Category: Sickly Girl Doesn’t Die in Zombie Simulator

Chapter 36: The Timid Leader

“Vroom—Vroom—”

After about ten minutes, the roar of a motorcycle echoed from the end of the road.

Lin Jiayao saw a motorcycle carrying two people leading the way, followed by a small Jinbei van.

There were no speed limits on the post-apocalyptic highways, of course. The motorcycle sped towards the overturned truck.

Despite the lack of rules, the driver wore a helmet, seemingly for wind protection while speeding. He also carried a Type 95 assault rifle on his back.

But now, taking off his helmet, his jaw dropped in disbelief.

“Damn, this is the ‘truckload of supplies’ you were talking about? You chased down a truck?”

After complaining, he picked up his walkie-talkie. “Team, team, send two more… three Wuling vans.”

“Zzz… That many? Did you rob a supermarket?”

“Pretty much. Half a truckload of supplies, and quite a bit of fuel.”

“Zzz… Gasoline? Zzz… I’ll have the team head over directly…”

Ending the conversation, the motorcyclist tucked his helmet under his arm, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag.

“Brother Lu, aren’t we unloading?” the younger man who had been riding on the back asked cautiously.

“Unload my ass. You unload it if you’re so eager.”

The man, called Brother Lu, clearly wasn’t interested in manual labor.

“Tell them I’m taking a piss when they arrive.” Brother Lu tossed a cigarette to his underling, patted him on the shoulder, and walked towards the other side of the highway.

He seemed to be looking for a shady spot to lie down and relax.

After climbing over the fence, he casually tossed his cigarette and leaned against the stone barrier.

Before lying down, he put on his helmet and lowered the dark visor.

This way, he could use the helmet as a pillow and the visor to block the sunlight.

A racing helmet was the perfect tool for slacking off, anytime, anywhere.

His practiced movements suggested he’d done this many times.

And the loud motorcycle hadn’t attracted any zombies, which meant the surrounding area was safe.

He closed his eyes, the sun’s warmth lulling him towards sleep. Suddenly, he heard rustling in the nearby bushes.

Years of survival in the apocalypse had honed his senses. The sound instantly jolted him awake.

In less than three seconds, he grabbed the rifle from his back, disengaged the safety, pulled the bolt, and chambered a round, all in one smooth motion.

But before he could see what was in the bushes, a gleaming white jade bone spike shot out like a bullet.

The bone spike, trailing a bone chain, pierced his unprotected neck with deadly accuracy.

He instantly lost the ability to speak, unable even to cry for help.

In agonizing pain, bordering on unconsciousness, he tried to pull the trigger but couldn’t control his body.

“Crack—”

He heard a sharp crack as an immense force dragged him to the ground and into the bushes.

As he was dragged, his finger, still on the trigger, struck a piece of deadwood.

The sudden impact fired the rifle. A loud “bang” echoed across the highway.

“What happened, Brother Lu???”

“Zzz… Little Lu, Little Lu, what’s going on? Respond.”

“Damn it, newbie, get back here!”

The younger gang member immediately dropped his cigarette, pulled out his pistol, and ran towards the sound.

The other two men, holding rifles, cautiously approached the other side of the highway, calling for Cheng Lu on the walkie-talkie.

But there was no response.

Even after crossing the bushes separating the two lanes, they still couldn’t hear anything from Cheng Lu.

Just the undisturbed bushes and the solid stone barrier.

“Rustle—”
“Rustle—”

Suddenly, the bushes behind the barrier rustled.

They all raised their weapons, aiming at the source of the sound.

“Haaa!”

A figure and a blurred, bloody head flew out from the bushes.

Before they could react, the helmeted figure quickly raised the QBZ95 and fired a burst of nearly ten shots at the ground.

“Bang, bang, bang—”

The gunshots echoed across the highway. The others realized what had happened.

Cheng Lu must have encountered a zombie.

“Damn it, stop shooting, Lu! You’re turning that damn thing into swiss cheese, even if it’s a zombie.” The gang leader lowered his rifle and walked towards Cheng Lu.

He assumed Cheng Lu had simply panicked after being surprised by a zombie while slacking off.

At his command, the gunfire stopped, but Cheng Lu continued to tremble violently, his heavy breathing audible even through the helmet.

Reaching the barrier, the gang leader could finally see what was beyond it.

“A head?” He looked at the mangled head on the ground, a mocking smile spreading across his face. “A zombie head scared you like this? Hahahaha!”

He turned and waved to the others. “Our cowardly gunslinger just got spooked by a melon head. It’s nothing.”

His words drew laughter from his companions. But then, one of them stopped laughing and ran to Cheng Lu’s side.

“Brother Lu, are you okay? There’s blood on your clothes…”

Most people who had survived this long had developed some immunity to the virus and wouldn’t be infected by wounds, unless they encountered a specific type of poisonous zombie.

“Its… blood…”

Cheng Lu’s voice was broken and shaky, his fear evident even through the helmet.

“Alright, Brother Lu, I’ll go unload the stuff then.” After checking on him, the younger gang member knew it was best to leave his leader alone. After all, Brother Lu was embarrassed and might take it out on him.

The younger man went to the truck, looked back, and saw that Cheng Lu had stopped trembling, removed the magazine from his rifle, taken out spare bullets from his vest, and was reloading.

He seems to have recovered.

Seeing his leader reloading, the younger man smiled, relieved.

Chapter 35: Hunting Time

While walking, Lin Jiayao returned the 250g of blood crystals from Mask’s mouth to the safehouse.

Having used 10g for the Blood Orb Fungus evolution, she now had 490g left.

Barely enough.

And her pistol had been confiscated by her sister, so she couldn’t go back and take on a Nest Zombie loaded with blood crystals.

She could only search for zombies along the way to the extraction point and see if she could kill some mutated ones for more crystals.

You could never have too many blood crystals.

Walking and stopping along the way, after killing a few less-evolved mutated zombies, Lin Jiayao finally replenished the missing 10g and even gained an extra 5g.

Then, she encountered a problem.

The safehouse grids could only hold 500g of blood crystals.

A 500g blood crystal was only the size of a fist, while a mineral water bottle was much larger. One grid could hold a large bottle of water, but not two blood crystals.

And the pistol, much smaller than the water bottle, took up two grids.

The safehouse’s storage didn’t seem to be based on the size of the items.

Without the system’s explanation, she could only figure out the rules through trial and error.

Soon, Lin Jiayao reached the entrance of the Yanghang Highway toll station.

She noticed that the closer she got to the highway, the fewer zombies she detected.

Toll stations were usually located on the outskirts of cities, with little to no shade. Only zombies that had evolved Bone Skin could wander around in the sunlight.

After passing through the toll station, Lin Jiayao was still 5km from the extraction point.

She didn’t bother clearing the surrounding zombies.

If she and her sister were driving, they wouldn’t be entering the highway from this toll station.

However, a little further ahead, this highway converged with other highway entrances. She could start clearing the zombies from there.

If she could control a zombie in a city near the highway every day, she should be able to map out most of the highway sections in advance.

At least ensuring safe passage wouldn’t be a problem.

If she detected danger ahead, she could feign illness and have her sister stop the car, deal with the problem, and then have her sister continue driving.

Along the highway, Lin Jiayao saw a few overturned or rear-ended cars at intervals, but the road was generally clear.

To be safe, she didn’t walk on the highway itself but crawled through the bushes outside the fence.

From the other side of the fence, it would only look like a head bobbing along.

Crawling rapidly along the highway, Lin Jiayao didn’t detect any unusual sound vibrations.

No zombies, no humans. The entire highway was as quiet as a deserted wasteland.

A few people from the highway would arrive at Lin Jiayao’s camp every year.

