Chapter 4

Chapter 4: So Hungry
Lu Mie had checked the previous night and found some gas remaining in the canister. He poured bottled water into a pot and boiled it until scalding hot to clean their wounds. There wasn’t much water, but if used sparingly, it would suffice.
Lu Mie cleaned his wounds in the bathroom, then painstakingly applied medicine and bandaged himself. Seeing there was still some water left, he dragged Qiaoqiao into the bathroom and washed her face and hands until they were spotless.
Qiaoqiao’s body bore numerous wounds as well, all inflicted by other zombies biting and clawing at her during her wanderings outside in recent times.
Lu Mie thought to remove her jacket so he could apply some medicine to her injuries too.
Qiaoqiao let out a whimper, seemingly resisting, but Lu Mie’s strength was overwhelming. He held her down while applying the medicine. The moment he finally released her, Qiaoqiao immediately pulled her jacket back on, wrapping herself tightly, and fled the bathroom.
Lu Mie wiped his hands dry before stepping out.
“Didn’t you have clothes in your bedroom? Yours are dirty; change them.” Seeing Qiaoqiao burrow deeper into the blankets with her back turned to him, Lu Mie added, “Also, take the quilt out today to air in the sun. It’ll help dissipate much of the odor.”
Qiaoqiao remained silent, ignoring him completely.
Lu Mie felt as though he had worried himself sick over her.
“If you don’t respond, I’m coming in,” he said calmly.
Qiaoqiao turned her head, watching him with wary eyes.
Lu Mie rummaged through Qiaoqiao’s wardrobe to find her some clothes, pulling out a lotus-pink sweatshirt and slim-fit black trousers. He tossed them in front of her and said, “Hurry up and change out of those dirty clothes.”
The jacket wasn’t hers; it was covered in zombie claw marks. The T-shirt and denim shorts inside, however, were her own. They must have been worn for a long time, now so filthy they were unrecognizable, torn and tattered as if someone had deliberately ripped them apart.
Lu Mie saw that Qiaoqiao refused to move, so he stepped closer to her.
Qiaoqiao threw the blanket at him and bolted for the door, only to be yanked back by Lu Mie, who had grabbed her by the collar.
She opened her mouth to bite him, but he pinched her chin shut, leaving her able only to glare at him with wide eyes.
Lu Mie didn’t know why he was bothering himself like this, but he truly couldn’t stand the thought of sharing food and shelter with someone so filthy. His voice turned stern as he asked, “Are you going to change yourself, or shall I do it for you?”
Qiaoqiao: “…”
After Lu Mie left, Qiaoqiao slowly peeled off her dirty, tattered clothes and changed into clean ones. Still lacking a sense of security, she insisted on wrapping herself in that oversized coat.
But the moment she stepped outside, Lu Mie stripped it off her and tossed it aside. “It’s dirty. You’re not wearing it.”
Qiaoqiao’s eyes turned red with grievance.
Her face had been washed clean, and the extent of decay was minimal, yet the pallid, greenish-white hue typical of zombies made her appear somewhat terrifying—especially those bloodshot white eyes. Lu Mie felt a headache coming on just from being stared at by her.
“Changing your clothes isn’t going to kill you, is it?”
Qiaoqiao let out a soft whimper and turned her head away.
Lu Mie stopped paying attention to her and instead began considering what they could eat later.
Qiaoqiao rubbed her reddened eyes, only to find that the more she rubbed, the itchier they became.
Lu Mie, who had torn open two packs of instant noodles and tossed them into the pot to boil, stepped out of the kitchen and found Qiaoqiao still crouching by the doorway, her shoulders twitching as if she were crying.
Lu Mie walked over and squatted beside her. “Hey.”
Hearing his voice, Qiaoqiao lifted her head and gazed at Lu Mie with a bewildered expression.
Lu Mie met her reddened, crystal-clear black eyes and froze.
Qiaoqiao extended her hand to show him the thin white film she had just peeled from her eyes. After removing it, she discovered the world was no longer a hazy, pallid white, but a breathtaking tapestry of interwoven colors.
She could now clearly see the appearance of the person before her.
