Chapter 59

At the next instant, the cell turned quiet, as if there was just a quiet corpse inside.

“Are there really zombies in this world?” asked Lin Wu. He was stunned.

“There are ghosts, so why can’t there be zombies?”

Xiao Qin rolled her eyes at him and then explained casually, “Zombies, as their names suggest, are just stiffened corpses [1]. Most of the time, it’s the presence of too much yin aura that leads to the mutation of new corpses. They are living dead without souls.”

“Too much yin aura?” Shi Qiuhong couldn’t help but ask, feeling perplexed, “Could it be that the yin aura in the mortuary is too strong and thus my grandfather was turned into a zombie?”

Xiao Qin shook her head and said calmly, “What would this little bit of yin aura in the mortuary matter? If this bit of yin aura could result in zombies, then the world would probably be filled with them.”

“Then why did her grandfather become one?” Lin Wu asked curiously.

“There are many reasons for corpse mutation, such as feng shui. But the yin aura in this mortuary isn’t that strong, so it’s clearly not due to it.”

Xiao Qin’s gaze was fixed on the cell that stored the corpse. She then shook her head and said, “It could be that he had gotten some kind of item that naturally gathers yin aura, or it could also be that he had died when possessed by a powerful malicious ghost. The malicious ghost could be trapped in his body, unable to break free. Corpse mutation could also take place when the corpse keeps on absorbing a malicious ghost’s yin aura.”

Lin Wu answered with an ‘oh’ and then asked, “Where did so many remnant spirits come from?”

“There’s nothing profound to that.”

Xiao Qin replied casually, “This zombie is also emitting yin aura, just like a special magnetic field. After the people around it die, their spirits won’t be dissipated completely. They’d leave behind some kind of remnant spirits. The moment you open the cell and release the zombie, the remnant spirits nearby would all dissipate. Therefore, they’d naturally try to stop you.”

Lin Wu was surprised. “They are so amazing? so what if the zombie were to break free and create havoc in the mortal world?”

“…”

Xiao Qin threw him a speechless glance, saying helplessly, “Humans are humans. Even if their corpses have mutated, it’s still flesh and blood. They’d be covered in holes once shot by submachine guns. Even if they were zombies, they’d be useless then.”

Lin Wu was stunned. “I thought that they’re like the Hanba [2], drying out large areas of land for no reason.”

Xiao Qin instantly broke out laughing. “You’ve written too many novels.”

“Mrs. Lin…” Shi Qiuhong couldn’t help but ask, “Then, can my grandfather still be saved?”

Xiao Qin was stunned for a moment before she realized that ‘Mrs. Lin’ was referring to her. She coughed and said, “Your grandfather had long since died and is now just a corpse that can move. Don’t think too much about it.”

“Then is that zombie still my grandfather?” Shi Qiuhong asked hesitantly.

Xiao Qin looked at her, seeming to have noticed her love and concern toward the old man. She sighed, shook her head, and said, “The zombie might receive a part of your grandfather’s fragmented memories, but zombies have neither intelligence nor emotions. He won’t care for you like your grandfather did either.”

Shi Qiuhong couldn’t help but fall silent, stare at the cell, and bite on her lips.

“Leave it be. Death will come to everyone one day.”

Lin Wu advised her softly, “Since your grandfather is already dead, then let him rest in peace. If possible, let him be cremated earlier in case other people were to find out.”

“Hey, don’t be speaking gibberish.” Xiao Qin suddenly tugged at Lin Wu, saying helplessly, “Although zombies don’t have intelligence, they bear grudges. It’ll definitely hear what you’ve said. Aren’t you scared that it’ll come to look for you for revenge?”

Lin Wu’s face turned grim, and he couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart. He made up his mind and said, “Then let’s deal with it today. I’ll see how it’ll come to me for revenge after I’ve burned it to ashes. Wait a moment. I’ll go prepare chicken blood, dog blood, glutinous rice, black donkey’s hoe, and things like that…”

Xiao Qin couldn’t help but smile. “Why don’t you look for male child’s pee? Any male virgin will do. Didn’t you say that you’re a virgin?”

