I Transmigrated as the Protagonist and Was Kidnapped by the Villainous Omega - Chapter 40

“Are you sure the A-grade zombie was eliminated?” Piloting her mech at high speed, the further Shi Yunqi drove into the city, the more uneasy she felt. “Did you personally see its head cut off?”

When she asked this, Tang Jin could only shake her head. “…No.”

Back then, she and Su Cheng came to District 11 together. For some unknown reason, Su Cheng, who usually struck with decisive precision, suddenly hesitated when facing that A-grade zombie. Because of that, the blade didn’t directly sever its head; instead, it struck its shoulder.

During the struggle, the zombie, along with the blade, fell into a crack that had opened in the ground.

And the underground was so deep. Plus, it was severely injured. How could it possibly have gotten back up?

But to be precise, since the zombie’s head wasn’t severed, they couldn’t be 100% certain it was dead.

Frowning deeper, Tang Jin said, “…If that zombie is truly still alive, I’ll deal with it.”

She was the only A-grade Alpha among them. Even if a zombie’s physical capabilities were greatly enhanced, it was still, after all, an ordinary person who had been infected.

Without systematic training, without knowing combat techniques, even with immense power, its effectiveness would be greatly diminished.

“You think an A-grade zombie is that easy to deal with?” The moment Shi Yunqi heard “no,” her heart sank. She finally understood where this uneasy feeling was coming from.

Her eyes darkened. Frowning, she sped past the others. “…You have no idea how terrifying an A-grade zombie can be!”

Even the usually boisterous Hu Ziyuan was silent now, merely biting her lip and concentrating fully on driving, pushing the speed faster and faster.

She hadn’t seen an A-grade zombie, but she had seen Shi Yunqi severely wounded because of one.

“…What do you mean?” Noticing the oddness in her words, Tang Jin was puzzled. Wasn’t having sentience the most terrifying part?

She had encountered A-grade zombies a few times later in other districts. They were indeed much trickier to deal with once they gained sentience. They no longer charged blindly; some would sneak attack, while others would use other zombies to block damage.

While their strength and speed were greatly enhanced, they also became more cunning. Not only did they know how to contend with enemies, but they could even distinguish, from pheromones, which individuals were dangerous and which could be easily crushed.

Like a fierce and cunning wild beast.

Ordinary people typically only had the fate of being slaughtered before them, but not before Dawn’s generals.

Not only were they Alphas of A-grade or higher, but they had also undergone rigorous and brutal training. No matter how strong the zombies were, they could handle them.

But now, Shi Yunqi said she had no idea how terrifying an A-grade zombie could be?

What did she mean? Did she know something?

The night wind whistled, and a sudden caw of crows echoed through the sky. Tang Jin looked up and saw large flocks of crows flying from a distance, black masses clustered together, growing more numerous.

Shi Yunqi’s hand gripped the control stick tightly, her trembling fingertips pale, and a fine sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Memories surged uncontrollably, as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss. A long-lost fear and sense of powerlessness gradually eroded her.

That was a scene Shi Yunqi never wanted to face again in her life.

A dense fog enveloped everything. As far as her eyes could see, it was all gray. She saw legions of zombies emerging from the mist, clawing and gnashing, moving incredibly fast.

They were everywhere, from all directions. Everyone was trapped in the middle with no way out. They had no choice but to engage in hand-to-hand combat, fighting desperately.

She watched as people around her fell one after another. Red and black intertwined, different bl00d splattering onto her. Endless zombies, breathless struggles. All around were countless dead-gray, withered claws, like relentless waves, slowly engulfing her…

“Shi Yunqi… Shi Yunqi!”

A sudden shout pulled her out of the whirlpool of memories.

Snapping back to reality, Shi Yunqi realized her mech had tilted and was swaying precariously, about to crash into the building ahead.

She frantically wrenched the joystick, and the mech immediately swerved, scraping against the wall but narrowly dodging the impact.

“Stop overthinking! Everyone will get back safely!” Hu Ziyuan exhaled, her palms sweating, and gripped the steering wheel with unprecedented determination. “We have guns, mechs, and A-Jin with us now.”

As long as Tang Jin was there, she felt inexplicably at peace, not afraid at all.

“No one is allowed to miss my wedding!”

Shi Yunqi’s eyes welled up. She pursed her lips. “…They haven’t even agreed yet, and you’re already so excited.”

Caught red-handed, Hu Ziyuan’s face flushed. She mumbled, “It’s enough that I agree.”

Tang Jin, sitting beside them, suddenly couldn’t understand their conversation, filled with confusion.

Afraid she would ask, Hu Ziyuan quickly said, “Tell A-Jin everything you know! Maybe that A-grade zombie really isn’t dead.”

