Category: Sickly Girl Doesn’t Die in Zombie Simulator

Chapter 56: The Childlike Zombie

“What are you doing, Mommy?”

Facing the innocent, human-like mimicry of the fungal monster, Lin Jiayao didn’t waver.

But something in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

She looked past the girl’s white hair, at the people in the distance.

The naturally expelled fungal tendrils writhed on the ground, coalescing into clumps, releasing one last burst of spores before turning to ash.

The spores dispersed into the air, inhaled by the very people who had expelled them.

As I feared…

Lin Jiayao’s greatest worry had materialized.

She had witnessed the fungus’s insidious method during her first visit to Donghai City.

Even after being expelled, the tendrils could survive for a long time.

Even if she ordered this fungal monster to repeat the process, it would only deplete the life force of those infected.

Who had brought this insidious fungal zombie to Donghai City?

Or rather, who, or what organization, had deliberately spread it?

Lin Jiayao remembered the protective gear in the Voodoo Cult members’ backpacks.

They were the prime suspects.

Suddenly, she felt a tug on the pistol in her hand.

She looked down and saw the little girl standing on tiptoe, her small, nimble tongue licking the gun barrel that had been pressed against her forehead.

“Blech.”

The girl’s face scrunched up in disgust, her tongue refusing to retract.

Lin Jiayao looked at her for a long moment, sighed, and lowered the pistol.

Although it was a monstrous zombie, it seemed harmless.

And it was the only one who could prevent the fungal zombies in Donghai City from spreading further while she was gone.

Like hiring a temporary worker.

No, a temporary fungus.

As Lin Jiayao considered how to establish some ground rules with the fungal monster, the little girl started playing by herself.

She had been hanging her head, tongue lolling out.

But noticing a drop of saliva fall to the ground, she seemed to have found a new toy, shaking her head and flinging saliva everywhere.

Lin Jiayao: “…”

A minute ago, she might have thought it had the intelligence of a teenager; now she doubted it even reached kindergarten level.

“Sigh…”

Lin Jiayao turned and walked towards the extraction point.

As expected, the white-haired girl followed closely behind.

The girl’s little legs moved quickly. She tried to overtake Lin Jiayao and speak, but seeing her expression, she remained silent.

Reaching the extraction point at the shopping mall, Lin Jiayao turned to face the girl.

“I need to tell you something.”

Lin Jiayao looked at her calmly.

“What is it, Mommy?” Hearing her address her, the girl perked up, looking at Lin Jiayao.

“I’ll be leaving for a while. Before I return, you must promise me two things.”

“Okay.”

“First, control the other tendrils and spores, prevent them from spreading further.”

“Second, don’t kill anyone.”

“Can you do that?” Lin Jiayao asked.

“Kill? You mean… humans? Keep them alive? Mm-hmm, I understand.” The girl nodded vigorously.

“Good. I’m leaving now.”

The extraction time was approaching; she had to hurry.

She didn’t know if she could trust this zombie monster, but it was her only option for now.

Just as she was about to enter the mall, the monster called out to her.

“Mommy…”

Lin Jiayao stopped and turned, looking at the fungal monster questioningly.

It opened its arms, bit its lip, and lowered its head slightly, avoiding Lin Jiayao’s gaze, as if afraid.

“Hug… hug?”

Finally, it mustered the courage to speak.

Its words startled Lin Jiayao.

She thought back. She had indeed promised.

But she had agreed casually, distracted by other thoughts, and had completely forgotten.

Looking at its hopeful eyes, Lin Jiayao stiffly opened her arms.

She hadn’t hugged anyone other than her sister in a long time, let alone a fungal zombie.

But she wouldn’t break her promise.

Unlike the reserved Lin Jiayao, Huayibai reacted with unrestrained enthusiasm.

It threw itself into Lin Jiayao’s arms, nuzzling its head against her happily.

But it quickly controlled its excitement, releasing its grip and taking two steps back.

“Thank you, Mommy.”

Huayibai watched as “Mommy” simply nodded and turned to leave without a second glance.

Huayibai hesitated, watching “Mommy’s” retreating figure until she disappeared into the mall.

After a moment, it quietly followed, peering through the glass windows.

It saw “Mommy” find a stool inside a store on the first floor, sit down, and lower her head, remaining motionless for a long time.

And Huayibai could no longer sense “Mommy’s” presence?

Had “Mommy” left?

After watching for about ten minutes, Huayibai slowly moved towards the mall entrance, inching closer to “Mommy.”

Every few steps, it stopped and looked around, pretending to just be passing by, seemingly afraid of displeasing “Mommy.”

Finally, it reached a spot less than three meters away and watched from a distance.

After some hesitation, Huayibai moved closer to “Mommy.” But there were no more intact stools around her.

It thought for a moment, and its red eyes flickered with a scarlet light.

White tendrils extended from its long hair, reaching out and intertwining, forming a white, fungal bench connected to “Mommy’s” stool.

It looked like a single long bench.

It sat down, slowly lay down, and rested its head on “Mommy’s” lap.

When would Mommy come back?

When would that warm, familiar, comforting presence return to this body?

Curling up like a baby, it smiled sweetly and closed its eyes.

Chapter 55: The Difference Between Human and Zombie

Lin Jiayao quickly turned her head. This time, the girl didn’t avoid her gaze but smiled sweetly.

“Who are you?” Lin Jiayao asked, looking at the white figure.

“Me?” The girl tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said in a sweet voice, “Your daughter?”

Daughter? Another one calling me mom.

This child, whom Gu Wangran had called Huayibai, accurately identified her new body.

If there was any commonality between these two bodies, it was the fungal tendril ability inherited from the system.

The spores Lin Jiayao released now weren’t from this body originally, but generated by the system.

Could there be something special about the system-generated spores?

Special enough for this girl to pinpoint her across different bodies?

If her main body came here, would this little girl be able to locate her too?

“Let me rephrase,” Lin Jiayao said, seeing that the girl was capable of communication. “What are you?”

Although it sounded like an insult, it was a genuine question.

What exactly was this girl?

A real girl controlled by the mutated fungal tendrils, or a girl formed by the tendrils themselves?

“Me? I’m the same as you, Mommy,” the girl replied, pouting slightly, as if feeling wronged. “We’re the same kind.”

Lin Jiayao looked at her and said, “Deactivate your mimicry.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

To Lin Jiayao’s surprise, the girl obeyed without hesitation.

Her lips split open, and a mass of tendrils erupted from her mouth, connecting to the ground.

Her body collapsed, supported only by the tendrils. Her white dress and hair transformed into off-white mutated tendrils, attaching themselves to the blood-red ones on the ground.

There was no little girl.

That little girl was merely a mimicry created by the fungal monster before her.

After revealing its true form, the mutated fungal zombie writhed and reformed itself into the little girl’s shape.

“Yibai still wants to be like Mommy,” the girl said, shuffling closer to Lin Jiayao with a sweet smile.

“Who gave you that name?” Lin Jiayao asked.

“My name? I don’t remember. Maybe it was the name of a friend before I evolved.” The girl shook her head, a confused look on her face.

This mutated fungal zombie… had it inherited human memories?

But even if it had, it only allowed them to mimic human behavior; their nature was still to spread spores and infect.

Perhaps, after infecting and consuming more people, merging with more memories, it would no longer call itself Huayibai but something else.

“Can you control the other spores and tendrils in this city, make them detach naturally?” Lin Jiayao asked the crucial question.

If there was any disagreement on this, she would have to resort to the pistol.

