Category: Sickly Girl Doesn’t Die in Zombie Simulator

Chapter 119: Delivering a Plane?

Huayibai… Sister… Building-Tree Guardian… A4… Mask…

After considering her options, Lin Jiayao summoned the thirty-meter-tall fifth zombie in the virtual Training Grounds.

Although she couldn’t bring it over, she could use it, another B-rank, to test Wu Hejun’s abilities.

She needed to understand Wu Hejun’s full capabilities before formulating a strategy.

After three hours of simulations, her mental strength had recovered considerably.

She planned to end the simulation in the fourth hour, collect the loot from the Zombie Loot Box, and then log into either Mask or A4.

Assuming A4 had extracted and returned; 1200 kilometers was a long distance, even for a speeding zombie.

“Rumble—”

The Training Grounds’ scenery shifted, becoming Kun City, the broken building-trees and their interconnected vines, the desiccated corpses hanging from them.

Lin Jiayao, controlling the fifth zombie, looked down at the comparatively tiny Wu Hejun simulation.

Begin—

This time, she set her pain receptors to 100%; she needed a real fight to understand Wu Hejun’s abilities.

As the simulation began, Wu Hejun’s figure vanished in a flash of red lightning.

“Rumble—”

The sound of thunder echoed, but Lin Jiayao couldn’t pinpoint her location – she was too fast.

“Thump—”

The fifth zombie’s massive heart pulsed with a purple light, a loud buzzing sound.

“Boom—”

A wave of pressure erupted outwards, shattering the surrounding vines and trees, like an earthquake.

And Wu Hejun, caught in the pulse, her lightning-fast movements momentarily halted, coughed up blood.

Good, Crystal Resonance is effective against her high mobility.

Seeing her location, Lin Jiayao raised her right leg and stomped down.

Despite its massive size, the fifth zombie’s movements weren’t slow.

“Crash—”

The massive foot descended, a gust of wind as it stomped towards Wu Hejun, but just as it was about to connect, a burst of electrical energy erupted from Wu Hejun.

Concentric rings of blood-red electricity, a dense web, formed a protective shield, pushing back the massive foot.

“Zzzt—”

The electrical rings, like barbed wire, cut into the fifth zombie’s foot, drawing blood.

The blood instantly clotted, forming a new layer of rough skin, though less durable than the original.

That electric field… I’ve never seen that before…

If Wu Hejun had used this from the start, she wouldn’t have lasted ten seconds.

Too dense, impossible to dodge; her only options would have been to retreat or endure.

The fifth zombie, pushed back by the electrical field, stumbled, its vision a blur of red and white, the world consumed by lightning.

As the distance increased, the weakened electrical current could no longer penetrate its defenses, only leaving scorch marks on its skin.

When the lightning dissipated, Lin Jiayao saw Wu Hejun and froze.

A moss-covered, abandoned car was floating in front of Wu Hejun, and in front of the car, a series of dense electromagnetic rings.

This is…

“Buzzzzz—”

The moss and rust on the car vanished instantly, and the twisted metal, glowing red, shot towards her head.

“Boom—!”

Lin Jiayao’s right eye exploded, the projectile, a supercharged electromagnetic railgun, piercing her skull and exiting through the top of her head.

A single attack, and the fifth zombie, controlled by Lin Jiayao, had been… headshotted.

Purple blood and green brain matter splattered, then slowly solidified. Lin Jiayao felt a brief, sharp pain, and then the wound began to close.

The fifth zombie hadn’t died; even with its head pierced, it could still regenerate.

A true tank.

The surrounding building-trees and vines, ignited by the lightning, were now on fire, the once lush green landscape of the Kun City Training Grounds a blazing inferno.

These were just simulated trees, not the real thing; they didn’t retaliate.

After enduring another five minutes of attacks in this fiery hellscape, Lin Jiayao ended the simulation.

It was a stalemate. She couldn’t get close, and Wu Hejun couldn’t penetrate her defenses.

It would just be a long, drawn-out battle of attrition, and she didn’t have time for that.

More importantly, she had what she wanted: information about Wu Hejun’s abilities.

The Zombie Loot Box would be ready in a little over an hour. She would spend the remaining time in the Training Grounds.

Meanwhile, in Chongyu City, almost a thousand kilometers away, the Voodoo Cult was preparing for war.

After much effort, Wu Hejun had re-indoctrinated most of the Voodoo Cult, solidifying their loyalty.

Especially Anan, one of their three B-rank Awakened. Keeping him in line was crucial for maintaining order within the cult.

But now, after exhausting herself with that focused precognitive vision, Wu Hejun’s mental state, further influenced by the blood crystals, had deteriorated.

She sat amidst the ruins of her villa, her body convulsing.

As she twitched and shuddered, a female Voodoo Cult guard cautiously approached.

“Boss…” she whispered. The Boss’s body instantly stilled.

Although motionless, she knew the Boss had heard her.

Looking at the gruesome, unhealed wounds on her back, the blood crystal shards embedded in her flesh like jagged blades, the guard felt a chill.

Although the Boss’s moods were always unpredictable, she had never seemed so… alien.

Like a powerful, mindless zombie.

The guard swallowed nervously. “The… the planes from Donghai City and Guangdong Province have responded and are on their way back.”

These two “planes” were the Voodoo Cult’s last remaining large insect transports. Recalling them meant… this was serious.

“Where’s… Anan…?” Wu Hejun slowly turned her head.

Her bloodshot eyes and her mangled, blood-covered face made the guard stumble back in terror.

“I… I’ll… I’ll go get him, Boss!”

