Chapter 78: Sweeping Through Fuzhou p2
Lin Xiwan, lost in thought, reached the cannery entrance.
Opening the small door, she saw the two little girls, standing by the sofa.
Hearing the door open, they jumped, startled, and huddled together, looking at her with fear.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s just us, the big sisters from the car,” Lin Xiwan said gently, approaching them with a smile.
But as she got closer, the two girls seemed not to recognize her, trembling and backing away.
Then, their trembling suddenly stopped, their fear momentarily vanishing before returning.
As if… they’d heard something she hadn’t.
This unsettling observation made Lin Xiwan’s skin crawl.
“Uh… what’s wrong? Little sisters?” Lin Xiwan placed her sister on the sofa and looked at the two girls.
They just seemed… scared…
Which was understandable, considering what they had been through.
And their father had likely been killed right in front of them; that would traumatize anyone.
“We’re not the bad guys from the Voodoo Cult. We were just pretending yesterday. All those bad people are dead now. Don’t be afraid…”
Lin Xiwan was good with children. She crouched down, speaking softly, and moved closer.
Reaching them, she gently stroked their heads.
Seeing this, Lin Jiayao relaxed slightly, leaning against the sofa and closing her eyes.
“Thud—”
The sound of something hitting the floor startled the two girls, and Lin Xiwan quickly looked back at her sister.
Seeing she was just resting, she turned back to the girls.
“Are you… afraid of me? Didn’t you meet Sister before?” she asked curiously.
But their responses confused her.
They answered questions about being hungry or thirsty, but whenever she asked about last night, they remained silent, as if their mute buttons had been pressed.
And the way they looked at her… with a hint of… awe?
Remembering waking up with blood on her hands, Lin Xiwan took a sharp breath.
Could it be… that after inhaling that moth powder last night, she had…
Gone on a rampage?
Judging by the girls’ reactions, it was highly likely.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain their fear, when she had met them before and even saved them.
Seeing they were also exhausted, Lin Xiwan didn’t press further. She stood up, took the bread she had brought for her sister from the sofa, and offered it to the two girls, along with two bottles of water.
The Voodoo Cult wasn’t lacking in supplies; there was plenty of food and water.
Watching them eat ravenously, Lin Xiwan felt a pang of hunger herself.
Neither she nor her sister had eaten since waking up.
Seeing the girls eating quietly, Lin Xiwan patted their heads.
“Don’t wander off, Big Sister will get more food.”
She returned to her sister.
Sitting down beside her, she asked, “Yao, what do you want to eat?”
“Bread,” Lin Jiayao said, opening her eyes.
“Okay, I’ll go get some.” Lin Xiwan stroked her sister’s face and stood up. “Keep an eye on these two little ones for me, uh… here, take this.”
To be safe, she handed the rifle to her sister.
Having her sister armed reassured her.
At least she could defend herself if anything happened.
“Okay.” Lin Jiayao took the rifle, removed the dead flashlight and laser sight, and tossed them aside.
They were just dead weight now.
Seeing her sister had the rifle, Lin Xiwan, after scanning the surroundings, left the factory floor.
She needed to get more gas masks; the two they had were damaged.
Last night had shown her the importance of protection; even a simple mask could help filter out the powder.
The Voodoo Cult’s food storage wasn’t far. Lin Xiwan quickly returned with more food.
After helping her sister change into a new set of dry clothes, Lin Xiwan also changed into a large t-shirt.
After they finished eating, the two little girls also seemed more relaxed.
They sat quietly beside Lin Jiayao, obedient and no longer as scared.
After confirming they were alright and getting their names and ages, Lin Xiwan left the factory.
The Voodoo Cult’s main force could arrive at any moment; she had to prepare the vehicle, load up on supplies, and get her sister out of Fuzhou City.
If they didn’t leave soon, she was afraid they would encounter the main Voodoo Cult force on the highway… a much larger and more powerful group than this small outpost.
Shortly after Lin Xiwan left, a system notification popped up for Lin Jiayao.
A highlighted red “①” appeared beside the [Login] entry.
Clicking on it, Lin Jiayao entered a dark space.
Besides the safehouse and warehouse, a holographic projection of the Hunter zombie hovered there.
It looked almost the same as before.
But its stomach was distended. Using the system’s perspective, Lin Jiayao saw what was inside.
One and a half blood crystals.
That many?
How many Biters had it killed?
A single Biter yielded less than 1g.
This fourth zombie must have killed hundreds in the past two and a half hours.
A true killing machine…
Lin Jiayao left half a crystal in the Hunter zombie’s stomach and transferred the other to the warehouse.
「End Asset Transfer?」
Yes.
Lin Jiayao returned to her body, the system displaying the evolution retention interface.
「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Hunting Instinct Lv.1 (Purple): You cannot resist your hunting urges and are always in optimal hunting condition】」
「2、【Robust Lv.2 (Gray): Makes the host’s body more robust, increases healing ability】」
「3、【Blood Rage Lv.2 (Blue): Rage consumes your mind, doubling strength and speed while granting brief immunity to ultraviolet light, duration 20s, with moderate side effects】」
Hunting Instinct, Robust Lv.2, and Blood Rage Lv.2.
Hunting Instinct was out of the question; her mental strength wasn’t strong enough to control it.
This purple evolution was like a constant “Blood Rage,” maintaining peak hunting condition.
If she didn’t want to become a mindless killing machine, it was best avoided.
Blood Rage Lv.2 had double the duration and reduced side effects compared to Lv.1.
A significant improvement.
An extra 10 seconds of Blood Rage could be decisive in a close fight.
It seemed powerful, but Lin Jiayao chose [Robust Lv.2].
