Fu Qi had always been a man of principles. After being misunderstood as someone who disliked zombies, he broke those principles for the first time and crossed the line with a woman before they had even defined their relationship.
The very next day, he paid the price for abandoning his principles.
So when Qin Zhen demanded that he stand firm and hold to his principles, refusing to give in to her so easily again, Fu Qi agreed—and followed through without the slightest deviation.
He cruelly pried Qin Zhen’s fingers away, then left without a shred of mercy.
That night, three men shared one room, while Qin Zhen slept alone in another.
How absurd. She didn’t even need to sleep.
The zombie tossed and turned on the bed, her mind filled with the moment she and Fu Qi had crashed against the wall together.
For that brief stretch of less than a minute, Fu Qi had held her in his arms, her face buried against his chest, her ears filled with the powerful thump-thump of his heartbeat. The clean, refreshing scent of his skin after a shower had filled her nose.
Fu Qi had stroked her back, making her whole body go limp. A tingling sweetness spread through her, leaving her feeling as though she were about to become human!
He had even held her and gently rocked her, as if soothing her.
It had felt so good. She had liked it so much. She wanted more.
But Fu Qi was determined to help her quit lust, and refused no matter how she pleaded.
Honestly, what a stingy man.
Qin Zhen’s heart itched with longing. She tossed and turned all night, then crawled out of bed before dawn and crouched outside the room next door to wait for him.
The first person to come out was Tian Li, leaning on a wooden cane. His injured foot nearly landed on the zombie’s head, and he jumped in fright.
“Good grief! I opened the door and found someone crouching outside. I thought a zombie had crawled in!”
Qin Zhen hurriedly stood up and touched her face, remembering that she had just reapplied her makeup before coming out. She lowered her hand again and said, “I’m looking for Sweetie.”
Tian Li had already heard Qin Zhen call Fu Qi that yesterday, but hearing it again still made him feel deeply disgusted.
He braced himself against the doorframe and turned back, shouting in a rough voice, “Fu Laoqi, Xiao Qin is looking for you!”
“Tell her to wait outside for a while.” Fu Qi’s unhurried voice came from inside the room.
He’s really treating me like a stranger, Qin Zhen thought. When it was just the two of them, why had there been so many rules?
Fu Qi used to change his clothes without avoiding her, too.
What a pity she hadn’t known the joys of a living human body back then. She had missed out on so much.
There was also Lin Ye in the room, so Qin Zhen had no choice but to wait in the living room outside.
With nothing else to do after getting ready, Tian Li chatted with her. “I heard Fu Qi’s newest recruit is called Jiang Xiaojiang. So why do you call yourself Xiao Qin?”
The lovesick zombie had only Fu Qi on her mind, so she gave him an absentminded explanation about the theory of quintuplets.
Tian Li was astonished. “Really? Quintuplets are incredibly rare! You’re not making that up, are you?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Xu the Second.”
Tian Li didn’t have any means of communication, so he limped into the room to borrow Fu Qi’s phone. When he came back, his face was full of confusion.
“Xiao Qin, why did Xu the Second say that you and Fu Qi are both mentally ill?”
The zombie looked both innocent and indignant. “How rude!”
After they exchanged a few more idle remarks, the door opened. Qin Zhen assumed it was Fu Qi and shot toward it, only to find Lin Ye coming out.
Lin Ye was delighted to see her and asked ingratiatingly, “Xiao Qin, did you sleep well last night?”
Now there was only Fu Qi left in the room. The zombie wanted to go inside, but Lin Ye blocked her way.
“I was worried about Sweetie’s injury and couldn’t rest easy. I—I didn’t sleep well…” She tried to charge into the room. “I’ll change his bandages for him.”
She was stopped for the third time. Lin Ye said, “It’s fine. I changed Fu-ge’s bandages last night. I changed Tian-ge’s, too.”
Qin Zhen: “…”
This was the only legitimate excuse she had to experience the beauty of a living human body after being forced to quit lust!
The sky seemed to be falling in on the zombie.
At that very moment, Fu Qi came out.
