She’s Fiercer Than Zombies - Chapter 3

“Senior!”

Qiao Gaogao called out pitifully, her bright almond-shaped eyes now shadowed with gloom as she gazed at her with extreme grievance.

How could Senior be afraid of her? It wasn’t like she had intentionally exposed her true nature!

Even on Yinxi’s stiffened face, one could discern a trace of tension as she looked at the pitiful girl before her, her mind replaying the earlier scene of her effortlessly smashing zombie heads with single punches.

“Senior~” Seeing that she still wasn’t paying her any attention, Qiao Gaogao called out softly with grievance while attempting to slowly inch closer to Yinxi.

Watching her draw nearer and nearer, Yinxi’s eyes widened bit by bit until she could no longer bear it. She tilted her head to the side.

“Yue!”

Having skipped lunch and already turned into a zombie, there was nothing left in her stomach to vomit, yet she continued to dry heave uncontrollably.

Qiao Gaogao’s face instantly stiffened. She stared in disbelief at Yinxi’s retching form, her feet rooted to the spot, the expression on her cute, doll-like face cracking slightly.

Was her proximity really that unbearable for Senior?!

Qiao Gaogao’s heart was already flooded with tears, but seeing Senior still dry heaving incessantly, she ultimately took two steps back with lingering grievance. Clutching the strap of her small crossbody bag in frustration, she mumbled, “Alright, I get it. Senior doesn’t like me like this. Don’t worry! I won’t get so close to you.”

The more she spoke, the more her heart ached. She slowly lowered her head to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

Had Senior always preferred the weak, delicate underclassman she used to protect? It made sense that she would dislike such a violent version of her.

“Grr grr!” The growls carried a clear note of urgency, seemingly deliberately hushed to avoid drawing the attention of other zombies outside.

However, Qiao Gaogao interpreted these growls as urging her to leave quickly, which only made her feel even more chilled to the core.

She truly loved Yinxi. From the moment she laid eyes on her during freshman orientation, she had been captivated. She went to great lengths to get closer to her, to build a good relationship, and through their gradual interactions, that initial fondness blossomed into romantic love.

But now, the Senior she adored was actually trying to drive her away.

“Even if you chase me, it’s useless! I’m not leaving for now!” Qiao Gaogao retorted, turning her head and stiffening her neck defiantly.

Yinxi had suddenly turned into a zombie for some reason, and not just any zombie, one so unsteady she could barely walk. How could Qiao Gaogao possibly feel at ease abandoning her here and leaving on her own?

“Grr!” This growl actually sounded a bit aggrieved?

Qiao Gaogao wondered if she had misheard, but she couldn’t help turning back to look at Yinxi. To her surprise, she genuinely saw a hurt expression on Yinxi’s face. Yinxi lifted her hand and pointed at her own shoulder, then made a pained face as if she were about to vomit again.

Qiao Gaogao’s eyes slowly widened. She glanced at Senior’s expression, then at the shoulder she was pointing to. She noticed that part of her clothing was stained with some blood and brain matter, looking utterly disgusting.

As if struck by a sudden realization, Qiao Gaogao hurriedly looked down at her own condition. Her previously resentful and sorrowful face instantly bloomed like a flower, her eyes sparkling as she broke into a radiant smile.

She finally understood why Senior had vomited when she got close!

With this clarity, Qiao Gaogao immediately felt relieved. After all, Senior had always had quite the cleanliness obsession. The fact that she had endured this long was already incredibly impressive!

With that thought, she rummaged around the office. Since this old administrative building was no longer in use, all she could find was a half-used pack of tissues.

“Senior, please bear with it. Let me wipe you clean first, okay?” Qiao Gaogao asked nervously.

Yinxi’s face clearly showed hesitation, but in the end, she closed her eyes tightly, looking as if she had resigned herself to the situation.

Seeing her senior like this, Qiao Gaogao instantly beamed with a smile that reached her eyes. She trotted over to Yinxi and said before wiping, “Senior, let’s set our phones to silent first, okay? You saw how dangerous it was when my phone rang earlier.”

Yinxi cracked her eyes open slightly, thought for a moment, and then nodded stiffly.

Today, Yinxi was wearing a slightly tight black T-shirt and a pair of loose, casual-style suit pants. She wasn’t carrying a bag, and her phone was simply tucked into her pants pocket.

Looking at her senior’s disheveled state, Qiao Gaogao felt a lump form in her throat. After being kicked out of the car, Yinxi had suffered extensive friction burns from hitting the ground. Her arms were covered in large scrapes, and even her legs, though covered by pants, hadn’t been spared. The fabric around her knees was torn and stuck to the scraped skin, a sight that was painful to behold.

“Senior, does it hurt?” Qiao Gaogao couldn’t help but squat down, her fingertips hovering near the wounds, afraid that touching them would cause more pain.

Gritting her teeth in anger, she vowed to remember the person who had kicked her senior out of the car. She’d make sure to avoid him if she ever saw him again!

