Because of Lu Xing’s call, Qin Zhen and Fu Qi were delayed for a while. By the time they returned to their original lodging, several hours had already passed.
Lin Ye was waiting for them. When he saw Qin Zhen, he asked in surprise, “Sister Qin, you’re back? Have you taken care of those children?”
Qin Zhen admired him, in a way. After doing so many terrible things and realizing that his identity had been exposed, he could still pretend nothing had happened and continue acting normally around them.
She had no desire to speak to a spy and turned her head away in disdain.
“Why does Qin seem to be in a bad mood?” Lin Ye turned to Fu Qi. “Brother Fu, why didn’t you come back last night? I thought something had happened to you.”
Fu Qi dropped all pretense and asked directly, “Were you the one who attacked those homeless children last night?”
Lin Ye did not panic in the slightest. Instead, he countered, “Do you have any evidence?”
“No.”
The only evidence that the fire had been deliberately started was the small amount of gasoline in the room and the traces left by an explosion in the courtyard. Unfortunately, everything had been consumed by the blaze, leaving no trace behind.
Lin Ye smiled. “Without evidence, how can you make accusations like that?”
The zombie, who had been listening to their conversation nearby, had never seen anyone so shameless. With a bang, she slammed her fist onto the table and threatened him, “I’ll kill you!”
“You won’t.” Lin Ye stopped pretending altogether. He sat down leisurely inside the house and said, “I imagine Team Captain Fu has already received the notice issued by the North City Base. Given your status… Oh, I should call you Major Fu. You can’t lay a hand on me.”
Fu Qi had indeed received new information from Lu Xing. A distinguished guest from Country A had accidentally become stranded within their country after encountering zombies.
They had provided specific coordinates and clearly stated that the person was currently traveling with Fu Qi. They hoped that, for the sake of harmony between the two nations, Fu Qi would protect him.
It was an official document, elevating the matter to the level of international relations.
If there had been no formal notification, any foreigner found within the country would be considered an illegal immigrant. They would be in the wrong, and if citizens killed them in self-defense or for other reasons, no one would know—and no disputes would arise.
That was precisely why those people from Country A had dared to act so arrogantly and slaughter innocent people.
For the same reason, when Lu Xing, as an official representative, learned that Qin Zhen had killed some foreigners, he had not cared in the slightest.
But someone whose presence had been formally negotiated through official channels was another matter.
No matter the circumstances, anything involving international relations had to be handled with caution. What was more, people all over the world were currently suffering. Country A possessed advanced technology and a zombie-disrupting agent, making it the country most likely to develop a vaccine against the zombie virus first. No nation would easily risk falling out with them.
Fu Qi had once been an official. Although he was now said to lead an independent team, he still maintained various connections with the authorities. He had also received a protection assignment from above. Considering all these factors, he could not act against Lin Ye.
Qin Zhen was a member of his team and likewise could not take action.
It was only after Fu Qi explained everything to her that Qin Zhen understood why he had said earlier that, in certain matters, the authorities were not truly free to act.
With Country A backing him, Lin Ye was completely unafraid. He announced openly, “Allow me to introduce myself again. I’m Kobayashi Gaye, from Country B. I have something that was lost in Linxiang, and I ask that Team Captain Fu escort me there to retrieve it.”
Country B had harbored a long-standing hatred for their country. The excuse he used also bore similarities to a certain historical incident. Just thinking about it made their blood boil with rage, and they wanted nothing more than to kill him on the spot.
The zombie was not human, but her nationality was still Chinese, and she knew that part of history as well. Furious, she cursed, “Shameless!”
“It would be best if Sister Qin remained calm,” Kobayashi Gaye said hypocritically. “We must keep the bigger picture in mind.”
The zombie was not good at arguing with people. In her anger, she went over and started hitting Fu Qi.
Fu Qi caught her hand and comforted her. “We do need to keep the bigger picture in mind, sweetheart. Although Country B has already fallen and is no longer a threat, they do have Country A backing them. We can’t act recklessly.”
Kobayashi Gaye’s expression darkened. Unfortunately, that was the truth. If they had not relied on Country A, those who had escaped from Country B would have had nowhere to go.
The zombie finally felt a little better. She declared loudly, “Right! That’s what the dic—dic—dictionary calls… a dog relying on its master’s power!”
