Category: Sickly Girl Doesn’t Die in Zombie Simulator

Chapter 46: American Iaido 

“I have no quarrel with you! Why are you chasing us? Let my daughter go!”

“Why? Because you ran. As for letting her go…”

“Crack—”

“Fuck you!”

This…

This behavior… definitely the Voodoo Cult. The more you pleaded with these lunatics, the more excited they got.

Survivor’s Light had dedicated several weeks of broadcasts to discussing the Voodoo Cult. Unfortunately, not everyone listened to the radio or believed Survivor’s Light.

“Bang—”

A gunshot shattered the quiet night. Lin Jiayao stopped.

A gun?

“Click, click, click…”

Lin Jiayao chambered a round in each of the eight rifles, raised ten bone spikes to shield her face, and slowly advanced.

She wasn’t going to play hero. She was approaching only because the Voodoo Cult was blocking the road.

She didn’t want to encounter these three when she and her sister were driving.

Problems should be nipped in the bud.

Confirming she hadn’t been noticed, Lin Jiayao lowered herself in the grass by the roadside and increased her speed.

At the entrance to the town, three Voodoo Cult members wearing black gas masks stood beside a military-green jeep.

The Awakened man who had pleaded with them earlier leaned against a tire, clutching his bleeding neck, glaring at the three in despair.

His son was pinned to the ground, his wife tied to the roof of the jeep.

And his young daughter, about six years old, born just before the apocalypse, lay on the ground sobbing, her arm twisted at an unnatural angle.

The child’s cries, combined with the gunshot, would definitely attract the remaining zombies in the town.

Lin Jiayao could guess what the Voodoo Cult members were planning.

“Hey, hey, don’t die yet. Bandage him up and give him a shot.”

The bald Voodoo Cult member ordered one of his companions to approach the man and bandage his wound.

They wanted him dead, but they were wasting precious medical supplies on him.

Just so he could watch his wife and children being devoured by zombies.

“So slow, so slow, so slow!” While his underling bandaged the Awakened man, the bald man started scratching his head frantically.

Then, he took out his pistol and fired wildly towards the town.

“Bang, bang, bang, bang—”

“Faster, faster!”

“Woohoo—”

After emptying the magazine, he tossed the pistol aside, covered his ears, and ran out of the town.

As he turned, Lin Jiayao saw the glee and excitement in his eyes.

Like a child who had just lit a firecracker and thrown it into a bottle before running away. The scene, however, was made grotesque by his twisted smile and facial tattoos.

Seeing his face, Lin Jiayao realized they were all wearing goggles, earmuffs, and gas masks.

“Argh…”

The gunshots had roused the town’s zombies. Lin Jiayao could already feel the vibrations of the approaching horde.

The other two Voodoo Cult members, also hearing the zombie growls, started running after the bald man.

“Truly insane…” Their erratic behavior solidified Lin Jiayao’s understanding of this deranged group.

But the bald man was almost within range of her bone spikes.

A curved bone spike, like a scorpion’s tail, extended over Lin Jiayao’s head, pointing forward.

“Whoosh—”

The bone spike, trailing a chain, shot out, reaching the bald man in an instant.

But just as it reached his neck, he tilted his head slightly, dodging it.

His gas mask wasn’t so lucky; it shattered.

“Shit, shit, my mask.” The Voodoo Cult member, not even noticing where the bone spike came from, quickly pulled out a new gas mask from his backpack and put it on.

“That was close, that was close. Spores go away, spores go away…” After putting on the mask, he turned and looked towards the source of the bone spike.

He saw a pale head, and behind it, eight dark muzzles, aimed at him.

“Fuck… cool…”

“Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—”

Lin Jiayao wasn’t interested in experiencing his abilities. Since the bone spike missed, she raised her rifles and opened fire.

Fortunately, the three weren’t evolved enough to dodge or withstand bullets. Three controlled bursts later, and they were dead.

Quickly crawling forward, Lin Jiayao hooked the backpacks onto her bone spikes and ran towards the town entrance.

If she could save them, she would. If not, then so be it.

Perhaps it was the Awakened man’s love for his family, reminding her of her sister, that motivated her.

Luckily, this town was built along the highway, and convoys often passed through.

The mutated Sprinters and Lurkers had already been cleared out, leaving only the slower Biters.

The weight of eight rifles and three large backpacks made her bone spikes sink into the ground, so she climbed onto the highway.

She reached the jeep before the Biters did.

Amidst the terrified screams of the man’s children, Lin Jiayao picked them up, opened the back door of the jeep, and tossed them inside.

“Rat-tat—Rat-tat—”

As she moved the man to the passenger seat, a few zombies arrived, and she had to waste a few bullets to dispatch them.

After closing the passenger door, Lin Jiayao, laden with bags and weapons, climbed into the driver’s seat.

And then she froze.

She couldn’t drive.

“Thud—”

Remembering the wife, Lin Jiayao shot a nearby zombie, climbed onto the jeep’s roof, and cut the ropes binding the woman.

“AAAAH!!!”

The woman screamed at the sight of Lin Jiayao, but Lin Jiayao simply picked her up, placed her in the driver’s seat, and closed the door.

It took about five seconds for the woman to start the jeep. With a roar, it sped off.

The slow Biters were still shuffling towards the sound. Lin Jiayao returned to the three corpses, shot each in the head, and opened their backpacks.

Seeing their gear, Lin Jiayao suspected the Voodoo Cult knew about the spore zombies.

Otherwise, in this apocalypse, no one would wear non-functional earmuffs, goggles, and gas masks.

It looked like they were trying to prevent spore infection.

Lin Jiayao continued searching the bodies and backpacks, hoping to find some clues.

Chapter 45: Are Those Pursuers?

Could there be an Awakened among this family of refugees from another city?

Otherwise, there was no way to explain how he had detected her and retrieved his dart.

But Lin Jiayao had no intention of fighting, especially not against an Awakened.

Although she had killed many people, directly or indirectly, they were all threats to her or her sister’s life.

There was no need to make things difficult for these struggling refugees.

Instead of fighting him, it would be better to find out who was blocking the northbound roads.

As Lin Jiayao backed away, intending to bypass the town, the Awakened at the town entrance made a wrong assumption.

“Hmph, trying to escape?”

“Whoosh—”

Sensing the vibration, Lin Jiayao quickly turned and saw the Awakened, who had been more than a hundred meters away, flying towards her through the air.

He can fly?!

No.

In the moonlight, Lin Jiayao saw his ability.

Countless silver threads were attached to the de-energized power lines, allowing him to swing towards her at high speed.

Like Spider-Man.

An ability to secrete threads or wires?

If a fight was unavoidable, then it had to be quick.

Lin Jiayao turned to face the approaching Awakened.

The Awakened, now closer, could see the “monster” on the ground in the moonlight.

Was that… a white sculpture?

No, a head!

A bone-type evolved zombie, with bone spikes and long, thin legs.

But he couldn’t make out what was behind it in the darkness.

“Good thing I set up the wires on the road earlier, or I would have been caught off guard by this zombie…” the Awakened thought as he descended.

