Zombie
*Coveting my flesh.*
Food goes bad if it is left uneaten for too long. Machines deteriorate if they remain unused for too long. And if a person goes too long without speaking, their language abilities regress.
The same went for zombies.
Of course, there was no scientific basis for that last statement.
Qin Zhen personally believed it was the result of human prejudice combined with the lifestyle habits of zombies.
If humans did not hold so much fear and bias toward zombies, and instead treated them as equals, perhaps they would have discovered many more characteristics of the species. Likewise, if zombies enjoyed living in groups the way humans did, zombie culture might not necessarily have fallen behind human civilisation.
After all, zombies were simply another form of existence taken on by humans after death.
It was perfectly common for the student to surpass the master.
Still, saying more was pointless.
In short, zombie culture was far too impoverished. Qin Zhen could only make deductions based on human civilisation.
She suspected that because she had gone too long without speaking, she had developed aphasia.
That could not be blamed on her.
After all, she was the only zombie living alone inside this tomb. A lack of communication was inevitable.
“Blew… blew up my tomb… compensation… not too much!”
Qin Zhen lay inside her coffin, wrapped in the jacket she had just obtained. She hugged a luminous pearl to her chest as she stammered to herself.
“…Didn’t even… eat… eat him.”
Her aphasia had put her at a disadvantage during her confrontation with that sinister “tomb robber.”
Having learned painfully from the experience, Qin Zhen returned to her coffin and diligently began practising speaking.
Unfortunately, she did not have much to say.
After she finished complaining about the human who had broken into her tomb, she ran out of topics, so she began practising pronunciation instead.
“Aaa… eee… ooo… uuuh…”
Her hoarse voice stretched into long notes and spread through the tomb.
The sounds struck the stone walls, softened, then rippled outward layer after layer, eventually becoming eerie ghostly wails filled with resentment.
…
**Bang—**
Qin Zhen had no idea how much time had passed when the coffin lid was suddenly shoved open from outside.
A head appeared above her.
Human and corpse stared at each other across the open coffin.
After a long silence, Qin Zhen spoke through barely suppressed anger.
“No… manners!”
The human called Fu Qi looked surprised.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect it to be you…”
Then his tone shifted, and he tactfully added,
“Perhaps it’s because, according to human understanding, people generally don’t need to knock on a coffin before opening it to notify whoever’s inside.”
*Which was why, in so many films, novels, and legends, the moment humans opened a coffin, the zombie inside chased them down and killed them.*
Qin Zhen very much wanted to say that.
Unfortunately, the sentence was too long.
She could not express it smoothly, so she simply widened her hollow eyes and attempted to make Fu Qi experience the deathly glare of a zombie.
“Were you practising speaking?”
Fu Qi either failed to notice the glare or simply did not care.
He continued talking as though nothing had happened.
“The fastest way to learn a language is through conversation. How about I practise with you?”
Qin Zhen glared at him with all her strength.
Although she had only interacted with him for a few minutes, she had already seen through his true nature.
There was something very wrong with this man.
Would a normal human, after encountering what was clearly some kind of non-human creature, pretend to be unconscious in order to lure it closer—
and still have the presence of mind to joke around?
There was absolutely no way he was being this kind out of goodwill.
He must be trying to trick information out of her, figure out where the treasures in her tomb were, and then escape.
Tomb robbers had always been this treacherous and shameless.
Qin Zhen decided to become a ruthless zombie.
“Fishing… fishing for answers… useless. No ex… exit!”
“You saw through me.”
Fu Qi looked regretful.
Then he sighed.
“I walked around the tomb once. I really didn’t find an exit, nor did I find any food or water. I probably won’t live much longer. Once I die, you’ll be alone in this tomb again…”
His voice turned almost coaxing.
“Meeting is fate. Come out and chat with me.”
Qin Zhen was a little tempted.
She had been isolated from the world for far too long.
She was lonely.
She was also extremely curious about how human society had developed.
But she did not want a human manipulating the conversation, so she instead asked a question inspired by what Fu Qi had just said.
“You… how many thieves?”