She scrambled away, leaving Wu Hejun alone in the ruins.

The red in her eyes faded slightly, a flicker of lucidity returning.

Suddenly, she began clawing at her face, as if it weren’t her own, tearing away skin and flesh.

“Jun!!! Get out of my head!!! You lunatic!!!”

“Junjun… don’t be influenced by the visions… you’ve absorbed too many blood crystals… you’ll become a zombie…”

“Shut up!!!”

She slammed her fist into the ground, her eyes blazing red again.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” She punched herself repeatedly, spitting out blood and broken teeth.

“She has to die… she has to die… she has to die…”

One of her personalities, driven mad by the precognitive visions.

If not for the other two suppressing it, she would have lost all control, reduced to a mindless, blood crystal-driven monster, its only instinct to hunt.

Her body convulsed again, jolts of electricity running through her, as if several entities were battling for control.

Gradually, her struggles weakened. She slowly stood up, a grotesque smile on her mangled face.

“I win.”

“Boss?”

A man’s voice from behind her. She turned and saw a young man in a black baseball cap, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, staring at her in shock.

“Anan, you’re here.” Wu Hejun smiled faintly, as if nothing had happened, wiped the blood from her clothes, and then started rummaging through the debris. “Let me explain the plan. We’re going on a trip. Your ability will be crucial.”

Her tone was normal, even… gentle.

A disturbing contrast to her appearance.

“Are you… Sister He now…?” Anan asked cautiously, based on her demeanor.

He had been with the Boss for a long time and was familiar with her three personalities.

Her current tone suggested her calm, composed persona.

“Hmm? What do you mean ‘Sister He now’?” She pulled a tattered map from the debris and walked towards him. “Was I not Wu Hejun before?”

She handed him the map. “We’ll take this route, try to intercept the target before it reaches Kun City. If it enters Kun City, then we’ll need your ability… Bring enough blood crystals.”

So thoughtful, even reminding him to bring supplies… Was this really one of the Boss’s personalities?

The guard who had summoned him had been terrified, saying the Boss was insane, fighting herself…

Why wasn’t she seeing any of that?

Anan didn’t dare ask, taking the map. As he studied the route and the notes, he heard the Boss gasp.

“Huh? Why am I so injured?”

He looked up and saw the Boss holding a broken mirror, gently touching the wounds on her face.

Her delicate, almost feminine gesture made Anan’s eye twitch.

He’d never seen her like this before.

This is…

A new personality?

Had the self-harm triggered some sort of protective mechanism, creating a new personality to… protect herself?

“Anan, please get me a doctor. Thank you.”

Hearing the “thank you,” Anan shuddered, a wave of unease washing over him.

Holy shit! Definitely a new personality!

“I… I’ll go right away!”

He pocketed the map and hurried away.

After he was gone, Wu Hejun stretched her arms, taking a deep breath, as if savoring her freedom.

…

On the highway from Guangdong Province to Chongyu City, a ten-meter-long, dragonfly-like insect zombie, its segmented abdomen curled beneath it, sped through the night sky.

Without instruments or radar, following the highway was the best way to avoid getting lost.

Inside the insect’s bony carapace, the pilot, seemingly accustomed to the vibrations of its wings, was napping.

“Screech—”

A sudden, sharp cry woke him, and an image flashed through his mind, transmitted by the insect.

This is…

Several kilometers below, on the highway, a strange sight.

Four zombies were pulling a convertible sports car, their bodies steaming, frothing at the mouth, clearly exhausted, on the verge of collapse.

What the…?

As the insect descended, he saw the occupants of the car clearly.

Two women.

Control-type Awakened.

A cruel smile spread across his face. He felt a surge of excitement.

Flying along the highway, he occasionally encountered such vehicles. Toying with them, hunting them down, was a welcome distraction from the monotony of the journey.

Only four Sprinters…

Little sisters, let Big Brother show you what a real control-type Awakened can do.

“A little… entertainment,” he muttered.

“Buzz—”

He adjusted the insect’s trajectory, diving towards the sports car below.

Chapter 118: Simulated Challenge

Three golden eggs?

The three golden glows almost blinded Lin Jiayao, making her freeze momentarily, forgetting to raise her arms for her sister.

“Yao, lift your arms a little higher, I can’t pull the shirt down.”

“Oh, oh.”

Hearing her sister’s voice, Lin Jiayao complied.

Due to the lack of bras in her size, she had to go without until they could find a suitable one.

And to prevent chafing, Lin Xiwan had thoughtfully placed band-aids over her nipples.

Band-aids were plentiful now; small wounds healed quickly, and they were useless against larger wounds, so their main function now was this.

This only worked for her and Huayibai, however; their… smaller chests… weren’t a problem, but Lin Xiwan needed a proper sports bra.

They could use bandages if necessary, but it hadn’t reached that point yet; they’d just left the camp and just needed smaller bras.

And besides chest-related issues, surviving in the apocalypse as a woman also meant dealing with… monthly inconveniences… and those supplies were also difficult to replenish.

But Lin Jiayao wasn’t concerned with such matters now. Ignoring her sister’s ministrations, she focused on the evolution options.

The first, Dermal Armor… a purely defensive evolution, likely the source of the fifth zombie’s incredible durability, its skin even masking its blood crystal signature.

But the description mentioned blood crystal consumption, and the conversion rate depended on the skill level.

Although she didn’t know the exact conversion rate, it would undoubtedly be costly.

Let’s see the next one.

Perfect Regeneration…

Lin Jiayao looked at the “Max” level and then at the system’s note, understanding its meaning.