But as he got closer, he finally saw what was behind the head.

Two rows of rifles, eight dark muzzles, aimed directly at him.

“Holy shit!” he cursed, losing his balance in midair.

“That’s not a zombie!!! It’s controlled by another Awakened!!!” he roared internally.

Who would have thought someone would control a zombie to wander around a small town at night?

I can’t win, absolutely no chance!

Recalling the sight of those gun barrels, the Awakened made a split-second decision.

Before landing, he shot threads from his palms, anchoring himself to the ground and stabilizing his descent.

At the same time, he generated a large cushion of threads beneath his knees.

“Thump—”

He landed in a kneeling position in front of the head.

“Brother, I’m sorry! I mistook you for a zombie. I didn’t realize you were another Awakened! We’re refugees from Xin City, heading to Yangzhou City. If this town is your territory, I’ll take my family and leave immediately. Please don’t hurt them.”

The man’s swift apology and explanation stunned Lin Jiayao.

Is… is this really an Awakened?

If it weren’t for the threads protecting his knees, Lin Jiayao wouldn’t have believed it.

This man, before becoming an Awakened, must have been a corporate drone for at least ten years.

Lin Jiayao lowered her guns.

She understood why he acted this way. It was his only chance of survival.

A moment later, and she would have pulled the triggers. Not only would he die, but his family would also be killed by the town’s zombies, attracted by the gunshots.

He was protecting his family in his own way.

Sensing the lack of movement from her, the man on the ground asked, “Can… can I look up?”

He placed his hands on the ground in a visible position and slowly raised his head.

Looking up, he saw the head-zombie up close, and his heart pounded.

Evolving bone spikes into gun mounts… how shameless…

Lin Jiayao was also observing him.

He seemed to have mistaken her for a zombie controlled by an Awakened.

Perfect. He was from Xin City, a city on the northbound route, and he seemed to be running from someone. She might be able to get some useful information.

Lin Jiayao extended a bone spike and pointed to a white stone barrier by the road, signaling him to go there.

The man instantly understood, slowly got up, placed his hands on his head, and walked towards the barrier.

So practiced…

Watching him, Lin Jiayao wondered if he had been an overseas Chinese before the apocalypse.

She reached the barrier, raised a bone spike, and began writing on it.

“Xin City situation?” “Pursuers?”

“Are you asking about the situation in Xin City?” the man asked.

Lin Jiayao controlled Mask and nodded.

“Xin City has a lot of chemical plants, and the river is quite far from the city center, making it difficult to get water for farming. We could only rely on the warehouses of large supermarkets. We tried moving the camp closer to the river to try farming, but there were too many zombies…”

The man quickly described the situation in Xin City.

There were only two small camps in the entire city, one occupying a supermarket, the other in the military base, operating similarly to Yangzhou City.

But there were few survivors in Xin City. The two camps, along with a few lone wolves and gangs, didn’t even add up to a thousand people.

It had been a prefecture-level city with a population of millions.

After five years of scavenging, resources were almost depleted, the camps had disbanded, and the Awakened had fled with their families.

He then moved on to the pursuers.

“As for the pursuers…” The man took a deep breath, his lips trembling as if still terrified. “They’re from the Voodoo Cult.”

The Voodoo Cult?

Those lunatics?

But their territory shouldn’t be in this area…

“Three Awakened, with ‘V’ symbols carved on their faces, have been chasing us. We were originally a convoy with two Awakened; now it’s just me and my family.”

Only three people? That probably wasn’t a Voodoo Cult migration, likely just a small group on a mission.

Just as Lin Jiayao wanted to ask about their appearance, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from the town entrance.

“AAAAH—”

“Daddy———”

The man instantly stood up, seemingly forgetting about Lin Jiayao. He shot threads from his palms and swung towards the town entrance.

Zombies?

Or had the Voodoo Cult caught up?

Lin Jiayao placed a bone spike on the barrier, sensing the vibrations.

Chapter 44: Mobile Turret

After adjusting the shopping list, reducing some items and adding more medical supplies, Lin Xiwan put down her pen and reviewed it.

Satisfied, she looked at Lin Jiayao.

Her sister was leaning against the headboard, hugging a pillow, facing her, as if she had been watching her write.

But her eyes were closed; she seemed to be asleep.

“If you’re tired, just sleep…”

Lin Xiwan smiled, walked over, placed the pillow behind her sister’s back, and gently laid her down.

Lin Jiayao’s breathing remained even, her lips slightly parted; she seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Lin Xiwan tucked her in and whispered, “Be good. Sister is going shopping and will be back soon.”

She kissed her sister’s forehead and left the room, shopping list in hand.

The camp residents were starting to sense something was amiss, as if aware that something big was about to happen.

Prices had started to rise slightly.

Once Wang Yi announced the situation with the Baiyan District supplies, the camp’s economy would likely collapse.

She needed to stock up in advance.

Meanwhile, Lin Jiayao, in her “sleep,” controlled Mask’s body and stood up in the old ancestral hall.

“Clang—”

The assortment of rifles and magazines hanging from her bone spikes clattered together.

So many guns…

Lin Jiayao brought her bone spikes forward and counted. Eight QBZ95 assault rifles, each with a different paint job, and fifteen loaded magazines.

The number of bullets in each rifle wasn’t consistent, so she removed the magazines and replaced them with full ones.

Then, a thought struck her.

Mask’s [Bone Mimicry] ability.

She could preset her bones into any relatively simple shape and then quickly transform them.

Could she mimic a curved groove to grip the rifle handles, and then mimic a finger to pull the trigger?

Theoretically, she could control eight rifles and fire them simultaneously.

She looked at the extraction point and time.

「Extraction Time 3:59:11」
【Extraction Point: 17km】

The extraction point was getting further and further away… but there was still plenty of time.

But the direction wasn’t towards the highway this time, but towards the mountains behind the village.

It seemed the extraction point was heading towards uncharted territory.

With time to spare, she decided to experiment with Bone Mimicry.

Being able to operate eight rifles simultaneously would be a huge boost to her combat power.

Like a mobile turret, a walking arsenal.

The bone transformation was easier than she expected.

Following her imagination, the bones in her arm twisted and deformed, extending a smooth, concave shape.

She placed a rifle grip in the groove, and the bone around the edges extended, completely encasing the grip.

And on the other side of the bone encasing the grip, a jointed bone spike extended, perfectly positioned to pull the trigger.

It looked like a skeletal hand gripping the rifle.

She tested it, removing the magazine, pulling the bolt, and then pulling the trigger. Smooth.

Lin Jiayao repeated the process, securing each rifle to a bone spike. Soon, eight rifles were firmly attached.

Four on the left, four on the right, extending from the back of her head and pointing forward.

An intimidating sight.

It’s a good thing zombies can’t use firearms, otherwise humans would be doomed, Lin Jiayao thought, looking at the rifles.

Other bone spikes could help reload and chamber rounds. With practice, she could maintain continuous suppressive fire until she ran out of ammunition.

