Chapter 128: King, Hit You, Run
The sweltering weather instantly turned cool and refreshing. Rain pattered against the ground, stirring up bits of soil. The damp air carried the clean fragrance of the earth—the smell of rain was exceptionally pleasant.
Lily Hart took a deep breath, but she had a feeling business wouldn’t be great today. After all, wind and rain tend to cut business in half.
So she sent a message to the group chat: [It’s raining today, so please be safe if you’re out and about~ The lottery shop and convenience store are both open!~]
She reached into a drawer and rummaged around, pulling out a small bag of rice crisps and starting to snack on them. Suddenly, from her left, came the sound of fingertips tapping lightly on the desktop. She turned to look.
She found herself staring into a pair of crimson eyes. It was a small, skinny zombie with grayish-white skin and sharp, but not long, fingernails. Its body was cowering cautiously below, with only its head peeking out.
Lily Hart didn’t move. ’Should I just eliminate it right now?’ she wondered.
Just as she was about to tell it to get lost, the little zombie swiftly placed a rock on the counter, then turned and bolted. In the blink of an eye, it was gone.
"King... hit you... run?" Lily Hart read aloud in confusion, then tossed the rock back onto the counter, not quite understanding.
A circle of people had gathered around the counter: Logan Holland, Leo Colby, Frost Shaw, Roman Rowe—even Douglas Donovan had come to see what the commotion was about.
They passed the palm-sized rock around, and one of them finally concluded, "The Zombie King is probably coming to cause trouble for you again." They exchanged a look, unable to hide their worry.
Roman Rowe added, "So this little zombie came to warn you to run and not get beaten up."
Everyone had already taken turns watching the surveillance footage of the little zombie leaving the rock. This was the conclusion they reached after analyzing it for a good while.
But... the key question was, why would a zombie warn Lily Hart?
Lily Hart ventured, "Could this be some kind of plot by that damn Zombie King? Scare me on purpose, then not even show up, just to mess with my head?"
Logan Holland shook his head. "Unlikely. A zombie’s thought process is usually too simple; they couldn’t come up with a scheme that complex. Think carefully. Have you ever helped a zombie?"
’Does selling scratch-offs to a zombie count?’ she wondered. ’But that was in Rodington City. That’s hundreds of kilometers away. Do zombies take vacations now or something?’
When she voiced this suspicion, everyone surprisingly agreed it made sense. But Lily Hart didn’t think the two zombies looked anything alike...
Leo Colby said, "We’ll find out tonight."
Not to be outdone, Frost Shaw retorted, "It could also be tomorrow. The Zombie King suffered heavy losses yesterday. I reckon he can’t gather that many zombies again so quickly."
Douglas Donovan suggested, "Why not go stay at Fortune Base for a few days? Let the Zombie King think you’ve left."
"That won’t work." Frost Shaw refused flatly. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued, "Actually, I’ve always suspected that Boss Hart has some kind of item on her that attracts zombies."
He looked at Lily Hart and asked, "Do you remember when we went to the industrial district a few days ago, and zombies came after us in wave after wave? They were all gunning for you."
Lily Hart nodded. The two of them had even run an experiment, but after they ran into the little boy, she’d completely forgotten about it.
"So... no matter where Boss Hart goes, as long as there are zombies in the area, an endless horde will come for her," Frost Shaw concluded his analysis.
Lily Hart: ’So I really am the chosen one...’
’But getting harassed by zombies all the time is not a sustainable lifestyle! I mean, seriously!’
"Then what do we do?" Douglas Donovan and Logan Holland asked in unison.
"Boss Hart, why don’t you come to Central Command? We can assign people to protect you twenty-four hours a day. We absolutely won’t let any harm come to you!" Logan Holland said with sincerity.
Frost Shaw subtly straightened his posture and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can protect Boss Hart twenty-four hours a day, too!"
Lily Hart politely declined. "Thanks, but I have my RV to protect me twenty-four-seven."
As long as she never left the RV, her life would never be in danger. But Lily Hart knew that wasn’t realistic.
Special circumstances or accidents were bound to happen. What then? Fortunately, she was now a Fifth-rank Superpower User and had the ability to protect herself.
The discussion went nowhere. Lily Hart decided she first wanted to see what was up with the little zombie, and also what was happening with the Zombie King.
She decided to adopt a "wait and see" approach. She would act as if the little zombie had never come, to avoid tipping her hand and exposing her little informant.
Inside a small, forgotten hovel in the industrial district, the little boy was huddled in a corner. He only went to open the door after hearing a familiar tapping sound from outside.
Outside was the little zombie who had left the rock at the lottery shop. It was only half a head taller than the boy, and they were both equally scrawny.
"Did you deliver the stone?" the little boy asked, his voice tight with an unnatural nervousness. He fidgeted, looking as if he’d been forced into this whole affair.
The little zombie nodded. It scanned the area and, seeing that it was deserted, followed the boy inside.
"Do you think she’ll believe it?" the little boy wondered aloud, twisting the tattered hem of his shirt in his hands.
The little zombie shook its head and let out a few guttural groans, muttering to itself regardless of whether the boy could understand.
The little boy paced back and forth. "Is your information accurate? The Zombie King is really going after that woman again? Do you know when?"
"..." The little zombie nodded, then nodded again, before shaking its head, a miserable look on its face.
The zombie and the little boy sat facing each other in silence. They both sat down cross-legged and sighed in unison.
The little boy hung his head. After a long silence, he said, "She’s actually... pretty nice..." ’At least she let me eat my fill that day.’
The little zombie didn’t understand, but it sighed along with him. It began to lightly scratch the floor with its fingernails, making a grating sound.
A few hundred meters away in the RV, Lily Hart rested her head in her hands, watching the endless stream of customers.
But a faint sense of unease settled in her heart. She was afraid the Zombie King would suddenly appear and use the customers as hostages to threaten her.
Then again, she was also afraid the Zombie King *wouldn’t* come. He was bound to show up sooner or later, and the uncertainty was making Lily Hart anxious.
With a few kid clerks and Roman Rowe to help, Frost Shaw had a much easier time now. He sauntered over.
He found her staring blankly ahead, looking preoccupied and listless.
Her mood was a little infectious. Frost Shaw let his smile fade and casually walked over, but she didn’t even notice when he was right beside her.
He waved a hand in front of her face and asked softly, "Whatcha thinkin’ about?"
"The Zombie King," Lily Hart muttered unconsciously. She’d spoken without thinking, but her words hit Frost Shaw hard. He frowned, fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked away.
He returned to the convenience store without a word. He only gave Roman Rowe a perfunctory response when greeted.
Frost Shaw went back to his room and sat cross-legged on the bay window seat. He calmed his mind and focused on the Sea of Consciousness within him.
He had been so busy managing the convenience store lately that he’d neglected his cultivation, merely circulating his energy through his meridians once a day and calling it good.
’He was currently at the Seventh Rank Peak. If he just pushed a little harder, he could break through to the Eighth Rank. Then, if he joined forces with Leo Colby...’
’There’s no way they wouldn’t be able to take down that measly Zombie King!’
At this thought, Frost Shaw felt a renewed sense of motivation. He settled his mind and focused intently. Time always flew by when one was cultivating.
Roman Rowe thought he had gone upstairs to sleep off his bad mood. But when he pushed the door open, he found him cultivating, an icy chill permeating the entire room.