8 Freedom

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The task force from Country A was fully equipped. Besides the essential food and water in their backpacks, what pleased Fu Qi the most was the glider, which would allow him and Qin Zhen to quickly escape this remote mountain. Qin Zhen, who had long awaited the rapid development of human civilization, agreed without hesitation. But before setting off, there were two matters to settle.

“Pants,” Qin Zhen requested.

The zombie remained true to his word, still fixated on Fu Qi’s pants. Fu Qi kept his promise and immediately turned Qin Zhen away, but she suddenly regretted it.

“New ones!”

She saw Fu Qi pull out a sealed, clean set of clothes from his backpack. With these, who would bother with his drenched outfit?

“No, you must keep your promise.”

Fu Qi pretended to refuse. Qin Zhen argued with him, and after she was done, he let go, then theatrically lamented, “Good people get taken advantage of by zombies.” Qin Zhen didn’t even want to look at him properly.

Each changed into a clean set of clothes. Fu Qi’s fit fairly well, but Qin Zhen’s were too large. The cuffs could be rolled up, and the oversized shirt was fine, but the pants were baggy and too long. Even with the belt tightened to the limit, they still kept slipping down. Eventually, Fu Qi found some grass and braided a makeshift belt for her.

The wind blew, puffing out Qin Zhen’s shirt and pant legs, making her look short and plump—like a clumsy penguin. Fu Qi laughed, and Qin Zhen glared at him. She looked cuter that way, shattering any dignity or fear the zombie might inspire.

The second matter was brought up by Fu Qi. “Are you planning to take your husband with you?”

Qin Zhen hadn’t thought so. Originally, she planned to venture out of the tomb to earn money to buy advanced entertainment devices, leaving her “husband” to guard the tomb. But who knew the tomb would be blown up? When the tomb was about to collapse, she feared her “husband” would be smashed into pieces, so without much thought, she carried his white bones out.

She definitely couldn’t bring him into human society—too inconvenient and likely to get her arrested. If that happened, one of them would go to jail and the other be cremated, which would be utterly disgraceful.

“Let him rest in peace,” Fu Qi suggested. “This is the northern forest, with scenery worthy of a textbook, rarely visited by humans. Leaving him here won’t disgrace his origins, nor will anyone disturb him.”

Qin Zhen hesitated but then heard the “chirp-chirp” of squirrels. Looking up, she saw squirrels leaping on nearby branches.

The scenery was indeed beautiful, with a pristine environment. On their way up, they had encountered snakes, a fox-like creature, and several brightly feathered birds. Fu Qi recognized one as a national first-class protected species.

Compared to the gloomy, sunless tomb, the vibrant forest was far better.

Qin Zhen agreed after just half a minute of thought. She knew where it was; if needed, she could arrange a new tomb later and rebury him.

Fu Qi helped dig a hole while she tidied the bones. She noticed he had wrapped them in the tattered cloth she wore in the tomb, all of which he had taken out.

The cloth had faded to a brownish hue, and the patterns were blurred. Qin Zhen picked them up and tried to distinguish which belonged to her or her “husband,” but she couldn’t remember what she had worn when she woke.

Her memory was a mess, probably from being trapped in the tomb too long.

But it didn’t matter.

She bundled the cloth and buried it with the bones beneath a fiery red maple tree. After covering it up, Fu Qi disguised the spot to hide any traces. Then, the two of them took to the glider.

It was Qin Zhen’s first time flying such a device, which was rudimentary and lacked safety measures. Fu Qi worried she might move recklessly and fall, so he strapped her to himself.

This was purely his overthinking; Qin Zhen wouldn’t move around because she was somewhat afraid of heights.

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She wouldn’t die falling from thousands of meters, yet she feared heights—it was embarrassing, and no zombie would admit to it. She pretended to be reluctant to leave her “husband,” sulking quietly so Fu Qi wouldn’t notice.

Struggling, she boarded the glider, initially tense all over. Once they glided steadily above the forest, she gradually relaxed.

The weather was perfect—warm autumn sunshine, cloudless skies, and excellent visibility.

Qin Zhen looked ahead and saw the rolling green forest. A flock of white birds, startled by something unknown, took flight. From afar, they looked like seagulls soaring over the sea.

Following the birds upward, the deep blue sky hung low, so close it seemed Qin Zhen could reach out and touch it.

She took a deep breath. Though she no longer breathed, she felt a fresh scent spread through her body, almost lifting her off the ground.

She knew this was the taste of freedom.

“Is it fun?” Fu Qi turned and asked.

“Very fun!”

“I think so too.” Fu Qi smiled, tilting his face as if looking back. Qin Zhen followed his gaze and saw her rolled-up pants fluttering behind her like a kite’s tail.