Securing her weapons, Lin Jiayao used bone spikes to lift Mask’s head, found a burlap sack in the ancestral hall, filled it with magazines, and then, carrying the sack and the rifles, left.

From the front, Mask no longer resembled a Christmas tree.

The eight rifles, angled downwards, looked like wings.

A strange and unsettling sight.

Especially with the burlap sack hanging behind her; it looked like the head-zombie was moving house.

It took Lin Jiayao almost half an hour to cross the mountainous area.

On the other side, she saw a highway and a small town in the distance.

The extraction point was now 14km away, and she had three and a half hours left. If she went in a straight line, she could reach it quickly.

After a moment of thought, Lin Jiayao decided there was no need to detour with Bone Spike Lurker and headed straight for the town.

Under the cover of darkness, she quickly crawled towards it.

As she neared the town, she veered to the right and hid in the bushes beside the highway.

The town… were there people there?

Unlikely.

Places like this small town, with extremely limited resources, were rarely inhabited for five years.

Were they just passing through?

Lin Jiayao moved closer, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation and decide whether to detour.

If they were just passing through and staying for the night, she could probably just pass by quickly.

She picked up a conversation from the outskirts of the town.

“Those lunatics shouldn’t be chasing us anymore… Son, check the map. How much further to Yangzhou City?”

“Soon. About 2km down this road to the S1 highway entrance.”

“We can’t take the highway. Let’s stick to the county roads…”

“What if there’s a roadblock…”

“Then we’ll walk. We should reach Yangzhou City’s camp before nightfall. Do we have to go to Yangzhou City? It’s quite populated…”

“They blocked the northbound roads, and Yu City is out of supplies. We can only try our luck in Yangzhou City…”

It seemed to be a conversation between a father and son, with a woman and a child murmuring in agreement.

It sounded like a family from Xin City, lacking supplies, trying to migrate north.

But the northbound roads were blocked, forcing them south.

Blocked by what?

This family didn’t seem threatening. Lin Jiayao moved slightly to the side, preparing to quickly pass through the town.

Just as she got a little closer, she heard a sharp shout.

“Who’s there?!”

“Whoosh—”

A dart flew towards her at incredible speed. She only had time to raise ten bone spikes to protect her face before it struck.

“Crack—”

The diamond-shaped dart lodged itself in one of the bone spikes, vibrating intensely. Then, it inexplicably flew back in the opposite direction, returning to the person who threw it.

An Awakened?!

Chapter 43: Mimicking Mushrooms

“Yaoyao, are you feeling better?”

“Yaoyao, can you hear me?”

“Yao… don’t scare me…”

“Wait here, I’ll go get Wang Yi to take a look at you…”

Lin Xiwan paced anxiously beside the bed in their villa room.

Lin Jiayao lay on the bed, her face flushed.

For some reason, at the night market, Lin Xiwan had noticed her sister seemed distracted and unwell.

A little later, Lin Jiayao had fainted in her wheelchair, her forehead burning hot with fever.

No matter how she called out, her sister didn’t respond, as if unconscious.

She had immediately carried her sister and the wheelchair back to their room.

At first, Lin Xiwan thought the cool night air had made her frail sister catch a cold, but she quickly realized the situation was more serious.

Just as she was about to spend some blood crystals to get Wang Yi’s healing assistance, her sister finally opened her eyes.

“Sister…”

Hearing her sister’s weak voice, Lin Xiwan practically slid to the bedside and grabbed her hand.

“How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”

Looking at her sister’s concerned face, Lin Jiayao forced a weak smile, fighting the splitting headache. “I’m fine…”

Though she said so, she clearly didn’t look fine.

She looked incredibly weak.

Lin Jiayao didn’t want to worry her sister, but the side effects of using the Blood Orb Fungus ability had been unexpected.

When the fungus invaded a single person, it was fine, just some fragmented memories playing in her mind like a slideshow.

But when she spread the spores, infecting more than ten people simultaneously, her mind felt like it was exploding. She almost lost consciousness.

It was like someone blasting distorted music at maximum volume inside her head—through Bart Simpson’s mega-phone.

Enough to make anyone’s head explode.

Overloaded by the simultaneous influx of memories from more than ten people, Lin Jiayao had simply fainted.

Fortunately, before losing consciousness, she had given the command for the spores to mature within the Blood Gang members’ bodies, growing into fruiting bodies.

Only after the Blood Gang members lost consciousness did Lin Jiayao’s condition improve slightly.

As she recovered, she felt a wave of fear.

This ability… the side effects were too severe…

This wasn’t an ability meant for humans; it was meant for the mindless, emotionless fungus.

They didn’t have to process the memories; they simply parasitized the host body.

This confirmed Lin Jiayao’s suspicion that there wasn’t a single, intelligent leader controlling the Blood Orb Fungus. They were all independent, acting on instinct.

Then why hadn’t Survivor’s Light been completely overrun by the Blood Orb Fungus?

What methods could be used against it?

Lin Jiayao needed to figure these things out.

But now, she at least understood some of the characteristics of the Blood Orb Fungus.

Just now, she had used the Blood Orb Fungus to kill more than ten Blood Gang members who were planning to head to the highway.

The fungus had consumed their flesh and blood, grown fruiting bodies from their bodies, and continued to spread spores.

But this process could be interrupted.

The spores released from the fruiting bodies—the blood-red mushrooms—drifted for a dozen meters without encountering flesh and blood before falling to the ground, losing their potency and becoming inert.

And the blood-red mushrooms, after completely draining the Blood Gang members, withered away.

The Blood Gang had run to an abandoned field by the highway. There were no other living beings or zombies around.

Without new flesh and blood to consume, without new hosts, the Blood Orb Fungus withered and died by the roadside.

This revealed several key characteristics to Lin Jiayao.

Before maturing and growing mushrooms, the spores would remain in the host’s bloodstream as spores or tendrils, absorbing some energy.

In this form, they could coexist with the host for a long time. This was likely the state of most Blood Orb Fungus infections among ordinary people and Awakened in Survivor’s Light.

The other form was the active growth and consumption of flesh and blood or energy, developing into fruiting bodies.

Once this stage began, the host’s death was inevitable, as the blood-red mushrooms needed a large amount of flesh and blood or blood crystals to mature.

The “Mimics,” whether Awakened or ordinary people, were likely in this stage.

At this stage, the person’s consciousness and actions were completely replaced by the fungus; they were effectively living corpses.

And the fungus, while retaining the host’s memories, would spread its spores to as many people as possible – it was in their nature.

As for why the Blood Orb Fungus in Survivor’s Light, after maturing into mushrooms, didn’t become monstrous like the Blood Gang members, but retained a human form…

It was likely due to that gold evolution – [Mimic Fruiting Body].

[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】

This evolution’s description stated that it could transform the host into a fruiting body.

In other words, at that stage, the person became the fungus, the mushroom, a human-shaped fruiting body spreading spores.

That gold mimicry evolution was likely the true form of the “Mimic” zombies.

