TL: Moonlit
Shi Chong was a bit eager and said, “Boss, let me give it a try too.”
Xiao Hen couldn’t understand, “You also want to become like him?”
Ji Rong said, “If we’re ugly, we should all be ugly together. That’s what real brothers do!”
Shi Chong nodded, “Let’s do it.”
The brothers all turned into zombies. Being the only human left was boring for Shi Chong, so even if it meant being ugly, he wanted to become a zombie too.
Xiao Hen hesitated for a moment, then pricked his finger and gave Shi Chong a drop of blood. Shi Chong’s transformation was the same as Ji Rong’s, and he also became a bloody mess. The transformation took the same amount of time.
Xiao Hen said, “Try if your ability is still there.”
In Xiao Hen’s speculation, Shi Chong’s ability should still be preserved. Sure enough, after Shi Chong tried, his Earth-type ability was still intact.
The three of them fell into silence for a moment. Having zombies with abilities, was it a little scary?
Suddenly, applause erupted from the surroundings. The three of them then noticed that a crowd had gathered nearby, their eyes strange as they clapped vigorously.
A civilized zombie said, “Congratulations, Instructor, you’re lucky.”
Xiao Hen asked, “??? What’s going on?”
Something seemed off.
Wen Qingling came out and clapped his hands, his face twitching, “Great! Xiao Hen, do you want to marry both Ji Rong and Shi Chong at the same time?”
Xiao Hen was confused, “…”
Xiao Hen was bewildered, “What do you mean?”
Wen Qingling stared at the three of them and said, “According to the rules of civilized zombies, whoever transforms a human becomes their spouse. You have a big appetite, transforming two at once. Should we prepare a wedding for you in the base?”
Looking at Wen Qingling’s face, which read “So you are true love,” the three of them were all dumbfounded.
They exchanged glances, unsure whether to say “vomit” or not.
The civilized zombies didn’t mind the commotion and shouted, “A wedding for the three of them, it must be grand!”
“It’s been so lively for a long time, it must be grand!”
The three of them were completely speechless.
Ji Rong waved his hand repeatedly, reacting quickly, “No, no, no, our boss is already yours. You personally transformed our boss, shouldn’t you be the one marrying him?”
Xiao Hen thought to himself, ‘I didn’t treat this kid in vain. He reacts fast.’
Wen Qingling looked at him curiously, “I was detoxifying him. Didn’t I explain it to him before biting him?”
Ji Rong looked at their boss.
Xiao Hen: “…”
Was that supposed to be clear?!
Xiao Hen scanned the onlookers and asked, “Are you serious?”
Wen Qingling replied, “Of course, this is a rule of our clan. Nobody lied to you.”
Ever since Wen Qingling brought back a research assistant from Rong City, he established this rule.
In the past, they didn’t establish this rule because they didn’t know if civilized zombies were contagious. Since it has been confirmed on Shao Fei, they must add this rule. If civilized zombies want to convert humans, it’s fine, but the one who converts must marry the converted. Otherwise, anyone could randomly convert humans, and the base would be in chaos.
Wen Qingling said, “Don’t worry, I will give you a decent wedding. Being all bloody is not appealing. Come, each of you take a vial of beauty serum. Even as zombies, you should maintain a decent appearance.”
Wen Qingling took out two vials of deep red blood anemone serum from his pocket and gave one to Ji Rong and one to Shi Chong.
Both Ji Rong and Shi Chong looked at their leader with confusion. If they drink it, does that mean they will really have to marry their leader?
Wen Qingling urged them, saying, “Drink it, consider it a congratulatory gift. I won’t charge you for the treatment.”
Ji Rong and Shi Chong understood that it was a substance to restore their appearance. Without hesitation, Ji Rong gulped it down.
Shi Chong thought, “Are you not afraid of marrying the boss?!”
Ji Rong responded, “Who cares about getting married? Let’s drink it first.”
