A gray sky cast a gray drizzle.
The light rain was cool as Chu Muge held an umbrella, glanced at the cloud-covered sky, and coughed softly.
A car passed by, splashing water from the puddles onto the sides. She quietly moved away, making sure her clothes didn't get splashed.
Chu Muge didn’t particularly like this kind of oppressive, damp weather.
The bruises and wounds under her loose long sleeves ached faintly. She frowned slightly, took out her phone, and with one hand, swiped open the screen that was dotted with raindrops. She sent a message she had already typed out:
Senior... Are you there?
---
She was trembling.
Gu Yao cautiously approached as she watched the figure of the girl.
Chu Muge wasn't unconscious, but her eyes were dull, as if she had fallen into a dark abyss, completely disconnected from the world around her.
“Cough…” Chu Muge?
Gu Yao instinctively wanted to call her name but, unable to speak, it came out as a few meaningless coughs.
Chu Muge lay on her back, her slit-like pupils had reverted to their round shape, but her eyes were still blood-red.
Within them was a stillness like dead water, making it seem as though she couldn’t see Gu Yao at all.
Gu Yao had seen this look on her before.
Yes, it was during those times when she had an episode.
The same dullness, the same lifelessness, the same overwhelming despair.
This state had never been described in the novel, as if it was something hidden beneath her dazzling exterior, only discoverable by those who truly got close.
So, should she approach...?
Gu Yao hesitated.
What if she goes berserk and strangles me?
But seeing her covered in wounds, with drooping cat ears and teary eyes, Gu Yao felt a pang of sympathy.
...She seemed a bit pitiful.
After hesitating for a moment, Gu Yao finally stood next to her and then slowly crouched down.
Her gray eyes looked at Chu Muge as she tentatively reached out, placing her hand on the back of her head and gently lifting it.
With no reaction from Chu Muge, Gu Yao grew bolder, carefully cradling her in her arms.
It was as if a faint light returned to Chu Muge’s eyes, only to quickly fade again. Resting her head on Gu Yao’s arm, she looked blankly at Gu Yao’s profile with tear-filled eyes and murmured, “Senior...?”
Senior, senior, senior... Is that all you can say, girl?
Gu Yao was both amused and at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond. She could only gaze into Chu Muge’s dazed, expressionless eyes with her own gray ones.
She was now a zombie, unable to control her facial expressions, having become completely expressionless.
Chu Muge stared blankly at her, her eyes widening slightly with curiosity, like a cat. She blinked and then, in a daze, reached out both hands to wrap them around Gu Yao's neck.
“Senior…”
She murmured softly, her face gently rubbing against Gu Yao's. Her voice was tender, with a bit of a sleepy, mumbling quality, more like she was groggily seeking comfort.
Gu Yao couldn't resist as she watched the twitching cat ears on Chu Muge's head. She silently reached out and placed her hand on one of the cat ears.
The cat ear was thin, covered on the outside with soft, dandelion-like fuzz, while the inside was delicate skin, tinged with a faint, adorable pink.
As Gu Yao’s fingertips gently pressed down, Chu Muge suddenly lowered her head, her whole body trembling.
The cat ear was extremely soft, folding under the pressure of Gu Yao’s fingers. Her index finger pressed on the tip of the ear, while her thumb slid down, brushing over the smooth fur behind the ear.
It was soft and warm to the touch.
Chu Muge’s face turned slightly red, her gaze becoming somewhat dazed.
She subconsciously tightened her arms around Gu Yao, a tingling sensation spreading through her body.
So sensitive.
Finding this amusing, Gu Yao raised her other hand and pinched her other cat ear.
The heat surged through her, and Chu Muge shuddered, instinctively gritting her teeth in response to the stimulation.
“…Mew.”
When an animal feels too comfortable, it might unintentionally let out a soft sound.
Gu Yao paused, her hands instinctively stopping their movements. When she refocused on the girl's face, she noticed that Chu Muge's confused eyes were now misty, and it seemed as if a deep blush had even spread to her black cat ears.
