This made Yang Zhang ponder for a moment.


    ''Maybe I should really start thinking about my job as a farmer in the apocalypse. It would be great in the long run,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    After he had filled his stomach, he walked to the bathroom in the backyard for a bath.


    Just like a most rural or isolated house, the bathroom and washroom were in the backyard, separated from the main house, so it was a bit creepy at night without a lamp.


    Luckily, Spicy Wing and Roselia took the time to set up a torch near the bathtub, so it wasn''t as dark.


    Yang Zhang was about to take off his shirt, but he glanced at the woman beside him and blushed slightly, "W¡ªWhy are you still here?"


    "Master, I will help wash your back," Roselia said.


    "I¡ªI can do it myself. You should go back¡ªWHA!" Yang Zhang quickly closed his eyes when he saw the rose petals on Roselia''s dress suddenly fall, exposing her bare body in front of her Master.


    Yang Zhang had a quick look before he closed his eyes, with only a torch giving a glimpse of her figure. Yang Zhang noticed that Roselia had quite a pair of perky boobs, probably a C cup, with inverted nips. She had a nice figure, with an obvious curve on her hips.


    She had stitches on her body, but honestly, it wasn''t that bad.


    Or maybe it was because of Yang Zhang, who got used to seeing the stitches and the ashen grey body. Otherwise, Roselia was a true beauty.


    Yang Zhang was about to open his eyes again, at least to peek at what was down under, but it was too late because Roselia suddenly dipped inside the bathtub and sat there, waiting for Yang Zhang.


    ''Ah, damn it, I don''t want to ask her to show something. That would make me sound like a big pervert!''


    Roselia had a light smile on her face. She didn''t mind showing her perky boobs to her master, "Master, the water is warm¡­ I think. You should dip in."


    "Why are you in my bathtub?" Yang Zhang asked, trying to be virtuous.


    "Because it''s my duty to wash your back, Master. I can also give you a massage," Roselia said. This time, Yang Zhang felt that Roselia had a slight tint of blush on her face, maybe she was a bit embarrassed, but she took everything in the name of duty.


    Yang Zhang wanted to refuse because he already had an erection right now, so he was a bit embarrassed.


    But it seemed that Roselia really wanted to do this maid duty or whatsoever, so Yang Zhang took a deep breath and then turned around to undress, so Roselia couldn''t see his rock-hard dick right now.


    Yang Zhang dipped into the bathtub. The temperature was just right, and Yang Zhang stretched his feet inside the tub.


    The tub was actually long enough for him to lay flat, but since Roselia was sitting behind his back, he could only sit in the bathtub awkwardly.


    "Master, why don''t you rest your back? Aren''t you tired?" Roselia asked. "Or do you want me to wash your back now? I just think that you should rest inside this warm water first before I wash your back, Master¡­."


    "W¡ªWell, you''re still in the tub with me, so I don''t have enough space to lay right now," Yang Zhang replied honestly.


    "Master, who said you don''t have a space to lay?" Roselia asked. She seemed to be surprised by Master Yang Zhang''s answer. She started massaging her perky breast in a circular motion, thinking it would make her breast softer and plumper at the same time.


    "Master, you have my body. You can lay your head on my breasts.. I think it''s very comfortable to lay on," Rosalie said.

 Chapter 75 - Dandelion (3)

    "Master, who said you don''t have a space to lay?" Roselia asked. She seemed to be surprised by Master Yang Zhang''s answer. She started massaging her perky breast in a circular motion, thinking it would make her breast softer and plumper at the same time.


    "Master, you have my body. You can lay your head on my breasts. I think it''s very comfortable to lay on," Rosalie said.


    "What?!" Yang Zhang turned around by instinct and saw that Rosalie was massaging her boobs and patting them for Yang Zhang. She smiled and said;


    "Master, you can lay down on my chest. It''s comfortable."


    Yang Zhang froze because of shock. He didn''t expect Roselia to actually offer such a promiscuous thing. Yang Zhang kept staring at the two mounds of soft meat prepared for him, and his cheeks turned red instantly.


    He turned around and was thinking about dismissing Roselia when he suddenly felt Roselia grab his shoulder and pull him to rest the back of his head in between Roselia''s boobs while his back was lying on her stomach.


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath, trying to process what he currently experienced. He looked up and saw Rosalie smiling at him, "Is it comfortable, Master?"


    "Y¡ªYeah¡­"


    "Hehe, I might have a cold body, but I make sure you feel warm enough from the water, Master," Roselia said.


    She knew that her cold zombie body wouldn''t be enough to warm her tired Master. That was why she used the hot water to ''heat'' her body first.


    Since it had come to this, Yang Zhang slowly closed his eyes to relax. Roselia started massaging Yang Zhang''s forehead and scalp to release some stress.


    "Master, what are you planning to do after this?" Roselia asked as they were passing the time in the tub.


    "What do you mean?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "I mean, I wonder if you''re planning to do something with your profound creation, Master. You''ve successfully created me, a mutated hybrid of plant and zombie. You also have many pets. I wonder what would you do next with those."


    "Hmm¡­ I have not much plan, honestly," Yang Zhang said. "I just want to survive and live a good life in the apocalypse. My next plan is finding crops that we could plant around the hut since you said that the soil is very fertile, right?"


    "Yes, Master! You can plant anything, and no doubt it would grow healthy!" Roselia answered excitedly.


    "Well, I think it''s good to have a small family. I''ve grown attached to all of my pets, so I''d like to start a small family with everyone here," Yang Zhang said. "And I will become a farmer in the apocalypse, still need to find a lot of seeds, though. They''re really difficult to find."


    "I can tend the garden and your farm while you''re out, Master," Roselia offered. "I like gardening as a hobby. Maybe it was something I did before¡­."


    "Yeah, it''s definitely a hobby before," Yang Zhang affirmed as he remembered the pots of wilted flowers in front of the hut.


    Yang Zhang was feeling a little sleepy right now, and he started slipping. He instantly grabbed onto whatever he could find underwater and accidentally grabbed Roselia''s inner thighs.


    "Ah!" Roselia''s body trembled, and she let out a restrained moan, much to Yang Zhang''s surprise, because he thought that a zombie like Roselia wouldn''t be able to feel anything.


    "W¡ªWait, sorry, I didn''t mean it¡ª"


    "No, Master, it''s alright. I''m just a bit surprised that you can be so impatient¡­." Roselia said. "If you want it now, I''m ready, Master¡ª"


    "No! D¡ªDon''t get the wrong idea!" Yang Zhang denied it. He wasn''t ready for his first time yet. He sat on the tub and requested Rosalie something else instead, "Just wash my back now, and then we should return inside."


    "Master is such a tease," Roselia giggled lightly. "Alright, I will wash your back, Master~."


    Yang Zhang took a deep breath to clear his head while Roselia washed his back, shoulder, and even chest. She wanted to rub the lower half, but Yang Zhang snatched the shower scrub and washed it.


    After he was done, Yang Zhang told Roselia to get up first and prepare his towel and clothes.


    Yang Zhang returned to the hut safely, and he was feeling super refreshed right now.


    He was scared to sleep in the bedroom before because of the baby''s skeletal remains. But now that he got plenty of friends and the real owner of the hut¡ª Roselia¡ª with him, he just went straight to the bedroom with his pets.


    Yang Zhang lay on the bed and patted the spot beside him. Chestnut and Spicy Wing immediately jumped to sleep beside him, while Little Ivy and Poddie put their pot on the drawer beside the bed.


    Little Ivy and Poddie rooted themselves inside their pots, and the only one left was Roselia.


    "You can sleep beside me," Yang Zhang offered.


    "Oh, thank you, Master. But my spot is outside, in the backyard. It''s my most comfortable spot," Roselia said with a smile. "Please call me if you need anything. Good night."


    Roselia closed the door so Yang Zhang and his other pets could sleep while Roselia went out to do her things as the self-employed maid of the house.


    "Squeak?"


    "Oh, what will we do tomorrow? Hmmm¡­" Yang Zhang was thinking about his next activity. He hadn''t planned anything after such a long and arduous trip, honestly.


    "Maybe we should go and visit Xi Feng in the north? He always said that we can come to get meat supply from him since he hunts, hehe."


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii!"


    "Pii!"


    "Hehe, I guess we can also ask him if he has normal seeds for us to plant. I want to start a farm here," Yang Zhang said. "Alright, let''s sleep now, and we''ll go north tomorrow!"


    With that, Yang Zhang was vast asleep soon after.


    **


    Roselia was busy sprouting a few roses in the front yard to decorate. The full moon was beautiful tonight, so Rosalie took her time before she rooted herself in the baby grave in the backyard.


    The moonlight showered her presence, and she used her power to sprout even more roses. For every step she took, a rose would bloom from the footprint, creating such a beautiful view under the full moon.


    She hummed, singing a tune that felt strangely familiar to her even though she had no memory about it, even her humming voice sounded so soft and beautiful¡ª until she heard a footstep coming from afar.


    She stopped humming and stopped her walk and looked straight to the dark forest in front of her, waiting for the thing that had been hiding to finally show itself.


    "I''ve noticed your footstep. You can show yourself now," Roselia said with a cold tone. She didn''t intend to be soft and gentle to anyone but her master.


    "Wow, I''ve been discovered. What kind of ability do you have, Big sister?"


    Roselia didn''t answer. She kept staring in the man''s direction until he walked closer to show himself under the moonlight.


    "Wow, big sister, you look so beautiful~ but why are you looking so ghastly pale right now?"


