The Evolution of My Zombie Girlfriend

Their eyes locked in a childish staring contest until Mo Wen finally turned his gaze away, deftly steering the car back onto the road just before it would have collided with a tree.

"Ahh." Seeing Mo Wen break eye contact first, Yu Lan let out a short, sharp cry and tilted her head back at an unnatural ninety-degree angle, as if searching for something on the ceiling.

"Feeling smug about winning that stare-off?" Mo Wen chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair and gently guiding her head back to a more natural position. Her neck was bent so awkwardly it looked like it might snap at any moment.

Yu Lan glared fiercely at Mo Wen, her mouth opening as if to bite him. But as soon as her teeth touched his hand, she recoiled abruptly, her throat making a series of gurgling sounds, as if unsure how to express herself.

Mo Wen pinched her nose playfully, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Blue Blue, did my actions earlier frighten you?"

Yu Lan ignored him completely, turning her head to stare out the window, leaving Mo Wen to muse aloud. "But I doubt it," he murmured to himself, his left index finger tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel. A faint, enigmatic smile played on his lips. "After all, when we first met, I was already amidst a scene of carnage."

He had first encountered Yu Lan when she was only nine years old, her hair tied neatly into a ponytail, her small frame frail enough to be swept away by a gentle breeze. And there, through her innocent eyes, he saw the blood-soaked figure of himself.

As dusk approached, Mo Wen brought the car to a steady stop. "Traveling at night isn't wise. Let's rest here for the evening," he said, turning to Yu Lan, who was still staring out the window. He released her from the seatbelt and lifted her, along with her pack, into his arms.

Zombies always became more active at night. As Yu Lan struggled to crawl out of her pack, Mo Wen sighed in exasperation. "Blue Blue, you don't have legs anymore. Do you plan to roll around on the ground?"

When he found Yu Lan, her legs had been devoured by zombies, leaving only her upper body intact. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to carry her in a backpack.

Yu Lan persisted in gnawing at the edge of the backpack, her jaw grinding menacingly while emitting low growls.

"Behaving like a wild beast," Mo Wen remarked with a laugh, pulling her closer. His dark eyes gleamed with a twisted amusement. "Adorably so."

"No one will take you away from me this time. You belong to me alone."

Under the cover of night, Mo Wen's voice, mingled with the distant growls of zombies, sent shivers down one's spine.

"Oh, right." He reached over and handed Yu Lan the severed arm of Zhang Xu, asking softly, "Want to try some?"

Yu Lan stared at the arm, sniffed it once, then bit down hesitantly. After chewing for a moment, she spat it out with visible disgust.

"Not hungry?" Mo Wen tossed the arm out the window, watching as several zombies pounced on it greedily. He sighed, "Look at you—clearly a zombie, yet refusing to eat. If not for me, would you have starved to death?"

Yu Lan's expression remained one of disdain.

Yet, she seemed willing to bite other humans but refused to even open her mouth for him. Did that mean he held a special place in her heart? The thought filled Mo Wen with a sense of satisfaction. He rested his head on her shoulder, his pale cheeks flushing slightly.

Yu Lan rolled her pale eyes and emitted another "glup" sound from her throat.

The next morning, Mo Wen fed Yu Lan six crystal cores while he contented himself with a single bite of compressed biscuit.

Yu Lan chewed on the cores, occasionally letting out threatening roars as she watched zombies crawling or walking outside the car.

Watching her, Mo Wen realized she seemed to view this as a game—a game of asserting dominance over lower-ranked zombies.

"Alright." Placing Yu Lan back in the passenger seat and ignoring her fiery glare, Mo Wen fastened her seatbelt and stepped on the gas pedal, continuing their journey.

With the car, they could reach Death Place District 3 in about five days. The fuel was running low, but he would drive as far as possible.

After consuming the crystal cores, Yu Lan felt drowsy. The bright sunlight made her uncomfortable, causing her to shift restlessly in her seat, trying to avoid the scorching rays.

Noticing her discomfort, Mo Wen quickly removed his coat and draped it over her head, shielding her from the sun.

Yu Lan, now a zombie, was evidently afraid of sunlight... Mo Wen noted this detail in his mind.

Without the sunlight, Yu Lan let out a contented "glup" and quickly fell asleep. Her pale face twitched slightly, as if she were dreaming.

A vague, unsettling feeling stirred within her, making her suddenly irritable. She roared angrily upon waking to find herself in complete darkness.

Even more frustrated, she let out several more cries before Mo Wen finally removed the coat blocking her vision.

"What's wrong?" Mo Wen asked, concerned, stroking her cheek and pulling her into his embrace. "Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

Yu Lan's roar had been so sharp and terrifying that it startled him.

Sensing his worry, Yu Lan mumbled and nuzzled against Mo Wen's chest pitifully.

Mo Wen realized something was amiss but couldn't understand what was bothering her since she couldn't speak.

"Do you want something to eat?" Assuming she was hungry again, Mo Wen offered her more crystal cores. Yu Lan swallowed them without blinking.

He counted carefully and realized she had consumed twelve crystal cores in one day—twice as many as the previous day.

Checking her energy level, he found she had advanced from a second-tier to a third-tier zombie.

"Your growth rate is astonishing," Mo Wen remarked, gently stroking her sticky hair. "No other zombie grows as fast as you do after eating crystal cores for a month."

Due to running out of fuel halfway, Mo Wen carried Yu Lan for the remainder of the journey. It took them nearly half a month to reach District 3.

Clearing away a few obstructive zombies, Mo Wen stood before the uneven skyscrapers and turned to Yu Lan. "Where would you like to stay?"

Yu Lan didn't understand his question, merely grumbling and biting his hair in frustration at her inability to move freely.

Seeing this, Mo Wen sighed and began inspecting each building one by one.