Chapter Seventeen: Test Data

Fan Li’s thoughts were not some sudden whim, but rather the overwhelming impact of the scene before him; his emotions had become unsettled and refused to calm. He was no stranger to zombies—whether from the Zombie House or the mildly chubby ones—but none of them could inflict any harm on the monstrous creature before him. Against such a foe, the hulking zombie could swing its arm and send several others sprawling to the ground, unable to rise again.

Fan Li felt that zombies of this caliber truly deserved to be called monsters, bizarre beings on par with Ellie.

“What on earth has happened to this world?”

He stared at the chaos before him. The monster raged nearby, venting its fury, and many zombies perished as a result. The street, already steeped in blood, now seemed even more disgusting and disorderly.

By instinct, Fan Li grasped the music box in his hand.

He knew precisely what kind of monster was imprisoned within it. Much like the hulking zombie before him, Ellie had once faced the Zombie House and dispatched a zombie with a single, effortless punch.

The creature before him was not something a human could contend with.

Though he had no idea how it had come to be in such a form, he had to accept a simple fact: without heavy weaponry—mortars, tanks, or similar artillery—nothing could harm this monster.

Fan Li needed to confirm one thing: could Ellie stand against it?

He had to know the answer.

This monster was certainly neither the first nor the last of its kind in the world. Fan Li refused to believe that only he was unlucky enough to encounter such a beast; surely many others existed. These creatures were among the predators in this apocalypse.

Sooner or later, Fan Li would have to step out of this prison to see the outside world. But if he encountered such a monster in the wild, could he possibly survive?

Without weapons, survival was nearly impossible.

Fight to the death?

Burn his inner strength at the brink of life and death, smash its skull with a single punch?

Don’t be ridiculous!

A creature of this level wouldn’t even allow a moment for such a heroic burst. Look at its previous attacks: one punch could snap a spine in an instant. Fan Li was not arrogant enough to think his bones were as strong as steel.

So Fan Li’s decision to release Ellie was not idle curiosity, but a deliberate attempt to test whether his life-saving trump card could actually serve its purpose.

He was now positioned atop a building, able to observe the hulking zombie from a safe vantage. If he faced it head-on, with no combat data, no one could predict what might happen.

A creaking sound echoed.

Fan Li twisted the music box, and at that moment, the empty room was filled with a beautiful melody.

Light footsteps approached from the doorway. Fan Li turned to see a petite figure appear before him.

Ellie seemed to be searching for something, her head swaying from side to side until she finally locked onto Fan Li’s location.

The stipulation for summoning Ellie was feeding her; with food in short supply, she would even consider her master as sustenance.

She was a small creature devoid of emotion, acting purely on instinct. She paid no heed to Fan Li’s intentions, much like the horde of zombies outside—her only concern was filling her stomach.

A friendship value of thirty was far from enough for Ellie to develop any real dependence on Fan Li. She approached with delicate steps, far less violent than she had been when confronting the Zombie House. Now, she moved with an almost leisurely grace.

Facing Fan Li, she gave him special consideration, like a young lady attending a soiree. Her princess-style skirt swayed gently, her destination clear—the spot where the pastries were placed.

“Stop, Ellie!”

Fan Li tried to communicate with her, uncertain if it would work. As she drew closer, he stretched his arms in front of him, making a gesture to block her path.

A ring of red light flickered through the room. Looking ahead, Fan Li saw the monster summoning manual glow with a crimson hue.

As the radiance enveloped it, Ellie halted!

It worked!

Fan Li’s eyes flashed with surprise. He had summoned Ellie, and this proved he possessed some degree of control over the little monster before him.

Yet Ellie’s movements were not completely restrained. Fan Li sensed her demeanor shift from calm to violent; though he didn’t quite know what killing intent was, the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees in mere seconds, making Ellie’s feelings palpable.

Ellie was furious, and the consequences would be severe.

As a monster, she kept her promise: as long as she was fed, she obeyed Fan Li’s orders. Ellie wanted food, so if her master didn’t provide it, she would simply eat him instead—an entirely reasonable outcome.

Now, however, she had been summoned, but hadn’t received any food, and her freedom was also restricted. This had caused the little monster, whose origins were unknown, to feel a surge of resentment.

The temperature in the room continued to drop, and Fan Li’s hairs stood on end.

He had to remember: standing before him was a monster whose face was covered in teeth, not a little girl who could be cheered up by watching goldfish all day.

For Ellie, only feeding brought her a moment of peace. Fan Li had no intention of testing the limits of the summoning manual’s control; he merely wanted to redirect Ellie’s focus and make her view other enemies as food.

Fan Li opened the window. Because of the constant carnage, the air outside was always thick with the stench of blood, so he rarely opened it.

The smell immediately caught Ellie’s attention; though she lacked facial features, it didn’t hinder her ability to locate food.

Fan Li’s arms remained raised in front of him, offering a shred of psychological comfort.

“Ellie, the big one outside is the real food!”

This was Fan Li’s first command to her. Beginnings are always difficult, so he chose a gentle way to issue it.

As the window opened, the bloody scent wafted in, and Ellie caught the aroma of different food. Perhaps thanks to the summoning manual, her attention finally shifted away from Fan Li.

Guided by him, Ellie walked to the window, her featureless face turning downward. Perhaps sensing the hulking zombie’s presence, she cocked her head, as if studying it carefully.

Ellie patted her belly, and as a summoner, Fan Li strangely understood a bit of what she meant.

Delicious. Enough to eat. Want to eat!

Fan Li’s lips twitched, feeling as if everything were a surreal dream. And in the next instant, Ellie, who had merely been standing by the window, suddenly leapt high into the air. Without a hint of hesitation, she pounced straight toward the hulking zombie below!