Green veins popped up on Shi Qiuhong’s forehead when she heard this. She didn’t wish for her grandfather’s corpse to be messed around like that.

“Cough, that won’t be necessary.”

Lin Wu let out a dry cough and then asked carefully, “Erm… It won’t come charging out, right?”

“It won’t be able to come out. Zombies that have just gone through corpse mutation aren’t as strong as they were when they were alive.” Xiao Qin shook her head.

“Oh?” Lin Wu’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s open the cell. I’ll tie it up and send it for cremation.”

Shi Qiuhong’s grandfather was just a sickly old man before he died. Since his strength wouldn’t be as strong now that he had become a zombie, then what was there to be scared of?

Suddenly, a chill rose in his heart. That feeling appeared again.

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

The zombie in the cell seemed to have heard Lin Wu’s word and kept on banging against the metal cell door, causing the lock to keep on clanking and shaking.

“See, you’ve offended it again.” Xiao Qin chuckled.

“So what.” Left with no way out, Lin Wu kicked on the cell door and said with a snort, “Why are you still struggling? If you continue to mess around, do you believe that I’ll burn you down with fire?”

The cell immediately fell silent. It seemed that the zombie was scared.

Lin Wu couldn’t help but smile and say proudly, “You’re scared now? I’ll be honest with you. My surname is Lin, and I’m a descendant of Lam Ching-Ying [3]. I’ve seen many things like zombies and such.”

Xiao Qin rolled her eyes. She knew that Lin Wu was just spouting rubbish.

Shi Qiuhong hesitated for a moment before asking, “Then, should I inform my family to send grandfather’s corpse for cremation?”

“There’s no need.”

Xiao Qin shook her head and said, “There’d be risks if you were to get people to move the corpse. If this zombie had undergone corpse mutation because there’s a malicious ghost hidden in it, the malicious ghost might possess someone and break free if that person were to come into contact with the corpse.”

Lin Wu was stunned and asked, “Then what should we do?”

“Leave it here and don’t care about it.” Xiao Qin said casually, “Zombies are just living dead. Even if they had gone through corpse mutation due to yin aura, they’ll need to replenish their nourishment. As long as the corpse is unable to obtain nourishment, they won’t be able to sustain the corpse mutation. It would come to a stop after some time, and the corpse’s living vitalities would be completely cut off. Thereafter, the malicious ghost inside it would dissipate as well.”

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

The zombie in the cell started to bang against the metal cell door again.

“Let me out…”

“Let me out…”

“Let me out…”

A deep and aged voice kept on repeating itself like it was on playback, with no hints of emotion in it.

“Be quiet.” Lin Wu kicked the cell but didn’t dare to use too much force for fear that he would spoil the door. What would happen if the zombie were to come out?

However, after his kick, the cell turned quiet again.

Xiao Qin threw a glance at Shi Qiuhong and said, “Your father is the vice-chairman, right? Leave this corpse alone and wait for a few days. It’ll be fine after the seventh day of your grandfather’s death has passed.

“En…” Shi Qiuhong nodded, wearing a complicated expression.

“Alright, let’s go out. It’s really uncomfortable to stay in this mortuary.” Lin Wu shook his head and then looked at the lock on the cell. He only turned to head out of the mortuary after affirming that the lock was locked.

After the three of them left, a chill suddenly permeated the mortuary.

If someone with yin-yang eyes were around, they’d notice that a human figure that was almost transparent had darted out from the ceiling, floating into the mortuary and coming to a stop on the seventh cell of the second layer.

Then——

That incorporeal hand, which seemed as if it was going to dissipate, gently opened up the cell’s lock.

“Kacha.”

A light sound rang out and the cell was slowly pushed open from the inside.

[1] Relating to the direct translation of the Chinese raws for zombies.

[2] A monster from the Chinese mythology that is said to cause droughts.

[3] Pinyin for the Chinese name is Lin Zhengying. He had starred in many Chinese zombies/vampires related movies.