So, this “Max” was equivalent to Lv.1 for other gold evolutions. It wasn’t particularly powerful, just… as high as it could go.

She already had the purple Mutated Regeneration; she didn’t need this gold version. Choosing this would truly turn her into… Tang Sanzang’s flesh, irresistible to demons.

And if she was severely injured, she could always log into the fifth zombie, draw some of its blood, and bring it back.

Thinking this, Lin Jiayao suddenly opened her eyes and slapped her left palm with her right fist, slightly annoyed.

Why hadn’t she thought of bringing back some of the fifth zombie’s blood or flesh? It would have been incredibly valuable!

A small amount each time, and she wouldn’t have to worry about medical supplies. And the fifth zombie would regenerate quickly anyway.

A missed opportunity.

She still had much to learn about resource management.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Xiwan, having finished dressing her sister, was now helping her into her pants, a curious look on her face.

“Nothing, just… remembered something,” Lin Jiayao said casually. “I left that bottle of cola at the resort camp.”

“Pfft,” Lin Xiwan chuckled, pinching her sister’s cheek. “You still remember that? You little glutton.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Lin Jiayao finally turned her attention to the third evolution.

Crystal Resonance. Undeniably powerful, an area-of-effect attack, and she had witnessed its power firsthand.

It could easily incapacitate a C-rank Awakened. With enough power, it could even crush anyone who got too close.

A terrifying ability, a domain of sorts.

The more blood crystals, the wider the range and the stronger the effect. With enough blood crystals, it could even stun a B-rank.

She lacked offensive abilities; Crystal Resonance filled that gap perfectly.

And it didn’t require mobility; she could activate it while sitting still, a perfect ability for her.

After reviewing the options one last time, she chose Crystal Resonance.

“Thump—”

A sudden, loud thud inside her head as she selected the evolution, and she felt her control over her internal blood crystal fluid increase.

And another enhancement.

Her heart felt… stronger, more resilient, probably impervious to ordinary bullets now.

A strong heart seemed to be a prerequisite for this ability; the fifth zombie’s heart had been unusually large, even glowing.

Like a Gundam’s reactor – a biological engine.

After the evolution, she felt a warmth in her chest, a faint pulsing energy.

Just inject blood crystal fluid, and she could activate Crystal Resonance.

“Done~” Lin Xiwan tied the drawstring on her sister’s sweatpants, looking at her with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Thank you, Sister,” Lin Jiayao said, opening her arms.

Lin Xiwan, seeing her sister’s gesture, understood.

She leaned down and hugged her sister, returning the embrace.

After a while, Lin Jiayao pulled away. “I need to rest for a bit,” she said.

“Me too, I’ve been driving for too long, my eyes are blurry,” Lin Xiwan said, stroking her sister’s head.

Their jeep was parked on the highway, surrounded by open, barren land, any potential threats easily visible, a relatively safe location.

Lin Jiayao was already thinking about her “promotion.”

Her earlier dizziness could be attributed to a sudden breakthrough, and by secretly converting some blood crystals, she could easily mimic a D-rank Awakened.

Her sister, a genius Awakened, developing a secondary ability… it wasn’t that implausible.

With communication and information so limited, even if her abilities seemed… exceptional, it wouldn’t be questioned.

The sooner she reached “B-rank,” the sooner she could openly use some of her more… impressive abilities without having to explain their origins.

And after healing Huayibai, she could also “promote” it to B-rank.

Geniuses, naturally gifted, no further explanation needed.

So, she would use this “rest” to… evolve.

Lin Jiayao lay down, closing her eyes.

She had already instructed Huayibai to keep watch and to consume the two blood crystals in its backpack if they encountered any enemies.

Her mental strength was too depleted for another login now. She needed to rest and then check on A4, see if it had reached the extraction point.

Extracting with a B-rank zombie was risky. If it encountered any danger, it would be a sitting duck.

Goldie was stuck in that city for now, the second zombie, the Building-Tree Guardian, was on standby in Kun City; her only options were Mask or A4.

But even without logging in, she could still acquire evolutions.

She still had the Zombie Loot Box.

Having been… disappointed… by the last Loot Box result, she’d been hesitant to use it again, wanting to log in and acquire some evolutions first.

It was… unpredictable.

But now, she opened the Zombie Loot Box interface, took two blood crystal stones from her remaining ten, and placed them in the slot.

According to the system, the more you spent, the stronger the zombie, so two crystals should at least guarantee something better than a low-level mutated zombie.

As the crystals were consumed, an image slowly formed in the display box.

A fish?

No… not quite a fish… more like a… fish-man.

Not the typical fish-man with legs instead of a tail, but one whose fins had been replaced by human arms, flailing wildly.

Its large, flat head had no eyes, just some mangled flesh, as if injured, and from its white belly extended several soft, pink tentacles.

This seemed to be the zombie fish’s current state, its human-arm-fins propelling it across… land, seemingly.

Then, in the projection, it stumbled, fell, and thrashed on the ground, its bloody maw snapping at the air.

This… this is what two blood crystals get me?

It’s about to die before it even extracts?

Seriously, system, are you messing with me?

But then, she noticed something.

The pink tentacles on its belly began to writhe, tearing open the zombie fish’s stomach, spilling its dark intestines and blood.

A pink, fleshy mass, resembling a large sea urchin, emerged from the fish’s belly, its hidden mouthparts now visible, and started devouring the zombie fish.

As it ate, it expelled small, grayish-white eggs, covering the fish’s body.

