Doomsday Awakening GL - Chapter 9

Perceiving Tang Nengping’s awkwardness, An Yimu stopped asking questions.

She turned to walk in the direction of Ling Qiuyu and Nuan Qianyu. At this moment, Tang Nengping caught up and said with a smile, “Why don’t we stick together? It’s safer with more people.”

An Yimu nodded.

She was still thinking about the bean-shaped object. What exactly was it? She knew she was almost crushed at the shoulder bone by the zombified Su Mo, and the shocking wound on her leg was deep enough to see bone. How could it all have healed instantly? This was too unscientific, but then again, what about the emergence of the zombies and the terrifying bl00d-sucking red threads could be explained by science?

An Yimu concluded that her sudden healing was definitely related to the bean-shaped object, and her suddenly enhanced strength, hearing, and sight must all be related to it. But what the bean-shaped object was remained unknown, as did what would happen when the milky-white energy inside it was full.

The two quickly reached the back of the ruins.

Nuan Qianyu and Ling Qiuyu were very excited to see An Yimu, as they were the only two unarmed people and were still very scared.

“Xiaomu, which way do we go next?” Ling Qiuyu stood up, supported by Nuan Qianyu. Her chest was heaving, her breathing still unstable, and her beautiful dark hair was slightly messy.

An Yimu was also considering what to do next. The sudden earthquake last night had caught everyone off guard. Now, their backpacks, food, and even the police baton were buried under the rubble. It would take at least another day to reach the next county town, but how could they do that without food and water? The immediate plan was to first go into this county to find some food.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard Tang Nengping say, “We should first go into the county to find some food. At least we need to replenish our energy.”

Nuan Qianyu looked distressed. She hadn’t said a word since An Yimu arrived, seemingly deep in thought.

The four walked for nearly two hours to get from the outskirts into the city. Looking around, it was a scene of broken walls and rubble. The once tall buildings were twisted and leaning, and many had completely collapsed, looking incredibly desolate.

It was only a little past 9 a.m., but the cold wind was still biting, drilling its way into their sleeves and collars.

An Yimu was scouting for a supermarket or similar location. They needed to find some food and leave quickly. She felt the silence here was too eerie; even with an earthquake, there shouldn’t be zero living people.

Suddenly, she remembered how Su Mo and the others were fine but turned into zombies after dying in the earthquake. In this county town, inhabited by at least tens of thousands of people, how many would have died, and how many would have turned into zombies? This thought sent a shiver down her spine.

However, there was no evidence to suggest that the zombification of these bodies was related to the earthquake. After all, weren’t zombies present from the beginning? Why these things appeared was something no one knew!

“Let’s find food and get out of here quickly,” An Yimu turned and said to the other three.

Ling Qiuyu had better eyesight and was more observant. She quickly found a collapsed small supermarket, where snacks and similar items were scattered everywhere.

The group gathered, dug out four durable backpacks from the rubble, and filled them with instant food like instant noodles. An Yimu happened to find a few chocolate bars and put them in her coat pocket. These high-energy foods could be life-saving in a critical moment.

After packing their things, the few people prepared to leave.

Since the appearance of the bean-shaped object in her brain, An Yimu’s sight and hearing were twice as good as before. At this moment, she heard something moving under the rubble, sounding like it was trying to crawl out. She hesitated, unsure if it was a living person or a zombie.

Before she could hesitate, subtle vibrations began to occur everywhere. Even Tang Nengping, Ling Qiuyu, and Nuan Qianyu noticed the anomaly.

Soon, a fully decomposed zombie crawled out from the rubble nearby, followed by seven or eight more. Over a dozen zombies also emerged from the direction they planned to leave.

In that instant, nearly a hundred zombies appeared in the formerly desolate and empty ruins.

“Oh god, we forgot to check the calendar before we came out!” Nuan Qianyu murmured.

An Yimu also frowned deeply. They couldn’t wait for more zombies to emerge. Once they were completely surrounded, they wouldn’t have a way out.

