The Young Mistress Turned Into a Zombie - Chapter 1

The June plum rains had finally ceased, giving way to a rare, brilliant, sunny day.

In the villa district, the shade was deep and lush. Morning dew clung to the tips of leaves, and cicadas buzzed with all their might.

Inside the courtyard, a large parasol was open. Beneath it, a lounge chair had been set up, and someone was sprawled out on it like a salted fish.

Her arms hung limp over the sides of the chair, and her face was pressed flat against the seat, looking completely dead.

Thump!

Splosh… splosh… splosh—

Water splashed everywhere, sounding vivid and real.

What the hell is that noise? Seeing ghosts in broad daylight?

Meng Lin’s neck cracked as she jerked her head up. Ow… Her cervical spine!

Being dead was such a hassle. Her body felt like a bunch of stiff, old bones. After grimacing and groaning for a long while, she finally managed to prop herself up and sit straight.

The small courtyard was paved with stone slabs, their crevices sprouting wild grass that shimmered in the warm sunlight. The temperature was rising, though the peak heat of the day had yet to arrive. After so much dampness, finally having the sun to warm her back felt absolutely blissful.

A refreshing, cool breeze swept through as Meng Lin lounged on a reclining chair and stretched languidly.

Her oversized silk nightgown billowed around her. Her sharp nails curled into a loose fist, and dark purple veins traced patterns across her pale, bluish skin. Crack, crack, crack… A single stretch sent a cascade of pops from her neck down to her ankles, yet it did nothing to spoil her mood.

Though her expression was slightly contorted, every inch of her radiated one word: Pure bliss!

Ah, the sunlight! You truly are a friend to all—uh, a common friend to both humans and zombies.

The constant splashing sound caught her attention, and Meng Lin glanced over.

In the abandoned fish pond, now filled with rainwater, a zombie in a cleaner’s uniform was doing the butterfly stroke. This was Aunt Wang, the nanny she had picked up on a whim.

She didn’t actually know the zombie’s real name. Zombies couldn’t speak, after all. When she’d found her tucked away in a dusty corner of the apartment complex, the only thing on the woman’s chest was a name tag that read “Cleaner.” Because her height and appearance reminded her of the nanny who had raised her, Meng Lin had simply waved a hand and renamed her Aunt Wang.

Three years had passed since the zombie virus broke out, yet Meng Lin knew nothing of what the outside world had become.

Shortly after the disaster struck, the city’s power and internet went down. Modern people without the web were no different from cave dwellers.

There was another reason, too: she had died far too early. There was no deus ex machina like in the movies—no My Boyfriend is a Special Forces Soldier, no Reborn Before the Apocalypse, no Blah Blah Blah… She was just an ordinary, wealthy young miss in college, with a seven-figure balance in her bank account, three properties to her name, and seven luxury cars.

It was summer break, and the international metropolis of City A was teeming with tourists. The university was also open for study tours.

As luck would have it, she happened to be on campus that day.

When she finally opened her eyes after fainting, chaos had already erupted all around her. Like everyone else who had no idea what was going on, she was screaming and running for her life. Looking back, she even thought she’d suddenly unlocked some hidden athletic talent. Her speed was so blistering, her movements so agile, it was as if she’d been possessed by Usain Bolt himself.

Until she was finally brought down by two terrified security guards who tackled her with a pitchfork, right in front of a group of screaming students.

“Zom… zombie!”

“It’s a zombie!!!”

She vaguely remembered that the cicadas were screaming fiercely across campus that day. The panicked shrieks, the deafening crashes of cars on the road, and the directionless explosions all blurred into a dull roar. The security guard who had tackled her was bitten on the neck the next second by someone lunging from behind, splashing hot blood across her cheek.

The stampeding zombies trampled her several times, but none of them paid her any mind.

As it turned out… she was no longer human.

Sigh. A mere six words, yet it would take a lifetime to heal.

During her first year as a zombie, Meng Lin existed in a muddled haze, remembering little.

In her second year, she began searching for others like her, consciously or not. By then, the living had become scarce in the city. Zombies were everywhere, but none were like her. She didn’t understand why she could still think, but she didn’t dwell on it for long.

In her third year, she started focusing on her health.

Yes, health preservation.

The benefits of becoming a zombie were obvious: no need for food, water, or bathroom breaks. She didn’t even need to sleep, let alone get sick. Every human need had devolved into a mere memory of a sensation. In an apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, she was practically invincible.

But the drawbacks of being a zombie emerged slowly.

The first thing to go was her eyesight. Her once-perfect vision blurred, and as her skin grew dry and tough, her body stiffened. She used to wonder why the elderly were so frail and troubled, but then came the day she bent over and heard a sickening crack. It took her a whole night to finally stand back up. When she tried to scratch an itch, her arms couldn’t reach her back. When she showered, she had to sit down just to scrub her toes…

Her memory also began to fade. At first, her daydreams were wild and imaginative. Later, daydreaming became just… staring.

She would stare for a whole day, only to snap out of it and find herself walking straight into a wall.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror: blood-red eyes, bruised-purple skin, and hair as dry as dead grass. She looked like a corpse that had never been buried.

No! I can’t keep living like this! Meng Lin made a firm resolution:

Starting tomorrow, I will be a happy zombie.

I’ll focus on wellness, take leisurely strolls, and go “zero-yuan shopping.”

Starting tomorrow, I’ll care for my fellow zombies and the ruins.

I’ll seize a villa facing The Bund, where spring blossoms and flowers bloom.

She set up a new household in her new home, with Aunt Wang as her nanny and a pet kitten.