“You mustn’t be so rude.” Carrying the responsibility of fostering international friendship, Team Captain Fu gently reprimanded his teammate before turning to their guest from Country B. “Qin Qin has a mental disorder. You know that.”
The slandered zombie glared at him. Since she knew he was acting against his will, she hesitated before lightly pinching his palm as a small punishment.
Kobayashi Gaye’s mouth twitched at the sight, and he did not continue the subject.
Now that everything was out in the open, Kobayashi Gaye asked directly, “When did you first start suspecting me?”
Fu Qi replied, “When we met those people from Country A.”
“Because I made a mistake while driving?”
“No.” Fu Qi said, “Because you reacted too quickly.”
Up until then, he had put on a convincing act. The background story he had fabricated was also believable, fitting the frenzied mental state common among survivors in the country.
His mistake was that when Fu Qi told him to slow down, both he and Qin Zhen asked why. But after Tian Li replied, “You’re too far to the left,” Qin Zhen was still confused, while he immediately understood.
According to the background he had given them, his father had taken all the money in the family after being released from prison, his mother had remarried, and he had lived with his grandfather. Given such a miserable family situation, it was unlikely that he had ever had the chance to go abroad. He should not have been able to immediately understand from the few words “too far to the left” that the other party was from Country A.
Kobayashi Gaye frowned. “Just because of that?”
“There’s more,” Fu Qi said. “After that incident, you deliberately kept driving farther to the right.”
Kobayashi Gaye thought back and said regretfully, “That’s true.”
Before then, he had driven freely, without deliberately keeping to either the left or the right. Afterward, however, he had indeed paid extra attention to avoid exposing himself, no longer driving as casually as before.
He had not expected Fu Qi to notice that as well.
“Based on those things alone, wasn’t it too hasty to conclude who I was?”
“Not only those things.” Fu Qi shook his head. “You left too many clues.”
“For example?”
“For example, you once told me to wear formal clothes more often after the apocalypse.”
There was nothing wrong with wearing formal clothes more often. The problem lay in the words “when you get the chance.” They indicated that he knew Fu Qi normally did not wear suits and that he knew about Fu Qi’s origins and background.
But no one had told him any of that at the time.
There was also the fact that he had consistently avoided asking about the strange things surrounding Qin Qin.
Kobayashi Gaye had only asked about Qin Zhen’s gloves after spending some time with them—after Tian Li had even left—and had pretended that the question had merely occurred to him in passing. That was not normal either. His younger companion, Fan Xu, had been much more forthright, asking directly on the second day after they met.
His avoidance had been far too obvious.
It was not only Fu Qi who had suspected him. Tian Li had also begun to doubt him long ago. That was why he had tacitly helped Kobayashi Gaye ask about the things he wanted to know, cooperating with Fu Qi to mislead him.
“That’s true.”
Kobayashi Jiaye openly admitted to all these flaws of his. He also acknowledged that, if all the blood samples collected in that room had not belonged to men, he might never have realized that Fu Qi had seen through him long ago.
As for why Fu Qi had switched the blood samples…
Kobayashi Jiaye glanced at Qin Zhen, who was listening intently beside them.
“Are you certain the thing you’re looking for is in Linxiang?” Fu Qi asked, drawing his attention back.
“Kobayashi, you know that better than I do, Captain Fu.”
Fu Qi sighed. “Looks like we have no choice but to go to Linxiang.”
Kobayashi Jiaye was no fool. Since Fu Qi had already seen through his identity, the thing’s exact location was still open to question. But their people had already made arrangements, and as the place where the Linxiang incident had begun, it was somewhere they had to visit.
With Kobayashi openly accompanying them under the guise of someone under their protection, Fu Qi would find it impossible to shake him off this time.
“Good that you understand, Captain Fu,” Kobayashi said.
Qin Zhen found his smug, utterly unbothered attitude unbearable. “We’re definitely going, but you’ll have to wait. Once we finish our cur—current mission, we’ll go.”
“You’ve already finished it,” Kobayashi Jiaye said solemnly.
“No, we haven’t!” Qin Zhen shouted. “The child and the old woman agreed to go to the base, but the two older girls refused. They secretly ran away, so we have to find them.”
Fu Qi added, “I’ll escort Mr. Kobayashi to Linxiang, but finding the children takes priority. I’m sure Mr. Kobayashi can understand that.”