Like insect eggs on a leaf, or barnacles on a ship’s hull, or a bowl of… tapioca pudding with black specks.

So the actual zombie wasn’t the fish, but this… sea urchin…?

A parasitic, aquatic zombie?

Lin Jiayao looked at the extraction time: four hours. Longer extraction times usually meant better rewards.

And she could already see blood crystals stored within the sea urchin’s translucent body.

As long as it didn’t… expel them before extracting, they were hers.

At least she would break even.

Seeing the zombie start its journey towards the extraction point, Lin Jiayao closed the Zombie Loot Box interface.

Judging by its movements, it was definitely on land… So, even Japan was being invaded by sea creatures.

Why were the sea creatures suddenly so eager to come ashore? Was something driving them out of the ocean?

Perhaps she could find the answer in Japan, but for now, she was far from the coast.

Closing the system interface, she opened the Training Grounds.

Simulating battles here didn’t consume mental energy; it was a form of rest, and right now, she couldn’t afford to rest, unless she fainted.

Time, and the Voodoo Cult, wouldn’t wait.

She would simulate two battles.

Goldie and Huayibai vs. the head-Hive zombie.

And herself vs. the Voodoo Cult leader.

She had seen the Voodoo Cult leader during her previous login and wanted to practice, to figure out how to defeat her.

Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will never be defeated.

If the Voodoo Cult leader came looking for them, she wouldn’t expect that, despite it being their first encounter, Lin Jiayao already knew her abilities.

Unfortunately, even after numerous attempts with Goldie and Huayibai, Lin Jiayao couldn’t overcome the sheer number of blood insects.

And transforming spores into tendrils took time and energy; she could only infect a small portion of the swarm before being overwhelmed.

A difference in scale, like that B-rank Voodoo Cult zombie against the Building-Tree Guardian with its unlimited energy supply.

If she could defeat that head-Hive, the rewards would be immense.

She even tried using her main body in the simulation, assisting Goldie, and it was surprisingly more effective than Huayibai.

Her newly acquired Crystal Resonance was incredibly effective against the insects.

Although numerous, the insects were individually weak, only the larger ones reaching C-rank level, and even those were only fast and had strong bites, no special abilities.

If, before the battle, she consumed all of Goldie’s tentacles, the resulting Crystal Resonance pulse should be enough to pin down the entire swarm, leaving the head-Hive zombie vulnerable.

But even then, getting past its endless tentacles was a problem.

Her main body couldn’t approach it. Better focus on the Voodoo Cult leader…

No, wait.

She also had spore division and mimicry…

Could she use Huayibai’s method, “smuggling” herself into America through the safehouse, along with Huayibai?

Would her clone retain her abilities?

This thought consumed her. She quickly ran a simulation. But unfortunately, the spore clone only had the basic fungal abilities, none of her own evolutions.

Well… that made sense… hundreds of clones, each with all her abilities… the Voodoo Cult wouldn’t stand a chance, not even two or three more B-ranks could stop her.

She put aside the plan to farm the head-Hive and simulated a battle against Wu Hejun.

Setting her pain receptors to 0%, she started the simulation.

“Zzzt—”

The moment she released her tendrils, a red flash pierced her chest, and the “Battle Failed” message appeared.

Lightning?

So fast…

Lin Jiayao increased her pain sensitivity slightly and started again, repeating the simulation over and over.

As her tactics improved, her survival time also increased, but only up to seven seconds.

Each second earned through countless simulated deaths.

And with each battle, her control over her abilities improved.

After reaching ten seconds, she felt she had reached her limit.

Defeating a B-rank alone was simply too difficult.

After reviewing the battles, unable to find any further improvements, she started adding other factors to the simulation.

Her own controllable units.

Chapter 117: Three Golds Unleashed!

「Extraction Time: 1:59:44」
【Extraction Point: 29km】

Two hours, almost 30 kilometers. With this body, it shouldn’t be difficult.

But then, a wave of chanting from below caught her attention.

“Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Heavenly King of the East, Ino.”

“Rise, oh benevolent one, and deliver us from evil. Hear our prayers!”

“Free from disaster and disease, svāhā!”

“Free from disaster and disease, svāhā!”

“Free from disaster and disease, svāhā!”

Loud, impressive.

But Lin Jiayao didn’t understand a word.

She did, however, recognize the woman lying at her feet, staring up at her with wide, shocked eyes.

The woman who had been offered as a sacrifice earlier. She was wearing clothes now; Lin Jiayao almost hadn’t recognized her.

This was likely the woman who had fed the fifth zombie blood crystals.

Unable to communicate verbally, Lin Jiayao simply extended her right hand towards the woman.

The woman’s expression shifted rapidly, a whirlwind of emotions.

How… how was she supposed to handle this?

She didn’t know the Awakened controlling this zombie, couldn’t communicate with it. What should she do?

If it left, how would she explain it?

If it destroyed this place, how would she escape?

The cult did have a B-rank Awakened, but he, like the others, was a fanatic, brainwashed since the early days of the apocalypse. He wouldn’t dare harm the “God of Ino,” even if ordered to.

Being crushed by the God of Ino would be considered a blessing, a sacrifice for the greater good, their souls ascending to paradise.

This was… a problem… And she hadn’t even considered the possibility of someone controlling the God of Ino when she’d been feeding it! And she couldn’t even see the controller!

Everyone would think the God of Ino’s soul had returned, ready to bestow blessings upon them.

Then they saw the God of Ino lower its head and slowly extend its right hand.

Igarashi, closest to the giant zombie, her back drenched in cold sweat, frantically kicked the executive lying prostrate behind her.