He was wearing a white shirt, its broad shoulders giving it a handsome silhouette. He looked especially dazzling. Below, he wore a crisply pressed pair of black suit trousers, which accentuated his long legs and shapely backside. Even his steps seemed to carry the wind.
As he reached Qin Zhen, he adjusted his cuffs and bent down to ask, “What is it?”
The zombie was already dizzy with infatuation.
She had seen this outfit before. It was one they had taken from a shopping mall long ago.
After the apocalypse, everyone dressed however they could, wearing whatever they happened to find. Fu Qi had brought a few changes of clothes, but he most often wore his black combat uniform—it was practical, waterproof, stain-resistant, and easy to wash. This was the first time Qin Zhen had seen him dressed in such dazzling formalwear.
He looked incredible!
Tall, poised, handsome, sexy…
Qin Zhen stared blankly at the Adam’s apple, collarbone, and small patch of chest revealed by the three buttons he had undone. Other than tackling him and pinning him down, she couldn’t think of anything else.
“Qin Qin?” Fu Qi bent even lower at the waist.
The zombie’s eyes widened.
But, unfortunately, someone with no sense of timing came over to interrupt them.
“Xiao Qin, Fu-ge is asking why you were looking for him,” Lin Ye said.
Since someone had asked on her behalf, Fu Qi naturally straightened up.
The beautiful view vanished, and Qin Zhen reluctantly came back to her senses. Stammering, she said, “N-no, it’s nothing.”
Then she stepped forward, eyes full of longing, and tried to link her arm through Fu Qi’s.
Fu Qi saw what she was up to and walked straight past her toward the door. “If there’s nothing else, check your belongings. We’re short on time, and we won’t be stopping to rest for the next three days.”
He deliberately confirmed with Lin Ye once more, “We’ve gotten on the wrong side of some troublesome people. There may be danger on the road. Are you sure you want to come with us?”
“Of course.” Lin Ye sounded utterly unconcerned. “I dared to save Brother Tian, so why would I be afraid of danger? Besides, if I travel alone, I might die even faster.”
As he spoke, his eyes kept darting toward Qin Zhen. His intentions couldn’t have been clearer.
But Qin Zhen’s eyes were glued to Fu Qi.
“Then we’ll head to the base first. We’ll figure out the rest once we get there.” Now that everything was settled, Fu Qi raised a hand and fastened his shirt collar all the way up.
The zombie’s eyes instantly dulled. With a long, sorrowful sigh, she went back to her room to pack her foundation.
On the men’s side, the task of packing fell to the only able-bodied person, Lin Ye. The other two injured men waited in the living room.
As soon as they were alone, Tian Li complained, “It’s barely morning, and you’re already dressing like that. Who are you trying to seduce?”
Fu Qi said, “Jealous?”
“Ha!” Tian Li scoffed. “I’m just asking whether you can move properly dressed like that.”
“I was only trying it on. I’ll change back later.”
Sure enough, before they set out, Fu Qi changed back into his old combat uniform. His excuse was that the shirt and trousers were the wrong size—they were a little too tight and inconvenient to move around in.
The lecherous yet pure-hearted zombie and Lin Ye, who had no idea what Fu Qi was really up to, both believed him. One was disappointed, while the other felt regretful.
Lin Ye even said, “After the apocalypse, Brother Fu, you have to find more chances to wear formal clothes. You look great in them!”
Fu Qi’s brows lifted slightly. His gaze swept lightly over Lin Ye before he gave a noncommittal “Mm.”
Only Tian Li, who saw through everything, silently sneered at Fu Qi’s behavior.
But after thinking it over, he realized that Fu Qi was only acting this way because his savior was trying to steal his partner. So he firmly kept his mouth shut, merely shaking his head inwardly and sighing: The relationships within this team are far too improper. No wonder so many companies ban workplace romances.
Fortunately, he was perfectly innocent and had never gotten mixed up in such messy romantic entanglements.
Once everything was packed, they hit the road again, with Qin Zhen and Lin Ye taking turns behind the wheel.
Qin Zhen habitually swerved to avoid the zombies, prompting Tian Li to call her a bleeding heart and Lin Ye to praise her kindness. Fu Qi alone sat in the back with his eyes closed, saying nothing.
