Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Extra 7

Extra 7 – Fragmented Images

The bathtub gradually filled with water, and steam permeated the entire bathroom.

Qian Hui seemed determined to “help” Nan Tingjin bathe, stubbornly trying to undress him with clumsy, slow movements.

In the end, Nan Tingjin had to do it himself, tossing his thoroughly soaked clothes into a wooden bucket.

Though the bathtub wasn’t small, it still felt cramped with two adults. Qian Hui had no choice but to sit on Nan Tingjin’s lap.

A faint blush slowly crept across Qian Hui’s cheeks, whether from the close proximity or the steamy heat, Nan Tingjin couldn’t tell.

Nan Tingjin almost thought Qian Hui had fully recovered, but when he leaned in to kiss him, Qian Hui still wore that dazed, innocent expression.

Though he responded to the kisses and clung to Nan Tingjin, Qian Hui even initiated kisses, likely due to the lingering effects of the potion, always nipping while kissing.

After a while, Nan Tingjin pulled back first, gripping Qian Hui’s nape to prevent him from pressing closer.

Qian Hui’s eyes filled with hurt, and he shifted uneasily.

Nan Tingjin kissed the tip of his nose. “Let’s bathe first.”

The towel lay nearby, and the water continued to flow into the tub, now even warmer than before.

Halfway through the bath, Qian Hui grew restless again, humming softly as he nuzzled against Nan Tingjin.

Having taken the potion, Qian Hui was now fully human. Though his ability might still be present, his physical constitution was far stronger than before.

Moreover, Qian Hui’s frail health in the past had prevented any real intimacy between them; even kisses had been restrained.

Now, driven entirely by instinct, Qian Hui lacked Nan Tingjin’s self-control.

His face flushed crimson, his eyes glistening through the misty air. Pressing closer, he murmured against Nan Tingjin’s throat, “Xiao Jin…”

Hearing his name, Nan Tingjin pulled Qian Hui into a tight embrace, kissing the tip of his ear.

Qian Hui’s breathing grew heavy as he nipped wildly at Nan Tingjin’s neck.

Having forgotten much of his past and spent so long in a half-human, half-zombie state, this felt like a first experience.

The bathtub water continued to overflow. Qian Hui leaned against Nan Tingjin, licking the fresh bite mark on his neck.

Now satisfied, he remembered his intention to help Nan Tingjin bathe, grabbing a towel and scrubbing haphazardly.

Nan Tingjin didn’t stop him. He leaned against the bathtub, watching Qian Hui for a moment before suddenly grabbing his wrist.

Outside, the sky quickly darkened completely. As bedtime approached, the cabbage lamps throughout the settlement switched off precisely on time.

When the lights went out, Qian Hui was still in the bathroom, which had no windows. The pitch-black darkness made him feel a little scared.

Nan Tingjin soothed him gently, draining and refilling the bathtub with fresh water.

Fortunately, the hot water and power remained on throughout the night. After a long while, they finally emerged from the bathroom.

Nan Tingjin dried Qian Hui’s hair and helped him get dressed.

A narrow gap in the window let in the bright moonlight, casting a soft glow across the room.

Qian Hui lowered his head and touched his reddened palm.

Nan Tingjin pulled him close, took his hand, and kissed his palm, asking softly, “Does it hurt here?”

Qian Hui wrinkled his nose but still said, “No…”

He took the opportunity to bite Nan Tingjin lightly, whispering, “I like you…”

Nan Tingjin kissed him again and carried him to bed.

Having lingered too long in the bathroom, Qian Hui went to sleep late that night and woke up late the next morning.

Durian took the Little Bitter Gourds for their morning run, completing two laps before heading back for breakfast. When they returned, they found the plants still gathered outside the Small Wooden Cabin.

Carnivorous Flower nearly panicked, thinking something had happened. Mimosa used its skill to investigate and reported that Qian Hui was merely sleeping.

Potato wanted to shout through the window, but Lettuce stopped it.

Unable to wait any longer, the plants reluctantly went to have breakfast.

Inside the cabin, Qian Hui slept soundly until ten in the morning before finally waking up.

He opened his eyes and gazed at Nan Tingjin beside him, his consciousness gradually returning.

Memories of the past few days resurfaced: drinking the potion, biting Sweet Pepper, playing with the plants, and reliving his work at the Little Courtyard.

And then there was last night…

Qian Hui’s expression froze, and the tips of his ears flushed crimson.

Nan Tingjin had been awake for some time, keenly noticing Qian Hui’s unusual reaction.

He leaned closer and asked softly, “Recovered?”

Qian Hui’s eyelashes fluttered, and he stammered, “I…”

His cheeks quickly flushed pink as well, clearly showing he had recovered much more than yesterday. However, his speech and reactions remained somewhat sluggish, his words still slurred.

He hadn’t fully recovered yet—just a little bit more.

Nan Tingjin stopped pressing the matter, pulled Qian Hui into his arms, and patiently stroked his silver hair to soothe him.

Once Qian Hui had calmed down, they finally got out of bed and washed up.