You’re a high-rank Awakened too! Don’t just lie there playing dead!!!

But then she despaired; the massive hand was reaching towards her.

Everyone on the mountaintop watched, wondering what the great God of Ino would do.

“Whoosh—”

The movement created a gust of wind, and those who had foolishly kept their eyes open shielded their faces. And then they saw…

The God of Ino, its right hand raised, giving a thumbs-up to those in the house below.

A… thumbs-up…?

Everyone was stunned.

The God of Ino… was…

Cool?

Ignoring their reactions, Lin Jiayao looked towards the extraction point on the right, estimated the distance, and then slowly crouched down.

“Boom—”

She leaped, landing in a residential area at the foot of the mountain, the impact shaking both the mountain and the ground below.

She felt like a giant monster in an Ultraman episode – although she was much smaller than those kaiju.

Compared to those hundred-meter-tall behemoths, she was just a baby.

Only the deep-sea monsters could rival their size.

Landing, she walked towards the extraction point, her long strides covering a considerable distance.

Her vision was incredibly wide, the extraction point clearly visible.

If she wasn’t mistaken… it was on a beach?

Or rather, what used to be a beach, now just a stretch of debris and rubble, the original coastline long gone.

And ten-meter-tall waves crashed against the shore, a relentless assault.

Something massive was churning beneath the waves.

The further she walked, the more… unusual… the landscape seemed.

Her enhanced vision could see across the water, through the mist… Was that… another landmass?

A continent, much lower than the one she was currently on, almost completely submerged, only a few remnants of buildings visible.

The sea level had risen, but not this much; otherwise, Donghai City and the surrounding plains would be underwater.

“Rat-tat-tat—”

As she walked, she noticed a group of people in a vehicle, firing at her frantically as they sped away.

But the bullets, hitting her thick skin, didn’t even register.

The fifth zombie, a B-rank, seemed to have specialized in defense and regeneration, its hide incredibly tough.

But its offensive abilities were limited, lacking any real ranged attacks, unlike the versatile, fire-breathing, flying, melee-and-ranged-combat Awakened she’d encountered in Kun City.

Its only area-of-effect ability was a sort of “pseudo-gravity” that pulled nearby blood crystal entities towards it, forcing them to match its speed, turning every encounter into a melee brawl.

The fifth zombie was essentially a pure tank.

That B-rank Awakened in Kun City had died rather pathetically, her abilities useless against her.

After all, she hadn’t just been fighting the Building-Tree Guardian controlled by Lin Jiayao, but the entire interconnected ecosystem of Kun City.

Their combined power far surpassed that of a B-rank Awakened; she’d been overconfident.

Ignoring the “ants” shooting at her feet, Lin Jiayao continued towards the extraction point, her massive strides unwavering.

Nothing could stop her now.

A B-rank evolution… once she obtained it, she would be practically a B-rank herself, the only limiting factor her blood crystal reserves.

A significant power boost.

Thinking this, she abandoned the roads, running between the buildings, her massive form creating tremors and dust clouds.

“Rumble—”

The ground suddenly shook violently, the waves rising into a tsunami, crashing against the shore, the water surging inland for several kilometers.

The floodwaters almost reached her, even though she was far from the shore. And the tsunami’s impact was even greater on a large peninsula further down the coast.

The peninsula was almost completely submerged; it had absorbed most of the tsunami’s force, lessening its impact on Tokyo.

If that landmass had sunk completely, the next tsunami would engulf Tokyo.

The sight made Lin Jiayao uneasy.

It seemed Japan wasn’t safe either… this island nation, surrounded by the sea, would face increasingly powerful threats from the depths as time went on.

At this rate, in another two years, Japan might be completely destroyed.

With the coast so dangerous, why would the system place the extraction point there…? Wasn’t this sending the fifth zombie to its death?

She still wanted to extract with this B-rank body a few more times, to gather more evolutions. She didn’t want to lose it to some sea monster.

She would deal with them after extracting. Perhaps the system would even offer some compensation…

Lost in thought, she had reached the shore, the massive waves now reaching her knees. Although the impact was negligible, compared to the shattered debris around her, it was still an impressive sight.

It’s fine… the next extraction point should be further inland… the system wouldn’t deliberately place her in danger.

She could still handle the current threat level.

[Extracting: 7.9]

Lin Jiayao stood still, not wanting to be swept away by the increasingly large waves.

Although her current form was massive, it was still insignificant compared to the power of nature. If a tsunami hit, her next login might be in the deep sea.

Her extraction was… anticlimactic, even a little… cowardly.

But to those on the mountain, her silhouette against the crashing waves, a lone figure standing firm against the relentless assault of the sea, was a heroic sight.

A lone hero – a fitting description.

“The God of Ino…” Igarashi, now also outside the house, looked at the distant figure.

If she hadn’t created this cult herself, she might have actually believed it.

But the other cult members, seeing the God of Ino’s actions, were in a frenzy.

“Perfection and beauty, svāhā!”

“The great God of Ino! He will protect us!”

“God of Ino, take me with you!”

“God of Ino…”

Tears streamed down their faces as they prostrated themselves, chanting and praying.

One young woman in a red and white witch’s costume even rushed up to Igarashi, tears and snot streaming down her face.

“Master, I apologize for my earlier disrespect towards the God of Ino! You are truly blessed by him!”

She sniffled, wiping her tears, her voice trembling with excitement. “We can feel his call! If we fight alongside him, our souls will ascend to paradise!”

After bowing deeply to Igarashi, her eyes glowing red, her body transformed into a streak of blood-red light, flying towards the distant figure, leaving only the sound of rushing wind.

