Cloud Raising Little Zombies: Chapter 17

ZOMBIE EMPEROR CULTIVATION

17. Crystal Nucleus Upgrade

Ye You took out the crystal nucleus of the old lion.

The black crystal nucleus, about the size of a peanut, was pinched between his fingers. Even though he didn’t feel hunger, the craving for the crystal nucleus was still there.

Suppressing the urge to consume it for now, Ye You began to scour the bamboo forest, extracting the crystal nuclei from the zombified animals that had been killed by the old lion.

He decided to collect all the crystal nuclei first and eat them later. Although these rice-sized crystal nuclei weren’t as appealing to him anymore, Ye You had known hunger before, and he wasn’t about to pass up free crystal nuclei.

In total, there were 11 rice-sized crystal nuclei.

Ye You wiped the cores clean on the white lion’s mane, then placed each one into the small cloth bag that Su Zi’an had given him.

Pulling the red string tight at the bag’s opening, Ye You held the small bag in his palm, feeling the weight of the crystal nuclei for the first time. A smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

【White Lion: Whimper… I’ve been used as a rag.】

【Tool Lion confirmed.】

【Use! Use me as much as you want! As long as Zai Zai is happy, all my mane can be used to wipe crystal nuclei!】

【We’ll protect Zai Zai’s smile.】

Ye You removed a portion of the morning glory vines that made up the plant wall, causing the blooming flowers to close.

After finishing everything, Ye You prepared to return to the cabin, but suddenly, a light screen appeared right in front of him.

Ye You had only encountered a light screen running toward him once before.

That was during his battle with the water-type zombie, when the light screen had used his points to exchange for a rather useless “mosaic.”

【Your total points have exceeded 1,000. You can exchange them for one [Lottery Chance]. Would you like to exchange?】

【Cancel/Exchange (Automatically exchanges in 3s)】

Have his points really reached 1,000?

Ye You vaguely remembered that when he last checked the light screen in the black mist, his points were around two hundred. How did they increase so quickly?

Ye You raised his hand and lightly tapped the word “Exchange” with his fingertip.

Points that just sit there are just numbers. Better to exchange them.

【Exchange successful. You have gained one [Lottery Chance]. Would you like to use it now?】

【Cancel/Use】

“Use,” Ye You once again lightly tapped the button on the right.

【Congratulations! You’ve gained “Animal Affinity +20 points.”】

【Description: With 20 points of affinity, your relationship with animals reaches a friendly level. The first time animals see you, they’ll want to be friends with you. PS: Does not include zombified animals.】

Animal Affinity, huh?

Ye You glanced around, but the mutated animals around him seemed as if they had drunk fake wine—right now, it was impossible to test the effect of those 20 points of affinity.

Ye You then headed toward the cabin.

As he passed the unconscious director and his daughter, Ye You paused.

Bending down, he picked up the little girl with one arm and grabbed the director’s arm with the other, dragging them both into the cabin.

The mutated animals were tough and could stay outside for as long as they wanted without any issues, but these two humans could easily get into trouble if exposed to the evening wind for too long.

Ye You brought them into the cabin and left them on the floor without further concern.

Returning to the room that the director had arranged for him and his brother, he found Su Zi’an still standing by the window, likely still caught in the illusion.

Ye You walked over and closed the window, leaving Su Zi’an standing there.

He then sat cross-legged on the bamboo mat on the floor and took out the small cloth bag.

【Is it mealtime already? I’ve already ordered the dishes, just waiting for Zai Zai’s mukbang.】

【I think Zai Zai is about to count the crystal nuclei.】

【One crystal nucleus, two crystal nuclei… The life of the wealthy is just so plain and boring.】

Ye You took out the peanut-sized black crystal nucleus and swallowed it in one gulp.

This crystal nucleus carried the taste of the night wind.

Powerful energy surged through his body.

Ye You “saw” the colorless crystal nucleus in his mind rapidly grow larger, while the emerald green one only deepened in color.

Was the power of a single crystal nucleus not enough to upgrade both of his crystal nuclei?

Or perhaps, to upgrade the plant-based crystal nucleus, he needed to consume another plant-based crystal nucleus?

None of the remaining crystal nuclei were plant-based.

After waiting for the energy within him to settle, Ye You ate another rice-sized golden crystal nucleus.

This time, neither of the two crystal nuclei reacted.

Maybe he should wait until he finds a plant-based crystal nucleus or a higher-grade one to try again.

Just as Ye You was about to put away the cloth bag, Su Zi’an suddenly shouted, “Ge!” so loudly that it almost made him drop the small bag.

Ye You looked up.