She had to find a way to convey this information to the leadership of Survivor’s Light.

“I should still go get a doctor for you.” Seeing her sister’s dazed expression, Lin Xiwan gently pressed her hand.

“No need, Sister,” Lin Jiayao said, snapping out of her thoughts and sitting up. “I’m fine now.”

“Wait—”

Lin Xiwan tried to push her back down, but her sister was too quick.

Touching her sister’s forehead, she no longer felt the burning heat.

“Huh? You’re really better?” Lin Xiwan seemed incredulous. She carefully examined her seemingly fully recovered sister, tilting her head.

As if not quite believing it, she placed one hand on her own forehead and the other on Lin Jiayao’s, comparing them.

Finally, she pressed her forehead against her sister’s, confirming that the fever was gone.

“Maybe it was just a draft,” Lin Jiayao said softly, seeing her sister’s relief.

“Maybe… Well, keep yourself covered. You’re too frail…” Lin Xiwan pulled the blanket over her sister, covering her completely except for her head.

“I’m going to revise the shopping list… I’ll get more medicine.” Lin Xiwan walked back to the desk.

She was starting to regret agreeing to go north with her sister.

Could her sister’s frail body really handle the journey?

She had to consider her sister’s health.

If her sister had another episode like this in the next few days, Lin Xiwan wouldn’t agree to go north, no matter what.

The further north they went, the colder it would get.

Chapter 42: The Blood Gang’s Demise

“That bitch dared to throw a rock at me! I’m so pissed! She’s just relying on her Awakened sister, acting all high and mighty, damn it!”

Inside a VIP room in the bathhouse, more than a dozen Blood Gang members gathered, one of them ranting.

“Calm down,” a man with a demonic face tattoo covering his face said slowly from his massage chair. “I got some intel. Those two sisters are going onto the highway.”

“Huh? Really? They’re not going to Haixin District with the camp? They’re going onto the highway?”

“Those two bitches are really going on the highway?”

“North? There’s only one highway going north from here…”

“Yes. That Lin woman was asking around about buying a vehicle all day today, and she ordered a ton of supplies,” the tattooed man smiled. “If they’re going on the highway, sooner or later, they’ll fall into our hands.”

“Haha, you’re right, boss,” the man who had been complaining said excitedly. “Let’s go to the Speed Demons tomorrow! Before anything else happens.”

“No, we’re leaving tonight. If we wait until tomorrow, that Lin woman will stop us. You heard what she did at the night market, right?” The tattooed man shook his head. “We’re leaving tonight.”

“Tonight? But tonight…”

“Are we really leaving at night?”

“Come on, boss…”

The tattooed man sat up from the massage chair, silencing their discussion.

“We’re leaving tonight,” he said firmly. “She has strong connections with the Awakened here. We’re no match for her.”

“This camp is remote. We’re just going to the highway. There aren’t many zombies along the way, and the convoy has already cleared most of the zombies on the highway.”

“It’s time. Let’s go.” The tattooed man glanced at his watch and stood up.

The other dozen members also stood, gathering their weapons and supplies.

None of them noticed that their eyes were now glowing with a blood-red light.

The Blood Orb spores, spreading through the room, had already entered their bodies through their eyes and noses.

And the source of all this was the gang member who had been complaining.

With every word he spoke, he expelled countless invisible Blood Orb spores, until the room was filled with the faintly glowing red particles.

The night market was still bustling when they left the camp, their belongings packed, slipping out under the cover of darkness.

The camp guards didn’t like the gangs much. After a quick check with their superiors, they opened the gate and let these troublemakers leave.

Under the moonlight, the Blood Gang members skirted the city, running towards the highway.

The route to the highway was mostly wilderness, only about 5km.

And to avoid the zombies that might be on the road, they chose to run through the overgrown fields.

But as they ran, their stamina began to fail.

“Ha… ha…”

“How… how can we be so tired… after only two kilometers…?”

The apocalypse was different from before. Anyone who had survived for five years, unless physically disabled, shouldn’t be struggling to run 2km.

But almost half of them collapsed on the ground. Even their tattooed leader was panting, hands on his knees, unable to speak.

What’s happening…?

He could feel his strength draining away at an alarming rate.

He felt cold, his lips dry.

He quickly took out his water bottle and gulped it down, but it didn’t quench his thirst.

“Fuck… I’m so thirsty, I can’t…”

“I’m so hungry…”

After finishing the entire bottle, the tattooed man looked up and saw a horrifying sight.

His underlings were writhing weakly on the ground, their faces becoming gaunt and drawn.

Some were frantically eating dirt and the supplies they were carrying, as if they hadn’t eaten in centuries.

“What… what’s going on…?”

The tattooed man trembled and knelt down. He couldn’t control his body; he couldn’t stand.

An overwhelming sense of hunger and weakness washed over him, clouding his mind.

In his haze, he saw one of his men, his face completely caved in, splitting in two, his skin and flesh continuing to shrink.

As if something was devouring him from the inside.

A grotesque tendril emerged from the man’s split head.

Then, countless blood-red, thread-like tendrils erupted from the crack, covering his entire body.

The tattooed man stared in horror, unable even to scream.

They seemed to have all been infected by some kind of virus at the same time.

He could only watch as his underling transformed into a monster before his eyes.

A grotesque creature, writhing on the ground, covered in blood-red tendrils.

The tendrils pulsed rhythmically.

He even wondered if his underling was still alive, the pulsing of the creature mirroring the beating of a heart.

His underling seemed to have become a living food source, suffering unimaginable torment, yet unable to die.

Suddenly, the tattooed man’s eyes widened. He saw a blood-red mushroom slowly emerge from his underling’s split skull.

A slender white stem supporting a bright red cap, as if dripping with blood.

The delicate mushroom swayed gently in the night breeze, shedding spores that glowed with a blood-red light, scattering them far and wide.

“AAAAH—”

An overwhelming wave of terror gave him a burst of strength.

But it was only enough for him to raise his head, his hands clutching his mouth, and let out a scream.

After the scream, a scarlet Blood Orb Mushroom bloomed from his splitting mouth.

The dozen or so men who had been struggling were now like wooden statues scattered across the field, covered in tendrils, blood mushrooms swaying on their heads.

They were still alive, still conscious, still able to feel pain.

But now their only purpose was to be consumed by zombies, spreading the spores even further.

A fate worse than death.

Chapter 41: Sisterly Solidarity

Lin Xiwan placed her left hand on her sister’s soft shoulder, giving it a gentle pat, as if to reassure her.

Lin Jiayao, in turn, reached out and squeezed her sister’s hand.

As they approached, the unusual pair quickly attracted the attention of the other camp residents.

The night market fell silent for a few seconds, the only sound the crackling of the bonfire. Then, murmurs and whispers rippled through the crowd.

“Holy shit, is that Team Leader Lin’s sister?”

“Huh? Wasn’t she expelled? She’s still alive?”

“Uh… maybe some Awakened rescued her?”

