The zombie crisis had been ongoing for two years.

Humans were captured by zombies and confined to nurture centers.

Aside from the lack of freedom, they could get virtually anything they wanted there.

Colleagues commented that they didn’t have to work, and their meals and lodging were taken care of.

It seemed like a dream come true.

Before long, colleagues began to be taken away.

When I saw him again, he had become a pile of flesh, covered with eyes and mouths.

01

I’ve been locked up in the nurture centers for three months now.

Here, there are soft beds; endless delicacies; a swimming pool, hot springs, and even zombie that provide professional massages.

Anything you want, just say it, and it will be brought to you right away.

For example, mobile phones, computers, game consoles.
.
Of course, there’s no Internet connection, no way to contact the outside world.

When we were first brought here, many people clamored to leave.

After a few were killed, everyone became more docile.

The zombie in charge of the nurture centers said, “They merely wish to establish a peaceful and friendly relationship with humans.”

This is proof of their goodwill.

What they seek is peace and unity
.
Violence is absolutely forbidden in the breeding facility.

They guarantee that anything humans desire will be fulfilled to the best of their ability.

Except freedom.

Gradually, many humans began to enjoy their lives.

Just like my roommate Grace, who used to cry in bed every day when she first arrived, screaming to get out.

But after seeing how good life was here and hearing the facility’s explanations, she completely put her worries aside.

Now, she sits with her legs crossed, cutting into a steak meticulously.

We once tried to persuade her.

We told her not to trust these zombies.

Who knows what their true intentions are?

Not only did she refuse to listen, but she also scolded us for being paranoid and having delusions of persecution.

Later, we stopped trying to convince her.

After dinner, she stretched lazily.

“Bye, I’m going swimming.”

My colleague Lily slurped the milk in her hand and said weakly, “Sarah, Julia, could it be that we’re worrying too much? Maybe the zombie aren’t that bad? Actually, I feel like this kind of life isn’t so terrible.”

My colleague Julia and I turned to look at Lily at the same time.

She shrank back a bit and said with a forced smile, “I’m kidding, I’m just joking.”

I rubbed the sheets.

When the zombie crisis first erupted, it was just like in the movies.

One bite and you would be infected.

The difference was that they possessed extremely high intelligence.

After humans developed countermeasures, the zombies evolved once again.

This time, they didn’t limit themselves to infecting humans.

Instead, they rounded up many survivors and kept them captive.

I don’t know what their purpose is.

But these zombies, they enjoy killing and tormenting humans.

How could they possibly want to live in peace with humans? I think the breakthrough might lie in the black room.

Whenever violence occurs, these zombies lock the perpetrator in the black room without food or water.

I need to find a way to get into the black room.

There might be a way out.

02

After breakfast, I went to the gym on the eighth floor.

We get one hour of free time each week, during which we can access the entertainment facilities on the eighth floor.

Normally, we’re restricted to our own floor.

The area is crowded with these zombie, who watch the humans in the gym intently.

Any unusual movement would lead to us being taken away.

My former colleagues Justin and Scott were on the treadmills.

I acted as if everything was normal and approached them as usual to exchange weekly information.

When we were first brought here, our floor assignments were decided by drawing lots.

I’m on the third floor, and they’re on the fourth.

Justin was running heavily on the treadmill.

When he saw me, he slowly shook his head.

Still, there was no new information.

I lowered my voice and told Justin, “I think there’s something off about the isolation room; I’m going to check it out.”

03

On my way back, I ran into my former colleague Mark in the garden on the third floor.

He was recording what he called his “angelic” singing voice.

He was the first person on the third floor to suggest enjoying life.

To make life more interesting, he started singing classes, dance classes, and entertainment groups.

He had become the leader of the third floor.

We didn’t participate in any of his activities.

When he saw us coming, he snorted coldly and turned his head to the side.

“Bad luck, you two deadbeats actually came out?”

“None of your business.”

“You! How dare you talk to me like that?!”

Mark pointed at me and shouted.

His lips trembled with anger, and his face turned red.

Back when we worked at the same company, we never got along.

He liked to assert his dominance over others.

I brushed off his hand.

“Who do you think you are? Do I have to bow down to you?”

Mark pursed his lips, a cold look flashing in his eyes.

