Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 103

Tang Yu’s mind raced. Where there was light in this lounge, there would be shadows. Turning off the small flashlight would only increase the area of darkness. If Black Scorpion was teleported over and she couldn’t kill him in one strike, the number of enemies she faced would double.

She didn’t know what state Black Scorpion’s ability-formed entities would be in. If they completely copied his own strength, the situation would become two-on-one, or even three-on-one. Tang Yu would have no chance of winning.

So, either she had to strike fast and kill him in one blow, or…

Tang Yu thought for a moment, then took a step forward, moving closer to Song Lengzhu. She placed her knife against Song Lengzhu’s neck again with her right hand, while her left hand, formed into a claw, hovered near her throat.

The distance between them was extremely close, so close that she could clearly smell the cool fragrance on Song Lengzhu’s body.

Song Lengzhu’s expression soured as she frowned. At this distance, if Tang Yu wanted to harm her, the probability of success would be very high.

Song Lengzhu’s human instincts made her want to retreat, but she forced herself to endure it, only warning, “Don’t use your replication ability on me.”

Tang Yu froze for a second, her gaze toward Song Lengzhu brightening slightly.

Oh, right. If Song Lengzhu hadn’t mentioned it, she wouldn’t have even thought of that.

When her gaze shifted back to Song Lengzhu’s slender neck, Tang Yu’s thoughts were no longer so pure. She couldn’t help but swallow. That smooth, delicate skin… I really want to touch it. If I did, I could get “Position Swap,” right?

In that instant, Tang Yu sensed the pressure around Song Lengzhu drop significantly. Looking up, she saw that Song Lengzhu’s eyes were now filled with wariness.

Tang Yu had seen this kind of look in the restricted zone before; it had a devastating effect on her. A sour feeling immediately spread through her chest, an uncomfortable sensation like ants crawling over her skin. She didn’t like Song Lengzhu looking at her like that.

Forget it. Tang Yu obediently stood still. She had been the one with improper thoughts first, undermining their cooperative relationship. She couldn’t blame Song Lengzhu for getting angry.

She gathered her thoughts and nodded at Song Lengzhu, indicating that she was ready.

The scene before her blurred, and in the next moment, a tall man appeared where Song Lengzhu had been.

Black Scorpion was fully prepared. Unlike the sentinel before him, he wasn’t bewildered. The moment the scene before him changed, he knew Song Lengzhu had made her move.

It was predictable. In Fang Yiming’s team, aside from the sentinel, Black Scorpion was the weakest. He was bound to be the next target for the swap.

Therefore, he didn’t hesitate for even half a second. He pulled the trigger with his index finger while simultaneously retreating. In the shadows of the lounge, a solid black figure began to emerge.

These three actions happened almost simultaneously. Black Scorpion judged internally that Song Lengzhu’s companion was merely a D-Class Zombie King. He had killed D-Class Zombie Kings before; they weren’t formidable opponents and couldn’t even dodge his bullets.

But what Black Scorpion hadn’t expected was that the zombie before him not only dodged his bullet but also seemed to have anticipated his movements. The instant he fired, she circled behind him, blocking his retreat. Her knife and claw, one on each side, were still hovering near his neck.

Alarm bells screamed in Black Scorpion’s mind. His first reaction was to guard against Tang Yu’s knife. After all, it was too close, so close it could pierce his skin in the next second. So, he tilted his head to the other side.

This move was equivalent to offering his neck to Tang Yu’s other hand.

The cut from the knife Black Scorpion expected never came. Instead, there was a warm touch, as if he had been touched by the zombie’s hand.

“Fvck!” Black Scorpion cursed, goosebumps instantly breaking out all over his body. He quickly wrapped his arm under his armpit and fired backward.

Tang Yu moved aside. What puzzled Black Scorpion was that Tang Yu hadn’t clawed him. She had only touched him. She clearly had the chance to claw him, but she didn’t.

This Zombie King, why doesn’t she play by the rules!

He was both shocked and delighted. Shocked that the Zombie King had completely disrupted his rhythm, and delighted that his opponent had missed a chance to win. A wild smile appeared on his face, because in these four or five seconds, the shadow entity in the darkness had already solidified.

“Six… seven…” Tang Yu counted the seconds, her eyes nimble and innocent. She deactivated her precognition ability, switched to another one in the next second, and then lunged at Black Scorpion, gripping her knife with both hands.

Almost simultaneously, the three black shadows Black Scorpion had summoned charged fiercely at Tang Yu. These shadows ignored gravity and could transform into any shape. Maintaining their shadow-like state, resembling pools of asphalt, their hands morphed into sharp swords, stabbing straight for Tang Yu’s heart from three directions.