“Charge out! Run toward the inner part of the county! I’ll take the lead, Brother Tang, you cover the rear! Quick!”

With that, An Yimu led the charge. There were too many zombies in the direction of the city exit. They had to break out of this encirclement first!

An Yimu’s strength was twice that of a normal person. She charged into the zombie horde like a wolf into a flock of sheep. Wherever she went, there were zombie corpses, punctuated by the sounds of bang, bang, bang as zombie heads exploded.

The other three were immensely shocked but had no time to worry about it. They just kept close behind An Yimu, terrified of being separated.

In just a short while, An Yimu had killed over 20 zombies.

Just as they were about to break through, An Yimu’s path was blocked by a completely black zombie.

The zombie’s body was incredibly hard. The steel rebar An Yimu had pried off the farmhouse window was unable to hurt it. Moreover, this zombie was different from the others; its body was much more flexible and knew how to guard its vital points.

An Yimu had encountered a tough opponent, and the surrounding zombies were closing in.

The people following her were forced to stop. Nuan Qianyu roared and charged into the surrounding zombie horde. “If I don’t show my power, you really dare to underestimate me!”

Tang Nengping was originally a construction site mover, so his strength was considerable. He couldn’t possibly lag behind the women, so he also rushed into the zombie horde, ferociously fighting the zombies.

Just as Nuan Qianyu haphazardly struck off a zombie’s head, An Yimu glanced over out of concern and saw a whitish substance from the zombie’s brain shoot into Nuan Qianyu’s head.

In that moment of distraction, the completely black zombie fiercely clawed at An Yimu. An Yimu heard the sound of the wind and immediately dodged, but she was still slashed on the arm. Bl00d gushed out, staining her sleeve red.

Smelling the bl00d, the zombie became even more excited. Its movements were significantly faster than before, constantly looking for opportunities to attack An Yimu’s injured arm.

This zombie was too cunning! Dragging this out was definitely not an option.

Ling Qiuyu was alone, and Nuan Qianyu’s stamina was limited. An Yimu had to deal with this zombie as quickly as possible.

An Yimu rushed forward fiercely, kicking the zombie’s head directly head-on. The zombie blocked with its black arm, and as its arms shook, its claws scratched An Yimu’s leg.

An Yimu gritted her teeth, did a backflip, kicked up the surrounding dust for cover, and then sprinted to the side of the zombie. Dust can blind people but is useless against zombies. This zombie was completely black and incredibly hard. Every time An Yimu kicked it, it felt like kicking an iron wall. Rushing to the side of the zombie, she used force to smash the steel rebar in her hand at the zombie’s head.

There was a bang. The steel rebar was blocked by the zombie’s arm. Because An Yimu used great force, she couldn’t pull it back in time. The zombie grabbed the steel rebar and violently flung it aside, along with An Yimu, who was holding it. She crashed onto the ground, her internal organs aching from the impact.

The zombie leaped toward her to attack. An Yimu rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging it, and then jumped up with a carp-flip move. One person and one zombie faced off.

Suddenly, the zombie darted in the opposite direction.

Oh no! The zombie, unable to gain an advantage against An Yimu, had now set its sights on the isolated Ling Qiuyu.

An Yimu’s breath hitched, and she frantically gave chase.

Ling Qiuyu held an iron rod helplessly, looking at the surrounding zombies. Tang Nengping and Nuan Qianyu were both trying to protect her. Her body was frail, and she couldn’t fight zombies at all. Her beautiful eyes were tearful, and she clutched the iron rod tightly, as if it could give her a sense of security.

Just then, she suddenly heard An Yimu shout, “Qiuyu, run!”

She then saw a zombie, different from the others, completely black and moving very fast, rushing toward her. She screamed in fright and backed away repeatedly.

This retreat caused the zombie’s first lunge to miss, giving An Yimu time to catch up.

Ling Qiuyu was trembling all over, her body too stiff to move her legs.

The zombie was only two meters away. She could clearly see the red and white fluid oozing from the zombie’s eye sockets and smell the stench that rushed at her.