He raised his hand to hit me.

I was secretly glad; I thought I wouldn’t find a reason to go to the isolation room.

But here it was.

I kicked him away.

Mark cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and rolling around.

“Murder, murder!”

The zombie guards quickly arrived, extending their long tentacles to separate us.

Mark clutched his stomach and rolled around in agony.

“Sir, this woman! She ignored your rules and deliberately attacked someone! You must punish her severely!”

Julia moved her lips, looking pale.

I shook my head, signaling that everything was fine.

The supervisor arrived quickly, putting on an elder’s benevolent demeanor to lecture me.

He patted my shoulder.

“Sarah, what is the purpose of our nurturing garden? It’s all about harmony and friendship! It’s not friendly to treat your fellow beings like this; it’s unacceptable!”

“So I’m sentencing you to one day in solitary, no problem, right?”

He then told another zombies.

“Oh, and there needs to be a public reprimand; Sarah’s behavior is very detrimental to unity and friendship!”

Two other zombies hurried off to announce my “offense,” which scrolled across a large screen for everyone to see.

Grace leaned against the door frame, applying lipstick, and shot me a smug look.

“Sarah, you got what you deserved~”

04

The solitary confinement room was on the ground floor.

However, something strange was that the ground floor was eerily quiet—there wasn’t a sound to be heard.

As I passed by the rooms, I couldn’t hear anything going on inside.

Unlike the third and fourth floors, where you could often hear people practicing singing or groups playing games, cards, or mahjong on the terrace.

It wouldn’t be so quiet.

Plus, it was still afternoon, hours away from the ten o’clock bedtime.

A peculiar feeling stirred in my gut.

The solitary cell was at the end of the corridor, about one square meter.

I could only stand or crouch.

There was a camera above with a glowing red light, and next to it was a small square window.

I couldn’t see what was outside the window; it was pitch black.

I took a quick look around, and everything seemed normal enough.

In the middle of the night, half-asleep, a brief scream jolted me awake.

It was a woman’s scream.

It was short, but I caught it.

It seemed to come from underground.

I didn’t hear it clearly, so I wasn’t sure.

But at least this trip wasn’t a total waste.

At least I knew there was definitely something majorly wrong with this place.

The next day after lunch, the person in charge met me personally outside.

Seeing my pale face, he nodded in satisfaction.

“Sarah, when you mess up, there’s punishment, and you got to own up to it, right?”

I lowered my eyes and muttered, “Yeah.”

“Let’s record an apology video for Sarah, to play on loop as a reminder.”

He waved his hand, and two zombies holding phones came over

I bit my lip tightly, these damn zombies!

When I looked up again, I was already smiling at the camera.

After finishing the apology video, the person in charge was very pleased.

On the way back, I encountered a human from the ground floor.

She sat listlessly at the door, her eyes devoid of life and vitality.

Seeing zombies escorting me, she darted back into her room.

I noticed the bloodstains on her legs.

I couldn’t help but think of that scream last night.

Could it have been made by this woman? Goosebumps crept up my back.

05

After returning, Julia stood with her arms crossed, looking angry.

Lily was discussing cosmetics with Grace.

When I returned, they gave an awkward smile.

Grace rolled her eyes at me and pulled Lily away, turning her back.

“Ignore them,” Julia told me.

She explained that Lily had started hanging out with Grace.

She wanted to socialize, relax, and enjoy life.

Whatever, I didn’t care.

I ate, took a shower, and went to bed.

That evening, the supervisor brought a group of zombies to the third floor and had us gather on the terrace.

Mark rubbed his hands and approached with a fawning smile.

“Sir, why are you here? Has someone broken the rules again?”

He glanced vaguely in my direction.

I shot him a dismissive look.

The supervisor laughed and patted his shoulder.

“Nothing’s wrong, just checking your happiness levels to see if there’s anything lacking in our nurture center.”

Mark clasped his hands in prayer, closed his eyes, and his lips curled slightly upward.

“Sir, I’m very happy, really happy. I’ve never seen such a great place. Unlike in human society, where I worked myself to the bone and still couldn’t earn much money, let alone afford a toilet.”

Last week, Mark had ingratiated himself with the zombie and applied for a single room.

