Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 100

The safest course of action right now was to move to a new location as soon as possible.

Tang Yu took out some bandages and, with Jin Ye’s help, slowly wrapped Qi Jinyin’s wound. When they helped Qi Jinyin sit up, her wound seeped bl00d again. The bandage, only two layers thick, was stained red in a matter of seconds.

Jian Che anxiously wanted to help but was stopped by Tang Yu’s outstretched hand. Qi Jinyin was a zombie now; an NPC absolutely could not come into contact with her bl00d.

Qi Jinyin herself didn’t seem to be in much pain. Her short hair was soaked with cold sweat, and she had bitten her lip until it bled, but she didn’t cry out in agony. Sometimes, a person’s tolerance for pain could be astonishingly high.

When the pain became unbearable, Qi Jinyin would ask Tang Yu intermittently, “A zombie’s bl00d… after it all flows out… do they become a dried corpse?”

“That’s a cold joke,” Jin Ye commented sharply.

By the time they finished bandaging, the new dressing was already more than half red. This was the most severe injury Tang Yu had ever seen. She seriously suspected that if Qi Jinyin made any sudden movements, her internal organs would spill out along with minced flesh.

In her current state, Qi Jinyin couldn’t be carried on someone’s back or held in their arms. Although she was no longer in mortal danger thanks to her special zombie constitution, her condition made it impossible for them to leave the scrapyard quickly.

Fine, they would just wait a few more hours. As long as they moved before nightfall, it would be okay.

Tang Yu stepped out of the shack for some fresh air. It was still early, and the scrapyard was silent. The bodies of Zhang Teng and his two companions were scattered on the mountainside; they hadn’t moved them.

They were all leaving anyway.

From this spot, she couldn’t see the scrapyard’s iron gate. Tang Yu turned back and called out, “I’m going to look around nearby.” She left the shack and walked alone toward the iron gate.

Jin Ye and Xiao Li just assumed that Tang Yu needed some time alone to process what she had just learned about herself and didn’t follow.

However, Tang Yu wasn’t as sentimental as they thought. She had already come to terms with it while talking to Qi Jinyin. Whether she was a Star Hunter or someone from the main star didn’t matter. Just as she had accepted being a criminal back then, she quickly accepted her identity now.

She was, however, intrigued by the library Qi Jinyin had mentioned. She had been stationed there before, so she might have left some clues behind. It would be great if she could find a chance to visit the library before returning to the camp.

Tang Yu looked down, kicking a small stone on the ground.

An irregular, angular stone.

Before today, Tang Yu hadn’t paid much attention to the matter of game bugs. Although she had bent the rules a little before, it was completely different from the version of herself Qi Jinyin described, who actively sought out game bugs.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. Before losing her memory, her understanding of this game must have been very high, which was why she had been so “confident and composed.”

This also served as a reminder for Tang Yu; she needed to pay more attention to the game itself.

Tang Yu was glad she had come to Xinzhou and met a still-living Qi Jinyin. It was as if her past self had left a message for her future self, and she had now received it.

So, that’s what her past self was like. Something quietly changed within Tang Yu’s heart.

The road outside the iron gate was empty. Occasionally, a passing zombie would glance at Tang Yu before detouring around her.

The iron lock was still securely fastened. They were the last group of people to set foot in this place.

Just then, Zhou Zhou sent a message to the group chat to report that she was safe, having returned to the camp smoothly, and told everyone not to worry.

To be honest, no one had been worried.

After confirming the surroundings were safe, Tang Yu wandered over to the distribution area while lost in thought.

The three red trucks in the distribution area were all loaded with large, square blocks of iron. These blocks were compressed so tightly and were so incredibly heavy that even if they were transported back, it would be difficult to dismantle them by hand. They would need to build a smelting furnace to reforge them.

In addition, there was one empty truck. Tang Yu thought they could use this truck to load other iron items. Things like the ready-made iron cabinets and steel bars on the trash mountain could be used directly. This trip was worth it; they had acquired more supplies than they would have from scavenging in the city for two days.

Tang Yu tested each truck. As luck would have it, all four were drivable, but two of them were low on fuel and wouldn’t make it back to the camp. Tang Yu settled for the next best thing, planning to drive two trucks back. One would carry the iron blocks, and the other would carry unprocessed items. They didn’t have enough people anyway.