    Roselia stared at the man in front of her. He was young, probably in his late teen, and looked lax and a bit messy in appearance.


    But she didn''t have any intention to befriend anyone. It was like her defensive nature to protect her hut with her master in it.


    "Leave now," Roselia said coldly. "Or should I use a harsher method to make you leave?"


    "Whoaaa, Big sister, why are you so fierce?" The young man giggled. He leaned on the tree near him and looked at Roselia from top to bottom. "Don''t be so hostile. I''m just a scout~."


    ¡­


    Roselia had no intention of talking with this young man. She kept staring at him while waiting for his move. She would never allow any person to ever cross the front yard of Master Yang Zhang''s hut.


    "Anyway, I just got sent by my boss because we lost contact with one of our members around here. He said he found a small hut that seemed to be well taken care of, so he must''ve been talking about this hut," the young man said. "Do you know where he is right now? My boss assumes that misfortune has struck him, and he died somewhere around this area."


    "I don''t think a strong man like him can be killed by some random mutated animal. So there must be a battle of some sort with another ability user," the scout said with a smirk. "Are you the one who killed my friend, Big sister?"


    ¡­


    The young man shrugged lightly, "Well, it seems that Big sister is not in the mood for a talk. Maybe this will make you talk¡ª"


    The young man suddenly dashed towards Roselia and unsheathed his short sword, ready for an attack!

 Chapter 76 - [Bonus Chapter] Dandelion (4)

    "Are you the one who killed my friend, Big sister?"


    ¡­


    The young man shrugged lightly, "Well, it seems that Big sister is not in the mood for a talk. Maybe this will make you talk¡ª"


    The young man suddenly dashed towards Roselia and unsheathed his short sword, ready for an attack!


    Roselia stood still, showing no fear as she stared coldly at the young man. The young man frowned when he was only five feet away from her, and she didn''t even move an inch.


    ''That''s weird, I can literally kill her in one second, but she didn''t even move¡­.''


    The young man''s gut feeling told him that something was wrong, and his feeling was correct. The moment he was only a foot away from the beautiful woman, a big thorn suddenly popped under his feet, and the young man immediately jumped to retreat.


    "What the fuck?!" The young man cursed out of shock when he saw a huge rose thorn popped from the ground. The thorn almost killed him, but he was quick enough to believe his gut feeling and retreated.


    ''If I was one second late, then it would be the end for me,'' the young man thought.


    He looked at the beautiful woman who still stood on the same spot, and he laughed dry, "Haha! As expected, you''re the one who killed my comrade, right?"


    "¡­ all I do is make sure nobody enters the hut," Roselia replied.


    "Hey, Big sister, tell me, what kind of ability do you have? I''ve never seen someone able to summon a big thorn from the ground!"


    ¡­


    Roselia didn''t answer for two reasons. First, because she didn''t know what ability he meant, she did everything by instinct.


    And second, she had no goodwill to speak with an intruder.


    "Leave now," Roselia said coldly.


    "Hehe, I mean, I can''t do that, Big sister. Blood needs to be paid. You''ve killed my comrade. That means I have to kill you," the young man said. "Well, I don''t really mind sparing you. You''re gorgeous! Well, your skin is a bit too pale, but that''s alright. Nobody is perfect in the apocalypse anyway. We''re lacking women in the base. You can handle at least 13 guys, right? Don''t worry, we will give you a break here and there to make sure that you don''t die while we take turns, hehehe~."


    Roselia clenched her fist. She couldn''t imagine herself servicing other men, she was devoted to Master Yang Zhang only, and nothing would change that.


    "I suggest you leave now before I can''t hold myself," Roselia warned. She didn''t know whether she could control herself once she was angry, but she was generally a peaceful plant.


    She would never harm anyone or any animal as long as they weren''t approaching the house because she knew that Master Yang Zhang was mostly a peaceful person who would never attack anyone if he wasn''t attacked first.


    "Hehe, Big sister, I can''t leave now. You know, it''s difficult to find a beautiful woman in the apocalypse. Most had turned into zombies, and those who are not zombies live in the heavily guarded shelter. Of course, we can''t pick them~."


    "I need to bring you to my boss. You will compensate with your body for killing our comrade, okay?"


    ¡­


    Roselia''s gaze darkened. She stared at the young man about 10 feet away from him, she was ready to unleash her true power, but she knew it might wake Master Yang Zhang.


    She didn''t want Master Yang Zhang to be disturbed in his sleep.


    The young man realized that Roselia had no intention to attack first, even though he had provoked her a few times.


    He sighed and shrugged again, "Really? I have to be the one attacking you again and again?"


    ¡­


    "Tch, fine, you asked for it!"


    The young man knew that he couldn''t fight Roselia using a direct attack. She could always summon a big thorn that would pierce him and make him a human skewer.


    He took a knife from the similar bag that the man with deadlock eyes had and threw a knife at Roselia.


    Roselia stared at the knife and finally dodged to the right when it almost hit her face.


    "Now you''re finally moving, huh? I thought you have no fear," The young man mocked.


    "I just don''t want to ruin my face," Roselia said. ''Because I would have to stitch my face again, and I don''t want Master Yang Zhang to see me with too many stitches.''


    "Haha! If that knife hits you, I don''t think you''ll care for your beautiful face anymore because you''d be dead!" The young man now threw a knife after another to attack Roselia continuously.


    Roselia dodged a few times, but she wasn''t exactly a fighter, so one knife finally hit her in her thigh.


    ¡­


    "Hah! Got you!" The man laughed when he saw the knife stab Roselia.


    But strangely, Roselia didn''t show a trace of pain¡ª In fact, she didn''t even wince in pain.


    As if she felt nothing when the knife pierced her skin.


    "Wait, why are you not reacting? I''m pretty sure that should hurt, right?" The young man asked.


    Roselia was mortified to see her body get pierced. That was one more stitch that Master Yang Zhang may see in the future when they were on the bed together.


    Roselia glared at the man with a hateful gaze, "You should pay with your skin!"


    "Huh? Pay? What do you mean¡ª"


    The young man could not finish his sentence when the ground behind him suddenly shook, and a big thorn popped up from the ground.


    It was so abrupt that the man was unable to dodge completely. The thorn hurt his thigh.


    "ARGH!" The young man''s thigh was bleeding horribly because of the deep cut. He gritted his teeth, not realizing that the worse would come soon.


    "That''s perfect," Roselia said. She opened her palm and kneeled on the ground. She patted the ground, and a vine full of thorns was summoned from the ground and instantly bound the young man''s leg.


    "ARRGHH!" The young man wailed in pain. Roselia quickly summoned another thorny vine to bind the young man''s neck and choked him to death.


    "Ack¡ªACK!" When the thorn pierced his neck, the young man struggled with all his will.


    Meanwhile, Roselia used her power to sprout roses from the man''s wound and then pulled the man closer to her.


    "ACK! HELP¡ªH¡ªHELP!" The young man didn''t expect this beautiful big sister to be so cruel. His neck continued to bleed, and he was on the verge of death at this point.


    Roselia ripped the man''s jeans and checked the black roses blooming on the wound, "Okay, this skin is nice. I can use this to fix my skin that you ruined," Roselia said.


    Roselia pulled the knife on her thigh without showing any pain and sliced a big part of the man''s skin on his thigh for compensation.


    The man was in so much pain that he was about to faint at this point, but then, he knew that he was dead meat once he closed his eyes.


    He gritted his teeth to bear the pain and used his last effort to escape by grabbing a knife from his pocket and cutting the thorny vine choking his neck while Roselia was busy slicing his skin carefully.


    The young man looked at Roselia in horror because he saw that the beautiful big sister had a twisted expression on her face as she sliced a big chunk of his thigh skin.


    "Okay, this is good enough. Thank you for your skin," Roselia said.


    "You damn psychopath!" The man screamed and used his power by taking a mysterious rock from his pocket and inhaling it deeply.


    The young man''s body dissipated into dust right in front of Roselia. Roselia saw the dust fly to the sky, so it was unreachable for her.


    "So that''s what he calls an ability. I don''t think I can turn into dust¡­." Roselia said as she observed the dust that escaped her vine grip.


    "Well, at least I got his skin," Roselia said as she checked the thigh skin of the young man on her hand.


    "H¡ªHopefully, Master Yang Zhang won''t request me to serve him on the bed for a while. I need this skin to change color first. It would take a few days¡­" Roselia said.


    She returned to the backyard and then checked the open wound that the man had made.


    Of course, she could always stitch it, but she could use this skin plus the fat left in it to fill the gap in her thigh.


    Roselia stuffed the skin inside the gap and then stitched it with the thin thread from her fingers.


    "Okay, done!" Roselia was happy with her fixed thigh. It was a bit unfortunate since she couldn''t use more of that man''s skin and meat to stuff herself, but at least she had left a souvenir for him.


    "I''ve planted rosebuds in the wound on his neck.. I am sure his friends will see the consequence of disturbing Master Yang Zhang''s sleep."

 Chapter 77 - Dandelion (5)

    "I''ve planted rosebuds in the wound on his neck. I am sure his friends will see the consequence of disturbing Master Yang Zhang''s sleep," Roselia said. She giggled light as she was proud of her own work, especially that she could ward off the enemy without alerting Master Yang Zhang.


    Because Master Yang Zhang was her priority. She refused to wake him up, even if there was a literal nuclear war outside.


    "I guess I can sleep now. I''ll decorate the yard tomorrow morning," Roselia said as she plunged herself into a deep hole that was supposed to be a baby''s grave.


    Of course, Roselia could root herself somewhere else. She could even root in the front yard if she wanted.