He saw Su Zi’an push the window open with a “bang,” leaning forward as if he was about to climb out.

“Who are you calling ‘Ge’?” Ye You said calmly.

Su Zi’an’s movement to climb out the window paused.

Perhaps realizing the voice came from behind him, or perhaps seeing the situation in the bamboo forest, he abruptly turned his head.

“Ge!” Su Zi’an threw himself at Ye You, knocking over the fruit plate on the low table, causing quite a commotion.

“Ge, are you hurt?” Su Zi’an barely had time to hold him before urgently checking him over.

He pulled up Ye You’s sleeve, lifted his shirt, and muttered things like, “It’s all my fault, I couldn’t protect Ge,” as he fussed.

“I’m not hurt. That old lion didn’t even touch the hem of my clothes.”

Ye You pinched a crystal nucleus from the bag and stuffed it into Su Zi’an’s mouth, trying to stop his endless chatter.

The rice-sized crystal nucleus was so small that Su Zi’an swallowed it before he even realized it.

“Ge, what did you just give me to eat?”

Su Zi’an’s gaze fell on the bag. “A crystal nucleus? I can just eat the biscuits, Ge, you don’t need to give me—”

Su Zi’an’s voice cut off abruptly as he clutched his stomach, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Pain, intense pain…

Ye You was bewildered. “Did you eat something bad?”

Su Zi’an could no longer respond. The pain spread from his abdomen to every part of his body, leaving not a single area untouched.

At the same time, a chill spread through him.

It was so cold that Su Zi’an felt like he was trapped in an ice cellar, or lying in a dark, eerie graveyard.

Outside, the sounds of animals waking up could already be heard.

Inside the room, Su Zi’an was writhing on the floor in pain.

Ye You felt somewhat at a loss. He had eaten so many crystal nuclei but had never felt this kind of pain.

Hmm… it seemed like zombies didn’t experience pain.

Why didn’t Su Zi’an just turn into a zombie from the start?

Becoming a zombie would mean no more pain.

Ye You considered whether he should bite Su Zi’an to see if he would turn into a zombie.

Su Zi’an clung tightly to Ye You, following his hand.

“Ge, Ge…” Su Zi’an’s voice trembled with pain.

Ye You rubbed Su Zi’an’s head and said, “If you’re about to die, I can bite you, or I could bite you now. It’s your choice.”

Su Zi’an continued to call out “Ge” without any indication of hearing him.

Su Zi’an seemed to be overly dependent on him.

Ye You suddenly realized, what about their parents?

Humans all have parents, right?

He recalled everything since meeting Su Zi’an.

Neither of them had mentioned their parents.

He didn’t have any relevant memories, so he had simply forgotten about their existence.

What about Su Zi’an?

He recalled the layout of the apartment he woke up in.

The shoes at the door, the clothes drying—everything was typical for a young person.

Wait, there seemed to be a lot of photos on the living room wall.

Ye You focused his mind.

After the colorless crystal nucleus in his mind grew larger, his memory became exceptionally strong. Even things he had briefly glanced at a long time ago could be recalled.

The largest photo showed two pairs of young men and women, each holding a baby, looking very close.

The two young women in the photo had somewhat similar features, suggesting they might be sisters.

Most of the other photos were of those same pairs of adults and children, seemingly taking a family portrait every year.

But by the time the children in the photos were about five years old, there were only the two pairs of adults holding the two children.

The last photo showed the two children around twelve years old, and there were no more new photos after that.

Ye You reached a conclusion.

He and Su Zi’an were cousins, hence the different surnames.

Around the age of five, his parents had left, possibly due to death or some other reason, and Su Zi’an’s parents had adopted him.

By around twelve, Su Zi’an’s parents had also left.

Ye You placed his hand on his chest.

He felt a bit stifled.

This feeling was strange, similar to when he saw Su Zi’an about to die.

Creak—

The door was pushed open by the awakened principal, who saw the two brothers holding each other and was momentarily stunned.

When the principal saw Ye You’s red eyes looking over, he instinctively recoiled.

“Sorry for the disturbance, continue,” the principal quickly said as he shut the door.

Most of the animals outside had already woken up. The frenzied and mutated animals each occupied their side, grooming themselves and gnawing on the carcasses of dead animals.

The principal’s daughter was still unconscious, and he dared not go outside, pacing back and forth in the room, unsure of what to do.

“Roar—”

Suddenly, an angry lion’s roar echoed. Having worked in the zoo for many years, the principal could distinguish each lion’s roar. He knew this was the white lion Mao Mao expressing its anger and peeked out.

The white lion had just woken up.