He was teasing her again! Qin Zhen wanted to be angry but ended up giggling instead.

As the glider ascended, a winding river appeared again below. Sharp-eyed Qin Zhen spotted several black dots moving along the riverbank and quickly shouted, “People!”

“It’s okay, they’re far away.” Fu Qi adjusted the glider, and they drifted gracefully upward in the opposite direction.

He was so reliable.

All previous misfortunes were offset by Fu Qi’s dependable behavior since emerging from the tomb. At this moment, Qin Zhen felt he was the most trustworthy person she had ever met.

“You’re really kind.”

The feeling of freedom was exhilarating, and Qin Zhen, caught up in the moment, spoke sincerely to Fu Qi.

“Fu Lao Qi, can you be buried next to me—in my tomb? I want to find you again and play.”

“...” Fu Qi politely declined. “Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not planning to die anytime soon.”

“You will eventually,” Qin Zhen insisted.

Fu Qi refused again. “I don’t decide my afterlife; it depends on the country’s burial policies and my descendants.”

Qin Zhen was surprised. “You have... someone, then?”

“No.”

She thought he didn’t look like he had a partner. Qin Zhen inwardly scoffed but patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Don’t worry, you will.”

Fu Qi: “...You don’t have to sound so consoling.”

“I want to!” Qin Zhen insisted on comforting him and added, “No matter where you’re buried, I’ll dig you up and make you my neighbor!”

The zombie’s admiration was too much for a human to bear. Fu Qi sighed, “Fine, just don’t use me as a clothesline.”

Qin Zhen: “...”

Forget it, she pretended not to hear.

Looking down at the vast mountains and rivers, she asked, “Aren’t you afraid bringing a zombie into human society will cause a disturbance?”

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Qin Zhen had wanted to ask this for a long time but held back, fearing Fu Qi might change his mind.

“No,” Fu Qi said.

He wouldn’t be afraid because he was a good zombie.

Qin Zhen thought so, then prudently added, “If a Taoist priest tries to capture me, you’ll help prove I don’t eat humans.”

Not only did she not eat people, she hadn’t even retaliated after being shot three times by humans!

A law-abiding, good zombie deserves a medal.

“You’re overthinking.”

This was the umpteenth time Qin Zhen mentioned Taoist priests, and Fu Qi couldn’t understand her obsession. “Are you really that afraid of Taoist priests?”

Qin Zhen looked at him oddly. “Haven’t you seen movies? Zombies and Taoist priests are mortal enemies!”

Fu Qi had never watched zombie movies but was grateful for them, as they had made this zombie look foolish, saving him a lot of trouble.

“I told you, no need to worry.” He spoke sincerely again, but Qin Zhen still shook her head, lamenting his ignorance of the feud between zombies and Taoist priests.

Fu Qi found her talkativeness unusual. Observing her, he asked, “Are you nervous about returning home?”

“...A little.” Qin Zhen admitted.

She hadn’t been nervous when she first emerged from the tomb because it was collapsing and chaotic. She hadn’t been nervous after being “killed” as soon as she showed herself.

Now she was nervous because the glider moved fast and the view was clear. She vaguely saw scattered buildings ahead but didn’t know whether they were forest ranger huts or observation towers.

Human civilization was close, while she was just a “stowaway” backward zombie without an ID, an undocumented person who could easily be arrested.

If she got a criminal record, how would she work and earn money?

She had even helped Fu Qi distract those two foreigners, which could be considered aiding murder…

Her skin color was different, too. How could she get along with humans?

These worries left Fu Qi silent. Seeing the gloomy, worried face of the zombie, he felt a rare pang of guilt.

But guilt was not for him; it vanished the next second.

“Try to think positively.” Fu Qi’s voice softened, like when they first met in the tomb. “Maybe things aren’t as bad as you think?”

“...I wasn’t sure before, but the way you choked up just now convinced me.” Qin Zhen calmed down, decisively saying, “Things are very bad!”

That was her conclusion based on her time with Fu Qi.

“So vigilant now?” Fu Qi was surprised.

Qin Zhen waved him off and told him to be quiet. “Don’t disturb me; I’m mentally preparing!”

She closed her eyes and prayed silently, thinking that as long as human society wasn’t full of Taoist priests and police, she could handle anything.

There would always be a way. If all else failed, she’d cling to Fu Qi since he was the one who brought her out; he had to take responsibility.

Qin Zhen closed her eyes, so when the glider crossed the forest boundary and flew over a human village, she didn’t see the collapsed houses, overgrown fields, or crooked figures wandering the country roads.

As a result, when the glider landed, she opened her eyes full of anticipation—and was utterly shocked.