The Little Zombie Who Longed for Death

On the third day after the wealthy Silva family took me back, the fake heiress pushed me off the twenty-eighth floor. As I plummeted toward the ground, I was so thrilled that I actually applauded her. I was a little zombie who had been stuck in the mortal world for three hundred years. Food tasted like nothing. Sleep brought no comfort. Even a little sunshine made me emit smoke. In my next life, all I wanted was to be an ordinary person who could enjoy fine food and sleep in on lazy mornings. The Grim Reaper had told me that as soon as this body was well and truly dead, I could be reincarnated. As such, I tried hanging myself, jumping into rivers and even sneaking into a crematorium to lie down in a furnace. However, the rope snapped, the river was too shallow and the crematorium’s furnace was shut down for emergency maintenance. The King of Hell would not take me, and even Heaven refused to accept me! Now, with the ground rushing toward me, I closed my eyes in contentment. This time, I had it in the bag. Thud! The mall downstairs was celebrating its anniversary, and I landed squarely in the middle of a giant inflatable cake. I did not just survive the fall. I did not even mess up my hair. By the time my three older brothers arrived, the fake heiress was already crying so hard she looked ready to pass out. “Bianca said that if she died, you’d hate me for the rest of your lives…” James stared at me coldly. “Risking your life just to compete for affection? How childish can you get?” I pulled my head out of the cake and could not help sighing. Childish? That very evening, the fake heiress showed up with another bowl of tonic laced with poison. “Bianca, let’s make up.” The moment I caught the unmistakable smell of rat poison, my eyes lit up. She failed, refused to make excuses, reviewed her mistakes overnight and proactively switched strategies. Now that was efficiency. That was ambition. She was more qualified than anyone else to be the darling of a wealthy family. I downed the tonic in one gulp and clasped her hands, deeply moved. “Talia, the Silva family can live without me, but it absolutely cannot live without you!” Chapter 1 Talia Silva’s face turned green. She spent half an hour sitting by my bed, checking my breathing one moment and prying open my eyelids the next. I was more than happy to cooperate. I folded my hands over my chest, wore a peaceful expression and used the time to browse my reincarnation options. I was not asking for wealth or status. I just wanted to be alive. An hour later, my stomach growled. The tissue in Talia’s hand fell to the floor. “Why aren’t you dead yet?” Unfortunately, that was a question beyond my area of expertise. I sat up and rubbed my completely unresponsive stomach. “Maybe the dose wasn’t strong enough.” Her lips trembled. Afraid of discouraging her enthusiasm for the job, I hurried to offer some encouragement. “For your first poisoning attempt, you did pretty well. At least the flavor was spot-on.” Talia looked as though she had seen a ghost. Strictly speaking, even seeing a ghost might not have been half as shocking as seeing me. She stumbled backward, knocking over a porcelain bowl. Footsteps quickly sounded outside the door. The three brothers burst into the room. James Silva, the eldest, immediately stepped in front of Talia to shield her. Our second brother, Byron Silva, glanced at the mess scattered across the floor. “What happened this time?” Talia’s eyes reddened on cue. “I brought Bianca some tonic, but she accused me of taking over her room and told me to move out tonight.” Now that was quick thinking, and more effective than rat poison too. I genuinely thought she had chosen the wrong career. Murder was not for her. The entertainment industry needed her. Harriet Silva, our third brother, had a dark expression on his face. “Talia has lived in that room for eighteen years. Why should she give it up to you?” I glanced at the bedroom behind me. This room had originally been prepared by the Silva family for their biological daughter. Yesterday, our mother, Victoria Hayes, had personally handed me the key, saying the room had sat empty for eighteen years, waiting for its rightful owner to return. Apparently, the ownership worked on a rotating schedule. James instructed the butler to move my belongings to the storage room on the first floor. “Talia’s been badly shaken. She can’t sleep alone tonight. Give her your room for now.” I nodded without the slightest hesitation. The storage room was secluded and had no security cameras. The windows were old and poorly maintained and the electrical outlets were leaking current. Honestly, it sounded far more livable than this bedroom lined with safety padding on every wall. Talia, however, still was not satisfied. She peeked out from behind the two brothers, letting only half her face show. Her gaze settled on the luck charm hanging around my neck. It was the only thing I had been wearing when I crawled out of my grave. It was also one of the pieces of evidence the Silva family had used to confirm my identity. She stared at it for several seconds before asking in a soft, fragile voice, “Bianca, you won’t hold this against me, will you?” I took her hand and shook my head with all the sincerity in my heart. Of course not. In this entire sprawling Silva family, she was the only one who had given any serious thought to my posthumous arrangements. Such kindness deserved to be repaid. At the very least, I owed her the honor of seeing me off at my funeral. Chapter 2 The next day, the Silva family held a banquet to officially welcome me home. Before the banquet began, Talia saw the words ‘Welcome Home, Bianca!’ displayed on the main screen and tears immediately began rolling down her cheeks. Ten minutes later, my name was removed. In its place were the words ‘Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Talia!’ Victoria took me aside to explain. “We can always hold another banquet to welcome you home. Talia only turns eighteen once. I hope you can be understanding toward your younger sister.” I was perfectly understanding. As long as Talia maintained her position in the family and was not kicked out, she could continue plotting my death without a care in the world. It was all about protecting a key member of the team. I voiced my approval on the spot. Victoria seemed to let out a sigh of relief. As she straightened my dress, her fingers brushed against the luck charm around my neck. Suddenly, her eyes reddened. “I put this around your neck with my own hands when you were born. Thank goodness you still have it.” I lowered my head to look at it. So this thing was a custom-made luxury heirloom, huh. I wondered if I could sell it on a secondhand marketplace and get myself a decent coffin in exchange. Once the banquet began, my father, Matheus Silva, announced my return to the family in front of all the guests. He had not even finished speaking when Talia suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed. The entire Silva family immediately descended into chaos. James rushed to catch her. Byron checked her breathing while Harriet snatched the microphone from the host and announced to every guest in attendance, “Blood relation or not, Talia will always be the Silva family’s one and only little princess!” A round of applause swept through the room. Meanwhile, I stood alone onstage. I felt like a last-minute performer hired to fake my own resurrection at the birthday girl’s party. A lawyer was summoned in no time. The shares, investment funds and jewelry that had originally been intended for me remained exactly where they were, all under Talia’s name. James then handed me a declaration waiving my inheritance rights. “Sign it. Talia has a heart condition. She can’t handle any more stress.” I signed my name without hesitation. James was startled for a moment. “Aren’t you going to ask how much you’re giving up?” “No.” Wealth was nothing more than a worldly possession. Besides, no bank would be willing to let me open an account anyway once I was dead. When Talia regained consciousness and saw my signature, she looked even more uneasy. “Bianca, you really aren’t angry?” I was only concerned about one other thing. “Does this mean we can eat the cake now?” I had been starving since morning just for the sake of getting reincarnated. Denying someone their last meal was downright inhumane. I had just picked up a plate of cake when Talia suddenly grabbed my wrist. Her foot slipped and her entire body lurched backward over the terrace railing. My eyes lit up. I followed her right over the edge. Splash! Splash! We both plunged into the infinity pool below. The moment I hit the water, I closed my eyes and sank peacefully toward the bottom. I had failed at drowning myself plenty of times before, but every failure was just another step toward success. If I kept trying, sooner or later, one of those attempts would finally do the trick. Three splashes could be heard from above. One after another, my three older brothers jumped into the pool and swam straight past me. Their target was clear. They were heading directly for Talia. Lying at the bottom of the pool, I was so touched that I almost wanted to move aside and let them pass. Wonderful! The entire family was biased and everyone was on the same page. At least no one was competing with me for a spot on the death roster. Unfortunately, the hotel lifeguard lacked the refined sensibilities of a wealthy family. He dove straight down and hauled me to the surface. I coughed up a mouthful of water and shot him a resentful look. When did customer service become this aggressively competitive? Why did he have to interfere in someone else’s family business? By then, the three brothers had already gathered around Talia. Victoria took off her jacket and wrapped it around her, her eyes red with worry. “Talia is afraid of water. How could she have suddenly fallen in?” Talia coughed delicately, looking as pitiful as ever. “Bianca said she was the Silva family’s real daughter. She told me to give her back to her brothers and her mother…” Harriet whipped his head toward me. “You’re so desperate for affection that you’d even gamble with Talia’s life?” I was just about to explain when a faint click came from the luck charm around my neck. A hairline crack had appeared across its surface. Then, a long-forgotten voice rang in my ear. “Vessel damaged. Reincarnation progress: 20%.” I shot straight upright. So it was not that I had not been trying hard enough to die. I had simply been targeting the wrong weak spot. I gripped the charm and grinned so hard I could barely contain myself. Unfortunately, everyone else thought I was gloating over my successful attempt to frame Talia. James’ gaze turned utterly icy. “From this day forward, she is forbidden from going anywhere near Talia.” I nodded repeatedly. That would not be a problem. Once I figured out how to destroy this charm, we would be separated by life and death. They would not have to worry about keeping me away from her ever again. Chapter 3 I was fine after falling into the pool. Talia, however, ended up in the hospital that very night. According to the doctors, she