Read Novel Full Chapter 362: Half-Zombie?
Chapter 362: Chapter 362: Half-Zombie?
The fight gradually died down. Soon after, they heard voices... human voices.
"Is it really true?" a woman asked suspiciously. "That SiIvy Base provides cheap food and is immune to natural disasters?"
A man responded,
"My brother-in-law is already renting a house there. He says the base is amazing. No stench, no fights, proper hospitals, and even saline supplies. As long as you have zombie crystals, surviving there is easier than breathing."
Moona and Maxi exchanged wide-eyed glances. The idea of such a paradise felt surreal.
They exchanged glance, and both of them could see each other’s eyes flashing with the same light.
The woman clicked her tongue. "If that’s the case, what’s the rent?"
"Ten thousand zombie crystals," the man replied without hesitation.
Both sisters sucked in a sharp breath. Ten thousand zombie crystals were everything they had saved in three months of agonizing effort.
Paying one month’s rent wasn’t the problem... the problem was... what would happen after one month!
The woman groaned loudly. "That’s too expensive! If rent is that high, I don’t even want to imagine what the food costs."
But the man continued calmly.
"There’s something I haven’t told anyone. I heard it from the higher-ups while working in their office. This apocalypse didn’t happen without reason. It’s connected to an experiment. And the chances of this apocalypse ending in the next five years are almost zero."
Moona and Maxi stiffened, their skin prickling.
He continued,
"So yes, ten thousand crystals seem like a lot now. But with extreme heat coming in waves, surviving outside will become impossible. Entering SiIvy Base means shelter, protection from heat, proper housing, cheap food, and stability."
Seeing the woman still filled the spirit of fighting, he explained,
"Baby, the 10,000 crystals aren’t much compared to the chance of being able to buy food. The price of food will continue to rise. So it’s better to hoard as much as we can now. And only the SiIvy base is capable of giving us that chance."
The woman hesitated. "If that’s true... We’ll need a safe haven."
"Exactly," he replied. "And from what I’ve heard, SiIvy Base, whoever runs it, must have access to some kind of advanced forecasting or technology. They predicted natural disasters. Extreme heat, endless rainfall, constant typhoons, blizzards, city-wide floods. Only a prepared base could survive all of that."
As their voices disappeared into the wind, Moona and Maxi clenched their fists tightly.
"If what they said is true... we need to go to the Silvy Base," Moona whispered.
"But our savings..." Maxi murmured. Her voice trembled with hopelessness. "They’ve already been stolen... scattered somewhere in this forest."
They exchanged a determined look and crept toward the area where they had lost their crystals.
However, something strange happened.
Every zombie they passed turned toward them, heads snapping in their direction.
Some even bumped into the sisters. But none attacked. Not a single one snarled or lunged. Instead, they behaved as though Moona and Maxi were invisible... or worse, familiar.
Maxi swallowed hard. "Are we... immune? Did we turn into something else?"
Before Moona could respond, a zombie they had accidentally brushed against let out a deep growl. He glared at them, pointed at them, then jabbed a bony finger toward a nearby store.
The sisters stared blankly, their mouths dry.
Maxi whispered, "Did... he just tell us to go there?"
Moona’s breath shuddered.
"Why does he look like some kind of boss scolding his workers?" She whispered her suspicion to Maxi.
But before they could analyze it further, another low growl came, this time followed by an unmistakably hoarse voice.
"What. Look. Go. Do. As. Told."
Both sisters nearly jumped out of their skin. They turned slowly toward the zombie, eyes stretched impossibly wide. The zombie frowned at their hesitation and gave them a shove.
Their feet stumbled forward. Fear coated their skin like cold sweat.
’Are we half zombies now? Is that why we understand them?’
Just as despair tightened around them, they were pushed into the shop. Inside, on the dusty floor, lay their crystal bag, completely filled.
Behind them, the zombie muttered grumpily, "No food. No food."
He turned as if to leave, halted, noticed they had not followed, and spun around again.
"Idiot. Follow."
Both women shook their heads in unison, terrified. The zombie stared at them with disdain, huffed, and stalked away.
His departing grumbles were almost coherent.
Once he finally disappeared, Moona whispered shakily, "Am I dreaming? Maxi, shake me."
Maxi didn’t respond immediately. Her eyes were still wide with shock. Then slowly, her expression shifted into bitter realization.
Moona muttered,
"Maybe the zombie virus has already infected us, making the other zombies think we’re one of them. Maybe that’s why we can understand them..."
Maxi shook her head with a defeated sigh. "Or maybe we’re already half zombies. Either way, any plan we had before looks impossible now."
Moona refused to accept that. She lowered her head stubbornly.
"No. We need to at least check the SiIvy Base. Maybe they don’t check too strictly. We can try... just once."
Her voice trembled, but determination flickered behind it, fragile yet alive.
When Moona noticed Maxi’s lips parting in hesitation, clearly about to refuse, she tightened her grip on her sister’s wrist and leaned closer.
Her voice trembled with urgency.
"Maxi, think for a moment. If we don’t go back to Starfell Base now, that base leader might send people after us. You know how spiteful he is. If they capture us again, our lives will be in danger."
"And if we stay here among zombies... what then?" Moona whispered harshly, glancing at the shadows shifting behind broken trees.
"Maybe we really did turn into half-zombies, but what if staying near them turns us into full ones? What if we wake up one day... And we’re gone? Completely gone?"
The thought sent a cold shiver rippling down Maxi’s spine. She hugged her trembling arms, feeling the patchy, sickening texture of her mottled skin.
Her lips quivered. "Moona... I don’t want to become a monster."