Just as the zombie lunged again, An Yimu finally caught up. She grabbed the zombie’s ankle and pulled hard backward. The zombie was thrown out by the force, and An Yimu attacked without hesitation.

The zombie seemed enraged. Relying on its tough skin, it engaged in close combat with An Yimu. This put An Yimu at a great disadvantage, almost always on the defensive. Just as she grabbed the zombie’s arm, preparing for an over-the-shoulder throw, the zombie shook her off, and she was thrown to the ground.

She instantly couldn’t catch her breath. An Yimu narrowed her eyes, watching the frenzied zombie lunge at her, while her hand fumbled for something under the rubble.

Nuan Qianyu was already exhausted. The zombies were too strong. She was only barely managing to keep the zombies from getting close. Moreover, more and more zombies were gathering. If she hadn’t had good stamina from studying dance, she would have been dismembered by now. Aside from the accidental kill of one zombie, she hadn’t been able to take down any others.

Tang Nengping was in no better shape; he was surrounded after killing two or three zombies.

Ling Qiuyu was isolated, but because the large number of zombies had been drawn to Nuan Qianyu and Tang Nengping, she was only dodging a small portion of them. Thankfully, these zombies were still slow and stiff, so she could run and avoid them. If another zombie like the one fighting An Yimu were to show up, they would surely perish here today.

An Yimu’s eyes lit up. Sure enough, she had noticed earlier that in the sunlight, tiny glints of light could be seen from certain positions in the rubble, as if refracted by something. If it wasn’t a mirror, it had to be a blade. She needed a sharp blade now to cut through the zombie’s “hard shell.” At this moment, she felt a paring knife.

The zombie didn’t notice An Yimu’s unusual behavior. Seeing her stop moving, it was overjoyed and prepared for a quick kill. Just as it lunged at An Yimu, it was suddenly stabbed.

The paring knife sliced a long gash on the zombie’s arm, and black liquid flowed out. The zombie was furious. It roared and attacked An Yimu with newfound frenzy.

The rest of the story:

Tang Nengping looked at the man with difficulty. This was the moment he needed to make a stance. The man clearly thought he was the leader of this group, which was understandable in this environment where women were accessories to men, a symbol of a man’s power and authority.

He thought of the nearly hundred zombies An Yimu had just killed. His throat moved, and he said, “I am not the leader, just a small team member.”

The tall, thin man clearly didn’t expect Tang Nengping to say this. He looked suspiciously at the nine people: four men and five women. Apart from Tang Nengping, the remaining three men were very young, and he noticed the fear in their eyes when they looked at him. His expression hardened, and he said sternly, “I see you want to enjoy the benefits of having multiple women! Brother, that’s not right of you!”

The strong man next to him flexed his wrists, deliberately making his knuckles crack, and looked at everyone with a sinister smile.

They’re coming… close… An Yimu perked up her ears, listening intently.

The tall, thin man grabbed Tang Nengping’s collar and lifted him up, saying, “I see you refuse a toast and want to drink a forfeit! Heh heh!”

Tang Nengping didn’t expect this seemingly weak man to have such great strength, enough to lift a middle-aged man like himself. Then, thinking of An Yimu, he was close to tears. He couldn’t offend either side, and he couldn’t afford to provoke them.

“Third Brother, stop quickly. Something is coming!” Just then, the man who had been silent all along and looked honest suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing this, the tall, thin man put Tang Nengping down and looked around warily. “What is it?”

An Yimu lowered her gaze, glancing sideways at the honest-looking man, and came to a conclusion: these three men must also be able to see the milky-white substance, just like her, otherwise they wouldn’t be so arrogant.

Shā shā shā… shā shā shā…

“It’s zombies!” a young man said in a trembling voice.

Sure enough, a group of no less than 200 zombies appeared in the vicinity, and the number was still increasing: coming from afar, crawling out from under the rubble. More importantly, there were three leading zombies: one was completely black like carbon, just like the one she killed this morning; one was strangely shaped, with eight sharp claws protruding from its back, like a spider; and another was gigantic, two meters tall, looking more like a large, stubborn rock.