Fu Qi, having been classified as a tomb robber, smiled but did not bother correcting her.
“Four altogether. The other three have some misunderstandings about me. They blew up the stone wall above and buried me down here.”
“Don’t worry. They’d rather I died. They won’t come rescue me.”
“…Tre… treasure.”
“Treasure?”
Fu Qi’s tone lifted slightly.
After thinking for a moment, he asked,
“What treasure do you have here that they want?”
Once again, Qin Zhen thought this tomb robber was terrifyingly calculating.
He could actually figure out what she meant from just a few scattered words.
His wording was slightly inaccurate, though.
He should have said *we*, not *they*.
But Fu Qi had his elbow resting casually on her coffin, looking far too relaxed and at ease.
His tone was indifferent, and he was looking down at her from above.
Illuminated by the luminous pearl, his sharply defined face was full of interest.
There was not even the slightest trace of fear or despair.
Qin Zhen found this extremely displeasing.
If she had known from the beginning that he had this kind of personality, she would not have stolen his clothes first to cover herself.
She should have frightened him properly from the start.
Unfortunately, it was too late now.
Her displeasure overwhelmed her desire to correct his wording.
Qin Zhen abruptly sat bolt upright inside the coffin, nearly smashing heads with Fu Qi as he leaned over her.
She showed absolutely no remorse.
Instead, she swept one hand grandly toward the outside.
“Treasure!”
There were oil lamps set into the tomb walls.
Qin Zhen had no source of fire, so she could not light them. She normally relied entirely on her luminous pearl.
Now, however, Fu Qi had lit every lamp.
Flickering light and shadow filled the tomb, revealing everything inside.
Fu Qi followed her gesture and looked around.
He nodded.
“There are indeed quite a few burial objects in the side chambers outside. Judging by their age, they’re valuable antiques. They could certainly be called treasures.”
Then his tone shifted.
He sighed.
“Unfortunately, human values have undergone enormous changes.”
“In our eyes now, these things are completely worthless. No one would risk their life for them.”
The implication was obvious.
The people above would not come down to rescue him.
And they certainly would not enter the tomb for these so-called treasures.
Qin Zhen did not quite believe him.
As far as she knew, humans had recognised the value of burial goods for thousands of years.
Even the term *Mojin Xiaowei*—tomb-raiding officers—had an extremely long history.
But humans were also undeniably creative.
Perhaps they really had stopped caring about these things.
She had been cut off from the world for too long.
There were many things she could no longer be certain about.
“Earlier, you heard the explosion and thought the tomb entrance had opened, so you went over there?”
While Qin Zhen was still considering whether Fu Qi was lying, she heard him ask,
“You want to leave?”
Qin Zhen replied,
“Ob… obviously!”
Ever since she became aware of herself, she had lived inside this tomb.
Life here was painfully monotonous.
She had wanted to leave for a very long time.
But she had searched the entire place over and over, from top to bottom, and never found any exit.
Once Qin Zhen realised escaping by herself was impossible, she could only place her hopes on humans.
More precisely—
tomb robbers.
When part of the tomb had collapsed, she had been lying inside her coffin sleeping.
…Zombies did not actually need sleep.
But if she did not sleep, what else was she supposed to do?
When she realised someone had blown open part of the tomb, she grabbed her luminous pearl and rushed over excitedly.
She nearly stepped on someone.
A man.
Qin Zhen screamed and hurriedly ran away.
She went back to change into her most respectable outfit.
How should she put it?
To humans, zombies were always rare.
And tomb robbers with legendary experiences often recorded the strange creatures they encountered in notes.
Years later, those notes might somehow spread into the world and expose those creatures to the public.
*A zombie.*
That sounded terrifying.
*A naked female zombie running around everywhere.*
That sounded a little perverted.
Qin Zhen had no desire whatsoever to be remembered as a pervert.
Unfortunately, all her clothes had rotted into scraps.
She could barely cover herself.
After changing, Qin Zhen quietly slipped past the injured “tomb robber” in the darkness and went to inspect the collapsed tunnel.
