Zhang Xu had the kind of personality that could lighten up any gathering. With him around, the group enjoyed their meal in high spirits. Even Bai Ru, who usually ate with refined restraint, couldn't help but crack a smile now and then at his jokes. That alone proved how skilled he was at pying the fool.

  "Come on, Zhang the Trickster, you expect us to believe that? A zombie getting scared?" Jiao Jiao scoffed, holding her bowl of rice while eyeing Zhang Xu with obvious disbelief. She wasn’t buying a word of his story.

  "It’s true, I swear!" Zhang Xu protested. "That woman had severe facial disfigurement. She always wore a huge mask and sungsses, so none of us ever saw her real face. One day, we got ambushed by zombies, and in her panic, she accidentally pulled off her mask. One of those zombies had already pounced on her, but the moment it saw her face, it froze in sheer terror and bolted without even taking a bite! Can you imagine how horrifying she must’ve looked? I only caught a glimpse of half her face, and I nearly lost my lunch!" He waved his hands animatedly as he spoke, his spit flying everywhere.

  "Yeah, right!" Jiao Jiao rolled her eyes and downed her bowl of soup in one go.

  "I'm not lying! A lot of people witnessed it! Even though she's dead now, you could ask around!" Zhang Xu insisted, looking genuinely wronged.

  "Zhang Xu..." Lin Tao lit a cigarette and fixed Zhang Xu with a serious gaze. "That zombie wasn’t scared of her appearance. It probably mistook her for a high-level undead."

  "A high-level undead? You mean there are zombies that ugly?" Zhang Xu was taken aback, setting his gss down as the others also stopped joking around and listened intently.

  "Yes." Lin Tao nodded. "There’s a specific type of female zombie called 'Resentful Women.' They were people who harbored deep grudges before death and came into direct contact with the infection source. When they turn, they become terrifying. But unlike regur zombies, their bodies don’t rot, nor do they lose their hair. Except for their horrifying faces, they retain much of their human appearance. While they are extremely dangerous, they don’t actively seek out human prey—unless provoked. If you ever cross one, don’t even think about fighting. Not even I would stand a chance."

  "Who in their right mind would provoke something that scary? I’d have to be insane!" Zhang Xu gulped, shaking his head vigorously.

  "What if you were wandering alone in the wilderness and saw a beautiful woman squatting on the ground, covering her face and crying? What would you do?" Lin Tao asked with a smirk.

  "I guess... I'd ask if she was okay?" Zhang Xu blinked, answering instinctively.

  "Exactly!" Lin Tao spread his hands in mock helplessness. "If that ever happens, I guarantee you’ll regret it so much you’d want to cut out your own tongue."

  "Wait, you mean those things pretend to cry for sympathy?" Zhang Xu was utterly shocked.

  "Not exactly. That’s just how they are. When they're not attacking, they spend most of their time crying with their faces covered." Lin Tao sighed, then warned everyone sternly, "Listen up, all of you. If you ever see a woman like that crying in the wild, don’t let curiosity or pity get the better of you. If you do, you won’t just get yourself killed—you’ll doom everyone around you. Even the other zombies won’t be spared."

  Everyone turned pale and nodded rapidly. Just imagining a long-haired woman sobbing alone in the middle of nowhere was unsettling enough. The thought that she could kill both humans and zombies alike made approaching one unthinkable.

  "Ahh~ That was a good meal! Ladies, let me py you a song!" Zhang Xu stretched contentedly, then eagerly pulled a bck iPhone from his pocket. It was an iPhone 6, the most popur model before the world fell apart. He tapped the screen a few times, and soon, melodious music filled the air. Pcing the phone on the table, he grinned at the women. "I don’t have many songs, but this speaker still sounds great!"

  "Wait a second—if you didn’t drive here, where the hell did you charge this thing?" Jiao Jiao picked up the phone curiously, toying with it. Electronics had become rare luxuries in this world.

  "Seriously? Ever heard of sor chargers?" Zhang Xu exhaled a puff of smoke from his high-end Zhonghua cigarette, looking smug. "If you’re lucky, you can still find plenty in phone stores or abandoned cars."

  "Ahh! You pervert! Why is your phone full of naked photos?!" Jiao Jiao suddenly shrieked, though her wide eyes were glued to the screen as she eagerly flipped through the pictures.

  "Oh, please, take a closer look at the guy in those photos before you accuse me! That phone belonged to the son of the boss I killed." Zhang Xu didn’t seem bothered by her reaction, simply rolling his eyes.

  "Huh? You’re right, it’s not you." Jiao Jiao giggled. "But this guy is surprisingly handsome. Who knew he was into such kinky stuff? Haha! Oh wow, there are pictures with men, too—wait, Ru-jie! Come look at this!" She suddenly waved the phone excitedly, smming her hand on the table like she had just discovered a new continent.

  "Jiao Jiao, enough already. Why would I want to see something so disgusting?" Bai Ru frowned in exasperation as she continued cleaning up.

  "No, no! It’s not about the nudes! You actually know these two people! Come see for yourself!" Jiao Jiao shoved the phone at Bai Ru, her face full of glee.

  "What? I know them?" Bai Ru hesitated, then picked up the phone. The moment she saw the screen, her expression darkened, and she immediately tossed the phone back onto the table. Folding her arms, she muttered in disgust, "Don’t bring them up. The fact that they’d do something this vile is revolting."

  Curious, Lin Tao gnced at the screen. It dispyed an explicit photo featuring two men and a woman. The man in the middle, who had a strikingly delicate face, stood naked beside the bed, grinning smugly. Kneeling before him were a completely nude man and woman, their flushed faces dispying eager enthusiasm as they jointly licked an unspeakable part of his body. The central man had his hands firmly pressing down on their heads, his expression filled with perverse satisfaction.

  "Friends of yours?" Lin Tao asked Bai Ru uncertainly.

  "Acquaintances, at best." Bai Ru bit her lip and nodded with a complicated expression.

  "Boss!" Jiao Jiao excitedly leaned forward, eyes sparkling with gossip. "That guy is Shao Ming, Ru-jie’s old rumored boyfriend! He’s a famous actor—you know, the star of Falling for Hibiscus Again. Back in the day, his retionship with Ru-jie was all over the tabloids! And the woman? That’s Ding Feifei, a minor pop singer. Rumor has it... she was the homewrecker who stole Shao Ming from Ru-jie! Isn’t that right, Ru-jie?"

  "Of course not!" Bai Ru shot Jiao Jiao a gre. "You guys know how the entertainment industry works. Shao Ming was being promoted by our company at the time, so they set us up with fake dating scandals to boost his popurity. We staged a few intimate photos for the paparazzi, that’s all. As for Ding Feifei, Shao Ming dragged her into the mess himself when he felt the gossip was dying down. I almost fell out with him over it."

  "Ohhh, that makes sense! I knew there was no way a brainless bimbo like her could steal a man from you!" Jiao Jiao nodded in understanding, then turned back to Zhang Xu with renewed excitement. "Hey! Is Shao Ming still alive in your settlement?"