These people were usually those who could no longer survive in the surrounding cities, carrying enough food and water, traveling by bicycle or on foot, until they reached another city.

Lin Jiayao had heard her sister talk about these people. The highways they described weren’t this safe.

Often, a large group would set out, and only one or two would survive.

As she approached the extraction point, Lin Jiayao finally sensed an unusual vibration.

The sound of water dripping onto the ground.

It was coming from the road ahead.

Lin Jiayao lowered herself, completely concealed in the bushes, and crawled towards the sound.

When she was about 50 meters away, she cautiously peeked out from the bushes.

Is that… a truck?

It was a small, overturned truck, its cargo bed filled with supplies.

The fuel tank was ruptured, gasoline dripping onto the ground.

Recently overturned?

Back in the Hengyang Stadium camp, Lin Jiayao had used Bone Spike Lurker to gather information from the people around her.

She hadn’t heard of anyone from the three camps in Baiyan District driving onto the highway.

Could it be from another district?

The closest one should be Haixin District.

A truck from Haixin District?

If that were the case, then this truck was likely from the Yangzhou Tower camp.

What had happened to them? Why had they overturned on the highway?

And the scattered supplies… no one seemed to be collecting them…

Lin Jiayao even saw several police pistols among the scattered goods.

Haixin District used to be a commercial center, full of high-rise buildings, but the military base wasn’t there, so the best weapons they could find were police-issue.

Modified pistols and low-powered bullets weren’t much of a threat against mutated zombies.

These guns weren’t designed for killing people, let alone zombies.

They weren’t as reliable as her own bone spikes.

After confirming there was no other movement within 150 meters, Lin Jiayao crawled towards the truck.

The truck had overturned on its right side, the driver’s side door open upwards. Lin Jiayao climbed up but didn’t see any bodies inside.

Had they escaped safely?

But why hadn’t they taken their supplies?

She couldn’t find any bloodstains inside or on the handles. The only suspicious sign was a spiderweb-like crack on the windshield.

Like it had been hit by a bullet.

“Those two bastards are fast. I almost got hit trying to stop them. I’m heading back to tell the boss. They should be in that village up ahead, not far from here.”

“Alright, I’ll call some brothers over to collect the goods. This is a big haul…”

“Feels like more and more people are going onto the highway these days. Probably running out of resources in the city.”

“Whatever, not like we’re competing with the city zombies for resources…”

The voices of several men reached the edge of Lin Jiayao’s Bone Spike Lurker range.

She quickly climbed out of the cab, crawled across the highway to the slope on the other side, and hid in the bushes.

Through the foliage, Lin Jiayao waited for the voices to approach.

Soon, she saw several figures walking towards the overturned truck on the opposite side of the highway.

“Alu, S1, 5 kilometers past the toll station. The sheep escaped, cargo intact. Tell the brothers to pick it up.”

A man spoke into a walkie-talkie.

“Zzz… Roger… We’ll be right there…”

This is…

The people from Yangzhou Tower camp had escaped, only to be ambushed by a gang?

Poetic justice, perhaps.

With an hour left until extraction, Lin Jiayao didn’t leave. She waited for the “brothers” mentioned on the walkie-talkie to arrive.

They ambushed; she would clean up.

In Lin Jiayao’s eyes, they and their gang weren’t worth much.

Lacking the courage to face the zombies in the city, preying only on their fellow humans, she had little respect for such people.

Now it depended on whether she could eliminate this gang within an hour.

Lin Jiayao’s long bone tail curved over her head.

Like a scorpion’s stinger, its tip gleamed with a jade-like luster, waiting for its prey.

Chapter 34: Secretly Discarding People

Lin Jiayao had initially thought the evolution would be as straightforward as before.

But perhaps because it was a completely new type of evolution, she realized, upon opening her eyes, that the process was still ongoing.

She felt her eyelids growing hot, as if her eyeballs had turned into burning iron balls.

The burning sensation didn’t stop at her eyes but spread across her face, along her cheeks.

If there had been a mirror in front of her, Lin Jiayao would have seen the transformation and immediately dismissed her earlier thought of still being “normal.”

Her pupils were now glowing red, her eyes bloodshot.

The blood vessels spread beneath her skin like a bright red spiderweb.

Looking closely, one could see that these distinct red lines were the Blood Orb fungal tendrils she had seen in the virtual space.

The changes in her eyes and face erased any trace of her delicate, girlish beauty, replacing it with an eerie, almost demonic quality.

Anyone seeing her now, no matter how beautiful she normally was, would instantly recognize her as a zombie.

The transformation continued, spreading down her neck.

The burning sensation persisted, and the areas covered by the tendrils began to itch intensely.

In just three seconds, the Blood Orb fungal tendrils spread throughout Lin Jiayao’s body, pulsing with a faint, intermittent glow with every heartbeat.

As if her heart was powering the tendrils.

Fighting the discomfort, Lin Jiayao slowly ducked under the covers and realized her sister’s legs were still wrapped around hers.

Had her sister felt the burning sensation?

Or was it only her?

“Uh…”

As the burning subsided, a tingling sensation spread through her as the tendrils writhed beneath her skin.

The intense itching made her shudder, and she let out an embarrassing moan.

“Mmm…”

The feeling made her scalp crawl.

It was as if her entire body was covered in worms, a deeply unsettling sensation.

Quickly, Lin Jiayao realized she could control the tendrils.

“Get out!” she gritted her teeth, silently commanding them.

The Blood Orb fungal tendrils retreated faster than they had spread.

Lin Jiayao knew they hadn’t disappeared but had reverted to spores, hiding in her bloodstream.

But they weren’t circulating; they clung to the blood vessel walls. Even if she were cut, no spores would leak out.

“Hoo…”

Feeling the strange sensations disappear, Lin Jiayao sighed in relief.

While the Blood Orb fungal tendrils had been spreading, she had felt a significant increase in her physical abilities.

She could see more clearly in the dim room, her hearing, smell, and strength were all enhanced.

The enhancements disappeared when the tendrils retreated. It seemed that covering her body with the tendrils could boost her physical capabilities.

Useful, but Lin Jiayao didn’t want to experience that sensation again.

She would only use it to enhance specific areas, like generating tendrils in her eyes to improve her vision.

After confirming there were no other abnormalities, Lin Jiayao peeked out from under the covers and looked at her sister.

Fortunately, her sister seemed exhausted and was still sound asleep; whether she would wake up for the afternoon shopping trip was questionable.

Touching her neck, Lin Jiayao realized it was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

The evolution had made her sweat profusely.

But she couldn’t move her sister’s legs and go take a shower now; it would wake her up.

And her sister wouldn’t let her go alone; she would insist on coming along, which would further disrupt her rest.

Lin Jiayao simply pulled down her collar a bit and lifted the blanket slightly, exposing her back to the cool air.

“I’ll save evolutions for when I’m alone. There’s no time limit anyway,” Lin Jiayao thought to herself.

She closed her eyes and silently called out, “System.”

Looking at the login interface, the slot for the second zombie was now also on a countdown timer, like the third.

But looking at the world map, Lin Jiayao guessed that she could still choose any available region, not just the area where the previous extraction had failed.

For now, her only option was Mask.

The second and third zombies would unlock tomorrow.

She wondered if the system had an “auto-extract” function for when she had more zombies to control. Logging into each zombie every day would be too tedious – there were only 24 hours in a day.

Even a dedicated gamer would weep.

With ample time, Lin Jiayao chose Mask and entered her third simulation of the day.

Since Mask had extracted in the sewer maintenance hole last time, she woke up there again.

Regaining control, Lin Jiayao waved her bone spikes, preparing to climb out.

“Clatter, clatter—”

As soon as she moved, she heard a strange sound. The sewer was too dark to see clearly what it was.

