23 Zombie Experience Pass 23

It was evident that Little Wang still had some questions he wanted to ask.

However, the barbecue was ready.

Perfectly marbled with fat and emitting a rich, savory aroma, the best cuts were prepared by Zhao Su and Zhen Qian. They placed them on plates they had prepared in advance and brought them to Tian Yi.

Only after Tian Yi took a skewer, tasted it, and gave a nod of approval did Zhao Su and Zhen Qian seem encouraged, and they began distributing the skewers to everyone else.

The scene suddenly became lively.

Once the five members of Little Wang’s group received their portions, they dove into eating with complete devotion and enthusiasm. The consciousness of being in a "dangerous land" vanished entirely, leaving nothing in their minds but the skewers in their hands.

Tian Yi glanced at them briefly before turning his attention away. He reached out and pulled Nana, who had once again "merged" with the shadows, out into the open. Under her bewildered gaze, he stuffed a handful of skewers into her hands.

Nana, who was usually no more enthusiastic about eating than Tian Yi, looked at the skewers in her hands, then at Tian Yi. She retreated with the fragrant treats and began to eat them slowly.

The sensation of the barbecue’s aroma diffusing in her mouth with every chew caused Nana’s eyes, usually devoid of much expression, to curve slightly.

However, the speed at which she ate stood in stark contrast to the five members of Little Wang’s group, who were buried in their food, completely captivated by the delicious meat.

After feeding Nana, Tian Yi raised his hand and swatted the eager, twitching paws of the little orange kitten.

The little orange kitten, which had been crouching by the grill for a long time, flattened its ears in annoyance. As it pulled its paws back, it gave Tian Yi a look of grievance before its gaze drifted back to the barbecue.

When it came to "filling its belly," the little orange kitten was very interested indeed.

Besides, it had never eaten anything like barbecue in its entire life!

Without needing a single word, Tian Yi could clearly sense the little orange kitten's interest in the meat.

Tian Yi knew that in this zombie apocalypse, mutated animals had changed significantly from those before the end of the world; one could not simply apply conventional wisdom to them.

For instance, rabbits before the apocalypse were primarily herbivores with some scavenging tendencies, and their digestive systems could not handle high meat intake.

But after the apocalypse, rabbits were not picky about food and would often add meat to their diet.

—Of course, that was all before Mother Zhao arrived.

Ever since Mother Zhao started carrying a basin around, fretting over feeding the rabbits, the bunnies no longer thought about adding extra meat to their diet; in fact, they now had a tendency to avoid Mother Zhao.

When conditions allowed, Tian Yi would simply boil some food for the little orange kitten.

But this kind of barbecue, which was marinated, heavily seasoned, and salted, was something the kitten had never tasted.

In the world before the apocalypse, such food would not have been suitable for a kitten.

Therefore, out of concern for the kitten's digestion, Tian Yi reached out and scooped up the little orange kitten—which had moved to a new spot and was once again sneaking its paws toward the meat—and held it in his arms.

Tian Yi decided to take charge personally and prepare a "Healthy BBQ Feast for a Cute Kitty."

The little orange kitten, which did not want to eat healthy, let out a sound of protest: "Meow-wow~~"

At the same time, the kitten twisted and turned in Tian Yi’s arms, attempting to regain autonomy over its body.

Unfortunately, the kitten was easily suppressed by Tian Yi.

The washed cat fur was smooth and felt wonderful to the touch.

Combined with its small, soft body, Tian Yi loved to pet and ruffle the little orange kitten whenever he had time. How could he miss such an opportunity now?

Thus, the scene turned into Tian Yi petting the little orange kitten while simultaneously preparing its "Healthy BBQ Feast."

As for the rabbits, who also felt great to the touch...

The rabbits, who were equally pleasant to touch and possessed sturdy muscles, once again entered the cycle of being chased by Mother Zhao for feeding.

"Come, have a taste of Grandma’s cooking, hehehe~"

"Oh my, little darlings, don't run away..."

"Let Grandma check if you’ve lost any weight today, hehehe..."

Such phrases drifted into the ears of Tian Yi, who was busy grilling for the kitten, from time to time.

...

Everyone enjoyed the barbecue meal immensely.

After the meal, the way the five members of Little Wang’s group looked at Tian Yi was different from before.

And it was no illusion.

The five of them had become proactive about exploring Nanshan.

Watching them run up to him as soon as they finished eating, volunteering to learn more "mission information," Tian Yi thought as much.

However, there was nothing to mind; the fact that these five were more active regarding the mission was exactly what Tian Yi was happy to see.

Therefore, Tian Yi gave them the maps and information he had collected and marked regarding Nanshan. Using the drawn maps, he explained the planned exploration routes and how to handle various potential situations.

He had shared similar information with the previous "expendable laborers" who had come to him.

In his heart, Tian Yi did not wish for these laborers to die too quickly.

If the laborers completed their tasks, Tian Yi would indeed let them go as he had promised, no longer holding a grudge over their attempts to kill him.

It was a pity that none of the laborers believed Tian Yi’s words after being captured.

Once they left his sight and entered Nanshan, they disregarded the information he provided, maintaining a skeptical attitude and fleeing along routes they deemed "correct."

