Chapter 15: The Signal

There is a saying: “Simple-minded people have simple blessings,” which can also be extended to mean that the simpler one’s mind, the happier one lives. Qin Zhen agreed with this and often used it to justify her lack of deep thinking—if she had a clever, overactive brain, she would have gone mad after all these years living underground.

When Fu Qi accused her of being unfair, she reflected on why she cared so much for Fan Xu. Besides his feeding her vanity, it was largely because he was also quite foolish.

This was a case of birds of a feather flocking together.

But now Qin Zhen regretted it.

Her younger brother was blissfully optimistic and happy despite the apocalypse, but in some matters, he was simply too foolish—so much so that it brought shame to the zombies.

Qin Zhen felt exhausted and didn’t want to speak. She pointed at Fu Qi to explain.

Fu Qi said, “We didn’t fight; we were just fooling around.”

“Who fights and hits each other in the face for fun?” her brother didn’t believe it.

Since discovering that Fu Qi’s talk of high-tech was just a ploy to lure her out of the tomb, Qin Zhen never held back when he got physical. Still, Fu Qi was cunning, and she didn’t always get the upper hand.

For example, just now, even if Fan Xu hadn’t rushed over to stop it, Fu Qi wouldn’t have gotten hit.

But this incident hurt her domineering image, so Qin Zhen forbade Fu Qi from mentioning it.

Sensing the threatening gaze, Fu Qi sighed, repaired the gate while explaining fundamentally, “I’m not your boyfriend, Night Sister.”

Then he turned to Qin Zhen for confirmation: “Right, babe?”

“Yes!” Qin Zhen affirmed loudly. But as soon as she turned, she caught her brother’s sharp eyes, full of the words “babe” and huge question marks.

This “babe” was not that “babe,” but explaining that was too complicated, so Qin Zhen blinked and pushed the problem back to Fu Qi.

How was he supposed to explain?

After thinking a moment, Fu Qi said, “It’s like this: she’s my ex-girlfriend.”

Qin Zhen was stunned for a moment, then nodded in agreement: “Right!”

This caught Fan Xu off guard. He looked at one, then the other, then hesitated, speechless.

With this tenuous ex-relationship, all the “babe” talk, fighting, mutual care, jealousy, knowing each other’s secrets—it all made sense.

But in the end, her brother solemnly clarified again: “Even if you two have broken up, I have no intention of interfering. I just want to repay you both for saving my life.”

Qin Zhen said, “Got it, don’t worry.”

Fu Qi earnestly played along, “So no getting back together, babe?”

“No!” The zombie answered coldly and decisively.

With this settled, they continued on their way.

Following Fu Qi’s directions, they did indeed find many villages along the way. He deliberately chose a remote one, avoiding entering directly, and instead went to some desolate fields. There, among the weeds, they found a well covered with stones.

Long ago, people used it to irrigate fields. As technology advanced, it became inconvenient and was sealed off. But now, being far from human pollution, it had become a life-saving spring.

After drawing water, they entered the village.

The village was eerily silent, with only a dozen or so wandering zombies, easily dispatched.

After clearing the zombies, Fan Xu found a hoe and dug behind a house, successfully unearthing some potatoes and picking a basket of lush greens, which astonished the zombies.

While Fan Xu went to find an outdoor stove to cook, Qin Zhen tugged on Fu Qi’s sleeve to seek an explanation.

“After the virus outbreak, food became scarce. The government dispatched people to search for seeds to cultivate crops. But the base’s territory was limited, and food production couldn’t be guaranteed. To prevent wandering survivors from starving, rescue teams scattered seeds on fertile land whenever they passed through a village.”

Zombies didn't eat plants, but their unconscious wandering often ruined crops. Due to climate and competition from wild grass, not all seeds sprouted, but some did grow and bore fruit.

Even if starving people didn’t find these crops, it didn’t matter. When they withered, seeds fell to the ground or were carried by the wind, lying dormant until the right time to sprout again, offering hope for survival.

This sowing method emerged a year or two after the apocalypse. Now, it had proven effective. Anyone who’d been to a safe base knew that if stranded without food, they should seek villages and farmland—they might find hope there.

Farming was humanity’s most fundamental survival skill for thousands of years. In this era of rapid technological rise and collapse, it was once again saving lives.

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhen felt a strange, tingling sensation in her heart. She guessed it was awe at humanity’s resilience.

---

“Impressive. No fighting, yet you beat the zombies?”

They had taken shelter in a house with a yard. The courtyard walls were intact, but the iron gate was damaged. Fu Qi was repairing it as he answered Qin Zhen, “The real enemy that’s hard to defeat isn’t the zombies.”

It was the virus turning humans into zombies.

“Humans are amazing.” Qin Zhen said sincerely and asked, “Will it end in three years?”

“I don’t know.” Fu Qi couldn’t answer, but after glancing at Qin Zhen, he suddenly changed his tone. “Maybe with your help.”

“Me? How can I help?”

“Aren’t you the Zombie King? Zombies and the undead all come from dead humans—they’re basically relatives. You even look alike. If you unify them and help them coexist peacefully with humans, wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

“…”

Too many issues to address. The “Zombie King” choked on his words for a moment, then angrily retorted, “You’re the relative! You’re the one who looks like it!”

“You look like it.”

“You!”

“Would you dare say that to your mirror after taking off your makeup?”

“…”

The debate over zombie ancestry had reached a fever pitch. The zombie stuttered and fell behind, embarrassed and angry. Just as a violent clash seemed imminent, Fan Xu suddenly shouted from the low kitchen.