Climbing out of the maintenance hole, she saw two empty, large mineral water bottles impaled on her bone spikes.

She seemed to remember putting them there…

“Clatter, clatter—”

She shook her legs, flinging the bottles off, and looked towards the extraction point.

「Extraction Time 2:59:51」
【Extraction Point: 10km】

This was a fairly common extraction time and distance. She hadn’t encountered any major problems with these numbers before.

Ironically, the closer extraction points seemed to be more dangerous and difficult.

And the direction of the extraction point this time… if she remembered correctly, it was towards the highway…

Almost the same direction she and her sister planned to go.

“Click, click, click—”

Lin Jiayao moved her twenty bone legs and crawled towards the extraction point.

Chapter 33: Extraction Failed

Faced with this situation, Lin Jiayao calmed down.

I see… so this is what a Mimic is.

And after absorbing the 10g of blood crystals, Lin Jiayao felt her body evolve.

Now, she could slightly control her “main body” and make small movements.

First, she had to get out of Kumiko’s body.

She didn’t want to harm an innocent person because of her experiment.

“Let’s go, to Haiming District. We have a lot of work today~” Kumiko naturally linked arms with Kuriyama Chizuru.

But soon, Kumiko felt an itch in her nose and sneezed loudly.

“Achoo—”

Neither Kumiko, with her eyes closed, nor Chizuru, who was watching the road, noticed.

A 1cm diameter blob of viscous red pus was expelled from Kumiko’s mouth with the sneeze, landing silently on the ground.

They walked past the strange blob as if nothing had happened. Kumiko didn’t even realize she had expelled something so grotesque.

With that 1cm blob out of Kumiko’s body, Lin Jiayao was finally free from the intrusion of her memories.

Quickly, Lin Jiayao made Chizuru expel her main body as well.

“Strange, did I give you my cold?”

“Let’s get some medicine from the medical department after work.”

“Okay…”

The two walked away, neither noticing the two blobs of mucus on the ground, now sprouting blood-red tendrils and slowly crawling along.

About five minutes later, the two blobs merged.

Now, Lin Jiayao was completely blind.

She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear; she could only sense faint light sources, using the location of the other half of her body to guide the two halves towards each other.

Lin Jiayao felt that her current mode of movement was rather peculiar.

She could sense herself moving, but it felt like she was propelling a part of herself forward and then retracting the rest – a more advanced version of a slime mold.

Deprived of all her senses, including sight and hearing, guided only by faint light sources and the marker for the extraction point, Lin Jiayao slowly inched forward.

But when she was about 500m from the extraction point, the light source she sensed suddenly dimmed.

Two minutes later, everything went black, and she was back in the consciousness space.

「Extraction Failed」

Had she been discovered? Or had she been the victim of some unforeseen accident?

Stepped on, perhaps?

Lin Jiayao stared blankly at the safehouse and its illusory projection.

She finally saw what she looked like.

A blood-red, viscous blob, its veins clearly visible, floated in the air.

In this space, Lin Jiayao could see the blob’s details more clearly – it was actually composed of a vast network of blood-red tendrils.

The blob continuously extended tendrils in all directions, as if probing its surroundings.

If the tendrils didn’t encounter a living being, it would continue to spread until it was a thin film of interconnected filaments.

But the process stopped there, and the blob reformed into a ball, repeating the spreading motion.

Beside the blob were the stark system words: [Deceased].

What… what was this thing?

It looked 99% like a fungus from before the apocalypse.

Were the things expelled from Chizuru’s sneeze after the fungus in her body absorbed the blood crystals… spores?

It seemed the slime-like zombie Lin Jiayao had been controlling was a mutated fungus that had absorbed blood crystals.

No wonder she hadn’t been able to access any memories about abilities.

Perhaps such knowledge only appeared in the mature form.

But… what would a mature fungal zombie be like?

One thing was certain: it would completely take over the host’s body.

There were so many types of zombies, their evolutions varying greatly depending on the region.

Even Survivor’s Light couldn’t claim to have cataloged every type of zombie; they hadn’t even finished exploring the surrounding cities.

Almost every different environment had its own unique zombie variants.

Now, there was likely a new category to add to the zombie catalog – fungal type.

Lin Jiayao decided to call it the Blood Orb Fungus for now; it was a descriptive name.

She hadn’t yet figured out how to detect early signs of Blood Orb Fungus infection, nor did she know what the later stages were like.

Most importantly—where was the mother entity?

It seemed that Survivor’s Light was facing a rather tricky problem…

According to the information revealed on the radio, the Blood Orb Fungus had already erupted in a high-ranking ordinary human at least two years ago. Back then, it was simply considered a type of zombie that could mimic humans.

Presumably, the mature form of the Blood Orb Fungus would have an appearance and abilities similar to zombies. Otherwise, a large organization like Survivor’s Light wouldn’t have mistaken it for a regular zombie.

So, the process from Blood Orb Fungus to zombie… was it a form of metamorphosis?

Survivor’s Light still hadn’t released the results of their Mimic dissections. Could it be that the bodies hadn’t been preserved?

Or had everyone involved in the dissection become infected?

The more Lin Jiayao thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

She had a feeling that Survivor’s Light might be in serious trouble before she and her sister even got there.

This wouldn’t do. Her sister was so hopeful. She had to find a way to save Survivor’s Light…

Thinking this, Lin Jiayao left the consciousness space.

There was still a long time before they reached Survivor’s Light. Lin Jiayao could use this time to understand the Blood Orb Fungus.

The easiest way was to gain its abilities.

Back in reality, Lin Jiayao looked at the system interface.

「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Symbiotic Link Lv.1 (Blue): The split fungal tendrils can connect to other hosts, absorbing or transmitting small amounts of nutrients】」
「2、【Tendril Proliferation Lv.1 (Purple): Consume blood crystals to proliferate a large number of Blood Orb fungal tendrils, creating a fungal mat suitable for rapid tendril growth】」
「3、【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】」

Looking at the evolution options, Lin Jiayao’s eyelids twitched.

Why did they all sound so disgusting…?

Could she choose none of them?

But she had to choose one, and she could only choose the second one.

The other two required existing fungal tendrils. Only by choosing the second evolution could she use blood crystals to proliferate them.

Even though the third option was gold, she could only choose it next time.

Lin Jiayao had a feeling that the third evolution was the key to how the fungal zombie transformed into a Mimic.

But she could only choose the second one for now; otherwise, even if she chose the third, she couldn’t study it.

The moment the evolution was complete, a sense of understanding washed over Lin Jiayao, and she was relieved.

Fortunately, this evolution didn’t require her to… expel fungal tendrils.

She simply gained the ability to create invisible spores.

If she attached the spores to blood crystals, they would absorb the energy and develop on their own.

She wouldn’t become increasingly monstrous.

Lin Jiayao breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to still be normal.

If she continued evolving, accumulating the abilities of all kinds of zombies, she couldn’t imagine what she would become.

Chapter 32: I’m Splitting

My body… can’t move…

In the brief moment when this body’s owner had lost focus, Lin Jiayao had briefly taken control to observe herself and her surroundings.

But when the owner regained her senses, Lin Jiayao lost control.

What was going on? What kind of zombie had she logged into?

A Mimic?

But why didn’t she have any information about Mimic abilities?

Before, when she had become Mask or the initial Biter, whether before or after evolution, she had instinctively known certain information, like how to use her abilities.

But this time, it was strangely different.

She couldn’t control this body, not even struggle.

Could it be that Mimics had no intelligence? No instincts?

What exactly were Mimics…?

“Chizuru, why are you spacing out again?” The woman next to Chizuru seemed concerned. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m fine, Kumiko,” Lin Jiayao said, smiling. “But I do feel a little dizzy…”

“Should I take you to the medical department? It doesn’t cost any blood crystals anyway.” The woman, Kumiko, took Lin Jiayao’s hand.

