TL: Moonlit

Since last night, Wen Qingling hasn’t returned home after all the commotion.

Ji Rong and Shi Chong have already become reserved civilized zombies. Wen Qingling made an exception for them, allowing them to live in the base. They could either look for a new house or stay in Xiao Hen’s house.

That’s right, the villa next to the Wen family’s residence has been allocated to Xiao Hen. It will be Xiao Hen’s new dwelling from now on.

As soon as Wen Qingling entered the house, he was startled by his parents standing in the dark living room. The dimly lit room with two figures appearing suddenly was indeed quite scary.

Wen Qingling: “…”

Wen Qingling: “Why aren’t you resting? Mom, did you give up on your beauty sleep?”

Jiang Lan mysteriously pulled Wen Qingling to sit on the sofa. “Tell Mom the truth, did you win over Xiaoxiao?”

Wen Qingling thought for a moment. He had only transformed him, but what he truly felt was still unknown. It couldn’t be considered as winning over.

Wen Qingling shook his head. “No.”

Wen Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. “See, I told you that you were overthinking.”

Jiang Lan scolded, “Shut up!”

Wen Zheng obediently fell silent and dared not speak.

Jiang Lan grabbed the chicken feather blanket hidden under the coffee table and without a second thought, started hitting her son.

Wen Qingling quickly jumped up and rushed behind his biological father, seeking refuge. “Dad, Dad, protect me!”

Wen Zheng evaded repeatedly. “You protect yourself. Don’t drag me into this!”

Just kidding, if his wife was angered, she would not only hit their son but also him. Shouldn’t the score be settled between being hit together or just one person getting hit?!

Unable to get rid of his troublesome son, Wen Zheng immediately turned the tables and held onto his son, not letting him escape. “Darling, I’ve caught him. Start hitting.”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Jiang Lan rushed over in anger and started hitting Wen Qingling’s legs. Although it didn’t hurt, her imposing manner was quite intimidating.

Wen Qingling’s reaction to his biological mother twisting his ear and the chicken feather blanket has become a conditioned reflex. Even though he couldn’t feel any pain, being beaten by his mother still felt very painful to him.

Wen Qingling hopped on the spot. “Mom, Mom, what did I do wrong?”

Jiang Lan was so angry that she gasped for breath. “Don’t call me ‘Mom.’ I’m currently beating a scum man!”

Wen Qingling: “Mrs. Jiang, open your eyes and see clearly. I’m not a scum man!”

Jiang Lan pointed at him with the chicken feather blanket. “You still deny it? The news about you transforming Xiaoxiao has spread throughout the entire base. You bit him and still refuse to take responsibility. If you’re not a scum man, then what are you?!”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Wen Qingling had nothing to say. It was indeed him who bit the person, and he couldn’t deny it.

Jiang Lan furiously said, “You don’t want to take responsibility for what you did? Why did you bite him?”

Wen Qingling: “The situation is more complicated…”

Wen Qingling looked at the chicken feather blanket pointed at him and could only obediently admit fault. “Yes, I was wrong. I will take responsibility for it.”

Jiang Lan put away the chicken feather blanket. “Do you know why I hit you?”

Wen Qingling: “Because I don’t take responsibility for biting someone?”

Jiang Lan glared at him. “That’s just one aspect. On the other hand, I don’t want you to become a promiscuous person. I heard that your circle is quite chaotic. I can accept that you like the same sex, but I can’t accept you being promiscuous!”

Jiang Lan’s temper rose again. “You like men, and I don’t oppose that. But you can’t bring a string of boyfriends home to me! If you want to be in a relationship, find someone you truly like and settle down. Don’t play around and flirt with others all the time. Do you understand?!”

Wen Qingling listened earnestly. “I understand.”

Wen Zheng, looking as if he had been struck by lightning, raised his hand stiffly. “I don’t understand.”

Jiang Lan stared at him. “What don’t you understand?”

Wen Zheng observed his son repeatedly. “Darling, we did give birth to a son, right?”

Jiang Lan crossed her arms. “Definitely our son.”

Wen Zheng looked a bit confused. “Our son likes someone else’s son… It doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t he like someone else’s daughter?”

Jiang Lan was already hopeless about his reaction. “Our son likes boys, do you understand?”Wen Zheng: “…”

Wen Zheng looked bewildered. “Hold on, let me process this…”

Wen Zheng: “When you said ‘win over,’ you weren’t referring to recruiting Xiao Hen, but to that ‘win over’?”

Jiang Lan nodded. “Yes.”

Wen Zheng’s eyes glazed over, and he mechanically turned around. “I must not have woken up yet. I’m sleepwalking right now. I’ll go back to sleep and talk about it tomorrow.”

Jiang Lan: “…”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Jiang Lan whispered, “Your dad got shocked. Let him recover slowly.”

Wen Qingling: “Okay.”