The off-road vehicle and seven mechs sped towards the source of the blue light. Everyone else remained silent, waiting for Shi Yunqi to continue.

After a long pause, her voice came through the intercom, heavy and distant—

“Whatever you do, don’t let it self-destruct.”

“When you encounter an A-grade Alpha zombie, remember to finish the fight quickly.”

*****

Ling Yuexi stared fixedly at the two “figures,” her mind unconciously.

She felt they looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite recall where she had seen them.

One of the “figures” was slowly climbing the wall, gripping it with both hands. It had a blade clenched in its mouth, and its appearance was very similar to Chao Feng’s.

The one on its back seemed severely injured; its clothes were covered in dried black bl00d.

Are these… zombies?

But they were unlike any she had seen before. They seemed to possess independent consciousness.

This thought immediately made Ling Yuexi break out in a cold sweat. For some reason, she had a strong intuition that those two things were extremely troublesome…

Afraid of making a sound and alerting them, Ling Yuexi didn’t dare to question Ya Zhi further. Instead, she cautiously retreated. She needed to escape this place before they noticed her.

…

The muscles in her right arm convulsed for a while, then finally stopped. Su Cheng lay on the ground, panting, recovering for a good while. In her hazy state, she suddenly heard a familiar, doll-like voice.

“Where’s the pink pig you captured?”

Her consciousness gradually cleared. Despite the intense pain throughout her body, she grinned.

“You really are something, Ling Yuexi, calling me a pink pig behind my back…”

Eager to meet her, Su Cheng waited until she had recovered a little strength, then clasped her mask, shrinking it back into a pendant. She stripped off her jacket and tore a strip of cloth to casually bandage the wound on her left palm.

Afraid Ling Yuexi would become suspicious, she crawled further away. Once she estimated the other person couldn’t see her, she braced herself against the wall and painstakingly stood up.

Only one last chance remained to revert to her damaged Alpha state.

Gazing at the small pill in her palm, Su Cheng thought for a moment, then swallowed it whole.

Now wasn’t the right time for a confession. Once the issues with Dragon Domain were resolved, she would tell Ling Yuexi everything, completely.

It didn’t take long for the scab on the back of her neck to quickly grow back, completely sealing off her gland and thoroughly isolating the scent of grape and tequila.

After doing all this, Su Cheng suddenly realized that there hadn’t been any movement from that direction for a while.

Could it be that I delayed too long, and Ling Yuexi has already left?

Her right arm was still useless. Su Cheng could only softly grip her blade and quickly ran towards the building where Ling Yuexi had been.

*****

Meanwhile, Ling Yuexi was quietly retreating to the edge of the building. The two zombies didn’t seem interested in her. She seized the opportunity to lightly climb over the railing, flipping down along the window sill…

The massive chasm split the entire street in two. Su Cheng was focused on finding Ling Yuexi and only briefly glanced at Ya Zhi on the opposite side. Seeing him kneeling on the ground with vacant eyes, she paid him no further attention.

Ya Zhi was now utterly defeated. That “Phoenix Soaring” move had shattered not only his weapons but also his self-important beliefs.

She doubted he’d ever hear the name Chao Feng again without being scared witless.

After searching this dilapidated building repeatedly, Su Cheng’s vision revealed nothing but chaos on the ground; there was no sign of Ling Yuexi.

That’s strange. She was just here. How could she disappear so quickly?

She walked to the edge of the building and was pondering where Ling Yuexi might have gone when Su Cheng suddenly felt a cold, chilling gaze on her.

A shiver ran down her spine, like a ghostly hand from the underworld resting on her back, lifeless. She froze for a moment, then slowly turned her head, stiff-necked.

Aside from the dazed Ya Zhi on the opposite side, there was no other figure.

A flicker of surprise and doubt crossed her eyes. Su Cheng’s sense of unease gradually grew. Enduring the pain, she switched the blade to her left hand. Although her palm was still injured, it was better than her completely useless right arm.

Her eyelid twitched. Su Cheng held her blade defensively, tensely watching the opposite side.

Suddenly, a dead-gray withered claw reached out from behind Ya Zhi. Immediately after, the claw moved up his shoulder. Its five fingers spread, then clamped onto his neck.

Ya Zhi’s entire body violently shuddered, as if he had just regained consciousness. He looked down in disbelief, and when his gaze met the withered claw, his face turned deathly pale. His body began to tremble uncontrollably. Just as he was about to turn his head, he heard a “snap.” The dead-gray claw instantly exerted force, brutally twisting his neck.

His wide eyes didn’t even close. Ya Zhi’s head slumped sideways. He didn’t utter a sound, dying on the spot.