While washing his face, Qian Hui grabbed the towel, wanting to do it himself. “I… can,” he mumbled.

Nan Tingjin remained unmoved, continuing to care for him as he had the previous two days.

After putting on his coat, Qian Hui pushed open the door. The plants, who had been waiting anxiously outside, immediately surged forward.

Sweet Pepper, taking advantage of its speed, was the first to reach Qian Hui, its eyes filled with concern. “Woo?”

Qian Hui bent down to pick it up, patting its head. “Tiantian.”

Sweet Pepper’s eyes lit up. “Woo!”

So that’s why Qian Hui had slept so long today—he was finally better!

The other plants were overjoyed as well, their hearts finally at ease. The potion’s side effects had worn off sooner than expected.

Qian Hui gently touched the spot where he had bitten Sweet Pepper earlier, his eyes filled with guilt. “Tiantian…”

Sweet Pepper quickly shook its head. It was perfectly fine; its dramatic reaction back then had only been out of fear that Qian Hui might truly turn into a zombie.

The other plants Qian Hui had bitten were also completely unharmed.

Little Mushroom climbed onto Qian Hui’s shoulder and quietly “wooed,” explaining that the mark on Mango Head’s head had been drawn by Winter Melon, and the bite mark had long since faded.

Nut, wearing its tiny grass-woven outfit, hopped closer, and Qian Hui scooped it up, straightening its little buttons.

The breakfast was reheated, and the plants clustered around Qian Hui, escorting him to the dining hall. Nan Tingjin followed alone at the rear.

Along the way, Sunflower and Lettuce squeezed into Qian Hui’s arms, while Sweet Pepper chattered incessantly about the events of the past few days.

Qian Hui nodded and murmured, “Mm-hmm,” to show he remembered everything.

Looking back, he realized his consciousness had been remarkably clear during that time. He hadn’t forgotten a single detail, only his actions had been beyond his control.

Qian Hui was delighted; the potion from the Game had truly lived up to his expectations.

He could feel each breath and heartbeat growing stronger, more vigorous.

However, despite feeling nearly recovered, he struggled to feed himself. His fingers were still clumsy, as if they hadn’t fully adjusted to his new body, and he couldn’t hold the spoon steady while eating porridge.

In the end, Nan Tingjin fed him. Qian Hui finished the entire bowl of porridge and then buried his face in a rice cake, eating slowly.

For the rest of the morning, Qian Hui strolled through the mountain forest, watching the plants continue their “zombie-fighting” game from the previous day.

The game had been refined into two teams: one for small to medium-sized plants and another for larger ones, allowing all the base’s plants to participate.

Rubber Tree finally achieved its dream of becoming one of the guards defending against the “zombie” invasion. Stationed at the rear, it hurled its grass balls with unerring accuracy.

By lunchtime, Qian Hui was so drowsy he could barely keep his eyes open. Despite having woken up late that morning, he still felt like he hadn’t slept enough, though his energy remained as good as the previous two days.

Nan Tingjin held him close. “Want to go back?”

Qian Hui yawned and leaned into Nan Tingjin’s embrace. “Mm.”

For this afternoon nap, Nan Tingjin left the door of the Small Wooden Cabin ajar, allowing the plants to enter.

Sweet Pepper was the first to notice. Rushing into the cabin, it found Nan Tingjin sitting by the window, holding Qian Hui in his lap and massaging his hand. Qian Hui’s eyes were closed, seemingly already asleep.

Sweet Pepper tiptoed closer, exchanging a glance with Nan Tingjin midway. Gathering its courage, it squeezed onto the sofa and tugged at the hem of Qian Hui’s shirt.

Moments later, Carnivorous Flower arrived with Little Mushroom. Little Mushroom leaped into Qian Hui’s arms and burrowed into his pocket.

Nut, Lettuce, and Mango, being small enough, also nestled into Qian Hui’s embrace.

The remaining plants either crowded onto the sofa, lay on the floor, or perched on the windowsill.

The plants moved with deliberate quietness, ensuring Qian Hui remained undisturbed, his breathing steady and even throughout.

He fell asleep, inhaling Nan Tingjin’s scent, and dreamed again.

The dream showed fragments of the past, scenes flashing by too quickly to be clearly seen.

But Qian Hui could vaguely sense what they represented.

It must have been before the Doomsday, when he first met Nan Tingjin, got to know him, and was pursued by him.

Just as Nan Tingjin had once said, Qian Hui had rejected him three times.

Yet despite his rejections, the feeling in the dream was undeniable: Qian Hui knew he had also loved Nan Tingjin.

As for why he had refused… there were likely many complex reasons, such as their genders, age difference, family circumstances, and so on.

The specifics eluded him. Since neither he nor Nan Tingjin had participated in the reset, many details related to them had been automatically erased and modified by the System.

If the Doomsday hadn’t come, they might never have ended up together.

But when the Doomsday arrived, the things that had once mattered became insignificant.

The present reality wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t the worst possible outcome either.

The dream continued, the images growing clearer as they progressed, until Qian Hui reached the day he first met Carrot.