The pistol might not kill it, but the gunshots would attract the other Awakened.

But the girl’s response, once again, surprised her.

“Yes, but after I do that, can you promise me one thing?” the girl asked hopefully.

“What is it?”

“After I’m done, can you hug me?”

“Sure.”

It wouldn’t cost her anything. Lin Jiayao readily agreed.

The creature before her was just a fusion of mutated fungus and some poor girl’s memories; Lin Jiayao felt no sympathy for it.

“Done.” Almost instantly, the little girl rushed towards Lin Jiayao and threw herself into her arms.

Holding the girl at arm’s length, Lin Jiayao frowned slightly and carried her towards the street.

She saw several people suddenly coughing, some even vomiting blood-red material.

Had it really controlled the fungal tendrils to detach?

Lin Jiayao was incredulous. She hadn’t expected the fungal infection to be resolved so easily.

No, it was only a temporary solution. Without knowing the source, there would be another outbreak. It was impossible to eliminate the fungus so easily.

And Survivor’s Light was severely weakened, leaderless. It would take years to recover.

But at least, the organization had been saved… for now.

Lin Jiayao looked down at the little girl, her eyes filled with surprise.

Such large-scale control of the fungal tendrils, and yet it hadn’t been affected by their memories?

In this aspect, it was far superior to Lin Jiayao herself.

But it seemed completely obedient to her, following her every command.

She even suspected that if she ordered it to kill itself, it would do so without hesitation.

And, most importantly, it seemed to genuinely consider her a more powerful mother entity.

Did this mean that any sentient fungal infected she encountered would also see her as their mother?

Being a mother to a bunch of monsters was disgusting.

“How did you infiltrate Survivor’s Light?” Lin Jiayao placed the girl on the ground. “Tell me.”

She wanted to know how it had gotten in.

“Um… I don’t know,” the girl said, shaking her head with a confused look. “I was already in the camp when I gained consciousness.”

“You were already in the camp when you first mutated?” Lin Jiayao pressed. “Do you know how long ago that was?”

“About… a month?” She gave an approximate time.

“What have you been doing this past month?”

“I’ve just been wandering around, collecting other… um… you said, fungal tendrils as daughters? And I made a lot of friends… but they all died in the explosion.” Her expression turned somber, as if recalling something unpleasant.

Lin Jiayao frowned.

This large-scale infection… wasn’t caused by this mutated fungal zombie?

The first “Mimic” incident had been two years ago.

This mutated fungal zombie had evolved recently.

And its thinking seemed genuinely childlike and innocent.

It had even “befriended” other Awakened who had been infected and was saddened by their deaths.

From its perspective, it probably didn’t even realize it was indirectly killing people; it just thought it was making friends.

But regardless, a zombie was still a zombie. No matter how innocent it seemed, it was just an imposter wearing someone else’s memories.

Lin Jiayao took out her pistol and chambered a round.

The girl watched her actions curiously, her large, blood-red eyes filled with confusion.

Lin Jiayao placed the gun against her forehead.

“What are you doing, Mommy?” the little girl asked.

Chapter 54: Attempt at Self-Rescue

“Xiaoxi… what did you call me over for?” Bu Xiaolong finally asked.

“You can see them. You’re not infected,” Lin Jiayao said softly. “I can see them too.”

Bu Xiaolong’s pupils constricted.

So, he wasn’t the only one.

An Xiaoxi could also see these terrifying tendrils and fungal zombies?

He still couldn’t forget the image of his friend trying to piece together a pile of bloodstained mushrooms and tendrils.

His friend’s sorrowful words, “What happened to Captain Xie?” still echoed in his mind.

It was just a pile of fungus…

The memory still sent chills down his spine.

And now, An Xiaoxi, who could also see them, had sought him out. This lessened his fear slightly.

Then, he watched as An Xiaoxi moved through the crowd, tapping certain people on the shoulder, motioning for them to follow.

Gradually, the group following her grew.

Her actions alerted the other Awakened, who started asking what she was doing, but An Xiaoxi simply smiled and said it was nothing.

Those following her didn’t know what she was planning either, but the fact that they could all see the tendrils was enough for them to trust her.

He just didn’t understand how she knew who could see the tendrils and who couldn’t.

Both the fungal zombies and the humans seemed to consider An Xiaoxi one of their own, so Lin Jiayao’s actions weren’t hindered.

Soon, Lin Jiayao had identified all the uninfected Awakened within the security perimeter.

Thirty-three in total.

These thirty-three were likely the only uninfected Awakened remaining in Survivor’s Light, besides those still out on explorations.

Of course, this didn’t include Lin Jiayao herself.

They formed a circle around her, some with complex expressions, some confused, some still in shock.

But they were all waiting for Lin Jiayao to speak.

She was the first to take charge in this chaos.

“I believe you’ve all seen what happened to the government building,” Lin Jiayao said, looking around. “The leadership of Survivor’s Light has been infected by a zombie fungus. Many more might be infected but are unaware.”

Although they had their suspicions, hearing Lin Jiayao confirm it caused an uproar.

Zombies had infiltrated the highest levels of Survivor’s Light?

Even many of the Awakened and ordinary people present were infected?

“I call this fungus the Blood Orb Fungus. Or, as you might know it,” Lin Jiayao paused, “Mimic Zombies.”

Mimic Zombies?

A fungus?

And the leadership almost completely wiped out?

Lin Jiayao then described everything she knew about the Blood Orb Fungus’s abilities and characteristics.

The more they listened, the more uneasy they felt.

Why did An Xiaoxi, a mere radio host, know so much, even information they hadn’t heard before?

Lin Jiayao knew many of them wanted to ask her questions.

Countless questions.

But she didn’t give them the chance.

She only had two hours until extraction; she had to make every second count.

“Don’t rush to ask questions. I don’t have all the answers.”

“What happens next is up to you. All I can do is tell you this and assure you that none of the thirty-three of you are infected.”

“I’ve told you everything I know. Whatever you choose to do next has nothing to do with me… Excuse me.”

Lin Jiayao pushed through the crowd and walked towards the ruins.

She had shared everything she knew; the rest was up to them.

The nature of her existence, the need to extract, meant she couldn’t lead them.

If they couldn’t choose a leader themselves and relied solely on her, then this organization had no hope of recovery, and there was no point in coming here.

Now, she had to find the white-haired girl’s body.

The girl had been at the center of the Chaotic Storm; Lin Jiayao strongly suspected she was the host of the mother entity.

Dead or alive, she had to find her.

Lin Jiayao continued searching the ruins, following the infected, while the thirty-three Awakened formed a small group, discussing the situation.

They tacitly avoided disturbing Lin Jiayao, unsure of what to make of her.

One thing they were certain of: the person who had just spoken to them wasn’t the An Xiaoxi they knew.

What she was, no one dared to say. A lingering unease settled over them.

It was as if a long-held belief had suddenly crumbled.

But they had to pick up the pieces and carry on.

The search continued for almost half an hour. Most of the bodies had been recovered.

But among the fungal zombie corpses, Lin Jiayao didn’t see the white-haired girl.

Then, someone stepped forward from the uninfected group, quickly convincing the others, and a makeshift plan was put into action.

They had the other Awakened collect all the mutated corpses and suppress the news of the leadership’s near-total annihilation and the Blood Orb Fungus.

Then, they split into groups, carrying samples of the fungus, searching for others who could see it.

They were looking for allies, for other ordinary people or Awakened who shared their vision.

They wanted to try and save as many people as possible.