Whether he understood or not was irrelevant. Fu Qi had a perfectly valid reason for staying behind, and no one could find fault with it.
Kobayashi Jiaye said, “What if you can’t find those two children? Will you simply refuse to move forward?”
“We’ll find them eventually,” Fu Qi replied.
“Got it. You want them alive—or at least their bodies.” Kobayashi’s expression darkened, and he said coldly, “I’ll help you.”
Fu Qi studied him intently but said nothing.
Ya and Li really had disappeared.
Lu Xing contacted Fu Qi for two reasons: first, to relay the central government’s order to protect Kobayashi Jiaye; and second, to ask whether they had found any trace of the two girls.
According to Lu Xing, the girls had apparently whispered together about something before returning to the cellar to retrieve a few things.
They had stored food, daily necessities, and other supplies there. Even an ant’s leg was meat, and the girls did not want to depend entirely on others. So Lu Xing had sent someone to escort them back to collect their belongings. Who could have guessed that they would disappear on the way, leaving behind only a note saying that, if possible, they would go to the base to find the others later.
Lu Xing had met Ya and Li for the first time only that day and was not familiar with them at all. He had no idea where they might have gone.
The two girls were very familiar with the old woman, but of the three, two were too young and the other was injured and unable to travel easily.
With no other choice, Lu Xing went to Fu Qi for help once again.
Fu Qi did not know the girls either. After asking Qin Zhen about her conversations with them over the past two days, he fell silent for a long while and then asked Qin Zhen to guess where they might have gone.
“They agreed to go to the base. Could they have been pretending again?” The zombie’s brain was completely empty of clues. After pondering for quite some time, she ventured, “Could it be that they never wanted to go to the base in the first place? They only pretended to agree because they wanted to beat me in a acting contest?”
“No,” Fu Qi said with calm certainty. “Normal people don’t have as strong a taste for drama as you do.”
“…”
Right in front of him, Qin Zhen opened her little notebook and wrote that down against him.
With no leads, they could only go to the cellar and take a look first.
Now that everything was out in the open, Kobayashi Jiaye would be going with them. As usual, he would be the one driving.
“I’m an international guest. I’m a guest, so shouldn’t you be the ones entertaining me?” Kobayashi had spent the entire journey driving and waiting on them day and night. He had had enough and wanted to turn the tables.
“I have a shoulder injury. I can’t drive,” Fu Qi said.
“I’ve got a bullet wound. I’m very weak,” Qin Zhen added.
“Both your injuries healed ages ago!” Kobayashi Jiaye protested.
At that, the zombie’s acting skills burst into full force. She immediately collapsed into Fu Qi’s arms and began sobbing that her wound hurt and she could not sit up. Fu Qi put an arm around her and said, “Then we’ll wait until you’ve recovered before we go looking for them. They’ve survived in the apocalypse for a long time. Nothing will happen to them.”
This was not a foreign country. Every extra day Kobayashi Jiaye and the A-country citizens in Linxiang stayed here meant more supplies consumed and more variables introduced. They could not afford to wait.
After a lengthy commotion, Kobayashi Jiaye reluctantly continued to serve as their driver.
A large number of zombies had originally been clustered around the cellar. Lu Xing and his people had wiped them out once, leaving only a few scattered ones wandering in front of the empty house, which had been burned until only a few pillars remained.
Qin Zhen kicked aside the ashes on the ground and searched the cellar. When she came back out, she said, “The knives and bow are gone.”
The girls had been wandering outside, so they had no firearms. All they could use were cold weapons.
Fu Qi asked, “What kind of bow?”
“A bow,” Qin Zhen replied. She had never used one and could not tell the difference.
“Did either of them know how to use it?”
“I never heard them men—mention it,” Qin Zhen said. “Before, it was always hang—hanging on the wall.”
“Decoration?” Kobayashi Jiaye cut in. “Using a bow requires considerable strength and accuracy. Even before the apocalypse, few people knew how to use one. How could a couple of girls in their teens possibly know? Still, carrying one around to fend off zombies is better than carrying a branch.”
Qin Zhen deeply disliked this man who was making sarcastic remarks from the sidelines. “Be careful, or one day you’ll get an arrow shot straight through you!”
“Whose arrows would shoot me through?” Kobayashi Jiaye rotated the silver watch on his wrist and asked with a provocative smile, “Captain Fu’s?”