Igarashi stared, speechless, her mouth agape.

“Master Igarashi, I understand,” Executive Higashida said, bowing deeply, a look of admiration in his eyes.

Understand what?!

Igarashi wanted to scream, but she didn’t dare; the atmosphere was too charged, too fervent.

“I now fully understand your teachings,” Higashida said solemnly, thumping his chest. “In fact, we’ve already learned of the other organizations’ intentions through… other channels.”

“Indeed, many terrible things have happened since the apocalypse, and many were caused by our own organization.”

“But now, Japan is in grave danger. Our leader has abandoned the plan to flee to China. We are grateful for the Ino Cult’s… participation.”

“I will report this to our leader… we will fight to our last breath! For Japan!”

After this passionate declaration, he ran down the mountain, leaving Igarashi standing there, dumbfounded.

She looked at the retreating figure, then at the distant purple silhouette standing against the waves.

But… that mysterious Awakened… wasn’t even Japanese… what were they so excited about?

Escaping to China was the better option.

After a moment of thought, she sighed and looked up, then froze.

The other cult members, no longer prostrating themselves, were now looking at her, their fervent gazes clear.

They were ready to die for the God of Ino.

She had lost control…

Igarashi sighed, remembering her pre-apocalypse research on cults.

As cults grew, they inevitably deviated from their founders’ original intentions, the fanatics becoming… unpredictable.

“Prepare yourselves. We’re relocating to the God of Ino’s… side.”

Ignoring their cheers, she quickly walked down the mountain towards the old house, her heart heavy.

…

In the darkness of the consciousness space, Lin Jiayao blinked, looking at the settlement interface.

She wasn’t carrying anything; why was she here?

Then, looking at her body, she grimaced.

So, embedded bullets also counted as transferable loot?

It seemed the system was becoming increasingly… less intelligent.

After checking for any other… surprises… she exited, her consciousness returning to her body.

The moment she returned, she knew something was wrong.

Like a balloon suddenly deflating, her mental strength had been completely drained.

One moment she’d been breathing normally, the next, her body felt like it was being crushed by weights, every breath a struggle.

Mentally and physically exhausted.

Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She clutched at her clothes, the thin fabric suddenly feeling constricting.

“Mommy? Mommy!”

“Screech—”

“Yao? What’s wrong, Yao?”

A sudden stop, and through her hazy consciousness, she heard her sister and Huayibai’s voices, their worried tones barely registering.

“System… what’s happening…?” Fighting the exhaustion, she asked mentally.

She’d only logged into two zombies today; why was she so drained?

「Logging into a B-rank zombie is mentally taxing for the host in their current state」

“Why… didn’t you tell me…?”

「You didn’t ask」

Lin Jiayao: “?”

Lin Jiayao’s head throbbed; she couldn’t even focus on arguing with the system.

It felt like she’d been awake for four or five days straight, unable to sleep, the worst kind of exhaustion.

And it made her acutely aware of the difference between her and other Awakened.

Normal Awakened, even those not specializing in physical or mental enhancements, still received an overall boost to their physique after each evolution.

But not her. She could only enhance the specific abilities she chose.

This meant that if she focused solely on mental enhancements, she might end up with B-rank abilities but E-rank mental fortitude, or B-rank defense but the strength of an ordinary human.

The ultimate specialized character build.

But then, her dry lips felt a welcome moisture. She squinted and saw her sister carefully dripping water into her mouth with a bottle cap.

Thankfully, with Lv.3 Robust and Lv.1 Mutated Regeneration, although she still felt the pain, her recovery wasn’t slow.

But she wouldn’t be logging into the fifth zombie today.

After about ten minutes, she felt much better.

Opening her eyes again, she saw her sister trying to pry open her mouth, a blood crystal in her hand.

And Huayibai, beside her, its face crumpled, didn’t dare move, its skirt trapped beneath Lin Jiayao.

I made them worry again…

Lin Jiayao sighed inwardly and tried to sit up, but her sister pushed her back down.

“Stay still, Yao, don’t move…”

Her sister’s hands were strong; weakened, Lin Jiayao couldn’t resist. She could only let her sister put the small blood crystal fragment into her mouth.

The crystal instantly dissolved into blood crystal fluid, absorbed into her bloodstream, simply increasing her blood crystal reserves, not actually healing anything.

After all, she wasn’t a blood crystal entity.

Because Lin Jiayao wasn’t a blood crystal entity, it had no effect.

“Thank you, Sister…” Lin Jiayao managed a weak smile. “I feel… much better…”

“Let’s stop here. We can rest for a bit before continuing,” Lin Xiwan said, still shaken by her sister’s earlier state. She wouldn’t drive any further now, even if her sister insisted.

Her sister had said she was carsick. If they continued driving now, something bad might happen.

And she herself was starting to feel the effects of driving for so long. A break was necessary.

After turning off the engine and getting out, Lin Xiwan went to the trunk, retrieved a bottle of water and a clean towel, and then sat beside Lin Jiayao.

“I’ll clean you up, and then you can get some sleep,” she said, dampening the towel with the water.

Her sister was covered in sweat; she needed to change into dry clothes before sleeping.

“Mm…” Lin Jiayao nodded and let her sister undress her.

“I… I can help…” Huayibai said from the back, watching the sweat glistening on Lin Jiayao’s skin, swallowing hard.

Yibai can lick it clean! Yibai is very good at licking!

But before she could offer her… services, a hand ruffled her hair.