    But to be in the same soil with the skeletal remains of this baby boy felt a lot more comfortable for her to rest.


    ''Mm¡­ if only I could take care of a baby right now. Maybe when Master Yang Zhang has a wife, I can take care of his baby as a nanny¡­.'' Roselia said as she knew that she couldn''t bear a child any longer. But her motherly instinct was very strong. That was why she could take care of the entire house, including Master Yang Zhang and all other pets.


    After Roselia completely covered herself with soil, the rose sprouted from her head and started wiggling around in the night.


    **


    Meanwhile, the young man was breathing heavily as he could finally escape that monstrous woman.


    ''What even is that monster?!'' The young man pondered as he traveled on the sky as dust particles.


    This was his ability. He was able to turn into dust particles and traveled in the air at normal speed. He could do this by inhaling an obsidian stone, but he could only use this ability once per day. But in this dust form, he couldn''t feel pain until he turned back into a human.


    He never thought that he would be forced to use his ability against a woman who looked harmless from outside.


    ''Fuck, what a psychopath! She cuts my flesh without even blinking. In fact, I don''t think I''ve seen her blink, not even once!''


    ''We need to raid her together, maybe with 5 or 6 people, so she has no chance to fight back!'' The young man said.


    ''Well, now I just have to travel back to the base and report everything I found. I''ll make sure that evil woman paid for what he did to me!'' "


    The young man was relieved that he could escape the grasp of that evil woman, and he was even more relieved when he saw his base on the ground.


    He descended to the ground and floated until he found his boss brandishing his scimitar.


    "Hm? Ma Ning, why are you so late today?" The boss asked as he saw the dust floating around him. He knew this was Ma Ning''s ability to turn into dust once per day.


    Ma Ning was a skilled scout in his mercenary group, so the boss ordered him to search the whereabouts of that new recruit with deadlock eyes since that man was so ambitious to prove himself that he could be a great asset for the group.


    That man disappeared about four days ago without contact, but he said that he was going south on the forest trail from his track.


    The boss located his last location with a tracking device, but it seemed that the man had lost contact somewhere near that big river.


    Ma Ning, the scout, turned back into his human form after ensuring that he was safe.


    After he formed into his human form, his body felt weak all over, especially his thigh area that had been skinned.


    "What the¡ª!?" The boss quickly propped Ma Ning, who was wounded. He was shocked by a clean cut on Ma Ning''s thigh. As if it had been deliberately sliced to fit a certain shape, like a butcher ready to skin a cow alive.


    Everyone started gathering around the boss to see what happened, and they were horrified by the clean-cut on Ma Ning''s thigh. The boss yelled to call the medic, "Call the Medic now! We need to stop his bleeding first!"


    The medic quickly arrived with the basic first aid kit since they were short of medicine for a while. That new recruit tasked to find any kind of medicine was mysteriously gone.


    The medic was also horrified by the clean-cut that lifted a big part of Ma Ning''s skin and meat. He was bleeding nonstop, much to her shock.


    She could only do the first aid by pouring water first to lean the wound and then started cleaning the edges from dirt.


    Ma Ning''s eyes widened, he wanted to scream, but somehow, he couldn''t say a word.


    Ma Ning felt something was wrong. He felt a burning sensation around his neck that had been pricked by many thorns before.


    Ma Ning grasped the boss'' arm, wanting to report his finding and also everything about that rose girl.


    But no matter how many times he tried to open his mouth, no voice was coming out.


    "Ma Ning, stay put. If you want to tell me something, you can tell me after you''ve recovered. Your wound is so horrible," the boss said. "There must be a dangerous enemy that you faced, right?"


    Ma Ning nodded, but he got desperate as he realized he wouldn''t be able to give a full report of what was happening. The boss also realized that Ma Ning was trying to deliver a message.


    "What? What do you want to say?" The boss asked.


    Ma Ning could only do basic signs with his hand to tell that his throat felt painful and couldn''t speak a word right now.


    The big boss caught the message quickly. He checked Ma Ning''s neck to see what happened.


    The wound around Ma Ning''s neck didn''t look so bad compared to the one in his thigh.


    But soon, he was in for another shock when he saw the wounds around Ma Ning''s neck start sprouting roses from the inside, and black roses started appearing for each rose around Ma Ning''s neck.


    The boss was so stunned that he couldn''t even speak right now. He kept looking at the black roses circling around Ma Ning''s neck and looked up to see Ma Ning''s expression.


    The young man''s face turned blue instantly as if he couldn''t breathe.


    "Did these roses prevent you from breathing? Nod if it''s a yes," the boss asked.


    Ma Ning nodded weakly in response.


    "Then I need to pluck these roses," the big boss said.


    Ma Ning''s eyes widened. He remembered how that evil woman plucked the black roses growing on the wound in his thigh, and he couldn''t stop bleeding.


    If his boss pulled all the roses on his neck, that would be fatal¡ª


    But he was too late to react. The boss quickly plucked all the roses on Ma Ning''s neck.


    But the moment he plucked the last rose, Ma Ning''s started bleeding terribly from the wounds on his neck. It was almost like a faucet because everyone saw that Ma Ning''s neck continued spurting out blood nonstop.


    "M¡ªMedic, close the wound on his neck! He is losing too much blood!" The boss ordered as he also started panicking when he saw the nonstop bleeding


    The medic tried to circle the bandage around Ma Ning''s neck to cover all the open wounds.


    But even after it had been covered, the blood quickly seeped into the bandage, and the bandage wasn''t enough to stop the bleeding.


    Ma Ning felt lightheaded. He knew this was his end, knowing that he wouldn''t be able to make it after losing too much blood. He fell to the ground weakly, and the boss quickly caught him.


    "Ma Ning!"


    Ma Ning stared at the boss. He needed to at least tell the boss what happened before he succumbed to his death.


    He grasped the boss'' arm and pulled him closer so he could at least whisper. It was the only thing he could do right now.


    The boss understood the meaning. He lowered his head and put his ear beside Ma Ning, "Go on, Ma Ning. Tell me what do we need to know."


    In his dying breath, Ma Ning whispered three words;


    ''River¡­ hut¡­ woman¡­.''


    Ma Ning drew his last breath and died tragically after losing too much blood.


    The group went silent as they were staring silently at Ma Ning''s corpse and their boss, who seemed to be in deep thought over something.


    The boss took a deep breath covered Ma Ning''s face with his handkerchief. He then stares at his other crew with bloodshot eyes, "Ma Ning has been killed by the same person who killed that new recruit. The killer is a woman who lives in a hut. At least that''s what I get from his last message."


    "I will send 3 people to see the location where Ma Ning scouted, and if what he said is true, we will avenge their deaths."

 Chapter 78 - Dandelion (6)

    Yang Zhang woke up with full vigor the next morning. He had a good sleep last night, much better than his previous nights outside for his shelter. Because he could finally sleep in a comfortable bed, far from zombies too, unlike when he was forced to sleep in Doctor Jun''s room for the night because he swallowed that Mana bead.


    Yang Zhang stretched his limbs and yawned. He saw that his pets had already woke up before him, other than Little Ivy and Poddie, who moved from their pots to sleeping beside Yang Zhang.


    Poddie hugged his nose while Little Ivy was gripping Yang Zhang''s arm like usual.


    Yang Zhang got up from the bed, not minding Poddie, who was still hugging his night. He walked to the living room and saw that Roselia, Chestnut, and Lt. Spicy Wing were sitting in front of the potted dandelion Yang Zhang planted last night.


    Roselia was the first to notice Yang Zhang. She got up instantly and took quick steps to approach her Master.


    "Good morning, Master. I''ve prepared your breakfast. Do you want to eat breakfast first or check the new pet you planted yesterday?" Roselia asked.


    "I want to check the dandelion first," Yang Zhang said. He walked to the couch and stared at the dandelion in front of him.


    The dandelion had already mutated overnight and had two small beads that act as a pair of eyes, much like Ivy and Poddie''s eyes.


    "Dii? Dii¡­ Dii?" The white dandelion looked to her left and right full of bewilderment. Everyone was looking at her with a curious gaze.


    She got a bit overwhelmed until Yang Zhang sat in front of her and smiled. The dandelion felt calmer with Yang Zhang''s presence, and she immediately called him, "Dii! Dii!"


    Yang Zhang smiled at her and patted the dandelion gently because she seemed very fragile, "Hello, my name is Yang Zhang, and I''m your master. You''re part of the family now."


    "Dii!" The dandelion uprooted herself, showing a thin stalk with two long leaves that acted like her arms.


    The dandelion shyly presented herself in front of Yang Zhang and stretched her arms, waiting for her master to pick her up.


    Yang Zhang gently picked up the white dandelion, and she seemed so happy.


    But Yang Zhang had a bit of grievance in his heart. He thought that his experiment would work and he could create another Roselia-type of a mutated plant.


    It seemed that 1 Brain bead + 1 Mana bead experiment was a total failure.


    But, it didn''t excuse him not to like this white dandelion, just like the rest of her pets. This one also seemed to be very loving and clingy to him, so he didn''t mind.


    "Okay, now we need to find a name for you. Everyone here has a name, you know," Yang Zhang reminded.


    The white dandelion looked confused as she checked her master''s other pets, "Dii?"


    "Hehe, that squirrel''s name is Chestnut. Chestnut is your reliable big brother, so you can rely on him if you need something, okay?"


    "Squeak!" Chesnut happily accepted.


    "That one is Lt. Spicy Wing. He is in charge of the house''s security. He still has a lot to learn, but he is very strong in many situations."