When they finally changed drivers, Qin Zhen eagerly wanted to sit beside Fu Qi in the back. But Fu Qi suddenly began discussing the international situation with Tian Li, leaving her no opening to join the conversation. Sulking, she could only take the front passenger seat.
“…Our population density caused some problems because containment was a little lacking in the early stages, but compared with the rest of the world, we’re doing pretty well now,” Tian Li said. “Country A is doing all right too, though that’s because guns are legal there. They have plenty of weapons, and their technology has advanced by leaps and bounds… The more I think about it, the stranger it seems. Do you think they knew about the zombie virus beforehand? Otherwise, how did they come up with so many inventions for the apocalypse so quickly?”
Fu Qi skipped over the question. “Having a large population has its advantages too.”
Tian Li agreed. “Exactly! We have a big population and vast, resource-rich territory. Otherwise, we’d be like Country B next door, just a tiny island that was wiped out in less than six months. How terrifying!”
The two countries had a long history of conflict and deep-seated hatred between them, so once the subject came up, Tian Li inevitably had more to say. “I heard that all the rich people in that country fled to Country A early on. Have to give them credit—they knew how to pick a side and cling to a powerful backer.”
Fu Qi made no comment and asked, “What about the other countries?”
Aside from missions, Tian Li spent nearly all his time at the base, so he knew quite a bit. “Countries C and D are barely holding up. Country Y is in bad shape. It was already a mess before the apocalypse. If it weren’t for its vast territory, it would’ve followed in little B’s footsteps long ago…”
The two men talked in the back while Lin Ye listened with one ear as he drove, occasionally adding a comment or two. Qin Zhen, on the other hand, knew nothing beyond the names of the countries and sat listlessly through the entire journey.
By evening, the two drivers were still taking turns at the wheel. Never mind getting any time alone with Fu Qi—even sitting beside him was something Qin Zhen hadn’t managed to do.
For the first time, Qin Zhen sympathized with the zombies running after the car. Faced with fragrant human flesh, they could only look but not touch. It was enough to drive a zombie crazy!
After three days of this torment, the zombie had been reduced to a listless wreck. She couldn’t muster the energy to respond whenever anyone spoke to her.
Lin Ye was genuinely worried. During one of their rest stops, he asked Fu Qi what was wrong with her.
Without the slightest change in expression, Fu Qi replied, “Maybe her depression is acting up.”
Lin Ye immediately threw himself into cheering Qin Zhen up. He went from her tragic past to her bright hopes for the future, rambling on for quite some time. Qin Zhen’s head began to spin from listening, and she had no choice but to speak up and express what she really wanted.
“I don’t want to drive.”
“No problem. We’re only half a day from the base now. I’ll drive from here,” Lin Ye said generously.
Qin Zhen stole a glance at Fu Qi, who was inspecting the car, and said weakly, “I want to sit in the back and rest.”
“What’s so difficult about that?” Lin Ye thumped his chest. “I’ll talk to him for you later!”
He kept his word. When it was time to set out, he took the initiative to speak up for Qin Zhen.
“Just so happens I want to sit in front,” Fu Qi said, lowering his head to Qin Zhen. “Let’s switch.”
Qin Zhen: “…”
With outsiders around, the zombie’s vanity and pride wouldn’t let her shamelessly pester Fu Qi or throw a tantrum at him. In a daze, she climbed into the car, sat there blankly for a moment, then let out a mournful “Ugh,” covered her face, and flopped down across the back seat.
Tian Li, sitting beside her, was startled into a shiver. Leaning forward, he whispered to Fu Qi, “Is Qin really depressed, and not mentally ill?”
After spending several days together, he was beginning to seriously suspect that Xu the Second hadn’t been joking.
Qin really didn’t seem quite right.
Fu Qi said, “Are you insulting our Qin Qin?”
“I’m sorry.” Tian Li immediately apologized, then added, “Actually, I want to insult your entire team. I just haven’t found the right opening yet.”
Fu Qi graciously forgave him. “It’s all right. After all, this is the only way you people can console yourselves.”