Yinxi tilted her head, looking at her with confusion, then struggled to retrieve the phone from her pocket.

But after turning into a zombie, her body had become much stiffer. Even the simple act of reaching into her pocket to get her phone was incredibly difficult.

“Sen—”

Rip. The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the room.

Qiao Gaogao’s words were cut short as she stared blankly at the torn pocket fabric and then at Yinxi’s fingers. She fell silent.

After turning into a zombie, her senior’s nails had grown incredibly long.

Long and sharp, they looked like deadly weapons.

Qiao Gaogao’s legs suddenly felt a bit weak. She quickly shook off the inappropriate thoughts in her mind, reached out, and grabbed Yinxi’s hand, saying, “Don’t rush, don’t rush. I’ll get it for you.”

She retrieved the phone from the half-torn pocket. The screen was cracked, but when she pressed the power button, it still worked.

Looking at the lock screen, Qiao Gaogao pressed Yinxi’s index finger against the fingerprint sensor.

The phone vibrated slightly unlock failed.

Qiao Gaogao was puzzled. She had clearly seen her senior unlock her phone using her index finger before.

She looked up at Yinxi, meeting her cloudy eyes, and felt the cold stiffness of the hand she was holding. It suddenly dawned on her in a physiological sense, wasn’t her senior already dead?

Even if she still retained some human consciousness.

Why? Why had her senior inexplicably turned into a zombie?

Qiao Gaogao began rubbing Yinxi’s hand, trying to generate warmth through friction to make it less stiff and cold.

“Grr!” Yinxi grew impatient, yanking her hand back and pointing at the phone, urging her to hurry up and adjust the settings.

Qiao Gaogao bit her lip, holding back the urge to cry, and said with a pout, “What’s your lock screen password?”

The lock screen could actually be shut down directly, but Qiao Gaogao was worried that Yinxi’s parents might try to contact her, so she didn’t dare to turn it off recklessly.

After all, the person who had called her earlier was none other than Yinxi’s rough-and-tumble father.

Yinxi blinked, then pointed at the screen with her sharp fingernail.

Wherever she pointed, Qiao Gaogao tapped.

“090222.” Did this string of numbers hold any significance?

The screen unlocked to the home screen. This was Qiao Gaogao’s first time holding Yinxi’s phone, but she didn’t dare to snoop around. She immediately set the phone to silent mode, then looked up cautiously and asked, “Should I check if anyone else has sent you messages?”

Yinxi seemed hesitant but didn’t refuse.

Relieved, Qiao Gaogao tapped into the messages. Aside from delivery notifications, there was nothing else. She then opened WeChat, where a few people had sent messages. Holding the screen up for Yinxi to see, she asked nervously, “Is there anyone here you need to reply to?”

Yinxi’s eyes scanned the screen up and down. Though her expression remained unchanged, Qiao Gaogao keenly sensed her low spirits.

Pulling the phone back, Qiao Gaogao scrolled through the messages. No chat windows from parents or the like appeared. Her eyes suddenly paused, landing on the nickname Yinxi had set for her.

It was just a simple sun emoji.

So formal.

Thinking of the nickname she had for her senior, Qiao Gaogao pouted.

Hers was much more affectionate.

“Should we send a message to your parents?” Qiao Gaogao asked cautiously.

Yinxi, who had been staring blankly at the phone, suddenly bared her teeth fiercely at the question, pointing at the filth on Qiao Gaogao as if she were about to vomit again.

“Okay, okay! I’ll clean it up right now!” Seeing her reaction, Qiao Gaogao quickly grabbed a couple of tissues and began carefully wiping Yinxi clean.

Thanks to Qiao Gaogao shielding her, Yinxi hadn’t gotten much on her, but seeing the scrapes on her body still made Qiao Gaogao unhappy.

“I’ll go out later to find some medicine for your scrapes,” Qiao Gaogao said sympathetically. Though the wounds had already scabbed over, she still needed to find some medication to prevent infection.

Once Yinxi was cleaned up, she raised her hands to cover her eyes, making her stance clear.

Qiao Gaogao’s cute, doll-like face drooped as she silently moved farther away and began cleaning herself, sighing inwardly.

With the apocalypse here and blood and filth everywhere, how would her senior cope from now on?

Without water, Qiao Gaogao could only do a quick wipe-down. Finally, she had the energy to focus on the changes in Yinxi.

“Senior, what’s going on with these zombies? How did you end up like this?” Qiao Gaogao was utterly perplexed. Everything had happened so suddenly and strangely, the world had transformed in the blink of an eye.

“Grrr!” Qiao Gaogao could hear a hint of anger in her senior’s voice.

Looking up, she saw her senior curled up pitifully in the chair, mouth open as she let out meaningless growls.

She looked utterly miserable.

Qiao Gaogao’s heart instantly melted. She slapped herself, her face crumpling in distress. “Senior, I’m sorry! I forgot you can’t talk right now.”

How could she be so thoughtless?

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