“Good girl, no need. You should get some rest too… oh, your clothes are wrinkled, I’ll…” Lin Xiwan praised Huayibai and then, gently lifting Lin Jiayao’s head, pulled her skirt down.

Huayibai, relegated to the trunk, watched as Lin Xiwan wiped the sweat from her Mommy’s body, hugging her knees, drooling, her eyes fixated on her.

Want to lick… want to lick… want to lick… want to lick…

Huayibai, already weakened from lack of nourishment, almost couldn’t control its impulses.

Thankfully, Mommy’s words held more weight, preventing it from doing anything… untoward.

After cleaning Lin Jiayao, the towel was completely soaked. As Lin Xiwan was about to wring it out, she saw Huayibai watching them intently from the back.

Such a good girl… even eager to help with chores…

She handed the towel and the water bottle to Huayibai, smiling. “Yibai, can you rinse this towel outside? Don’t use too much water, okay?”

“Yes! Leave it to Yibai!” Huayibai’s eyes lit up. It jumped up, hitting its head on the car roof with a “thump.” Taking the towel and the bottle, it scrambled out of the car.

Lin Xiwan chuckled, watching Huayibai wash the towel by the car door, not paying much attention, her focus on her sister, dressing her in clean clothes.

Huayibai, its back to Lin Jiayao, stuffed the wet towel into its mouth and swallowed.

The coarse, soft towel, soaked in the sweet, refreshing “nutrient solution,” stretched its throat as it was pushed down its esophagus.

Gulp—

“Ahhh…” Huayibai closed its eyes, a blissful expression. This was the best feeling ever.

After a moment, its dress and belly split open, revealing the tendrils and organs within, the towel nestled among them.

It reached in, pulled out the towel, now completely dry and even cleaner than before, and then, its belly seamlessly closing, turned back with a satisfied smile. “Yibai is done!”

“Good girl. Put the towel back,” Lin Xiwan said, still dressing her sister, not looking back.

It was just a towel, after all, nothing to fuss over.

Meanwhile, Lin Jiayao, her headache gone, finally had a chance to check the evolution options.

「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Dermal Armor Lv.1 (Gold): Enhances your skin’s defensive capabilities when infused with blood crystal fluid. Effectiveness depends on the evolution level and the amount of blood crystal fluid infused】」
「2、【Perfect Regeneration Lv.Max (Gold): An advanced version of Mutated Regeneration Lv.1. Grants unparalleled healing and regenerative abilities to your bodily fluids and flesh. Consuming blood crystals allows for cellular-level regeneration】」
「3、【Crystal Resonance Lv.1 (Gold): Manipulates blood crystal resonance, affecting blood crystal entities within a range of 1 meter to infinity. Applies pressure to targets, the intensity depending on the evolution level and the amount of blood crystals within your body】」
「Note: Max level does not indicate maximum strength, only that this evolution cannot be further upgraded.」

This is… B-rank?

Chapter 116: A B-Rank Zombie! p2

“Is that so?” the Master said calmly, his face twitching slightly at the word “usurper,” his expression darkening. “You may leave. We are under the protection of the God of Ino; we do not fear natural disasters.”

“Crash—”

“You stubborn old fool, you’re even worse than the previous one!” The enraged executive slammed his hand on the table, shattering it, and stood up.

He was confident the old man wouldn’t attack; neither side wanted a war.

Just as he was about to leave, a commotion erupted within the estate.

Footsteps, shouts, the sound of the main gate opening, people running out.

What’s happening?

He paused, then hurried outside.

The old usurper was still sitting there, his composure unruffled, as if deep in thought. He followed the fleeing crowd.

They’re going up the mountain?

He hesitated, his hands in his pockets.

Wandering around the lower slopes was fine, but venturing higher… that was different.

He knew they kept a zombie on the mountain, a grotesque creature he’d seen once, the memory so disturbing it had ruined his appetite for days.

Had something happened to their “god”?

He moved closer, wanting to gather information, and then, from the fleeing crowd, he heard something that shocked him.

“The great God of Ino has returned to his divine throne!”

“Master Igarashi has found a way to restore his power!”

“Master Igarashi has returned!”

“Hurry! There won’t be any space left for worship later…”

The crowd rushed past him, up the mountain path, some even still undressed from their… activities… earlier.

Hilarious.

He chuckled.

Had they finally lost their minds? Returned to his divine throne…?

Wait, Igarashi? Wasn’t she the previous Master? She hadn’t been executed?

He looked back at the estate, surprised.

Such open defiance of the new leader… it wasn’t like in those TV dramas, where they dragged things out for fifty episodes.

He had to investigate.

If Igarashi was alive, the old man couldn’t openly act against her.

If she revealed what the old man had done, he and his followers would be finished.

Did this mean… if he spoke to Igarashi, he could complete the task his leader had given him?

He stopped, looked around, pulled up his hood, took a deep breath, and merged with the crowd, heading up the mountain.

“Excuse me, excuse me, I have a message for Master Igarashi, coming through.”

Halfway up the mountain, the crowd stopped, prostrating themselves, and he had to step over them, continuing upwards.

Pushing through the densely packed crowd, he finally reached the old house.

A path, cleared by the worshippers, led to the entrance.

The Yamashita Clan executive scoffed at their superstitions, stepped onto the path, and walked towards the house.

He pushed open the door, and froze, his hand instinctively reaching for the door to close it.

But it was too late.

Igarashi, in an elegant kimono, looked at him calmly, and behind her, a massive, grotesque purple head.

Thick folds of skin drooped over its eyes, its earlobes and other facial features similarly… saggy, resembling a statue from a Buddhist scripture.