He was quite comfortable.

Two zombies came forward and placed a device on his head.

Mark scored a high 98.8.

“Sir, I told you! The nurture center is paradise! A paradise for humans!”

Apart from Mark, several others also had happiness levels above 90.

Grace scored 86.

I had only around fifty.

Julia barely passed.

The supervisor understood, considering I had just come out of solitary confinement.

It was normal for my happiness level to be low.

Mark raised his eyebrows smugly.

“Sir, people like her who have no shame should be expelled!”

I thought to myself that if they would release me, I’d truly thank them.

After the test, the supervisor took all those with happiness levels over 90.

He said they would receive a great reward and be taken on a vacation outside.

The supervisor gave us a meaningful glance before turning and leaving.

06

Mark and his friends didn’t come back.

Nobody knows when they will return.

A large screen shows every day that they are going to different vacation spots to eat, drink, and have fun.

There are grasslands, blue skies, and large villas.

They are accompanied by countless beautiful and handsome people.

Of course, those are all zombies.

The people at the nurture center are envious every day.

Everyone hasn’t been outside for a long time.

They haven’t breathed the air of nature for a long time.

For a moment, everyone began to strive to increase their own happiness index.

It was time for our weekly respite.

As per our routine, we met at the gym.

Scott was leaning against the treadmill and snacking.

Justin was drenched in sweat from running.

I filled Justin in on what happened last week.

He slowed down the treadmill and whispered, “They haven’t measured the happiness index on our floor yet. Something’s definitely off underground, I need to get into solitary confinement.”

Justin is usually smart; maybe he could find something if he went to the isolation room.

Before Scott could react, Justin punched him to the ground.

“Hey! Justin, what are you crazy for?!”

The snacks in Scott’s hands scattered across the floor as he glared at Justin with wide eyes.

The guard zombie swiftly arrived.

Their slick tentacles instantly wrapped around Justin.

Because it was more severe than my previous incident, he would be confined for three days.

Until Justin was taken away, Scott remained in a state of confusion.

“Sarah, what exactly is going on with him?”

I explained what had just happened, and he scratched his head awkwardly.

“This Justin, he didn’t even give me a heads up.”

07

Back in our room, Grace seemed to be acting crazy again, provocatively dancing under the camera.

I threw a blanket over her.

“Can you stop being so ridiculous?”

“What’s it got to do with you, Sarah? Are you sick or something? Who are you to tell me what to do?”

She shrugged off the blanket and continued to seductively pose for the camera.

“Hey handsome zombie guys over there, how do you like my figure? Do you like it? Or do you want me to wear less? Do you like this outfit? Or do you want me to wear even less?”

She coyly lowered her head, pulling at her clothes to reveal glimpses of her body.

Julia pulled me aside and mentioned that Grace was infatuated with the handsome zombies on the screen.

When she came back, she started dancing and stripping in front of the camera.

She wanted to live like Mark and the others, so she was trying to attract those handsome zombies.

She wanted to climb to the top of society by relying on those Zombie.

I sneered and asked, “What about Lily?”

“Lily wasn’t like her, but she didn’t talk to me much anymore.

She seemed to long for Mark’s lifestyle too.”

Thinking about the zombie’ slimy, fishy tentacles made me feel nauseous.

Grace liked those things and wanted to sleep with them.

How bizarre.

Even if they had human appearances, they were fake.

They were just piles of mutated flesh in their true form.

If Grace succeeded, what kind of creature would she give birth to? I couldn’t help but rub the goosebumps on my arms.

08

That night, the supervisor brought two handsome zombies into our room. Grace sprang up, twisting her body as she approached them.

“Why are you here?”

The overseer coughed, his naked gaze roving over her.

“Grace, go with them.

They were very satisfied with your performance today, Grace.”

Grace covered her mouth in delight.

“R-really?”

She quickly turned around, grabbed her jacket, and trotted out.

Before leaving, she gave us a smug smile and mouthed the words to us.

“Bye, I’m about to become a phoenix. Sarah, remember to follow my lead~”

The overseer stood at the door, eyeing the three of us.

He commented, “You’re all quite pretty.

Is anyone interested in coming along?”

Julia and I didn’t move.

Lily seemed hesitant.