The zombie virus didn’t infect animals, so after the apocalypse, the urban wildlife population surged. Meng Lin had once seen a herd of giraffes migrating down the busiest pedestrian street. Monkeys were the most annoying. She couldn’t tell their breeds apart; they were all equally obnoxious. While other animals kept their distance from zombies, monkeys always seemed to have nothing better to do than act like little menaces.

Her past life had accustomed her to being the center of attention, but now she had to learn to entertain herself.

For instance, she’d fight monkeys for loot during her “zero-yuan shopping” sprees, or she’d condescend to mingle with her fellow zombies.

Life as a zombie was truly dreadfully boring.

Meng Lin propped her chin on her hands, leisurely watching Aunt Wang “butterfly stroke” in the fish pond for a long while. A zombie joke popped into her head.

“Who’s the swimming champion of the 2030 Olympics?” she asked. “A zombie. Because zombies don’t need to breathe.”

“And another one,” she continued. “Who’s the most stubborn being in the world? A zombie. Because they’re too stiff-necked to learn how to bow!”

“Heeh… heeh… heeh…”

So bad, she thought, but my own genius is still making me laugh.

After a few more chuckles, Meng Lin slipped into her slippers and went back inside.

She’d originally planned to let Aunt Wang sunbathe today, it was good weather, and staying cooped up too long would make her body moldy. But now that she was just getting comfortable, she didn’t want to deal with the mess of cleaning her up. She’d just leave her there; she wouldn’t die anyway. She could fish her out for another sunning on the next clear day.

Meng Lin slid open the glass door to let the air circulate. With no high-rises to block the view, the sunlight flowed across the marble tiles like melted honey. The living room was a bit cluttered, scattered with various trinkets, mostly things the Young Mistress would never have glanced at before. Now, she found them charming during her wanders and had brought them all back.

Many were toys.

Crossword puzzles and Sudoku cards lay scattered across the table, with a stack of finished books piled up beside them.

The city’s tap water, like its electricity, had been cut off long ago. Meng Lin remembered a few times later when it seemed to come back—not across the whole city, but in different districts. You’d turn the tap and water would suddenly gush out, but it was always a foul-smelling yellow soup, only to be cut off again.

Now, all the water she used at home was hauled back from the supermarket bucket by bucket on a small handcart.

At first, clearing the path had exhausted her, making her feel like the Foolish Old Man Moving Mountains. Fortunately, she’d found a better way. She’d dragged a zombie in a work uniform from the supermarket, tied it to the handcart, and now she just blew a whistle in front, and the zombie obediently followed along.

Although the sound sometimes attracted other zombies and caused traffic jams, Meng Lin had learned a valuable lesson:

If you can’t lead a team, you’ll have to work yourself to death… or at least until you’re half-dead.

Meng Lin hummed a tune as she boiled water.

The portable gas stove on the countertop hissed with a steady flame. Steam billowed from the pot. The manual coffee grinder turned with a rhythmic clack-clack-clack, producing a fine powder. She poured the grounds into a filter paper, heated the water in a gooseneck kettle to exactly 92 degrees, warmed the cup and filter, let the coffee bloom, and then poured the water in two steady stages. Finally, she slowly poured the brew into a coffee cup she’d recently scavenged.

She cupped the mug in her hands and took a deep, long breath.

Ah, so fragrant!

Though she couldn’t drink it, she could still smell it. Today’s goal: accomplished.

Amidst the rich aroma of coffee, Meng Lin wore a satisfied smile. The sun was shining, the days were peaceful. It was a good life, even for a female ghost.

Long ago, someone had said that “ritual” was just a pretentious habit of the petty bourgeoisie. Back then, Meng Lin had scoffed at the idea, thinking, What kind of sour grapes are they spewing now? Now, all she wanted to say was: Girl, you’re so right. We’re just bored out of our minds.

Thanks to the wilderness survival skills she’d been forced to learn three years ago, though she’d been extremely reluctant and constantly complained at the time. She’d actually been doing quite well this past year. This gave Meng Lin an even grander plan.

She was already sick of reading novels and comics. To enrich her entertainment options and boost her spiritual well-being, she was preparing for a “Long March”: a trek over ten kilometers away. She remembered passing by a shop two years ago that seemed to sell diesel generators. Once she hauled one back, she could charge the handheld consoles she’d scavenged. After that, she’d get an electric scooter and finally stop torturing her old bones and joints!

Calculating the timing, today was the day, neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for a long journey.

But before that, she had to settle her cat.

“Hulu, Hulu, Hulu…”

The syllables an ordinary zombie could produce were very limited. Meng Lin could actually say a few words, but her vocal cords had already shriveled and degenerated. Unless she was in a particularly good mood, she didn’t want to waste the effort; no one was listening anyway.

Obviously, Hulu wasn’t around. That ungrateful, cunning black cat ate her food and drank her water, yet treated her like a distant roommate. It only ever came back to meow when it was hungry, then, after eating, its fill, it would give a “Hah!”, shake its butt, and head out to live its best life. She never should have been so foolish as to give it that name!

Ingratitude must be hereditary through names! Damn it!

Cursing under her breath, Meng Lin refilled the water dispenser with fresh purified water, washed the cat bowl, and filled it with a three-day supply of food.

Just you wait, she thought. Once I finish the generator, I’m teaching myself veterinary medicine and neutering you myself.

After changing her clothes and grabbing her trash, Meng Lin cheerfully left the house.

In the living room, the electronic clock ticked, displaying the date and time.

Today was a good day, another birthday. Though no one would celebrate with her, she would prepare her own gift.

Support