Chapter 13: Black Dog

The boat was quite worn-out, but fortunately, it didn't leak and was still usable.

The water flowed gently, indicating that it was navigable.

The bicycle was somewhat heavy, and the boat was somewhat small.

Bai Yin worried about the possibility of something unexpected happening while dragging the bicycle.

So, he decided to abandon the bike altogether and crossed the river in the small boat.

The whole process took about ten minutes or so.

Everything went very smoothly.

---

The next stretch of the journey was a desolate road.

Both sides of the road were overgrown with wild weeds.

And from time to time, one could come across some bodies, either human or zombie.

Anyway, it was either turning into a zombie or becoming a skeleton.

On the road, every now and then, one could encounter some abandoned cars.

Sometimes a few, sometimes more than ten.

Most of them had the bodies of drivers inside.

From this, it could be seen that when the zombie outbreak first occurred, there was undoubtedly some horrendous rioting here.

---

Bai Yin arrived at County when the sun was scorching overhead.

He had walked for nearly two hours on the road.

It was already one o'clock in the afternoon when he arrived.

Compared to the "prosperous" county town and the quiet road, the biggest difference here was that it was relatively lively.

Just as he entered the county town, he saw a dozen or so zombies wandering leisurely around.

Bai Yin had been to White Zero County before.

He had been here twice before for missions.

Since these were long-term tasks, he had some understanding of the county.

---

Moreover, fortunately,

he had a colleague who lived here.

Although he didn't know if he was still alive now.

---

Bai Yin decided to go find the dog first.

After wandering around for half an hour, he arrived at the rented building.

But since the iron gate on the ground floor was locked from the inside, Bai Yin had to climb over the wall.

He first backed off a few meters, then accelerated.

Then, when he was close to the three-meter wall, he leaped up in one go, and with a strong push, he flipped over the wall.

Then, he quickly found room 250 on the second floor.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Bai Yin called the dog from outside the door.

Dogs usually respond to this sound.

He pressed his ear against the door and made the sound, carefully listening to the movements inside.

"Rustle..."

Sure enough, there was a response inside.

It sounded like something stepping on a plastic bag.

Bai Yin was overjoyed and quickly took out his lock-picking tools from his bag.

After about five minutes of busy work,

there was a "creak".

The door opened!

He pushed the door open and immediately a foul smell wafted out.

This was a small room of no more than a dozen square meters, with everything in sight.

As soon as he entered, there was a single bed next to him.

Opposite the bed was a small toilet without a door.

At this time, inside the toilet, there was a man hanging.

He should have died from hanging and was already decomposing.

Judging from the basic condition of his body, he had been dead for about 7 to 10 days.

The dead man was dressed in casual clothes.

Below the hanging body were a kicked-off stool and two fallen shoes.

Probably a working-class person.

But compared to this, Bai Yin was more concerned about where his dog was.

There were quite a few dog feces on the ground.

The room was also in full view.

There weren't many places to hide, so Bai Yin casually cleaned up the dirty floor with a broom leaning against the door.

Then, he squatted down to look under the bed.

Sure enough, a pair of shiny green eyes came into view.

"Tsk tsk tsk!"

Bai Yin called out a few times, but the dog just shrank back.

It didn't bark, just retreated.

Just as Bai Yin was about to take out some bread from his bag, he heard a noise.

He unwrapped the bread and called out to the dog again.

"Tsk tsk tsk!"

Sure enough, food was the best bait.

The dog, smelling the food, hesitated for less than a second before crawling out from under the dark bed.

Bai Yin tore the bread into pieces and placed it on the ground.

The dog rushed over and began to gobble it up.

It was a pure black native dog.

Estimated to be two or three months old.

It was already as thin as a rake.

Even when it crawled out from under the bed just now, its walk was very unsteady.

The little black dog trembled as it wolfed down the food.

Occasionally, you could see some fleas on its body.

This dog was probably raised by the hanged man.

But the hanged man had been dead for at least a week.

How did the dog survive during this time?

Bai Yin looked around.

Finally, he found a pet automatic feeder in a corner not far away.

Suddenly, it dawned on him.

The transparent canister responsible for holding dog food was empty, but the automatic water bottle next to it was still not empty.

There was a table next to it, with a piece of paper on top, pressed down by a ballpoint pen.

Bai Yin walked over, picked up the piece of paper, and saw the following message written on it:

[This little black dog.

I picked him up accidentally when I went out to look for supplies.

At that time, he was hiding in a collapsed sewer.

There were quite a few zombies nearby.

I saved him because I couldn't bear the loneliness anymore.

It's a pity that I was scratched by a zombie while saving him.

But I don't regret it. At least in the last days of my life, I wasn't alone.

I didn't die alone.

---

When the zombie outbreak first occurred, I had already raised a dog.

It was a very old native dog.

Later, it was eaten by the zombies in order to protect me.

Speaking of which, it was also a black dog.

Maybe the one I saved now.

Is its reincarnation?

Heh, just a wishful thinking...

---

Because I had raised a dog before, there were still some ready-made dog supplies at home.

There was also a small bag of dog food left, estimated to last him three or four days.

As for what would happen after that?

I don't know.

Because I don't have much time left.

I don't want to wait until I turn into a zombie and then eat the little guy.

So, I decided to commit suicide.

I hope that when someone finds my body later,

the little guy is still alive.

If you see this message.

Please take care of him for me.

Oh, I gave him a very nice name.

His name is Bai Yin!]

---

Bai Yin: "..."

The previous content, no matter how you look at it, was touching and poignant.

However, it was the last sentence alone.

That directly dispelled all the sentimental atmosphere.

---

"What a lousy name, isn't this just a waste of a name..."

Bai Yin was speechless.

Of course, he wasn't saying that his own name was bad.

But rather, a name as refined as Bai Yin was a bit wasted on a dog.

---

It needed a new name!

Yes, it must be renamed!

Looking at the little dog devouring the bread voraciously.

Bai Yin couldn't help but ponder.

What should it be called?

How about Dragon?

Why not call it Black Dragon.

Proud, domineering, and awe-inspiring!

But upon careful thought, he felt that this name was too strong, afraid that the native dog couldn't handle it.

---

After another thought, since Dragon didn't work, why not name it after the son of the dragon.

As the saying goes, the dragon has nine sons.

Why not call it Black Nine.