025
:
Inside the speeding vehicle, angry curses and the heavy thuds of punches and kicks rang out intermittently. Chen Jiahe endured the excruciating pain coursing through her body and pretended to be unconscious.
“Brother Jie, this bitch has passed out.”
Feng Leijie raised his hand, signaling the man who had been beating Chen Jiahe to step back, revealing the young woman barely clinging to life.
“Brother Jie, this woman still has some looks. Let’s take her back, chop off her limbs, and turn her into a human pig for the brothers’ amusement,” said the man sitting beside Feng Leijie. A long scar ran down the right side of his face, and from his left elbow downward, there was no human skin—only a steel arm.
His name is Tie Zhi. Although he is only a D-rank ability user, his power is so unique that his combat prowess rivals that of a C-ranker. Moreover, his temperament aligns perfectly with Feng Leijie’s preferences, making him one of the latter’s most trusted confidants.
Chen Jiahe suppressed the overwhelming panic surging within her, forcing her body to remain still as if she were already dead.
“Although this woman schemed against us and it seems we gained nothing from this trip, actually…” Tie Zhi smiled meaningfully, “we have reaped abundant rewards.”
For a moment, everyone in the vehicle ignored Chen Jiahe, who lay on the floor like a corpse, their attention entirely focused on Tie Zhi.
Feng Leijie knew Tie Zhi wouldn’t say something like this without reason; impatiently, he snapped, “Stop beating around the damn bush and just spit it out.”
“Brother Jie, think about it: two high-level zombies, one at Tier 3 and another at Tier 4. If you obtained their cores, wouldn’t breaking through to Rank A become within reach?”
“That’s obvious, damn it!” How could Feng Leijie not have considered such a possibility? Yet, recalling the humiliating scene of fleeing in disgrace under the threat of those two high-level zombies, he felt an overwhelming urge to tear the woman lying on the ground limb from limb just to vent his fury.
“That Tier 4 zombie didn’t even show itself, yet its oppressive aura was already this powerful. It’s likely already halfway to Tier 5; throwing all of you at it wouldn’t even be enough to satisfy its appetite.”
Don’t be fooled by Feng Leijie’s brawny appearance, which might suggest a lack of brains; in reality, anyone capable of establishing a small organization in the apocalypse and gathering followers must possess more than just ruthlessness—his mind is far from empty.
“Moreover, if two high-level zombies and even a Tier-3 zombie beast have already appeared in such a small area, can you guarantee there aren’t more high-level zombies or beasts lurking there?” he cursed darkly under his breath.
It was almost unbelievable that so many high-level zombies could emerge from such a tiny location; could there be something peculiar about that place?
Can zombies and corpse beasts evolve rapidly?
Advanced zombies and corpse beasts each possess their own territorial awareness; if one advanced zombie or corpse beast appears in an area, no other will emerge there.
Unless you’re looking to die.
Tie Zhi said, “No matter how powerful a zombie is, it’s still just a zombie. You’re a high-tier Rank B ability user; if you partner with another high-tier Rank B ability user to kill that Level 4 zombie, the success rate reaches ninety percent. As for the remaining Level 3 zombie, gather all our brothers—we can surround and overwhelm it. Even if a corpse beast appears, as long as we act quickly, grab what we need, and retreat immediately, there won’t be any problems.”
Speaking, he lowered his voice: “Using a level-four crystal as bait, there will surely be many ability users willing to cooperate. Once we kill that level-four zombie and obtain the crystal, we can then turn on our collaborators and eliminate them. Won’t that leave no one left to compete with you for the crystal?”
Feng Leijie narrowed his eyes, glancing sideways at Tie Zhi before cursing, “Do you fucking think B-rank high-tier ability users are cabbages, easy to kill whenever we want?”
In the post-apocalyptic world, it’s common for ability users to cooperate in killing zombies to obtain crystals; it’s equally common for them to turn on each other over disputes regarding the distribution of those crystals.
Tie Zhi said confidently, “Have you forgotten Zhang Wenxi, whom we recently recruited? His ability is to steal others’ powers, albeit temporarily. If we bring him along, after you kill the Level 4 zombie, the cooperating ability user will surely be severely weakened. That’s when Zhang Wenxi can launch a surprise attack, leaving them at our mercy. The crystal core will be yours.”
The more Feng Leijie listened, the brighter his eyes became; the violent impulses stirred within him by Chen Jiahe completely dissipated. He slapped Tie Zhi hard on the back and exclaimed, “Good lad! Truly worthy of being my brother! We’ll do exactly as you say.”
Tie Zhi laughed as well, the scar on his right cheek twitching. A glimmer flickered deep in his eyes as he added another compliment: “Once you advance to Rank A and your power greatly increases, it will be even easier to find surviving little girls.”
　　*
After Feng Leijie and his group escaped, the zombie transformed from Zhu Yuan did not pursue them far. The tornado sucked up everything within its reach; once it dispersed, those objects clattered down everywhere.
As one iron bucket fell, it plummeted straight toward him. Zhu Yuan watched expressionlessly, making no move to dodge. The bucket crashed onto his head with a loud clang before tumbling to the ground, rolling away with a rumble.
The surroundings fell silent.
Zombies possess no self-awareness.