The faces of the three men instantly changed, filled with horror.

The five young people huddled in a corner, not daring to breathe, wishing they could crawl into a crack in the ground.

An Yimu said nothing, her eyes fixed on the three leading zombies. The evolution of zombies was indeed much faster than that of humans. She secretly assessed the situation, estimating the odds of winning this battle. Escaping was impossible; they had walked into a zombie nest.

Both sides were sizing each other up. After the three zombies looked over the group, their eyes suddenly focused on An Yimu.

“If you want to survive, we must cooperate now. Please help me hold back the two on the right,” An Yimu whispered to the honest-looking man.

The man looked at her in surprise but saw An Yimu had already charged forward, which shocked him even more. These were three evolved zombies! It took their three men several days to almost deal with one evolved zombie, yet this woman rushed forward fearlessly. At the same time, he understood why Tang Nengping said he wasn’t the leader.

He knew in his heart that An Yimu was right. Seeing that An Yimu had already acted, he shouted and charged forward as well.

An Yimu’s target was the completely black zombie, but she couldn’t be sure if the paring knife could hurt it.

The three zombies didn’t expect a human to dare to charge at them and were momentarily stunned, but they quickly attacked. The black zombie roared, facing An Yimu.

The spider-like zombie tried to help but was blocked by the man who followed. The tall, thin man and the seemingly strong man also came over to surround the giant zombie.

When the black zombie got close, An Yimu flipped the blade in her sleeve and stabbed at its shoulder. To her surprise, the blade only made a scratch on the zombie’s shoulder and didn’t cut through. Her heart immediately sank; this zombie was even tougher than the one she encountered this morning.

The zombie seemed disdainful and ignored the paring knife, backhanding to attack An Yimu. An Yimu sidestepped, then turned and kicked the zombie in the back. The zombie stumbled a few steps forward, then leaped backward, opening its bloody mouth to bite An Yimu.

An Yimu forcefully threw a piece of rubble she picked up into the zombie’s mouth. The zombie whined and lunged frantically at An Yimu. An Yimu gritted her teeth and thrust the paring knife forcefully at the zombie. The zombie raised its arm to block. Bang, a crisp sound rang out; the paring knife actually broke upon contact with the zombie’s skin. At this moment, An Yimu felt no different from punching a wall, and she was utterly shocked.

“Ah…!” A man’s scream came from the side.

An Yimu subconsciously looked over and saw that the honest-looking man’s entire right arm was bubbling, seemingly corroded by something.

A fierce gust of wind rushed toward her face. An Yimu instinctively dodged. The zombie had attacked her while she was distracted.

Anger flared in An Yimu’s heart. She took a deep breath and became entangled in a fierce struggle with the zombie. She had to resolve this quickly. The others couldn’t hold on for long. There was no time for her to wait. She also had to protect Nuan Qianyu and Ling Qiuyu. With this thought, her attacks became even more brutal, every move aimed directly at the zombie’s head.

The zombie’s body was too hard; the paring knife couldn’t cut it, let alone a human fist.

But the zombie’s advantage was too obvious. They didn’t feel pain and only attacked by instinct. An Yimu was just a woman, and her stamina clearly couldn’t keep up. The places where she was hit felt like her bones were being crushed, and her whole body ached.

This was a battle where the outcome was clear: the enemy was strong and she was weak, a futile attempt to fight a superior force.

But she had a reason to win!

An Yimu’s face was cold. After a fierce attack, she suddenly retreated and rushed into the crowd of unevolved zombies.

She was gambling.

The bean-shaped object in her brain was almost full. She could only gamble that a miracle would happen once it was full; otherwise, their entire group would surely die.

The horde of zombies couldn’t stop An Yimu at all. An Yimu moved through them like a fish in water, instantly killing 10 zombies.

At the same time, the zombie she was fighting also followed, trying to stop her.

Almost… almost full…

The completely black zombie had appeared behind her.