Too many rocks had fallen.
The passage had been completely blocked.
She still could not get out.
If she could not leave, then at least learning about the outside world would be worthwhile.
Qin Zhen decided to temporarily forgive the petty thief who had entered her tomb to steal things.
But before formally meeting him, she needed to borrow his clothing while he was unconscious so she could cover herself.
That was what had led to everything afterward.
“Liar!”
Remembering how Fu Qi had pretended to be unconscious and tricked her, she sternly condemned him again.
Fu Qi said,
“I had no choice. When you encounter something strange inside a pitch-black underground tomb, it’s natural to be afraid.”
Qin Zhen could not see a single thing about him that looked frightened.
Besides—
he clearly had a lighting device.
Her expression was probably too obvious.
Fu Qi explained,
“You can’t blame me. You were sneaking around. You only dared approach me after I pretended to be unconscious, and then you kept touching me all over.”
“It really looked like you were coveting my flesh.”
“Ha! Ha!”
Qin Zhen laughed twice.
Looking directly into Fu Qi’s eyes, she criticised him with unusually clear pronunciation.
“Narcissist!”
He did look good.
He was tall.
His muscles were evenly proportioned.
And, admittedly, he felt quite nice to touch.
But he was merely a human.
He was not worth a zombie breaking through the barrier between species for him.
Fu Qi explained again.
“When I said *coveting*, I meant it literally.”
That was impossible too.
“Don’t eat.”
Qin Zhen said.
Before Fu Qi could reply, she spoke more forcefully and emphasised it again.
“Don’t eat people. Me—good, good zombie!”
The ancient term *zombie* made Fu Qi slightly raise his brows in surprise.
He did not show much reaction outwardly.
Instead, he asked,
“You really don’t eat humans?”
Qin Zhen was firm.
“Don’t eat!”
Fu Qi thought for a moment.
Then he confirmed again,
“No matter what happens, you won’t eat them?”
“No!”
Fu Qi nodded.
Then he stepped backward.
Under Qin Zhen’s watchful gaze, he lifted one long leg and suddenly kicked the half-open coffin lid.
With a harsh scraping sound, the heavy wooden lid crashed onto the floor with a loud **bang**, landing upside down and sending up a cloud of dust.
Qin Zhen:
“…?”
Fu Qi slowly lowered his leg under her stare.
He straightened the hem of his T-shirt, which had ridden up when he kicked, then turned his head toward her.
“You still won’t eat me?”
Qin Zhen:
“…”
She was both shocked and furious.
Looking at Fu Qi’s expression, which practically said, *You’re angry now, right? You want to eat me now, right?*, Qin Zhen decided this man was absolutely hateful.
She badly wanted to smash the coffin lid over his head.
But reason ultimately prevailed.
She merely glared furiously at Fu Qi and continued insisting,
“Won’t eat!”
Fu Qi raised an eyebrow.
Qin Zhen finally lost patience.
“Humans… des-despicable! Cunning!”
Zombies were almost always buried underground or hidden away in remote mountain ravines.
Very few zombies left their tombs for no reason and attacked humans.
It was usually greedy humans who disturbed them in pursuit of treasures inside tombs.
Under those circumstances, the zombie was clearly not the one at fault.
But if it injured a human, regardless of whether that person was good or bad, the final result was usually the same—
the zombie would be subdued by a Daoist priest or blown to pieces by some extraordinarily skilled expert.
Humans were unreasonable.
And terrifying.
Qin Zhen wanted absolutely nothing to do with them.
Even after being deliberately provoked to her face, she restrained herself.
Besides—
there was no food inside the tomb.
Sooner or later, he would starve to death.
“Starve to death!”
She viciously vented her anger.
After throwing out the threat, Qin Zhen grabbed the coffin and began climbing out.
As she stepped over the side, the oversized jacket—large enough to function as a dress—lifted upward.
Fu Qi’s gaze shifted away slightly.
At the same time, he said,
“Sorry. I just wanted to test whether you really didn’t eat humans.”
“Actually, I’m a good person.”