He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with deep brown eyes shimmering with a faint luster. His facial features were sharply defined, exuding an air of aloofness and cold detachment. Although his skin was pale from blood loss and injury, he undoubtedly possessed a strikingly handsome face.
Qiaoqiao stood frozen for a moment.
Lu Mie looked at her, momentarily at a loss for words. Wasn’t that film over a zombie’s eyes caused by the virus? How had she managed to peel it off?
Qiaoqiao reached up again to rub her eyes, pressing a little too hard until a red ring formed around them.
Lu Mie grabbed a napkin from the table to wipe her hands clean, saying, “Stop rubbing; the itch will fade soon enough.”
Qiaoqiao nodded, half-understanding.
The aroma of instant noodles drifted out from the kitchen. Lu Mie stood up and returned to the kitchen, only to find Qiaoqiao trailing behind him, standing at the doorway and gazing longingly at the pot before him.
The noodles cooked quickly. Lu Mie tossed in two sausages and let them simmer for a while before ladling everything into clean bowls. He prepared two servings, placing one in front of Qiaoqiao, who sat properly and patiently at the dining table.
Clumsily, Qiaoqiao picked up her chopsticks, took a small bite of the noodles, and then looked up at Lu Mie.
Lu Mie had assumed she didn’t like it; after all, food for zombies… was rarely instant noodles.
“If you don’t like it, just leave it.”
Qiaoqiao pointed a finger at the ham sausage in Lu Mie’s bowl.
“I’ve had enough; keep that one for yourself.”
Qiaoqiao reached out with her chopsticks, swiftly snatching the ham sausage from his bowl into her own. She took a huge bite and then proudly displayed the two sausages in her bowl to him.
Lu Mie: “…” Little ungrateful wolf!
Qiaoqiao gave a light snort and happily began eating her own portion of noodles. She was ravenously hungry; she slurped down the entire bowl until not even a drop of broth remained.
Still wanting more, she shifted her gaze to Lu Mie’s bowl. He had eaten much faster than Qiaoqiao, and his bowl was already empty too.
Lu Mie placed the pots and bowls into the sink; with no water available, even washing the dishes was impossible.
He stepped out of the kitchen to find Qiaoqiao already back in her room, sitting on the stool before her desk, lost in thought.
Lu Mie approached and asked, “May I take a look?”
He pointed to the neatly arranged test papers in front of Qiaoqiao.
Qiaoqiao nodded.
Lu Mie leaned closer and discovered that the stack of papers were all review tests for senior year, with a mathematics textbook resting on top.
He flipped it open and clearly saw the name written neatly on the page.
“Qiaoqiao?”
Hearing her name, Qiaoqiao lifted her head to look at him.
Lu Mie reached out and ruffled her hair, saying, “It’s nothing.”
Qiaoqiao had just finished her college entrance exams when the apocalypse struck; she became infected and turned into a zombie, and her family never waited for her.
How pitiful.
Lu Mie thought, casually picking up an exam paper to glance at.
Qiaoqiao’s handwriting was beautiful and neat; she had clearly put great care into answering each question.
Had the apocalypse not arrived, when the college entrance exam results were announced, she would have been admitted to an excellent university.
Lu Mie picked up the black pen nearby and wrote his name on the white paper.
“Do you recognize these characters?”
Qiaoqiao stared at the two characters on the paper, thinking for a long time before finally nodding.
“Lu… Mie…” she stammered, attempting to call his name, but the sound that escaped her lips was still the guttural growl of a zombie.
Disheartened, Qiaoqiao closed her mouth.
Seeing this, Lu Mie comforted her gently, “It’s alright; you’ll be able to speak properly soon enough.”
Qiaoqiao looked at him, her clear eyes asking, Really?
“There’s something more important than learning to speak right now,” he said seriously. “You need to practice walking first; you’re moving far too slowly.”
Qiaoqiao pouted. Her body was stiff, and if she tried to walk any faster, she would fall.
Her living food reserve simply didn’t want to carry her.
An angry Qiaoqiao hugged her quilt and walked out of the bedroom. Remembering Lu Mie’s earlier words, she hung the quilt out on the balcony.
It was only October, yet the sun remained fiercely bright. Especially today, with its clear, sunny skies, it was perfect weather for airing out quilts.
