Chapter 95: Fingers Intertwined p1
“Gurgle—”
“Squish—”
Inside a dim, cramped basement in Chongyu City, a sickening, viscous sound echoed.
Like a large slug crawling across a damp floor.
Spray nozzles in each corner of the basement emitted a fine mist, filling the space with moisture.
A deliberately humidified environment.
“Click—”
Suddenly, the overhead lights flickered on, illuminating the previously dim basement.
“Thud—Thud—Thud—”
Slow footsteps approached from outside, stopping at the door.
“Beep—”
A button was pressed, and the spray nozzles stopped.
“Click—”
“Clack—”
“Click—”
Several locks disengaged, and the basement door creaked open.
A tall, thin figure in a hazmat suit entered and closed the door.
“Mian…”
A muffled voice from within the suit. A fungal mass, draped in a woman’s dress, lying in the center of the basement, twitched.
“Squish—”
As if sensing fresh meat, the dark green fungal mass extended several tendrils, wrapping them around the figure in the hazmat suit.
Barbs formed on the tendrils, attempting to pierce the suit, to reach the flesh and blood within.
If Lin Jiayao had been present, she would have recognized it.
A mindless, fully fungalized, horrifying zombie.
But it was far too weak; even with all its strength, it couldn’t penetrate the hazmat suit.
The figure in the suit, its arm now bound by tendrils, showed no fear.
It even smiled faintly.
“I know you missed me… I’ve been busy these past few days and haven’t been able to visit. I’m sorry…”
A clear, yet raspy, female voice, deliberately gentle, came from within the suit.
She sat down cross-legged, gently lifted the writhing fungal mass from the floor, and cradled it in her arms.
“It’s alright… we don’t have to cultivate it ourselves anymore… we found a stronger fungal zombie…”
“I saw it… humanoid, sentient, capable of laughing and crying… I saw it all…”
“There’s hope for you now, Mian… if you consume its blood crystals, you can become an Awakened again…”
The woman in the hazmat suit hugged the dress-clad fungal mass, rubbing her masked face against it.
Suddenly, she froze, then violently tore away the tendrils that had wrapped around her, pulling a few grams of blood crystals from her suit pocket.
“Monster… monster! Zombie! You’re not Mian! You’re a zombie!”
Clutching her masked head, she scrambled towards the basement door, flung it open, rushed out, and then slammed it shut.
“Thump—”
The locks automatically engaged, and the spray nozzles reactivated.
She ran through the water-filled corridor, her hazmat suit soaked by the time she reached the stairs.
Water dripped from the suit as she climbed the stairs and emerged onto the ground floor.
Reaching the ground floor, she stopped, her hand reaching into her suit pocket; the “snack” she had placed there was gone.
“Sigh…”
She sighed heavily, removed the hazmat suit, keeping only the full-face mask, and walked out of the villa.
“Boss?” A young woman, guarding the entrance, turned and bowed respectfully.
“Tell the communications team to stop transmitting. Two teams have been wiped out… Recall all the other sweep teams.”
Hearing the Boss’s command, the young woman, noticing the lack of humor in her pale face, felt a chill.
Two sweep teams… three C-rank Voodoo Cult warriors… all dead?
Sister Yun’s team, renowned for their precise firepower, had been annihilated? Had they encountered something they couldn’t handle with just guns?
“Yes, Boss.”
The guard turned and ran towards the communications center, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
Something big… was about to happen…
…
Qingzhou University Camp.
Lin Xiwan pushed her sister’s wheelchair, the two of them observing the unusual “campus scenery” of Qingzhou University.
Large sections of concrete had been removed, replaced with soil, only a few pathways remaining.
Especially the sports field.
It was divided into two sections: one planted with tall corn stalks, the other with various vegetables.
The two little girls followed them, their eyes wide with curiosity. Beside Lin Xiwan was Wan Zi, patiently explaining things.