    "Chirp! Chirp!" Lt. Spicy Wing gave out his salute towards Master Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang opened his left palm, "This is Little Ivy. She is shy but very kind."


    "Vii!"


    "The one hugging my nose right now is Poddie. He is a curious boy. He is in charge of supplying my ammo."


    "Pii! Pii!"


    "And that one¡ª" Yang Zhang pointed at Roselia. "She is also part of the family. Her name is Roselia. She is in charge of taking care of the hut and decorating the garden, and she''s really good at it."


    "M¡ªMaster, you''re too much¡­" Roselia felt shy to be praised by her master, though she wouldn''t lie that she was happy.


    "See? Everyone here has their own name. Now we need to give you a name, hmmm¡­." Yang Zhang hummed while looking at the dandelion, and he noticed that the dandelion looked more feminine rather than childish like Poddie or Little Ivy.


    "Dii, Dii¡­"


    ''Ah, even from her way of speaking, she was more mature than Poddie and Little Ivy. I guess I should give her a more suitable name."


    "How about Miss D?"


    "Dii?!"


    "Oh, you don''t like that at all? Hmmm¡­. Dandy? Dilly Dilly?"


    "Dii¡­"


    "You want something more down to earth? How about using a western name instead? How about¡­ Daniella?"


    "DII!"


    "You like that one?"


    "Dii! Dii!"


    "Hehe, welcome to the family, Daniella!" Yang Zhang hugged Daniella the white dandelion, and the rest of his pets also came and latched on Yang Zhang''s body for a hug.


    After they had their warm hug, Yang Zhang looked at Daniella and asked, "Okay, Daniella, can you do something?"


    "Dii?"


    "Yeah, something that you want to show to us! All of my pets can do stuff. I bet you can do it too!"


    "Dii!" Daniella pointed at the window, signaling Yang Zhang that she wanted to show her ability outside, which alerted Yang Zhang instantly.


    Yang Zhang got up and opened the door, his pets followed from behind, and Yang Zhang stood in the front yard with Daniella in his hand, "Okay, what do you want to show to us, Daniella?"


    "Dii!"


    "Huh? B¡ªBlow you?"


    "Dii!"


    ¡­


    Yang Zhang shook his head because he was thinking about something weird for a second, ''Okay, Yang Zhang, why the fuck are you thinking about something lewd in the morning? Is it because of morning wood?''


    Daniella shook her head slightly, and the white dandelion suddenly turned pink.


    "Dii!"


    "Waah, pink dandelion, that''s so cute!" Yang Zhang squealed. Daniella also told him to blow her, just like a normal human blowing a dandelion.


    "Fuuuh!"


    The pink fluff of dandelion blew away from Daniella''s head and floated in front of Yang Zhang.


    Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!


    The pink seed started exploding one by one, spreading countless pink spores on the air.


    Yang Zhang felt nothing, and he frowned because he really wished the pink dandelion would do something.


    But all it did was make their air smells like candy.


    "Ah, what are the pink spores used for? Does it have any effect other than making the air smells better?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Dii!"


    "Ehh, really?" Yang Zhang couldn''t believe Daniella''s explanation. "The pink spore is only effective to dark and fighting type, and super-duper effective on a dragon or any reptile?"


    "Dii!"


    "What are you? Florges? A fairy type?"


    "Dii!" Daniella nodded, claiming herself to be a fairy-type mutated plant.


    Yang Zhang stared at the pink air in front of him. It was barely visible even when up close like this, so Yang Zhang guessed that nobody could notice the pink air from afar.


    "What about zombies? Zombie is ghost and dark type, right?" Yang Zhang asked Daniella.


    "Dii! Dii!"


    "Oh? The pink air can significantly slow down the zombies that walked past it? The pink spore could even make them confused if it entered their noses or mouths?"


    "Dii!"


    "I see¡­" Yang Zhang couldn''t prove the effectiveness for now, but based on Daniella''s explanation, it could act as a barrier. Any zombie that walked past the pink spores would be confused and slowed down, so he had to try it later when he found a group of zombies.


    "I see, that''s a good job, Daniella! You will be helpful for the team¡ª"


    "Dii!"


    "Huh? That''s not only it?" Yang Zhang was surprised. "You have another thing to show?"


    "Dii!"


    Daniella grew out her dandelion fluff once more. It was white, so she shook her head to change the color from white > pink > red.


    "Red dandelion¡­"


    "Dii!" Daniella said as she was ready again.


    "Okay! Do you want me to blow it up again?


    "Dii!"


    Yang Zhang took another deep breath, and then¡ª


    "Fuuuh!"


    The red fluff was blown away to the air, but this time, it didn''t explode mid-air like the pink fluff before, which baffled Yang Zhang so much.


    "Uh¡­ what does this red one do?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Dii!"


    Yang Zhang frowned when Daniella told him to get back because it was dangerous.


    Yang Zhang didn''t have to do the same for the pink dandelion, but he followed nonetheless, curious what would happen next.


    "Dii!"


    "You asked me to throw something to the floating red dandelion?"


    "Dii!"


    "Hmmm¡­" Yang Zhang looked around, and he saw a fist-sized rock. "How about this rock? Is this enough?"


    "Dii!"


    "Okay!" Yang Zhang patted Little Ivy, who had been resting comfortably in his left arm the whole time, without saying anything.


    "Ivy, wake up and pick that rock up," Yang Zhang said.


    "Vii? Vii!" Little Ivy woke up from her rest and picked up the fist-sized rock with her vines


    "Throw it to that direction," Yang Zhang pointed.


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy threw the rock, and it launched. The rock hit one red floating dandelion fluff, and Yang Zhang''s widened his eyes in shock.


    Because the moment the rock hit one floating dandelion seed, a chain reaction happened.

 Chapter 79 - Dandelion And Flying Squirrel!

    Little Ivy threw the rock, and it launched. The rock accidentally hit one red floating dandelion fluff, and Yang Zhang''s widened his eyes in shock.


    BOOM!


    The rock triggered a chain reaction from one red seed to another, one red seed exploded. The rest of the floating seed also did the same, creating a big explosion with a loud noise, loud enough for Yang Zhang to close his eyes and ears because he was shocked.


    After the explosion subsided, Yang Zhang looked at the air that turned red, Yang Zhang wondered what would happen if he stood inside the area of the red air, but he was quite sure it would hurt him badly.


    "Daniella, what''s the effect of the red air after the explosion?"


    "Dii, Dii!"


    "I see. So you''re saying that the red air has a pepper spray effect that would hurt anyone''s eyes who walked past it, but it''s not really effective to zombies, right?"


    "Dii!"


    Yang Zhang nodded. He understood that the pepper spray effect wouldn''t affect zombies because they didn''t need their eyes to see. Even blind, the zombies could always rely on their hearing to detect your movement.


    "So the pink air is for the zombies, and the red air is for non-zombies, that''s great!" Yang Zhang said. He hugged Daniella again, "You''re great, Daniella!"


    "Dii~ Dii~" Daniella looked proud of herself. She was very happy when the one who complimented her was Master Yang Zhang.


    "Is there any time limit of how many floating seeds you can produce?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Dii!"


    "For each color, you need to charge per 6 hours? Okay, that''s actually not that bad!" Yang Zhang nodded. "Anyway, we''re going on an adventure today. Do you want to join?"


    "Dii! Dii!"


    "Alright, to the adventure it is!" Yang Zhang said, and his stomach suddenly rumbled. "Okay, we''ll go on an adventure after we have our breakfast, hehe."


    **


    Yang Zhang was eating breakfast with his pets. His plants were rooting in their pot and basked under the morning sun, while Chestnut and Spicy Wing were busy eating their own fill.


    After he was done eating, he checked his mutated potted plants, Poddie, Little Ivy, and Daniella.


    "Okay, are you guys done basking under the sun?"


    "Pii!"


    "Vii!"


    "Dii!"


    Yang Zhang smiled and picked their pots one by one to put them on the table because he was afraid that there might be a wild animal outside that might hurt them.


    "Okay, gang, do all of you want to go on an adventure with me today?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii! Vii!"


    "Dii!"


    ¡­


    The only one that didn''t reply other than Roselia was Poddie. Yang Zhang turned his head at Poddie and asked, "Poddie, are you okay? You don''t want to go on an adventure today?"


    "Pii, Pii¡­ Pii!" Poddie said that he liked it more inside the hut because he lived his entire life in that small and safe greenhouse. He was scared of the outside world full of zombies.


    "Pii! Pii!" Poddie offered his pea pod bag to his master. Telling Yang Zhang that he could use the bag full of pea bullets.


    "Well, I won''t force you at all, Poddie," Yang Zhang said. He was also considering Poddie''s usefulness outside of providing bullets.


    Poddie wasn''t a fighter. He couldn''t do anything in a clutch situation if they fought a horde of zombies.


    "Pii! Pii!"


    "You want to accompany Roselia to do gardening instead?"


    "Pii!"


    "Well, that''s fine. Roselia seems to like you very much as well," Yang Zhang said, glancing at Roselia.


    "Of course, Master! Poddie is such a good and obedient boy. I like taking care of him so much!" Roselia said. Because Poddie identified as a little boy, he reminded Roselia of the skeletal remains inside the backyard''s grave. She wondered if she had an emotional connection to that deceased baby boy.


    "Pii!" Poddie looked happy that he didn''t need to go on a dangerous adventure. Since he liked to stay and help Roselia gardening instead of seeing so many zombies.