It remembered what the human had done while it was distracted by the floral scent.

Not only did the human use its body to block the old lion’s attacks, but they also used its proud mane for that purpose!

The white lion was furious. It followed the scent of the human and charged toward the wooden house.

“Mao Mao!” The principal exclaimed in shock. Although the white lion was not charging in his direction, …

Creak—

The sound of wood being shattered. The white lion’s massive body burst into the wooden house.

Ye You held Su Zi’an with one arm and stuffed the crystal nucleus bag into his pocket with the other. His crimson eyes, devoid of pupils, coldly observed the large white lion.

If the lion dared to act, Ye You was ready to launch a mental attack that would pierce the lion’s mind and crystal nucleus.

White Lion was not like the old lion. If levels were determined by crystal nucleus size, this lion was two levels lower than him.

One mental attack from Ye You would leave White Lion either dead or dumb.

Ye You noticed that the white lion’s threatening growl had stopped. Its bared teeth closed, and its once fierce eyes softened into a more playful expression.

“Roar~~ Roar~~”

The white lion pounced on Ye You.

The principal pushed the door open with a loud bang, anxiously looking inside.

The white lion was so large that its massive body nearly filled the entire room.

The principal couldn’t locate the two brothers, but he could see that White Lion was exuding a pleasant aura, behaving like a carefree cub playing with a friend.

Was there still a whole body left?

“Stay away from me! Don’t lick me!”

A somewhat displeased voice came from the direction of White Lion’s head.

The principal was taken aback, tiptoed to see, but couldn’t spot anything. Instead, he heard White Lion emitting a slightly aggrieved growl.

This…

The principal hesitated and closed the door, “Sorry for the disturbance, continue.”

·

The black mist in the jungle had completely dissipated, revealing the sky.

Su Zi’an fell asleep when the moon reached its zenith.

It was unclear whether he had fainted from pain or was simply exhausted.

Ye You tucked Su Zi’an into White Lion’s mane and, after calming the lion that wanted to follow him, went outside to get some fresh air alone.

The little girl had already woken up. The principal was tending to some injured animals, applying medicine with her help.

The giant panda, munching on bamboo next to the girl, hesitated for a moment when it saw Ye You and then offered the remaining piece of bamboo to him.

“Thank you, but I don’t eat bamboo,” Ye You said, already aware of what a 20-point affinity meant and able to calmly decline the animals’ gestures of goodwill.

【I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it! Give me the bamboo! I’ll make bamboo tube rice!】

【What bamboo tube rice? Give it to me! I can eat it raw!】

【Waaah, I also want to be friends with the giant panda.】

【What kind of physique does the streamer have? Being followed by the white lion and receiving bamboo from the giant panda, I’m envious.】

The director was also surprised.

It was unusual for Zhi Ma to actively share its food with a stranger. It used to even snatch food from its own cubs.

Not showing his confusion, the director continued to tidy up the medical kit and asked Ye You, “It’s not dawn yet. Why don’t you rest a bit more?”

“I’m not tired,” Ye You said, moving outside to discuss with the two, “The old lion has been dealt with. Are you planning to leave?”

Ye You wanted to take the animals from here with him, at least the white lion as a means of transportation.

But since the girl had powers related to animals, Ye You wanted to know their decision.

“We’ll leave at first light,” the director said, patting the little girl beside him, “These past few days, we’ve been living on apples and milk powder. I’m fine, but my daughter’s health can’t take this much longer.”

“And the animals?” Ye You asked.

“Well…” The director glanced at the group of crazed animals quietly waiting on the other side.

They behaved so quietly and calmly that, without careful observation, it was hard to tell they were once frenzied.

After the appearance of the old lion, he inexplicably lost consciousness and had a very long dream.

When he woke up again, the battle was over.

The crazed old lion was dead, and many other animals were also dead.

He saw the morning glory vines growing on the old lion and saw the animals that seemed unsteady as if drunk.

Except for the white lion Mao Mao, there were almost no signs of battle on the other animals.

The fact that they won this battle, and that he and his daughter, as well as so many animals, survived, and even the crazed animals were now so calm, was undoubtedly due to these two visitors.

The director wasn’t sure what kind of answer the youth wanted, so he followed his heart and said, “If the animals are willing to leave with us, we will take them with us.”

“Leave for where?” Ye You asked.

“Um…” The director scratched his head and said, “First, we’ll go to the police station.”

Ye You was sure that the other party still didn’t know the situation outside, but they would see it for themselves once they left the zoo tomorrow.

“Alright,” Ye You smiled, “We’ll leave together tomorrow and take the animals with us.”

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