Chapter Ten Zombies

  After the noodles were cooked, Xiao Qian smelled them one by one, Jin Chengwu wolfed them down, and Gao Xiaowei ate two mouthfuls and threw away the bowl: "Long Yangyang, is that all you have? Look at my sister Xiao Qian, she can't even eat one bite."

  "It's quite delicious."

  Gao Xiaowei pouted and threw away her bowl, then ran off to play computer again.

  Old Wu said: "Why don't I give you some vegetables tomorrow?"

  Jin Chengwu finished his noodles and pulled out a laptop from the bag he brought with him, opened it, took a look at the network connection and exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, still wireless internet."

  I: “……”

  Then he rushed up to Xiao Wei and said: "Beauty, what's your QQ number? I'll add you as a friend and we can secretly meet."

  I asked in surprise: "Do you have QQ too?"

  Jin Chengwu smiled and said: "Underestimating me? I still have MSN."

  Gao Xiaowei added Jin Chengwu's number and read his signature: "The most annoying thing is the divine horse of Hou Yi."

  Old Wu whispered to me: "Hou Yi is the one who shot the sun, and San Zu Jin Wu is the messenger of the sun, so Jin Chengwu doesn't like him."

  I: “……”

  After dark, Gao Xiaowei left the computer and stretched her waist, saying: "Little Qian sister, let's go out for a drink, I'll treat you."

  Xiao Qian exclaimed in surprise: "How can a girl drink wine?"

  Gao Xiaowei was even more surprised: "Why can't girls drink?" She pulled out a cigarette from her bag and lit it, "What men can do, we can do too!"

  Xiao Qian started coughing violently, she was more harmed by smoking two packs a day than others...

  Gao Xiaowei extinguished her cigarette and said impatiently, "Can't sleep that early, can you?"

  I smiled and said: "Or I'll help you ask your mom?"

  Gao Xiaowei's face suddenly turned stern and she said: "Then I'll sleep with Xiao Qian tonight."

  I was shocked and said: "No way!"

  "Why?"

  "In short, it's just not going to work!" These two people living together, one smokes and chokes the other half to death, then the other scares him to death - have you ever seen a little girl without feet running all over the place?

  "Could it be that you want to sleep with my little sister Xiang?"

  Xiao Qian's face turned red and she said: "Xiao Wei, what are you talking nonsense?"

  Gao Xiaowei said straightforwardly and confidently: "What's the big deal even if we sleep together? You're all single men and women, are you going to hide in your rooms?"

  "This time it's Old Wu asking me: 'What does it mean?'"

  "Uh, I couldn't quite explain it to you guys about woody plants."

  Jin Cheng Wu burst out laughing: "The 90s kids these days are really something."

  Gao Xiaowei said: "What are you laughing at? You post-80s are all the same!"

  Jin Chengwu said in shock: "I am not a post-80s."

  "You're not from the 1970s?"

  Jin Cheng Wu scratched his head and said: "I am after BC..."

  Gao Xiaowei finally took a room card and ran back to her room to watch TV.

  The night grew darker, and Old Wu was the first to walk out of the house, sitting on the steps outside. He was followed by Jin Chengwu, and the two sat side by side, looking up at the moon in the sky. Xiao Qian finished clearing the table and also walked out, sitting down a short distance away from the two men, also gazing up at the sky with her chin resting on her hands.

  I pinched a cigarette and sat on the steps below them, following their gaze, with only a hazy moon in the sky.

  Lao Wu spoke first: "This place is really full of spiritual energy."

  "However, it's not like those years anymore, any place would be better than this."

  Xiao Qian also said: "The Republic of China was no better than the Qing Dynasty."

  Old Wu sighed: "Cultivation is getting harder and harder."

  "I couldn't help but ask curiously: 'What are you talking about?'"

  Old Wu said: "Do you know why we all came to your place without prior agreement? It's because your place can absorb the essence of the sun and moon better than anywhere else."

  I sniffed hard: "How come I didn't feel it?"

  "Because you're not a cultivator."

  "I said: 'Why didn't you come before?'"

  Old Wu said, "The change in this place is also a matter of the past few days. I think it's related to your being struck by lightning. That bolt of lightning wasn't ordinary; it split open a gap between heaven and earth, allowing spiritual energy to leak out from that spot, which just so happens to be near your hotel."

  "Did you punch a hole in the ozone layer?"

  Jin Cheng Wudao: "The earth's spiritual energy is insufficient, and it also has something to do with human activities being too frequent, so what you said may not be entirely wrong. In any case, we should thank you."

  Three people sat on the steps, no one speaking again, greedily inhaling the air, slowly exhaling, and every now and then, they would dazedly let out a mouthful of turbid air, like three nicotine-addicted gentlemen.

  I sat for a while and felt quite bored, just about to leave, when I suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a figure in the distance walking towards me. My eyes lit up: "Someone's coming to stay!" It was already so late, and since there were no other places around here to go, this person must have come to lodge.

  "Huh?" Old Wu opened his eyes, seeming somewhat uneasy.