Lin Jiayao had actually suggested a simpler solution: kill everyone who couldn’t see the tendrils, regardless of the severity of their infection.

Clearly, they hadn’t taken her advice.

Lin Jiayao couldn’t judge whether their choice was right or wrong, or how naive it was.

After all, if they wanted to rebuild Survivor’s Light, they needed more people; they couldn’t afford too many casualties.

Just as Lin Jiayao was about to give up the search and head towards the extraction point, she felt someone following her.

But when she turned around, she saw no one.

Nearing the extraction point at the shopping mall, she finally saw a flash of white in her peripheral vision.

It was the girl.

Chapter 53: Donghai, Third Time

After opening the login panel, Lin Jiayao didn’t immediately choose a location.

She waited until her hair was slightly drier.

She didn’t want to experience a splitting headache or a cold upon returning from the login state.

Although her bones were strong, her body was still frail.

It was a pity she hadn’t encountered any more Sprinters and thus couldn’t choose the [Robust] evolution.

After drying her hair to the point of slight frizziness, Lin Jiayao wheeled herself to the bed and climbed back in.

Her sister could return at any time, and sleeping in bed seemed more natural than sleeping in a wheelchair.

Besides, sleeping for so long was strange enough already.

Closing her eyes, Lin Jiayao mentally selected the third zombie slot and chose Donghai City.

Her consciousness sank into darkness and then sensed light again.

But this time, besides the familiar jolt of fragmented memories, there was also a cacophony of noise.

Opening her eyes, Lin Jiayao found herself standing on a street.

The street was no longer as clean as it had been at noon, now covered in trash, rubble, and vegetable debris.

It seemed to have been affected by a massive shockwave.

Looking towards the government building, the five-story structure was now a pile of rubble. Countless people were rushing towards it, moving debris and searching for survivors.

But what they were digging out filled everyone with fear and confusion.

“Hiss…”

Lin Jiayao frowned, raising a hand to her forehead, feeling the chaotic memories swirling in her mind.

She could control this body, which meant its original owner was dead.

Soon, she had full access to this body’s information.

Her name was An Xiaoxi, 22 years old, an Awakened.

She had also awakened her ability shortly after the apocalypse began, and her ability… surprised even Lin Jiayao.

It wasn’t combat-related but targeted humans.

Those affected by her ability would subconsciously feel goodwill and friendliness towards her.

While seemingly useless in combat, it had helped her survive for two years and safely reach Donghai City three years ago.

Thanks to this ability, she had become something of a mascot in Donghai City and even hosted the Survivor’s Light radio program.

Unfortunately, this ability hadn’t protected her from the fungal infection. She was dead.

Knowing her current identity, Lin Jiayao turned and ran in the opposite direction of the explosion.

She had not only this body’s memories but also Xie Yi’s.

Controlling this body, she quickly reached the combat department building, ran up the stairs, and headed for the tenth floor.

Everyone in the combat department had been drawn to the explosion; the building was empty.

Reaching Xie Yi’s office, Lin Jiayao opened the door, went behind the desk, and crouched down beside the safe.

“Click, click, click, click, click,”

She expertly spun the dial and opened the safe.

Inside were two complete blood crystals.

Without Nest Zombies, two blood crystals were indeed a small fortune.

Lin Jiayao took the pistol from the safe and put the two blood crystals inside.

Most of the Blood Orb Fungus abilities required energy or blood crystals; she had to ensure she had a readily available supply.

Besides the blood crystals, there was also an apartment key, a car key, a broken cell phone, and a faded, dog-eared photo of Xie Yi with her parents.

Although she often complained about her parents’ strictness and forcing her to choose a major she didn’t like, she had kept this photo.

Lin Jiayao paused and relocked the safe.

If anything happened, at least the sturdy safe would protect these precious memories.

With the blood crystals, Lin Jiayao finally had some fighting power.

But if she encountered that white-haired girl again, she would likely still be no match for her and would have to rely on the pistol.

Ready, Lin Jiayao quickly went downstairs, left the building, and ran back towards the government building.

But by now, Awakened were maintaining order and dispersing the crowd.

“Don’t come any closer! Go back and wait for further instructions!”

“Please don’t proceed! Any information will be announced in tomorrow’s news bulletin.”

“Back! Back!”

The guards were struggling to control the crowd.

However, upon seeing Lin Jiayao, they exchanged glances and let her pass.

She was, after all, an Awakened.

Crossing the security perimeter, Lin Jiayao reached the site of the explosion.

But as soon as she arrived, she saw a familiar figure, his hands trembling as he knelt on the ground, trying to piece together a mangled corpse.

It was the bespectacled man who had invited Xie Yi to the hot pot gathering.

Bu Xiaolong, who had been playing PSP with him, stared at the ruins in horror, as if he had seen something unspeakable.

Lin Jiayao walked over and patted Bu Xiaolong’s shoulder.

He flinched violently, as if startled out of his wits.

“Come with me,” Lin Jiayao said, then looked at the other Awakened around them.

There were few Awakened without any visible signs of the fungal infection, but there were still some.

Bu Xiaolong, after a moment of dazed confusion, snapped out of it and followed Lin Jiayao.

“Where are you going?” the bespectacled man asked, standing up and wiping his bloodstained hands. “Didn’t they already find Captain Xie’s body?”

“I have some business,” Bu Xiaolong replied vaguely, continuing to follow Lin Jiayao.

He didn’t even know why he was following her.

Everything he had seen in the ruins defied logic.

The blood-red tendrils spreading across the debris, the grotesque, never-before-seen zombies being dug out…

And most importantly, his best friend seemed oblivious to the tendrils, as if only he could see them.

Lost and confused, he would have followed anyone who offered direction.

What had happened in the government building? Why had this place, once the residence and office of the leadership, become like this…?

Or… had he simply gone insane?

His gaze focused on the woman with the ponytail in front of him.

Chapter 52: Nervous Breakdown

Lin Jiayao sat on the bed, stunned.

Lingering in her mind wasn’t just the fear of death and the soul-wrenching pain, but also the chaotic jumble of memories from another person.

The combined effect left her reeling.

Finally, her ragged breathing calmed, and she realized her clothes were soaked with sweat.

“Hoo…”

She exhaled deeply.

She knew she couldn’t log into another zombie for now.

Although she desperately wanted to log back into Donghai City and see the aftermath, her own condition was too precarious.

After the explosion, there would definitely be other Awakened, like Bu Xiaolong, who hadn’t been infected, who would see the fungal tendrils in the ruins of the government building.

Then, they would realize that Donghai City had been infiltrated by fungal zombies.

Survivor’s Light would descend into chaos, leaderless, possibly even turning on each other in the confusion.

Lin Jiayao looked at the system’s evolution interface and shook her head slightly.

Although she admired Gu Wangran’s self-sacrificing act of exposing the truth, her own survival was more important now.

She decided to take a shower and clear her head.

She moved to the edge of the bed. Her sister had placed the wheelchair within easy reach.

Turning her back to the wheelchair, she placed her hands on the armrests, pushed herself up, and sat down.

She wheeled herself to the wardrobe.

She could have crawled with her bone spikes; it would have been faster.

But she didn’t want to use any zombie-related abilities right now.

After choosing a loose black t-shirt and a pair of easy-to-wear black shorts, she went to the bathroom.

This was a villa bedroom, so it had its own ensuite bathroom.

She hadn’t used it before because there was no running water.

If she wanted to shower here, she would have to fetch water from the public bathhouse, which was too much trouble.

But opening the door, she saw several buckets of clean, slightly steaming water.

