The silver-haired zombie didn't attack Sophie Yu. Instead, it shoved against her impatiently, as if she were merely blocking its path.
In that instant, Evan Ran understood everything.
"The zombie sees Sophie as one of its own. That is why it is not attacking her."
A discovery like this was monumental.
If Sophie truly possessed this trait, their survival prospects would skyrocket. Places thick with zombies, areas most survivors couldn't even approach, would suddenly become easy for her to navigate. Collecting supplies, scouting, sneaking through dangerous zones, everything would become effortless.
But all that came later. For now, they had a more urgent issue to solve.
"Sophie, step aside. I will deal with it."
Evan tightened his grip on the Tang dao he had just selected, eager to test it.
Sophie, however, was getting annoyed by the zombie crowding her space. Without hesitation, she lifted her delicate pale hand and delivered a single slap.
A crack echoed through the room.
The zombie's head spun a full three hundred sixty degrees, detached from its neck, and rolled across the floor with a hollow thunk. The headless body collapsed with a heavy thud.
Evan stared in stunned silence.
"…What?"
Sophie looked soft and fragile on the outside, yet her physical strength was terrifying. Evan didn't believe even a professional boxer could punch a zombie's head clean off. Not even close.
Was she not only retaining her human consciousness, but also possessing the full physical strength of a zombie?
"Sophie, here, try breaking this."
He handed her the dull bronze sword from earlier.
Without any buildup, she held it in both hands and snapped it cleanly in two with a sharp crack.
Evan blinked rapidly.
"Try punching this frying pan."
He brought out the pan he had been using as a makeshift weapon. Sophie lit up instantly, thrilled by the attention he was giving her. This time she used her full strength, determined to impress him.
A deep, booming impact filled the room.
The frying pan now had a perfect, fist-shaped dent in its metal surface.
Evan swallowed hard.
This strength was nothing like a regular zombie. This was far, far above it.
Was she a mutated zombie?
In the world of the apocalypse, humans sometimes awakened extraordinary abilities. These gifted individuals were known as Awakened Ones. And among zombies, there were mutants. A mutated zombie was stronger, faster, and sometimes even capable of rudimentary powers.
If Sophie was truly a mutated zombie, then Evan had just gained a terrifyingly powerful personal guardian.
He imagined walking through the apocalypse with Sophie behind him. Hunting supplies. Fighting mutants. Staring down elite Awakened survivors. He could practically walk sideways through the end of the world.
His excitement was interrupted by a small, trembling voice.
"Master… my hand hurts…"
Reality snapped back into place.
"Let me see."
Evan gently took Sophie's hand in both of his, turning it over carefully. She had punched the pan with full force. Even with her enhanced strength, her fist had suffered for it. Skin had split in several places, and though he couldn't tell if any bones were damaged, the injuries looked painful.
Without thinking, he brought her hand to his lips and lightly sucked the broken skin, letting his saliva coat the wounds.
Disinfecting with saliva. It was pure instinct, something he had done countless times to treat small cuts back in the old world.
Sophie's face immediately flushed red. Her pale cheeks pinkened, and her heart rate jumped noticeably. For her, it was like going from twenty beats per minute to thirty. Practically racing, by zombie standards.
After a moment, Evan came to a sudden realization.
Wait. She was a zombie. Did she even need disinfecting?
He pulled her hand back to inspect the wound, expecting it to look the same.
Instead, he froze.
The wounds were gone.
Completely gone.
Not even a scar remained.
He stared at Sophie's flawless skin.
"Hold on… did my saliva heal you?"
He lifted his gaze, stunned.
"Am I an Awakened One?"
He had survived a full year in the apocalypse without being bitten. Thanks to his scavenging skills, speed, and caution, he had never once let a zombie injure him. So he had never tested whether he had any special abilities.
He had always wanted to awaken something, anything, even a weak support skill. Most Awakened Ones had combat abilities: massive strength, lightning reflexes, or terrifying speed. But some possessed subtler skills, like night vision or long-distance hearing.
Could his ability be something entirely different?
He thought back to the moment Sophie bit him. How she regained her consciousness afterward. How she now possessed intelligence and strength. How she recognized him as her master.
His saliva healed her wounds. His blood awakened her mind.
Everything pointed to the same conclusion.
This was his ability.
And if one zombie could be transformed like this, then others could too.
If he surrounded himself with followers like Sophie, even the strongest mutant zombie or the most powerful Awakened human would become irrelevant.
His mind drifted, perhaps a bit too easily, to the idea of gathering a powerful entourage. A loyal group. Preferably female.
His fantasy was interrupted by Sophie's soft whisper.
"Master… can I have my hand back?"
Evan jolted back to reality, realizing he was still holding her injured-now-healed hand.
"Right. Sorry."
He let go quickly, clearing his throat to regain composure.
"We should look for food and get back before it gets too dark."
Sophie nodded obediently.
Together they rummaged through the apartment.
The haul was surprisingly good. Half a bag of rice, several pounds of fruit, fresh vegetables, and a dozen eggs. Sophie didn't need food, but Evan certainly did. This load could last him a week. And the instant noodles he brought could stay saved for emergencies.
After gathering everything, they returned to Sophie's home as night fully settled outside.
Inside the dim room, Sophie suddenly asked:
"Master… when we sleep tonight, are you going to tie me up?"
"Tie you up?"
Evan's mind immediately flashed to scenes from certain… online videos. But he quickly realized she meant something completely different.
She must have been thinking about Mr. Sun earlier, tied to the lounge chair.
"Yes," she continued softly. "What if I lose consciousness during the night and attack you?"
Evan pressed a hand to his chin. That was a real concern. He trusted Sophie, but he didn't understand his ability fully yet. What if the effects wore off while he was asleep? What if she regained mindless hunger?
What if she bit him while he was eating something himself?
A single bite in the wrong place and his future would be over before it started.
Tying her up, just in case, might actually be safer for both of them.
Evan returned to the neighboring apartment, retrieved the ropes, and looked at Sophie with uncertainty.
"How do I even start tying this?"
He had zero experience. No idea where to begin.
Then he remembered something.
"Let me check the tutorials on my iPad."
He dug the device from his bag and opened a particular folder containing… educational materials. There was a small subcategory about rope techniques.
Sophie leaned close to him, curious and trusting, their shoulders nearly touching as they looked at the screen together.
It didn't take long before both their breaths grew unsteady.
This ropework…
was vivid.
Detailed.
And far too evocative for the hour.
The knots.
The poses.
The way the rope wrapped around the body.
Their imaginations both drifted somewhere they definitely shouldn't be going.
The room grew very warm.