had a congenital blood disorder that had suddenly worsened. She needed a hematopoietic stem cell transplant as soon as possible. As luck would have it, I was the only person in the entire family who was a match. The Silva family gathered around my hospital bed, each wearing an expression more solemn than the last. Matheus appealed to the bonds of blood. Victoria reminded me of the eighteen years she had spent raising Talia. My three older brothers took turns reminding me that Talia had been there for them for eighteen years. After listening to all of them, I arrived at one simple conclusion. She had taken my place. Therefore, I owed her half a life. No wonder the wealthy played by different rules. Even their accounting was more extravagant than everyone else’s. Byron handed me the consent form. “We’re only taking a portion. It won’t put your life at risk.” He was the second son of the Silva family and the director of this private hospital. He certainly had plenty of authority. As for his medical ethics, that remained to be seen. I flipped open the consent form just as the Grim Reaper’s voice rang in my head. “Significant blood loss may accelerate the deterioration of your host vessel.” It might cause death? How was that any different from a guaranteed death sentence? I signed on the spot. My pen nearly set the paper on fire. Victoria clasped my hand with reddened eyes. “Bianca, thank you for being willing to save your sister.” “Don’t mention it.” ‘Take as much as you need. Really, don’t treat me like an outsider.’ Halfway through the procedure, the doctors noticed that my body temperature was steadily dropping. “Dr. Silva, something’s wrong with her condition. We need to stop.” I immediately opened my eyes. “Don’t stop.” The doctor froze for a moment. However, Byron watched me through the glass for a moment before speaking. “Talia needs a large amount for this transplant.” “She fell from the twenty-eighth floor and was perfectly fine. Her ability to recover is better than an ordinary person’s. Continue.” I was this close to weeping with gratitude. After all these days in the Silva family, Byron and I had finally reached a consensus. The doctor continued extracting stem cells for another half hour. The cracks on my charm continued to spread. “Reincarnation progress: 45%.” My fingers trembled with excitement. I was almost there, two more tubes were all it took. I was determined to finally get this whole reincarnation business taken care of today. However, Byron suddenly called a halt. “That’s enough.” I turned to look at him. “How is that enough?” The worst thing one could do was quit halfway through. He frowned. “Do you really have to make yourself look more considerate than Talia at a time like this?” I closed my eyes, unwilling to speak. Our sibling bond had officially come to an end. After the procedure, I was transferred to an observation room. Having received my stem cells, Talia looked noticeably healthier. She waited until no one was around, then wheeled herself over to my bed. “Do you think saving me will make our brothers think you’re a good person?” I shook my head. I just thought this hospital had some impressive equipment. It even had a real-time display of my progress toward death. I had an excellent user experience. When Talia saw that I was not responding, she simply pulled out my IV line and wheeled me into the underground cell storage facility. The cold room door locked behind me. A blast of minus-thirty-degree air quickly enveloped my body. Through the glass, she stared at me coldly. “Stay in there and think about what you’ve done.” I nearly threw myself at her and kissed her. As expected of the person I had chosen for the job. Byron handled the bloodletting while she handled the freezing. With teamwork like theirs, everything ran smoothly. I found an empty storage chamber, climbed inside, and even lowered the temperature by another five degrees myself. “Reincarnation progress: 60%. “70%.” Just as the progress bar hit seventy-nine percent, the cold room door suddenly swung open. The Silva family stormed in with their bodyguards. Talia immediately clutched her chest and collapsed into James’s arms. “I came to look for Bianca, but the door suddenly locked. I was so scared…” James scooped her up and carried her out, Byron checked her for signs of frostbite and Harriet hurried to call a doctor. It was not until they were long gone that someone finally remembered there was still another person in the cold room. By the time the bodyguards carried me out, I was staring at my frozen progress bar, so furious I could practically feel my corpse spots surfacing. When I actually needed saving, no one came, yet when I did not need saving, they arrived faster than ever. Having biological older brothers really did nothing but slow down my reincarnation. Chapter 4 The day Talia was discharged from the hospital, the Silva family threw her a belated eighteenth birthday party. My own welcome home banquet, meanwhile, was postponed indefinitely. Matheus said the family had already been in the news too much lately. Victoria said Talia had only just recovered and couldn’t handle any more stress. Harriet put it most bluntly. “Skipping one banquet isn’t going to kill anyone.” I could not help but glance at him. He should not speak too soon. In my case, it might actually happen. Before the banquet, Victoria picked out a white evening gown for me. I was quite pleased with it. Its lines were clean and simple, its color soft and understated. If I put my hair up a little, I would be ready for my coffin. Then, Talia suddenly walked in. Her