    "Pii! Pii!" Poddie offered his pea pod bag to Yang Zhang, he opened the bag and showed hundreds of pea bullets inside, and there was plenty of sky blue pea bullet as well. The ratio was 75% for regular pea bullets and 25% for sky blue bullets.


    "Hehe, thank you, Poddie!" Yang Zhang grabbed his Gauntlet gun and wore it on his right hand. Since the regular pea bullet and sky blue pea bullet was mixed into one and it was too time-consuming to separate them one by one, Yang Zhang just poured everything inside the gauntlet gun''s chamber and hoped that he would be able to use the right bullet when needed.


    He took at least 10 sky blue bullets and put them in his jeans pocket before returning the pea pod bag to Poddie.


    He then wore his jeans and jacket washed by Roselia.


    "Okay, gang! Are you ready for the adventure today? We''re heading north because I want to see Xi Feng and her little sister, Mudan. I hope they''re in good condition right now."


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    Chestnut and Lt. Spicy Wing jumped to Yang Zhang and sat in their comfortable spots. Chestnut hiding inside Yang Zhang''s jacket pocket, while Spicy Wing nestled on top of his head.


    "Vii!" Little Ivy jumped in and wrapped her vines around Yang Zhang''s left arm like always.


    Poddie jumped to Roselia and sat on Roselia''s shoulder, and the last one was Daniella.


    Since this was her first time going on an adventure, she got confused about what she should do.


    "You can.. uh¡­ stay inside my jeans pocket?" Yang Zhang offered. Luckily, his jeans weren''t skinny ones, so the pocket was quite large, enough for Daniella.


    "Dii!" Daniella was happy, and she uprooted herself. But the moment she uprooted herself, something was popping out from her soil.


    Yang Zhang held his breath when he saw a Mana bead pop out from Daniella''s pot.


    That Mana bead was definitely Doctor Jun''s Mana bead that Yang Zhang planted alongside the Brain bead, thinking it would create another Roselia, much to his disappointment.


    Yang Zhang thought the Mana bead was gone after Daniella was brought to life. It turned out the Mana bead had zero effect on Daniella!


    "Daniella, can you bring that blue bead to me?"


    "Dii!"


    Daniella walked towards Yang Zhang while bringing the Mana bead. Yang Zhang lifted Daniella and put her inside the jeans pocket. He marveled at the Mana bead that had been very useful for his adventure in the east before. This Mana bead was also useful to upgrade Poddie''s pea pod.


    Yang Zhang thought he should find a new animal for this, but Chestnut suddenly interrupted him.


    "Squeak?"


    "Huh? What is it? You want this one?"


    "Squeak! Squeak!" Chestnut nodded. The squirrel said he wanted to have that Mana bead for a while because the Mana bead fit him so much.


    Yang Zhang hummed for a moment and then nodded. He found no problem with it because it was also difficult to find an animal that wanted to work with him, compared to plants that would always see Yang Zhang as their master.


    "Okay, you can have it, Chestnut," Yang Zhang said, giving the Mana bead to Chestnut.


    Chestnut jumped out of Yang Zhang''s jacket pocket and grabbed the Mana bead.


    Chestnut sat on the table while checking the Mana bead for a moment. He cleaned the Mana bead from dirt and then swallowed it whole.


    Gulp.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    For a while, nothing happened after Chestnut swallowed the Mana bead. Yang Zhang was disappointed but said nothing as he knew that this could also be a good experiment to conduct¡ª


    Bzzzzzttt!


    "Squeak!"


    Yang Zhang''s eyes widened when he saw Chestnut was surrounded by electric current, and his body shone brightly.


    "What? Chestnut is evolving?!" Yang Zhang yelled.


    The light around Chestnut''s body got brighter and brighter until Yang Zhang was forced to close his eyes.


    Bzzzzzt!


    Yang Zhang heard a small zap before the bright light dissipated. He opened his eyes slowly and saw that Chestnut had a different look!


    "Wow, Chestnut, you''ve evolved from Pachirisu to Emolga!" Yang Zhang said. "You''re a flying squirrel now!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut stretched his arms and showed the new parachute-like skin that he could use to glide from one tree to another.


    "Do you need my help to lift you up, so you can glide?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut shook his head and took a deep breath. His chest started bigger as it was filled with air, and Chestnut blew the table, creating a strong gust that pushed the flying squirrel to the ceiling.


    "Squeeee!" Chestnut glided around the living room freely.


    Yang Zhang was excited upon seeing Chestnut able to fly on his own, "Whoa! Chestnut, that''s so cool! You can freely fly now!"


    "Squeeeee!" Chestnut continued gliding until he decided to land on Yang Zhang''s shoulder. "Squeak!"


    "Hehe, you''re amazing, Chestnut! I bet you have other tricks in your sleeve, right?"


    "Squeak!"

 Chapter 80 - Another Ambush! (1)

    "Whoa! Chestnut, that''s so cool! You can freely fly now!"


    "Squeeeee!" Chestnut continued gliding until he decided to land on Yang Zhang''s shoulder. "Squeak!"


    "Hehe, you''re amazing, Chestnut! I bet you have other tricks in your sleeve, right?"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut was excited to show his master the new move, but Yang Zhang stopped him abruptly.


    "Wait, don''t show me now. It will be more impressive if you show it when we''re fighting zombies!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    Chestnut hugged Yang Zhang''s neck as he got even more excited to fight some zombies outside.


    Yang Zhang looked at Roselia and showed a big smile, "I''ll be leaving now. Please take care of the house while I''m out."


    "Yes, Master. It''s my duty, take care," Roselia bowed her head slightly.


    "And you, Poddie, don''t make a mess when Roselia is doing her job, okay?"


    "Pii!"


    "Okay, I''m going now! To the north!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Vii!"


    "Dii!"


    Yang Zhang went out and raised his left hand. He opened his palm, and Little Ivy automatically stretched her vines, and they started swinging from one tree to another.


    It had been a while since he visited Xi Feng and Mudan. He wondered what had happened to them. But knowing that Xi Feng was such a skilled survivor, he must''ve been doing well these days, especially with his little sister as a mutated plant now.


    Yang Zhang was bored on the way, so he started his usual habit while swinging, "Okay, since this is the first time for Daniella to swing with us, how about we start singing another song?"


    "Dii?"


    "Yes, a song! All you need to do is follow my song, and we can have fun while swinging!"


    "Dii! Dii!"


    "Hehe, I have one girl group that I like, let''s sing together! It''s TT by Twice!" Yang Zhang yelled.


    ¡ª


    "I''m like¡­."


    "Dii! Dii!


    "Just like¡­"


    "Vii! Vii"


    "Ireon nae mam moreugo neomuhae neomuhae."


    "I''m like¡­."


    "Chirp Chirp!


    "Just like¡­"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Tell me that you''ll be my baby!"


    ¡ª


    Yang Zhang was having fun along the way until he saw the big and empty field in front of him. The village gate was visible from where he was standing right now.


    "Okay, I don''t think we need to pass that village. There is nothing inside that village except dozens of ambushing zombies. Let''s just swing around the village since Xi Feng''s cave is right behind the village."


    "Vii!"


    Little Ivy swung them to the side to avoid confrontation with ambushing zombies. Yang Zhang finally saw the cave that he had visited once. He asked Little Ivy to drop there.


    "Xi Feng? It''s me, Brother Zhang!" Yang Zhang called.


    ¡­


    There was no answer. He thought Xi Feng was hunting outside, so he checked the cave.


    However, much to his surprise, the cave was abandoned!


    "Eh? Where is he?" Yang Zhang asked himself. From what he remembered, Xi Feng was a very meticulous teenage boy. He would clean his cave daily. Even Yang Zhang felt comfortable sleeping there once.


    But right now, the cave was full of insects, mostly spiderwebs, and there was no trace of Xi Feng sleeping on that stone bed.


    "Hmm, where is he¡­."


    Yang Zhang went out, and he looked around, wondering if Xi Feng had moved somewhere else.


    "That kid doesn''t seem to be the type to move out often. He is very resourceful. There must be something¡­."


    His eyes darted at the village full of ambushing zombies, "Is he inside the village right now? But I don''t think I can just walk there without getting ambushed left and right."


    "Squeak!" Chestnut jumped from Yang Zhang''s shoulder and glided to the ground. "Squeak! Squeak!


    "Oh! That''s right, you can fly!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Okay, Chestnut, go and check the village! See if there is a trace of Xi Feng there. I will be waiting here."


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut inhaled deep and blew the ground to push himself to the air. Chestnut stretched his arms and used his parachute-like arm to start gliding in the village.


    "And now¡­ we wait," Yang Zhang said.


    "Chirp?"


    "Ah, I remember that you hadn''t joined the team when I visited this place."


    "This gated village in front of you has some sort of cultish agenda. They''re all extremists who ambushed strangers. Now that they had turned into zombies, they retained their ambush tactic and waited in their houses before ambushing whoever came to the village."


    "Chirp?


    "Hm? What do you mean just like that one? What one?"


    "Chirp!" Spicy Wing to his back. Yang Zhang turned around, and he was petrified when he saw a zombie peeking from behind a tree. The moment the zombie got discovered, she attacked Yang Zhang instantly.


    "HRAARHH!"


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Yang Zhang quickly shot the zombie three times, and the third shot was fatal enough to stop her. The zombie spasmed on the ground before she was dead.


    Yang Zhang stared at the zombie for a while because he was both petrified and confused at the same time.


    "Wait, this zombie''s clothes are similar to those worn by the cultist zombie villagers. This female zombie should''ve been part of the villager, right?"


