**Chapter 11: Enhanced Physique**

The oversized backpack was a hassle. Annoyed, the Cube dashed into a grocery store and scavenged a two-wheeled luggage cart. Strapping the bag to it, it hitched the cart to its transformed roof.

"Ugh, now I'm a damn tow truck," it grumbled, speeding through the desolate streets—a rare sight post-apocalypse. Curtains twitched in high-rise windows as survivors glimpsed a "remote-control toy car" hauling cargo. Too scared to peek earlier, they missed the Cube's transformations.

"Move, you idiots!" Swerving around zombies, it resisted firing its gun—not out of fear, but to avoid blocking the road with corpses. *Should've built a giant robot. One stomp, problem solved.* Bumping and weaving, it finally reached Zhang Xiaowen's apartment. Transforming, it hauled the cart up the disabled access ramp and began climbing stairs.

---

In the living room, the Cube sat on a table while Xiaowen rummaged through the backpack.

"Ugh, this outfit's hideous." Fool! Prefer prancing in skirts for zombie admirers?" the Cube snapped.

"...Fine." She pouted but got ignored.

"These boots—"

"Wear. Them."

"Okay, okay!" They fit perfectly. "Whoa! A sword?!"

"Shortsword, moron."

"Hyah! Take this!" She swung wildly—*CLANG!*—slicing the table and sending the Cube crashing to the floor.

Rubbing its dented head, the Cube realized it had overestimated her IQ. Xiaowen winced. "Oops…"

"That thing'll get you killed. Time for an upgrade."

"Upgrade?"

"DNA modification. Enhances your physique for survival. No side effects."

"WOW! I'm the apocalypse protagonist! You're my cheat code!"

"…Sure. Now lie down before I regret this."

Xiaowen blushed. "Phrasing…"

"**Lie. Down.**" She scrambled onto the bed. The Cube headbutted the doorframe to stay calm.

"Inducing deep sleep via neural interference."

"Genetic scan initiated."

"Analysis complete."

Though controversial in its homeworld, the Cube had refined the tech. The upgrade would boost Xiaowen's strength, speed, and cognition—gradually, sustainably. Untested, but desperate times…

Beams from the Cube's core enveloped Xiaowen. Starship tech simplified this, but its weakened state made precision agony. One misstep—*system failure*.

---

Dawn broke. Xiaowen awoke, senses hyper-sharp: ceiling cracks vivid, odors layered, distant zombie growls crystal-clear.

"Cube?!"

"Window."

"This is AMAZ—**THUD!**" She rocket-launched off the bed into a wall.

"Ease up, rookie."

The Cube lay dimmed on the sill. "Energy depleted. Solar recharge."

"Get better, okay?"

"Go train. **Now.**" Xiaowen tested her upgraded body—twice as strong, lightning reflexes, zero bulk. *Thank god no muscles…*

"**Reboot complete.**" The Cube backflipped into a breakdance routine.

"Look! I'm unstoppable!" Xiaowen slashed her sword across a wardrobe.

"Then clear this building's zombies."

"Why? I can outrun them!"

"To fix your cowardice. Do it, or die later."

"…Come with me?"

"Fine."

Grimacing, Xiaowen geared up. The neighbor's rotted corpse stench nearly made her vomit. Downstairs, a zombie charged—*slow-mo? No, I'm faster.* Her thrust missed the skull.

**BANG!** The Cube's shot dropped it.

"**Aim for the head! Hesitate again, you're meat!**"

"Bedroom. Next."

"...Right."