Lin Jiayao couldn’t control anything; she could only passively experience the world through the eyes of this Japanese woman named “Kuriyama Chizuru.”

And she could not only feel touch, smell, and taste, but also access Chizuru’s memories.

As if she were Chizuru herself.

No… no… something wasn’t right…

Right, the system! The extraction point!

Check the location and time.

Lin Jiayao used the corner of Chizuru’s eyes to locate the extraction point on her right.

「Extraction Time 9:58:57」
【Extraction Point: 590m】

Ten hours?!

It was just past noon now. Ten hours later would be almost bedtime!

And she couldn’t control this body. Even with another 24 hours, Lin Jiayao didn’t think she could reach the nearby extraction point.

“Oh right! Where’s your bento?! Didn’t you say you were bringing it to that Chinese Awakened today?” Kumiko suddenly looked at Lin Jiayao’s empty hands in shock and pinched her nose playfully.

“Wait here. I’ll go back to the dorm and get it for you.” Kumiko then ran off in the direction of the dormitory.

“Kumiko…”

“Wait for me! I’ll be quick!”

As Kumiko ran, Lin Jiayao’s body turned to watch her go.

The direction Kumiko was running was the location marked as the extraction point.

The extraction point… was the employee dormitory?

Kuriyama Chizuru’s dormitory?

Did this mean she had to do nothing and just wait here for ten hours until Chizuru returned to the dormitory to sleep?

No way. Time was precious. Ten hours was enough for Lin Jiayao to control Mask and extract five times or more.

If she had a choice, she would rather find a way to “kill” this body to avoid wasting time.

“Let’s see if there’s a way to remove this movement restriction…”

Lin Jiayao suddenly thought of the only thing she could control: the safehouse.

And there was nothing in her safehouse except 250g of blood crystals; the other 250g were in Mask’s mouth.

“Kumiko is so kind…”

Lin Jiayao started pacing, smiling sweetly, like a lovestruck teenager—though she was almost 30.

The feeling made her scalp crawl.

Because Chizuru’s thoughts were also flowing into Lin Jiayao’s mind, forcing her to see the Awakened in Chizuru’s thoughts.

“Men are disgusting!!!”

Lin Jiayao was going crazy. She took 10g of blood crystals from the safehouse and transferred them to Chizuru’s mouth.

If she evolved, she should be able to control this body, right?

The moment the blood crystal appeared in her mouth, Chizuru was startled.

She moved her tongue around, puzzled by the cold object.

But in the next second, a thin strand, like red mucus, extended from deep within her throat, grabbed the blood crystal, and pulled it down.

Lin Jiayao briefly felt an intense craving, as if the body had automatically absorbed the blood crystal upon contact.

“What’s… happening to me… I feel dizzy…”

“Cough… cough…”

Lin Jiayao felt a wave of dizziness, and her throat and lungs itched intensely.

As if something was crawling inside her throat.

This was the sensation Chizuru was experiencing.

“Cough… cough… cough, cough!”

Chizuru’s coughing intensified, her vision blurring.

“Chizuru, what’s wrong?” In the distance, Kumiko ran towards her, a pink lunchbox in hand.

“I… cough… can’t breathe…” Chizuru gasped, her face red, clearly in distress.

Seeing this, Kumiko rushed to her side and patted her back with concern. “I’ll take you to the medical department.”

Suddenly, Chizuru felt a strange itch in her nose and sneezed violently.

“Achoo—”

The sneeze put Lin Jiayao’s entire world into slow motion.

She clearly saw countless scarlet particles, smaller than dust motes but emitting a faint red light, expelled from Chizuru’s sneeze.

And Lin Jiayao’s consciousness, along with these countless red lights, was torn into countless fragments, each with independent senses.

Most of the particles drifted away with the wind, fading as they fell to the ground, and Lin Jiayao lost control of them.

But a small portion, along with Kumiko’s breath, entered her body.

“Buzz—”

“Kumiko~ come to mommy~”

“Good girl~ Kumiko!”

“Another A! Wonderful!”

“Likes girls… sigh… I’m too old to understand you youngsters…”

“Kumiko, run!!!”

“Do you speak Chinese, miss? Don’t worry, we’ll protect you…”

“…”

A flood of Kumiko’s memories surged into Lin Jiayao’s mind, almost overwhelming her.

And Lin Jiayao’s perspective was completely split between two people.

Kumiko and Chizuru seemed oblivious to the scarlet particles.

“Sorry, Kumiko, I sprayed saliva on your face…” Lin Jiayao said apologetically, looking at Kumiko.

“It’s okay, everyone sneezes.” Kumiko smiled and extended the lunchbox. “Here’s your bento.”

Lin Jiayao and Lin Jiayao looked at each other and smiled.

Chapter 31: The Second Zombie

“Ding—Ding—”

After testing her new abilities, Lin Jiayao curiously tapped her two thick bone sickles together, producing a crisp clinking sound.

It sounded like metal striking metal.

Mask’s bone density had clearly increased significantly.

The bone claws, spikes, and tail whip extending from Mask’s neck now had a jade-like luster, losing their rough, bony texture.

If one didn’t look closely, they might mistake them for unpolished white jade.

Lin Jiayao couldn’t accurately gauge the hardness of her bones now; she didn’t have the means to test them on the spot.

Better check the extraction point first.

Lin Jiayao looked towards it.

「Extraction Time 29:57」
【Extraction Point: 1km】

Only half an hour?

Lin Jiayao blinked, looking at the empty bank and the scattered banknotes on the floor.

What could she do in half an hour?

Should she just extract, get the evolution, and then check the new zombie?

If the new zombie wasn’t satisfactory, she could just log back into Mask and continue.

Deciding to do just that, the thick bone spikes under Lin Jiayao’s neck began to break apart, transforming into dozens of segmented bone spikes, each a finger-width thick and 1.5 meters long.

There were too many bone spikes now for Lin Jiayao to retract them all, but she didn’t need so many for walking.

So, her current state was dozens of bone spikes protruding from behind her hair, swaying and clicking as she moved, while only about twenty served as legs.

“Click, click, click—”

Lin Jiayao walked along the sidewalk towards the extraction point. A kilometer was only two and a half minutes away, even without controlling a Sprinter.

If she controlled a Sprinter, it would probably take less than a minute and a half.

Soon, she saw the marked extraction point: a sewer maintenance hole with a missing cover.

Before, Lin Jiayao might have been afraid of such a dark opening.

But with Bone Spike Lurker, she could easily tell that there was nothing inside.

Controlling Mask, she crawled into the maintenance hole and down the shaft. Soon, the extraction countdown appeared.

【Extracting in: 7.8】

While waiting, Lin Jiayao took the blood crystal from the safehouse and broke it in half.

She put one half into Mask’s mouth and the other back into the safehouse.

After the countdown, Lin Jiayao found herself in a dark space.

She could see Mask’s silhouette and the red glow in its mouth.

Beside Mask was the illusory safehouse, one grid containing blood crystals, one empty, and the other two containing empty water bottles.

The pistol was with her sister, so Lin Jiayao hadn’t checked the safehouse before entering.

“Ah… I forgot to throw away the bottles…”

Lin Jiayao scratched her head in the consciousness space.

The bottles were the large purified water bottles she had taken from Haixin District. After cleaning herself in the camp and putting the empty bottles in the safehouse, she hadn’t had a chance to discard them.

And just now, she’d been too focused on Mask’s evolution and forgotten.

After a moment of thought, Lin Jiayao took the two empty bottles from the illusory safehouse and attached them to the bone spikes extending from the back of Mask’s neck.