Qin Zhen completely ignored him.
With a cold expression, she walked toward a corner of the tomb.
There was a skeleton there.
Apart from the skull and main torso still being connected, the remaining bones had scattered apart.
But they were very clean.
So white they almost gleamed.
There had originally been several scraps of cloth hanging from the skeleton—pieces Qin Zhen used as clothing.
Now someone had moved them and stacked them neatly to the side.
There was absolutely no question who had done it!
Qin Zhen shot Fu Qi a vicious glare.
Fu Qi had already followed her over.
He crouched beside her.
Seeing that she gathered only the bones while ignoring the scraps of fabric, he said,
“Was this your relative?”
“Sorry. I thought it was a clothes rack, so I moved things around a little.”
Qin Zhen ignored him.
Fu Qi asked again,
“Why did one of you become a skeleton while the other turned into a zombie?”
No response.
“Still angry?”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have kicked your coffin lid.”
“I’ll put it back for you later?”
“Are you insulting me in your head?”
Fu Qi continued,
“Cursing someone silently isn’t nearly as satisfying as saying it aloud. Plus, you could practise speaking.”
Fu Qi said several things in succession.
Qin Zhen did not want to respond to a single one.
She made several trips back and forth, picking up all the bones scattered on the ground and placing them into the coffin.
Then she went to move the coffin lid.
The black coffin was made from some unknown material and was incredibly heavy.
She struggled badly to lift it.
Fu Qi lent her a hand, allowing them to get it back into place.
But Qin Zhen had absolutely no intention of thanking him.
She climbed into the coffin and sat up to pull the lid closed.
She had barely moved it when Fu Qi pressed down on the opposite end.
“I originally didn’t believe you when you said you don’t eat humans.”
Fu Qi held down the coffin lid, resting his elbow on the coffin edge as he frowned.
“After I knocked your lid off, I believed you.”
“But now I’m suspicious again.”
“You haven’t said a word.”
“Could you be secretly planning to wait until I fall asleep and then eat me?”
“There’s no one else here anyway. Even if you eat me, no one will ever know.”
When it came to eating humans, Qin Zhen absolutely refused to be misunderstood.
She swallowed her anger.
“Won’t eat!”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Fu Qi let out a sigh of relief.
Then he asked,
“If you don’t eat humans, why do you want to leave?”
No matter how Qin Zhen looked at him, he seemed completely insincere.
So annoying!
She had only explained so much about whether she ate people because she wanted to make her attitude toward humans clear—
she intended to keep her distance from them.
That way, misunderstandings would not happen and humans would not seek revenge against her.
She had no interest in revealing her private affairs.
She refused to answer.
She only wanted to draw a clear boundary between them.
Pointing at Fu Qi, she said,
“Traps. Starve.”
Then she pointed at herself.
“Unrelated.”
Fu Qi nodded.
“Fine. Whether I get killed by a trap or starve to death has nothing to do with you.”
“But I won’t die anytime soon.”
“Since we’ve become roommates, why don’t we introduce ourselves?”
“My name is Fu Qi. What’s yours?”
He still wanted to know her name?
Qin Zhen felt that allowing him to remain alive this long already made her practically a saint.
Instead of answering, she asked,
“Have hand… phone?”
She said it as coldly as possible.
Unfortunately, the stammering prevented her from achieving the proper intimidating effect.
Fu Qi smiled.
“I have hands. I don’t have a phone.”
Qin Zhen instantly lost all desire to speak to him.
“Chat… over.”
She lay back down inside the coffin, hugged the luminous pearl, and said,
“Close lid. Thanks.”
Fu Qi laughed again.
The oil lamps cast his shadow across the stone wall.
It spread wildly in every direction, looking like some enormous monster.
“I have one last question.”
“If you answer it for me, I’ll stop bothering you.”
The amusement vanished from his voice.
His tone became clear and pleasant, almost gentle.
“What era are you a zombie from?”
Qin Zhen twisted her face into a terrifying grimace.
Then she lifted both hands and pulled hard.
**Bang!**
The coffin lid slammed shut from the inside.
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