little Zombie, One More Bite Would Be Rude

Cranberry sauce

Xu Chi knew Pho Noan Yi wouldn’t need this crystal core, so he casually slipped it into his pocket.

The core was valuable.

Ability users could use it to restore their powers.

In fact, he could easily rely on Pho Noan Yi’s ability to suppress zombies and harvest plenty of attribute-less cores.

But right now, he was badly wounded. Absorbing a core carried a certain degree of risk.

After all, it came from a zombie’s brain. Once absorbed, violent remnants would linger in the body.

It needed to be purified.

The best way was to find a Light-ability user.

But both Light and Dark abilities were extremely rare. In the entire safe zone of over ten thousand people, there was only one Light user capable of purification.

That discovery was only made when a supply team once came to trade, and everyone learned that the Light system had its own branches—healing and purification.

Xu Chi feared he might belong to the Dark system. If he recklessly absorbed a core to restore or enhance his power, he risked losing himself.

So he never tried. Besides, inside the safe zone, he was nothing more than a decorative vase.

The young master of the Xu Corporation, someone everyone wanted to curry favor with. Why would he ever need to fight?

Like just now—he had to be protected by a little zombie.

Xu Chi clenched the core tightly through his pocket. He was not useless.

Not before. Not now. And never in the future.

Pho Noan Yi had no idea her “meal” was this complicated inside.

She stood there, tilting her head at him quietly, as if wondering what was wrong with her food.

“I’ll hold on to this for you first.”

Xu Chi’s voice was calmer than usual, tinged with rare patience.

After explaining, he turned his gaze toward the pharmacy, carefully scanning inside.

“No more zombies. I’ll tend to my wounds first.”

Pho Noan Yi seemed to understand.

Her “sugar figurine” wanted to package himself up nicely.

Would that make him even tastier?

Fine, fine.

She stepped forward and almost tripped over the corpse on the ground.

Annoying!

Disgusting.

She bent down, grabbed the giant zombie by the ankle, and casually swung it around.

With effortless strength, she flung it across the street like throwing a shot put.

Xu Chi witnessed the scene and suddenly realized—this little zombie truly was different to him.

Food was food.

But this food didn’t eat him.

Unknowingly, pride welled up in his chest. He turned and began searching for medicine.

Pho Noan Yi followed, trailing behind like a little tail.

Xu Chi picked up a basket, filling it with the supplies he needed.

To an outsider, the two of them would look like a young couple casually shopping together in a supermarket.

He set the basket down at the counter, pulled out a chair, and placed it nearby.

Outside, the streets were quiet. No zombies in sight, no cries of “So hungry” echoing in chorus.

But that was the problem. His ability had a limited range. If zombies didn’t cry out, he couldn’t sense them.

Like just now, when the giant zombie attacked without warning.

He couldn’t anticipate it at all.

That was a reminder—he couldn’t rely solely on listening.

He needed to stay vigilant.

He couldn’t always depend on this little zombie to protect him. She was so small—what if they faced multiple powered zombies at once?

Protection couldn’t always be one-sided.

Even if he was nothing more than a meal she couldn’t bring herself to eat, he still had to be a reliable meal.

If Pho Noan Yi could hear his thoughts, she would have shaken her head furiously: No need. Just being delicious is enough.

But she couldn’t. So instead, she just stood by, tilting her head at him.

Xu Chi sat down, preparing to treat his wound.

First was the shirt stuck to his back—it had to come off.

He thought about just pouring alcohol directly onto it. It would disinfect while peeling the fabric away.

But it wouldn’t clean the wound completely. Best to take the shirt off first.

It would tear open the injury, but that didn’t matter. He could endure.

Grabbing a roll of gauze, he bit down on it, closed his eyes, then opened them again. Sitting upright, he unzipped his shirt and yanked it off in one swift motion.

The fabric tore against his torn flesh, ripping skin anew.

Pain forced his head back, sweat dotting his forehead.

He bit hard into the gauze, muscles straining, veins bulging at his temples as the wound split further.

The air filled with the thick scent of blood.

Pho Noan Yi’s nose twitched immediately.

The rich aroma rushed straight into her head.

She stirred restlessly.

Finally, Xu Chi ripped the shirt free, shuddering with pain as blood welled again, tracing down the perfect lines of his back.

【So fragrant. Like cranberry sauce.】

Xu Chi froze at the sound of her delighted inner voice, stunned.

Before he could turn around, Pho Noan Yi was already at his back.

She leaned close—her mouth open—not to bite, but to extend her tongue for a single lick.

Of course there was no spell to stop her!

It turned out, as long as she ate slowly, there was no curse to fear.

Pho Noan Yi was utterly satisfied. The tip of her tongue found the blood tangy-sweet, just as delicious as she imagined.

Xu Chi stiffened at the touch of her cold tongue. His entire body froze.

“Don’t. Little zombie, don’t lick…”

He knew what his blood meant to a zombie—how irresistible the temptation was.

But then he thought: this was his little zombie. A lick or two shouldn’t matter.

Except… the sensation was strange. Her tongue was cold, yet soft, with a strange intimacy he couldn’t explain.

Pho Noan Yi was naturally rebellious, stubborn to the bone.

She wouldn’t listen.

Nothing was more important than eating. If there was, it would only be eating more.

【Time to eat!】

Her little voice brimmed with joy, so bright it could float into the air.

Ignoring Xu Chi entirely, she licked again, savoring it.

Xu Chi wanted to push her away, but the alien sensation overwhelmed him, locking his body into stillness.

That cold tongue moved carefully, almost gently.

Pho Noan Yi licked with unrestrained glee. Slowly, faint light began to glow at the tip of her tongue.

Xu Chi’s thoughts scattered—before he could process what was happening, he realized…

The coldness carried comfort. Wherever her tongue passed, pain faded, leaving behind a tingling numbness.

It felt like his wounds were healing. And it itched.

The itch spread deeper, feather-light, like something brushing against his heart.

Xu Chi bit down on the gauze, gripping his ruined shirt tightly, unable to move.

He told himself: She’s healing me. Nothing strange about this. Don’t overthink it.

Didn’t he want the wound to heal?

Pho Noan Yi ate happily, intent on l*****g every trace of blood.

She didn’t miss a spot, cleaning his entire back.

Cranberry sauce was just as good as dark chocolate mist. She wouldn’t waste a drop.

Remembering the blood that had dripped earlier, she bent lower, l*****g along the curve of his waist.

Xu Chi froze harder, the itch in his heart spreading to his ears. They burned crimson.

His cheeks flushed hot, as if fevered.

The alien sensation overwhelmed him. Clutching the gauze, he finally begged.

For the first time, his clear voice dropped lower, roughened with a trembling allure.

“Little… little zombie, don’t—don’t lick anymore.”

His voice shook, but his body stayed rigid as stone, throat bobbing.

“Little zombie…”