Tian Li: “?”
He felt Fu Qi ought to be grateful for the zombie virus. If it hadn’t made people realize the importance of standing united, then with a mouth like Fu Qi’s, his team would have been wiped out by the other teams sooner or later.
The two heartless men were at each other’s throats, while Lin Ye still had enough of a conscience to worry about the zombie in question. But no matter what he said, the zombie remained listless and silent. In the end, Fu Qi had to step in.
“It’s nothing. Our Qin Qin has discovered one of her own shortcomings and is reflecting on it. Once she’s finished reflecting, she’ll be completely transformed.” Fu Qi turned around and asked Qin Zhen, “Right, Qin Qin?”
Qin Zhen abruptly sat up, pounded hard twice on the back of his seat, then grabbed the blanket they used for resting and pulled it over her head, rejecting all communication with Fu Qi through sheer action.
Now everyone could see that it wasn’t depression at all. The two of them had clearly had a fight.
Lin Ye hesitated for a moment before cautiously trying to mediate. “Brother Fu, you’re a grown man. Can’t you give Qin a little leeway?”
“I’m helping her,” Fu Qi said. “It was her own request. She asked me to help her.”
The zombie heard him. She yanked the blanket off her head and shouted, “I take it back!”
“No.” Fu Qi emphasized the word. “You have to stick to your principles and see it through.”
Those were Qin Zhen’s own words, now being used against her. It was enough to make the zombie miserable.
Qin Zhen let out a furious, mournful whimper and collapsed again.
As she fell, her foot lifted slightly and nearly kicked Tian Li.
“Hey, hey, watch it. I’m injured here,” Tian Li reminded her, pulling his foot away.
Qin Zhen had no interest whatsoever in taking care of an injured person. If she hadn’t run into this wounded man, she wouldn’t have needed to worry about saving face. Little Fu Qi would have been hers by now.
“I hate you!” she told Tian Li.
“Whoa, what did I do?” Tian Li had suffered an entirely undeserved attack and couldn’t accept it. He turned to complain to Captain Fu. “Fu Laoqi, can’t your team members be a little reasonable?”
Fu Qi said, “Our team’s guiding principle is to be unreasonable.”
The word “principle” struck another painful blow to the zombie. She scrambled up and lunged over the passenger seat to grab Fu Qi by the neck.
Fu Qi turned around and caught her wrist with one hand, while reminding her that he had an injury on his shoulder. In the middle of their scuffle, Lin Ye, who was driving, suddenly said, “Huh? There’s someone up ahead. Are they from the base?”
Qin Zhen and Fu Qi stopped at the same time and leaned forward to look. At the other side of the fork in the road ahead, a black SUV was speeding along.
As they traveled, they occasionally encountered one or two other vehicles. Most of the time, after warily sizing each other up, everyone would exchange a few brief words about the road conditions they had encountered. Those who were especially suspicious would simply pass by in silence.
They weren’t far from the base now. Even if the other party hadn’t come from there, they would probably know something about the base’s movements. It would be useful to ask a few questions.
“Should we go over and ask?” Lin Ye said.
Fu Qi had previously said that he would take Tian Li to a safe base. But if possible, it would be best to hand him over outside the base to a team that had come out on a mission. They still had to take a detour and continue onward, so entering the base would only waste time.
If the people in that vehicle really were from the base, they could complete the handoff now.
Fu Qi watched the vehicle for several seconds. His expression darkened.
“Slow down and let them pass through the intersection first.”
“Why?” Lin Ye and Qin Zhen asked together.
“Because of their position.” Tian Li answered them from the back. At some point, he had pulled out a gun and was now watching the vehicle outside. “They’re too far to the left.”
Lin Ye immediately understood and slowed down.
Only Qin Zhen still didn’t get it. “What do you mean, too far to the left?”
The next second, she understood.
The SUV opposite them suddenly wrenched its steering wheel and charged straight at them. At the same time, its windows rolled down, revealing the barrels of guns.
“Get down!”
At Fu Qi’s command, everyone in the car ducked.