The illusory bone spikes passed through the bottles, securing them in place.

“Perfect.”

Lin Jiayao, having turned Mask into a makeshift storage rack, looked at the three empty slots in the safehouse and nodded with satisfaction.

Then, she left the consciousness space and returned to her body.

Opening her eyes, Lin Jiayao saw her sister lifting the blanket.

Her sister’s waist pouch was unbuckled, her shirt removed, leaving only her sports bra. The wound on her waist was still gruesome.

“Did I wake you?” Lin Xiwan, noticing her sister was awake, stopped being quiet and crawled into bed, looking at Lin Jiayao with a smile.

Compared to her aloof demeanor around others, with Lin Jiayao, Lin Xiwan was more like the younger sister.

“No, I wasn’t asleep yet,” Lin Jiayao replied, ignoring the evolution panel that popped up.

“You should go back to sleep. I’ll go shopping for some easier-to-find supplies this afternoon.” Lin Xiwan smiled, shifted her legs to hold Lin Jiayao’s legs between them, and closed her eyes.

She liked to hold her sister’s legs while sleeping; they were soft and comfortable, and it helped her sleep better.

Since her sister couldn’t feel her legs anyway, it wouldn’t disturb her sleep.

Watching her sister close her eyes, Lin Jiayao also closed hers.

Although she couldn’t feel her legs, she felt her waist shift and knew her sister was holding them again.

If it wouldn’t disturb her, her sister would probably hug her like a large doll while sleeping.

Closing her eyes, Lin Jiayao looked at the evolution interface and froze.

「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Bone Hardening Lv.2 (Gray): Moderately increases your bone defense】」
「2、【Bone Regeneration Lv.1 (Gray): Your bones regenerate faster. Consuming blood crystals doubles the regeneration speed】」
「3、【Bone Mimicry Lv.1 (Purple): You can freely manipulate your bones to change your form and memorize the current mimicry for quick transformation next time】」

A new evolution?

She could mimic any form with her bones, as long as she could transform into that form first?

Lin Jiayao raised an eyebrow, a chill running down her spine even under the warm blanket.

She recalled Mask’s various insect-like forms.

Did this mean that after choosing this ability, her main body could also use her bones to mimic those creepy crawlies…

Ugh…

Just imagining the scene made Lin Jiayao shudder.

No, no, no, her main body definitely couldn’t use abilities like Mask.

Just mimicking a curved blade would be like… well, like a certain bladed-weapon enthusiast.

And this was a purple evolution…

Lin Jiayao finally convinced herself and chose this evolution.

This time, besides a warmth spreading through her body, there were no other strange reactions.

She wouldn’t test it out now; her sister was right beside her.

Better check the second zombie first.

Lin Jiayao quickly opened the login interface.

To her disappointment, Mask, with half a blood crystal in its mouth, hadn’t entered an evolution state.

Lin Jiayao selected number 2.

A virtual world map unfolded before her. Lin Jiayao was surprised to find that the area representing Yangzhou City was completely dark.

And she couldn’t select it.

Was it because Mask had logged in from Yangzhou City? Would Yangzhou City remain unavailable until Mask died?

Lin Jiayao frowned. Her vision of multiple zombies clearing the path for her was shattered.

But she could still choose nearby cities along the route.

Just as she was about to select a neighboring city along the highway, something occurred to her.

The markers on the map seemed to represent zombie login points. Every lit-up city meant there was a zombie she could control.

Then why was Donghai City, which was supposed to be completely purged, lit up?

Was the purification a lie?

Or could it be…

Mimics…

Lin Jiayao took a deep breath, her hand trembling as she slowly moved the cursor from the neighboring city to Donghai City.

Click.

Darkness instantly engulfed Lin Jiayao, but a moment later, she opened her eyes again.

This time, she saw a wide, unfamiliar, but clean street.

“Chizuru, Chizuru, Kuriyama Chizuru, I’m talking to you! Watch where you’re going!”

A slightly spoiled female voice reached her ears. It was Japanese, but somehow, Lin Jiayao understood.

“We still have to clean another district today, so get your act together! Didn’t you say you wanted to pursue that Awakened from China? I heard he’s been selected for Project Hyacinth! You have to hurry.”

Listening to the Japanese, Lin Jiayao slowly looked down and saw her fair hands, bare beneath her short sleeves, and her long legs clad in jeans.

Legs that were standing.

And on her right wrist was a pure black bracelet, displaying a row of green squares.

I… I’ve become human?

Lin Jiayao stiffly turned her head to look at the woman beside her, dressed similarly.

“Don’t scare me, Chizuru, what’s wrong?”

Suddenly, a smile spread across Lin Jiayao’s face, and fluent Japanese flowed from her lips.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking, maybe I can get closer to that Awakened today~”

It was a sweet, cloying tone that Lin Jiayao would never normally use.

Chapter 30: Head-Scorpion?

Wang Yi knew how stubborn Lin Xiwan was, and how close the two sisters were, so he didn’t try to persuade her further.

Leaving her with a “Let me know if you need anything,” he left.

But to be safe, he still had two guards stationed outside the house. He couldn’t tell if Lin Xiwan’s sister was a Mimic, but he couldn’t take the risk. He had to be cautious.

Next, he planned to try and unite the other two camps to see if they would agree to cooperate.

The Hengyang Stadium camp would likely agree. Although they were close to a water source and could grow some crops, the contaminated water severely reduced crop yields, only enough to feed a small portion of the camp. When the canned food ran out, they would surely be desperate.

What Wang Yi was most unsure about was the military base camp…

He’d heard that there was an underground storage facility beneath the military base, stocked with enough food, medicine, and other supplies to sustain tens of thousands of people through years of total war.

If the rumors were true, they were the least desperate of the three. If their leader was shortsighted, the negotiations might fall apart.

“Sigh…” Wang Yi sighed.

If he had the chance, he, too, would like to go to Donghai Province like these youngsters, to shoulder the seemingly impossible burden of rebuilding humanity.

But he couldn’t. He already carried a heavy burden; adding even a gram of dreams might crush him.

After Wang Yi left, Lin Xiwan carried her sister back to their room and gently placed her on the bed, propping her up against the headboard.

“Sit tight.” After reminding Lin Jiayao, Lin Xiwan sat at the nearby desk, took out a notebook, and started writing.

She was making a list of supplies. Some items might need to be purchased from other camps, but the most important were a vehicle and gasoline, which were only available from the military base camp—they had a few skilled mechanics there.

Watching her sister diligently writing, Lin Jiayao felt a pang of emotion.

She had never seen her sister this focused, except when she was massaging her legs. Perhaps she really wanted to go to Survivor’s Light.

Even though it was almost halfway across China, a journey of seven days and nights by highway.

Not to mention all the potential dangers along the way.

Perhaps all Awakened who actively sought out Survivor’s Light harbored a heroic dream of saving the world. Perhaps her sister had such an ideal too.

Seeming to sense her sister’s gaze, Lin Xiwan turned and smiled gently. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we’re fully prepared and get there safely.”

Lin Xiwan didn’t know what her sister was thinking.

She was only thinking that this life couldn’t continue.

They had a lot of blood crystals now, but when they ran out, she would be forced to leave Lin Jiayao again.

She wasn’t afraid of separation, but she was afraid that if something happened to her, her sister wouldn’t be able to take care of herself, wouldn’t even be able to survive.

Taking her sister to Survivor’s Light would be different.

That was the safest and most welcoming place for ordinary people in this apocalyptic world. Even if something happened to her, she believed the people of Survivor’s Light would take care of her sister.

“Sister, I’m sleepy,” Lin Jiayao said, shifting and resting her head on the pillow. “I want to sleep for a bit.”