The cat's eyes, now clouded with drowsiness, began to droop. Perhaps, having determined that the person holding her was someone trustworthy, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Gu Yao held her, remaining completely still.
…Because if she moved, she might wake her up, right?
With Chu Muge asleep, Gu Yao felt exhausted herself.
She had used a lot of mental energy today, controlling many things, and was quite tired.
Since she was tired…
The instincts of a zombie took over as she subconsciously lowered her head, looking at the sleeping Chu Muge in her arms, and realized she was feeling a bit hungry.
Gu Yao looked at her, then, with a guilty conscience, glanced around before lowering her head slightly, sticking out her pink tongue, and licking away the blood that had trickled from Chu Muge's mouth. She smacked her lips.
Too hungry…
Taking a little reward shouldn't be too much, right?
---
Chu Muge was injured.
When humans get hurt, they need treatment.
Gu Yao gently laid her on a soft mat of flesh, her gray eyes silently watching her for a long while before shifting her gaze.
She wasn’t sure where to find medical supplies here, so maybe…
The fifth floor?
---
Wang Qiqi couldn’t sleep.
She sat on the ground, staring at the dimly lit door to the fifth-floor emergency exit, lost in thought.
Today felt like a dream.
First, she and her mother had been mistreated by a man, with Wang Qiqi being sent downstairs to search for food, while her mother…
Thank goodness she had met a strange older sister, who was accompanied by a zombie that didn’t seem inclined to bite.
Probably wouldn’t bite, right?
At least, Wang Qiqi hadn’t been attacked by that beautiful zombie sister, despite her fears.
She even mentally added the word "beautiful" when referring to her, which showed how grateful she really was.
After the two left, Wang Qiqi soon heard the sound of glass shattering from downstairs, a very intense commotion.
Unlike everyone else’s terror, Wang Qiqi’s first reaction was worry.
Were they okay?
But there was nothing she could do. Unable to sleep, she stared at the emergency exit door they had come through, silently praying in her heart:
Please let them be safe.
Creak—
As she was thinking this, the door suddenly creaked open a crack.
Normally, the fifth-floor emergency exit door would be locked, but perhaps because the man had been killed today and there was such chaos, no one had bothered to lock it.
Sometimes, leaving it unlocked wasn’t a bad thing, like now, when Chu Muge came through.
Wang Qiqi’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat, as she watched the door slowly open.
The person entering was very cautious, as if they didn’t want to alert anyone on the fifth floor, moving like a thief.
The fifth-floor ceiling was transparent, allowing the starlit night sky to cast a faint glow.
Wang Qiqi squinted and then found herself staring directly into the eyes of Gu Yao, who was wearing sunglasses.
Wang Qiqi: …
Wang Qiqi: (*?????) Z-Zombie!
All thoughts of the "beautiful zombie sister" vanished as Wang Qiqi scrambled to her feet in a panic, only to see Gu Yao raise a finger to her lips.
—Shh.
Wang Qiqi: …?
Thinking she had imagined it, she blinked, only to see Gu Yao make another gesture, beckoning her over.
—Come here.
Wang Qiqi remained silent for a moment, then stood up and bit her lip. Although hesitant, she eventually tiptoed over.
Gu Yao was satisfied, nodding as Wang Qiqi reluctantly followed her.
The human and zombie stood in awkward silence for a while before Gu Yao pointed at herself, then at Wang Qiqi, and then downward with her finger.
Wang Qiqi stammered, whispering, “…Sister, do you mean you want me to go downstairs?”
This child was sharp.
Gu Yao nodded, then took out a sticky note and a black pen she had found while rummaging on the first floor, intending to write something.
Under Wang Qiqi's curious gaze, Gu Yao uncapped the pen and began writing on the note by the moonlight.
“…”
“…”
Wait a minute, how do I write again?
Her hand, holding the sticky note, seemed to tremble slightly.
Oh no! It looks like I've forgotten how to write! QwQ