### Chapter 10: Saying Thanks to Chu Muge
Liking someone? That's impossible. She could never like someone.
Gu Yao felt a hand inside her clothes, sliding up her smooth stomach. Her mind had only one thought: Ah. She's being molested! Σ(OдO|||)
Then, Gu Yao realized something even more terrifying than being molested:
She didn't seem to feel anything!
That hand had already reached her chest, claiming the high ground, but she didn't feel a thing!
No desires, no needs, utterly indifferent.
Gu Yao, who had inexplicably become a zombie without desires, lit an imaginary cigarette in her mind.
Well, this is surprising.
Maybe that's why zombies are all about eating, with no other needs, what else can they do?
Zombies can evolve. Gu Yao knew this well from the novels she'd read.
She felt that if she evolves she should somehow normalize her body, at least not lose all the sensations a human should have.
Her emotions were gradually disappearing, and this trend scared Gu Yao.
But now wasn't the time to think about the future. That hand was still roaming inside her clothes, but because her body was completely insensitive, it just made Gu Yao feel awkward.
Stop touching me, please????
If she had better control over her body, she would have run away already.
Luckily, Chu Muge seemed to sense her discomfort and withdrew her hand, frowning slightly. "Not soft enough."
Gu Yao: ???
That's what you say after touching my chest?
Actually, it made sense. After all, she was now an undead being that didn't rot. Her body still had elasticity but wasn't as soft or warm as it used to be.
"No problem."
Chu Muge took it lightly.
She remembered... There was a potion that could restore vitality to a body.
Chu Muge rubbed her temples, looking troubled. "But it's still too early."
This potion would appear later in the zombie apocalypse, circulating in the casinos and black markets of major bases. It could temporarily bring a zombie's body back to a pseudo-living state, making them indistinguishable from a regular person.
Of course, this only applied to zombies with intact organs, as the potion's effect was to activate those non-functioning organs, bringing vitality back to the flesh.
As for why this potion was created... well, those with the power would understand.
Regular people wouldn't dare to play with such things, but those with powers would.
Chu Muge took Gu Yao's hand, picked up her long knife, and quietly headed towards the gas station.
The gas station wasn't far. There weren't many zombies along the way, and they used vehicles and other objects as cover to avoid direct confrontation, gradually approaching their destination.
The low number of zombies was partly due to that big guy and partly because...
Gu Yao's gray pupils reflected the bullet marks scattered everywhere, as if she could see the scene when bullets whizzed by.
The military had roughly cleared this place.
So the male protagonist had indeed been here, and due to the butterfly effect, hadn't chosen to go to the school!
Gu Yao felt grateful that Chu Muge had found her back then, otherwise, who knows how long she would have stayed in that dark room.
Say thanks to Chu Muge.
Gu Yao's inner self cheered, while Chu Muge's inner self pondered.
She noticed some sharp blade marks on cars that she hadn't seen before, a bit surprised.
These marks were new.
Someone? Or something...?
Her steps became cautious as she examined the fresh cuts on the cars, blinking.
They were stronger than her.
Meanwhile, in a dilapidated building, a monster opened its compound eyes, erratically rotating in its sockets, then unified in focus, observing the two on the deserted street below, finally fixing its gaze on Gu Yao.
"Heh... heh..."
A few hoarse chuckles escaped its mouth:
"...Gu... Gu Yao..."
With its slender limbs crawling on the ground, it retreated, eventually hiding in the darkness.
It wasn't time to eat yet.
***
The gas station was deserted.
When Chu Muge arrived, she saw only a few vehicles with broken windows. One car door was open, with dried blood forming a human shape and trailing in a crooked line, as if someone had been dragged out by zombies.
She stepped inside, spotting a zombie standing aimlessly.
He was wearing a tattered gas station uniform, his skin was a deathly gray, and half of his face was swollen.
This was what a zombie should look like, battered by the elements, rain, wind, and sun, its skin ruined.
Unlike Gu Yao, who was practically pampered, cleaner than most living people now.
There was only one zombie in the gas station. Chu Muge didn't hide her presence, lightly coughing.
The zombie slowly turned its head, its dull gray eyes locking onto Chu Muge. As if receiving a signal, it opened its torn mouth, the blood-red muscles trembling, and rushed at Chu Muge.
Swinging her knife,
Slashing down.
The blade cut into the body, releasing thick black blood. Chu Muge couldn't stand the stench, frowning and adding more force.
Early-stage power users relied on strength far beyond that of ordinary people. With a swing, the long knife easily cut from the zombie's shoulder, getting stuck at its chest.
—But that was enough.
Pulling out the knife, the zombie's body collapsed, its upper and lower halves nearly separated, organs exposed, futilely twitching on the ground, still trying to reach Chu Muge.
Expressionless, Chu Muge raised her knife and stabbed it into the zombie's rotting head.
The struggling weakened, then stopped.
Gu Yao watched from the side, greatly shocked.
So fierce.
For the first time, she felt how lucky she was that Chu Muge willingly let her bite her, otherwise, she would have died a hundred times over.
Gu Yao stared at the gruesome corpse for a while, feeling something was off. She looked up, meeting Chu Muge's gaze.
Chu Muge: (o?_o?)
Gu Yao: ?
Gu Yao: (?o.o?)??
Why was she looking at her like that?
Gu Yao blinked, glancing at the corpse out of the corner of her eye, then suddenly realized what Chu Muge might be thinking.
Gu Yao: (O?O) Oh.
Chu Muge thought that I was going to eat the corpse...
How insulting!
Chu Muge awkwardly voiced what she'd been holding back: "Senior, that’s not edible."
Gu Yao: ...
I know! I was just looking! I didn't want to eat it!
So, what kind of creature did Chu Muge think she was?
### Interlude: A Few Newspapers Scattered on the Ground
In the lifeless city, inside an inconspicuous office building with half-open windows, a cool breeze blew in.
The wind stirred the dust in the dim room, circled around an inactive black-screen computer, and blew a few newspapers off the desk onto the floor.
They floated down, revealing bold headlines:
"Continuous Rain? Expert Opinions Inside!"
The writing was slightly blurred, much of it obscured by folds and dried blood.
Where did the blood come from?
Looking around, she noticed a human corpse in the room.
He lay on his back in a chair, a small knife fallen from his loosened grip, and a deep gash on his wrist.
The newspaper was stained, leaving only the last sentence barely legible:
"City A and ... City's rainfall is the highest, local ... has experienced ... landslide incidents..."
"..."
"Let's get through this together! United, we stand!"
Thud, thud,
Outside the half-open window, a rustling noise suddenly emerged.
A slender tail, gleaming with a bony chill, slowly entered the room through the window.
The tail's tip was a sharp blade, moving with a sentient purpose, feeling its way to the corpse before slashing down heavily.
Flesh was fragile, easily cut in half.
The blade's sharp tip pierced the corpse's head, lifting the severed upper half out of the window like a skewered necklace.
Moments later, the sound of meat and bone being chewed echoed back, sending chills down one's spine.