    "Then why is this zombie hiding behind that tree? Shouldn''t she stay with the rest of the villagers?" Yang Zhang asked. "Or maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ they all have left the village to start ambushing everyone outside of the village?"


    "SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Chestnut glided back to Yang Zhang and raised his voice, telling Yang Zhang there were no zombies in the village.


    Yang Zhang''s heart skipped for a second, the dawning realization when he looked around the woods near him.


    He didn''t take a good look because he thought it was safe since the zombies were all stuck in the village.


    Yang Zhang noticed dozens of eyes sticking out from behind trees, rocks, and bushes, eyeing him as they were ready to pounce.


    Yang Zhang swallowed his saliva, thinking of a better way to escape now because Little Ivy was already terrified to swing around right now.


    "I''m so fucked right now," Yang Zhang mumbled. He started having cold sweats on his forehead and back. He knew that the moment he turned around, he would be ambushed by all the zombies at the same time.


    He also couldn''t use Spicy Wing because he needed a lot of time to heat up the little chick''s body. And Chestnut¡­ of course, Chestnut could kill the zombies by zapping their heads. But there were just way too many. Yang Zhang was afraid that Chestnut would get caught in the process.


    So his only resort was¡­


    Yang Zhang glanced at Daniella on his jeans and asked in a low voice, "Daniella, how about your red seed? Is it ready to use now?"


    "Dii¡­"


    "Oh, the only pink one is ready, I see. Well, better than nothing, I guess. I think I have an idea."


    Yang Zhang still believed that the floating red seed from the dandelion would be far more useful since the explosion was always a good thing.


    But he had no other way. He looked up and saw Chestnut was still hovering on top of Yang Zhang''s head, observing the surroundings to report.


    "Squeak!"


    "Damn it!'' Yang Zhang caused. Chestnut just said that there were a lot of zombies behind Yang Zhang, so he was basically surrounded, just like what happened to him inside the village before.


    "Okay, I can''t delay any longer," Yang Zhang grabbed Daniella from his jeans pocket and then turned around.


    Whoosh!


    Yang Zhang quickly dashed to run away from the zombies, but just like what Chestnut said, there were dozens of zombies already blocked his only way to escape.


    Soon, Yang Zhang found himself getting ambushed in all directions, it should be hopeless, but he could only hope at Daniella''s pink seed right now.


    After ensuring that all the hidden zombies were already going after him, Yang Zhang stood on the spot, clutching Daniella in his right hand.


    "Daniella, Pink one," Yang Zhang commanded with a low voice.


    "Dii!"


    Yang Zhang predicted the nearest zombie was only 2 feet away from him. He quickly pointed Daniella to the ground and inhaled deep.


    "HRAARRGHH!"


    "HROAAARGHH!"


    "HAARRGHH!"


    NOW!


    Yang Zhang blew the pink seeds from Daniella''s head, and the fluffy pink seed were all scattered around Yang Zhang''s body.


    Yang Zhang ducked right before the first zombie grabbed him, and the pink seeds exploded in a chain reaction, creating puffy smokes that confused any nearby zombies.


    Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!


    ''Okay, this is my chance!''


    While the zombies were confused due to the pink smoke, Yang Zhang quickly crawled from under their feet.


    After he could break free from the zombies, he got up and turned around. He saw the zombies were standing in the same spot. They didn''t move nor attack as long as they were surrounded by the pink air from Daniella''s ability.


    Yang Zhang quickly ran from them, distancing himself from those ambushing zombies.


    But before he could stop and take a breath, he saw zombies'' heads start popping from behind every tree he passed.


    "AAAAHH! WHY ARE THEY SO MANY?!"

 Chapter 81 - Another Ambush! (2)

    But before he could stop and take a breath, he saw zombies'' heads popping from behind every tree he passed.


    "AAAAHH! WHY ARE THEY EVERYWHERE?!"


    Yang Zhang continued running restlessly. His scream only provokes the rest of the zombies, and they also come out of their hiding and start chasing Yang Zhang.


    "HRAAAARGHH!"


    "AAAAHH! STOP SCREAMING! YANG ZHANG, YOU IDIOT! YOU''RE PROVOKING THEM! AAAAAAHHH!" Yang Zhang couldn''t handle his panic anymore, his adrenaline kicked in, and he forced himself to run as fast as possible.


    He aimed at the tree and opened his palm while running, "Ivy, please help me!"


    "Vii¡­ Vii¡­" Little Ivy accidentally saw the amount of zombies chasing them, and she was also frozen in fear. She couldn''t even open her eyes right now.


    "Ah fuck! Damn it!" Yang Zhang cursed out of desperation. The zombies behind him were getting nearer because Yang Zhang could hear their grunt.


    Yang Zhang had to find another way to escape, or he would be a zombie''s lunch for the day.


    He looked to his left and right.


    His left was surrounded by trees, while his right was the village''s tall wooden fences. It was tall enough, so he couldn''t just jump on it to escape the zombies.


    Yang Zhang could see so many zombies hiding behind the trees. It seemed that they had some sort of collective hive minds that allowed them to make coordinated attacks despite being mindless zombies.


    Yang Zhang knew he had no more energy to keep running. He looked at the tall wooden fence and then started shooting at one wooden fence in front of him.


    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!


    CRACK!


    Yang Zhang''s pea bullets were strong enough to chip the old wooden fence, but the zombies might still follow him. He grabbed Daniella from his jeans again and asked, "D¡ªDaniella, red?"


    "Dii!"


    Daniella''s fluff around her head turned red after a moment, and Yang Zhang was so relieved, he almost cried right now.


    "Oh, finally!"


    Yang Zhang looked at the wooden fence that got a big crack after shooting it with pea bullets. He aimed his gauntlet gun and shot a few more times to ensure that the tall wooden fence would be weak enough for him to break.


    He looked at Spicy Wing, who had been eyeing the fence. He seemed to be wanting to help.


    "Lieutenant, jump out from me and rush to that fence! Try to kick it until it''s enough to make a hole for me!"


    "Chirp!"


    Lt. Spicy Wing saluted and jumped from Yang Zhang''s head and rushed towards the cracked fence. He started kicking the cracked fence to weaken it even more.


    "CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!"


    CRACK!


    Yang Zhang continued running and looked up to Chestnut gliding on top of him, "Chestnut! Check whether there is a zombie behind that fence!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut glided to the fence and landed on top. He observed the surroundings and reported, "SQUEAK!"


    "Okay, all clear!"


    Yang Zhang rushed to the wooden fence that had been severely cracked.


    He grabbed Spicy Wing with his left hand and hit the cracked wooden fence with his shoulder.


    CRACK!


    Yang Zhang successfully broke the fence. He turned around before entering the village.


    "HRRRGHHHH!"


    The zombies were so close to him, somehow, they got even angrier when Yang Zhang broke the village''s fence.


    "TAKE THIS!"


    Yang Zhang inhaled deep and then blew Daniella''s red seeds as hard as possible, "FUUUUUH!"


    The red seed flew and created a barrier made of explosives in front of the broken gate.


    "CHESTNUT, TO ME!!" Yang Zhang quickly signaled Chestnut, sitting on top of the fence, to return to him because the explosion might hurt the squirrel.


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut quickly jumped from the fence towards Yang Zhang.


    Yang Zhang ran to save himself, and the moment he started running, a big explosion rang through the village, and he was thrown away by the debris from the destroyed fence.


    BOOOM!


    "Argh!" Yang Zhang rolled on the ground for a moment. He was bruised and covered with dirt.


    "Ugh¡­ why does every visit in this place always end up with pain?" Yang Zhang complained. He checked the fence, and after making sure that the explosion was strong enough to hold them for a while, Yang Zhang checked his pets.


    "Are you guys alright?"


    "Vii!"


    "Dii!"


    "Squeak! Squeak!"


    "Chirp!"


    "Alright, now we have to find the right place to hide. I''m sure those zombies are angry that I ruined their village," Yang Zhang said.


    "Chestnut, can you still fly now?"


    "Squeak!"


    "Fly high and continue observing the village. Tell me if there is a horde of zombies hiding somewhere, so we don''t get ambushed for literally the third time!" Yang Zhang ordered. He wouldn''t lie that he got pissed off to get ambushed twice in this place, and both were life-threatening.


    "Squeak!" Chestnut flew and glided through the village, checking whether there was a horde of zombies hiding somewhere.


    "Why do I even bother anyway? If I can''t get anything from this visit, this will be the last time I ever stepped inside this village!" Yang Zhang complained again.


    "Eh, Brother Zhang, don''t be so harsh. I''ve been waiting for your visit for a while."


    Yang Zhang looked up because he heard the voice from the roof of a house. He saw the young man he had been searching for a while.


    "You¡ª I¡ª Why don''t you¡ª ah, damn it!" Yang Zhang could only ruffle his hair and curse to utter his frustration. He was seriously annoyed because he thought that Xi Feng could at least warn him in some way so he could escape the ambush.


    "You seem so frustrated, Brother Zhang. Did something happen?" Xi Feng asked, but he was trying to hold his laugh, which infuriated Xi Feng even more.


    "Come down, you scoundrel! Let me hit your head once!" Yang Zhang yelled. "I was visiting you to check on your wellbeing!"


    "Hehe, I''m sorry, Brother Zhang. I really don''t know that you are visiting. I heard the explosion and came here to see you with a bruised face and tattered jacket," Xi Feng said, still with a mischievous grin on his face. "Let''s leave now. Those zombies will start patrolling once more."


    Yang Zhang was still angry at Xi Feng, but he was in no condition to scold that mischievous teenage boy. He looked at Chestnut, who still glided and called him, "Chestnut, down! We''ve found Xi Feng!"