Yet he instinctively sensed a pressure directed at him, emanating from a superior zombie, silently driving him away, commanding him to get lost.
On what grounds?
We’re both zombies. Even if you’re one level higher than me, what gives you the right to tell me to scram? That makes no sense.
Besides, you can’t get out anyway; what’s the point of showing off there?
The zombie suddenly paused.
It raised its head, looking around blankly. Ignoring the oppressive force directed at it, it seemed puzzled—
Why did it feel that the zombie one level higher than itself couldn’t get out?
　　*
[Threat neutralized. Bianbian is temporarily safe.]
[Zhu Yuan is uncontrollable and may harm Bianbian. Please choose one of the following methods to drive Zhu Yuan away.]
[Option 1: Pay 10,000 star coins to unlock the “One-Finger Thrust” ability, which can launch Zhu Yuan to the horizon. The landing location will be random, eliminating the threat permanently.]
[Option 2: Pay 100 star coins to obtain a broom. This broom must be used by Bianbian to sweep Zhu Yuan out of this area.]
Nong Jiusi: “…”
He stared at the second option for so long that the system thought he was about to attack it again. Unexpectedly, Nong Jiusi suddenly asked, “If Zhu Yuan gets flicked away, can I summon him again next time?”
The system replied earnestly: [It depends on where Zhu Yuan randomly lands. If he’s flicked too far, summoning becomes impossible.]
[Generally speaking, the probability of successful summoning is 0.9 percent.]
“…”
Nong Jiusi paid 100 star coins and selected the second option.
Logically, given Nong Jiusi’s pay-to-win attitude and his lack of financial constraints, he should have chosen the first option.
The system suddenly felt that compared to Xiu Jin, Nong Jiusi was far more stingy.
Bianbian finally gained her freedom at last—the invisible transparent wall blocking her path was gone. She happily ran to the window.
With the Invisible Uncle present, the little girl wasn’t afraid in the slightest.
Standing on the small stool, Bianbian cautiously peeked her head out.
Apart from the mess scattered across the floor, not a single soul could be seen.
She didn’t know what had happened, but having just heard her grandfather’s voice from upstairs, she believed he must have scared away the uncle and aunt who wanted to take her with them.
But earlier, the noise outside had been tremendous; if Grandpa had scared them away, it wouldn’t have made such a loud commotion. Moreover, the chaos outside resembled the aftermath of a great battle.
The little girl stopped trying to figure it out; anyway, she would never go with strangers, be they uncles or aunties.
She was waiting for Uncle Zhu Yuan to return and pick her up.
Just as she thought this, the quiet street suddenly echoed with a clattering sound, and immediately afterward, Bianbian saw a figure turn the corner.
He carried an iron bucket, walking slowly with his body tilted; the bottom of the bucket occasionally scraped against the ground, producing that clanging sound.
His exposed skin was bluish-gray, covered with grotesque and terrifying patterns; his gait was heavy and eerie.
It’s a monster!
Bianbian recognized it immediately.
She quickly pulled her head back, hiding herself from the monster’s view.
“Roar!!!” A zombie upstairs suddenly let out a fierce howl.
The zombie downstairs, carrying an iron bucket, halted in its tracks, roared back toward the upper floor, and slammed the heavy bucket forcefully against the ground.
Amid the backdrop of two zombies roaring at each other, Bianbian’s mind conjured the image of the clothes on the monster downstairs—those were Grandpa’s clothes.
She would never forget.
When Uncle Zhu Yuan left yesterday, he was wearing Grandpa’s clothes. Bianbian had even found another set of Lu Yu’s garments for Zhu Yuan, feeling a pang of regret in her heart.
She felt that every time Uncle Zhu Yuan wore a set of Grandpa’s clothes, Grandpa would have one less set. The little girl wasn’t being stingy; she simply couldn’t bear to part with Grandpa’s clothes.
“Uncle Zhu Yuan was wearing Grandpa’s clothes; how could they be on a monster?” Bianbian widened her eyes, gazing at the empty living room while nibbling her little finger and murmuring to herself.
Nong Jiusi stood right before her, taking in every shift of the little one’s expression.
After a brief pause, he crouched down in front of her.
The little one kept nibbling her small finger, her beautiful, clear eyes gradually filling with panic and fear.
As if he already knew something.
So real.
As tears fell from her eyes and the sound of her suppressed sobs reached his ears, Nong Jiusi hesitantly reached out, gently touching the little one’s face.
Was this the game’s empathy feature?
The sight of the little one trying to hold back her tears stirred an indescribable emotion within him. Nong Jiusi furrowed his brow tightly, actually regretting his earlier choice; he should have flicked Zhu Yuan away, so the little one wouldn’t have had to see him.
Yet, if he had flicked Zhu Yuan away, he wouldn’t be able to summon him back the next time they encountered danger.
This is the reason Nong Jiusi chose the second option.
“Uncle?” Bianbian sensed it.
At that moment, a small broom requiring payment of 100 star coins appeared, forcing Nong Jiusi to reach out and take it.
“?”
Bianbian sniffled, her eyes brimming with tears as she stared at the little broom that had suddenly appeared before her, unsure whether to keep crying or to ask the uncle why he had given her a broom.
　　※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
The second update is here, chu~