“Go ahead.” Lin Xiwan walked over, tucked her in, and stroked her head, her eyes filled with tenderness.

She could imagine how scared her sister had been while she was gone.

She probably hadn’t slept well at all.

“Scoot over—”

Lin Jiayao patted the pillow next to her and blinked. “Sister, you should rest too. You look tired…”

Only then did Lin Xiwan realize how exhausted she was.

After everything that had happened, she hadn’t had a proper rest.

“Okay, you sleep first. I’ll rest after I finish this.” Lin Xiwan pinched her sister’s soft cheek and returned to the desk.

She continued to review her supply list, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

Lin Jiayao, looking at her sister’s profile at the desk, smiled peacefully and closed her eyes.

Don’t worry, Sister, I’ll clear the path.

By then, the road will be clear, and you’ll quickly reach the place you’ve been dreaming of.

“System,” Lin Jiayao said silently.

The familiar interface appeared in the darkness before her eyes.

Clicking on the [Login] entry, Lin Jiayao saw three lines of text.

The first was the familiar Mask, but its image hadn’t loaded; it was just a blurry silhouette.

The second was a virtual blue planet slowly rotating, seemingly waiting for Lin Jiayao to activate it.

And at the bottom was a 24-hour countdown timer for the third zombie to unlock.

Lin Jiayao wasn’t in a hurry to choose a spawn point for the second zombie.

She knew that some of her abilities could be inherited by new zombies.

Mask had inherited [Blood Rage Lv.1].

She wanted to log into Mask first, let it evolve and extract, and see if she could choose more powerful evolutions.

If she chose the evolved abilities of Mask, she could transfer them to the new zombie.

Then, even an ordinary Biter could become incredibly powerful, with strong innate combat abilities.

With a clear plan in mind, Lin Jiayao selected Mask. Then, she felt her consciousness sink into darkness.

“Crack—”

Just as Lin Jiayao regained control of Mask and was about to extend her bone spikes to move, she heard cracking sounds from around her body.

Pieces of gray bone flaked off her head, falling to the ground and shattering into dust.

And Lin Jiayao felt an unprecedented surge of power coursing through her.

This is… Lin Jiayao used her “hands” to push herself up from the ground…

Wait, hands?

Lin Jiayao quickly looked down and saw her “hands.”

They were long, flat, curved bone spikes, sharp and serrated, like sickles. With her movement, they had pierced deep into the floor tiles.

And her body seemed to have changed as well.

Below her neck were no longer just bone spikes, but six thick, powerful bone legs.

She even felt something behind her, a controllable “tail” almost three meters long.

“Click, click, click—”

Lin Jiayao crawled to a piece of glass and, using the reflection, saw her current form.

From a head-spider… to a head-scorpion with thick spider legs???

And her scorpion tail seemed a bit strange…

As if sensing her thoughts, with a “click,” the long tail curved over her head and pointed its tip towards the glass in front of her.

“Thud—”

“Clang—”

A sharp bone spike, connected to a bone chain, shot out from her tail, shattering the glass and piercing into a dead tree more than ten meters away.

Crack.

The tree’s roots snapped, and half of the tree was pulled back by the immense force from her tail.

I… have a ranged attack now?

And Lin Jiayao could feel that she could cancel this state and revert to the more agile head-spider form.

Many more instinctive abilities surfaced in her mind.

Chapter 29: A Spark of Hope

Though carrying another person, Lin Xiwan’s steps were light.

Even the familiar road back to the camp seemed welcoming.

10km was an easy distance for a physically enhanced Awakened.

But to avoid jostling her sister too much, Lin Xiwan slowed her pace, taking over thirty minutes to reach the resort camp.

Though 10km in thirty minutes was a slow jog for her, before the emergence of Awakened, it would have been considered an elite athlete’s pace.

However, this time, returning to the camp, Lin Xiwan sensed something was amiss.

Most of the camp residents looked at Lin Jiayao on her back with disbelief.

And before Lin Xiwan could reach her former room, she saw several people standing in the middle of the road, seemingly waiting for her.

“Team Leader Lin, welcome back,” Wang Yi, the leader, said with a forced smile.

Then, his expression turned puzzled. “What happened to Little Zhang…?”

“He’s dead. Killed by the people from the Haixin District camp. I barely escaped.” Lin Xiwan kept it brief. “Could you move aside? I need to take my sister back to our room.”

“Of course, of course.” Wang Yi nodded, making way, but continued to follow her. “Your sister… was she rescued?”

Wang Yi was clearly wary.

He had been waiting for Lin Xiwan, but he hadn’t expected to see someone who should have been dead on her back.

It made him uneasy.

Two years ago, Survivor’s Light radio had reported an incident where a high-level Mimic had infiltrated a camp’s leadership and destroyed an entire district.

That incident had been a devastating blow to Survivor’s Light, even increasing the frequency of their recruitment calls on the radio.

And even Donghai Province didn’t have the ability to directly identify high-level Mimics, relying instead on infection detectors and human observation for comparison.

Mimics could control their blood flow and store different DNA in their wrists, making identification by detector alone unreliable.

Comparison was necessary. If an ordinary person evolved into an Awakened, they could observe their abilities.

But an Awakened couldn’t revert back to being an ordinary person; that would be a sure sign of a Mimic.

And most importantly, Mimics could only use abilities derived from zombie evolutions, making it easier to identify them among Awakened. Ordinary people were harder to distinguish.

Mimics could also release pheromones to provoke zombie attacks, so testing with ordinary Biters was also unreliable.

After that incident, the entire leadership of Survivor’s Light had been replaced with Awakened to prevent infiltration by high-level Mimics.

If even Survivor’s Light in Donghai Province struggled with this, smaller camps had no hope of distinguishing between humans and Mimics.

From his perspective, Wang Yi naturally didn’t want to let Lin Xiwan’s sister into the camp. He couldn’t be sure.

“An Awakened from Donghai Province saved my sister. They might have saved my life too.”

“Oh…” Wang Yi nodded slowly.

Lin Xiwan’s explanation was a bit far-fetched, but Wang Yi could only pretend to believe her.

He needed Lin Xiwan’s help.

“What’s the situation in Haixin District?” he asked.

“There’s only one camp in Haixin District, small, but with plenty of supplies. But because of the high population density before the apocalypse, there are also more zombies now, generally more evolved than those in Baiyan District.”

Lin Xiwan knew reporting was necessary, so she told Wang Yi the information directly.

“Mm…” Wang Yi nodded, then asked after a moment, “How strong is that camp?”

“It might have been destroyed already. I didn’t see any camp members when I escaped.” Lin Xiwan stopped in front of her room and turned to Wang Yi. “Can we talk in a few days? My sister is tired, and so am I.”

“Of course, rest well, take two days off.” Wang Yi nodded kindly. “But remember to come to the meeting in two days. I’m planning to relocate the camp to Haixin District, and I want you to lead the advance team to clear an area for the new camp.”

Lin Xiwan could feel her sister burying her face in her back.

“It’s alright, we can talk now.” Not wanting her sister to worry, Lin Xiwan looked at Wang Yi and said directly, “I’m planning to leave the camp.”

“Leave? Why? To Hengyang or the military base? What conditions did they offer?” Wang Yi frowned, then said, “I can assure you, even if something happens to you, I’ll take care of your sister like family for the rest of her life.”

“I’m leaving Yangzhou City,” Lin Xiwan said, looking directly at Wang Yi, “to Donghai Province.”

Lin Xiwan’s words stunned not only Wang Yi, but also the two other Awakened behind him.

“Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous the road is?” Wang Yi’s smile finally disappeared. “Do you know we have to pass through the Voodoo Cult’s territory?”

The Voodoo Cult was a new religious group that had emerged after the apocalypse. They carved a “V” onto their foreheads or faces, short for “voodoo.”

