Walking a Little Zombie in the Apocalypse

[Post-apocalyptic setting + zombie-wrangling + everyday life + scheming heroine]

Updated promptly at 6 p.m. every evening

Lin Chu has always dreamed of a peerless hero who would descend from the heavens on a rainbow cloud.

It just so happens that he arrives rather unexpectedly.

Boom! A huge hole opens in the ceiling, and a young man falls through.

Around twenty, tall and slender, with a face that should be handsome, except that dark blue veins now crawl across it and two little fangs peek out beneath his lips.

Lin Chu leaps six feet back. “Aaaaaah! A zombie!”

The little zombie Yan Chuan tilts his head at her. “Woof, woof, woof!”

The day the zombies broke out, Lin Chu was taking a nap in a supermarket.

She managed to live on instant noodles for seven days, and then Yan Chuan dropped out of the sky.

This little zombie doesn't bite. He just follows her around, barking “woof, woof” like an abandoned puppy.

When she sits down, he rests his head on her lap and gazes up at her with his twenty-year-old face.

Lin Chu's heart softened.

A group of people came to steal their supplies, knocked Lin Chu to the ground, and kicked Yan Chuan aside when he rushed to help.

That night, a blizzard sealed off the city. Holding him close in a corner, Lin Chu gritted her teeth and mumbled in her sleep, “Kill them… kill them all.”

When she opened her eyes the next day, those people were lying by the door, and every trace of blood had been wiped clean.

Yan Chuan stood nearby, tossing his head and barking “woof, woof,” begging for praise.

But when he saw Lin Chu approaching, he took two steps back.

He was afraid of getting her dirty, and even more afraid she'd be scared of him.

Lin Chu crouched down, wiped the blood off his face, and smiled.

“Good job.”

Yan Chuan lunged into her arms, nuzzling into the crook of her neck and whining affectionately.

Everything was wonderful, except that this little zombie had far too much energy. If she didn't take him out for a walk every day, he'd tear the place apart.

So Lin Chu had no choice but to put a leash around his neck and walk him every day.

“You can't eat things from the trash can!”

“Don't bully the other zombies!”

Bedtime was the real test. Every morning, Lin Chu woke to find herself squeezed in a pair of arms, with a fluffy head buried against the back of her neck.

She tied him to a shelf support. The next day, the rope was broken and the shelves had toppled, but she was still in his arms.

One night, half-asleep, Lin Chu felt someone licking her fingers, one by one, from the tips to the spaces between them.

She opened her eyes and saw Yan Chuan crouched beside the bed, sucking her ring finger into his mouth. His gray-white eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness.

Lin Chu's brain promptly shut down. She yanked her hand away and pulled the covers over her head.

Two plaintive “woofs” came from outside the blankets.

She bit her lip. “…You can kiss me tomorrow.”

The covers were nudged open from outside, and a head poked through the gap, its nose touching hers.

Yan Chuan cautiously brushed her lips with the tip of his tongue, then her nose, eyelids, and earlobe, before returning to her lips and pressing himself against her.

The young man's kiss was clumsy and greedy, like a child tasting something sweet for the first time.

Lin Chu could barely catch her breath. Her fingers tightened around his collar, then loosened, then tightened again.

The next morning, she found herself trapped in his arms again, and something was wrong. The young man's body was pressed far too close to hers.

Lin Chu froze, afraid to move. Yan Chuan buried his face in her hair. The tips of his ears turned a dusty pink as he gave a muffled “woof.”

Lin Chu took a deep breath. “…Get off.”

He didn't move. His arms only tightened around her.

Lin Chu looked up at the hole in the ceiling, with moonlight spilling through it.

She looked down at the zombie boy in her arms, trying to hide his face in her hair, and couldn't help laughing.

Maybe he wasn't so different from the peerless hero in her dreams after all.

Jealous zombie puppy hero who loves acting cute vs. a heroine who seems delicate but is actually scheming

Reader's guide:

1. The hero has a double identity and isn't really “little.”

2. This is a fictional setting, not a classic zombie story. It's an alien invasion involving parasitic extraterrestrial organisms. The higher the host's rank, the more forms they can switch between.

3. The heroine has an ex-boyfriend, but they were completely innocent: they never even kissed. She was hurt by the relationship, and the hero quietly helps her heal.

4. The early chapters may focus more on introducing the story. Though the hero acts like a puppy, he respects the heroine and only makes a move after confirming how she feels.

A preview of another nonhuman romance with similar tastes: Do Comfort Dogs Need Comfort Too?

While killing zombies, Jiang Ke opens her eyes and discovers that she has transmigrated to the year 3023.

By then, all animals have taken human form and been divided into ranks. Higher-ranked creatures can work ordinary jobs like humans.

Animals without jobs are discarded as harmful substances.

Good news: “Jiang Ke is a high-bloodline, high-IQ border collie.”

Jiang Ke claps her hands. “I'm set!”

The next second: [Your citizen rank is five. Available occupations include: Comfort Dog.]

Jiang Ke: …

You mean I have to turn into a puppy so people can pet me?

No! I refuse to earn money by selling myself!!!

System: [Don't worry, Host. We're a legitimate platform with nothing inappropriate involved.]

To avoid being taken away, Jiang Ke accepts the job the day before her review.

For the first few days, Jiang Ke thinks the job is easy.

Gradually, she starts to feel that something is strange about her world.

A cat with a unicorn horn keeps following her around, quacking like a duck.

Every morning, she sees a brown fox, and the fur on its body even greets her!

Even a tulip on the balcony starts talking to her, in the exact same voice as that damn zombie ex-boyfriend!

Jiang Ke sits in a psychologist's office, dazed.

The doctor says, “Ms. Jiang, cats don't have antennae, fox fur is orange, and plants don't talk.”

Jiang Ke turns in disbelief and sees the three little monsters crouched by the clinic door. “Doctor, they're right there.”

The doctor smiles and greets the three monsters. “Ms. Jiang, they're your guests.”

“Also,” the doctor adds after a pause, “I think you may need an emotional support dog.”

Jiang Ke jumps. She can feel the three monsters outside getting unusually excited.

A month later, the doctor comes for a follow-up and sees the three little visitors.

As for Jiang Ke, she's held tightly in the arms of all three, her eyes filled with contentment.

The doctor adjusts their glasses. “It looks like you don't need my help anymore, Ms. Jiang.”

“So… do you still need a comfort dog?”

Reader's guide:

A story for fans of unusual romantic interests. Things get intense, with plenty of kissing.

If you like it, please add it to your collection! (I'm working on building up a backlog.)

Theme: My post-apocalyptic zombie-wrangling story