Ji Rong’s decaying flesh began to fall off, and new flesh rapidly grew in its place. The bloody mess that he was, transformed back into a person. Except for the camouflaged uniform soaked in blood and the bloodstains on the ground, there was no difference.
Ji Rong exclaimed excitedly, “Boss, I look like a human again!”
Ji Rong’s expression and demeanor were almost like a normal person’s. He didn’t have the stiffness characteristic of a civilized zombie.
Shi Chong, feeling helpless, also drank the “beauty serum” and regained his human appearance.
Wen Qingling had the keenest sense of smell among all the zombies, and with a sniff, he could tell the nature of Ji Rong and Shi Chong.
Wen Qingling calmly said, “Xiao Hen, you did well. You’ve brought two half-human, half-zombie beings into existence. Do you want to lead your brothers to straddle both worlds?”
Xiao Hen felt extremely helpless. He didn’t have a clue what was going on.
Wen Qingling continued, “Even so, you are still civilized zombies. You cannot escape from this identity. Since you are a civilized zombie, you must abide by the rules of this community. Get ready for the wedding.”
Xiao Hen was extremely helpless. “We don’t know the rules of the community.”
Wen Qingling replied, “That’s your problem. It doesn’t matter that they were previously humans and didn’t know. But you didn’t know either, which means you didn’t take your own identity seriously and didn’t actively seek to understand the community’s rules. Now that you’ve violated the rules, you can only accept the consequences.”
“Everyone disperse, there’s nothing interesting here.” Ji Rong began to drive away the onlookers.
Xiao Hen asked, “What are the other rules? Where can we find them?”
Wen Qingling answered, “The community regulations are posted on the clinic wall. If you want to know, go and read them yourself.”
Ji Rong took a chance and asked, “What happens if we violate the community rules?”
Wen Qingling replied, “Either you comply with the rules or you get expelled from the civilized base.”
Ji Rong was taken aback and said, “Wait, wait, wait! I think we should consider it.”
Wen Qingling said, “Do you want to get married?”
The three of them responded in unison, “No marriage!”
Getting married was impossible. They absolutely wouldn’t get married.
Wen Qingling stared at them for a while and then said, “Considering that you’re newcomers and unfamiliar with the community rules, I’ll give you a chance to make amends. If you fail, your only option will be either death or marriage.”
Ji Rong eagerly raised his hand and said, “As long as I can avoid marriage and death, I’m sure I can succeed.”
Wen Qingling looked at Xiao Hen, and Xiao Hen instinctively felt that there was a pitfall ahead, so he didn’t dare to speak easily.
Wen Qingling said, “Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to return to Central Mega City? I agree. You can go back in these two days. Take Ji Rong and Shi Chong with you and resolve the matters there before coming back.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
No, this might be a huge pitfall, a super-massive pitfall even he can’t handle!
Xiao Hen asked cautiously, “What exactly is the matter?”
Wen Qingling waved their hand, gesturing for them to come closer. “When you go back to Central Mega City, bring back all the equipment from the research laboratory, the complete set.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Ji Rong: “…”
Shi Chong: “…”
Wen Qingling looked at Xiao Hen and said, “You are a spatial ability user, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you, right?”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Xiao Hen was stunned on the spot. “Are you asking me… to steal the equipment?”
Wen Qingling replied, “Why say ‘steal’? That sounds so unpleasant. Contributing to the research cause, can that be called stealing? It’s just borrowing it for a while and returning it after use.”
As for when to return it, that would depend on Wen Qingling’s mood.
Xiao Hen rubbed his forehead in frustration. “What specific equipment is still needed?”
Wen Qingling said, “We need whatever equipment is in the research laboratory of Central Mega City. We are missing the same equipment.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Xiao Hen: “Be more specific.”
Wen Qingling calmly took out a list and handed it over. “I don’t know the specific equipment needed either. This is the list prepared by the research assistant. Just follow it.”
Xiao Hen took the list and looked at it, then neatly folded it and put it away. “I’ll try to gather them all.”