“This corn, although slightly pale due to the mutation, is easier to grow and has no unusual side effects…”
“The other section is for experimental crops, testing different seeds to find the most suitable high-yield varieties for this area…”
“Those people over there are former Qingzhou University students, all agriculture majors. They’re in charge of the fields now, valuable assets…”
Lin Xiwan and Lin Jiayao listened, nodding occasionally.
They had just visited the camp’s artificial reservoir.
The reservoir was fed by a stream from the mountains behind the university. Streams, unlike large rivers, didn’t attract massive aquatic zombies.
Occasionally, a few zombie frogs or fish would come down the stream, but they would be caught in the layered filters, and the drainage channels were patrolled daily by Awakened.
It was like a modernized pre-apocalypse village, lacking only entertainment like television and internet, but otherwise self-sufficient.
However, Wan Zi also admitted that maintaining this “apocalyptic utopia” wasn’t easy.
Daily patrols, weekly water source inspections, and monthly sweeps of Tianzhou District were all necessary, requiring dedicated exploration teams.
“Zombies only get stronger over time, like breeding gu worms. To truly survive, we have to completely clear Qingzhou City… before something unstoppable emerges.”
These were Wan Zi’s words.
After the tour, Wan Zi stopped in front of Lin Xiwan.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Although we’re not lacking in combat power right now, I have to prepare for the future. I want to create a truly safe, sustainable environment for us to live in.”
“And for that, I need more people to join us, to build this ‘utopia’ together in this apocalyptic world.”
“Our goals are simple. A safe place to live, a decent life. That’s all.”
Wan Zi extended her right hand. “Will you join us? Starting from this very ground, let’s build a haven where even ordinary people can live safely.”
Her words touched Lin Xiwan; this camp was far superior to the one in Yangzhou City.
Self-sufficient, a fundamental difference.
The Yangzhou camp, relying entirely on scavenging and trading, had barely survived for five years.
To sustain ordinary people, they’d needed the constant efforts of Awakened and exploration teams.
One explorer for every n number of ordinary people. Losing even a single explorer meant someone would go hungry.
And losing an Awakened meant expelling people from the camp, the loss of a major source of supplies unsustainable.
To camps without self-sufficiency, Awakened were like houses in a city-building game, increasing the population limit, a simple but harsh reality.
But the Qingzhou University camp didn’t have this problem.
Even if an Awakened died during a mission, as long as their family members could contribute, watering crops, tending the fields, even just sweeping the floors, they would be provided for.
Staying here… it would be good…
Thinking this, Lin Xiwan looked down at her sister and gently tugged at her hair.
“Let us… think about it,” Lin Jiayao said, looking at Wan Zi. “Sister Wanzi, can I ask you a question?”
“My name is Wan…” Wan Zi took a deep breath. “Fine, ask away.”
A mere name… if they joined the camp, she would gladly change her name to Wanzi.
Four women, three of them Awakened!
Even if two of them had just Awakened, they were still valuable assets.
Wan Zi bent down, her hands on her knees, and looked at the beautiful girl in the wheelchair, smiling, waiting for her question.
Any questions about the camp, she could answer confidently.
“If an overwhelmingly powerful organization were to attack this place, what would you do?” Lin Jiayao asked.
Wan Zi’s smile froze.
In post-apocalyptic China, an overwhelmingly powerful organization, known for its flamboyant actions, could only be…
The Voodoo Cult.
“What do you mean?” Wan Zi frowned. “Are you saying… the Voodoo Cult might come here?”
“They never appeared in Guangdong Province before. Now, for some reason, they’re planning a large-scale sweep of Fuzhou City…” Lin Jiayao shook her head. “I don’t know what to make of it.”
“…I’ll be prepared,” Wan Zi said after a moment of silence.
“We’re far from Fuzhou City, and we’ve stopped broadcasting. They shouldn’t be able to find us,” she added, seemingly trying to reassure herself as much as Lin Jiayao.
“Oh, and Sister Wanzi, there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?” Wan Zi’s mind was racing, thinking about how to defend against the Voodoo Cult; her response was slightly distracted.
“These two little girls, we rescued them from the Fuzhou camp… can your camp take them in?” Lin Jiayao said, gesturing towards the girls. “They’re too young… we can’t properly care for them, whether we stay or leave.”
