Fu Qi still had a shred of conscience. Seeing that the captain was angry, he quickly came back of his own accord—only to have Qin Zhen grab him by the collar and slam him to the ground.
“Fu Laoqi, you bastard! You’ve gotten me into so much trouble!”
“No, I haven’t.” Even with his arms pinned, Fu Qi still tried to talk his way out of it. With a perfectly serious expression, he said, “Captain, you were incredibly badass. The Thunder Squad is both awed and terrified of you now. Not one of them dares look you in the eye…”
“And you still have the nerve to say that!” The zombie flew into a rage and punched him twice.
She had hit him rather hard. Fu Qi covered his chest and coughed a couple of times before saying, “You really can’t blame me. All I did was remind you that the Thunder Squad didn’t like us and might cause trouble. Everything else was your own imagination.”
Qin Zhen thought it over carefully and realized that he was right.
She had misunderstood—but Fu Qi had been by her side the entire time. He’d had countless chances to stop her, yet he had simply watched her make one mistake after another, even fanning the flames from the sidelines!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. He still deserved a beating!
After hitting him a few more times to vent her anger, the zombie dejectedly stood up and collapsed onto a little stool, her face utterly lifeless. Her coat slipped to the ground, but she didn’t even notice.
Having escaped disaster, Fu Qi straightened his wrinkled clothes. Then he crouched in front of her and tugged at the hem of her coat.
“Is it really that serious?”
“Of course you don’t think it’s serious.” The zombie’s face was all scrunched up as she complained, “You’re not the one who turned into the vicious supporting female character!”
Fu Qi burst out laughing, immediately earning himself a glare.
He suppressed his smile and was about to speak when Qin Zhen broke down again. “We even forgot to go to the mall!”
Fu Qi: “…”
He struggled not to laugh and comforted her. “There’ll be another chance. We still have a long road ahead of us. We’ll have malls, and we’ll have luxurious golden tombs too.”
That wasn’t wrong, but the zombie had suffered too great a blow, and her mood remained low.
Fu Qi tried again. “So what if you really did turn out to be evil? They were rescued by us. We can use that to morally blackmail them.”
“…You’re really shameless!”
“What’s wrong with being shameless? Shamelessness is the signature style of our post-apocalyptic first team.”
Qin Zhen: “…No! I’m not human. I can’t be like you people!”
Qin Zhen felt that she was a little greedy and a little vengeful. She had bribed people and held them up, but none of those things had actually worked!
Besides, she’d only done those things because she had no choice. If she’d had a legitimate identity, she definitely wouldn’t have acted that way.
And anyway, this was all between her and Fu Qi. The two of them had too much history between them for this little incident to matter. They couldn’t be judged by ordinary standards.
In short, Qin Zhen had always considered herself a good zombie!
But now everything was ruined. The first time she’d ever served as acting captain, she had done something evil and bullied the poor Thunder Squad mercilessly…
It was like some family’s unruly child knocking over an old lady—not someone like Academician Jiang—and then, instead of apologizing, the parents kicking the old woman several more times.
How utterly vicious!
In the hearts of the Thunder Squad, she, Little Zombie, was probably even more shameless than Fu Qi now!
“You humans are the most treacherous. When you need me, you take advantage of me. Once you don’t need me anymore, you’ll definitely execute me for the crime of shamelessness.” Qin Zhen was overcome with sorrow. “If I have to die, then so be it—but I won’t even have a good reputation when I do!”
Fu Qi laughed as he defended humanity’s honor. “We don’t have any crime called ‘shamelessness.’”
“You will in the future!”
“…You really do plan ahead.” Fu Qi crouched on one knee in front of Qin Zhen, took both her hands, and gently shook them. Patiently, he asked, “Then what do you want to do?”
Qin Zhen suppressed her grief and thought for a while. Then she stared straight at Fu Qi and declared loudly, “Go tell them that you’re the shameless one, not me!”
Fu Qi: “Who would believe that?”
“If they don’t believe you, then kneel on the ground and burst into tears. Beg—beg them to believe you!”
Fu Qi: “…”
Begging was out of the question. So Fu Qi could only accompany the conscience-stricken Captain Qin to find the Thunder Squad and make amends.
The zombie had learned her lesson after suffering a loss. Before they went, she insisted that Fu Qi explain the source of the conflict between the two teams.
Fu Qi said, “This goes back several years…”
At the time, the new order had only just been established and was far from stable. The strong men who had originally banded together to fend off the zombies formed one small faction after another.
Once the factions were divided, disputes over territory and resources naturally followed, and the base descended into chaos for a time.
These people were the backbone of the base. They couldn’t simply be eliminated, but they were also difficult to control. So the government came up with a solution: register them as combat teams. The teams could accept missions from the government and receive payment after completing them.