Tang Yu didn’t even turn her head, neither dodging nor evading.

Her eyes reflected only the figure of Black Scorpion.

“Nine…” Tang Yu muttered. She had already rehearsed Black Scorpion’s movements in her mind before switching abilities. If nothing unexpected happened, the prediction would not change.

And Black Scorpion was precisely the type of person who was too arrogant to change.

“Ten.” Tang Yu softly uttered the syllable. The long knife in her hands plunged into Black Scorpion’s heart with a soft squelch and was instantly pulled out. She had won her bet.

Black Scorpion’s eyes filled with disbelief. Until the second Tang Yu charged at him, he was still waiting for his three shadow clones to finish her off. They were already extremely close, so close that one more second was all they needed to take Tang Yu’s life.

But in the next second, the splattering bl00d wasn’t Tang Yu’s, but his own. An incredible scene was reflected in his pupils. In the small room, three other black shadows had appeared out of thin air, blocking the attack for Tang Yu.

Six black shadows grappled with each other. Three of them, the ones he had created, began to shrink as he was stabbed.

Impossible! How is this possible! Black Scorpion wanted to curse, but in the next moment, the scene changed again. He was back beside Fang Yiming, but his vision was blurring, and the curses in his mouth became indistinct.

A complete victory.

But Tang Yu’s mood didn’t relax.

The moment Black Scorpion’s figure vanished, Tang Yu stared nervously at the person before her.

Song Lengzhu was back.

Is she hurt? Where is she hurt? Tang Yu herself didn’t realize how concerned her expression was.

Tang Yu had suffered at Fang Yiming’s hands before. She knew that with his personality, he would definitely set up a gravity field around Black Scorpion or Ci Huai, perhaps even surrounding them with sharp metal objects. The moment Song Lengzhu swapped positions, Fang Yiming could strike.

So, during those ten seconds, Song Lengzhu’s situation must have been perilous, even more so than her own.

“Are you okay?” Tang Yu blurted out instinctively, forgetting that the other person couldn’t understand her.

Song Lengzhu looked up at Tang Yu, then, her strength failing her, she collapsed to the ground.

“Song Lengzhu!” Panic seized Tang Yu’s heart, and she reached out to help her up.

Song Lengzhu’s face was flushed crimson. On her fair complexion, tiny bl00d vessels were clearly visible, and her eyes were shot with red. It was bl00d congestion.

Through the sleeve of the windbreaker, Tang Yu grabbed Song Lengzhu’s arm. Seeing that Song Lengzhu was about to fall further, she steeled herself, moved behind Song Lengzhu, and half-knelt to embrace her.

However, the embrace was very restrained. She absolutely could not touch any of Song Lengzhu’s skin that wasn’t covered by clothing.

After steadying Song Lengzhu’s body, Tang Yu’s eyes scanned her up and down twice. Confirming there were no sharp metal objects, she breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there’s no bl00d.

Song Lengzhu seemed to be completely drained. Tang Yu deactivated her Shadow Transformation ability and waited carefully for her to recover.

Song Lengzhu felt as if her internal organs were churning. The back of her hand was red in a spider-like pattern where many tiny bl00d vessels had burst under the pressure.

Fang Yiming was even harder to deal with than she had imagined. The moment she arrived, she was hit with a gravity field, and the surrounding iron nails and steel pipes stabbed down at the same time.

In the nick of time, Song Lengzhu swapped positions with Fang Yiming. Who would have thought he was ruthless enough to have also placed a gravity field on his own position, and on Ci Huai’s as well.

Fang Yiming was very clever. In such a short time, he had figured out a way to counter “Position Swap.” Although it was a case of “injuring the enemy by a thousand while losing a thousand yourself,” he didn’t care. He was just that kind of crazy person.

Song Lengzhu’s tolerance for heavy pressure couldn’t compare to Fang Yiming’s. He had probably experimented on himself countless times, knowing exactly where the discomfort would appear first.

In a direct confrontation, Song Lengzhu couldn’t beat Fang Yiming. She could only place her hopes on Tang Yu, needing only to hold on for ten seconds.

Fortunately, Tang Yu didn’t disappoint her.

The moment their positions swapped back, Song Lengzhu knew she had made the right bet.

She looked up and was caught off guard by Tang Yu’s concerned gaze. Her breathing, which had just started to even out, hitched for a second.