Jiang Lan threw the chicken feather blanket aside and followed. “It’s already the apocalypse, and you’re talking about taking it easy? What’s the point of acting like a human when you’re already a zombie? If you have feelings, then take action!”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Thankfully, his biological father shared the firepower, or else he would definitely be in trouble tonight.

The next morning, before his parents woke up, Wen Qingling had already slipped away. He went to find the four research assistants to discuss some matters and also avoid attention.

Wen Qingling didn’t know if his parents had cooled down yet, so he didn’t dare to go home. He could only drive around Ling City, and by noon, he ended up in the city center where his big house was almost finished being built.

Wen Qingling had thought that his parents were still at the base saving the accidental zombies, but he didn’t expect them to be in the city center as well.

In the morning, Xiao Hen didn’t see Wen Qingling, so he went to the city center with Ji Rong and Shi Chong to check the specific planning of the area. At noon, Jiang Lan and Wen Zheng came over to inspect the progress of the construction of the big house.

Xiao Hen couldn’t ignore Wen Qingling’s parents, so he had a brief chat with them. However, the conversation started to become uncontrollable.

Originally, Xiao Hen was asking about the future planning of Ling City, but somehow the topic shifted to how many people were in his family and who was still alive, where they lived, whether Xiao Hen had someone he liked, and what he thought of Wen Qingling and so on.

Ji Rong was scared out of his wits and cowardly slipped away.

That was the legendary Wen Qingling, the one who could flip an armored vehicle with his bare hands. Who would dare to say anything bad about him?

Xiao Hen: “…”

Jiang Lan tried to smile warmly, even though her smile was stiff. She had to make an effort to look good while smiling. “It’s okay, just tell us your thoughts about our Qingling.”

Xiao Hen’s embarrassment was almost written on his face. He wasn’t a fool. Wen Qingling’s parents suddenly asked about his family and personal situation, even if he didn’t realize it at first, he had enough time to process it now.

In front of Wen Qingling’s parents, Xiao Hen didn’t know how to respond.

If Wen Qingling also had feelings for him, then he could face Wen Qingling’s parents more calmly. But now, how should he answer? Whatever he said would be his wishful thinking.

Jiang Lan asked, “Do you hate him?”

Xiao Hen was puzzled, “Why would I hate him?”

Jiang Lan was also puzzled, “He turned you into one of us. Don’t you hate him?”

Wen Qingling quietly parked his car, got out quietly, and approached quietly, preparing to eavesdrop from a close distance.

Xiao Hen paused for a moment before saying, “Before this, I had already prepared myself to turn into a zombie at any time. After being bitten by the ‘General,’ I had given up hope. Now that I’ve become like this, I feel fortunate.”

Xiao Hen continued, “I willingly underwent the transformation, so I don’t hate him.”

Jiang Lan and Wen Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. What they feared the most was their son disregarding someone else’s will and forcibly turning them. That would not only drive people away but also potentially create enemies.

Jiang Lan smiled and said, “Then what do you think of our Qingling?”

Xiao Hen smiled with a hint of bitterness, “He’s great.”

Xiao Hen, who usually had a serious demeanor, suddenly smiled. Jiang Lan, who couldn’t resist Xiao Hen’s charm, received a sudden blow to her old heart, clutching her chest, “I can’t take it anymore. Why does Xiaoxiao smile so beautifully, so naturally, completely unforced? He’s even better than his biological parents. My old heart…”

Xiao Hen: “…”

Wen Qingling emerged from behind cover, “Now you understand what I meant by ‘not taking him down,’ right?”

The three of them looked at him with different expressions.

Wen Qingling said, “Xiao Hen is now at most one-third civilized zombie. Two-thirds of his body still belongs to humans and the ‘General.’ His natural expression is not my doing, but his own evolution.”

The three of them continued to stare at him.

Wen Qingling blinked and said, “I’m stating a fact. He can be a civilized zombie, he can be human, and he can also be the ‘General,’ although he’s a weak ‘General.’ This means he has three choices, and he could rebel at any time.”

Xiao Hen immediately clarified, “I won’t do anything to harm civilized zombies.”

Wen Qingling replied, “It’s not just about saying it with your mouth.”

Xiao Hen helplessly asked, “How can I make you believe me?”

Wen Qingling responded, “Can you kill all humans?”Xiao Hen: “…”

Xiao Hen asked seriously, “Are you serious?”

Wen Qingling answered, “Yes.”

Xiao Hen: “…”

Wen Qingling continued, “I know you can’t do it. You can’t let go of your duty as a soldier, and you can’t take off the military uniform you’re wearing. Your identity, your heart, and your emotional attachment are all with humans. How can you expect me to believe you?”

Xiao Hen said, “Humans and civilized zombies can coexist peacefully.”