The overseer noticed Lily’s expression and quickly stepped in front of her.

“Ah, Lily, your looks are top-notch, even more charming than Grace. Rest assured, I’ll pick the best-looking ones for you, and there won’t be any coercion. After all, harmony and friendship are our principles.”

Lily fiddled with her fingers without saying a word.

Julia pulled Lily and shook her head.

The overseer chuckled.

“It’s not bad staying here, but you need to strive for happiness to go to better places.”

Lily pried Julia’s fingers apart and stood up.

In a soft voice, she said, “I’ll go, but can I observe for a few days before deciding whether to continue?”

“Of course, no problem at all.”

Lily muttered an apology and followed the overseer away.

Before closing the iron door, the overseer gave us a meaningful look.

Julia was furious, cursing in the room and thinking Lily was too naive and too quick to believe the zombie.

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought about what Justin might have discovered in the black room.

As for Lily and Grace, it had nothing to do with me; I respected their destinies.

With two fewer people, the room felt a bit bigger.

09

Three days later, Justin’s apology video played on the full screen.

Justin had been released.

I was anxious, wishing it was break time already.

I clenched my fists tightly.

I had a hunch that Justin must have found something.

But I didn’t make it to break day.

The day before break, the overseer came again, bringing the happiness index testing device.

Most people on the third floor were hopeful, whispering prayers that they would score above 90.

The results came out quickly.

My score was still below 60, while three others scored above 90.

Julia was still just above the passing line.

The overseer sighed.

“Sarah, you have a lot of grievances with us, don’t you? This means you can’t find happiness here.”

“So, I’m gonna move you to another place. By the way, the three with scores over 90 will come with me.”

Except for me, the other three were excited, while the rest looked at them enviously.

I didn’t move, and the supervisor stared straight at me.

“What’s wrong, Sarah?” the supervisor asked.

I said softly, “Can I go back to my room to pack?”

He laughed oddly.

“Sure, but it doesn’t really matter whether you pack or not, since there will be more things where we’re going.”

Sarah and I returned to our room.

Her eyes were red and she was choking back tears.

“Sarah, once you leave, I’ll be alone.”

I hugged her and whispered, “Remember to tell Justin and Scott tomorrow during our free time to keep their happiness levels above 60 but below 90.

Take care of yourself when I’m gone, and don’t let the Zombie sway you.”

I grabbed two pieces of clothing and left the room.

I didn’t have much to pack; I just needed to give Julia some instructions.

10

The supervisor seemed very happy, humming a tune constantly.

Someone asked him what he was so happy about.

He chuckled.

“Nothing, just thought of something happy.”

The further we went down, the more uneasy they felt.

“Sir, where are we going? Aren’t we supposed to be going to a big villa for vacation? And Sarah, shouldn’t she be disqualified? Her happiness index is only in the 50.”

As expected, the supervisor didn’t answer them.

I clenched my fists, my heart pounding wildly.

Just as I had suspected, we were taken underground.

I never imagined that beneath this building was such a vast space, stretching out of sight, brightly lit.

The moment we stepped out of the iron door, we heard screams echoing all around us, piercing our eardrums painfully.

The other three were frightened, shivering.

“Sir, what kind of place is this? Weren’t we supposed to be going on vacation?”

The supervisor turned around, spread his arms, and closed his eyes

“This, this is your vacation spot!”

The three of them screamed and tried to run away

The zombie bound them tightly with their tentacles, chuckling sinisterly.

“Fear, how delicious fear is.”

He took out a device and placed it on their heads.

Their fear indices had skyrocketed.

“Quick, quick, take them away!”

The three were taken away by the zombies, crying and shouting,

My fear index was 63.

He came closer to me and sniffed.

“Sarah, why aren’t you scared at all?”

“Is being scared useful?”

He laughed lightly and bound my hands, taking me down to Level B2.

11

Around a conference table sat a circle of zombies.

Their eyes gleamed strangely, and drool dripped from their mouths.

I saw Grace.

She stood beside one of the zombies.

“Sir~ you mentioned there’s a show,” she said, “what kind of show are we here to see?”

Clearly, she was looking forward to it.

The zombie gave a strange smile.

“Is that so? Then just watch.”