  I stood up and walked towards the person with big strides. With the moonlight, I could vaguely see that the person's gait was a bit strange, walking very slowly, stumbling left and right, his two legs making weird circles, his chest shrinking, and his head drooping in front of his chest.

  "I exclaimed: 'Still a drunkard.' In this desolate wilderness, having had too much to drink, he had no choice but to spend the night outdoors."

  "Wait a minute, something's off about this guy!"

  "I waved my hand: 'What's wrong with you, don't mess up the business.' I walked over in big strides, still ten meters away from him, and stretched out both hands enthusiastically, 'Brother, come stay at our hotel? Inside, please, we have food, drink, and a shower, 100 yuan a day, and we'll give you an 85% discount...' But the other party didn't react at all, still walking with one step and one twist, his head on his shoulder, his two hands hanging down in front of his lower abdomen. By this time, I could already see what he was wearing - he had on a tattered and worn-out top, and below that were several strips of torn cloth dangling down, vaguely resembling an old-fashioned robe. I was taken aback for a moment, but still trying to maintain the 'customer is god' mentality, I forced a smile and said: 'Hey, did you get into a fight or a car accident? Do you need me to call the police...'"

  Before I could finish my sentence, Old Wu suddenly shouted: "Little Dragon is back, he's not human!"

  But it was too late, the thing opposite me seemed to have smelled the smell I emitted and suddenly raised its hand towards me. In a flash, I saw his pale face and two snow-white canine teeth!

  "Ah!" I was almost scared to death, but it had to be said that I, Long Yangyang, although not asking for trouble, hadn't lacked experience in dealing with my dad's rivals' various ambushes. From a young age, I had practiced and honed my skills in remaining calm in the face of danger. At the critical moment, I tapped my toes on the ground, twisted my waist, and shouted "Hai!" as I executed a beautiful backflip. Unfortunately, it only succeeded halfway - my feet flipped up, but my head crashed to the ground. Luckily, Jin Chengwu rushed over to catch me just in time. Old Wu and Xiao Qian stood guard on either side of us.

  That thing missed a hit, baring its teeth and rushing at us with a menacing glare. This time I got a clear look at it - it was wearing one of those small round hats that rich landlords used to wear in the past. Its face was deathly pale, with sunken eye sockets revealing two clearly defined eyeballs. The most terrifying thing was that its exposed skin had been corroded into strips and chunks, with maggots constantly falling off its body as it moved.

  "Ah ya ya!" I quickly hid behind Jin Chengwu's back and shouted: "What is this thing?"

  Old Wu held his breath and said: "It's a zombie!"

  The zombie probably felt an extraordinary pressure in front of it and hesitated to stop its footsteps.

  Jin Chengwu said to the zombie, "Brother, let's not interfere with each other. Please return from where you came."

  He didn't say a word, but as soon as he opened his mouth, that zombie suddenly pounced forward.

  Old Wu said: "Be careful not to be bitten by him, otherwise your cultivation will suffer greatly." He added, "There's no need for Old Jin to reason with him, zombies can't understand human language."

  Xiao Qian also said: "I've seen this kind of zombie in the mountains, they're different from me, their souls have disappeared, leaving only a shell, and when they smell any living energy, they'll pounce on it and bite relentlessly."

  The zombie pounced twice and stayed in place, its terrifying head slightly turning, as if to identify the direction of attack.

  "My heart racing with fear, I asked: 'What should we do next?'"

  Xiao Qian said: "This thing's lifespan is also very short, as long as there is no flesh and blood to nourish it, it will definitely die within two days!"

  I said: "You mean we just ignore it and hide back and wait for it to starve itself?"

  "What's wrong with that?"

  I collapsed and said: "How will you explain it to Xiaowei tomorrow?"

  Xiao Qian didn't say anything anymore.

  Jin Cheng Wu took off the glove on his right hand, and with his palm facing the zombie, he said: "Buddy, I don't want to hurt you, but you can't move forward anymore. Otherwise, you'll have to bear the consequences!"

  In the dark of night, Jin Chengwu's right hand emitted endless heat and light. The zombie instinctively retreated a few steps back. Jin Chengwu was overjoyed: "That's it, go back." He stretched out his hand, and the zombie took another step back. At this moment, the window on the second floor opened, and Gao Xiaowei poked her head out and asked loudly: "Long Yangyang, what are you guys doing?"

  What's wrong with you, how am I supposed to explain this? In a moment of quick thinking, I loudly said: "Oh, it's nothing, this guy is just lost." As I spoke, I grabbed Jin Chengwu's right arm and pointed north, pretending to be serious: "You're asking about the train station, go that way!"

  The zombie's head also followed me as I pointed and looked around...

  "Oh." Gao Xiaowei withdrew her head and added: "That fluorescent stick of yours is pretty bright."

  I let out a sigh of relief...

  Just then, the zombie suddenly pounced on us. Jin Chengwu pushed me away and pressed his bright red right hand against the zombie's chest. A miserable cry was heard, and the zombie's entire body burst into dazzling flames, turning to ashes in an instant...

  Division line

  A brain teaser: What are zombies most afraid of?