Raising The Zombie King

They started the new day repairing the gate.

Lin Yuzu stood outside the courtyard and fiddled with the iron gate that was hit inwardly, creating a concave. She really didn’t know how to repair it. Should she use a hammer and knock it flat? She opened and closed the gate several times and found that its basic function as a door wasn’t affected much, so she quickly gave up.

She just left it be. There was no one living within a hundred miles anyway and the door is merely a decoration.

The culprit that caused the deformation of the iron gate was a sturdy wild boar, which has now been bled dry, cut piece by piece, and is neatly piled in a basin.

Not far away, Xiao Hong – the mutant plant brought back by Xiao Xiao and Lin Yuzu decided to give it a name for easy calling – quietly hanged down from the flower branches, wriggling like a goat and trying to confront Lin Yuzu as it opened its mouth wide.

Xiao Xiao, who had changed her clothes and washed off the fishy smell, came out of the house. And as soon as she appeared, Xiao Hong, who seemed to have sensed something, immediately quieted down and turned back into an ordinary plant that was uncontested under the fresh sunshine.

In the morning, they were awakened by the noise of wild boars crashing into the gate, and without waiting for Lin Yuzu to pick up a weapon, Xiao Xiao relied on the spirit of the zombie king to deal with the enemy pigs. When Lin Yuzu was cleaning the yard, Xiao Xiao quickly turned the dead pigs into ingredients with her knife.

Based on that skilled dissection, Lin Yuzu reasonably guessed that Xiao Xiao should be a student of biology.

However, being good at handling ingredients and being good at cooking are probably two different things.

Xiao Xiao walked up to Lin Yuzu and looked at her with those clear, beautiful eyes and asked, “Grill?”

She was talking about how they’ll cook brunch.

They had already discussed this issue when they saw this wild boar. Lin Yuzu refused to roast it but failed to reject Xiao Xiao’s expectant look. However, although she agreed to grill them, she insisted on her opinion, “It won’t be delicious, ah.”

She used to be a barbecue enthusiast, but when the only seasoning available is salt, not even oil to coat it, grilled meat is really nothing delicious. Lin Yuzu has a very picky tongue and never appreciated the raw taste of the ingredients. She strongly misses seasonings like cumin, pepper, and chili powder.

And sugar.

It’s been a long time since she ate sugar and she almost forgot what sweetness tastes like.

Compared to her being picky, Xiao Xiao is a much simpler eater, that a simple barbecue can satisfy her. Lin Yuzu, the cook, slightly felt a little sense of accomplishment.

The two couldn’t eat a whole wild boar, and the meat won’t be as fresh after a long time. After asking Xiao Xiao, Lin Yuzu left a part of the fatty meat and boiled it to extract lard, while the rest was fed to Xiao Hong, who was waiting to be fed. Xiao Hong opened her mouth and almost swallowed Lin Yuzu’s hand in one bite. After eating, she happily stretched her petals in the sun.

Lin Yuzu really wants to know how it is digested.

After eating and cleaning the yard, Lin Yuzu looked at the empty space and began to think about something that gave people a sense of anticipation, such as what should be planted in the yard.

“Surely it’s better to have rice or something like that.”

It was fine when she was still at the base, but she hadn’t eaten rice for a long time since she started to jump and wander from place to place.

Xiao Xiao compared the size of the yard and shook her head at her.

Lin Yuzu had to cross off the option, “Also, the yard is too small.” Grain still needs to be grown outside the two fields.

In what order.

While just sitting in the courtyard, it seems that she couldn’t think of anything. Lin Yuzu opened her hiking bag and made room, “It just so happens that the weather is good. Let’s go out and take a stroll. We need plants if we want to grow things.”

Xiao Xiao happily agreed with this proposal.

With Xiao Xiao by her side, many dangers are no longer a threat. Lin Yuzu didn’t think too much and went out the door to the place where the plants are lush.

The spring breeze gently brushed the hair on the side of her face, and the peach blossoms blooming on the side of the road floats down that was light.

Lin Yuzu reached out to catch them, the pink petals fell on her palm and they were so light as if they don’t exist. She pondered for a moment at the falling flowers, “In fact, don’t you think it’s also good to plant fruit trees in the yard?” She thought of the sweet taste of peaches and was excited by the idea.

Xiao Xiao said, “Here, again, not far away.”

That’s right, it’s not necessary to move them back to the yard if they’re so close.

Lin Yuzu began to think of other fruits.

Before the apocalypse, she actually had a dream about owning a small courtyard.

At that time, she thought about setting up a flower stand in the yard and plant wisterias. At the beginning of summer, she would walk under the shade of light blue trees, strewn and hang bundles of wisteria over her shoulders, or waking up in a lounge chair. She would open her eyes and see deep and shallow flowers, and the light purple petals would fall over her clothes. The scene would be beautiful and dreamlike.

She now replaced the wisteria flowers in her head with bunches of grapes, either green or purple, which also seemed very dreamlike.

Xiao Xiao, who was walking a little ahead of her, suddenly stopped at the side of the road.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Yuzu walked to her side and saw several small red fruits dotted in the grass on the ground, “That’s a snakeberry.”

She picked a few and gave half of them to Xiao Xiao.

This kind of wild fruit can be found everywhere in the mountains and fields. She would occasionally pick it and test it when she was still a child. Although it looks like raspberries, it’s light and tasteless and said to be toxic. Adults are not allowed to eat it randomly.

