Underground, the passage of time is imperceptible. Qin Zhen had no idea how long she had been living in the tomb, but for as long as she could remember, that skeletal figure had always been her companion.
Now, there was a human added to the mix.
Her hands absolutely must not be stained with human blood—after all, who knew if someday a highly skilled Taoist priest might detect the blood debt on her and use it as an excuse to exterminate her?
Qin Zhen had no choice but to tolerate this deceitful human roommate.
Her new roommate was the kind of ruthless person who would even kick a dead man’s coffin. With morals that rotten, was there anything he wouldn’t do?
To be safe, Qin Zhen moved all her precious belongings into the coffin to keep them close. As for the burial artifacts outside, he could do whatever he wanted with them—it wasn’t like she had any use for them anyway.
Lying in the coffin, with a luminous pearl for light on her left and a bleached-white skull on her right, she mused that soon enough, she might add another skull to her collection.
It was just a bit of a shame. After finally getting a human visitor, she had hoped he might take her out of here… Who knew what the outside world was like now?
Zombies didn’t hold grudges. After lying still for a while, her anger dissipated. Hearing no movement in the tomb, curiosity got the better of her again.
What was her new roommate up to?
Humans were cunning creatures—what if he had found a way out and was planning to sneak off without her?
Qin Zhen immediately pushed open the coffin and sat up.
The oil lamps on the stone walls were still lit, but Fu Qi was nowhere in sight. Just as she was about to climb out, a knock sounded on the coffin.
"Morning," came Fu Qi’s voice, as gentle as ever.
Qin Zhen peeked out and saw Fu Qi sitting on the ground, leaning against the coffin, looking up at her with a slight smile.
That one glance was enough to make her unable to look away.
Fu Qi was tall and robust, his skin a healthy wheat color. After being trapped in the tomb for so long, he looked a little rough at first glance, but upon closer inspection, his features were striking—a high nose bridge, thick brows, handsome eyes, and lips that, though dry, still held a hint of fullness. Dressed in a simple white T-shirt, his smile carried the freshness of after-rain and an innocent warmth that was utterly captivating.
But none of that was what truly held Qin Zhen’s attention. What made her unable to tear her eyes away was the translucent display screen floating in front of Fu Qi!
The screen projected from a silver watch he had once used for lighting. It now rested on his knee, emitting a faint glow from its crown, forming a small but detailed holographic map marked with various colored annotations.
The zombie was stunned.
After greeting her, Fu Qi paid her no further attention, swiping through the screen as the map shifted under his fingertips, revealing mountains, rivers, and terrain in full detail. Then, a strand of dry black hair dangled down from above, piercing straight through the virtual display.
Fu Qi looked up, coming face-to-face with an upside-down, deathly pale, slightly greenish visage.
He remained perfectly calm. "Lucky for me I’ve got nerves of steel, or I’d die of fright before thirst or hunger got me."
The screen seemed to possess an irresistible allure. Qin Zhen was practically leaning halfway out of the coffin, her messy hair hanging down like a ghost’s.
At Fu Qi’s words, she quickly scrambled back inside, tied up her disheveled hair, and then efficiently climbed out of the coffin.
Once she had smoothly completed all that, she crouched in front of Fu Qi, craning her neck eagerly. "Wh-what?"
Fu Qi glanced at her, looking apologetic. "Sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying."
Qin Zhen had to gather her thoughts before pointing at the holographic screen and trying again. "You… what doing?"
"Checking our current location and sending a distress signal."
"Signal…" Qin Zhen could only manage the key words, afraid he wouldn’t understand. She quickly added, "Signal… received?"
"Not going through," Fu Qi said, ignoring her awkward phrasing. "But it’s worth a try. Maybe I’ll get lucky."
"Mm!" Qin Zhen nodded vigorously.
Human progress was astonishing!
Watches could not only tell time and provide light but also project multimedia displays like computers!
Incredible!
She wanted one!
Qin Zhen was practically vibrating with excitement, eager to ask more. But seeing Fu Qi’s furrowed brow, his full attention on the virtual screen, she held back. After watching for a while, she stealthily scooted closer to Fu Qi, tilting her body to get a better look at the ever-changing display, trembling with excitement.
Meanwhile, Fu Qi typed out a line of code on the screen, his gaze flicking sideways at the unconsciously approaching head. He smiled faintly.
A bloodthirsty revenant would be hard to handle, but manipulating a rational, modern-era zombie who knew about models, zippers, and cellphones? Easy.
No one could resist the allure of high-tech gadgets—not even someone who was only once human.
Sure enough, the moment he retracted the holographic display, the zombie girl’s expression immediately dimmed.
"Hi-high tech!" the self-proclaimed zombie stammered in awe.
Fu Qi chuckled. "This isn’t even high-tech. Just a basic multifunctional watch. Everyone had one over a decade ago." He studied her with amusement. "Technology advances every day. Some cutting-edge products don’t even need physical carriers anymore—like written exams, theses… Heard of those?"
Qin Zhen nodded emphatically.
