Chapter 3: So Hungry
Qiaoqiao had lived here since childhood; everything about this place seemed etched into her mind. Even though she had forgotten everything, her body’s instinctive familiarity with the area remained. Therefore, having Qiaoqiao along was like carrying a small map.
After asking her for directions, Lu Mie carried her on his back toward the supermarket in this area.
It has been two months since the apocalypse began; there probably isn’t much left in the supermarket, but it’s still worth trying our luck.
The supermarket Qiaoqiao pointed to was located right within the residential compound, modest in size. A few zombies wandered nearby, which Lu Mie swiftly dispatched. Perched on his back, Qiaoqiao shrank back in fear.
Lu Mie noticed her movement and deliberately tried to scare her, saying, “If you dare bite me again, I’ll turn you into one of them.”
Qiaoqiao rubbed her cheek, now covered in rotting flesh, against the hollow of his neck in a讨好 manner, sending shivers down Lu Mie’s spine.
Lu Mie set Qiaoqiao down and strode purposefully into the supermarket.
As expected, there was hardly anything left inside. The scattered bread and canned goods were expired, but some snacks were still edible. To his surprise, Lu Mie also found two cases of bottled water in the storage room at the back of the store—a welcome bonus.
Lu Mie gathered all the edible items he could find, stuffing them together until he barely managed to fill a large bag.
Then, he dragged out the two cases of bottled water.
Qiaoqiao sat on a chair, swinging her legs as she watched him bustling back and forth.
Seeing this, Lu Mie beckoned to her, and she immediately scampered over with eager little steps.
“Carry a case,” Lu Mie said.
Hearing this, Qiaoqiao bent her stiff body and reached out with both hands to lift the case of bottled water.
Lu Mie watched as she picked it up, only to stumble within two steps and tumble down in a heap with the case.
Qiaoqiao sat on the ground, looking up at him with innocent eyes.
She couldn’t move it. QAQ.
Lu Mie: “…”
He could understand her being weak; after all, she was just a thin, petite girl. One couldn’t expect her to suddenly become broad-shouldered and muscular just because she had turned into a zombie. But a single case of water? Failing to lift that was simply too much!
Seeing Lu Mie staring at her with an expressionless face, Qiaoqiao timidly hugged the bag of food he had packed, then looked up at him with pleading eyes. She held out the food in her arms as if showing off, as though to say, “See? I can carry this.”
Well, can’t expect too much from this weakling.
Lu Mie stacked the two cases of mineral water and carried them outside, with Qiaoqiao trailing slowly behind him.
Since the supermarket was right within the residential compound, they quickly managed to bring everything back home.
Qiaoqiao fumbled in her pocket for the key, clumsily inserting it into the lock. Impatient with her slowness, Lu Mie took the key from her hand and opened the door himself.
He was just about to hand the key back to Qiaoqiao, but she had already stepped inside.
Lu Mie slipped the key into his pocket, carried the water in, and set it down. Immediately, a dull throb emanated from his wounds, yet the supplies they’d gathered still weren’t enough.
So he would have to venture out again to search for more.
Qiaoqiao felt reluctant to go; Lu Mie always made her do the heavy lifting. But unwilling to be left alone, she could only drag her feet and trail after him.
Lu Mie asked her, “Don’t want me to carry you anymore?”
Qiaoqiao shook her head, having noticed the slight pallor in Lu Mie’s complexion.
They went downstairs, with Lu Mie adjusting his pace to match Qiaoqiao’s.
“Are there any wholesale markets nearby?” Lu Mie asked.
Qiaoqiao shook her head.
Lu Mie then decided to go out and search for one.
Qiaoqiao followed him out of the residential compound, but their luck wasn’t great this time; halfway through, they encountered five or six zombies.
Terrified, Qiaoqiao quickly shuffled aside, pretending not to know Lu Mie.
The zombies all charged toward the human, Lu Mie. His movements were exceptionally skilled, graceful, and striking, but burdened by his existing injuries, he sustained further wounds after dispatching those zombies.
One zombie had raked its claws across his chest, which was now bleeding profusely, with blood oozing forth in a gruesome stream.
This is the most severe.
Lu Mie’s face was deathly pale; he dropped to one knee, barely managing to keep himself from collapsing.
Qiaoqiao caught the scent of blood and couldn’t help but swallow hard.
So hungry.
Qiaoqiao shuffled slowly toward him.
Lu Mie naturally noticed Qiaoqiao desperately swallowing her saliva; he felt as though he had raised a little ungrateful wolf cub.
But the little ungrateful wolf cub, Qiaoqiao, came over only to struggle in lifting him up. Leaning against her frail shoulder, he had no choice but to press most of his weight onto her.
Frail Qiaoqiao was bent double under the burden, gazing at the surrounding paths with a look of bewilderment.
The road home must be far; he would die along the way. Moreover, she did not know this place and could not find her way back.
Qiaoqiao tried to sense the presence of her companions, then chose the path where their scent was faintest.
Lu Mie clutched his wounded chest, trying to prevent blood from dripping; his hands were already covered in it.
Qiaoqiao led Lu Mie to an abandoned flower shop, hoping the fragrance of blooms might mask the scent of blood emanating from him.
Lu Mie leaned against the wall, his breathing heavy and labored.
Qiaoqiao sat beside him, watching him silently without so much as a stir.
Lu Mie’s voice was faint. “Are you waiting for me to die?”
Qiaoqiao couldn’t speak; she simply reached out a finger and gently touched the wound that was still oozing blood.
Her pale blue fingertips were stained with a touch of red.
Qiaoqiao licked her finger, looked at Lu Mie, and swallowed hard again.
Lu Mie didn’t want to look at her, so he turned his head away.