No matter the circumstances, organizations recognized by the government had more prestige than street thugs—especially when they were special combat teams. It was a great honor.
With the government guiding them, the teams finally stopped wreaking havoc throughout the base. They were either out on missions or fighting among themselves, determined to battle it out for first place. Sometimes, they even let a grudge build over a single remark or two, then secretly tripped one another up during missions.
Fu Qi’s team emerged when the battle for supremacy was at its fiercest. They seized the title of first place outright, instantly drawing the hatred of every other team.
The Thunder Squad was the first to pick a fight. The two sides got into it, and Fu Qi pinned Captain Xu to the ground, planting the sole of his boot on the man’s chest as he said, “Someone like you will never be number one. At best, you can be number two.”
And that was how the nickname “Xu the Second” came about.
Qin Zhen loved movies and novels, and she also enjoyed listening to stories. Before she knew it, she was completely absorbed. “You’re seriously awful. Who told you to come up with that squad name? You deserve a beating.”
“How many times have I told you not to copy other people and swear? ‘You’re seriously awful, you’re seriously awful’—does that sound nice? You sound like some scruffy little thug.”
This zombie was exceptionally talented at picking up profanity and doing bad things, so Fu Qi seized the opportunity to give her a thorough scolding and lecture.
After finishing his criticism, he continued, “That’s why I said our squad’s defining style is being shameless.”
Qin Zhen was reminded of the shameless things she had done herself. Her expression hardened as she said, “That’s you. Chen Xiang and Old Mo aren’t shameless.”
“You’ve never even met them. How would you know?”
“I can tell from their voices.”
“Has Old Mo ever messaged you?”
“He doesn’t even talk. How could he be a bad… bad person?”
Fu Qi was left speechless.
Qin Zhen tugged at his sleeve and pressed him for more. “Go on… Someone as shameless as you must have lots of people wanting to… to kill you.”
“There are quite a few,” Fu Qi said. “But our First Squad is incredibly powerful. We counterattack every time and complete our missions outstandingly, leaving them unable to catch up with us.”
Qin Zhen didn’t believe him. If that were really the case, how could their squad have only three people left?
The Thunder Squad had eight.
But Qin Zhen couldn’t bring herself to rub salt in their wounds.
She asked, “You’ve all become enemies, and you still came to save them?”
“At first, we were enemies. But as time passed, more and more people died. Many squads gradually disappeared. The surviving squads grew accustomed to carrying out missions and witnessing life and death…”
Birds of a feather flock together. The kind of circle you lived in determined the kind of things you saw.
In the eyes of these squads, there had been nothing but rivals. At first, they had been delighted to watch their opponents’ numbers dwindle, believing themselves to be the strongest experts favored by fate. But as their rivals grew fewer and fewer, all that remained was the emptiness and fear of realizing that their lips and teeth depended on each other.
As long as the zombie virus remained unsolved, everyone would eventually die.
Once life and death had lost their weight, old grudges and grievances no longer mattered.
The Thunder Squad still didn’t like the First Squad of the apocalypse, but they had joined forces and carried out rescue operations many times. When they had done it once, there was always a second time. They weren’t the sort to stand by and watch them die.
“That sounds kind of depressing, even for a zombie,” Qin Zhen said.
It sounded so miserable. Wouldn’t it be better to let them keep fighting and killing each other?
Fu Qi said, “That’s not wrong. But if we’re talking about who has it worst, it’s still me. I’m targeted by my own kind, coveted by zombies, and beaten up by Jiang Xiaojiang…”
“Say that again!” Qin Zhen raised her fist and waved it at him.
Fu Qi lifted both hands in surrender and shut his mouth.
After listening to the whole story, Qin Zhen calculated that the Thunder Squad should have finished getting organized by now, so they could head over.
Before they left, the zombie grabbed Fu Qi’s hand and said, “Sweetie, I’ll give the captain back to you. I won’t do it anymore.”
“Really?”
“Mm.” Qin Zhen said, “I’m afraid someone will come after me.”
Zombies couldn’t die, but their wounds let the air in, and they were incredibly itchy.
Thinking about how Ye Hui had called Fu Qi “Major Fu” earlier, she lowered her voice and said uncertainly, “Also, I feel like our squad might have been sent out by the government to… to set the tone, but it also seems kind of noble. I… I don’t want to do it anymore.”
She was scared.
Until she received official immunity, the zombie thought it would be better to stay as far away from the authorities as possible.
“Fine,” Fu Qi said. “Then from now on, I won’t call you Zombie Sis, and you’re not allowed to call me Little Qi anymore.”
Qin Zhen nodded. “I’ll still call you Sweetie.”
“Sweetie? Who gave you permission to call me that?!” Fu Qi’s voice suddenly turned stern, crisp, and cold. He startled the zombie. “Call me Captain!”