eyes went straight to the luck charm around my neck. “Mom, I’d like to wear this for the family photo tonight.” Victoria looked troubled. “But that’s the keepsake your sister was wearing when we found her.” Talia lowered her head. “I just want something to prove that I’m a daughter of the Silva family, too.” Her eyes turned red and the three brothers appeared in the doorway as though they had caught the scent of fresh drama. James held out his hand to me. “Let Talia borrow it for one night.” I clutched the charm protectively. It was not that I could not bear to part with it. I was just so overwhelmed by my sudden stroke of good fortune that I was afraid I misheard him. Byron frowned at the sight of me. “It’s just a piece of jewelry. Do you have to compete with her over everything?” I struggled to suppress the grin threatening to split my face and cautiously confirmed, “You really want to take it? I might die once it’s gone.” Harriet burst out laughing. “You fell from the twenty-eighth floor, ate all kinds of questionable things and spent ages in a cold room. Weren’t you perfectly fine afterward? And now you’re threatening to die over a necklace?” Victoria patted my hand. “It’s only for one night. Please don’t make things difficult for your mother.” I nearly dropped to my knees and bowed to her on the spot. After all that effort, the entire family had finally placed the murder weapon into the right hands. I immediately removed the charm and solemnly placed it in James’s palm. “Give it to her. Make sure she takes good care of it.” I would prefer if she kept it safe all the way to the crematorium. The instant the charm left my body, sensation rapidly drained from my fingertips. The Grim Reaper’s voice rang out, practically buzzing with excitement, “Host vessel separated from its anchor. The host will lose their regenerative abilities within twelve hours.” It was good news, the best news imaginable. I nearly ran into the banquet hall and popped open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. During the family photo session, the photographer waved me over to join the others. Talia stood in the very center, surrounded by the Silva family, the luck charm hanging proudly around her neck. Harriet stepped in front of me. “You’re still not familiar with everyone. We’ll take another one next time.” I happily stepped aside. Fine, I had no intention of including them in my funeral portrait, either. At nine that evening, I received a message from Talia. The photo showed the luck charm resting on a gasoline drum in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. She told me to come alone. After reading the address, I sprang off the sofa in excitement. Talia certainly took her work seriously. She obtained the necessary equipment and was destroying it that very night. There were no delays and no wasted time. She truly deserved her position as the Silva family’s heiress. When I arrived at the warehouse, she was waiting with a lighter in her hand. “Once this charm burns, you’ll have no right to call yourself the Silva family’s heiress.” I did my best to sound frightened. “Don’t.” Perhaps I had not done a good enough job hiding my smile, because it came out sounding more like, “Oh, please do!” Talia shot me a suspicious look but tossed the lighter into the gasoline anyway. Flames roared to life. The luck charm quickly began to warp and melt in the fire. She locked me inside the warehouse and walked away. Meanwhile, I dragged over a little stool, sat beside the gasoline drum and patiently watched my own Achilles’ heel go up in flames. The fire grew higher and higher. That was when my phone rang. James’ voice came through, cold and distant. “Talia says you stole her charm and then tried to burn her alive. How long are you going to keep this up?” I glanced at the ceiling, now glowing red from the heat. “I’m about to die.” There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Harriet let out an impatient, mocking snort. “Aren’t you the expert at escaping death? Cut the act and get back here to apologize to Talia.” Victoria chimed in, trying to reason with me. “Today is Talia’s birthday. Don’t keep the whole family waiting.” I answered earnestly, “You don’t need to wait.” After tonight, no one would ever have to wait for me again. Apparently, none of them understood what I meant. The call ended soon afterward. I stared at the darkened screen and could not help bursting into laughter. Great. With the time, place, and circumstances all in my favor, the success rate of this death attempt was a full one hundred percent. The luck charm melted away completely. “Host vessel anchor destroyed. Regenerative abilities permanently lost. Reincarnation passage opening.” I sprang to my feet, trembling with excitement. It had been three hundred years. After countless failed attempts, I was finally reaching the pinnacle of my undead existence. Then, the piercing screech of brakes rang out outside the warehouse. Someone kicked the metal door with tremendous force. “Bianca!” The smile vanished from my face. Seriously? Why could this family not leave me the hell alone? James’ voice could be heard through the wall of fire. “Are you in there?” Just as the metal door was about to give in, I spotted the burnt-through beam overhead and eagerly flung my arms open. Whoever dared to bring me back to life tonight would become my greatest enemy in three hundred years. With a deafening crash, the beam came down. Agonizing pain tore through my entire body. However, I closed my eyes in bliss. At long last, the countdown began in my mind. “Separating from the corpse.”