The watch on his wrist was used for communications. In the event of an accident, it would transmit footage from before his death to his companions. Because of this, no one connected to the authorities was allowed to lay a hand on him.
What shamelessness!
Unable to stomach the indignity, the zombie secretly discussed it with Fu Qi. “Let’s set a trap, make him fall in, and then drive zombies over to bite him!”
“It won’t work,” Fu Qi said. “He can come and go as he pleases, so he must have some kind of zombie-repellent agent hidden on him.”
“Do it several times and wait until he runs out!”
Fu Qi shook his head. “That method is too crude. Once could be called an accident, but if it happens repeatedly, everyone will know we did it on purpose. And A-country values him highly. They’ll pursue the matter to the end.”
Zombies and traps were both unsuitable. Because of their official positions, Fu Qi, Lu Xing, and the others could not attack him directly. If they wanted him dead, they would have to find another way.
“Who is he, anyway?”
To win Fu Qi’s trust, Kobayashi Jiaye had personally killed people from A-country. Even so, he was still treated as an honored guest by A-country, which was willing to use international pressure to protect him.
“I don’t know,” Fu Qi said. “Go ask him.”
He actually went over and asked, “Are you with DF?”
Kobayashi Jiaye countered, “What makes you think that?”
“People from A-country have been searching our territory for five years. You didn’t come during the first few years. You only showed up after we found a clue related to DF.”
Kobayashi Jiaye smiled faintly. “Captain Fu really is remarkably perceptive. No wonder you were the first to find the clue.”
“Then what is DF?”
“A family abbreviation.” With things having come to this, Kobayashi Kaga decided to stop hiding it. “It was once one of the most prominent families in Country B. Now, no one even knows it exists.”
“I’m sorry.” Fu Qi always required his team members to be polite, and he himself led by example. Even when dealing with enemies, he remained courteous. He offered consolation. “But soon, no one will know your country existed, either. If you think of it that way, perhaps you’ll feel a little better.”
Kobayashi Kaga’s eyelid twitched violently, and his face quickly flushed red.
Qin Zhen was delighted. She snickered beside Fu Qi, then offered her own insincere consolation. “It’s fine. There are still some of you who escaped to Country A. A few dozen people can still… still make up a small… small country!”
Kobayashi Kaga’s expression turned even uglier. He glanced at her and suddenly asked, “Does Miss Jiang really have burns on her hands and face? I know a specialist in burn treatment. I could introduce you to him.”
“Sure.” Fu Qi took over the conversation and shielded the zombie behind him. “So, Mr. Kobayashi, you’re the current head of DF?”
“I wouldn’t dare claim that.” Kobayashi Kaga spoke with respect. “The head of the family is my uncle.”
“May I ask how old the Head of the Kobayashi Family is?”
“Nearly seventy.”
Fu Qi nodded in understanding. “Your family has declined and your country has fallen, yet the Head of the Kobayashi Family is still treated as an honored guest by Country A. He must have some extremely valuable resources or information in his possession.”
Kobayashi Kaga remained composed. “Captain Fu has asked quite a few questions. It’s my turn to ask a few. Where did you discover the DF emblem?”
“Where it was found isn’t important,” Fu Qi said. “What matters is what was inside.”
“Quite right.” Kobayashi Kaga asked, “Was everything inside still intact?”
“I wouldn’t deliberately destroy it.”
Kobayashi Kaga’s expression darkened, though he barely managed to keep his voice calm. “Captain Fu truly is an intelligent man. Every word you say leaves no opening.”
Fu Qi replied modestly, “I have only one bargaining chip that can keep me alive, so naturally I have to hold on to it tightly.”
The two of them went back and forth, but to Qin Zhen, aside from learning that “DF” was the emblem of a fallen family from Country B, the conversation revealed nothing else.
Yet once their discussion ended, Fu Qi’s expression grew solemn.
“He must die.”
Qin Zhen agreed wholeheartedly without needing an explanation. “How?”
He was wearing a watch. If they made a move, it would record everything and cause an international dispute.
“Wait.” Fu Qi’s voice was deep. “There will be an opportunity.”
That was where their conversation ended. Afterward, they searched the area around the cellar for Ya and Li. In theory, the two girls were only familiar with this vicinity and shouldn’t have gone far. Yet after searching for three full days, they didn’t see a single sign of them.
