Chapter Eighty-Three: Welcome to the Combat Squad, Proud One

The zombie monkey was clearly capable of independent thought.

Chen Yi, considering their current lack of fighting strength, thought it was wise to find an ally. This aggressive zombie monkey, armed with intelligence, was a unique existence.

“What are you looking at?” The monkey bared its teeth once more, waving its hand dismissively at everyone. “Let me make this clear: while you’re here, you all have to listen to me. Otherwise, I won’t let any of you off!”

“And who do you think you are? Why should we listen to you?” As the monkey grew more unruly, Lu Kai put his hands on his hips, ready to confront him. But before he could react, the monkey leaped onto his head, pressing its palm against Lu Kai’s skin.

“Don’t hurt him.” Chen Yi’s eyes darkened. “Lay a finger on my brother, and I won’t hesitate to peel your skin off.”

The zombie monkey’s hand trembled slightly, though his mouth remained defiant. “If I really wanted to hurt him, he’d be dead already. Why would I wait until now?”

“So, you’re saying you won’t hurt him. If that’s the case, don’t bother trying to scare us.”

At this, the monkey jumped off Lu Kai, yawning with feigned boredom. “I don’t know why I survived, but right now, I hate those zombies. If it weren’t for those strange things—things that look human but aren’t—biting me, I wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

“So, are you willing to help us?” Seeing the monkey’s reaction, Chen Yi extended his hand. “If you’re willing to help, I promise to help you get your revenge. Zombies are my enemies too. I’ll use everything I have to fight them, and I’ll make it up to you in any way I can.”

The monkey eyed the man before him warily, uncertain. Was this guy telling the truth? If someone really helped him, dealing with the zombies would be much easier. Alone, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Well?” Chen Yi offered the olive branch once more. “I know you’re torn, but that doesn’t mean you won’t cooperate with us. Deep down, you know what you want, don’t you?”

“Let me think about it.” The zombie monkey found himself at a crossroads. If he agreed, he’d be beholden to them; if he refused, would he even survive?

Taking on those zombie hordes alone was a sure way to be torn apart. With allies, there was hope.

Having thought it through, the zombie monkey decisively reached out his paw to Chen Yi. “I’ll help you fight the zombies—but only if you let me have a share in the action.”

“No problem,” Chen Yi replied, delighted. After all, having a free fighter to take risks instead of his friends was the best outcome—though he’d never say that to the monkey’s face.

“Are we really recruiting this monkey?” Lu Kai rubbed his nose, clearly uneasy. “He’s so fierce—do you really think he’ll be any use to us?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Chen Yi had his reasons. “We can’t keep looking for allies the same old way. Why not this monkey? I believe we should treat everyone equally. After all, there are different kinds of strength in this world, and we should make use of them. Or are you refusing him just because of what he is?”

The zombie monkey grew agitated, disbelieving that he was still so unwelcome. His earlier bravado was just an attempt to intimidate the humans and gain some respect, not to start a fight. Deep down, he knew that humans were the truly intelligent beings—far smarter than any monkey.

Once he realized this, he quickly calmed down and addressed Chen Yi. “I have a few friends. If you don’t mind, they could join as well.”

“How many? I’ll need to make arrangements. But we may not be able to provide food for you.”

“We don’t need anything to eat,” the zombie monkey grinned. “We’re practically monsters already. Even if you put bananas in front of me, I wouldn’t care.”

Chen Yi believed him. After all, once mutated, sense of taste, smell, and hearing all changed. The monkey’s attitude was only natural.

“Don’t look at me like that,” the monkey said, coughing and frowning. “I don’t have any other motives. I just want to bring my troop over to join you humans. If there’s a fight, take us along—we want to fight zombies. It’s what we want.”

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Chen Yi fixed his gaze on him. “How many friends do you have, exactly?”

“Not many, just over a thousand.”

“A thousand monkeys?” Lu Kai gasped. Goodness, that was enough to form several squads.

Chen Yi nodded. “Alright. Go and bring them all here.”

The zombie monkey immediately set off, and before long, over a thousand zombie monkeys appeared before everyone.

Having warmed up to Chen Yi, the zombie monkey was no longer tense; instead, he sidled up to him with a newfound familiarity. “You’ve got some skills, little brother. Why not become my—”

A sharp blade pressed against the monkey’s neck as Chen Yi smiled calmly. “I like peace and quiet, so don’t push my limits. Or you’ll regret it.”

Realizing the man wasn’t to be trifled with, the monkey backed down. “Alright, alright, no need to be so fierce!”

Chen Yi ignored him. “Remember, now that you’ve joined the squad, you follow our rules. We’re a unit—no going off on your own. You may be zombie monkeys, but a headshot will still kill you!”

After a long silence, the monkey leader nodded. “Fine, we’ll listen to you. You seem like a good person—trustworthy.”

Hearing this, Chen Yi gave a wry smile. “Enough talk. Let’s get your squads organized. We’ve only got forty or fifty people here, and about twenty percent of them can’t fight. You zombie monkeys will have your work cut out for you protecting them!”