Qiaoqiao’s small, rotting hand gently grasped Lu Mie’s hand, which was pressed against his chest. After moving his hand aside, she placed her own hand over his heart.
Lu Mie was about to speak, but his body had long since exceeded its limits; he fainted.
Emerald-green starlight flickered at Qiaoqiao’s fingertips, each tiny point of light scrambling to burrow into Lu Mie’s wounds where blood still seeped out.
Yet, stopping the bleeding was the absolute limit of Qiaoqiao’s power.
Drained of her energy and feeling terribly unwell, she collapsed onto Lu Mie’s chest. It was only after she sank her teeth into his neck and drew a mouthful of sweet, warm blood that she began to feel somewhat better.
Being obedient by nature, Qiaoqiao knew when to stop. Once the small puncture marks on his neck ceased bleeding, she climbed off him.
If her living food reserve were to die like this, she would never again taste such delicious blood.
One full meal is better than many hungry ones; Qiaoqiao knew where her priorities lay.
So she had to save him.
Qiaoqiao grabbed a few bunches of small daisies and tossed them at Lu Mie, attempting to deceive herself as if covering her ears while stealing a bell.
Believing she had successfully concealed herself, Qiaoqiao left the flower shop.
She needed to find a pharmacy.
Afraid of forgetting Lu Mie’s location, Qiaoqiao desperately tried to memorize the route along the way. Yet, the moment she spotted the pharmacy, her excitement made her forget the path she had taken to get there.
At this point, Qiaoqiao hadn’t yet realized this oversight. Her steps, unusually light and brisk, carried her into the pharmacy.
A few of her kind wandered inside the pharmacy, currently tearing into their meal.
Qiaoqiao felt overwhelmingly hungry. She gazed at them with pleading eyes, but upon sensing her presence, her zombie companions turned and roared fiercely at her.
They were driving Qiaoqiao away.
Nearly every zombie on this street knew Qiaoqiao—the weak female zombie who couldn’t even kill a human and was only fit to scavenge their leftovers.
So they were far from welcoming toward Qiaoqiao.
Qiaoqiao puffed out her cheeks and shot them an indignant glance; her living rations tasted far better than anything they had ever eaten.
Turning her gaze away, Qiaoqiao slowly began rummaging through the medicine cabinet. She didn’t really understand what she was looking for, so she simply grabbed whatever caught her eye and stuffed it into the plastic bag she held on the counter.
Although she had become a zombie, Qiaoqiao’s common sense remained intact; she remembered to take alcohol and bandages.
Soon, the bag was filled to the brim.
Qiaoqiao happily hugged her spoils as she headed out, only to be blocked by several zombies.
They bared their teeth at her, refusing to let her take the items away. Their reasoning was simple: driven by territorial instinct, they considered this their domain, and everything within it belonged to them.
When Qiaoqiao refused to yield, they lunged forward, clawing and biting at her.
She had been bitten several times, but the zombies lost interest in her; Qiaoqiao simply didn’t taste good.
Seizing the opportunity, Qiaoqiao scrambled away, provoking a chorus of cursing roars from behind her. Terrified they would give chase, she stumbled and fell in her panic.
Those zombies were merely toying with her.
After all, a zombie as weak as her was unworthy of being their kin; she wasn’t even fit to be food.
Qiaoqiao was truly terrified; dragging her stiff body, she lumbered forward for a long distance before finally coming to a stop.
Clutching the medicine in her arms, she gazed blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings.
Qiaoqiao was lost.
Zombies were especially numerous here, and they were particularly hostile toward her.
Qiaoqiao could only resort to her old method, trying to move toward areas with fewer companions, but she still couldn’t find Lu Mie.
She was utterly dejected, curling up in the corner as she had every day before, hugging her knees and burying her face in her arms, lost in a daze.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when Qiaoqiao heard footsteps. Before she could even lift her head, a hand landed gently on top of it.
Terrified from past bullying, Qiaoqiao immediately shielded her head, shrinking further into the corner while emitting soft whimpers.
Lu Mie crouched down in front of her.
“Finally found you.” The familiar voice reached Qiaoqiao’s ears: “Little zombie, I thought you’d run off after taking a bite out of me. Looks like you wandered out and got bullied instead?”
Qiaoqiao timidly lifted her head and saw the familiar figure. Her cloudy white eyes brightened, and like someone presenting a precious treasure, she handed over the medicine she had been clutching to Lu Mie.
Lu Mie froze for a moment.
“You went looking for these?” He reached out and pulled Qiaoqiao up from the ground.
The little zombie’s body was covered in numerous wounds, with blood still oozing from some areas, making her look far more disheveled than before. Yet the medicine she handed him remained intact, without a single scratch or break.
Lu Mie felt a complex mix of emotions surge within him.
Seeing that he didn’t take it, Qiaoqiao raised her hand again toward him, gesturing for him to accept it.
“Thank you,” Lu Mie murmured softly.
Upon hearing his words, Qiaoqiao blinked her eyes, then pointed toward Lu Mie’s neck.
Thank you for your words; I’ll let you bite me one more time.
“Hmm, I won’t hold it against you that you bit me again while I was unconscious.” Lu Mie turned his back to her, bent down, and said, “Come on up; I’ll carry you home on my back.”
Qiaoqiao skillfully climbed onto his broad back. He signaled for her to hold the bag of medicine, then used both hands to steady her on his back, ensuring she wouldn’t fall off.
Lu Mie had an excellent sense of direction. Carrying Qiaoqiao, he quickly located that old residential compound. Once inside, however, his steps suddenly paused as he glanced around in all directions.
Qiaoqiao lay on his back, emitting faint, whimpering sounds as if asking what was wrong.
“It’s nothing.” Lu Mie withdrew his gaze and carried Qiaoqiao back home.