That gaze was too pure and intense. She couldn’t suppress the ripple that spread through her heart—a strange fluctuation she shouldn’t feel for a zombie, yet it came on so strongly that she couldn’t ignore it.

As if possessed, Song Lengzhu let go of her strength, allowing herself to instinctively collapse to the ground.

It was strange, now that she thought about it. She was the type of person who would die on her feet. The gravity field wouldn’t have drained her this completely. If Xiao Qi had been there, she would have held on, pretended her steps were steady, and found a chair to sit down and rest on her own.

But now, Song Lengzhu found that just sitting on the floor seemed more comfortable.

The little zombie was calling her name. The syllables weren’t pleasant, sounding almost like a curse, but her anxious tone made Song Lengzhu deliberately ignore that.

It wasn’t until Tang Yu held her by the shoulders, letting her lean against her, that Song Lengzhu realized with a start that she shouldn’t show weakness in front of an outsider. Her body stiffened instantly. The warmth of Tang Yu’s palm seeped through her clothes to her skin, scorching and hot.

The little zombie wouldn’t hurt her right now, Song Lengzhu was sure of that. But what was with this stiff muscular reaction?

Song Lengzhu pressed her thin lips together, closed her eyes, and said nothing.

Several minutes passed, and Song Lengzhu still hadn’t reacted. Tang Yu figured she must be quite seriously injured.

From her angle, she could see Song Lengzhu’s long, soft eyelashes trembling slightly.

This was the first time Tang Yu had observed Song Lengzhu’s eyelashes from so close. They were beautiful, like feathers, and their trembling made one’s heart feel soft and ticklish.

But if Song Lengzhu didn’t move soon, her legs would go numb. The woman wasn’t speaking either. Could her internal organs be injured?

Tang Yu thought for a moment, then carefully shifted her position, raising herself up to free a hand and grab a pen and paper from a nearby table.

But this very movement seemed to aggravate Song Lengzhu’s injuries. She coughed, spitting out a mouthful of bl00d.

It seems her internal organs really are injured.

Tang Yu quickly drew back, squatting steadily, not daring to make another rash move.

But at that moment, Song Lengzhu came to her senses. She pushed herself up with one hand, moving out of Tang Yu’s embrace, and sat up straight, taking two slow breaths.

“Is it bad? Where are you hurt?” Tang Yu bit off the pen cap and scribbled a few large characters.

Song Lengzhu, her eyes half-open, answered in a low voice, “My internal organs are injured. It’s fine, nothing serious.”

Tang Yu didn’t believe her. She had been under a gravity field for four or five seconds before and knew how awful it felt.

The web of bl00d vessels on Song Lengzhu’s cheeks was very distinct. Against her fair skin, they were so red they looked as if they might drip through her skin.

These bl00d vessels gave Song Lengzhu an indescribably bewitching look, and her lips, from coughing up bl00d earlier, appeared exceptionally crimson.

Tang Yu was momentarily stunned. Then she remembered she didn’t have any medicine on her and wouldn’t know what to use for this situation anyway. She squatted there at a loss, her eyes fixed on Song Lengzhu, not knowing what to say.

“Stop staring,” Song Lengzhu said, turning her head away. “We can’t stay here forever. Let’s find another spot first.”

It was possible Black Scorpion could still speak after being teleported back. If he revealed their location, it would be dangerous for them to stay here.

Tang Yu wrote: “Can you walk?”

“Yes.”

Song Lengzhu took a breath. Her injuries were real, but she wasn’t that fragile. She used a nearby chair for support and stood up.

“By the way, Black Scorpion’s ability… did you get it?” Song Lengzhu glanced toward the dark corner. When their positions had swapped back, she had seen three entities there.

Tang Yu’s expression faltered slightly before she slowly nodded.

A thought suddenly struck her. Song Lengzhu had clearly guessed she had a replication ability, so why did she push Black Scorpion to her to be killed? Was she gifting her an ability?

At this thought, Tang Yu’s mind was in turmoil. After the missions in Ghost Valley and the restricted zone, her relationship with Song Lengzhu had become incredibly complex. They were undoubtedly enemies, their identities completely opposed, yet when they were together, they acted like teammates who had cooperated for a long time.

This frenemy relationship was the most taxing because there were no clear boundaries. You couldn’t judge whether the other person’s every move was benevolent or malicious.

For instance, right now, wasn’t Song Lengzhu afraid that if she became stronger, she would become a formidable rival? Or was she planning to raise her into an A-Class Zombie King, only to personally come and take her dog life?

No, it doesn’t seem like that. Song Lengzhu is clearly acting with good intentions.