Qin Zhen: “…”
She went right up and punched Fu Qi.
By the time they went to find the Thunder Squad, its members had already split up. Some had gone to scout the surroundings, some were setting traps, and others were searching for food and water. Only Xu the Second, Fever Bro, and Broken-Leg Bro remained, lighting a fire, boiling water, and tidying up the room.
Hearing a knock that none of his teammates used, Xu the Second instinctively assumed it was Fu Qi. He went to open the door while cursing, “You shameless bastard, you’ve got the nerve to—”
He had only gotten halfway through the sentence when he saw Qin Zhen outside, and the curse died on his lips.
Xu the Second had already learned from his teammates that Qin Zhen had been the main force behind their rescue. Seeing her, he became stiff and awkward, unsure how he was supposed to react.
He truly thought this Sister Jiang had something wrong with her.
But she was their lifesaver.
After hesitating for a moment, Xu the Second decided that gratitude came first. He stepped aside and said loudly, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t cursing at you… Sister Jiang, please come in.”
“…”
Qin Zhen glanced at the bruise on Xu the Second’s face, awkwardly looked away, and silently walked inside.
Inside, Broken-Leg Bro was sitting in a chair with his lower leg wrapped in bandages, bending over in an odd position as he shoved firewood into the mud stove. When he heard the noise and saw Qin Zhen, he shot up from the chair, hopped aside on one leg like a rooster, and said respectfully, “Sister Jiang, please sit.”
“……”
The zombie was mortified.
She was still trying to figure out what to say when Fever Bro deftly poured her a cup of hot water and handed it over. “Sister Jiang, have some water. Careful, it’s hot.”
Qin Zhen’s expression remained calm, but inside, she was wailing.
The wounded man had opened the door for her, the cripple had given up his seat, and the patient had poured her some water.
Qin Zhen felt less like a big shot and more like a mob boss throwing her weight around.
On top of being an illegal species, she had somehow acquired an illegal identity too. At this rate, she’d be spending the rest of her life behind bars!
She had no face to sit down. Desperate, she looked toward Fu Qi, who had followed in behind her, silently asking him for help.
Fu Qi pretended not to notice.
Broken-Leg Bro saw this, but misunderstood. He imitated what Fu Qi had done earlier, vigorously wiping the chair with his sleeve before saying, “It’s clean now, Sister Jiang. Please sit.”
Qin Zhen: “……”
She could swear she saw Fu Qi laughing!
“You don’t have to call me Zombie Sis,” she said awkwardly.
Fever Bro was equally obsequious. Knowing that his savior was a chuunibyou girl, he quickly chimed in, “Then we’ll call you Big Sis! Hello, Big Sis! Please, Big Sis, have a seat!”
Qin Zhen: “……”
She wanted to explain that she had acted that way earlier because she’d misunderstood the relationship between them and her own team. But while throwing her weight around had felt great at the time, she simply couldn’t bring herself to explain now…
She felt like a complete idiot.
She looked at Fu Qi. Fu Qi looked away.
She looked at the members of the Thunder Squad and found that both the patient and the wounded man were waiting eagerly for her orders. Only Xu the Second was glaring at Fu Qi, his eyes seemingly lined up with a hundred curses just waiting to spill out.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Xu the Second turned back and met her eyes. He awkwardly looked away, then glanced at the obsequious behavior of the two underlings beside him. After a moment of hesitation, he too turned toward Qin Zhen with the eager expression of a man marching to his death.
“……”
She had to say something!
Even if it killed her!
Qin Zhen opened her mouth. “Don’t call me Zom—Zombie Sis. Just call me Lit—”
The words “Little Zombie” were about to leave her mouth when a flash of inspiration struck her. She instantly came up with a brilliant plan.
Qin Zhen’s eyes suddenly lit up. Her expression softened, and she even sweetened her voice as she said, “Just call me Little Qin! My name is Jiang Xiaoqin. I’m Jiang Xiaojiang’s younger sister! Nice to meet you all!”
The three members of the Thunder Squad: “……What?”
“My sister and I are qua—quintuplets, and we look very much alike! Did you mistake me for her?”
Now that she had started the act, Qin Zhen continued fearlessly under the circle of strange looks. “My sister has a bad temper. If she offended you—you all—I’ll apologize on her behalf. I’m sorry! Please don’t take it to heart!”
Xu the Second was worthy of being the captain. After a fierce internal struggle, he stepped forward and asked cautiously, “You’re Jiang Xiaoqin…? Then where is your sister, Jiang Xiaojiang?”
“She…” Qin Zhen furrowed her brow and pondered for a moment before solemnly declaring, “She’s dead! She was bitten to death by zombies just now!”
Xu the Second: “……Huh?”
