Seeing that You Rong was increasingly not himself, Lin Qinghe's brow furrowed, and she grew more worried. "You Rong, what exactly is wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
You Rong abruptly looked up, his eyes red as fresh blood, brimming with fury. Veins bulged on his neck as he roared hoarsely, "...Scram! Get... out of here!"
Lin Qinghe reached out to pull You Rong. "You Rong, you..." She gasped as You Rong forcefully shoved her away the moment she touched him. The force sent her crashing to the ground, and the pain in her hip and spine made her face go pale.
You Rong paid her no mind, his expression grim and filled with anger as he continued to walk forward.
He didn't want to see Lin Qinghe anymore!
He didn't want to see anyone!
Lin Qinghe watched You Rong walk away, struggling to get up. Enduring the pain in her spine, she limped after him.
Lin Qinghe's brow was tightly furrowed, her expression thoughtful.
You Rong's emotions were too off. He kept trying to drive her away, but it didn't seem to be out of dislike; other reasons were mixed in.
Lin Qinghe thought to herself: she absolutely had to find out why!
Lin Qinghe secretly followed You Rong from a distance, wanting to see what he would do after chasing her away.
You Rong walked forward numbly, his mind a chaotic mess, incapable of thought. Naturally, he paid no attention to Lin Qinghe following him.
You Rong wandered aimlessly for an entire morning. By noon, he squinted at the hazy sky, his throat bobbing. The craving in his heart resurfaced, and his eyes grew redder.
He wanted to bite someone, to tear them apart and swallow them whole, bone and all!
The restlessness born from hunger and his dwindling reason warred in You Rong's mind, causing him inexpressible agony.
You Rong walked up to a large supermarket. Suddenly, his eyes flickered, and he stepped inside.
Lin Qinghe followed behind him, her brow furrowed.
You Rong had been wandering aimlessly. Why was he suddenly going into a supermarket? Was he hungry? Did he want food? Or other supplies?
Lin Qinghe didn't know. She could only tread lightly, keeping her distance.
There were two zombies in the supermarket, but they were low-level. Since it was daytime, they didn't proactively attack, so neither You Rong nor Lin Qinghe paid them any mind.
You Rong walked past the shelves stocked with biscuits and instant noodles, which made Lin Qinghe even more puzzled.
He wasn't here for food?
You Rong walked directly towards the fresh food section. He looked at the supermarket refrigerators, but they were empty. He paused, then continued forward.
You Rong reached the front of the fresh food section and stood by the entrance to the supermarket's walk-in freezer, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, he pushed open the door and entered.
Lin Qinghe hid behind a shelf, waiting minute after minute. Ten full minutes passed, and You Rong still hadn't emerged. She couldn't help but worry.
What was You Rong doing in the freezer?
Was he going to freeze himself to death in there?!
The more Lin Qinghe thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She couldn't stand it any longer and walked over, pushing open the freezer door to go inside.
As soon as Lin Qinghe entered, the frigid temperature made her body shiver. The freezer was dimly lit and filled with frozen goods. She tiptoed further in, searching carefully, trying to find You Rong.
Suddenly, Lin Qinghe found You Rong in a corner. He was crouched on the ground, his eyes terrifyingly red. He was holding a piece of ice-cold raw beef, devouring it with large bites, the sounds of swallowing clearly audible. There were still bloodstains on the corner of his mouth.
Lin Qinghe's eyes widened. The visual impact was too much, leaving her stunned. "You Rong! You..."
You Rong's body stiffened noticeably. He looked up to meet Lin Qinghe's astonished gaze and froze for a few seconds. Then, as if he had gone mad, he roared at her, "Scram... Scram! Get out!"
You Rong was in agony. He knew clearly that he was human, but his body craved to bite, to devour a person whole, flesh and bone. Reason and his body's desires were in a fierce struggle, driving him to the brink of madness.
Lin Qinghe flinched back instinctively, startled.
She stared fixedly at You Rong.
For some reason, though You Rong was enraged and screaming at her hysterically, she could tell he was afraid.
Was he afraid of being seen as a monster?
At that moment, Lin Qinghe felt a genuine pang of heartache for You Rong.
Without hesitation, her expression firm, Lin Qinghe rushed into You Rong's arms. Then, while You Rong was stunned, she wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him.
You Rong froze, his eyes blankly staring at Lin Qinghe.
Lin Qinghe pried open You Rong's clenched teeth and kissed him deeply, disregarding the metallic taste of blood in his mouth as their lips and tongues entwined.
The kiss didn't last long, but when Lin Qinghe pulled away, You Rong remained in a state of stunned disbelief.
Lin Qinghe cupped You Rong's cheeks with her warm hands, meeting his bewildered, incredulous gaze. Her beautiful eyes curved into a gentle smile. "Don't be afraid... You are human, and you are the person I love. Even if you turn into a zombie, you are still the person I love. No matter what you become, you are the person I love! Even if one day you lose all reason and want to bite and eat people, in my eyes, you haven't changed at all. You are still the person I love!"
Since injecting the serum, You Rong's heart rate had slowed considerably. Suddenly, his heart gave a strong thump, and he felt a sensation of his pulse accelerating.
The system's prompt suddenly sounded: "Progress bar increased by five percent, total progress bar at six percent."
Lin Qinghe's heart leaped with joy.
Was You Rong finally starting to believe her?!
Lin Qinghe seized the opportunity, wanting to push the progress bar further. She hugged You Rong tightly, burying her face against his chest, patting his hand gently. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid... I will always be by your side, and I will always protect you..." she said, her voice growing softer with each word.
Unfortunately, after she finished speaking, there was no further prompt from the progress bar. Still, Lin Qinghe held onto You Rong, not letting go.
The previously frantic You Rong calmed down at this moment, passively letting Lin Qinghe hold him.
It wasn't until Lin Qinghe, unable to bear the cold any longer, sneezed that You Rong finally came back to his senses. His gaze was complex. Without a word, he grabbed Lin Qinghe's hand and pulled her out.
After pulling Lin Qinghe out, You Rong gave her a deep look, turned around, and went back into the freezer.
This time, Lin Qinghe didn't follow. You Rong needed to eat, but he surely wouldn't want to be seen gnawing on raw meat like a zombie.
Lin Qinghe waited outside the freezer, her gaze lowered as she fell into thought.
You Rong's violent attempts to drive her away were clearly because he had developed a desire to bite her. However, out of reason, he was desperately trying to control that urge.
From now on, You Rong would need to consume raw meat. This presented a dilemma for her. After all, raw meat was difficult to find in the apocalypse, and even if she found large quantities of it, it would be hard to preserve...
As Lin Qinghe was lost in thought, the freezer door opened, and You Rong emerged. It seemed he had wiped himself clean, as his mouth was spotless, with no trace of blood.