Grace spotted me and looked displeased.

“Sarah? What are you doing here? Weren’t you pretending to be some kind of pure and virtuous woman before? Disgusting.”

I ignored her, feeling a cold sweat on my forehead.

This scene reminded me involuntarily of a movie I had seen before.

The supervisor took me aside.

He came close to me, his eyes fixed on me.

“Sarah, take a good look.”

The three people were brought up, bound like packages.

One of them had wet themselves, yellow liquid spreading across the floor.

The serving creature began to bring out utensils.

I closed my eyes, my body trembling.

As I had expected, they were going to eat these three people.

The supervisor’s voice whispered in my ear.

“Under extreme fear, human flesh becomes the most tender—it’s the true delicacy.”

He licked his lips, as if savoring something.

Grace finally realized something was wrong.

She took a few steps back, but zombie grabbed her foot.

Her eyes filled with tears.

Her body shook uncontrollably, her lips quivering, but too scared to say anything.

The human in front of her had already been dismembered on a chopping block.

Their shrill screams clutched at my heart, making it hard for me to breathe.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anymore.

But the damned creature wasn’t going to let me off the hook; it used its tentacle to pry open my eyes, forcing me to watch.

The zombie skewered a piece of meat on a fork and offered it to Grace.

“Eat.”

Grace covered her mouth and shook her head desperately.

But because she was restrained, she could only stand there.

The zombie’s face darkened.

“I told you to eat!”

“No, I don’t want to…”

Grace’s voice choked.

The zombie suddenly wrapped its tentacle around Grace’s neck.

Her face turned bright red, her feet kicking frantically in the air.

“If you won’t eat, then you’ll be just like them.”

With a loud thud, Grace was thrown onto the chopping block.

Her hand touched the dismembered bodies.

The person was still alive, moaning in pain.

“Pain, so much pain…”

Grace screamed, covering her head, and crawled to the Zombie.

She picked up something from the plate and shakily put it in her mouth.

The zombie smiled, stroking her head.

“Good girl, eat more, eat more.”

12

My legs felt weak, and my stomach churned.

Unable to hold it in, I lifted my head and vomited all over the supervisor.

The sour smell spread instantly.

In the room filled with a fishy stench, it actually seemed somewhat less offensive.

“You bitch, do you want to die?”

The supervisor flew into a rage and slammed me against the wall, choking me by the neck.

Then he seemed to have a thought and started laughing.

He took out a testing device.

“Sarah, let’s see if your fear level has skyrocketed. We’re about to have an extra course.”

He was certain that I must be terrified beyond measure at this point.

Unfortunately for him, he was disappointed—my fear level was now only in the 80.

He made a tsk sound, losing interest.

“Sarah, you’re truly a cold-blooded human.”

I gave a bitter laugh, my throat feeling dry.

“I’m not as heartless as your kind, zombie.”

Grace noticed our interaction.

Her eyes were red-rimmed as she looked at me pleadingly.

She whimpered, saying, “Save me, Sarah.”

I found it somewhat amusing.

I was just like a piece of meat on a chopping block, ready to be butchered; how could I save her? The person in charge took me away.

I returned to the first basement level.

After handing me over to the zombie guard on that floor, he left.

“Sarah, I hope you have fun here.”

This level was filled with transparent glass chambers—experiment pods for the zombies.

Naturally, we humans were the test subjects.

As we passed by a glass window, I caught sight of a familiar figure.

It was Mark.

He wore a white patient gown stained with specks of blood.

Facing away from us, he suddenly turned his head upon hearing some noise and rushed towards me upon seeing who it was.

He desperately pounded on the glass.

Startled, I took a few steps back.

Mark’s face was covered with lips and eyes.

“Sarah, save me! Save me!”

All the lips on his face moved in unison, like several people speaking at once, making a buzzing sound.

“Sarah! Sarah! You were right, you were right!”

I couldn’t respond to him and turned my head away.

The zombie behind me pointed at Mark and burst out laughing.

“I love this experiment. It would be best to cover his entire body with mouths and eyes! How ugly this human is, so ugly, hahaha.”

Mark hastily covered his face and turned around, sliding down to sit on the floor helplessly.

Looking at his back, I felt a pang of sadness.

These beasts…