Back then, mutated plants had only recently emerged. Most were weak, constantly fleeing from zombies to avoid being eaten.

Nan Tingjin discovered Carrot while scavenging for supplies. It was smaller and thinner than its current size, bearing several scars and hiding beneath rubble.

Realizing it couldn’t defeat Nan Tingjin, Carrot closed its eyes and pretended to be dead.

In the early days of the Doomsday, mutated plants were considered bizarre creatures, rarely seen as food. Especially since Nan Tingjin looked so formidable, he should…

But Carrot miscalculated. Nan Tingjin stuffed it into his backpack and took it home.

Seeing the motionless Carrot, Qian Hui grew curious and cautiously poked it with a fingertip. “Is… is it dead?”

Nan Tingjin’s gaze swept over. “No.”

Exposed, Carrot leaped up and darted toward the door, only to be caught again by Nan Tingjin.

Nan Tingjin stared down at it, his voice cold. “If it were dead, maybe we could eat it.”

Despair filled Carrot’s eyes as it trembled like a leaf.

Just then, Qian Hui rescued Carrot from Nan Tingjin’s grasp. “We can’t eat it… It’s so small and cute.”

Hearing this, hope flickered in Carrot’s heart, and it cautiously cracked open one eye.

Qian Hui’s aura was gentle, suggesting he was also an Ability User, though his power seemed faint, as if he had only recently awakened his ability.

Seeing the wound on Carrot, Qian Hui gently touched it, and the injury began to heal slowly.

Carrot felt the healing energy and slowly opened its eyes wide.

From that day on, Carrot followed the pair, or more accurately, it followed Qian Hui.

It ate little, never consuming too much, and sometimes even helped find food or warn of danger. Despite being quite clever and agile, Nan Tingjin repeatedly threatened to throw it away, but he never actually did.

Later, Qian Hui encountered two more plants: Carnivorous Flower and Little Mushroom.

The two plants traveled together, each with a unique appearance and a close bond, as if they came from the same forest.

Initially, Carnivorous Flower noticed a carrot traveling with humans and secretly followed them to investigate, hoping to scavenge some food scraps.

Its behavior didn’t escape Nan Tingjin’s notice. Qian Hui, ever soft-hearted, pretended to accidentally leave some food behind whenever he saw Carnivorous Flower rummaging through the trash.

Once the feeding began, it continued. Nan Tingjin didn’t object; his powerful ability ensured both their safety and a constant supply of food.

Initially, the Carnivorous Flower was extremely cautious, meticulously inspecting any food it found before eating it, and never approaching the pair too closely.

One day, however, it was ambushed by two zombies. Though it managed to kill them, it was severely wounded and collapsed.

Qian Hui rushed over to check on it. The Carnivorous Flower lay on the ground, with a pink Little Mushroom clinging to its leaf, crying “woo woo.”

Before losing consciousness completely, the Carnivorous Flower used its last bit of strength to push the Little Mushroom toward Qian Hui, entrusting it to this seemingly kind human.

When it opened its eyes again, it discovered not only that it had survived, but that its wounds had been healed.

The fourth plant was Big Pea.

Back then, Big Pea was still Little Pea—small in stature but bold in spirit. It would sneak into other Ability Users’ tents at night, trying to steal things.

It didn’t just steal food; it also snatched weapons. When caught, it would clutch a dagger tightly to its chest, refusing to let go, and spit in the Ability Users’ faces.

The Ability Users, astonished by the Pea’s audacity, decided to keep it until morning and then throw it to the zombies.

However, later that night, the Pea escaped again, leaving several bite marks in the tent.

Furious, the Ability Users organized a search party to hunt it down.

Meanwhile, the Carnivorous Flower opened its backpack, its round eyes meeting another pair of round eyes.

Pea chuckled and turned to flee, but Nan Tingjin caught it after only three steps.

Pea tried to spit at Nan Tingjin, who narrowed his eyes. “Behave yourself.”

Pea immediately cowered, freezing in place.

Qian Hui, ever compassionate, healed Pea’s injuries from the Ability User’s attack, gave it some dried rations, and told it to hide far away.

Clutching the rations, Pea looked up at Qian Hui again.

Its eyes darted around before it climbed onto Qian Hui’s leg and sprawled across his lap.

Now four plants remained by Qian Hui’s side. Whenever strangers approached, they would quickly hide, trying to avoid detection.

Pea was the most mischievous of the group, but it feared Nan Tingjin and couldn’t defeat the Carnivorous Flower, so it usually behaved. It was also very good at cheering Qian Hui up.

Soon, Qian Hui encountered his fifth plant: Timothy, the cat-tail grass.

For some reason, Timothy seemed to be hunted by human ability users. Like Chili Pepper later, it was found injured and unconscious by Qian Hui.

Back then, Timothy was still small, without its pink headscarf, and its tail was thin. When curled up, it was barely larger than a palm.

Qian Hui healed its injuries with his ability. Timothy quickly awoke, hissed warily at Qian Hui, and fled without looking back.