“Probably. With her looks, there’s definitely an Awakened who’d be willing to pay an extra 1g of blood crystals a day to keep her…”

“Such a shame… Why am I not an Awakened…”

“Confucius wasn’t an Awakened either.”

“Idiot…”

Discussions like this filled the night market.

Women were rare in the apocalypse, and beautiful women even rarer.

Any woman with even a little charm, unless she was an Awakened herself, would seek the protection of gangs or Awakened. They couldn’t survive on their own.

Even if they wanted to be scavengers, there would be countless wolves waiting for them outside the camp—they wouldn’t last a day.

So, the situation with Team Leader Lin and her sister was exceptionally rare.

Many people openly stared at Lin Jiayao.

“Psst—How much for a night, pretty lady?”

A bold explorer whistled from behind the crowd, instantly regretting it.

He saw the murderous look in the eyes of the woman behind the beautiful girl in the wheelchair.

“Ahem…”

He cleared his throat awkwardly and pretended to drink his beer.

But a few seconds later, the air around him turned cold.

He looked up and saw Lin Xiwan, having pushed her way through the crowd, walking towards him.

And the guard named Li Yi, in charge of maintaining order at the night market, stood beside the wheelchair, pretending to admire the scenery.

“T-Team Leader Lin…”

The man swallowed nervously. Before he could say anything, Lin Xiwan extended her right hand.

He froze, then realized he was still holding a large glass beer mug.

“Here you go! Here you go!” He quickly wiped the rim with his dirty shirt and offered the mug to Lin Xiwan with both hands.

Lin Xiwan took the mug, casually poured the watered-down beer onto the ground, and then smashed the mug against the explorer’s mouth.

“Smash—”

Shattered glass, teeth, and blood sprayed everywhere. The surrounding people quickly backed away, not wanting to get involved.

“Argh!!! Ugh…”

As the explorer collapsed, howling in pain, Lin Xiwan slammed the remaining handle of the mug into his mouth and then stomped on his face with her foot.

“Ooh…”
“Hiss…”
“Holy shit…”

The brutal scene made the onlookers wince and look away.

They could almost feel the pain themselves.

Now, no one dared look at the girl in the wheelchair with lustful eyes.

They had known Team Leader Lin was aloof, but they hadn’t realized how violent she could be when provoked.

Lin Xiwan flicked her hand, brushed her hair back, took a 5g blood crystal from her pouch, and casually tossed it on the ground.

Without a word, she walked back towards her sister, the crowd parting to make way.

“Are you alright? Did that scare you?” Lin Xiwan looked at her sister, suddenly regretting her outburst.

She didn’t realize that she and her sister handled things the same way – they didn’t let grudges fester.

“No,” Lin Jiayao said, not even glancing at the bleeding explorer on the ground. She looked at her sister’s right hand. “Did you cut your hand, Sister?”

“I’m fine. Glass can’t hurt me.” Lin Xiwan smiled, pushed her sister’s wheelchair, and left the stall.

The Blood Gang members, who had been watching from a corner, finally reacted.

“Shit, what’s she doing here…”

“Fuck, let’s go, if you don’t want to end up like that guy on the ground.”

“Damn it, let’s get out of here…”

Lin Jiayao’s Bone Spike Lurker had been monitoring their movements. Hearing they were about to leave, she quickly looked down at the ground.

She found a small stone and picked it up.

“What’s wrong, Yaoyao?” Seeing her sister bend down, Lin Xiwan stopped pushing the wheelchair.

She watched as her sister picked up a small stone and threw it forcefully towards the Blood Gang. She could see the dust trail in the air.

“Shit—”

The Blood Gang member who was hit in the back cursed but didn’t turn around, just ran.

“It’s okay… Yaoyao, don’t be angry, Sister will take care of it.”

Lin Xiwan assumed her sister, seeing the gang tattoos, had been reminded of the incident and crouched down to comfort her.

“It’s okay, Sister,” Lin Jiayao shook her head and smiled. “I feel much better now.”

“It’s okay… I won’t let this go.”

“Let’s go, Sister.”

“Okay.”

Seeing her sister’s expression return to normal, Lin Xiwan was relieved and stood up.

She pushed Lin Jiayao’s wheelchair towards the stalls to see if there were any useful supplies, like lighters, crowbars, or shovels.

She could tell the Blood Gang members were trying to escape.

She would intercept them outside the camp tomorrow morning while her sister was still asleep.

Lin Jiayao didn’t know her sister’s plan, but she was at peace.

Before throwing the stone, she had coated it with a large number of Blood Orb spores.

In her vision, the ordinary stone glowed with an eerie red light. As she threw it, the flickering red light, like dust, arced through the air, scattering everywhere.

The stone, carrying countless red spores visible only to Lin Jiayao, hit one of the Blood Gang members.

The spores, penetrating his clothes, seeped into his body, rapidly absorbing nutrients.

And in Lin Jiayao’s mind, a new perspective appeared.

The perspective of the Blood Gang member.

Chapter 40: Reunion with the Blood Gang

During the day, most people, whether explorers or scavengers, would go out to try their luck, hoping to find something useful.

Scavenging in the surrounding areas was basically “picking through trash,” and in reality, that’s exactly what it was.

As the sun began to set, people would return to the camp before the zombies emerged.

Unable to go out at night, confined to the camp, this was the perfect time to exchange information and supplies.

Usually, the camp would also distribute watered-down beer made with boiled river water as daily drinking supplies.

Even boiled, the contaminated river water had a strange, metallic taste. Mixing it with beer or wine masked the unpleasant flavor.

Every camp had its own methods for alleviating the oppressive atmosphere of the apocalypse.

The resort camp had an underground wine cellar, so they distributed diluted wine; the stadium camp could grow vegetables, so they distributed small amounts of vegetables at night.

Each camp was different, but the purpose was the same.

As darkness fell, a knock came from the door just before nightfall.

“Sister Lin, I brought your things,” a man’s voice called from outside.

Lin Jiayao recognized the voice. It was Li Yi.

The man who had escorted her out of the camp.

“Wait a moment, I’ll come to the door,” Lin Xiwan said to her sister, still adjusting the radio frequency. She got up and went to the door.

Opening it, she saw Li Yi, out of breath. He must have run all the way there and back.

Lin Xiwan looked at the wheelchair he was pushing. The black seat cushion was still covered in a dusty plastic film. It was brand new.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Lin Xiwan said, tossing him 10g of blood crystals.

Li Yi looked at the blood crystals in his hand and hesitated. “Wasn’t it 3g, Sister Lin…?”

“Consider it a thank you for helping my sister,” Lin Xiwan said casually, gripping the wheelchair’s armrest. “You can go now.”

“Okay, thank you, Sister Lin.” Li Yi didn’t say anything more and accepted the crystals.

He had defied the Blood Gang to buy some time for Lin Jiayao, and now it seemed that time had made a difference.

After Li Yi left, Lin Xiwan tore off the plastic film from the wheelchair and pushed it inside.

“Want to try it out? The night market should be opening soon,” Lin Xiwan said with a smile, pushing the wheelchair to the bedside.

Lin Jiayao didn’t speak but opened her arms towards her sister.