Her sister had prepared them before leaving.

Her sister’s thoughtfulness calmed Lin Jiayao’s chaotic emotions.

No matter what happened, at least she was alive, and so was her sister.

For now, that was enough.

Inside the bathroom, Lin Jiayao gripped the stainless steel grab bars on the wall, shifted from the wheelchair to the plastic stool, and began undressing.

Lin Xiwan had installed the grab bars herself, one nail at a time, so Lin Jiayao could wash herself independently.

Lin Xiwan often led exploration teams and Grandma Zhang wasn’t always able to help, so Lin Jiayao had to learn to take care of herself.

Placing her change of clothes on the sink, she started to remove her sweat-soaked clothes.

After undressing, she took a towel, dipped it in the water, and washed her face.

Then, as she started to wet her body with the towel, she suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead.

She had forgotten to bring a headband or hair tie. Her long hair was now wet.

No choice now, I’ll have to wash it.

She usually had her sister wash her hair; it was too difficult to do it herself.

It took Lin Jiayao almost half an hour to finish showering and dressing. She emerged from the bathroom, her hair dripping wet.

Toweling her hair dry, she looked at the system’s evolution panel.

The notification had appeared earlier, but she had dismissed it, distracted.

Fortunately, the options were still there.

「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Mimic Fruiting Body Lv.1 (Gold): Your fungal tendrils can transform the parasitized host’s body into a fruiting body, directly entering the mature stage】」
「2、【Offensive Mimicry Lv.1 (Purple): Allows the dispersed fungal tendrils to attach to the body’s surface and change color, mimicking the appearance of an ordinary zombie to lure enemies into attacking】」
「3、【Myriad Tendrils Lv.1 (Purple): Consume blood crystals to project a large mass of fungal tendrils, enhancing your close-range attacks】」

Lin Jiayao considered the options.

She wasn’t deciding which one to choose. Now that she had the fungal tendrils, the choice was obvious: gold first, then purple.

She was thinking about the other two abilities, especially the second, [Offensive Mimicry].

So, the so-called Mimics using zombie abilities… did that mean they “transformed” into ordinary or mutated zombies after being exposed?

After reading the description, Lin Jiayao understood just how wrong Survivor’s Light had been.

[Offensive Mimicry] simply meant mimicking a harmless creature to lure prey into approaching or consuming them.

Some parasites in nature used this method, displaying offensive mimicry from within a snail’s body to attract birds, continuing their parasitic cycle.

The fungal tendrils weren’t using zombie abilities; they were mimicking weaker, ordinary zombies to lure Awakened into attacking them.

Once an Awakened got within a dozen meters and attacked, the invisible spores would spread through the air and be inhaled.

Unfortunately, this realization came too late.

Lin Jiayao sighed and chose the first option.

The second was useless to her; she didn’t want to disguise herself as a zombie.

Since it wasn’t the first time she’d evolved a fungal ability, she felt no discomfort, just a warmth spreading through her body before quickly fading.

“Hoo…”

Sitting in her wheelchair, Lin Jiayao stretched her neck. Perhaps it was the shower, but she felt much better.

She opened the system’s login interface.

「No.1: [Mask] (Available for login)」
「No.2: ❌ (23:27:33)」
「No.3: 🌐 (Available for login)」

The second zombie she’d chosen was dead, and the slot was now on a 24-hour cooldown.

Fortunately, she still had the third slot.

Should she try logging into Donghai City again?

The answer came quickly.

Yes.

If Survivor’s Light was truly gone, there was no point in going there.

She might as well suggest to her sister that they change their plans and go to the germplasm resource bank themselves.

Since everywhere was dangerous, they might as well go to the “Ark,” the place that had been preparing for humanity’s recovery even before the apocalypse.

And this time, she wanted to figure out if that white-haired girl with twintails was a mutated fungal entity.

Chapter 51: Mommy’s Hand

Facing the little girl rushing towards her, Lin Jiayao quickly extended her right hand. The fungal tendrils beneath her skin twisted and erupted, shooting towards the girl.

“Whoosh—”

A mass of tendrils burst through Lin Jiayao’s skin, slamming into the little girl’s soft body and carrying her backwards into the wall.

“Thump—!”

The girl’s body hit the wall hard.

The tendrils, intertwined like a giant arm, pinned her, preventing any movement.

“Who are you?” Lin Jiayao stared at the girl, her voice cold.

“Oh dear, why are you two fighting? Come now, Huayibai, this is your Sister Xie…”

Gu Wangran stood up from behind his desk, smiling, seemingly intending to mediate.

His voice startled Lin Jiayao, a cold sweat breaking out on her back.

Having Bone Spike Lurker activated for so long with both her main body and Mask had made her almost forget she wasn’t using it now.

She had almost forgotten about the fungal monster behind her!

“Don’t move!” Lin Jiayao turned, her left hand aimed at Gu Wangran. Her skin slowly split open, tendrils writhing within, emanating a dangerous aura.

“Xiao Xie! How dare you?!”

To Lin Jiayao’s surprise, Gu Wangran’s voice boomed even louder than hers. He slammed his hand on the desk, the blood-red mushroom on his split head trembling slightly.

“How many times have I told you, Awakened abilities are absolutely forbidden against comrades within Donghai City! And you’re using your ability now? Against me???”

Gu Wangran’s white beard trembled; he seemed genuinely angry.

This display of concerned reprimand, coming from a fungal zombie, fueled Lin Jiayao’s already simmering anger.

But she quickly calmed herself down.

“Stop mimicking human speech,” Lin Jiayao’s gaze turned from anger to disgust. “Zombies should act like zombies.”

If she had been controlling Mask, she would have ripped off Gu Wangran’s head on the spot.

Unfortunately, she was controlling a fungal zombie. Her only offensive ability was spreading spores and infecting others.

And assimilating two people simultaneously was mentally taxing, especially an elderly person’s memories.

“Zombie? You’re talking about… me?” To Lin Jiayao’s surprise, Gu Wangran reacted to the word “zombie.”

His head twitched violently, and he sat back down, trembling.

“Boom—”

“Crash—”

A wave of pressure erupted from Gu Wangran, shattering the window behind him.

This was Gu Wangran’s Awakened ability… he wasn’t dead yet?

He was still alive, even in this state?!

Fungal zombies couldn’t use the original host’s Awakened abilities; only the host themselves could.

But after unleashing this chaotic blast, Gu Wangran fell silent, sitting motionless in his chair.

The red tendrils within the mushroom that served as his eye faded slightly, revealing the white beneath.

He turned his single mushroom eye, scanning the room, his gaze lingering on Lin Jiayao for at least three seconds before returning to his desk.

The polished rosewood desk, its glass top, reflected his grotesque form.

But he seemed oblivious, his trembling hand picking up the pen again, muttering in a shaky voice.

“After leaving Donghai, we’ll head west, where the population is sparse… continue southwest, to the Kunzhou Botanical Research Institute. That’s where the ‘Ark’ is, humanity’s largest germplasm resource bank…”

“With the seeds, we can restore most of the pre-apocalypse plants and crops… then we’ll move towards the inland lakes…”

He continued writing, his voice so low that even Lin Jiayao couldn’t hear him.

Then, she felt a tug on her right hand.

She turned and saw the little girl hugging her giant, tendril-formed arm with a look of bliss.

The girl’s legs, even in her skirt, were wrapped around the massive tendril arm.

“Mommy’s hand, hee hee…”

“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”

Gu Wangran stopped writing again.