They had spent too much time there. The snow-white pear blossoms had all withered, leaving the branches covered in dense green leaves, and the weather had grown warmer by the day.
Kobayashi Kaga had completely run out of patience. He suggested setting the place on fire to force the girls out, but Fu Qi rejected the idea.
“If you do that, I’ll start to suspect that those two girls never escaped at all, and that you’re merely using them as an excuse to avoid going to Linxiang.”
Fu Qi remained unmoved.
On the fifth day, after they had searched every house and cellar, large and small, near the plantation, Fu Qi finally relented and decided to set out in the direction of Linxiang.
Kobayashi Kaga was still driving. He had lost his patience and was speeding along. When they passed through a village, he unusually took the initiative to stop and picked up the kite they had made in Lixian County.
The kite swayed as it rose into the sky. Before long, the zombies in the distance began to howl.
“Looks like they’re here,” Kobayashi Kaga said.
“Stealing our method. How shameless.” Qin Zhen had never hated anyone this much!
“Find them first,” Fu Qi said. “The corpses of the zombies at the village entrance are still relatively fresh. They died no more than two days ago. And the zombies are concentrated in the east, so there’s a good chance that’s where the survivors are hiding.”
Finding the two girls was the most important thing now.
The three of them set out together. After following the concentration of zombies and searching the area, they eventually identified a two-story building.
Kobayashi Kaga was too dangerous. Fu Qi couldn’t possibly let Qin Zhen go off alone with him, so they stayed together. As they searched the rooms on the second floor, they suddenly heard a scream from the rooftop.
They rushed upstairs and saw Ya struggling as Kobayashi Kaga gripped her by the throat beside the rooftop terrace.
Qin Zhen immediately moved forward, but Fu Qi stopped her. His voice was stern. “Mr. Kobayashi, since you’re in our country, you should follow our laws. You can’t harm people at will.”
Kobayashi Kaga put on an aggrieved expression. “She ambushed me first.”
As he spoke, he kicked the fruit knife lying at his feet.
Ya wanted to speak, but with her throat clutched tightly, she couldn’t make a sound.
“Let her go first!” Qin Zhen shouted.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill her,” Kobayashi Kaga said. “Weren’t you looking for two girls? I’ll help you find out where the other one is, so you won’t have to waste any more time.”
His words sounded pleasant enough, but he didn’t loosen his grip in the slightest. Ya’s face had already begun to turn purple. After speaking, he dragged her toward the edge of the rooftop.
The rooftop was only two stories high, but unfortunately, there was an open space below where seven or eight zombies had already gathered. If she fell and was bitten, she would lose her life.
“Let her go.” Fu Qi chambered a round and aimed his gun at Kobayashi Kaga.
Kobayashi Kaga remained unconcerned. “Major Fu can’t pull the trigger.”
He had never intended to let Ya live. He repeatedly demanded to know where Li was, all the while viciously squeezing Ya’s throat to keep her from making a sound.
Qin Zhen could bear it no longer. She thought that even if it meant leaving Fu Qi’s team, she had to kill this man from Country B. She reached out to snatch the gun from Fu Qi’s hand.
At that critical moment, a streak of silver shot out from the neighboring building.
Unfortunately, the aim was off. With a soft thud, the arrow struck Ya in the calf. Her expression changed, and the pain made her whole body crumple downward.
“Well, Captain Fu, I’ve found the person for you,” Kobayashi Kaga said with a laugh. “I told you, not just anyone can use a bow and arrow. Look at that—they’ve injured one of their own.”
He was still laughing when the corner of his eye caught sight of a second streak of silver flying toward him.
Kobayashi Kaga paid it no mind, never expecting the arrow to come from such a tricky angle—straight toward his heart.
By the time he realized something was wrong and tried to dodge, Ya, whose leg had been injured, shoved him backward, forcing him against the edge of the rooftop.
There was nowhere left for him to evade. With another soft thud, the sharpened bamboo arrow plunged straight into his heart.
Kobayashi Kaga had already been pressed against the edge of the rooftop by Ya. After being struck by the arrow, his upper body tilted backward, and he toppled toward the open air.
Perhaps he sensed the danger. He wrapped an arm around Ya’s neck and dragged her over the edge with him.
“Ya!”