“These two?” Wan Zi, finally snapping out of her thoughts, looked at the two girls hiding behind Lin Xiwan.
Hearing they might be left behind, their faces filled with anxiety, they clung to Lin Xiwan’s clothes, trying to hide.
Like two fawns hiding behind a tree.
Wan Zi looked at the two girls, her mind racing.
They looked about four or five years old. Even if the older one was Awakened, they were too young to travel.
They couldn’t even take care of themselves; bringing them along would be a burden.
And with the pretty girl in the wheelchair, it meant the older sister would be responsible for three people… that was impractical.
But in the camp… they had resources, books, everything they needed to provide the girls with a good life and nurture the older girl’s abilities.
They would gain a future Awakened, at the cost of a little food and water. A worthwhile investment.
“If you want the camp to care for them, I can find someone suitable,” Wan Zi said, looking at Lin Jiayao.
She’d noticed that the younger sister seemed to be the decision-maker.
Lin Jiayao looked at her sister, the two exchanging glances, and then turned back to Wan Zi.
“Alright, we’ll leave them in your care,” she said.
Lin Xiwan stroked the girls’ heads. “Be good and stay here with Sister Wanzi, okay?”
She’d been prepared to spend some time comforting them, but they had readily gone to Wan Zi’s side.
“Uh…” Wan Zi was taken aback, then gently stroked their heads. “Sister will take you to your new home… stay close to me, so I can look after you.”
“You can go. We know the way back; we want to look around a bit more.”
“Okay… then I’ll take them and get them settled, and introduce them to everyone.”
Wan Zi knew they weren’t staying and didn’t try to persuade them.
Although she wouldn’t have the two Awakened sisters, gaining a young Awakened wasn’t a bad outcome.
“Want to continue exploring? We can visit the library.” Lin Xiwan asked, ruffling her sister’s hair, after Wan Zi and the two little girls had left.
She wanted to relax and unwind in the camp, to help her sister de-stress.
“No… I want to go back and rest,” Lin Jiayao said. “For some reason, using my ability earlier made me… tired…”
“Oh, right… you did use it for quite a while.” Lin Xiwan nuzzled her sister’s cheek. “Let’s go back to the dorm then.”
After taking her sister back, Lin Xiwan asked Auntie Lan to bring her some dumbbells and began exercising in the dorm.
There was a gym in the university, but she didn’t want to leave her sister alone.
A mechanic had already inspected the jeep, concluding that it was beyond repair and recommending they get a new one.
She would wait until her sister was feeling better and then they could choose a new vehicle together.
Lin Jiayao lay on the bed, covered with blankets and pillows, while Lin Xiwan exercised.
Lin Jiayao was browsing the available zombies.
She’d been planning to log into Mask and leave Xin City, or log into the fourth zombie and deal with the “corn cob” monster.
But after her last experience with the fourth zombie, she wanted to try having it consume some spores.
If it could absorb them, she could use the Voodoo Cult corpses to test if she could extract their memories.
After all, there were quite a few Voodoo Cult corpses there; it wouldn’t take long to get back.
And even if she couldn’t extract memories, she could search their vehicles for logbooks.
She’d been too focused on collecting blood crystals earlier, Blood Crystal Vision activated, seeing only the red glow.
She’d completely forgotten about the possibility of logbooks in their vehicles.
The Voodoo Cult probably hadn’t considered that their mandatory logs could be used against them.
They didn’t care about being discovered.
But who would have thought someone would actually track them down? Even Survivor’s Light, at its peak, would have hesitated.
In the apocalypse, those who embraced chaos far outnumbered those who sought order.
Lin Jiayao opened her eyes. The garage door was ajar.
The fourth zombie had extracted there, after sliding into the villa’s garage.
Logging into the fourth zombie, she first checked the extraction point.
「Extraction Time 2:59:56」
【Extraction Point: 30km】
30km?
That’s outside the city limits.
Three hours was plenty of time. Lin Jiayao peered out of the garage, assessing the direction, and sighed.
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