Chapter 712: For... What?
"Wenwen, what’s wrong? Is it because the beef has burn marks and it’s not fresh anymore?"
Song Wenwen didn’t devour the meat crazily as before, which left the Song Family momentarily stunned.
Looking at the steak on the floor, Song Hongfei immediately spoke gently to Song Wenwen.
Knowing well that she might not understand, they still tirelessly spoke to Song Wenwen.
To the Song Family, Song Wenwen was like a newborn child; as long as they talked to her often, one day she would return to her former self.
Parents always show endless patience towards their children.
Although the surface of the steak on the ground was bloody, the edges had been charred by fire; as long as it was grilled, it was no longer fresh raw meat.
Though it wasn’t apparent, Wenwen must have sensed it, right?
Song Hongfei hadn’t gone out on mission with the Base Commander, but he heard that two powerful superpower users roasted all the cattle with fire.
Some beef even turned to charcoal on the surface, but they had to bear with it without throwing it away.
Meat was especially precious in the cold winter.
Finding beef that hadn’t been burned by fire was almost impossible, so after Song Hongfei distributed the beef, he could only use crystal cores to exchange for some that didn’t look too dismal.
Xiao Lan Zombie didn’t respond to Song Hongfei’s words, showing no reaction, as if she hadn’t heard.
At this moment, her decayed eyes stared fixedly at the cooked steak in front of Bai Xiqin, her fingers tightening slightly.
Her fingers were so stiff that they emitted a creaking sound when tightening.
Strands of black blood oozed from Xiao Lan Zombie’s decayed fingers, leaving trails on the surface of her blue down jacket.
Even the bones were slightly deformed.
"Do you want to eat this cooked one?"
Bai Xiqin noticed Xiao Lan Zombie’s gaze and pushed the plate in front of her a little closer.
Xiao Lan Zombie slowly released her tightened fingers, and drops of black blood dripped from her fingers.
Her fingers, covered with black blood, reached for the cooked steak.
Just as she was about to touch the steak, Xiao Lan Zombie’s action paused.
This time, she wasn’t looking at the steak on the plate, but at her own blackened, decayed fingers.
Her pupils contracted slightly, imbued with an emotion that was hard to discern.
The Song Family saw Xiao Lan Zombie’s desire to eat cooked steak and felt somewhat gratified.
Last time, when she dined with Xiao Niu, it was under Xiao Niu’s guidance that Wenwen began eating cooked food, even eating vegetables.
But after Xiao Niu left, she stopped eating cooked food again, remaining unresponsive no matter what the Song Family said.
It seemed to be an accident.
Now that Xiao Niu was here for a meal again, perhaps she’d start learning to eat cooked food again.
"Wenwen likes well-done steak, so we’ll often make it for you, alright?"
Song’s mother spoke to Xiao Lan Zombie like coaxing a child.
She smiled and placed the beef from her own plate in front of Xiao Lan Zombie as well.
Meanwhile, Song Ning cleaned up the broken plate from Xiao Lan Zombie, setting the steak aside instead of discarding it.
The steak could still be salvaged, as Wenwen’s fingers hadn’t touched it; resources were too precious to waste.
There were suddenly two steaks in front of Xiao Lan Zombie, but she didn’t immediately reach for them; she merely stared intently at her own hands.
Her hands were utterly decayed; the rotten flesh had split open, leaving some white bones exposed, even a small bone deforming was visible.
The flesh was all black.
Inside Xiao Lan Zombie’s mind, amidst the raging impulse to devour flesh, flashed a picture unrelated to emotion.
She saw a pair of fair fingers, slender, white, and tender.
Following the images in her mind, she saw some scenes she had never seen before, where several people were talking to her, and she saw through first-person perspective that those fair fingers were part of her body.
She didn’t understand who those people in the images were, nor what role she played in those scenes.
However, she clearly saw that her fingers shouldn’t be in such a state.
She stared long at her fingers; she still couldn’t grasp the concept of beauty or ugliness but understood that her fingers shouldn’t look this way.
The blackened, decayed fingers and fair fingers kept switching in her mind.
A hint of confusion crossed Xiao Lan Zombie’s eyes.
She didn’t understand why her hands were like this.
"Wenwen, what’s wrong?"
Song’s mother noticed Song Wenwen wasn’t eating and gently spoke beside her.
Rarely had she seen Song Wenwen dazed like this.
But for Song’s mother, this was very comforting, as it meant Wenwen wasn’t completely controlled by zombie instincts anymore.
Song Wenwen glanced up at the speaking Song’s mother, showing a trace of bewilderment in her cadaverous eyes.
Who is this?
Why is she talking to me?
The scent of her flesh is so enticing, I’m so hungry...
"Roar..."
Xiao Lan Zombie gazed at Song’s mother, a restrained growl rising from her throat.
The mind was overwhelmed by bloodthirsty emotions, yet she tightly controlled it.
Song’s mother, undaunted, even gently patted Song Wenwen’s shoulder with loving eyes.
Xiao Lan Zombie quietly stared at Song’s mother, confusion deepening in her gaze.
"Eat if you want! If you don’t wish to eat, we’ll get you something else later."
Song’s mother didn’t force Song Wenwen to eat; after Xiao Niu left, the family could make some fresh chicken blood or something similar for Wenwen.
Song Wenwen listened quietly to Song’s mother’s words, then shifted her gaze back to her fingers.
Her decaying eyes seemed to bore holes into her rotten fingers.
A breath slowly escaped her decayed chest as if with a sigh.
This breath hadn’t undergone any chemical reactions within her body, inhaled and exhaled as mere air.
In her raging mind, a hint of confusion, emptiness appeared.
Not knowing where she came from, nor where she was headed.
Not knowing why she was sitting here, nor why the fair fingers she saw had turned into their current state.
"Wenwen, what are you sighing about?"
Bai Xiqin detected Xiao Lan Zombie’s barely noticeable sigh.
It might be some irregular reaction of zombies, as they often exhibit inexplicable behaviors.
For instance, they might twitch for no apparent reason.
These were merely reflexive responses of muscles on rotten bodies.
Yet Bai Xiqin still asked aloud.
Speaking more with Xiao Lan Zombie could help her restore her consciousness more swiftly.
...Although recovering memories might be harsh for Xiao Lan Zombie, letting her muddle through like this was indeed the greatest cruelty.
Upon hearing Bai Xiqin’s voice, the chaotic emotions in Xiao Lan Zombie’s head suddenly stabilized, her head lifting slightly, eyes looking at Bai Xiqin.
This face was gentle, familiar.
Looking at her, Xiao Lan Zombie felt inexplicably calm, even the urge to devour flesh subsided slightly.
Xiao Lan Zombie gazed long at Bai Xiqin, her decayed lips moved as if muttering, trembling slightly.
"Why...?"
The hoarse voice, akin to broken brass, sounded devoid of emotion.
Silence—
Everyone stared blankly at Xiao Lan Zombie, momentarily unable to grasp who had spoken.
Both Song’s mother’s and Song Hongfei’s breathing halted, their pupils dilating in shock, too stunned to utter a word.