He stared blankly at a withered hyacinth that had fallen from his collar.

The hyacinth symbolized victory, joy, happiness, pride, love, admiration, deep affection, and eternal remembrance.

All words describing beautiful human emotions.

The hyacinth also had another symbolic meaning.

It represented that by igniting the flame of life, one could enjoy a rich and fulfilling life, forget past sorrows, and embrace new love.

“My child,” Gu Wangran said, looking at Lin Jiayao. Even a blind man could see that the child he had raised as his own daughter was no longer the same.

“My child,” he repeated, viscous, transparent pus dripping from his increasingly red mushroom eye, his voice filled with age and despair.

“The hyacinth has withered.”

His last words, whether addressed to Lin Jiayao or the air, were barely audible.

The withered hyacinth, coated in the transparent mucus, fell to the ground.

Before it landed, the B-rank Awakened, near the pinnacle of human strength, unleashed his final, possibly not his strongest, but his last Chaotic Storm.

A terrifying hurricane tore through his withered skin and grotesque head, erupting outwards.

Lin Jiayao’s pupils constricted. Before she could react, she felt an immense force and a searing pain.

“Boom—”

Gu Wangran’s body exploded from the strain, his final Chaotic Storm tearing through the government building like a raging tempest.

Before losing consciousness, Lin Jiayao saw walls crumbling, tendrils being shredded.

Sections of the building were blown apart, revealing the terrified faces of fungal zombies within, before the all-consuming storm tore them to pieces.

The government building was reduced to rubble before Lin Jiayao was consumed by the storm.

Her consciousness faded into darkness.

“Gasp—”

Back in her body, Lin Jiayao sat up in bed, gasping for air, a phantom pain of being crushed lingering in her body.

She stared at her trembling hands, still in shock, until a cold drop of liquid landed on her palm, bringing her back to her senses.

She realized she was crying.

Chapter 50: The Girl in White

Lin Jiayao’s gaze shifted from the skyscrapers of Donghai City back to the luxurious single office she occupied.

She was in the heart of Donghai City.

Just looking at her office, it was almost as if the apocalypse had never happened.

It seemed Survivor’s Light had done a good job rebuilding the core district… at least, it had at one point.

Leaving her office, Lin Jiayao followed her memories, walking down the corridor and stopping at the stairwell.

Perhaps to save electricity, the elevator wasn’t working. Fortunately, she was only on the 10th floor.

She checked the extraction point and time: 1.7km and two hours. Not much time, but the distance was short, leaving ample time to explore.

She didn’t encounter anyone on the stairs. It was break time for the combat department, except for Xie Yi’s team, who were on duty.

Being on duty simply meant staying within Haiming District; they could move freely otherwise.

Reaching the ground floor, Lin Jiayao saw Xie Yi’s – this body’s – subordinates.

The two were playing a game on their slightly outdated PSPs.

Hearing Lin Jiayao’s footsteps, they didn’t put away their consoles but waved at her with a smile.

“Captain Xie, heading out?”

“Captain… Captain Xie, we’re having hot pot tonight. Want to join us?”

Lin Jiayao looked at her two subordinates.

One, a bespectacled, seemingly introverted man, had the telltale red glow in his eyes and the luminous red tendrils visible only to Lin Jiayao.

Completely infected.

The other, a more boisterous man who had asked where she was going, showed no signs of infection.

He… wasn’t infected?

Could someone be immune to the fungal infection? Or was it because of his Awakened ability?

If she remembered correctly, his name was Bu Xiaolong, a physically enhanced Awakened with exceptional speed and stamina.

“Yes, I have some things to take care of.” Lin Jiayao smiled and nodded.

Judging by their attitudes, they had a good relationship with the original owner of this body. She was popular among her subordinates.

It was a pity they didn’t know their captain was already dead, her body now controlled by the Blood Orb Fungus.

Then, Lin Jiayao saw something unsettling.

The bespectacled subordinate turned to Bu Xiaolong and said something, tiny red particles spraying from his mouth towards Bu Xiaolong.

The red particles were inhaled into Bu Xiaolong’s lungs, some lingering in his eyes, too quickly for Lin Jiayao to react.

“Ah!!! Achoo!!!”

Bu Xiaolong sneezed violently and rubbed his nose. “Damn… there aren’t even that many flowers or trees in the city. How can I still have pollen allergies…”

The two, who had resumed their game, noticed Lin Jiayao was still standing there. “What’s wrong, Captain Xie?” Bu Xiaolong asked.

“Nothing, it’s fine,” Lin Jiayao said, shaking her head. “Just wanted to say I won’t be joining you for hot pot tonight.”

“Ah, it was just a formality. We all know you don’t enjoy these things. You’re busy. We’ll hold down the fort here.”

Bu Xiaolong waved dismissively and continued playing Monster Hunter with his now-infected companion.

“Mm, good.” Lin Jiayao nodded, glanced at the bespectacled man, and left the building.

It wasn’t hard to see that the bespectacled man had feelings for the original Xie Yi.

But he was already dead… or rather, he hadn’t realized he was already “dead,” so he still held onto those feelings.

He probably didn’t know that the moment he was separated from the fungus, or if the fungus went out of control within him, he would truly die.

Lin Jiayao shook her head, pushing the thought away.

Death was commonplace in the apocalypse. If she mourned every tragic death she witnessed, she would spend the rest of her life in endless sorrow.

Stepping onto the street, Lin Jiayao felt the sunlight on her skin.

Unlike when controlling other zombies, she didn’t feel any aversion to the sunlight, nor any particular fondness for it; she was simply indifferent.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards another building.

Everywhere she looked, any available land was cultivated with vegetables or edible crops.

It seemed Survivor’s Light’s agricultural efforts were thriving, thanks to clean, filtered water and a stable water source free of aquatic zombies.

She saw many ordinary people wearing hats, watering the crops under the sunlight. Some were infected, some weren’t.

Even ordinary people weren’t all infected? It seemed the infection wasn’t as widespread as she’d imagined.

After crossing several streets, Lin Jiayao reached a low-rise building.

This used to be a government office, now the headquarters and living quarters of Survivor’s Light’s leadership.

“Captain Xie? What brings you here?” The guard at the gate lowered his rifle and jogged over. “Looking for someone? Should I inform them?”

He pointed to the walkie-talkie on his vest, a red glow in his eyes as he looked at Lin Jiayao.

“No need. I just wanted to see if I could get leave approval for my subordinates. They’re planning a hot pot gathering tonight,” Lin Jiayao said with a smile, gesturing towards the building.

“You’re really good to your subordinates. I wish I were assigned to your team.” The guard smiled and stepped aside. “Please, come in.”

Lin Jiayao nodded and entered.

But as she stepped inside, she frowned.

She realized she didn’t have many memories of this building.

She remembered being here many times, for combat meetings, secret meetings, and important announcements.

But her memories of the interior were blank.

This was unexpected.

She had thought that, like before, seeing certain people or things would trigger the associated memories.

Now, standing in front of a decorative rock garden in the lobby, she didn’t know where to go.

Since the entire leadership was now Awakened, there were no other guards inside, only the two at the gate.

They were all Awakened; they didn’t need ordinary people for protection. If they couldn’t handle a situation, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to help anyway.

I’ll go upstairs and take a look, Lin Jiayao decided. There doesn’t seem to be anything on the first floor.

She started towards the stairwell.

But before she reached it, someone emerged.

“Hmm? Xie Yi? What are you doing here?” It was a mature woman with slightly crooked glasses. She looked surprised to see Lin Jiayao.