Ji Rong and Shi Chong looked at their leader in horror. Was he really going to go back and steal things?!
They had no idea that Xiao Hen had already been through some “domestic violence” in order to have the opportunity to go back. Now that he had the chance to avoid marrying those two rough men, he was willing to make the effort to accomplish the task. Besides, what Wen Qingling wanted was equipment, and as long as they gathered it, it didn’t necessarily mean they had to steal it.
Wen Qingling could see through Xiao Hen’s thoughts. “I only want the research equipment from the Central Mega City laboratory. I don’t need anything from other places.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Xiao Hen: “The research equipment in the Central Mega City laboratory was also brought in from outside. What’s the difference between the two?”
Wen Qingling replied, “Of course, there is a difference. The research equipment in the laboratory has been in use for over two years. It is intact equipment. Can you guarantee that the equipment you bring from outside will be in perfect condition?”
Xiao Hen suggested, “If that’s the case, what you need is not research equipment from the laboratory, but a medical equipment maintenance technician.”
Wen Qingling said, “If you can bring back such technicians, I certainly won’t object. But I definitely want the equipment from the laboratory.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Was he just shooting himself in the foot with this?
The equipment topic ended, and the conversation moved on.
Wen Qingling said, “There’s one more thing.”
“One more thing?” The three of them immediately became wary.
Wen Qingling continued, “Bring Meng Lao as well. I need him for my research.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Ji Rong: “…”
Shi Chong: “…”
Ji Rong almost cried out, “Leader Wen, it’s fine to stuff equipment into the spatial dimension, but how are we supposed to sneak out Meng Lao, a living person? Besides, he has people protecting him every day, and it’s impossible to silently take him away.”
Wen Qingling replied, “If you can’t do it silently, then you’ll do it forcefully. Xiao Hen, you have the ability to control the entire zombie as a ‘General.’ Can’t you solve this problem?”
Ji Rong and Shi Chong looked at their leader in astonishment. Controlling the entire zombie? That was too incredible!
Xiao Hen responded, “I can indeed control zombies, but I need zombies to control. Central Mega City is very large, and there won’t be any zombies within a hundred miles of the outskirts. There are teams cleaning up outside the city every day. As long as I’m inside the city, there won’t be any zombies to control.”
Wen Qingling pondered for a moment and said, “Do you want me to bring a large army of zombies to support you?”
The three of them: “…”
Seeing Wen Qingling’s serious expression, it didn’t seem like a joke at all.
Xiao Hen said, “No need. What you want is just a capable virus research expert, not necessarily Meng Lao, right?”
Wen Qingling was puzzled. “Didn’t you say Meng Lao is the only remaining national treasure-level virus research expert? Since he is the most capable, of course, I should find him.”
Xiao Hen helplessly explained, “Meng Lao is indeed the only remaining national treasure-level virus research expert for humans. But he isn’t for you. Our country has several renowned virus research experts, and there are even more skilled ones than Meng Lao. The only problem is, they didn’t survive and turned into zombies at the beginning of the apocalypse. Instead of capturing a human like Meng Lao, it would be better to find the experts who have become zombies. After they turn into civilized zombies, they will definitely be loyal to you and the civilized base. Such individuals can be trusted more. What do you think?”
Wen Qingling rubbed his chin and thought carefully. “Do you know where they are?”
Xiao Hen nodded. “Yes, we have carried out rescue missions before, but unfortunately, by the time we arrived, they had already turned into zombies.”
Xiao Hen’s suggestion opened up a new approach for Wen Qingling. “Apart from virus research expert zombies, I want experts from other fields as well. In any case, the more, the merrier. Bring back anyone you can find… No, first bring back the research equipment. After that, we can go together to find the virus research experts. After they turn into zombies, they won’t stay in one place waiting for you to find them. Perhaps I’ll go personally to speed things up.”
All three of them breathed a sigh of relief. It was one thing to steal equipment, but stealing a living person was truly difficult for them. Fortunately, Wen Qingling was convinced otherwise.
