After Xie Ning took care of the two zombies, she turned to see Song Kexin staring at the back seat. The girl was gripping her long-handled cleaver so tightly her body was trembling.
Xie Ning knew at once what was happening. She walked over and glanced inside. "What are you waiting for, a prize?"
Sweat slicked Song Kexinâs palm as she clutched the cleaver. "Sis."
She stammered, "Itâs... itâs a little kid."
"Youâre wrong," Xie Ning said, her voice cold. "Thatâs not a little kid. Itâs a little zombie."
In the back seat of the sedan, a little girl with her hair in two braids had her back to them. Now, she was slowly turning her head.
Song Kexin immediately saw that one side of the little girlâs face was a mangled mess of blood and flesh.
Her ashy-white pupils stared blankly at them. Agonizingly slowly, she staggered out of the car, a constant, guttural rattle escaping her throat.
Her gaze was completely unfocused. She was moving on pure instinct, drawn by the scent of Xie Ning and Song Kexin.
Gripping her cleaver, Song Kexin backed away step by step, an indescribable feeling churning inside her.
"Song Kexin, do you want to live?"
Song Kexin nodded fiercely.
"If you want to live, you have to overcome this mental block. The thing in front of you isnât a person. Itâs just a rotting corpse."
"Youâll run into zombies that are even smaller, even more pathetic than this one. Some of them might only be able to crawl."
"Are you going to feel so sorry for them, so full of pity, that you offer up your own neck for them to bite?"
With tears welling in her eyes, Song Kexin silently shook her head. Her grip on the cleaver twisted tighter and tighter.
"The world has gone to hell. Youâre walking through that endless hell now, so you have to learn the skills to survive on your own. No one can be there to protect you forever. The only strength you can truly rely on is your own."
"Strike it, Song Kexin! Aim for the head!"
The moment the words left Xie Ningâs mouth, Song Kexin averted her face and brought the cleaver down hard on the little zombieâs head as it shrieked and lunged at her.
Dark red blood sprayed out. Song Kexin almost lost her grip on the cleaver; her palm felt slick, and her arm suddenly went weak.
The little zombie, now right in front of her, shrieked, its mouth stretched grotesquely wide. Its body convulsed, the cleaver still embedded in its head.
Xie Ning watched Song Kexin and the little zombie, her expression tense. She fought back the urge to step in and help, her voice remaining cold as she continued, "Song Kexin, get a good look at the monster in front of you. Does a normal personâs mouth stretch that wide? Strike it! Keep striking, donât hesitate!"
Song Kexin pressed her lips together tightly, yanked the cleaver free, and swung again. She sobbed as she struck, "Iâm sorry, Iâm sorry, Iâm sorry."
THUMP. The little zombie fell backward and lay still.
Song Kexinâs hands were shaking so badly that the cleaver CLATTERED to the ground.
Xie Ning rushed forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and patting her on the back. "You did great. You have nothing to be sorry for. You did so well."
"Weâre going to face much stronger monsters in the future. If you donât improve, the only other path is death."
"I might get killed, injured, or crippled down the line. I canât be with you forever. Thatâs why you have to be able to protect yourselves, understand?"
Song Kexinâs heart felt as heavy as a stone. She threw her arms around Xie Ningâs slender neck, burying her face in Xie Ningâs messy hair and sobbing. "Thatâs not true! You wonât die, you wonât get hurt, and you wonât be crippled! Youâll always be okay, Sis."