Chapter 497: Chapter 497: Little Zombie Dog

"Haha!"

At this thought, Song Kerou burst into laughter.

So what if Song Wenwen was her biological daughter?

She would still have to turn into a zombie reeking of decay, wouldn’t she?

With a face full of rotten flesh, if she turned into that, she’d surely bash her head against the wall!

Yet that Song Wenwen looked so stupid and oblivious, who knew how much longer she could last!

She was most likely already picked clean for her crystal core!

The more Song Kerou thought about it, the more excited she got, laughing so hard on the sofa that she couldn’t straighten up, tears streaming down her face.

The Song Family glanced inexplicably at Song Kerou, who was convulsing with laughter, their brows furrowing even further.

Song Ning served an extra bowl of rice and placed it in the middle of the Song parents, acting as if it were for the late Song Wenwen’s bowl and chopsticks.

Just like when she was alive.

The food on the table was delicious, a level of living many couldn’t compare to, yet the atmosphere in the Song family’s living room felt a bit eerie.

The Song Family wore expressions of sadness as they looked at the extra set of tableware.

While Song Kerou continued to laugh, nearly unable to hold her chopsticks.

A strange atmosphere lingered in the spacious villa.

Especially Song Kerou’s laughter, reminiscent of a creepy female ghost’s voice from childhood nightmares.

The Song parents heard the laughter and felt uneasy, their appetites spoiling despite the initially intended indulgence.

Song Kerou, however, ate with a big appetite, humming as she laughed, consuming quite a lot.

...

Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai also didn’t return to the bus for lunch, buying some barely edible food at the black market to tide them over.

Since the apocalypse began, it was the first time Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin had eaten something so hard to swallow, which, in a way, seemed fresh to them.

The black market offered a wide variety, with every vendor, gaunt and tired-looking, stationed earnestly by their stalls, missing no opportunity to peddle their items to any customer that lingered.

Among them were vendors selling gold and silver jewelry, those selling less-than-fresh fruits and vegetables, and others selling various household items.

The most popular stalls were the ones selling meat.

A small meat stall crowded with three or four rows of people.

Few buyers, many browsers.

Unable to afford, just looking was good enough.

The meat stall emitted a strong, fishy odor, through the throngs of people, a pile of red meat could be faintly seen lying on the counter, indistinguishable as to what animal it came from.

Bai Xiqin knew, in the apocalypse, conscientious vendors rarely sold regular poultry or ordinary mutant animal meat at such stalls.

Almost never.

The red pile of meat on the counter was likely from animals that had eaten zombie flesh, with loads of black blood in their mouths and stomachs.

People who ate it would gradually become more irritable but still uncontrollably return to buy more and eat, until the ones who consumed it turned into zombies.

Another possibility was that meat was from a "two-legged sheep."

"Two-legged sheep" historically referred to humans.

The bloody red meat lay on the counter, devoid of bones, meticulously cleaned by the butcher.

Impossible to discern what kind of meat it was.

Didn’t people buying from the black market know there was a problem with the meat?

The answer was no.

But one can’t resist hunger; abstaining from meat for days is endurable, but a month, two months?

Plus, even vegetables couldn’t be consumed freely as before.

Constantly in a state of hunger, knowing the meat had issues, some still purchased.

"Boss, two pounds!"

A chubby-looking person took out a regular crystal core and placed it in the butcher’s hand.

The person’s face was shiny with oil, evidently not having deprived themselves during the apocalypse.

Yet their clothes were filthy, worn to the point of having holes, even the shoes on their feet mismatched in color.

From quite a distance, Bai Xiqin could smell the stench emanating from them.

Their life in the apocalypse wasn’t great, yet they generously used crystal cores to buy meat.

Their eyes seemed to glimmer green as they stared intently at the meat stall.

The vendor, appearing familiar with them, took a knife and cut off a big chunk of meat, especially fatty, perfect for satisfying cravings.

The chubby person hurriedly received it and walked briskly towards the exit.

Eager to cook, preparing for a good meal.

Several opportunists secretly followed, hoping to snatch a bite.

Seeing this, Bai Xiqin shook her head slightly and then ignored the meat stall.

Having witnessed the scene, they lost interest in browsing further streets, casually wandering, and then walked out of the black market together.

"Roar――"

Just as they left the black market, Bai Xiqin heard a faint zombie howl.

Exchanging glances with Leng Yebai, both saw surprise in each other’s eyes.

This was the Yunhua Safety Base; how could there be zombies within the base?

Resolutely, Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai headed towards the direction from which the weak roar had come.

The direction led to the edge of the safety base, and looming near, one could faintly see rows of lush green poplar trees planted around the base.

"Haha―this dog is so ugly!"

"It seems like it wants to bite us!"

"Its legs are too short; it can’t catch up with us. Haha, its teeth look so sharp. Should we pull them out?"

The voices of several children rang out, sounding innocent, yet the words they spoke were not.

From afar, Bai Xiqin saw a little dog, with short limbs, tirelessly chasing those giggling children on the ground.

The little black dog emitted a suppressed growl similar to that of a zombie.

It seemed newly born, not running fast, waddling as it moved.

If one ignored the oppressive growl from its throat, Bai Xiqin might think it was an endearing puppy.

"Roar―"

"Haha―"

The growls and the children’s laughter melded together, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere amidst the apocalypse.

Bai Xiqin noticed a piece of rotting flesh on the black puppy’s back, subtly oozing black blood.

The black blood on the ground appeared strikingly conspicuous.

This was a little zombie dog!

The children purposely slowed down enough so that the little zombie dog nearly caught up, then deliberately sped away.

"Stop playing and go back!"

Bai Xiqin’s fingers slightly lifted, and the force landed on the small zombie dog.

The seemingly cute little zombie dog froze, completely still, its throat continuing to whimper, red eyes fixed intently on the nearest child.

In that gaze was a deep longing.

Bloodthirsty, frenzied.

Not something meant to be in a puppy’s eyes.

"Who are you?"

A kid noticed Bai Xiqin and unfriendly stuck out his tongue at her.

His parents were Superpower Users, not lawless in the apocalypse; at least among kids, he was akin to a kid king.

Before Bai Xiqin could respond, an adult suddenly arrived out of nowhere, instantly appearing before the child.

This was a Wind Ability User, moving so fast that afterimages appeared.

"Zombie dog!"

The middle-aged man’s pupils contracted, shielding his son, as light white wind blades instantly emerged in his hand and swung directly towards the puppy’s head.