Chapter 26

026 : The two zombies seemed to have roared themselves exhausted; finally, the one upstairs stopped first, and the one downstairs fell silent as well. Yes, the one above can't get out; he doesn't need to worry at all. He thought hazily. It's just that he's so hungry. The hunger, deep in his bones and soul, made him desperately want to shove something into his mouth to fill that terrifying emptiness. This zombie wandered the streets clutching an iron bucket, unable to understand why he kept pacing here—was it because of that fellow undead slightly higher in rank than himself? If I eat this fellow creature, will I no longer be hungry? However, the other is one rank higher than him; even if he couldn't get out, he wouldn't be able to consume it anyway. He should wait for the right moment. He could vaguely sense that although this fellow creature was one rank higher and exerted a stronger pressure, it was extremely weak.

When he grows even weaker, I can rush forward and devour him; that way, I won't be hungry anymore. Before that, I must consume other food. The bewildered zombie stepped on a newspaper; the resulting crunch made him halt. He looked down, and after a long moment, he set down the iron bucket he was carrying and bent over with difficulty to pick up the paper. Even high-level zombies, when not engaged in combat, suffer from severe bodily rigidity and move as slowly as ordinary zombies. This is to conserve the zombies' stamina. Who knows why zombies even have a concept of "stamina."

Probably instinct. He unfolded the newspaper he had picked up and glanced at it, naturally unable to understand a word; the concept of "reading"

had long vanished from his memory module. Finding nothing of interest, he crumpled the paper into a ball, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed. It tasted awful. He was still hungry. Lifting the iron bucket again, he didn't know why he was carrying this thing, just as he didn't know why he kept looking up at the third floor of that building, as if something there deserved his attention. Even though he was on a higher floor, he knew that one of his own kind, a rank above him, was inside.

Suddenly, a tiny head popped out of the third-floor window, staring fixedly at him.

"Uncle Zhu Yuan,"

a soft voice drifted out, curling along the wind; by the time it reached his ears, the words were no longer distinguishable. But he heard the sound of blood flowing and smelled the rich scent of fresh flesh. These sounds and scents overwhelmed all his instincts, telling him—that "object"

which had appeared upstairs could fill the burning hunger raging within his body. Bianbian saw the monster charging toward her, slamming repeatedly against the wall beneath her window. With Lu Yu ahead and Zhu Yuan behind, Bianbian, having already experienced this once, proved stronger than she had imagined. She felt no fear; instead, she stood on tiptoe, leaning out beneath the window, lowering her head as much as possible to gaze down at Uncle Zhu Yuan, who had transformed into a monster. Behind her, Nong Jiusi extended a finger to hook onto the little one's collar, preventing her from accidentally tumbling down. Not long ago, Nong Jiusi had been pondering how to get the little one to sweep Zhu Yuan away with a broom—since the system had made it perfectly clear that the broom only functioned when held by Bianbian; only she could wield it. But he couldn't communicate with the little one, so naturally, he couldn't tell her how to use the small broom.

At that moment, however, Bianbian heard a strange voice saying, "Bianbian, I am your System Daddy. Uncle Zhu Yuan has been infected and turned into a zombie; he's very dangerous. You must use the broom to sweep him away from this area so you can be safe."

Bianbian: ??? She looked around in confusion, only to discover that her body suddenly wouldn't move.

"Don't be afraid, I'm System Daddy; I won't hurt you."

The strange voice shifted its tone, transforming into a gentle male voice that truly eased the sudden fear welling up in Bianbian's heart.

"Dad?" she murmured.

The system shamelessly responded with an "Ay."

Bianbian grew even more confused.

"But… Grandpa said I don't have a father. My mom and dad threw me into a roadside trash can when I was born. Grandpa found me."

"I'm your other dad."

After saying this, the system offered no further explanation, simply stating: "Bianbian is the best-behaved baby. Pick up your little broom and go sweep Zhu Yuan away."

Bianbian's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I know! You're that invisible uncle, right!"

The system fell silent for a moment, then said, "No, I'm just your System Daddy. What I tell you, and even my existence, must not be shared with those 'Uncles Who Can't See.'"