What the hell… what is that?!

Staring at the scene in shock, Su Cheng’s heart tightened. In her trembling gaze, a “person” slowly rose from behind Ya Zhi’s bulky frame.

The “person” first revealed a rotting head, with pure white short hair, protruding eyeballs, and clearly visible bulging black veins beneath gray skin.

This… isn’t this—

The A-grade Alpha zombie the original owner had already dealt with…?

How is it not dead?!

Only when the zombie fully emerged did Su Cheng notice its body was heavily scarred. Its entire right arm had been severed from the root, and its left leg was severely fractured. It could only stand awkwardly, barely balancing in an extremely contorted posture.

Every step it took made it sway, yet it stared fixedly at Su Cheng, determined to pursue her. Its bl00d-red eyes were filled with hatred.

…Is it seeking revenge?

Bl00d from her palm dripped from the tip of her blade. Su Cheng’s eyes were filled with complex emotions.

She remembered this zombie.

It was because she always felt she had seen it somewhere before, and the original owner had hesitated then, unable to deliver a fatal blow.

Encountering a zombie wasn’t the most terrifying thing. What was terrifying was when it was someone you used to know.

She felt some hesitation, but then, thinking that Ling Yuexi might not have gone far, Su Cheng shook her head, discarding all other thoughts.

“…I’m sorry. All I can do now is bring you peace.” Raising her blade, she charged towards it, leaping across the chasm. The moment Nirvana was about to strike, a sudden sense of mortal danger shot directly to the back of her neck.

Out of combat instinct, she didn’t even think. She swung her blade back to block behind her. With a “clang,” two Tangdaos, both glowing with blue light, collided, sending sparks flying.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was too great. Su Cheng was still knocked back by the blow. After rolling twice on the ground, she quickly got up.

A black shadow flashed, quickly landing behind her.

Two zombies, one in front and one behind, surrounded her.

The same hair color, identical homewear. One severely injured, one intact. Other than that, they looked almost exactly alike.

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and long-forgotten fragments of memory suddenly surfaced…

“Uncle Wen Yan, I want a chocolate cake.” The little girl wasn’t even as tall as the table, her large,blue eyes watery and adorable.

“Little Cheng-cheng, I’m sorry.” Wen Yan ruffled her small head, pointing to the door with a smile. “The last piece of cake was bought by that young lady~”

“Humph! I don’t care!” Hearing the cake was gone, the little girl didn’t even look, sitting on the ground and wailing loudly. “Waaah—I-I just want chocolate cake, sniffle… hiccup~”

“Brother, why don’t you make another one?” Seeing the child starting to hiccup from crying, Wen Yu rubbed her forehead, looking quite helpless.

“…I’d like to, but we just ran out of cocoa powder.”

Her eyes darted around. Seeing they still weren’t giving her the cake, the little girl started rolling on the ground, crying. “I—hiccup, just want chocolate!”

As she rolled, her body suddenly bumped into someone.

The little rascal opened her tear-filled eyes and stared blankly for a moment, her gaze landing directly on a pair of long, slender, fair legs…

In a haze, she only heard a cool, pleasant voice from above her head. “Be a good girl, and I’ll give it to you. How about that?”

A fierce headache surged, and Su Cheng swayed, barely managing to steady herself.

No wonder they looked familiar.

Wen Yan, Wen Yu.

The two uncles from the cake shop during her childhood…

The original owner had only defeated one of them in District 11, either the elder or younger brother, and it had fallen into the fissure with the blade. The other, uninjured one, could easily have rescued it.

Because these brothers were both A-grade.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down her temple, and Su Cheng’s brow furrowed. Her peripheral vision kept a close watch on both sides.

If it were just the injured one, she might have a chance with Nirvana in hand. But with the one behind her as well…

Even if she reverted to S-grade, her stamina wouldn’t be enough.

She never expected that after using all her strength to defeat Ya Zhi, something even more troublesome awaited her…

Before she could think further, the injured zombie in front of her lunged. Though its body was twisted, its speed was incredibly fast, a claw striking towards her face.

She blocked with her blade, deflecting the sharp claw. Before she could even turn around, the dark shadow behind her had closed in, its Tangdao slashing down fiercely—

I’m done for, she thought.

After all this, she never expected to die at the hands of a zombie…

So unwilling!

With a “clang,” blade met staff, but the expected pain didn’t come.

A flick of the staff, and the zombie abruptly retreated a step.

Before she could even register what had happened, Su Cheng’s nostrils caught a faint scent of sandalwood.

“A for A, injured for injured.” The prayer beads on the wrist of the person behind her trembled lightly. They spun their staff, pointing it directly at the zombie. “Finish this quickly.”