    "Squeak!"


    Chestnut went down and landed on Yang Zhang''s shoulder. He followed Xi Feng, who jumped from the roof and walked to the main street without worry.


    The Main Street of this village was empty, but Yang Zhang didn''t lose his alertness because the first time he visited this place, the Main Street also looked deserted.


    "Brother Zhang, you don''t need to be so alert inside the village now. Things have changed," Xi Feng said.


    "Changed?"


    "Yeah, those zombies are now splitting into two groups¡ª" Xi Feng said. He stopped in front of a house that was actually clean from the outside, with no sign of dust.


    Xi Feng unlocked the door with a key and opened it for Yang Zhang, "Let''s talk inside, Brother Zhang. I will tell you what happened."


    Yang Zhang nodded and entered the house. Xi Feng closed and locked the door from inside, "Okay, wait, Mudan has been wanting to meet with you."


    "Oh! Yeah, how''s your little sister?"


    "Hehe, she is in good condition!" Xi Feng went to open the bedroom door, and a small mutated plant around the size of Poddie wearing a peony dress walked out of the bedroom.


    "Mudaaan!" Mudan looked happy when Xi Feng opened the bedroom door. She greeted her big brother, and Xi Feng picked her up.


    Like before, Mudan wrapped her long hand decorated with peonies on Xi Feng''s neck.


    "Mudan, there is a guest you''ve wanted to meet for a while," Xi Feng said.


    "Mudan?"


    "Good afternoon, Mudan. Hehe, long time no see," Yang Zhang called her name.


    Mudan turned around and got excited. She started emanating a sweet fragrance from her body.


    "Mudan! Mudan!" Mudan pointed at something in the drawer, and Xi Feng opened it. "Oh, this is the flower you want to give to Brother Zhang, right?"


    "Mudan!"


    Xi Feng handed a single pink peony with a strong scent to Yang Zhang, "Brother Zhang, this is peony produced by Mudan when she misses you."


    "Miss me?"


    "Yes, maybe because you''re the one who used the ability to make her alive, that''s why she sees you as her oldest brother, and I''m the second brother, haha!" Xi Feng laughed heartily. "She makes it seems like we''re two big brothers that will protect her."


    "Well, she missed you a lot and produced this pink peony overnight. She said she wanted to give it to you. That particular peony somehow can stay almost 5 days inside the drawer without wilting, so I guess that''s special," Xi Feng said.


    "Ah, thank you so much, Mudan!" Yang Zhang accepted the flower.


    "Muuu dan!"


    Yang Zhang observed it, and there didn''t seem to be anything special with it. It was just a pink peony that had a strong scent.


    But since Xi Feng said this peony didn''t wilt even after 5 days inside a drawer, there must be some magical effect.


    "Vii?"


    "Oh? What is it, Ivy? You want to have this peony?" Yang Zhang was a bit surprised to see Little Ivy, who had been hiding the whole time, finally raised her voice.


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy nodded meekly while staring at the peony attentively.

 Chapter 82 - Xi Feng And Mudan

    "Oh? What is it, Ivy? You want to have this peony?" Yang Zhang was a bit surprised to see Little Ivy, who had been hiding the whole time, finally open her mouth.


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy nodded meekly while staring at the peony attentively.


    Honestly, Yang Zhang was still annoyed that Little Ivy was so scared of zombies she turned completely useless during a clutch situation, but he couldn''t just force Little Ivy to overcome her fear.


    Because she came from Xiao Mei Jie''s Brain bead, and her life hiding inside that attic, getting surrounded by zombies before turning into zombies herself must''ve been terrifying to the point that it affected her subconsciousness.


    "Well, you should ask Mudan first. She is the one who gave it to me," Yang Zhang instructed. He looked at Xi Feng and suggested, "Mudan and Ivy are shy little girls. I think they can be good friends. Let''s just put them on the couch together, so they can talk."


    "I agree, Brother Zhang! I also want Mudan to have a friend similar to herself," Xi Feng nodded. They carefully put Mudan and Little Ivy on the couch.


    "Muu?"


    "Vii?"


    "Her name is Mudan. We met her before, right?" Yang Zhang said to Little Ivy. He gave the peony to Little Ivy, which she quickly grabbed with her vine.


    "You should ask for her permission to get the peony."


    "Vii¡­" Little Ivy hesitated. She approached Mudan first. Mudan was even shyer than Little Ivy since she never left her big brother.


    "Vii¡­"


    "Muu?"


    "Vii, Vii!"


    Little Ivy showed the peony originally intended for Yang Zhang, and she asked Mudan if she could keep it for her.


    Mudan asked why she wanted it, and Little Ivy said the scent calmed her mind.


    Mudan looked at Yang Zhang, "Mudan?"


    "Well, I like it, Mudan. But it seems that Little Ivy loves it so much. It seems that you make it with love, right? Because the scent is so calming. You''re doing good, Mudan."


    "Muudan~," Mudan looked so happy and a little shy to be praised by Big brother Zhang and emanated a stronger flowery scent from inside her body.


    Mudan looked at Little Ivy and then approached her willingly, "Muuu¡­ dan!"


    "Vii?"


    "Mudan! Muu¡­ dan!"


    Mudan said that Little Ivy could keep the peony. She also said that the peony lasted forever because her feelings of Big brother Zhang also lasted forever!


    "Aww, so sweet!" Yang Zhang couldn''t help pat Mudan''s head gently, making Mudan twirl out of joy.


    Xi Feng smiled and glanced at the other living pets around Yang Zhang, "Brother Zhang, you have lots of pets now!"


    "Hehe, yep! I have plenty now, and there are two more in my hut!" Yang Zhang boasted. "You still remember Little Ivy and Chestnut, right?"


    "Yep! But I didn''t know that your squirrel has evolved."


    "Yes, he is now a flying squirrel!"


    "Squeak!" Chestnut jumped from Yang Zhang''s shoulder and blew a strong gust to the ground, propelling him up as he started gliding.


    "Woah, that''s so cool!" Xi Feng commented.


    "Hehe, this one is Lt. Spicy Wing!" Yang Zhang pointed at the little chick on top of his head.


    "Chirp!" Spicy Wing gave out his salute to Xi Feng.


    "This one is Daniella. She is the newest!"


    "Dii!" Daniella jumped from Yang Zhang''s pocket and asked Yang Zhang if she could join Ivy and Mudan.


    Yang Zhang put her between Mudan and Little Ivy, who seemed to be busy chatting, and they three were having a girl talk right now.


    "Okay, Xi Feng, you should tell me now. What the hell happened in this place? Why are those zombies waiting outside of the village to ambush? Why are you living in one of the houses inside the village now?"


    "Something happened about a week days ago. Only a few days after you left, Brother Zhang. It was a usual day. I hunted for meat and fruits until I heard a commotion in the village."


    "I thought it''s another massacre of those ability users getting eaten clean by the zombie villagers, which is¡­ kind of true, actually," Xi Feng reported. "I saw another group of ability users, consist of 4 people, including a hooded man. They looked around and got ambushed when they found the half-destroyed bronze cow."


    "But while 3 of them got mauled to the bone by the zombies, the hooded man was untouchable. The zombies ate the three until there was nothing left in them, but the hooded man sat under the destroyed bronze cow and then commanded them to hide outside instead."


    "Huh?" Yang Zhang blinked a few times upon hearing that. "Did I hear it wrong? That hooded man told the zombies to hide outside?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Yep, and strangely, the zombies obeyed him. Everyone left the village and hid behind the trees and rocks outside the village instead. They have been getting more success because they are literally surrounding the area outside of the village. So if there is any group who came to the village, the zombies will block their exit from outside, trapping those wandering ability user groups before feasting on them."


    Yang Zhang was still stunned. This was the first time he heard someone commanding mindless zombies, and the zombies actually obeyed him!


    "What kind of ability does that hooded guy have? It must''ve been some overpowered anime ability to control zombies!" Yang Zhang theorized.


    "Perhaps, but the zombies living around my previous cave had forced me to move out because they''re too dangerous at night," Xi Feng said.


    "So that''s why you''re living here?"


    "Yep, the village is empty now. I can live inside this house freely. Sadly. I can''t live in my old home because it''s big, so it stands out compared to other houses here. Those ability users'' first target for looting will be my real house."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter, though. At least now Mudan and I can have a proper house with a bed, and even a kitchen, so I don''t need to worry about storing my food, hehe~."


    "Oh, talking about food¡ª" Xi Feng got up and went to the kitchen. He returned with a bag filled with smoked meat, "Here''s smoked meat I make this morning, Brother Zhang! Don''t worry, the meat is mutated, but it didn''t come from weird animals!"


    Yang Zhang peered suspiciously, Xi Feng seemed to understand that Yang Zhang had certain disgust for eating animals that were too grotesquely mutated.


    Yang Zhang accepted the smoked meat, "Thank you so much, Xi Feng. I just visited because I want to check your wellbeing."


    "You know, my hut is a lot safer. We can live together if you want," Yang Zhang offered. He already saw Xi Feng like his little brother. But again, Xi Feng shook his head to refuse.


    "I don''t think so, Brother Zhang. I got used to living here. I don''t think I want to leave," Xi Feng refused.


    "But it''s not safe here," Yang Zhang said. "There are many ability user groups that came here, right?"


    "Yep, but it''s okay. I can always hide in my house or outside. I know this village in the back of my head, haha!" Xi Feng said. "You have to kill me first if you want to force me to live with you, hahahahah!"