Qin Zhen and Fu Qi lunged forward. One grabbed Ya’s arm, while the other caught hold of Kobayashi Kaga’s clothes.
If Qin Zhen had been given the choice, she wouldn’t have saved Kobayashi Kaga at all. She would have let him die. But he was wearing a watch, and allowing him to die like this would leave Fu Qi unable to explain himself.
So she swallowed her resentment and quickly hauled Ya back up.
After pulling her to safety, Qin Zhen was examining Ya’s injuries when Fu Qi moved between Ya and Kobayashi Kaga and asked, “Mr. Kobayashi, are you all right?”
Ya’s face was still purple. Clutching her chest, she coughed violently, yet her eyes were bright as she forcefully shoved Qin Zhen aside and crawled toward Fu Qi.
Qin Zhen had not yet realized what she was trying to do when she pulled the gun from Fu Qi’s waist. Raising the muzzle, she aimed at Kobayashi Kaye’s head from less than two feet away and, without the slightest hesitation, pulled the trigger.
The gunshot rang out like thunder. Kobayashi Kaye’s body jerked, and he collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, his eyes still glazed over.
“What are you doing?” Fu Qi seemed to come to his senses only then. He quickly snatched the gun from Ya’s hand. After glancing at Kobayashi Kaye, he suddenly seemed to remember something, spun around, and dragged Ya and Qin Zhen down with him.
The next moment, an explosion rang out. When the group opened their eyes again, only half of Kobayashi Kaye’s body remained.
Qin Zhen had once asked Fu Qi whether the people hiding in this village were definitely Ya and Li. Fu Qi had said yes.
“How did you know?”
“You told me.”
Qin Zhen had not understood what he meant at the time. Only after Kobayashi Kaye’s death did she finally figure it out.
She had told Li that she suspected the fire might have been started by a spy among them. Li had also questioned them about where they would be going next. From that moment on, Li had begun planning to kill Kobayashi Kaye.
People who looked shy and gentle were not necessarily harmless.
No one had expected that, between the two girls, Li would be even more ruthless than Ya. To lower Kobayashi Kaye’s guard, her first arrow had struck Ya in the leg.
Nor had anyone expected that such a delicate-looking girl had competed in archery more than any other sport before the apocalypse.
“A child who can only let others bully her won’t survive in the apocalypse,” Fu Qi said.
“So you’d already guessed they’d be waiting for us on the way to Lin Township?”
Fu Qi nodded.
“Then what about the earlier search in Li County?”
“To give them time to prepare.”
The Zombie understood everything now. No wonder Fu Qi had pulled Kobayashi Kaye up, checked his injuries with such concern, and then, “without any precautions,” allowed Ya to snatch away his gun.
“Then wouldn’t the two of them become murderers?”
They had become international criminals at such a young age—worse off than the Zombie himself!
“They won’t,” Fu Qi said. “They were ignorant children wandering outside on their own. They injured him in self-defense.”
“I didn’t know him. I saw him trying to kill Ya, so I thought he was a bad person and shot an arrow at him,” Li said sweetly. “Besides, I’m only thirteen. I’m a minor—just a child who doesn’t know any better.”
Ya added, “He was trying to kill me first… I’m fourteen, and I’m a minor too.”
“…You two are only thirteen and fourteen?”
Qin Zhen found it hard to believe. The girls were thin, yes, but they did not look particularly childish. At the very least, they seemed around fifteen.
“Why do you care how old I am?” Ya said, hugging her freshly bandaged leg. “It’s not like you can check my ID. I’m whatever age I say I am!”
Qin Zhen: “…”
She had a point.
Lu Xing arrived with the relief team and expressed his sorrow over Kobayashi Kaye’s death. After truthfully reporting the incident, he shut off all communications and said with a broad grin, “Don’t worry. The two of them are children who have been wandering on their own, so they don’t represent any official organization. They’re also minors. Even if the other side has video evidence recording Ya and Li killing him, it won’t affect them.”
All in all, the only person affected by this incident was Fu Qi. He had failed to protect an important international guest because of the two children, and would receive severe criticism from the government.
“My condolences,” Qin Zhen solemnly comforted her captain.
Fu Qi said, “Try wiping that smile off your face. You’ll look more sincere.”
Sincerity was impossible. The Zombie was already showing remarkable restraint by not bursting into loud laughter.