Robust directly improved her physique, and Lv.2 added increased healing.
This was crucial for her right now.
As for Blood Rage, she could always get it later from the fourth zombie. She could leave it running on autopilot while she slept.
After choosing Robust, a wave of warmth spread through her body, a tingling sensation making her close her eyes.
After a while, she clenched her fists, feeling her increased stren—
Wait… my strength?
Wasn’t Robust Lv.2 supposed to make her stronger? Why didn’t she feel any stronger?
She lifted her shirt and looked at her abdomen.
Still the same faint abs, still the same slender waist, still soft to the touch, only slightly firm when she flexed.
No different from after the Lv.1 Robust evolution.
“System, where are my abs?” Lin Jiayao asked, slightly panicked.
「[Robust] only improves the host’s physique and recovery speed. Higher levels grant immunity to most toxins and viruses. It does not enhance strength.」
Lin Jiayao clenched her fists again.
Her knuckles felt harder.
Besides toning her slightly flabby stomach initially, Robust didn’t actually increase her strength.
The perceived strength increase had been a byproduct of the improved physique.
If she wanted to increase her strength, she would need something like [Strength Lv.1].
“Hoo…”
She exhaled slowly, accepting the lack of visible abs.
Actually, Robust wasn’t bad.
Improved physique, increased resistance to diseases, faster stamina and physical recovery, and eventually, immunity to toxins.
Who knew if there would be poisonous zombies later? It was a good investment.
“Hoo…”
Lin Jiayao leaned against the sofa and closed her eyes.
Her sister was outside preparing the vehicle, which wouldn’t be easy; she probably wouldn’t be back for a while.
The two little girls were under her control now. She could influence their speech and actions through the fungal tendrils, ensuring their obedience.
This was a good opportunity to log into a zombie, to check on the situation in America and perhaps find some ammunition for the warehouse.
Opening the login interface, she looked at the options.
「No.1: [Mask] (Available for login)」
「No.2: [An Xiaoxi] (Available for login)」
「No.3: [Unnamed] (Available for login)」
「No.4: [Unnamed] (Evolving 11:57:11)」
The fourth zombie was evolving again?
Because of the half a blood crystal she’d left in its stomach? How… how was it evolving so quickly?
Mask’s evolutions were usually spaced out by a day or more, or after intense combat.
This fourth zombie was evolving twice within 24 hours.
Promising.
As long as it extracted before the Voodoo Cult’s sweep.
Lin Jiayao shifted her gaze from the fourth zombie to the third.
It was still unnamed. Time to give it a name.
Since it was a little girl with blonde hair, she would call it Goldie.
The system panel flickered, and [Unnamed] changed to [Goldie].
Lin Jiayao selected Goldie, and her consciousness sank into darkness.
…
China, Sizhou Province, Chongyu City, the fourth floor of a slightly dilapidated old building.
Although the entire city was bathed in sunlight, the harsh rays didn’t penetrate this building.
Its windows were boarded up, creating a dark, almost claustrophobic space. A tall, thin figure huddled in a corner of the room.
The figure, curled up, hugging its knees, trembled.
“Sob… sob…”
Soft whimpers, barely audible, escaped her lips.
After a while, the crying stopped, and the figure became still.
Suddenly, it convulsed, its hands clutching its head, screaming incoherently.
“He’s dead!!! It’s alive!!! AAAAAH!!!”
“It’s too late!!! Too late!!!”
“Quick… quick, kill it!!! Kill it!!!”
“The reckoning is coming… the reckoning is coming… the reckoning is here… the reckoning is coming!!!”
“Reckoning!!!”
After this last, desperate cry, the woman’s body went still, as if struck by a sudden thought.
“Garlic… hee hee… garlic is yummy…”
She giggled childishly.
But the next second, the smile vanished.
She stopped her erratic behavior, ripped off her gas mask, wiped the drool from her lips, and sat up.
“Click—”
Picking up a nearby shotgun, she chambered a round and fired at the boarded-up window.
“Bang—!”
The wooden planks splintered, riddled with holes. She kicked them away, sunlight falling on her pale face.
“Interesting… interesting… I see you… I see you…”
She placed her left hand, crisscrossed with old and new scars, seemingly self-inflicted, on the window frame, climbed over it, and jumped from the fourth floor.
“Thump—”
She landed steadily, raising a cloud of dust. She slung the smoking shotgun over her shoulder, and several women in gas masks, who had been waiting below, rushed forward and lit a cigarette for her.
Taking a deep drag, she exhaled a smoke ring, her gaze hazy as she watched the dissipating dust.
“Where’s the sweep team?”
“They’ve already gone to Fuzhou, Boss.”
“Not enough. Send another team. Tell them to bring all the grenades and RPGs. Don’t approach anyone, just fire on sight.”
“Uh… yes, Boss… but are we really sure about this? Such a large-scale operation…”
“Are you questioning me?”
“N-no… of course not…”
“You… you’re not trying to kill me, are you?”
“No… I would never… Boss… I would never…”
“Waaah, where’s my mask? Where’s my mask?! You’re trying to kill me! You all are! You’re all zombies!”
The woman, called Boss, threw down her shotgun and ran back inside, crying and screaming, the cigarette falling from her lips, her previous composure gone.
“Thump—”
The door slammed shut, and everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.
Being around a lunatic wasn’t easy.
Especially a powerful lunatic.
The woman who had received the last order took out a walkie-talkie. “Send another sweep team to Fuzhou City. Bring all the grenades and RPGs.”
“Boss’s orders: no close combat, fire on sight.”
“Zzz… Roger…”
The Boss’s premonitions were usually accurate… Hopefully, this predicted disaster wouldn’t come to pass.
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