Lin Xiwan lifted her and gently placed her in the new wheelchair.

“This resort is actually quite big. I’ll take you for a tour.”

Lin Xiwan pushed the wheelchair to the door.

Opening it, she pushed Lin Jiayao out.

Finally, Lin Jiayao could relax and explore the camp she had lived in for four years with a tourist’s mindset.

Before the apocalypse, this place had been a famous resort, conveniently located near the city center.

Swimming pools, villas, bars, service centers, bathhouses… it had all the necessary entertainment and living facilities.

Because she was an Awakened, Lin Xiwan had been assigned a room in one of the few detached villas.

Grandma Zhang and her son had lived in the room next door, just a doorway away.

Most of the other explorers and scavengers were assigned to the bathhouse, which had the most rooms and beds.

However, after the apocalypse, the bathhouse’s ventilation system no longer worked, so some rooms had to have their walls smashed open for ventilation.

Lin Jiayao looked around with curiosity at this place, once a vacation spot for middle-class families.

Even with moss growing on most of the buildings, she could still see glimpses of its former luxury.

Among the apocalypse camps, this was considered one of the most comfortable.

“This used to be the swimming pool, now it’s a warehouse… See that tree over there? The longan fruit we get every year comes from that tree, but it bears less fruit every year…”

Lin Xiwan pushed the wheelchair slowly, patiently explaining the camp’s layout to Lin Jiayao.

Many things Lin Jiayao had only heard about from her sister; she was finally seeing them with her own eyes.

Usually, she could only imagine; today, she was seeing the reality.

Lin Jiayao touched the wheelchair’s armrest with her fingernail, sensing the changes in the surrounding sounds – after discovering she could use Bone Spike Lurker through her fingernails, she kept it activated almost constantly.

It was convenient and undetectable.

Soon, she sensed a cacophony of noise about 150 meters ahead.

“Almost there. That’s the night market, where they distribute watered-down alcohol and exchange supplies at night… Seems a bit crowded today.”

Lin Xiwan explained, scanning the approaching crowd.

And Lin Jiayao, through Bone Spike Lurker, quickly picked up several interesting conversations.

“Gather at Kerry International tomorrow. The boss made some connections. We’re going onto the highway to join a convoy.”

“Is this like merging with another gang? Then who’s in charge?”

“Idiot, we can’t even survive in the city anymore. Who do you think will be in charge?”

“Damn it, this sucks.”

“Which gang’s convoy?”

“It’s called the Speed Demons, I think. They have a badass who can shoot while riding a motorcycle. I heard he was a racer or stunt rider before the apocalypse…”

“Whoa, cool. We’ll be living the high life tomorrow.”

“…”

Among the many discussions about trading, these conversations about gangs caught Lin Jiayao’s attention.

And there was only one gang in the camp: the Blood Gang.

So you’re still here.

Good…

A slight smile appeared on Lin Jiayao’s face.

Finally, a knot in her heart could be untied.

“Yaoyao… I see them. Don’t be afraid,” Lin Xiwan whispered, having also spotted the Blood Gang members as they approached the night market.

“Don’t worry, Sister will teach them a lesson. With Sister here, they won’t dare do anything to you.”

Chapter 39: Neural Synchronization

Where did Sister go?

The moment she woke up and found her sister gone, Lin Jiayao pressed her fingernail against the headboard and activated Bone Spike Lurker.

“Mm… yes, a brand new wheelchair from the hospital… 3g of blood crystals is the most I can offer… Do you think I don’t know that place? The Biters have been cleared out…”

“Less chit-chat, more action… I want to see it before nightfall…”

Hearing her sister’s voice at the door, Lin Jiayao was relieved.

It seemed her sister was talking to someone, hiring them to fetch a wheelchair from the hospital.

Important locations like hospitals, with valuable medical supplies, would have been swept clean by Awakened from various camps. They were considered the safest places.

3g of blood crystals was just a courier fee.

Since her sister was right outside and there was no danger, Lin Jiayao sat up and looked at the system’s evolution options.

「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Bone Skin Lv.2 (Gray): Hardens your skin, granting some defense】」
「2、【Bone Spike Lurker Lv.3 (Gray): Increases Lurker precision, can simulate terrain by emitting vibrations, 50m range】」
「3、【Neural Synchronization Lv.1 (Gold): Allows temporary access to all abilities of the controlled body, but renders the body unusable afterward, duration 30s】」

The moment the third option appeared, Lin Jiayao chose gold without hesitation.

Unlike the fungal tendrils, this one didn’t have any prerequisites. Choose gold; it sounded powerful.

If she controlled a special mutated zombie or an Awakened, she could briefly utilize their full abilities.

Combined with [Blood Rage], she could unleash power far exceeding that of the controlled body for a short period, a powerful combo move.

Most importantly, [Neural Synchronization] didn’t have any side effects on her main body, unlike [Blood Rage]. No wonder it was gold.

A game-changing evolution if used correctly.

Having already undergone multiple bone-related evolutions, Lin Jiayao didn’t feel any discomfort this time.

She felt that her bone spikes could now extend incredibly thin, almost invisible filaments, as soft as fluff.

When controlling a body, these filaments would also connect, granting her access to all of the host’s abilities for a short time.

Now she could not only take over bodies, but also directly use the abilities they had painstakingly evolved.

Retracting the bone spike from her fingertip, Lin Jiayao looked towards the door.

She had heard the conversation outside end before turning off Lurker hearing; her sister would be back soon.

As expected, a moment later, the doorknob turned.

Her sister, no longer the formidable figure she was with other explorers, entered cautiously, as if afraid to disturb her.

After quietly closing the door, Lin Xiwan turned towards the bed.

“Uh… Yaoyao, you’re awake. Was I too loud?” Seeing Lin Jiayao’s gaze, she abandoned her quiet approach and jumped onto the bed.

With others, her sister was mature and composed, an ice queen. But with her, she was always playful and unguarded.

As if Lin Jiayao were the older sister.

“I was startled when I woke up and didn’t see you,” Lin Jiayao said with a smile, expressing her true feelings.

“Mm… I went to take care of some things, exchanged some information with an acquaintance, and also bought you a new ride. It should be delivered before nightfall.”

Lin Xiwan was vague, not specifying what she had been doing.

Lin Jiayao could sense her sister’s evasiveness, likely hiding something unpleasant.

But with a little deduction, she could guess what was bothering her sister.

Her sister didn’t have any enemies in the camp. If she wasn’t worried about buying a vehicle, then it could only be one thing.

The Blood Gang.

The Blood Gang was just one of many gangs in Yangzhou City. Their members weren’t all in this camp, though the resort camp had a large concentration of them.

To these gangs, camps were like pre-apocalypse hotels, places to temporarily rest and trade supplies.

Generally, camps avoided conflict with gangs, as they were all desperate criminals.

They could roam freely, while the camps were stationary targets.

If a conflict arose, these lunatics could blare music to attract hordes of zombies, enough to destroy a medium-sized camp.