But… it was so massive!

The head alone was almost three meters long. How tall would the entire creature be?

Twenty meters? Thirty? Even larger?

And its blood crystal aura was strangely… muted, masked by the thick purple skin. If he hadn’t entered the courtyard, he wouldn’t even have sensed it.

If it were sitting, he would have mistaken it for a statue, albeit a strangely shaped one.

“Since you’re here, why not stay a while,” Igarashi said, a faint smile playing on her lips, her gaze fixed on the terrified man in the doorway.

Earlier, after the mysterious Awakened had controlled the “God of Ino” to jump to this house, it had fallen silent, motionless.

No matter how she called out, there was no response. It seemed the Awakened had severed the connection.

Why had they done that? Just to break the chains, save her, and then bring the God of Ino here?

Could it be… someone she knew from before the apocalypse?

She’d considered this possibility, then dismissed it.

Who would be interested in a reclusive, religion-obsessed college student whose life goal was to start a cult? Although she had been quite pretty back then.

This house had been used for storing the “offerings.” After much deliberation, Igarashi had decided to feed all the sacrificed zombies to the God of Ino.

She wanted to destroy this cult.

If the God of Ino reached B-rank, it would break free from the Awakened’s control and destroy the Dhṛtarāṣṭra Ino Cult.

After all, the so-called God of Ino was just a zombie, and the Dhṛtarāṣṭra… well, she’d plagiarized that from Buddhist scriptures. It was an opportunistic cult that had risen in the chaos of the apocalypse.

But now, she would rather destroy it than let it fall into someone else’s hands.

And thankfully, after consuming all the sacrificed zombies, the previously unresponsive God of Ino had… evolved.

But even after evolving, it remained motionless, although not dead.

Only one explanation.

Even as a B-rank, it was still under the Awakened’s control. And that powerful Awakened… had perhaps even forgotten about it.

Discarded it because it wasn’t strong enough. That happened sometimes.

Even as a C-rank, the God of Ino hadn’t been worthy of their attention?

But this… this presented an opportunity.

After sensing the evolution, some of her followers, having broken through the usurper’s blockade, had rushed up the mountain, seen her and the evolved God of Ino, and then, at her behest, spread the news.

She would use the God of Ino’s evolution to reinterpret the scriptures and reclaim her position as Master.

But today, an unexpected guest…

“Yo, Higashida, what brings you here?” Igarashi smiled at the stunned man in the doorway. “Close the door behind you.”

“Uh, right.” He closed the door and looked at her again.

He wasn’t too worried about Igarashi; she wasn’t that strong, and she, at least, knew that she’d created a cult.

Ironically, the only sane person in the cult was its founder, and she’d almost been overthrown by those seeking to get closer to the God of Ino.

“So? How about we put on a show? Help me regain my position as Master?” Igarashi asked, extending her hand.

“A show?” He instantly understood. “I’m in, but on one condition.”

“Tell me,” Igarashi said, her hand still extended.

“Attend the Tokyo Camp Conference in three days,” he said, still remembering the task his leader had given him. “To discuss… the situation in Chiba.”

“Chiba? Is it that bad?”

“Completely submerged… destroyed…”

“I understand. I’ll be there.”

This was a matter of survival. If Chiba had fallen, then Tokyo was next… and how long could Tokyo withstand the assaults from the sea?

Not to mention the amphibious zombies that would flood the city after each tsunami…

As they were talking, they both felt their hearts skip a beat.

A low growl…

They turned and saw the massive zombie behind them, its heavy eyelids slowly opening, revealing its dull, green, pupil-less eyes.

“M-Master… Igarashi…” Higashida stammered, looking at the vacant eyes. “You’re… controlling it… right…?”

“Uh… no…”

An uncontrolled B-rank zombie had just woken up beside them.

“Holy shit—!”

Higashida scrambled for the door, but a massive weight pressed down on him.

“Buzz—”

“Boom—”

Both Igarashi and Higashida were slammed into the ground, their bodies pinned as if by tons of weight, unable to move.

Lin Jiayao looked at her hands.

So hot…

She felt an immense power surging within her, a concentration of blood crystals unlike anything she had felt even as the Building-Tree Guardian.

She felt… she could level this entire mountain.

“Thump—”

Something pulsed within her, a powerful, rhythmic beating, seemingly her own massive heart.

Even through her thick skin, a purple glow emanated from her chest, as if a powerful blood crystal energy source was rapidly circulating within.

She raised her hand and slowly pressed down. As she did, the glow from her chest intensified, the energy flow increasing.

“Ugh—”

Both figures on the ground coughed up blood. Not just them, but also the Awakened worshippers kneeling outside, all collapsed, their bodies convulsing.

Gravity?

No… not gravity…

Resonance… blood crystal resonance…

B-rank… definitely B-rank!

Having experienced the power of the Building-Tree Guardian, Lin Jiayao was certain: the zombie she was controlling was B-rank.

She slowly pushed herself up, supporting her massive body with her hands, and stood.

As she stood, the old house behind her crumbled. Her twisted, slender legs straightened, lifting her towering form. Like a giant, purple-skinned Hunter.

A purple giant, standing on the mountaintop.

“Rumble—”

“Rustle—”

Dust and debris rained down from her body as everyone below stared up at her, their bodies prostrate.

Power…

Lin Jiayao stretched, feeling the power coursing through her veins, and spread her arms.

The layers of skin, like a massive cape, extended with her movement.

Blotting out the sun—

Like a true god, descending upon the world.

She exhaled slowly and looked towards the extraction point…