“I wanted to see if I could request leave for my subordinates,” Lin Jiayao said, recognizing the woman. Her name was Zheng Yan, the secretary-general who relayed messages from the three leaders.

She was also infected, but not severely; there were no visible tendrils on her skin.

“Looking for Old Gu, are you? He practically raised you; he’ll be easier to talk to.” Zheng Yan smiled and extended her hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

“Okay.” The Zheng Yan in Lin Jiayao’s memories was indeed this approachable, so she took her hand.

“Old Gu has been cooped up in his office ever since the motivational rally last month, probably working himself to death on Project Hyacinth.”

Zheng Yan chuckled as they walked upstairs, her tone light.

“We’ve finally established a foothold in Donghai Province. We can start clearing the surrounding cities now. The apocalypse will be over soon.” Zheng Yan squeezed Lin Jiayao’s hand, her usual mature demeanor replaced by childlike excitement.

Lin Jiayao didn’t respond, just followed her to the third floor.

Because she saw the blood-red tendrils covering the corridor, staining the white walls red.

Strangely, these tendrils seemed to be growing naturally, and she could control them?

Zheng Yan seemed oblivious to the tendrils, continuing to chatter as they walked.

“Remind Old Gu to get some rest. He treats you like a daughter; he’ll listen to you.”

“Plop—”

A drop of mucus fell from the ceiling onto Lin Jiayao’s head. She looked up and saw a corpse wrapped in tendrils, stuck to the ceiling, dripping viscous fluid.

He wasn’t dead. His body was covered in blood-red mushrooms, having absorbed nutrients from the ceiling for who knew how long.

Seeming to notice her gaze, the gaunt man, his face withered, moved his lips slightly.

“Mons… monster… get out… get…”

“What is it, Xiao Xie? What are you looking at?” Zheng Yan followed her gaze and frowned. “Another leak? This government building was poorly designed. Leaks everywhere. I’ll have someone fix it later.”

Was the fungus interfering with their perception, making them unable to see the tendrils and the infected?

To confirm, she let the blood-red tendrils spread across her eyes. Her vision shifted.

The pervasive red tendrils disappeared, replaced by a clean corridor. Zheng Yan was leading her towards the end of the hallway.

“You can go in on your own. Remember to tell him to get some rest. I won’t disturb you.” Zheng Yan patted Lin Jiayao’s shoulder and left.

Lin Jiayao stood alone, facing the door.

Gu Wangran was one of the few B-rank Awakened. If something had happened to him, then this entire building might have fallen.

“Click—”

Lin Jiayao slowly turned the doorknob, opened the door, and looked inside.

The office at the end of the corridor still had the old rosewood desk and classical furniture, a touch of old-world charm.

And behind the desk sat an elderly man with thinning hair, his eyes closed, writing something on a piece of paper.

“Why didn’t you knock?” Gu Wangran said without looking up, a hint of displeasure in his voice.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and looked up.

“Oh, it’s Xiao Xie. Come in, come in, have a seat. What brings you here today?” He put down his pen and smiled. “Don’t tell me it’s about your subordinates again.”

He’s not infected?

No.

Lin Jiayao took a deep breath.

It was because she hadn’t retracted the tendrils from her eyes.

The tendrils retreated, and her pupils returned to their normal brown-black color.

Her vision changed drastically.

Gu Wangran’s scalp and skull were split open, his eyes gone, replaced by a glittering, blood-red mushroom dangling from the center of his cracked head.

His body was covered in viscous fluid, the fungal tendrils still drawing energy from him, but he seemed oblivious, pointing to a chair in front of him.

“Sit.”

Lin Jiayao saw the “Project Hyacinth” proposal on his desk. Except for a paragraph at the top, the rest was just random scribbles.

From the point where the scribbles began, she could estimate the time of his death.

The fungus could mimic his actions, but it couldn’t replicate his thoughts and plans.

A wave of nausea surged through her, stronger than she had felt even when killing.

A monster, masquerading as a human, repeating the actions of the deceased… it was truly disgusting…

“Who are you?”

A crisp, childlike voice suddenly came from behind Lin Jiayao.

She turned and saw a dazzlingly white figure.

It was a young girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, barely 140cm tall, wearing a pure white dress and stockings, her long twintails also pure white.

But the blood-red tendrils spreading through her pupils confirmed her nature, though not her identity.

Lin Jiayao didn’t recognize her; there was no one like this in Xie Yi’s memories.

The girl stared at her with hostility. “I don’t know you! Who are you?!” she shouted in a childish voice.

As she spoke, the fungal tendrils in the room seemed to come alive, writhing and glowing, reaching for Lin Jiayao from all directions.

But they stopped a meter away as Lin Jiayao raised her hand.

“How…” The little girl’s lips parted slightly, her eyes widening in sudden realization.

“Mommy!”

She called out sweetly and lunged towards Lin Jiayao.

---

Draft character design for the Blood-Red Fungus Mother entity (non-aggressive posture)

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 49: Donghai, Once More

Controlling zombies all day, practically until midnight, had left Lin Jiayao mentally exhausted.

This also made her realize a problem.

The morning, when she was most alert, was when zombies were weakest.

Even Mask, with Bone Skin, was still slightly affected by sunlight.

If she shifted her sleep schedule to the morning, she wouldn’t waste the zombies’ abilities during daylight hours.

I’ll see if I can adjust my sleep cycle later…

Lost in thought, Lin Jiayao finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.

Lin Xiwan woke up around eight o’clock but didn’t wake her sleeping sister. Instead, she left a note saying she was going shopping.

She’d heard that the military base camp was selling a few modified vehicles. With the growing unease in the camp, she decided to secure one before it was too late.

She also planned to buy a gift for her sister. She had already decided what to get.

A cloak or short cape, for warmth and to cover her legs, preventing her from catching a chill.

After Lin Xiwan left with the shopping list, Lin Jiayao continued to sleep.

She didn’t wake up until noon, feeling groggy and her head heavy.

“Ugh…”

She sat up with effort, her eyes heavy and aching.

The fatigue hadn’t completely dissipated. She hadn’t fully recovered her mental strength.

“Hoo…” Exhaling slowly, Lin Jiayao shifted slightly to avoid keeping her legs in the same position for too long.

Fighting the dizziness, she picked up the note her sister had left on the pillow. After reading it, she breathed a sigh of relief and called out the system.

Looking at the login interface, she paused.

「No.1: [Mask] (Available for login)」
「No.2: 🌐 (Available for login)」
「No.3: 🌐 (Available for login)」

Was the fourth slot, which wasn’t on cooldown, unavailable because the limit had been reached?

Or because she hadn’t unlocked the later slots?

As if sensing her confusion, the system provided a prompt.

「Please build the [Control Center] in the Hideout to unlock more login slots for zombies」

Control Center? It seemed to be a facility she hadn’t unlocked yet.

Lin Jiayao filed this information away and turned her attention to the available slots.

The second and third displayed illusory maps, waiting for her to choose spawn points.

For a moment, Lin Jiayao hesitated.

She could clearly sense her deteriorating mental state. She wasn’t sure if it was a side effect of logging in, or if her body and mind were simply too weak.

“Heh…”

She chuckled, as if mocking her own hesitation.

Did she have a choice?

She had to become stronger, to take her sister away from this misery, so she wouldn’t have to risk her life fighting zombies for blood crystals every day.

Lin Jiayao clicked on the second zombie slot and looked at the virtual map.

The previously darkened icon for Donghai City was now lit up again, indicating it was available.

