Chapter 8: Relentless Pursuit
Lin Jiayao could feel the blood crystals moving within her face.
Even without a mirror, she could guess that her face was a bloody mess.
Even her hair had started to rapidly dry and turn white, but it hadn’t fallen out.
“Plop—”
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Jiayao heard the sound of a lump of flesh hitting the pile of corpses.
She finally regained control of her body.
But the first thing she felt upon regaining consciousness was something foreign in her mouth.
“Ptoo—”
After spitting it out, Lin Jiayao saw that it was a blood crystal, estimated to be about 10g.
Perhaps 30g of blood crystals were enough to meet her evolutionary needs, and the rest, unable to be absorbed, were expelled.
Now Lin Jiayao understood why that worm-like zombie hadn’t continued to consume blood crystals.
It turned out that blood crystals couldn’t be absorbed at will; the body had to fully absorb the previous evolution before starting the next one.
「Extraction Time: 1:00:51」
Oh no, only one hour left…
After putting the blood crystal back in her mouth, a system prompt flashed before Lin Jiayao.
「Mutated Zombie: (Unnamed)」
「Characteristics: A variant of bone-evolved zombies, able to parasitize other bodies using thin bone spikes and utilize some of the host’s abilities」
Several lines of description appeared on the system interface.
Actually, Lin Jiayao already knew the abilities of this body, even without the system’s explanation.
After the evolution was complete, the methods of using these abilities felt like they were etched in her blood, instinctively understood.
“Crack, crack, crack—”
Dozens of sharp bone spikes, slightly thinner than fingers, extended from the back of Lin Jiayao’s severed neck, easily lifting her up.
These bone spikes were ten centimeters per section, each joint flexible and bendable, with a total length exceeding one meter.
Supported by these bone spikes, Lin Jiayao felt her field of vision widen.
It was just that controlling these bone spikes to walk gave Lin Jiayao a sense of disconnect.
It felt as familiar as if she had been walking with a dozen bone spikes since birth…
Putting aside the unrealistic thoughts in her mind, Lin Jiayao started to think about how to quickly escape this place.
She also had to bypass that terrifying worm zombie.
The blood crystals she had gained this time were already very satisfying. Now her goal was to safely extract and preserve this evolved zombie.
Lin Jiayao felt that this mutated zombie might be very powerful, and she had to squeeze out its remaining value.
Time was running out. After a brief thought, she quickly chose the safest plan.
“Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter—”
“Thud—”
Lin Jiayao chose four Sprinter corpses and used her sharp bone spikes to sever their heads.
Then, the bone spikes extending from the back of her neck divided into four groups and pierced into the four Sprinter corpses.
The previously lifeless bodies began to tremble violently after the bone spikes entered.
In less than three seconds, the bone spikes had connected to the zombies’ original bones.
Four headless zombie corpses, using their hands to support themselves on the pile of corpses, stood up.
A bundle of bone spikes connected to the neck of each zombie.
The four bundles of bone spikes converged in the middle, connecting to the back of Lin Jiayao’s neck.
“Tap—”
Lin Jiayao tried taking a step and found no issues.
The four zombies moved as if they were extensions of her own body.
The four bodies, swaying and lurching, carried Lin Jiayao and started running downstairs.
Now it looked even more like something out of a horror movie.
Reaching the elevator lobby on the 34th floor, Lin Jiayao controlled the four bodies to turn and run towards the office area.
While running, Lin Jiayao caught a glimpse of her current appearance in the reflection of the office windows and couldn’t help but pause.
It wasn’t the bizarre sight of four bodies and one head that surprised her, but her evolved face.
The original zombie head was very ordinary, and the mangled flesh obscured its original appearance.
But after the evolution, the blood and gore had fallen away, revealing a brand new face.
Ignoring the pale, thin cheeks, the eyes with only whites, and the dry, white hair, it was definitely a face of exquisite beauty—like a handsome sculpture come to life.
But Lin Jiayao didn’t have time to ponder why this was. She quickly entered the office area and controlled the four bodies to each grab an office chair.
“Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter—”
Lin Jiayao, who had been using her bone spikes to sense the surrounding sounds, instantly perceived the movement downstairs.
The zombie below had also evolved from a bone-type, and was definitely sensitive to sound; it must have noticed her noise.
With no time to hesitate, Lin Jiayao quickly grabbed a chair and rushed towards the stairwell. The muscles in the arms of the four Sprinter zombies bulged as they swung the chairs at the building’s tempered glass.
“Thump—”
“Thump—”
“Thump—”
The dull sound of smashing glass echoed, but even with the strength of Sprinters, eight hands smashing together only managed to create cracks in the glass.
Why make it so sturdy!
Lin Jiayao cursed inwardly. She had already glimpsed the worm zombie crawling up to the 33rd floor, its eyes locked onto her through the gap in the stairwell.
This gaze exerted immense pressure on Lin Jiayao.
Even after evolving, Lin Jiayao didn’t think she could defeat this terrifying monster.
Without hesitation, Lin Jiayao controlled the bodies to throw the four chairs at the worm zombie, then turned and ran towards the elevator lobby.
The chairs couldn’t stop the terrifying zombie nurtured by the entire building’s resources. It easily smashed the thrown chairs and charged towards Lin Jiayao.
It was much faster than Lin Jiayao. In a blink of an eye, it caught up to her.
“Ha—”
The worm opened its massive mouth, its four-lobed lips spreading in different directions.
Sharp bone spikes protruded from its originally slimy and disgusting lips. Rows of bone spikes, propelled by the worm zombie’s charge, pierced into Lin Jiayao’s waist.
Lin Jiayao decisively abandoned that body, quickly retracting her bone spikes and letting the worm zombie devour it.
The remaining three bodies carried Lin Jiayao around the corner, huddled together, protecting her head in the middle, and jumped directly into the elevator shaft.
“Whoosh—”
“Crack—Thump—”
The fierce whooshing of the wind and the loud crashes against the elevator shaft walls forced Lin Jiayao to retract the bone spikes she used for sensing sound.
“Boom—”
With a loud crash, the three corpses slammed heavily onto the elevator car.
Lin Jiayao was violently shaken by the impact. The bones in the three zombie bodies were shattered, and she could no longer control them.
Mustering her remaining strength, Lin Jiayao extended her sensory bone spikes.
“Click, click, click, click—”
The faint sound of bone spikes running came from above. Lin Jiayao used her bone spikes to push aside the corpses and looked up.
Through the light coming from the broken elevator door, Lin Jiayao could see a figure the size of a fingernail rapidly crawling down the elevator shaft towards her.
Damn it!
【Extraction Point: 32m】
Ignoring what floor she was on, Lin Jiayao immediately abandoned control of the three bodies, extended her bone spikes, and pried open the elevator door.
She dropped the bodies and ran.
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