Bianbian didn't know why, but she instinctively nodded obediently and firmly committed those words to memory. The system spoke no further. As for Nong Jiusi, he still held the small broom, facing the same tearful little one who tugged at his heartstrings. The only difference was that when the broom appeared, the little one's eyes widened slightly, gazing at it with an expression poised between tears and restraint. Throughout the entire process, he noticed nothing unusual. So when Bianbian wiped away her tears, stopped crying, and took the small broom to examine it, he raised an eyebrow, instinctively sensing something was off. Yet immediately, that unease was replaced by the thought, "This is just the game's reaction,"

and he naturally didn't probe any deeper. Then Bianbian placed the small broom on the ground, turned, and ran to the window, stepping onto a stool to climb up. This time, Nong Jiusi did not stop her. Since the little one already knew what was going on, it was only natural for her to take a look; besides, she still needed to use the broom to sweep Zhu Yuan away. Moreover, he was right there beside her. Just for safety's sake, he reluctantly extended a finger to hook onto the back of the little one's collar. Why did he have to perform such a pointless gesture? Lord Jiusi, suddenly plagued by self-doubt, pondered for a long while yet never withdrew his hand; instead, he extended the tip of his foot to brace the small stool that had slid backward due to Bianbian's movements.

"Uncle Zhu Yuan,"

the little one called again, her voice trembling with tears.

The building trembled slightly under the zombies' impacts. The zombies upstairs, which had finally settled down, seemed to sense something and began banging and roaring as well, attempting to use their oppressive aura to drive away the relentless intruder below who was practically begging for death. Now that they were closer, the sound no longer drifted away with the wind. Just as Bianbian's second call of "Uncle Zhu Yuan"

faded, the zombie pounding against the wall halted its actions and lifted its head to gaze upon its intended prey. A soft ding. Something landed on his face. He raised a hand, dull green and veined with blood-red patterns, to touch his cheek. He did not know it was the little girl's fallen tear; he only felt a surge of unfamiliar sorrow. Yet this wisp of sadness was quickly dispelled by a craving for food. He opened his mouth toward the tiny figure upstairs, revealing teeth mutated into razor-sharp fangs like those of a shark, and let out a piercing shriek. Fly up. If you fly up, you can reach it. A gust of wind gathered beneath him, lifting his body upward. Just as he shot up like a cannonball and reached the window— Bianbian, completely caught off guard by Uncle Zhu Yuan's sudden ascent, froze.

At that moment, a small broom floated up beside her. She immediately grabbed it, recalling System Daddy's words: "This broom can sweep Uncle Zhu Yuan away."

If she sweeps too hard, will Uncle Zhu Yuan feel pain? Lianlian hesitated for a moment after taking the small broom, then gently swept it toward Zhu Yuan. Zhu Yuan's body instantly stiffened; the wind vortex that had been carrying him vanished, and he plummeted downward with a loud "thud."

Bianbian glanced at the broom, then quickly craned her neck to check on Uncle Zhu Yuan. The zombie downstairs seemed dazed from the fall, remaining motionless for a long while. Only after some time did it struggle to sit up, glancing left and right, its terrifying face filled with bewilderment, as if it had no idea why it had fallen. When he looked up again and saw Bianbian, he immediately scrambled to his feet, gathered another whirlwind, and tried to fly up once more—only to be swept back down by Bianbian's broom. This action continued… Nong Jiusi, standing nearby and watching the little one sweep Zhu Yuan down for the sixth time, could no longer bear to watch. If he fell again, he'd probably lose a few more parts—yet he remained persistently undeterred, falling repeatedly and flying up each time. Thus, when Zhu Yuan was swept down for the seventh time by Bianbian, Nong Jiusi closed the window.

"Must I go down and sweep Uncle Zhu Yuan away?"

Bianbian had promised System Daddy not to let Invisible Uncle know they had spoken, so wisely, she did not call out.

"Yes,"

she heard System Daddy's voice reply. In response, Nong Jiusi lifted her small broom and pointed toward the main gate.

"Uncle Zhu Yuan must be hungry."