Qiaoqiao carefully spread her quilt flat, making sure every ray of sunlight could reach it.
Casually glancing sideways, her eyes met a pair staring back from the apartment building opposite.
Qiaoqiao was startled, and the blanket slipped to the floor.
Hearing the noise, Lu Mie stepped out. Qiaoqiao quickly pointed in the direction where she had seen those eyes, urging him to look.
Lu Mie glanced over, but all he saw was a tightly shut window.
He picked up the blanket for Qiaoqiao and spread it back over her, then said softly, “Don’t be afraid.”
Qiaoqiao had retreated back to her room, where the dim light offered her a sense of security.
Having learned from the injuries sustained during their last outing, Lu Mie assessed that their remaining food supplies would last a few more days. Thus, he decided to stay home with Qiaoqiao to recover. These days passed peacefully, and Qiaoqiao’s initial unease gradually settled into calm.
Not only did Lu Mie possess formidable immunity, but his body’s self-healing ability was also surprisingly robust. After several days of rest, he had largely recovered, yet their food and water reserves were now depleted.
After all, there were two mouths to feed.
On this day, while Lu Mie was worrying about where to find food, he saw Qiaoqiao happily munching on a loaf of bread.
This girl truly had no picky habits; she ate everything, meat or vegetables alike.
Yet she remained thin and frail, her complexion sallow, showing clear signs of malnutrition.
After all, she was a zombie; she couldn’t survive on a vegetarian diet forever.
Lu Mie certainly had no intention of feeding her his own flesh, so as he searched for supplies, he kept an eye out for any source of meat.
He was craving meat himself.
Once Qiaoqiao finished gnawing on a loaf of bread, she shuffled over to Lu Mie’s side.
She pointed to the empty food sack.
“We need to go out and find food today,” Lu Mie told her. “I’ll probably be going quite far, so I won’t be taking you with me.”
Hearing that he wouldn’t take her, Qiaoqiao grew anxious and tugged at his hand.
Lu Mie gently pulled her hand away, saying, “Be good. Wait for me to bring back something delicious.”
Something delicious?
Qiaoqiao pointed to Lu Mie’s neck; the two bite marks from her last attack had already healed, leaving not even a trace behind.
“This one is off-limits!”
Qiaoqiao made it clear that she would follow him anyway.
“You refused to practice walking when I told you to. Now, with your sluggish pace, if we go out, I’ll have to carry you on my back,” Lu Mie stated plainly, his tone calm. “You’d only be a burden. So, stay home obediently.”
Qiaoqiao felt as though he was disgusted by her.
She was somewhat angry, pushed Lu Mie out of her way, returned to her room, and slammed the door shut.
Lu Mie: “…” Her temper is getting worse by the day.
“I’ll be back before dark. Wait for me obediently and don’t go outside,” Lu Mie said, standing at her doorway. “I have the key, so don’t answer the door no matter who knocks. Understand?”
Although there was no sound from inside the room, Lu Mie knew Qiaoqiao had heard him. After giving his instructions, he left.
Qiaoqiao had buried herself under the covers for a long time, sulking in silence, when suddenly she heard knocking at the door.
Had Lu Mie returned?
Slowly, Qiaoqiao climbed out of bed, opened her bedroom door, walked to the entrance, and placed her hand on the lock.
Just as she was about to open the door, she remembered Lu Mie’s warning not to answer whoever was knocking.
Qiaoqiao was an obedient girl and immediately lowered her hand.
But the knocking persisted. Perhaps sensing no response from within, the sound grew louder and louder, until it finally escalated into furious kicking against the door.
The noise startled Qiaoqiao.
With sluggish thoughts, she realized that such a commotion would surely draw her companions near.
In truth, the door was far from sturdy. Seeing it buckle under the force of the kicks, Qiaoqiao took a step back, scanning her surroundings for somewhere to hide.
Qiaoqiao hid on the balcony, slipping into a narrow crevice where she remained invisible unless someone specifically came looking for her.
Just as she settled into her hiding spot, the door was violently kicked open with a deafening crash.
Qiaoqiao trembled slightly from the fright.