    Yang Zhang frowned. He certainly didn''t want Xi Feng to get hurt, so he just ruffled Xi Feng''s hair and sighed, "Just don''t get hurt, okay? You''re also my family."


    Xi Feng froze when Brother Zhang ruffled his head and called him a family. It had been more than a year since his family turned into zombies. The only family he had right now was Mudan.


    So he felt joyous when Brother Zhang called him a family, maybe because he always wanted a big brother figure since he was forced to mature when he was only a teen. He wanted to have a big brother to rely on.


    He nodded slowly, not sure of what to say in response. Luckily, Yang Zhang got distracted easily when his stomach growled.


    "Ah, I think I''ll eat this smoked beef right now," Yang Zhang said. He started snacking on the smoked beef and asked Xi Feng, "Do you need any medicine? I got plenty in my hut. I can give you a few if you want."


    "Ah, no, Brother Zhang. I''m perfectly healthy," Xi Feng said.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The situation became silent between them since there was nothing to talk about. Yang Zhang only came here to check on Xi Feng, and he was glad that Xi Feng was in good health, though he still constantly worried about him since Xi Feng was still a teenage boy, and he had no power. He was just a normal human with immunity, just like Yang Zhang.


    It made him wonder if he should tell Xi Feng about the secret behind his pets, so he could do the same as well.


    ''Should I tell him? I feel it''s dangerous to tell Xi Feng about the effect of Brain Bead and Mana bead for mutation because I don''t know what he will do with it. Besides, nobody has been successfully controlling the mutated plants other than the old woman in human settlement. And she has a powerful ability to forcefully control the plants to do that.''


    ''But at the same time, I just can''t see him living a dangerous life like this,'' Yang Zhang thought. He ought to give Xi Feng a weapon.


    ''At least a weapon, something like my gauntlet gun.. Maybe I can give him something to arm himself.''

 Chapter 83 - Roselia & Poddie Vs 3 Bandits! (1)

    Yang Zhang ought to give Xi Feng a weapon of some sort. ''At least a weapon, something like my gauntlet gun. Maybe I can give him something to arm himself.''


    "Xi Feng, do you have something to arm yourself? What kind of weapon do you use to hunt?" Yang Zhang asked.


    "Uhh, the only thing I''m adept with is this, Brother Zhang," Xi Feng went to the kitchen and returned with an ax. "Everyone in this village is either adept at using an axe or sickle. Because we''re either hunter, farmer, or lumberjack."


    "I see, so your weapon of choice is an axe," Yang Zhang remembered that he had seen a unique axe from that blacksmith in the human settlement.


    Yang Zhang wasn''t adept at using any close-range weapon, and he didn''t have the strength to wield one either.


    But Xi Feng could survive, even hunted many weird animals in the forest with only an axe, so he was definitely good at using it.


    "Xi Feng, I know a good blacksmith that can give you a unique axe. He lived in a settlement exclusive for humans with immunity. I can always bring you there since you''re a human with immunity. Though, it seems that you prefer to live alone here with Mudan."


    "Hehe, thank you, Brother Zhang. And you''re correct, I will live here with Mudan. It''s much more peaceful," Xi Feng said.


    "I see. If that''s your choice, I won''t force you," Yang Zhang nodded. "But I will bring that axe for you. Just you wait here, okay?"


    "Okay¡­" Xi Feng nodded, though he was starting to get curious. "What kind of axe are you talking about, Brother Zhang?"


    "Well, the blacksmith has a lot of unique weapons, including mine¡ª" Yang Zhang pulled up his sleeve, showing the gauntlet gun strapped in his right arm.


    "This is a gauntlet gun. It can fire a projectile as strong as a real gun, and it''s been really handy for me since I''m not that strong, and I''m not good at facing zombies in close range, hehe."


    "Let me show you how it works," Yang Zhang said. He opened the window and aimed at the empty bottle in the middle of the empty street.


    Yang Zhang closed one eye to aim, and then¡ª


    BANG!


    The pea bullet launched from the gauntlet gun and hit the bottle on the road, blowing up the bottle into glass shards.


    Xi Feng was surprised by the strength, "Wow, Brother Zhang, that''s as strong as a real gun! What about the bullets? I don''t think you can get real bullets easily in the apocalypse."


    "Hehe, I have a plant that can produce about 200 bullets every day. Of course, it only lasts 24 hours, but it''s just as strong as a steel bullet!"


    "I got this weapon from the blacksmith in that human settlement. He has a lot of weapons I can trade just by giving him good quality meat. I think I can just go there and trade your smoked beef with an axe or something."


    "The axe is also very unique. It will definitely fit you!"


    Xi Feng got excited as well, just like a young man getting a new unique toy, "Okay, I will give you more meat. I can always hunt for another animal anyway!"


    Xi Feng ran to the kitchen and returned with another bag of smoked beef, "This smoked beef should last for days, even a week! Please bring me a cool weapon, Brother Zhang!"


    "Hehe, don''t worry, your Big brother will bring you a cool axe as a gift on my next visit!" Yang Zhang said.


    "Thank you, Brother Zhang!"


    **


    Yang Zhang and Xi Feng talked for a while until the sun started going west, signaling that it was past noon, and he had to return now, or it would be too late for him.


    "Brother Zhang, there is another room in this house if you want to rest for the day!" Xi Feng suggested.


    "Ah, no, I can''t stay for too long. I have my pets in the hut as well, and I only told them it would be a short trip," Yang Zhang said. He picked up all his pets and opened the door. "Take care, Xi Feng, Mudan. I will return in a few days."


    "Yes! Take care, Brother Zhang!"


    "Mudaaan!" Mudan waved her hands at Big brother Zhang. She was a little sad that Big brother Zhang had to leave, but he said he would visit again!


    Yang Zhang wanted to bring Xi Feng and Mudan to his hut because he thought it was safer, but since Xi Feng refused, then he couldn''t do anything about it.


    ''Too bad, the hut would''ve been safer for them,'' Yang Zhang thought.


    **


    Meanwhile, Poddie was sitting on Roselia''s shoulder while the latter was busy tending the garden around the hut with flowers.


    Poddie was holding wild berries he found in the bushes near the hut, "Pii?"


    "Planting a wild berry? Hmm¡­ I''m not sure if it can grow manually," Roselia said. "I think it needs a good fertilizer to grow, or else the wild berry would never sprout."


    "Pii¡­" Poddie looked sad because he was excited to plant his own plant, hoping it would be a food source, so Master Yang Zhang wouldn''t need to worry about food.


    Roselia smiled at Poddie. She knew that Poddie was genuinely trying to be helpful. So she grabbed the wild berry in Poddie''s hand and planted it in the soil.


    "Pii?"


    "Don''t worry whether it will grow or not. It just needs a fertilizer. Do you know what fertilizer is?"


    "Pii¡­" Poddie shook his head.


    "The best fertilizer comes from freshly deceased animals¡­ or humans¡­." Roselia said. She had a mysterious smile lingering on her lips as if she was planning on something. "I''m pretty sure we will get some visitors soon. We can use them as a fertilizer."


    "Pii!" Poddie didn''t understand what that meant, but as long as it could help grow the plant for his Master, he would support Roselia!


    ¡­


    "Well, well, what a stunner we have here."


    Roselia and Poddie looked to the front when they heard a man''s voice near them.


    There were three people, all men, standing at least 15 feet from Roselia''s position right now. They looked like three middle-aged bandits and were dressed like bandits, complete with their weapons¡ª sword, sickle, and a gun hanging on their waists.


    Roselia stood up and stared at them. She had no fear of showing her ashen skin in front of humans that was not her Master.


    The man whistled as they looked at Roselia''s face and body. She was well covered with a rose dress from head to toe, but they could still imagine her naked. She had ashen skin, but honestly, her beauty was out of this world, so they didn''t mind at all. Nobody was perfect in the apocalypse anyway.


    They came here because their leaders told them to check on what had killed two of their members, but they really didn''t expect it to be one girl.


    So they thought the girl had a husband, and that husband was the true powerhouse.


    "Good afternoon, young lady. Where''s your husband? Are you here alone?" one of the bandits asked. He sounded polite, but the smirk on his face said otherwise.


    ¡­


    Roselia said nothing. She continued to stare at the man intensely, waiting for them to attack if they dared to.


    The bandits thought this woman was just shy or scared since her husband was nowhere near her. So they got even braver, "Don''t be shy, young lady. We''re not going to hurt you. Well, as long as you can take care of the three of us."


    "Yeah, don''t worry, looking at your sexy body, I bet you''ve been servicing your husband well, hmm? Or maybe you''re actually a whore who allows many men to sleep with you? It''s not really impossible."


    Roselia clenched her fist, but she stood still, knowing that her mission was to guard the hut, not attack anyone. As long as those people weren''t going near the front yard of the hut, then it wasn''t her right to attack first.


    Maybe because the master who planted her was Master Yang Zhang, the pacifist nature of Master Yang Zhang was also ingrained inside her. She wouldn''t attack unless the person attacked her first.


    "I suggest you leave now. Your friend came here last night, and I allowed him to return to your base because he can be a good example of what happened when you tried to attack me."


    "Heh, a woman starts to talk big," the man scoffed mockingly. He did not believe a delicate woman like Roselia would be able to do anything.


    "Don''t be scared, guys. She is just bluffing. Do you guys think a woman like her can actually do anything?"


    "Hahaha! The only thing she can do is puckering her ass and wait for a man to fuck her!"


    "Yeah, a lewd body like that is only good at serving some dicks, HAHAHA!"