Bianbian quickly packed some instant noodles, bread, and other food into a plastic bag, then tucked two bottles of mineral water inside as well.

Finally, carrying the bag in one hand, clutching her little teddy bear in the other, and holding her small broom, she opened the door and stepped outside. Nong Jiusi followed her with a step, a clear hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

"Uncle, are you there?"

Even though Bianbian knew it was Uncle Zhu Yuan she was about to sweep away face-to-face with her broom, and wasn't truly afraid, a layer of fear still lingered subconsciously—an instinctive dread born from her understanding of monster traits. Nong Jiusi poked her cheek. Bianbian felt it and reasoned that since she couldn't see him, the uncle must be right beside her. Glancing left and right, she reached out to her right side, guided by the sensation she'd just felt on her right cheek. She grasped at empty air. What she didn't know was that the moment she extended her hand, Nong Jiusi had instinctively stepped back one pace, avoiding her small hand. The edge that hadn't been touched reached out again to the left. After a moment's hesitation, Nong Jiusi extended his hand this time; yet what neither he nor anyone else expected was this: although he placed his hand right beside the little one's, her hand passed straight through his.

Through the NR equipment, Nong Jiusi could touch Bianbian, though it felt as if there were a thin membrane between them, preventing him from sensing warmth or texture. Earlier, when he had used his body to shield Bianbian, the little girl had indeed been able to touch him. Why can't I touch it now? After a moment's thought, Nong Jiusi reached out to grab Bianbian's hand instead. He grasped it.

"Uncle!"

Bianbian exclaimed in delight, turning her gaze to the left.

It seems that only when he actively reaches out to touch the little one can contact be made; without this conscious act of "initiating,"

the little one cannot touch him. He uses his body to block Bianbian, preventing her from going to the window, and she bumps into him—because shielding her with his physique is an action he actively performs. When Bianbian reaches out to grasp his hand but catches nothing, it's because this action was initiated by her, resulting in an empty grip. But when he reaches out to hold Bianbian, since it is he who takes the initiative, he successfully grasps her. It was probably due to the NR equipment. The last trace of fear Bianbian felt while being led by her uncle vanished; soon, she arrived at Zhu Yuan's location holding a small broom. Having lost sight of his food target, Zhu Yuan was searching for the iron bucket he had dropped.

"Uncle Zhu Yuan," Bianbian called out instinctively upon seeing him.

The zombie that had picked up the iron bucket clattered forward, stopping two meters away from Bianbian. Its cold, bluish-gray eyes fixed on the broom in her hands, it dared not move again. Seeing Zhu Yuan up close, tears streamed down Bianbian's face, dropping one after another. She placed the food from the bag onto the ground, then took a few steps back while holding up the broom. The zombie tentatively shuffled forward two more steps but stopped again. Then it looked down at the plastic bag under its foot, picked it up with a bewildered expression, and squeezed it repeatedly. The instant noodle packaging crinkled loudly in its grip.

Finally, he tossed the plastic bag into the iron barrel. Looking up again, he still stared at Bianbian with longing, emitting a hoarse, threatening growl from his throat. Bianbian immediately swept the small broom cautiously toward Zhu Yuan's direction; the zombie stepped back two paces. She swept again, and he continued to retreat. Nong Jiusi: "…"

Realizing the broom's ability, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. Bianbian blinked her eyes, dimly understanding what System Daddy meant—to sweep Zhu Yuan away bit by bit, just like sweeping up trash. But, but this place is so vast; how long would it take to sweep Uncle Zhu Yuan away? Bianbian usually takes a long time just to sweep the living room at home. Frightened by the terrifying amount of work, Bianbian clutched her small broom, tear stains still wet on her face. Unable to see which direction her uncle was in, she simply looked up and whispered softly, "Uncle, do I really have to sweep Uncle Zhu Yuan away?"

The task of "sweeping away Zhu Yuan"

was simply too difficult for five-year-old Bianbian. ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ Nong Jiusi's face turned as dark as charcoal: "A piece of junk worth 100 star coins! As expected, you get what you pay for!"

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Third update delivered. Goodnight, mwah~