So, as long as the gangs didn’t cause trouble within the camp, the camp management turned a blind eye, treating them as ordinary residents – after all, they regularly paid blood crystals.

But recently, this harmony had been disrupted.

Because the camp was preparing to relocate.

The gangs wouldn’t participate; they wouldn’t risk their lives for the camp members. If they didn’t actively sabotage the relocation, it would be a miracle.

Lin Jiayao wasn’t sure what exactly had happened.

But she could guess that the Blood Gang would be leaving the resort camp soon.

Leaving…

Lin Jiayao frowned slightly. This wasn’t good news.

If they left, disappearing into the city or driving onto the highway, how would she find them?

If she couldn’t find them, how could she avenge Grandma Zhang?

No, she had to find a way to eliminate them before they left.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Seeing her sister frown, Lin Xiwan stroked her head with concern.

“No, just a little dizzy from sleeping,” Lin Jiayao shook her head, then sat up and looked at her sister. “Sister, take me with you tonight when you go shopping.”

“Hmm? You want to go out?” Lin Xiwan was surprised. Her sister had always avoided going outside.

Lin Xiwan knew that her sister had confined herself to her room to avoid being a burden.

After all, her sister’s face attracted too much unwanted attention.

“We’re leaving soon anyway,” Lin Jiayao said with a smile. “I want to see what the camp looks like.”

Lin Jiayao’s main goal was to encounter a few Blood Gang members at night and infect them with spores to mark them.

If they were all there, even better; it would save her the trouble of searching for them individually.

“Okay, sure.” Hearing her sister’s words, Lin Xiwan’s heart ached. She agreed immediately.

Since carrying her sister to the camp four years ago, Lin Jiayao had never left their room.

Fortunately, the camp leader, Wang Yi, was dedicated to the camp’s well-being and had taken good care of them after learning she was an Awakened.

Of course, if they were no longer useful to his camp, Wang Yi wouldn’t hesitate to abandon them.

She couldn’t fault him for being pragmatic. It was just the nature of survival in this world.

Surviving this long was a matter of luck for both of them. But anyone who had lived for five years in the apocalypse had to have some luck.

The truly unlucky ones had long become wandering zombies.

Chapter 38: Christmas Mask

Even the slowest among them now understood what was happening.

A zombie had infiltrated their gang.

But their leader was writhing on the ground, incapacitated, and no one was in charge.

“Boom—”

Just as someone was trying to rally the remaining gang members, the truck exploded a second time.

This explosion ripped the overturned truck in half, sending flaming debris flying.

And Lin Jiayao, now getting the hang of using a gun, calmly fired, picking off the remaining gang members one by one.

She could now consistently hit targets within 10 meters, a decent achievement for a firearms novice.

This was thanks to Mask’s enhanced strength, which kept the gun steady, almost eliminating recoil.

The scene, like something out of hell, terrified the survivors.

They were experts at brutalizing humans, but dealing with a zombie attack was another matter.

They had tried shooting back, but the target was just a pale head.

And the head had even used numerous bone spikes to shield its face, leaving only slits for its eyes—like a bone helmet.

How were they supposed to hit that?!

None of them were sharpshooters capable of threading a bullet through those slits, and shooting the body or arms didn’t even make it flinch.

That wasn’t its real body; even if they blew it to pieces, they wouldn’t harm it.

What a bullshit zombie, so unfair!

The remaining seven or eight gang members climbed over the barrier and scattered across the abandoned fields beside the highway.

They didn’t try to escape by car. The monster, controlling “Cheng Lu,” had placed jerrycans all the way to their convoy, and now the entire convoy was on fire.

Their only hope was to scatter and pray that some of them would survive.

Seeing them flee, Lin Jiayao quickly abandoned the burning body, unfurled her ten pairs of bone legs, and gave chase.

These gang members probably never dreamed they would be the ones being hunted.

They were fast, but they weren’t Awakened; they couldn’t outrun Lin Jiayao.

It was like a jumping spider hunting ants—their mobility wasn’t even on the same level.

Not to mention Lin Jiayao’s 150-meter range Bone Spike Lurker.

“No! Please, I beg you! AAAAAH!”

The last gang member, collapsing in the grass, soiled himself in terror as Lin Jiayao caught up.

He even pleaded with the emotionless zombie.

But he could only watch as the merciless bone chain hook pierced his skull, extinguishing his last hope.

「Extraction Time 00:09:10」
【Extraction Point: 387m】

Ten minutes until extraction, and the extraction point, a village, was almost 400 meters away.

But hadn’t one of the gang members said that the two men from the truck had escaped to the village?

Why had the system designated the village as the extraction point?

There were humans there who could pose a threat to Mask.

Or had the system already determined that those two were dead? Had it predicted all of this hours ago?

She would know if there were any humans there once she used Bone Spike Lurker to scan the area. If there were, she would eliminate them.

Lin Jiayao didn’t rush to the extraction point. Instead, she crawled back towards the burning convoy.

The entire lane was engulfed in flames, but several people were still lying on the ground, moaning and crawling.

Lin Jiayao reached the front of the convoy, raised a bone spike, and severed the leader’s head. The head rolled to the side.

Then, she connected Mask’s head to the severed head and stood up, controlling the Awakened’s body.

Feeling the strength, roughly equivalent to a Sprinter that had consumed 10g of blood crystals, Lin Jiayao estimated the E-rank Awakened’s capabilities.

Much stronger than an ordinary human or a Biter, but not as strong as an evolved mutated zombie.

Lin Jiayao then took the blood-red spray-painted rifle from the leader’s back and aimed at the moaning and still figures on the ground.

“Rat-tat-tat-tat—”

One shot to the head for each. Lin Jiayao controlled Mask and eliminated everyone, until the only sound she could hear through Bone Spike Lurker was the crackling of flames.

“Boom—”

Another explosion erupted from the burning vehicles, leaving little of value to scavenge.

Lin Jiayao used her bone spikes to remove the leader’s ammo vest and belt, took the rifle from his back, and hung them all on the bone spikes extending from her neck.

After collecting a few usable weapons and ammunition, Lin Jiayao, laden with weapons and magazines, walked towards the village.

The weapons clinked and clanked against each other as she moved.

From a distance, Mask, with her bone spikes spread out and laden with items, looked like a Christmas tree…

Only the ornaments were firearms.

And instead of a star on top, there was a pale head.

Reaching a point about 10 meters from the extraction point, Lin Jiayao saw it: a dilapidated ancestral hall in the village.

It looked like a place for ancestral worship.

But before entering, she detected something unusual with her Bone Spike Lurker.

The creaking of wood.

Someone there?

Glancing at the extraction time, she had five minutes. She decided to eliminate the potential threat first.

“Clang—Clatter—”

Clinking and clanking, Lin Jiayao quickly crawled towards the source of the sound.

But she found it strange that despite the noise she was making, the creaking remained steady and rhythmic.

Along the way, she saw several Biter corpses, their wounds fresh.

Soon, Lin Jiayao reached the source of the sound.