There were five people in the team now. Qi Jinyin and Jian Che couldn’t act alone, and Tang Yu also wanted to take the modified car with them, so Tang Yu, Jin Ye, and Xiao Li would all have to drive.

Satisfied, Tang Yu jumped down from the truck’s cabin and lowered the rear tailgate. Perfect. While Qi Jinyin was recovering, she could call Jin Ye and Xiao Li over to help move things.

There were forklifts and cranes nearby for moving things, so once they got the hang of operating them, moving the iron items wasn’t too strenuous. The three of them selected some iron items that would be useful in daily life, as well as some steel bars, and loaded them into the empty truck.

After loading the truck, they returned to the shack to find Qi Jinyin either asleep or unconscious again. The bandage on her waist had stopped seeping bl00d, but it hadn’t improved much either. It made sense; her stamina was currently zeroed out, and her health was at its initial state, so her healing speed was extremely slow.

The sky outside was still bright, a long way from nightfall. Tang Yu looked at the resting Qi Jinyin, then at Jin Ye, and the bold decision in her mind finally took concrete form.

“Look,” Tang Yu said, crouching on the ground and pulling Jin Ye and Xiao Li into a huddle. “The reason we want to leave the scrapyard so quickly is because we learned there’s someone in Xinzhou who can control metal. We don’t know his details, nor do we know when he might attack.”

“Ultimately, we’re just trying to hide from him. But we don’t even know who he is or if he’ll even come. Hiding passively like this is meaningless. What if we run into them in the city with our cars? This whole truck full of iron will still be a weapon.”

Xiao Li scratched her head. “What are you saying? We should abandon the supplies?” That would be such a waste.

Tang Yu shook her head.

Jin Ye raised an eyebrow, sensing Tang Yu’s underlying meaning. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m going to the library to proactively scout out his situation and location.”

Jin Ye straightened up, looking at Tang Yu in disbelief. “Alone?”

“Alone. I can turn invisible.”

“Tang Yu…” Jin Ye trailed off, hesitant. As a teammate who had spent a lot of time with Tang Yu, she could clearly feel a change in her style of operation. This change had begun to show after Tang Yu became a D-Class Zombie King.

This person was now willing to take the offensive.

First, it was ambushing lone players in the restricted area, then it was tailing Zhang Teng’s modified car, and now she was even bolder, wanting to scout the enemy camp alone.

Jin Ye placed her hand on Tang Yu’s forehead to check her temperature. “Did something rattle you?”

Tang Yu smiled and swatted Jin Ye’s hand away. “I was just thinking about this. If I can find out the enemy’s location, I can tell you guys to avoid him when you move. Isn’t that more convenient than hiding randomly? Besides, with my knack for running into trouble wherever I go, we’ll probably have to face this person sooner or later. It’s better to investigate his situation first. If we really do run into him in the future, we won’t be caught on the back foot.”

Xiao Li was a little worried. “No matter what, going alone is too risky.”

Tang Yu counted on her fingers. “My intention is to gather information, not to fight if I can help it. We can’t lose our fine tradition of survival. Plus, invisibility, teleportation, and rapid healing are all great for escaping. I have six abilities now. I can try to be a little braver. My friend, have some faith in me.”

Tang Yu stared intently at Jin Ye and Xiao Li. She had another motive she hadn’t mentioned: she had to go to the library at some point, as she might find something there.

Jin Ye lowered her eyes in thought. After a dozen seconds, she responded slowly, “If you’ve made up your mind, then go. We’ll stay in constant contact. Xiao Li and I will drive the two big trucks from the scrapyard. The modified car is yours. We’ll meet at the highway ramp in front of the restricted area. If you’re in danger, tell me immediately. I’ll come rescue you right away.”

Tang Yu hadn’t expected that not only would Jin Ye not stop her, but she would also think through all the follow-up arrangements. This old teammate, as always, stood behind Tang Yu, supporting her decision in her own way.

Tang Yu blinked her eyes and pretended to hug Jin Ye, who pushed her face away. “Stay away from me.”

After reaching an agreement, Tang Yu crouched by Qi Jinyin’s bedside, waiting for her to wake up again to ask about the appearance of the metal-controlling person and the location of the library.