Wen Qingling looked at him deeply and said, “From the fact that you put ‘humans’ before ‘civilized zombies,’ I can see your choice.”

Xiao Hen: “…”

Wen Qingling turned and left, and Xiao Hen quickly caught up with him.

Jiang Lan and Wen Zheng exchanged a glance, finally realizing that the problem between the two of them wasn’t about liking or loving each other, but about race and choice.

If Xiao Hen truly sided with the humans, they couldn’t allow their son to be with him no matter what. Civilized zombies couldn’t become sacrifices and tools for humans. They should exist independently and not become subordinate to any race.

Xiao Hen grabbed Wen Qingling’s arm and asked, “Why do you want to force me to make such a choice? Do you really want me to kill all humans?”

Wen Qingling replied, “I don’t care about humans. What I want to know is your attitude. Your thoughts tell me that you can’t let go of humans, and you want to go back to them, right?”

Xiao Hen knew that Wen Qingling could sense people’s true thoughts, so lying to him was meaningless.

Xiao Hen said, “I still have unfinished business. I can’t just stay in Lingcheng and not go back.”

Wen Qingling stared at him, “Go back?”

Xiao Hen looked determined, “Yes.”

Wen Qingling’s eyes flashed with a cold light, “Say it again.”

Xiao Hen replied, “I have a reason to go back. Wait for me… ah!”

Wen Qingling pushed him away forcefully, not controlling his strength, and it sounded like he heard the sound of his breastbone breaking.

Xiao Hen stepped back, clutching his chest, his face showing pain. Being a partially transformed zombie still had its drawbacks, such as retaining human sensitivity, including pain.

After his transformation, Xiao Hen’s physical strength had greatly increased compared to before, but it was still not enough against Wen Qingling’s monstrous strength, especially in an accidental situation.

Wen Qingling said angrily, “I’ll say it again, you belong to me! You belong to the civilized base! Besides here, there’s nowhere else worth using the word ‘go back’ for! Don’t even think about leaving here unless you die!”

Xiao Hen took a deep breath and said, “Wen Qingling, you always say that I belong to you. Then let me ask you, what am I to you?”

Wen Qingling replied, “You’re mine, isn’t that enough?”

Xiao Hen asked, “And what about the other people in the base? What are they to you?”

Wen Qingling answered, “They’re also mine.”

Xiao Hen’s heart had already turned cold halfway, and he said, “So, there’s no difference between me and them, right?”

Wen Qingling said, “There’s a difference.”

The flickering hope was extinguished once again, and Xiao Hen said, “What difference?”

Wen Qingling replied, “They are all 100% loyal to me, but you’re not. You’re constantly thinking about humans, about leaving, about rebelling against me!”

Xiao Hen: “…”

He realized that he shouldn’t have held onto hope.

Before, he didn’t understand, but now that he has a partial zombie lineage, he can understand Wen Qingling. Zombies, even civilized ones, are essentially emotionless walking corpses. Even though they are civilized, their emotions are still lacking. Xiao Hen still retains his human lineage, and he can feel that his emotions have faded compared to before.

As the progenitor-level existence of all civilized zombies, Wen Qingling hardly has any emotions left besides his affection for his parents. Or rather, even familial affection is absent. Their family can only be maintained through blood ties, devoid of any emotional connection.

Xiao Hen felt bitter in his heart. “Wen Qingling, how much of your emotions do you have left?” Wen Qingling didn’t speak. At this point, he had forgotten what emotions even were. What kind of feeling was that? He had completely forgotten.

Wen Qingling glanced at Xiao Hen’s hand clutching his chest, then looked again after a couple of seconds, and finally approached him. A green energy ball appeared in his palm. He took Xiao Hen’s hand and pressed the green energy ball onto Xiao Hen’s injured breastbone.

Xiao Hen wasn’t in much pain anymore. His injuries were healing, as he possessed the dual regenerative power of Wen Qingling and the “General.” This slight injury only caused him momentary pain and would soon self-heal.

However, if Wen Qingling wanted to treat him, he certainly wouldn’t refuse.

Xiao Hen kept looking at him. “Wen Qingling.”

Wen Qingling ignored him, lowering his gaze and focusing on the treatment.

Xiao Hen lowered his voice and called him again. “Wen Qingling.”

Wen Qingling still didn’t respond.

Xiao Hen continued to lower his voice. “Qingling.”

Wen Qingling raised his eyes and looked at him. Xiao Hen’s gaze fell on his light-colored lips as if tempted. Xiao Hen leaned in, wanting to kiss him, but Wen Qingling turned his face away, avoiding it.

Wen Qingling said, “Calling me ‘Dad’ won’t work either. I won’t let you go.”

Xiao Hen: “…”

Xiao Hen was both annoyed and amused. He had no idea what to do with a zombie who didn’t even have emotions. How could he inspire him? How could he teach him to like and love?