“It would be nice if there were strawberries.” Lin Yuzu tasted two and began to miss another spring fruit.

Xiao Xiao tilted her head and gently pulled her hand over.

Lin Yuzu looked over in confusion as Xiao Xiao took her hand and walked in a different direction.

“Where are we going?” Although Lin Yuzu asked, she didn’t have any intention to resist and followed her ahead. Anyway, they were just wandering around and had no particular destination, so it didn’t matter where they were going.

Xiao Xiao took her deeper into the nearby woods, and the more she looked around, the more remote they went. She didn’t know how long she walked, but Lin Yuzu’s eyes suddenly widened. The clearing in front of her, along with the sound of a clear and pleasant stream, there was actually a wild strawberry growing.

Lin Yuzu stopped in surprise, “This. . .”

The bright red fruits were hanging low between the branches and leaves, glowing with a delicious luster. Although it was obvious that they weren’t full enough compared to the cultivated species Lin Yuzu used to buy, it was still touching to see this kind of fruit after a long time.

She stepped forward, picked up one that should be ripe, took a bit, and covered her mouth, “. . . . . .”

Xiao Xiao squatted down beside her with a look of expectation painted on her face, “How is it?”

Lin Yuzu didn’t speak and fed one straight to her mouth. Xiao Xiao unsuspectingly leaned forward and ate it straight from Lin Yuzu’s hand, “. . . .”
Her expression changed slightly. She suddenly wrinkled her face and glanced at Lin Yuzu complainingly.

Lin Yuzu couldn’t hold back her laugh, “How is it? Isn’t it sour?”

Xiao Xiao refused to talk to her, took out the water cup from her bag, and poured two mouthfuls of water down.

Although it was too sour to eat, Lin Yuzu picked some strawberries and placed them in her bag to bring home, “Maybe it will be sweet after two days?” She thought so while Xiao Xiao expressed her strong disagreement.

They began to walk back, picking some wild vegetables and mushrooms on the way, but they couldn’t find any that were ripe or seed-bearing vegetables. Lin Yuzu spotted a radish and walked over to pluck it, only to discover that there was a cave hidden by vines.

In the dim cave, a pair of green eyes flickered.

Lin Yuzu, “. . . .”

It didn’t mean to attack so Lin Yuzu simply ignored it. She finished pulling the radish and was ready to leave when the creature in the cave, perhaps mistakenly, let out a roar and lunged out the moment she stood up.

It swept past her like the wind, trying to escape.

Lin Yuzu only saw a familiar color of fur while Xiao Xiao, who was waiting for her in the same place, let out an angry roar. The beast that rushed out of the hole lurched, trembled a little, and fell on the ground, unable to resist.

Xiao Xiao eagerly ran over and stretched her hand out, wanting to hold her arm but stopped halfway and only looked at her worriedly, “Hurt?”

“It’s okay, I’m not hurt.”

Lin Yuzu reassured her and her eyes fell on those hands. Xiao Xiao’s skin was pale blue and her knuckles were as slender and soft as ordinary people. Her dark purple nails, which were originally flat, were curved like eagle claws with sharp tips glowing with cold light.

Xiao Xiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and wanted to withdraw her hand, but before she could, it was held by Lin Yuzu.

A slightly cool and soft touch trembled in her palm, like a delicate butterfly fluttering its wings on her palm.

Xiao Xiao seemed a little anxious and pulled her hand back, condemning Lin Yuzu with a serious look, “Danger.”

Lin Yuzu knew what she meant. Both zombies and mutated creatures contain toxins in their bodies. The difference is that zombies usually excrete toxins through their teeth and nails, while mutated creatures are uncertain.

Once a human is infected with the zombie virus, there is no cure for it.

But Lin Yuzu smiled briskly, “It’s okay, I. . . .”

“Woooo. . . . .”

A low whimper came from the side, and only then did Lin Yuzu remember the other creature present.

She turned her head and saw the beast lying on the ground looked familiar – wasn’t it the feline behemoth she had an encounter with the day after she came to this town? It possessed gorgeous fur and also has fire powers that she long envied. . . Lin Yuzu suddenly had a bold idea.

The way she looked at the giant beast instantly changed, “What do you think, how about keeping a cat at home?”

Xiao Xiao looked at her with a blank expression, “Raise it?”

“It would be convenient in making fire.”

If not for Xiao Xiao, Lin Yuzu would not have thought of such a solution, but since the zombie king can manipulate and deter mutant creatures, why not raise big cats that can only set a fire? There’s already a flesh-eating flower in the yard anyway.

Probably feeling the relaxation in the atmosphere, the beast, who was originally lying on the ground while pretending to be dead, moved its ears, suddenly sprang up, and was about to slip away. Xiao Xiao at that moment had raised her hand and paused for a while before putting it down.

She stood still, but the cat that was already halfway through suddenly took a sharp brake and impatiently stomped the ground with its paws. After circling twice in place, it seems to have given up the fight and went back to Lin Yuzu with its head hanging low.

It touched Lin Yuzu with its head perfunctorily, rubbed her fur, and then opened its mouth, “Meow~”

Lin Yuzu, “. . . .”

‘You’re really a cat.’

The author has something to say:

Xiao Xiao is a very poor cook, so she hasn’t eaten a good meal in two years.