“It’s definitely your relative who’s hungry, eyeing your little brother’s flavor.”

He’d just checked—no zombies there—so his scream wasn’t from danger. Fu Qi wasn’t worried and told Qin Zhen, “Your family drama isn’t my business, babe. You handle it yourself.”

Qin Zhen punched him twice and grabbed his arm, trying to drag him over.

During the tug-of-war, her brother suddenly ran out, pointing excitedly eastward. “Yellow smoke! Two columns!”

When the safe bases send out rescue teams searching for supplies, they also look for survivors. Yellow smoke signals this. Two columns mean it’s the Dawn Base—the place Fan Xu had stayed before.

He was thrilled. “That’s definitely the rescue team! Maybe my brother’s coming to look for me too! He’s hot-tempered and will probably give me a scolding!”

“Your brother?”

“Yeah, we’re twins. My brother’s name is Fan Kong, five minutes younger…”

Fan Xu was a chatterbox, so excited he gestured wildly, talking nonstop. If it weren’t already dark, he might have run straight to the rescue team’s camp.

“Our base was set up by the government and is well-disciplined and organized. Night Sister, Brother Fu, come along! I’ve got movies for you—I collected a bunch! And I even made a screen! Watching movies on rainy days is the best!”

Qin Zhen’s eyes went wide!

Since seeing a tablet before, this internet-addicted zombie hadn’t mentioned going back underground. She wanted to go with Fan Xu to the base. But she hadn’t parted from Fu Qi since leaving the tomb, and suddenly leaving him for a crowd of strangers made her uneasy.

After all, she wasn’t human.

She blinked, looking hopefully at Fu Qi, wishing he would come along.

But Fu Qi was still staring at the two columns of yellow smoke, his brow furrowed.

“Is there a problem with the signal?” Fan Xu asked.

Smoke signals are used for communication and location. They’re bright, last long, and stand out against the gray-blue sky. Within several kilometers, if unobstructed by buildings, they’re visible.

“No problem.”

The signal was fine, the base was safe. Fu Qi’s worry was about who might see the signal.

The people from country A would never stop looking for him.

After a moment’s thought, he said to Qin Zhen, “I have something to take care of. I won’t be able to go to the base for about two days. Babe, do you want to go with Fan Xu first or stay with me?”

Qin Zhen’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “You’re going?”

Fu Qi nodded. “Yes.”

---

“Fan Xu!” Qin Zhen immediately made her choice without hesitation.

Fu Qi rubbed his forehead. He had expected this outcome, but it was still annoying when the zombie abandoned him for phones and movies.

But it was for the best—it would keep her away from those people from country A.

So the plan was set.

Because of his excitement about the rescue team, Fan Xu didn’t sleep all night. Since he didn’t sleep, Qin Zhen had to pretend to be a normal human and was forced to lie awake all night—very difficult.

At dawn the next day, yellow smoke rose again in the east.

Qin Zhen’s foundation was smudged as she hid inside touching up her makeup. Fan Xu was outside saying goodbye to Fu Qi.

“Fu Ge, do you need help with anything?”

“It’s inconvenient.”

“Oh.” Fan Xu, knowing Fu Qi’s skills and special status, guessed it was a special mission and didn’t pry further. Instead, he rummaged through his pocket.

“Fu Ge, you saved me. I don’t know how to thank you. Night Sister is so amazing, so you don’t need me to protect you. Here—take this talisman. I hope it keeps you safe.”

He pulled out a yellow paper talisman covered with vermilion symbols and handed it to Fu Qi.

Fu Qi had never seen such a thing before. “No need.”

“Keep it!” Fan Xu said. “This talisman was personally drawn by the thirteenth-generation master of Qingyang Temple, Fan Kong. It wards off evil and protects people!”

Fu Qi was about to refuse when he realized something odd. “Fan Kong is your brother?”

“Yes.” Fan Xu nodded. “We’re Taoists. Our hometown is in the mountains, where there’s a Taoist temple. My brother inherited it and became the temple master. He formally studied Taoism on Longhu Mountain and has certification. We had plans: he would run the temple, draw talismans, and perform consecrations, while I would handle marketing and make it a popular spot. But who knew the zombie virus would break out!”

Fu Qi said, “My apologies.”

He hadn’t expected to meet a Taoist before the apocalypse and now, in the apocalypse, meet a legitimate temple master with lineage.

This was quite interesting.

Fu Qi kindly asked the zombie, “Does your brother practice magic?”

“Wow, Fu Ge, don’t think like that! We’re a proper Taoist temple. Drawing talismans and consecrations is just for good meaning. We don’t deal with superstitious scams!”

Fu Qi was speechless.

He worried the zombie’s superstition might scare her brother.

As they spoke, the zombie with the pale, white-painted face came out of the house.

Fu Qi asked one last time, “Babe, are you really abandoning me?”

Qin Zhen said, “It’s perfect~”

She only remembered Fan Xu saying watching movies on rainy days was perfect, and she was full of anticipation. How could she back out? Besides, Fu Qi would come for her in a couple of days.

“Alright.” Fu Qi looked at her gently. “Go, have fun, and don’t get hurt.”

Then he reminded Fan Xu, “She’s a neat freak, not very talkative, and doesn’t like physical contact. Please take care of her for me. I’ll come to pick her up in two days. If anything happens, go find Xu Feng—he knows what to do.”

“Don’t worry! I’ve got it all memorized!” Fan Xu patted his chest confidently. “If I can’t handle it, there’s my brother. We’ll definitely take good care of her!”

Fu Qi said, “...Alright, I trust you both.”