It was a dilapidated small hut. The red-painted wooden door was barely hanging on its hinges, two sets of adult footprints visible in the dust at the entrance.

She pushed open the door with a bone spike. The interior was clearly visible.

A short, thin man lay dead, clutching a knife embedded in his abdomen, his face contorted in a grimace of anger and disbelief.

In front of him were two elderly Biter corpses, their heads cleaved open by the knife.

But the two Biter corpses were neatly arranged, their withered hands crossed over their chests.

And in the center of the hut, a tall, sturdy figure hung from a rope, his lower body soiled, clearly dead.

The creaking sound came from the rafters, strained by the weight of the hanging body.

Clearly, this man had been the last one alive, but the reason for his suicide was unclear.

Lin Jiayao didn’t want to speculate. She’d seen too much death and separation in the apocalypse.

After five years, even the not-so-sentimental Lin Jiayao had become numb.

Confirming there were no survivors, Lin Jiayao closed the door and returned to the extraction point.

「Extracting in: 6.2」

When the extraction was complete, Lin Jiayao put a loaded pistol into the safehouse and opened her eyes.

Her sister was gone from the bed beside her.

…

Chapter 37: The Gunslinger of Fire

“Beep—”

A whistle blew, and seven or eight gang members began unloading supplies from the truck.

The entire gang, about thirty people, had arrived and were now systematically collecting the loot.

Almost all of them had shaved heads or long, dirty hair.

Their arms and backs were covered in large tattoos.

And except for seven or eight who looked emaciated, the rest were incredibly strong.

Even before the apocalypse, this group would have been intimidating.

Now, armed, they were even more so.

Anyone driving past their territory would undoubtedly trigger a chase, with a predictable outcome.

These gang members were Lin Jiayao’s primary targets for elimination.

To everyone else, they were useless parasites—no, maggots were at least edible. These people were worse than maggots.

But one figure stood out among the busy workers.

Cheng Lu, still wearing his helmet.

No one paid him any mind; he sat alone by the barrier wall.

They had all heard his “heroic tale” countless times in the past ten minutes.

Spooked by a zombie head while trying to slack off?

He hadn’t even taken off his helmet yet, too embarrassed to show his face, right?

Hilarious.

If they had made such a fool of themselves, they wouldn’t be able to show their faces in the gang anymore.

What they didn’t notice was that Cheng Lu, who had been quietly checking his rifle and magazine, suddenly stood up.

He walked towards the truck.

“I’m going to take a piss,” one of the younger gang members, who had been carrying supplies between the truck and the van, suddenly left the group and ran towards Cheng Lu.

“Brother Lu, I’m going to take a leak,” he said to his leader.

He didn’t receive a response. It seemed his leader wasn’t feeling well.

Even though his leader had embarrassed himself, he still had to stick by him and learn how to ride and shoot. Brother Lu had been a real biker before the apocalypse.

Others could mock him all they wanted, but he couldn’t. He considered Brother Lu his mentor.

Seeing no response, the younger man didn’t press further. “Brother Lu, I’ll piss on that head for you,” he said, walking towards the other side of the highway.

He reached the spot where his leader had fired the shots and jumped onto the half-meter-high barrier, unzipping his pants.

“Whew~”

Whistling, he aimed his stream at the mangled “zombie” head.

But his precise aim faltered, urine dripping onto his shoes as he froze, like a statue.

Because he saw that the mangled head’s ears were relatively intact.

The slightly pointed, bloody ear, adorned with three small black earrings and a silver skull pendant on the lobe.

He’d often stared at the back of Brother Lu’s head when they rode together without helmets on sunny days.

He knew exactly what his ears looked like, the shape of his earrings.

And now, the owner of that ear had become a mangled head…

Then…

The “Brother Lu” he had just walked past… was…

His hands trembled uncontrollably. He fumbled with his pistol, trying to draw it.

Finally, holding the gun in his hand, the fear subsided slightly.

Wiping his sweat-streaked eyes with his sleeve, the younger man looked back towards the truck.

He saw “Brother Lu,” who usually loved to slack off, surprisingly climbing into the truck bed and carrying out a jerrycan of gasoline.

It seemed like he was going to help unload.

“Gulp—”

He swallowed hard.

Only he knew that “Brother Lu” probably wasn’t unloading anything… because he wasn’t Brother Lu!

“Bang—”

“Everyone!!!” He fired a shot into the air, shouting at the top of his lungs to get everyone’s attention.

“What the fuck, idiot? Showing off your little birdie?”

“Birdie? Where’s the birdie? That’s an earthworm!”

“Hahahaha—”

“Hahaha!”

Laughter erupted from the crowd. No one noticed the terror on the younger man’s face.

And now, he noticed that while the others were distracted, “Brother Lu” had opened the jerrycan and tossed it casually into the air, gasoline splashing everywhere.

“What the fuck?”

“Are you stupid? Playing with gasoline?”

“Protecting your apprentice made you lose your mind?”

Gasoline rained down on the group, eliciting curses.

But “Brother Lu” remained unfazed. He walked towards the leaking fuel tank of the overturned truck, his body now drenched in gasoline.

He took out the lighter he had used for his cigarette.

“Click—”

The flame ignited the gasoline dripping from the truck’s fuel tank.

“He’s a zombie!” the younger man shouted, but it was too late.

“Boom—”

Flames surged up the fuel tank like a venomous snake, instantly engulfing it in an explosion.

The flaming gasoline splashed onto the spilled fuel on the ground, igniting a raging inferno.

And “Brother Lu,” the instigator, was also on fire.

“Holy shit!!!”

“What the fuck? A zombie?”

“Fire extinguisher! Quick!”

“AAAAH! Brother Sun, I’m on fire!”

Chaos erupted, their panicked movements only spreading the flames faster.

But “Brother Lu” at the center of the inferno seemed completely unaffected.

He calmly took out his Type 95 rifle and pulled the still-intact polymer charging handle.

“Click—”

The rifle was chambered.

To the younger man’s horror, “Brother Lu,” engulfed in flames, raised his weapon.

“Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—”

Calm, controlled bursts of gunfire tore through the fleeing crowd.

Even the E-rank Awakened leader of the gang, who had just climbed out of their truck, was shot between the legs—it looked like a missed shot—but it effectively incapacitated him.

“Bang—Bang—Bang—”

The younger man frantically raised his pistol and fired three shots at the blazing figure.

The bullets hit “Brother Lu” in the back, the heart, and the collarbone.

The accuracy gave him a sliver of hope.

Even if they weren’t fatal, those shots would incapacitate him!

He aimed at “Brother Lu’s” helmet.

But his shots seemed to have alerted “Brother Lu.”

The flaming figure turned 180 degrees, the dark visor staring directly at him.

“Crack—”

A bone spike, trailing a chain, burst through the visor and pierced his throat, hooking into his spine.

“Snap—”

In agony, he saw a white head, almost untouched by the flames, rapidly approaching along the bone chain.

The next second, his head hit the ground.

His last sight was his own body raising the pistol, aiming at the remaining dozen or so survivors of the gang.