"Now there are consciousness extractors. Just think through a text-based creation, and it’ll automatically generate. Exam cheating is completely obsolete."
Qin Zhen gasped. "Then… n-novels?"
"Same. Extract thoughts, generate text. Same goes for art. With enough imagination, anyone can be a writer or an artist."
Qin Zhen: "!!"
Fu Qi fiddled with his watch, glancing at the zombie again before continuing leisurely, "Beyond mass text generation, there’s also virtual character simulation—like in-game character creation, but for custom-made personas…"
This was beyond the zombie’s knowledge. Qin Zhen looked lost.
Fu Qi softened his tone, explaining in more detail. "You know robots? Now they’re called androids—nearly identical to humans in appearance and function. Housekeeping, finance, companionship—all customizable. Input your desired looks and traits into the program, and it’ll generate your ideal partner. If you’ve got the stamina, you can do whatever you want with them. A few years back, that male celebrity Ling Xi was actually created by a ten-year-old girl in her mind. She even scripted and filmed a whole drama to make him famous… You interested in this stuff?"
Qin Zhen was beyond interested!
She no longer found Fu Qi the least bit detestable. Nodding eagerly, she blurted, "Me! Computer! Internet! Tomb!"
"You’ll need to form complete sentences for me to understand," Fu Qi pretended not to follow, patiently coaxing. "Take your time. Practice makes perfect."
So Qin Zhen suppressed her excitement and haltingly tried again: "I… want go out. Buy computer, phone… install internet… in tomb."
Slow, but at least it was a full sentence.
Fu Qi feigned surprise, smoothly pressing further. "A computer? That’s ancient history—phased out ages ago. What would you even do with it?"
Qin Zhen answered honestly, "Underground is b-boring. I want to watch m-movies, listen to music, play games."
She was a good zombie, and she valued her life.
Even if a crossbow bolt pierced her throat, she wouldn’t die. Ordinary humans couldn’t kill her, but she knew a Taoist priest definitely could.
So Qin Zhen behaved herself, never thought of provoking humans, and understood she shouldn’t appear in human society. The only reason she wanted to leave was because the tomb was too dull—she wanted to get a computer to spice up her underground existence.
And if possible, she’d love a multimedia chamber just for movies, stock up on books and clothes, install electric lights in the tomb, and bring back calendars, clocks, and other timekeeping tools…
But all this depended on one thing: getting out.
"...I j-just want some h-human high-tech stuff," she stammered, casting an eager glance at Fu Qi’s plain-looking silver wristwatch before meeting his eyes.
Her intense gaze forced Fu Qi to check his watch again. "Too deep underground. Still no signal."
"Ugh," the zombie grumbled in disappointment.
"I can last another five or six days. There’s still hope," Fu Qi said optimistically, then added, "But if you’re willing to give me a proper tour of this tomb, maybe we’ll find another way out."
Qin Zhen was about to nod when she caught Fu Qi’s springwater-like eyes and snapped out of her high-tech daydream.
Her eyes widened, and she scowled at him. "T-trying to trick me again!"
Fu Qi chuckled. "Our goals align now. Shouldn’t we work together?"
That was true, but this guy was too cunning. Qin Zhen now suspected he’d revealed his watch’s functions just to bait her into talking—she’d asked him earlier if he had a phone.
She’d fallen for it. How annoying.
But it wasn’t her fault. Stuck alone underground for years with no one to talk to and no need to think, her brain hadn’t shriveled into a raisin yet—how could she outwit a sly tomb raider?
Now Fu Qi wanted to find a way out, and so did she. She’d have to help, but she was still miffed.
Qin Zhen decided to scare the human to regain some dignity. With a cold expression, she said, "No need. When you d-die, the watch is mine. I’ll s-send the signal myself."
"You can’t," Fu Qi said, raising his wrist to show her. "This watch uses biometric tech. Only I can operate it—unless you’re an expert in advanced biotechnology."
The zombie wasn’t. In fact, this was her first time hearing about "biotechnology," and she wasn’t even sure she counted as a "biological" being…
Fu Qi added, "Even if you could use it, the watch is solar-powered. Without sunlight, it’d die in a few days… might not even outlast me."
Qin Zhen: "..."
So frustrating!
After a pause, she blurted, "Then when you die, your p-pants are mine!"
Fu Qi’s expression turned complicated, his gaze now that of a man eyeing a pervert.
Qin Zhen had standards. She immediately clarified loudly, "I’d leave you your u-underwear! I’m not a p-pervert!"
Fu Qi stood up, looked her up and down, and concluded, "You seem plenty perverted to me."
What kind of normal girl obsessed over someone else’s pants all day?
Qin Zhen grew even angrier.
When they first met, he’d been polite, hadn’t mocked her disheveled state, and even asked if she was a model. The second time, he’d kicked her coffin lid. Now he was calling her a pervert.
Humans—the longer you knew them, the uglier their true colors showed.
Fu Qi put on a fake gentle tone to console her. "It’s fine. Living alone underground for so long, it’s understandable you’d get a little… eccentric."
"..."
Qin Zhen stayed silent.
Qin Zhen wanted to eat someone.