Only when the sound of bullets shattering the car windows rang out did Qin Zhen’s zombie brain finally piece together what was happening.
The road they were driving along was wide. Even in the apocalypse, most Chinese people had long since formed the habit of driving on the right. Yet the vehicle coming toward them was brazenly speeding along the left side of the road at no less than 120 miles per hour.
Different driving practices could not prove anything with absolute certainty, but to people like Fu Qi and Tian Li, who often dealt with people from Country A, it was unquestionably a dangerous signal.
By the time Qin Zhen realized what was happening, the two men had already begun to fight back.
Amid the sound of gunfire, Qin Zhen heard Fu Qi call out, “Speed up and pull alongside them. Keep your distance, and watch out for a collision.”
Lin Ye gave an “Ah” and stomped hard on the accelerator. The engine roared, and the vehicle shot forward.
The force of the acceleration threw Qin Zhen back. She let out an “Oof,” and when she looked up, she caught Fu Qi glancing back at her in the rearview mirror. She immediately clamped her mouth shut and obediently ducked down.
She didn’t kill people and had never learned how to use a gun. There was nothing she could do at a time like this, so all she needed to do was stay quiet and protect herself.
Fu Qi and Tian Li were both excellent shots. After several rounds, someone in the other vehicle went down, and the barrage of gunfire was no longer as fierce as before.
Lin Ye deserved some of the credit as well. He had plenty of courage and impressive driving skills, controlling the vehicle steadily and smoothly dodging several potentially devastating attacks.
But whether from excessive nervousness or some other reason, just as the two vehicles were about to pass each other, a bullet struck the door on his side. His hand jerked, and the vehicle suddenly veered toward the other car.
The force of inertia sent Qin Zhen stumbling into the door. When she opened her eyes while bracing herself against the seat, her gaze happened to pass through two shattered windows and land on the muzzle of a gun being raised inside the other vehicle.
Then came a crisp click—the sound of a round being chambered.
But the gun was not aimed at her. It was pointed at Tian Li, whose injured legs made it difficult for him to brace himself. When the vehicle tilted, he had fallen beside Qin Zhen.
Qin Zhen had no time to think. She reached out and shoved Tian Li, who had just started to get up, back down into his seat.
At the same time, a gunshot rang out. The bullet came through the window, and the impact of the close-range hit sent Qin Zhen tumbling backward. She collapsed against the window and thought, So being shot actually does hurt.
Well… Perhaps she hadn’t felt it properly last time because it had been too long since she’d been hit.
She was calmly letting her mind wander while everyone else in the vehicle was on the verge of losing it.
Especially Tian Li. The moment he heard the sound of the bullet hitting its target, he realized what had happened. He raised his head and shouted before trying to throw himself at Qin Zhen, but the front passenger seat suddenly tipped backward without warning, slamming into his head and stopping him.
“Keep your eyes on the enemy!”
At Fu Qi’s sharp reprimand, he had already leaped from the front to the back. Shoving Tian Li aside, he pulled Qin Zhen into his arms and quickly grabbed the blanket beside them, wrapping it tightly around her.
Once he had done that, he raised his gun and looked back, narrowing his eyes as he fired a shot that blew out the other vehicle’s rear tire.
The enemy vehicle skidded, swerving several times before crashing into the guardrail and overturning.
Tian Li immediately followed up with another shot. The bullet struck the fuel line, and after a few dark-brown drops of gasoline dripped out, the fuel ignited in the intense heat with a boom.
Several burly foreigners crawled desperately out of the vehicle. The moment their heads appeared, Fu Qi and Tian Li, their faces grim, shot them one by one.
Once the enemies had been dealt with, their own vehicle came to a stop as well. Tian Li and Lin Ye hurried over to check Qin Zhen’s injuries.
Fu Qi turned sideways, shielding Qin Zhen completely from view. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he said, “Go check whether there are any survivors, then find the nearest safe place to rest.”
Lin Ye obediently took his gun and got out. Left behind was Tian Li, whose legs made it difficult for him to move. He looked utterly helpless. “I—I…”
“It’s fine.” Fu Qi’s expression was unpleasant, and his tone was stiff, but he remained rational. He lowered his voice and said, “This is normal.”