The library was a landmark building in the city, not hard to find. It was right next to the Xinzhou Tower in the city center, shaped like an inverted white trapezoid, with glass windows on one side resembling the folds of book pages. The place they used to be stationed was in the reading area on the fourth floor.

As for the player who controlled metal, he was a young man with glasses and a side-parted hairstyle. He looked somewhat scholarly, but his methods were extremely savage.

With the information in hand, Tang Yu prepared to set off. She handed her backpack to Jin Ye to carry and traveled light, wearing only her utility belt.

The utility belt held a camping lamp and a length of rope. Her pistol and bullets were also tucked into the pouches on it.

Tang Yu drove away in the black sedan from before. It was some distance from the city center, too far to walk. She planned to drive near the library and then proceed on foot.

The Xinzhou Tower, another landmark, was very conspicuous. The sphere on its body and the spire piercing the sky could be seen from far away. The surrounding office buildings, reflecting the sunlight, shamelessly displayed the great wealth of the metropolis. It was just a pity that now, all these magnificent buildings had lost their vitality.

Tang Yu took a small road and drove toward the Xinzhou Tower. The journey was surprisingly smooth, with no unexpected incidents. As she neared the city, Tang Yu got out of the car and walked, turning invisible as she stepped onto the main road.

At this moment, she was the only living thing around. For a moment, Tang Yu felt as if she had returned to the time when she first regained consciousness. Back then, she had also stood alone in a city, surrounded by flying papers and a scene of ruin and desolation.

Only this time, Tang Yu was much calmer, and even more observant. As she walked, she carefully examined the surrounding buildings. The reflective glass of the office buildings was dazzling, the angle and intensity of the reflected light precisely calculated, conforming to the laws of physics.

All physical and chemical interactions in the game were real. Stones could scratch marks on the ground, plants would bloom and grow, and tempered glass would shatter into granular pieces upon impact. Everything was restored with one hundred percent accuracy.

The only variables were the players and their abilities.

Tang Yu stood in front of an office building. The reflective film on the glass mirrored the street scene, but her face was not in it, nor was there even a shadow on the ground.

Tang Yu watched for a moment, then strode forward, walking toward the library in the fading light of the setting sun.

The city center library was magnificent and grand. Due to lack of maintenance, rainwater had left clear streaks of dust on its white exterior walls. At the entrance, the outer glass doors were shattered, and the fire door inside was deformed, revealing a person-high passage at the bottom.

A man with a gun was sitting on a chair at the entrance, passing the time with a book.

Judging by his appearance, he wasn’t the player who could control metal, probably just a teammate on guard duty.

Tang Yu precisely controlled her steps, not getting too close. She circled to the other side of the library and saw a balcony on the third floor.

The balcony was enclosed by transparent glass, making it unlikely she could climb the wall to get up.

Tang Yu glanced around and quickly switched her ability to teleportation. In the same second her form appeared, she was already on the third-floor balcony. Immediately after, she switched back to invisibility.

If time were split into frames, Tang Yu had only appeared in this area for a few frames. If an unsuspecting NPC had passed by at that moment, they would have just thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.

Tang Yu touched the balcony glass, verifying that the only limitation of teleportation was line of sight; the destination was not blocked by glass or other transparent materials.

She drew Startling Dragon, gripping its hilt as she stepped onto the walkway leading into the library.

The library had seven floors. One side of the walkway was a hollow atrium, like a shopping mall, allowing one to see the layout of all seven floors and the glass ceiling at the very top. The open area on the first floor had a few tables and chairs for reading and resting.

Unlike the ivory-white exterior, the library’s interior was decorated in a cherry wood color, from the bookshelves to the tables and chairs. The last rays of the setting sun pierced through the glass ceiling, adding a layer of warmth.

However, the floor was littered with torn books, and the bookshelves on the first floor had suffered the most damage.

Tang Yu leaned against the railing, her gaze sweeping upwards, floor by floor. The bookshelves blocked too much of her view for her to see everything, but she soon heard the sound of conversation from the other side of the walkway.

The voices were not loud, too indistinct to make out, indicating they were still some distance from her position.

Tang Yu wasn’t in a hurry. She looked up, waiting for the light from the ceiling to slowly dim.

The sun set quickly, and darkness soon swept through the library.

Before long, somewhere on the second floor, a warm yellow light flickered on.

Found them.