An Yimu pursed her lips, neither paying attention nor dodging. As she kicked off the head of the zombie in front of her, the black zombie’s claws slashed a terrifying wound down her spine from her neck to her waist. Bl00d immediately gushed out.

“En…” An Yimu let out a muffled grunt, flashed away from the zombie, and killed another zombie on the way.

Pa…

The bean-shaped object shattered in An Yimu’s mind, breaking into powder that scattered in her consciousness, and then immediately reformed into a single, larger bean-shaped object.

An Yimu felt a warm current flow through her entire body. Her stamina instantly recovered, and the wound on her back was rapidly healing. The sound of the wind rushing past her ears was clear. She could even hear Nuan Qianyu and Ling Qiuyu calling her from a hundred meters away.

Her stamina, hearing, sight, and speed were all three times that of a normal person.

The zombie saw An Yimu stop moving and prepared to sneak attack.

An Yimu looked up, her gaze sharp, staring at the zombie. She grabbed the attacking claw, twisted her hand back, and crack, she heard the sound of the zombie’s wrist breaking.

An Yimu used the momentum to pull the zombie toward her, and her left hand directly struck the zombie’s neck. The force was so great that the zombie’s head and body separated.

A milky-white light shot from the zombie’s brain into the birthmark on her right hand, and then merged into the bean-shaped object. This time, An Yimu saw it even more clearly: the amount of light that entered her palm was double the normal amount.

A more agonizing scream came from the side. An Yimu didn’t have time to ponder and quickly rushed over, only to see the honest-looking man’s entire face had been corroded. He was crawling on the ground, covering his face and screaming miserably.

The strange-looking zombie’s black eye sockets turned toward An Yimu. This gaze sent a chill down An Yimu’s spine.

Just as An Yimu was thinking about how to deal with this zombie, she saw it turn and disappear from her sight after a few leaps. She let out a long breath, lifted her hand, and wiped her forehead. She hadn’t realized she was covered in a cold sweat.

This zombie could spray a liquid like sulfuric acid to corrode human bodies. Since she hadn’t fought it, she wasn’t sure if it had other abilities, but with her current strength, she couldn’t deal with it. Although she didn’t know why the zombie suddenly left, they had managed to save their lives.

An Yimu ran towards the giant zombie. The tall, thin man had already been crushed into a pulp by the zombie, looking absolutely disgusting. An Yimu didn’t dare to underestimate it. She first rushed to the zombie’s back to test it out and found that the zombie was only huge and incredibly strong, with no other abilities. Only then did she relax and attack mercilessly. Relying on her three times human strength, she finished the zombie off in two moves.

She had killed two evolved zombies, but the milky-white energy she obtained was less than one-thirtieth of the bean-shaped object’s capacity.

More than 200 zombies still surrounded them, and the honest-looking man struggled for a while before going silent.

An Yimu turned to Ling Qiuyu and the others and said, “This is a good opportunity. You need to learn how to kill zombies. Afterward, I have something to tell you. Don’t worry, I’ll be here to protect you.”

She thought that after dealing with these zombies, she had to tell them about the bean-shaped object. To improve the overall combat effectiveness of the team, the individual abilities had to be improved first. She also realized that the speed of zombie evolution was very fast, far beyond what humans could match. If this continued, they would likely die before reaching Chongming City.

Seeing that everyone nodded, she charged into the zombie horde.

Every move was fatal, every attack was brutal, and her speed was astonishing.

The strong man who had initially provoked them was now completely stunned, looking at An Yimu fighting through the zombie horde with a ghostly expression.

The zombies were dealt with in just over 10 minutes. An Yimu killed the majority, over 150. Tang Nengping and Nuan Qianyu also killed over 10 each, and Ling Qiuyu also bravely killed a few.

The five young people only watched from the corner, terrified and envious, but they did not come out to fight the zombies, clearly fearing them greatly.

At the same time, Tang Nengping suddenly shouted, “Huh? What is this white thing?”

An Yimu’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed Tang Nengping had broken through.