Getting injured during a mission was nothing unusual. Besides, these people had been targeting them in the first place. If one looked at it carefully, even Tian Li’s leg injury had been sustained while he was trying to hold off the people from Country A for their sake. There was nothing to resent or blame him for.
And Qin Zhen would not die. Taking a bullet for Tian Li and saving his life had been worth it.
Fu Qi said all this, but his expression remained terribly grim.
He noticed it himself and tightened the corners of his mouth. “I just…”
Fu Qi had always been eloquent and was rarely left at a loss for words. Yet now, he didn’t know what he was trying to say.
Perhaps he simply felt guilty.
From the moment he had brought Qin Zhen out of the tomb, she had become his responsibility. He had placed countless restrictions on her—she couldn’t do this, she couldn’t do that—and he had meddled in every aspect of her life. Yet he still hadn’t been able to protect her.
Perhaps he felt useless.
He had been willing to take a bullet for Qin Zhen so that she would not be hurt. And yet, in the end, he had still allowed her to suffer this pain.
Perhaps he simply did not have the ability to keep her safe.
Fu Qi recalled the past and Qin Zhen’s identity. His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he said hoarsely, “I just don’t have the courage to face it.”
Tian Li opened and closed his mouth several times, wanting to offer some comfort, but no sound came out. He wanted to suggest checking Qin Zhen’s injuries first, but seeing the way Fu Qi had wrapped her up tightly and was holding her securely in his arms, he simply couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Fortunately, Lin Ye returned after the gunshot.
He leaped into the car and said quickly, “There was only one left alive. I killed him. How’s Qin Zhen?”
“Drive,” Tian Li said.
Lin Ye froze for a moment, then quickly started the car. In a low voice, he said, “I’m sorry. My hand was shaking just now. I didn’t control the wheel properly…”
“Find somewhere to treat Qin Zhen’s injuries first,” Tian Li said quietly. “We’ll deal with the rest later.”
Lin Ye answered with a soft “Mm” and focused on driving.
Not another sound came from the car. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, like a coffin sealed shut.
After driving through that suffocating silence for several minutes, Fu Qi felt movement in his arms. His tangled thoughts stilled, and he loosened his hold slightly to look down.
The car sped along as the early-spring wind, still carrying a chill, whipped recklessly through the open windows. It blew a strand of Qin Zhen’s long hair out from beneath the blanket.
Following that lock of black hair, Fu Qi peered through a gap in the blanket and saw Qin Zhen struggling to push one hand out. She touched his chest, and after feeling around, pulled back a palm smeared with dark-red blood. Her features scrunched up. Then, with an expression of utter disgust, she wiped the blood onto Fu Qi’s chest.
Afterward, she guiltily looked up. Finding herself meeting Fu Qi’s eyes, she blinked and hurriedly tried to wipe away the dirty smear.
But after rubbing it twice, not only did the blood fail to come off, she also felt the rapid pounding of his heartbeat beneath her hand. Her expression changed at once.
Fu Qi watched helplessly as she hesitated, then lifted her head and put on a feeble, dying look.
“...S-Sweetie... it hurts...”
Fu Qi: “...”
After the apocalypse, she might as well stop opening Internet cafés, writing novels, and drawing comics. With an acting bug this bad, she should become an actress instead.
In the dead-silent car, that pained voice was especially conspicuous. Tian Li, who had been blaming himself, leaned over in alarm, while Lin Ye, who had been concentrating on driving, turned his head to look back.
Fu Qi pulled the blanket tightly shut with lightning speed. Under the two men’s anxious gazes, he tugged at the corners of his mouth, lowered his head, and rubbed his chin against Qin Zhen’s head through the blanket. In a sorrowful voice, he said, “It’s all right, baby... You’ll be fine...”
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt the zombie’s two hands wrap around his waist and begin greedily groping beneath the blanket.
His body stiffened. The arm holding Qin Zhen tightened slightly. The next second, he clearly felt the zombie bury her face against his chest and nuzzle him, then take a forceful, deep sniff.
“...”
What a lecherous little zombie!