In the end, all of them used their lives to help Tian Yi map out information for other directions.

Now, with Little Wang and his group, they actually looked at the information Tian Yi provided seriously and listened carefully.

Of course, after listening, they raised some questions of their own.

"Where are our living arrangements during our work?"

"Is it a dormitory or a shared apartment?"

"How are our meals arranged specifically? Three meals a day or more?"

"Can the drinking water issue be solved? How?"

"Regarding salary and benefits, social insurance... excuse me, I got mixed up."

"Is an injury during exploration considered a work-related injury?"

And so on.

Many of these questions they wouldn't have dared to ask at the beginning.

In the current world, the fact that Tian Yi could provide them with food and shelter was already considered a decent deal.

If one pointed out that the food provided was from mutated animals, the treatment was already quite substantial.

They didn't know what had come over them.

In front of Tian Yi, they had asked so many "inappropriate" questions.

Fortunately, Tian Yi showed no displeasure from start to finish, and for most of their questions, he gave clear answers.

When Tian Yi announced all the answers, the five of them felt as if they were dreaming.

Before the apocalypse, they could have considered this a "high-paying job."

After the apocalypse...

If these conditions were made public, the number of people wanting to take the job would likely be unexpectedly high.

Under normal competition, they might not even be guaranteed a spot.

At this moment, the five of them were looking at Tian Yi with glowing eyes.

Tian Yi, who had no idea what they were thinking, remained silent.

He put away his things, and the ivy tendrils crawling on his body proactively helped him hold them.

"If there are no other questions, that will be all," Tian Yi said.

"No questions!" the five of them responded promptly.

As for what would happen if they didn't follow the planned actions, Tian Yi didn't say, and the five of them didn't ask.

After receiving the tools they might need to explore Nanshan from Tian Yi, the five of them headed toward the mountain.

...

Given the precedent of the previous laborers, Tian Yi did not hold high expectations for them.

If they had enough integrity regarding the contract and proceeded according to the process Tian Yi had planned, they wouldn't easily run into trouble, even if they encountered danger.

If they did unnecessary things, Tian Yi would naturally not care about the consequences.

After all, Tian Yi knew how "eerie" he appeared to others.

However, things developed much better than he had imagined.

The progress of the five was not fast, but they cooperated with each other, and the overall process was steady.

The first few days were a bit clumsy, but after two days passed, the group had—if nothing else—become familiar with the rabbits by virtue of their thick skin. They even obtained the right to plant cockleburs from the rabbits and began planting them extensively in Nanshan.

From then on, Tian Yi noticed that Zhao Su and Zhen Qian became busy.

For a few days, Tian Yi hadn't decided what tasks to assign them.

Most of the time, the two of them, having recovered from their injuries, would just follow behind the rabbits, continuing to plant cockleburs.

—Little Wang’s group had been inspired by Zhao Su and Zhen Qian.

After Little Wang’s group’s "work" went smoothly, Zhao Su and Zhen Qian took on other tasks.

That was "food preparation."

It wasn't limited to barbecue, mainly just within the limits of what was possible.

They processed and cooked various "ingredients" obtained by Little Wang’s group during their exploration of Nanshan—including but not limited to weaker mutated animals and plants.

Then, they shared the finished food with all the "needy" entities in the ivy’s territory.

In short, they started making "communal meals."

Perhaps their previous cooking skills weren't top-tier, but under Mother Zhao’s guidance, their culinary skills improved by leaps and bounds.

Tian Yi: "..."

This development really exceeded his expectations.

However, Tian Yi’s diet had indeed become much richer during this period.

Especially the little orange kitten, who loved to eat, and the rabbits, who liked to snack, had become noticeably rounder.

For Tian Yi, the most direct feeling was...

"They feel better and better to the touch."

When Tian Yi said this, he was giving the little orange kitten and the rabbits a bath.

To maintain cleanliness and have smooth, beautiful fur, bathing was essential.

And the bodies that had grown rounder were most obvious during bath time.

The speaker had no such intention, but the listeners took it to heart.

The little orange kitten, obediently crouching in the water basin, widened its eyes immediately.

The muscle-rabbits, who had also been suspecting they were getting a bit fat and their muscles weren't as tight, performed a display of "petrified cracking" with their arrogant faces.

Tian Yi did not know the inner turmoil of the kitten and the rabbits.

But from that day on, it wasn't just the rabbits who became more fond of exercise; even the little orange kitten, who loved sunbathing, began to run behind the rabbits.

Only one little rabbit, whenever Tian Yi praised it for being soft and cute, would happily burrow into his arms, clearly wanting to be a chubby bunny.

But would the muscle-rabbits give it that chance?!

Of course not!

One had to know that this little rabbit wasn't the only one who wanted to be praised by Tian Yi.

Once a precedent was set, all the rabbits' muscles had to face a "challenge."

So, this little rabbit was forcibly dragged away by the muscle-rabbits to continue exercising.

Not only exercising, but they would also occasionally enter the areas of Nanshan where cockleburs had been planted, driving away or capturing the "natives" who invaded the cocklebur zones.

Thus, a ten-day period passed, and Little Wang and his team exceeded their mission goals.

They found the river.