Tang Yu’s brows furrowed in confusion. So hard to guess. This woman is so hard to guess.

“What’s wrong? Is something amiss?” Song Lengzhu sensed Tang Yu’s mood and asked.

Tang Yu steeled herself, wrote a sentence on the paper, and held it out to Song Lengzhu.

“Why did you give me an ability? Aren’t you wary of me?”

She used the word “give,” and it was indeed the case. Song Lengzhu was capable of killing Black Scorpion on her own; she didn’t have to cooperate with Tang Yu.

Song Lengzhu glanced at it but didn’t answer immediately. She picked up the small flashlight from the table, pushed open the door, and walked out. “Let’s leave here first.”

Tang Yu felt a lump of frustration in her chest. Why are you avoiding my question?

She picked up the pen and paper from the table, planning to carry them with her.

The staff lounge connected to two areas: the public reading area on one side and the office area on the other. Song Lengzhu leaned against the wall and walked directly toward the reading area.

The reading area had no rooms for cover, only bookshelves and tables. It wasn’t suitable for hiding or resting. Tang Yu didn’t know why Song Lengzhu was heading this way.

It wasn’t until the two of them had walked back to the second-floor study area that Song Lengzhu turned her head to speak to Tang Yu. “They’ve left the library.”

Where Fang Yiming’s group of three had been, only an overturned black hardcover book and some leftover packaging trash remained. Other than that, nothing was left behind.

“At least, they’re no longer within the range of my ability,” Song Lengzhu said.

It made sense. Fang Yiming’s team of four had now lost two members. Their morale was shattered. Not knowing the enemy’s location, it was only natural for them to choose to leave the library.

Just like Jin Ye and the others wouldn’t wait to die in the exposed junkyard.

Thinking of this, Tang Yu remembered to check her messages. Jin Ye had said they had already left the junkyard and were approaching the outskirts of Xinzhou.

Calculating the time, even if Fang Yiming drove after Jin Ye now, he wouldn’t be able to catch up. Besides, they didn’t even know Jin Ye’s location.

Good. The surveillance mission was more or less complete. Tang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, her expression relaxing a little.

Song Lengzhu waited for Tang Yu to finish checking her panel before asking, “Since Fang Yiming is no longer here, are you preparing to leave?” She guessed that Tang Yu’s teammates were probably waiting somewhere to rendezvous.

To her surprise, Tang Yu shook her head. She wasn’t planning to leave yet. With Fang Yiming gone, it was the perfect opportunity to explore the library.

“What about you?” Tang Yu took out her notepad and pen to communicate with Song Lengzhu.

Song Lengzhu looked at the bold handwriting on the paper and remained silent for two seconds before answering, “I plan to rest here for the night. I’ll decide what to do after my injuries have healed a bit.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Tang Yu’s face. She quickly wrote a few words: “That’s perfect. I’ll watch over you.”

Song Lengzhu was injured and needed to be looked after. This was Tang Yu’s judgment.

For some reason, this judgment made her a little happy. They could stay together a little longer.

Tang Yu pointed at the ceiling, signaling for Song Lengzhu to go upstairs.

Considering Song Lengzhu’s injuries, they walked very slowly. Tang Yu walked in front, with Song Lengzhu following two steps behind.

She remembered how they used to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who walked in front, each guarding against a sneak attack from the other. She didn’t know when they had stopped paying attention to such details.

The change was subtle, without any clear turning point. The two of them had never made any agreement; it was as if it had happened naturally. Only in hindsight did she realize they had already let down most of their guard.

“About the question you asked me earlier,” Song Lengzhu began slowly as she walked. “You asked if I was wary of you. To be honest, when I found out you had a replication ability, I was.”

Tang Yu’s steps faltered for a moment, then she resumed walking up the stairs.

“But given your growth rate, even if I don’t help you, you’ll become extremely powerful one day anyway. So I might as well do you a favor and ask that you show me some mercy when you decide to kill me in the future.”

She was joking.

Tang Yu frowned and glanced back. Song Lengzhu’s brow was relaxed as she stood on a lower step, looking up at Tang Yu. Her facial expression hadn’t changed much, but her deep eyes were filled with light and a faint hint of a smile.

Tang Yu couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. What, does she, Song Lengzhu, need me to show her mercy? And how can she be so sure that I’ll definitely try to kill her in the future? Can’t we just keep cooperating like this?

Tang Yu met Song Lengzhu’s direct gaze. The two of them stood there on the stairs, one above the other, motionless.

“Just kidding.” Song Lengzhu averted her gaze. “Do you really want to know the answer?”