Their thinking was completely different from normal people. Their creed was to do as they pleased, to oppose the mainstream.

Whatever Survivor’s Light supported, they opposed. If others wanted to live, they would kill them. If others wanted to die, they would keep them alive by any means necessary. Criminals and traitors, shunned by everyone else, were their honored guests.

They were lunatics, in some ways even worse than the gangs who simply looted and killed.

And they occupied a territory that was on the only route from Yangzhou City to Donghai Province.

Taking a detour through the deeper inland areas would be a suicide mission.

“That area is no longer habitable. The only park is overrun with zombies,” Lin Xiwan shook her head. “Yangzhou City can no longer support human life.”

Although Haixin District still had supplies, it couldn’t accommodate a large number of people like this camp.

Transporting supplies back would be a long journey, and the roads in the city were mostly blocked, with only a few narrow paths passable.

Most importantly, almost all the major resource points there were guarded by mutated zombies. Without Zhang Mu’s eyes, fighting them was impossible.

Although Wang Yi was a C-rank Awakened, his ability was healing-related. He couldn’t fight on the front lines.

“Is it really that uninhabitable?” Wang Yi asked again, unwilling to give up.

“When I was escaping, it was difficult to find even a small place to rest,” Lin Xiwan said truthfully.

Wang Yi clenched and unclenched his fists before letting them fall.

“Alright, I’ll see if I can unite the other two camps and clear a path for vehicles… Can you mark the resource points for me? Thank you.”

“Of course.” Lin Xiwan nodded.

She didn’t try to persuade Wang Yi to leave.

Everyone had their own reasons for living. Wang Yi’s goal was simple: to protect his family, his relatives, nothing more.

Lin Xiwan’s thoughts were also simple: she lived for two things, her sister and hope.

Hope that the world could return to normal.

Although many Awakened wouldn’t admit it, this was the deepest desire of most conscientious Awakened.

With great power comes great responsibility.

And this tiny spark of hope was carefully guarded by an organization composed of countless hopeful individuals, broadcasting their message day after day through the intermittent radio waves, reaching out to all those who still clung to the same hope in this desolate world.

See?

We are still shining.

So please, keep living.

Chapter 28: Are You Deaf?

“No.”

As expected, her sister refused her request without hesitation.

“What are you talking about, Yaoyao? The highway is too dangerous—” Lin Xiwan started to explain, but Lin Jiayao covered her mouth.

“I know why Sister never mentioned going to Donghai Province. It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Lin Jiayao changed the subject, speaking frankly. “I know Sister is worried that it would be harder to protect me outside…”

Lin Xiwan leaned back, avoiding Lin Jiayao’s hand.

“No, Yaoyao, how could you think that? Sister just has feelings for Yangzhou City and doesn’t want to leave. We’ve been here for so long…”

Lin Xiwan tried to explain, but under her sister’s calm gaze, her voice grew softer and less confident.

Finally, she sighed. “You know it’s dangerous out there. I can’t guarantee your safety, so please don’t bring this up again… okay?”

Although Lin Xiwan was an Awakened, she could, at best, only protect herself.

Even against the Nest Zombie she’d encountered before, in a one-on-one fight, she might not survive.

Let alone protecting a helpless, immobile younger sister.

And the highways weren’t just dangerous because of zombies.

Even more dangerous were the gangs that controlled them.

The highways were mostly in rural areas. Since they had been closed before the mass outbreak of the blood crystal infection, only the national and county roads were blocked by abandoned vehicles. There were only a few abandoned cars on the highways.

And these open highways had become breeding grounds for gangs.

They were desperados, roaming the highways, relying on nearby towns and villages for supplies.

Due to the lack of people and zombies on the highways, they could freely use their scavenged firearms, their equipment rivaling that of a small army.

They were the biggest problem on the highways.

If their scouts spotted a passing vehicle, they would give chase in their various jeeps and trucks, armed to the teeth.

They often chased and killed not for supplies, but for the thrill of the hunt, unrestrained by law.

Compared to them, the Blood Gang in the camp seemed like child’s play.

This was Lin Xiwan’s biggest concern. She was only a D-rank Awakened, no match for bullets.

“There’s almost no food left here, Sister,” Lin Jiayao said patiently. “Sooner or later, they’ll send you out on another exploration mission. There’s another camp full of people who depend on you Awakened for supplies…”

“Then we can go to nearby cities, find other camps…”

“Sister,” Lin Jiayao cupped her sister’s face again, making her look at her. “Other camps have also been through five years of this.”

Lin Xiwan looked down, unable to refute her sister’s words.

Yes, it wasn’t just Yangzhou City that had endured five years; other places, other camps, had also endured this long, agonizing apocalypse.

And cities with fewer food processing plants might have already run out of food.

Growing their own food? They would need to solve the problem of water.

But areas near water sources were bound to have amphibious or aquatic zombies. Using a bucket and rope to draw water from a bridge was fine, but for large-scale farming, it wasn’t nearly enough.

They could try small-scale farming like Hengyang Stadium, but hoping to feed an entire camp that way was a pipe dream.

So, the recovering Donghai Province seemed like the only option.

Looking at her sister’s worried expression, Lin Jiayao wanted to tell her that she could protect herself now, but the words wouldn’t come out.

If she claimed to be an Awakened, and the infection detector showed a different result, she would definitely be treated as a Mimic by her sister.

But if she claimed to be an ordinary person, and the detector confirmed it, or showed her as an Awakened, she would still have a chance to explain.

At least a two-thirds probability of being able to stay with her sister.

It was better to say nothing for now and avoid a contradictory result.

In a world with high-level Mimic zombies, only the infection detector was the ultimate authority.

Unfortunately, Yangzhou City was too far from Donghai Province; there were no infection detectors here.

If she found one, Lin Jiayao would definitely test herself before going to Donghai Province.

She just had to hope her zombies could find a working infection detector.

Since she could choose the spawn points for her zombies, she could select locations near Donghai Province, increasing the probability of finding one.

“Let’s set a departure date, Sister,” Lin Jiayao asked again.

“Sigh… Okay. Let me take care of some things here first… Should I carry you back now?”

Lin Xiwan seemed to have agreed to leave, but she would prepare thoroughly first.

Gather information about the nearby highways and deal with the Blood Gang.

“Okay, after you’re done.” Lin Jiayao smiled and nodded, relieved.

She also needed time. Her zombie had reached the highway entrance. She needed to eliminate or avoid any gangs they might encounter along the way.

Her zombies would clear the path.

“Is your wheelchair broken? Don’t worry… we’ll get you a new one from a hospital or equipment store…”

Lin Xiwan lifted Lin Jiayao onto her back.

With one hand supporting Lin Jiayao’s bottom, she opened the door with the other.

“Wait, Sister, my gun is still on the wheelchair,” Lin Jiayao said, remembering her FN-57.

“Uh… I’ll look for it.” Lin Xiwan returned to the wheelchair, crouched down, found the pistol, and put it in her waist pouch.

Carrying her sister out of the room, Lin Xiwan finally had a chance to look around.

Compared to the resort camp, this place was filthy and chaotic…

She also noticed a pool of dried blood near the end of the corridor, close to the restroom. She could smell the metallic scent of blood from here.

“This place is a mess…” Lin Xiwan shook her head and turned to leave, only to find the guard waiting for her at the entrance.

Remembering the bloodstain, she looked at the guard and asked suspiciously, “No one bullied my sister here, did they?”

This place was so chaotic; it was possible her sister had been mistreated.

Hearing her question, the guard swallowed nervously and glanced at Lin Jiayao, who was peeking over Lin Xiwan’s shoulder.