The first city on the highway from Yangzhou City to Donghai City was Xin City.

But Mask was already heading in that direction, so Lin Jiayao didn’t want to waste a slot on Xin City. Instead, she turned her attention back to Donghai City.

She had to confirm whether Donghai City was truly safe. Otherwise, their journey would be doomed from the start.

Now that she had a better understanding of the Blood Orb Fungus, even if she logged into a spore residing in another person’s body, she wouldn’t be as clueless as before.

Even just accessing memories would be beneficial.

The two foreign women she had previously inhabited were peripheral figures in Survivor’s Light, with few useful memories.

If she could enter the central city district this time, she might be able to learn more.

If Survivor’s Light was truly unaware of the fungal infection, she could find a way to warn them.

As for herself, she wasn’t worried about the Blood Orb Fungus being exposed. The fungus here could restrict the host’s blood flow, but it couldn’t control the spores within their blood.

The infection detectors only checked for blood crystals in the blood, not spores, which was why these highly contagious spores had gone undetected for so long.

With the system, Lin Jiayao could prevent spores from attaching to her own body and generate them only when needed, making them undetectable in blood tests or biopsies.

The Blood Orb Fungus spores and tendrils in Donghai City didn’t have this ability.

I hope Survivor’s Light can still be saved.

Lin Jiayao prayed silently.

She lay back down, rested her head on the pillow, and selected Donghai City on the virtual screen.

Soon, her consciousness was pulled away. After a brief period of darkness, she saw light again.

“Captain Xie, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

A man’s concerned voice reached her ears. Lin Jiayao managed to raise a hand dismissively and rubbed her temples.

A flood of memories surged into her consciousness, revealing parts of this body’s past and some fragmented memories.

Her name was Xie Yi, 28 years old. Before the apocalypse, she had been a recent graduate, working as an interior design assistant at a construction company.

A young professional woman who regretted listening to her parents and choosing environmental design, spending most of her time slacking off at work.

She had lived an ordinary life, attracting many suitors due to her beauty, but rejecting them all due to her strict upbringing.

After graduating and entering the workforce, under pressure from work, she hadn’t had the time or energy for relationships.

Just as her career was getting on track, the apocalypse arrived.

Fortunately, shortly after the outbreak, she awakened her abilities and encountered Gu Wangran, one of the founders of Survivor’s Light, clinging to him and surviving until now.

Now, it seemed to be her break time…

Wait…

Lin Jiayao suddenly realized something was wrong. She sat up straight and looked at her hands.

A pair of slender, fair hands, moving according to her will, completely under her control.

She looked up and saw her subordinate staring at her in bewilderment from across the desk.

“Xiao Wang, right?” Lin Jiayao rubbed her temples again and, following the memories, picked up the leave request form on her desk. “Stomachache… going on a date with your girlfriend, huh? Fine, go ahead. Just don’t stray too far from Donghai City.”

She picked up a stamp and stamped the form.

“Thank you, Captain!” Her subordinate cheered and left with the approved form.

Lin Jiayao looked at herself in the small mirror on her desk and fell into thought.

Xie Yi was dead. The Xie Yi currently active was just a fruiting body of the Blood Orb Fungus – a Mimic.

The one truly controlling this body, acting as she normally would, wasn’t Xie Yi herself, but the fungal zombie lurking within her, ready to erupt at any moment.

That was why Lin Jiayao could perfectly control Xie Yi’s body.

And Lin Jiayao could see the faint, eerie red glow in her departing subordinate’s eyes – the spores had already spread throughout his body.

Lin Jiayao stood up and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window behind her, almost half of Donghai City visible.

How many infected were there in this city…?

She looked down at the black infection detector on her wrist. The LED bar in the middle glowed yellow.

An infected Awakened, and no one had noticed?

It seemed she needed to pay a visit to the leadership of Survivor’s Light.

 

Chapter 48: Level 1 Warehouse

While her sister was still out, Lin Jiayao briefly examined the system interface.

Besides [Login] and [Safehouse], there was a new entry.

[Hideout].

The name sounded important.

Lin Jiayao clicked on it.

The illusory system interface transformed into a 3D overhead view.

A black, semi-transparent window popped up.

「Welcome to your exclusive Hideout!」

「You can use items and resources from the Safehouse to build and improve various areas in the Hideout. Proper use of the Hideout can make your extractions much easier!」

「Good luck!」

After the window disappeared, the entire Hideout space was revealed.

It was an X-shaped intersection, Lin Jiayao’s perspective centered, the surrounding area dim.

Lin Jiayao examined the interface, puzzled.

Was this… a virtual space, or a real place she could find?

Each corridor of the X-shaped intersection was about ten meters wide and twenty meters long, but there were no entrances or exits.

It likely existed only within the system.

In the faint candlelight, she could see several unfinished facilities.

As she focused on each, a system prompt appeared.

[Warehouse Lv.1 (Unbuilt)]
[Description: Stores supplies (only for use during extraction and by the main body, unavailable in logged-in zombie state)]
[Construction requires: Blood Crystal x1]

[Medical Station Lv.1 (Unbuilt)]
[Description: Produces various medicines by consuming blood crystals or equivalent raw materials]
[Construction requires: Blood Crystal x2, Disposable Syringe x1, Sterile Bandage x2, Assorted Medicines 500g]

[Workbench Lv.1 (Unbuilt)]
[Description: Allows you to customize, modify, or repair special weapons and craft special ammunition by consuming blood crystals]
[Construction requires: Blood Crystal x3, Multi-tool x1, Nuts x2, Bolts x2]

[Training Grounds Lv.1 (Unbuilt)]
[Description: Creates a training space where you can practice skills or combat techniques. Switch between any logged-in zombie for practice. You won’t be injured here (practice here does not consume any ammunition or blood crystals)]
[Construction requires: Blood Crystal x10]

These were the four unfinished facilities Lin Jiayao could see.

But they only occupied a fifth of the space. The rest of the Hideout was empty, likely still locked.

Even these four were enough to intrigue Lin Jiayao; the construction costs were substantial.

Besides blood crystals, she also needed ordinary materials… it seemed to just increase the difficulty; she didn’t understand the system’s reasoning.

And the cost of each facility was exorbitant.

Even the cheapest, the warehouse, required a whole blood crystal… That was 500g!

But both the warehouse and the medical station were essential.

The “special weapons” and “special ammunition” mentioned in the workbench description also sounded interesting.

Most importantly, the training grounds.

Using blood crystals or firing bullets wouldn’t consume anything there?

And using abilities there had no side effects?

It was like a training ground in a game.

She could experiment with different evolution combinations and gain combat experience without any real risk.

And target practice there wouldn’t consume any bullets.

Did this mean she could train herself into a sharpshooter?

Unfortunately, reality was harsh.

Building the training grounds required ten blood crystals… an unimaginable sum for Lin Jiayao.

And these were only Lv.1 facilities; there were likely many more she couldn’t even see yet.

The only thing she could build now was the Lv.1 warehouse, requiring one blood crystal, which she happened to have.

But the warehouse’s limitations made her hesitate.

Unlike the safehouse, it was unusable while logged into a zombie.

She couldn’t just store items there like in the safehouse, where items remained even after the zombie died.

If she needed a zombie to bring her something, it had to survive until extraction and then store the items in the warehouse from within the consciousness space.

Despite its limitations, it was undoubtedly a useful facility.

After some thought, Lin Jiayao decided to invest a blood crystal and upgrade the warehouse.

While it wouldn’t be of much help to the logged-in zombies, it would be a great asset to her.

