Is this what a zombie is?

19. Dedicated power bank

The moment the door closed, the ward returned to silence.

Jiang Chen dropped his composed facade, his brows furrowing slightly.

He moved his neck and shoulders, and his bones and joints seemed to rust, making a cracking sound. It was clear from the sound that he wasn't feeling well.

"You... have osteoporosis. Should I have the hospital arrange a full physical exam for you, or maybe you should drink more milk to supplement your calcium intake?"

Jiang Chen loosened his collar and looked down at the piece of the Soul-Returning Incense on his chest, which had a corner missing.

If his resurrection progress was 78% when he obtained the second Resurrection Incense, now the progress bar has been pushed back to 56%.

After carefully examining his own body, Jiang Chen came to a conclusion.

"There is no obvious decline in sensory perception, but blood flow has slowed down a lot because of a severely low heart rate, with only a dozen or so beats per minute."

"If this continues, my body is very likely to become stiff."

Rigidity.

Upon hearing those two words, Ai Yi's DNA instantly stirred.

His carefree spirit returned, and he excitedly moved closer to Jiang Chen.

"Then why don't you get moving? Uncle Nine said that only by keeping your blood and qi circulating can your body avoid stiffening and turning into a zombie."

He even made a suggestion with great eagerness.

"How about I go buy you a few pounds of glutinous rice now? By the way, are you afraid of glutinous rice now?"

Jiang Chen's face darkened instantly, and he looked at this clown speechlessly.

"Thank you, but I'm not even a zombie anymore, just a defective product at best. If I really encountered one of my own kind, I'd probably be rejected for 'impure blood' and expelled from the group."

"Tsk."

Cat licked his paws and lazily spoke, interrupting this brief, everyday banter.

The root cause of your body stiffness is "insufficient energy supply".

"The Resurrection Incense is the foundation for your longevity, but if you only wear it, its effect is more on repair, like a slow and gentle process. Right now, it's lacking something, so the heat isn't strong enough, but you can replenish it yourself now."

"Thunder magic?" Jiang Chen immediately understood its meaning.

"That's right. You either need to calm down now and visualize the thunder, slowly accumulating energy from the heavens and earth; or... use a simpler and more direct method."

Cat's gaze drifted almost imperceptibly to the medical equipment socket in the corner.

"Go charge your own phone."

Jiang Chen tried it out, and without the help of external forces, relying on visualization to cultivate and achieve the purpose of recharging was really too slow.

There's nothing we can do about it; the weather outside is perfectly fine right now.

If it's a thunderstorm, the charging speed might be faster, so it doesn't take three hours to charge and only last for five minutes of talk time.

Left with no other choice, he could only ask Ai Yi to get a spare medical defibrillator from the hospital's medical equipment warehouse.

Ai Yi was very efficient; in less than ten minutes, a brand-new defibrillator was brought in.

Jiang Chen unplugged the wires connecting to the stun gun, exposing the wire connectors inside.

He needed to make some minor modifications, adjusting the internal capacitors and transformer modules to bypass safety restrictions.

Just a few minutes later.

This life-saving medical device has been transformed into a personal power bank for Jiang Chen, capable of stably outputting high-intensity pulse currents with incredibly fast charging efficiency.

Modification complete.

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, bared his upper body, and placed two cold electrode plates, one on his left chest where his heart was located, and the other on his back where his spine was located.

He closed his eyes, his mind conjured up a lightning visualization, and then pressed the power switch to maximum without hesitation.

"Buzz—Zzz!"

A piercing electrical sound rang out, and a powerful current, far exceeding the dosage for conventional treatment, surged into his body instantly.

In an instant, beneath his fair skin, as the current flowed, the dark blue electrical markings were gradually awakened and slowly lit up.

Those dark blue electric shock patterns, like natural tattoos, reappeared.

The patterns seemed to come alive, shimmering with light and shadow, and slowly flowing.

Thin, blue arcs of electricity danced across his body, emitting a soft "buzzing" sound.

The previously sluggish blood began to surge again under the stimulation of the electric current.

The icy feeling of the body gradually stiffening was quickly dispelled by a warm current.

Instead, there is a sense of fulfillment from the return of power.

Ai Yi watched with wide eyes.

This charging effect... is this what cultivation is all about?

The scene is full of a unique aesthetic that blends cyberpunk and fantasy.

That's fucking cool!

He shamelessly approached Cat Master, rubbing his hands together and making frantic hints.

"Master Cat, Immortal Cat, do you think I have the potential to cultivate immortality?"

Cat Master gave Ai Yi a look that said he was an idiot.

It didn't even bother to answer with words; it simply raised its paw and pointed to the power outlet on the wall.

The meaning is quite clear: Go and try touching one?

Ai Yi certainly wouldn't dare.

Unwilling to give up, he immediately switched into talkative mode, relentlessly pestering Cat Master.

"Look, my brother's martial arts technique is so cool! Do you... have any other ones in stock? Could you give me a set too? It doesn't have to be electrified, something that can breathe fire or freeze will do! I'm not asking for much!"

"Master Cat, please teach me! I am exceptionally talented and have extraordinary physique. I am clearly a martial arts prodigy, one in a million."

Cat Lord didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, only letting out a contemptuous "humph" from his nose, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Instead of being discouraged by being ignored, Ai Yi turned on her talkative mode, praising herself from every angle, from "Master Cat, you are wise and powerful, you are obviously no ordinary cat" to trying to drown this aloof black cat with her saliva.

Cat was so annoyed by him that he kicked off with his hind legs and his figure turned into a black shadow.

Silently, it jumped onto the top of the extremely tall wardrobe in the ward.

It looked down at the chattering "two-legged creature" from its high position.

It arrogantly flicked its tail and transmitted its voice using divine sense.

"You're so annoying!"

When acting cute didn't work, Ai Yi immediately changed tactics.

"Master Cat, I know you have refined tastes, and ordinary things wouldn't catch your eye." He cleared his throat, his tone becoming mysterious. "Master Cat, my family's underground wine cellar is a treasure trove."

"We have everything from 82 Lafite and Romanée-Conti to whiskies of all ages."

Cat Lord's ears twitched, and he even yawned, but he remained unmoved.

It has little interest in foreign gadgets, so no matter how famous they are, it doesn't tempt it at all.

Seeing this, Ai realized he hadn't scratched the itch, so he gritted his teeth and dropped the real bombshell.

"Then... what about the century-old Daughter's Red and the Scholar's Red?"

"There are also a few jars buried under the old house, said to be rare ancient wines from the Qing Dynasty. Are you interested?"