Lin Jiayao looked at him expressionlessly and said sweetly, “Uncle, I remember you. You were among the onlookers last night, weren’t you? I was there too.”

“Oh? What happened last night? You weren’t bullied, were you?”

“Nothing, just a normal fight. I was just there…”

“Oh… don’t go near those kinds of things next time. It’s dangerous, understand?”

After expressing concern for her sister, Lin Xiwan turned back to the guard, her eyes cold. “I asked you a question. Are you deaf?”

“No… no! I-I’ll take you out,” the guard stammered, turning and hurrying towards the camp gate.

“Damn, these sisters, one is more terrifying than the other… Fuck!”

“They’re all so pretty, but their tempers are frightening…”

The guard cursed inwardly, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Chapter 27: Let’s Go

“A zombie?!”

As soon as she said it, Lin Xiwan realized her voice was too loud.

But she couldn’t be blamed for her outburst. Her sister’s answer was too unexpected.

And the thought of “high-level Mimic” had just crossed her mind.

Of course, this didn’t mean Lin Xiwan suspected her sister. It was just the instinctive vigilance of an experienced explorer.

“What kind of zombie? Did it communicate with you? Could it write?”

Filled with doubt, Lin Xiwan asked a few more questions.

“It was a Sprinter. It could write and communicated with me,” Lin Jiayao replied after a moment of thought.

“Tell me everything that happened that day, in detail.”

Lin Jiayao then recounted everything that happened after she left the camp: how Grandma Zhang had tried to help her escape, how the Sprinter had scared off the Blood Gang, how it had taken her to another camp, and how it had even given her some blood crystals.

She specifically mentioned the “click, click” sounds coming from the surrounding buildings while the Sprinter was pushing her wheelchair. Whenever she looked towards the source of the sound, she only saw a fleeting white shadow.

“White… ‘clicking sounds’? A bone-type evolved zombie?” Lin Xiwan’s brow relaxed slightly upon hearing her sister’s description, but then furrowed again.

“It must have been an Awakened, a control-type Awakened. We don’t have any in Yangzhou City. I’ve only heard about them on the radio,” Lin Xiwan analyzed, nodding. “Controlling two zombies simultaneously, it must be D-rank or higher… Maybe they even helped me…”

A new question arose in Lin Xiwan’s mind.

Why would a D-rank Awakened, at least, help her and her sister? Simply out of the goodness of their heart?

And even give her sister blood crystals? An apocalyptic saint?

Before the apocalypse, Lin Xiwan might have believed such a person existed. But in this apocalyptic world? She only had one thing to say—don’t be naive.

Unless they were from Donghai Province. At least, based on what she’d heard on Survivor’s Light radio, they seemed like a decent organization…

“It didn’t write much, only wrote on the ground that I shouldn’t be afraid, that it was just passing by on a mission,” Lin Jiayao said, looking into her sister’s eyes. “Then I asked it to go to Haixin District and rescue you. It didn’t say anything, just left after dropping me off at the camp.”

On a mission? Her sister had asked this unknown Awakened to rescue her?

On a mission…

Lin Xiwan’s expression flickered. She thought about the extra water bottles in the room where she had been unconscious, and the bone spike inexplicably wedged in the gate.

Could it be… someone from Survivor’s Light?

A reconnaissance team?

Impossible.

Donghai Province was almost halfway across China from Yangzhou City!

But based on the description, it was the only possibility.

Survivor’s Light radio had repeatedly stated that the purpose and sole objective of their organization was to restore the world to its pre-apocalyptic state.

They had already taken a small step—completely clearing Donghai City of zombies and establishing a base there.

They were using the radio to spread hope across this central region of China.

“Hoo…”

Lin Xiwan didn’t say anything, just pulled Lin Jiayao into a hug.

Now that she understood what had happened, she held her sister tighter, feeling a surge of fear for what she had endured.

Without that mysterious Awakened, not only her sister, but she herself might have…

As for that mysterious Awakened, she could only thank them if she ever had the chance.

Unbeknownst to Lin Xiwan, her sister, struggling slightly in her embrace, breathed a sigh of relief.

Lying to her sister had been stressful.

But it was a necessary stress.

Mainly because she herself wasn’t sure what she was now.

Was she still fully human? An Awakened? Or… a “zombie” with self-awareness?

Only the infection detectors in Donghai City could give her a definitive answer.

Now that she had abilities, she and her sister couldn’t stay here—this place was running out of resources.

If there was one place they could go, it was Donghai City in Donghai Province.

Not only had they restored some semblance of order there, but they had even started farming.

Her sister had also considered going, but she hadn’t mentioned it because of Lin Jiayao’s frail health and unsuitability for long-distance travel.

Lin Jiayao knew her sister longed for this place because her sister had brought back the high-frequency radio.

Every time she returned from a long exploration, her sister would ask her expectantly about what had been broadcast on the radio, which districts in Donghai City had been restored, and how the construction of Survivor’s Light was progressing.

Her sister only ever said she wanted to learn more about new types of zombies, but Lin Jiayao knew her true desires.

The longing in her eyes couldn’t be faked.

If they really went there, they would have to wear the infection detectors developed by Survivor’s Light.

What would the detector show for her?

A solid green bar for a normal human?

A stable yellow bar for an Awakened?

Or… a flashing red alert?

Only after she knew what she was would Lin Jiayao decide whether to tell her sister the truth.

If it showed her as an ordinary survivor, she would stay by her sister’s side, act like an ordinary person, and protect her secretly—secretly, because she couldn’t explain why she could use abilities without being an Awakened.

If it showed her as an Awakened, she would confess that she had been controlling the zombies and apologize sincerely to her sister, protecting her openly.

But if it showed red… she would tell her sister everything, regardless of whether her sister believed her or not. If she couldn’t pass the infection detector test, she would be treated as a high-level Mimic and killed. Her only choice would be to escape.

And then, like a true zombie, she would find a city far from Survivor’s Light as her nest and send zombies to protect her sister from the shadows.

Of these three outcomes, Lin Jiayao naturally preferred the second.

Only then could she openly protect her sister.

The two sisters, who only had each other, clung to each other for a long time. Finally, Lin Xiwan stroked Lin Jiayao’s head.

“Let’s go home,” Lin Xiwan said with a faint smile.

“I don’t want to go back,” Lin Jiayao said, looking up at her sister.

“Hmm?” Lin Xiwan was taken aback, thinking she had misheard.

After a moment, understanding dawned, and she said gently, “Sister will quit exploring. We don’t need to earn blood crystals for promotions anymore. I’ll take on guard duty and stay home with you, okay? I brought back a lot of blood crystals; we won’t have to worry anymore…”

Lin Xiwan thought that her being “lost” had given Lin Jiayao PTSD about the camp, so she tried to comfort her.

“The supplies in the other districts of Yangzhou, whether it’s canned food warehouses or factories, are almost depleted, aren’t they, Sister?”

Lin Jiayao sat up straight, cupped her sister’s face in her hands, and said seriously, “Let’s go to Donghai Province.”

The canned food that once supplied millions of consumers in the entire city now only needed to supply a few thousand survivors.

In the early days of the apocalypse, it had been sufficient.

But now, five years later, the canned food, which couldn’t be produced anymore, was almost gone.

Lin Xiwan looked at her serious-faced sister, her mind momentarily blank. “Huh?”

“Didn’t Sister bring back a lot of blood crystals?”

Lin Jiayao continued, “Let’s go to Dongzhou City, to Survivor’s Light.”

“We can buy a good truck with the blood crystals, fuel and supplies… Let’s go to Dongzhou City.”

Lin Jiayao spoke with such detail, as if she had been planning this for a long time.

Survivor’s Light was the best place for an Awakened like her sister.

Lin Jiayao looked at her silent sister, waiting for her answer.