Essentially, it was a much larger storage space than the safehouse.

After selecting “build,” the blood crystal in her safehouse disappeared, transferred to the warehouse in the Hideout.

Instantly, the unfinished warehouse, after flashing red, transformed into a large box.

And in front of the box was a grid interface similar to the safehouse.

A 10×10 grid, much larger than the 2×2 safehouse, and it could be further upgraded.

At least she wouldn’t have to worry about how to store blood crystals anymore.

Exiting the Hideout interface, Lin Jiayao heard the door open and looked towards it in the darkness.

Her sister carefully entered the room, closed and locked the door, and then tiptoed to the bedside.

Reaching the bed, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she noticed Lin Jiayao looking at her, seemingly having been awake for a while.

“Ah… Yaoyao, when did you wake up?” Lin Xiwan smiled sheepishly, took off her shoes, and slipped into bed. “I just went to the bathroom…”

Habitually placing her legs around her sister’s, she saw Lin Jiayao still looking at her and realized her excuse wouldn’t work.

“I went out for a bit… to look for the Blood Gang,” Lin Xiwan admitted, her hand hovering over her sister’s head before gently resting there. “They… they escaped.”

“I didn’t think things through. I didn’t expect them to run away in the middle of the night…”

Lin Xiwan’s voice was filled with self-reproach, as if feeling powerless for not being able to avenge her sister.

“It’s okay, Sister,” Lin Jiayao said, smiling gently. “They might have been eaten by zombies outside at night.”

“Haha… Maybe.” Lin Xiwan chuckled, but inwardly sighed.

Going towards the city would definitely mean encountering zombies, even mutated ones, but the guards had said the Blood Gang had fled towards the highway.

Perhaps she would still encounter them on the road…

Lin Xiwan took a deep breath, feeling the weight on her shoulders increase.

“It’s alright, Sister will protect you. Go back to sleep.”

She brushed the hair away from Lin Jiayao’s forehead and kissed her.

“Mm.”

I will protect you too.

Lin Jiayao replied silently.

Chapter 47: A Hidden Reward?

Lin Jiayao started with the bald man’s backpack.

He seemed to be the leader of this three-person team, so his backpack might contain more valuable items.

Gas masks, gas masks, a pack of filters, a new filter cartridge, an unopened pair of goggles, a gold key engraved with “V-D-021″…

Besides these, there were some compressed biscuits, dried meat, a water filter, and other supplies.

No written notes or letters, which disappointed Lin Jiayao.

The other two backpacks contained similar items.

They also had keys, but they were worn on their bodies, not in their backpacks.

One was “V-E-030,” the other “V-E-031.”

The keys were made of pure gold, easily bent and deformed, unlikely to be for rooms.

They were probably used by the Voodoo Cult for identification.

A simple analysis suggested “V” likely stood for Voodoo Cult, “D” and “E” for their Awakened ranks, and the numbers for their order within those ranks.

V-D-021… Did this mean there were at least twenty D-rank Awakened in the Voodoo Cult?

That was a force no ordinary camp could resist. No wonder even Survivor’s Light hadn’t been able to eliminate them.

After the apocalypse, without the constraints of law and order, few people remained lawful.

Even those who had been good-natured before the apocalypse might have become completely different, unleashing their suppressed, twisted personalities.

Lin Jiayao casually hung the three gold keys on a bone spike and then searched their clothes.

They weren’t carrying rifles, only one pistol and two flare guns each. Nothing else.

Not even blood crystals? That was strange.

They had pursued their targets all the way here, which meant they must have had a vehicle. She just didn’t know where it was parked.

There was only the male Awakened’s jeep at the scene.

Lin Jiayao didn’t need the food. She put the gas masks, goggles, earmuffs, and other supplies into one backpack and hung it on a bone spike.

Now, she carried eight rifles, a pistol, two flare guns, a burlap sack full of magazines, and a backpack.

Quite a haul.

After making sure there was no one else around, Lin Jiayao, using the moonlight, started loading the rifles.

Fortunately, she could multitask and load four magazines simultaneously; otherwise, it would have taken a long time.

One of the polymer magazines cracked as she was loading it.

It seemed the gang members hadn’t maintained their equipment properly.

Discarding the broken magazine, she finished loading the rest and inserted them into the rifles.

After spending half an hour crossing the mountains and another half an hour dealing with the Voodoo Cult members, Lin Jiayao had less than three hours left for extraction.

The extraction point was 14km away in a straight line, plenty of time.

Carrying the rifles and her loot, Lin Jiayao quickly crawled through the town.

Along the way, she kept an eye out for any vehicles that might belong to the Voodoo Cult, but found none.

If the Voodoo Cult’s gas masks, goggles, and other protective gear weren’t just for show, then they must have known about some other deadly contagion.

Deadly enough to make even these lunatics take precautions.

Lin Jiayao suspected it was the fungus.

But why did even the Voodoo Cult know about the fungus, while Survivor’s Light seemed completely unaware?

Even the “Mimic zombies” had only been mentioned once on the radio two years ago, never again.

There were too many unanswered questions. Lin Jiayao decided to control another zombie in Donghai City after the 24-hour cooldown.

She would have two available zombie slots then.

Shortly after leaving the town, Lin Jiayao returned to the Yanghang Highway.

Although there were zombies along the way, they were all ordinary Biters. Finding mutated zombies on the highway wasn’t easy.

She needed to go to densely populated cities to hunt them.

The journey was uneventful, and Lin Jiayao reached the extraction point.

Due to the extra weight, the 14km crawl had taken over an hour. She had about an hour left until extraction.

Looking at the desolate wilderness around the service area, Lin Jiayao decided not to explore and simply found a spot to lie down, burying her head in her loot.

「Extracting in: 7.9」

After the countdown, she found herself in the familiar black space.

Mask’s illusory form floated before her, its body laden with items, slightly lessening the horror.

Beside Mask was the safehouse, containing only a loaded pistol and a blood crystal.

The safehouse was too small to hold anything else.

Lin Jiayao tried; even the backpack Mask was carrying required a 4×3 space, too large for the safehouse.

Too bad the system didn’t have a proper storage system.

Slightly disappointed, Lin Jiayao left the space and returned to her body.

She didn’t open her eyes immediately but pressed her fingernail against the mattress, listening.

Hmm… hmm?

Where’s Sister?

Lin Jiayao opened her eyes and saw that her sister hadn’t returned.

A system prompt appeared before her.

「1、【Bone Spike Lurker Lv.3 (Gray): Increases Lurker precision, can simulate terrain by emitting vibrations, 50m range】」
「2、【Bone Hardening Lv.2 (Gray): Moderately increases your bone defense】」
「3、【Safehouse (Red): Unlocks a system internal space】」

The sudden red flash startled Lin Jiayao, but she didn’t read the description, quickly choosing [Safehouse] before sitting up.

She was more concerned about her sister’s whereabouts.

Suddenly, she picked up a conversation within range of her Bone Spike Lurker and relaxed, lying back down.

“Sister Lin, I confirmed with the guards on duty today. Those Blood Gang members left shortly after the night market opened. They didn’t even pack everything…”

“Mm, I know.”

“Sister Lin, are you leaving Yangzhou City?”

“Yes.”

“Safe travels. I’m going back on duty.”

“Okay.”

Hearing her sister’s approaching footsteps, Lin Jiayao was reassured and looked back at the system interface.

What level of evolution was red?

[Safehouse]?

What was that?

Was it the hidden reward the system had mentioned?