Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 111

The journey from the southern province back to the camp was long. Along the way, Tang Yu encountered quite a few troublemakers. After all, their two large trucks and one modified vehicle were too conspicuous on the road, making it difficult to hide their tracks. The three of them decided to stop hiding and just faced them head-on.

The front of the modified car was covered in sharp iron spikes. Tang Yu directly turned the car around and rammed into the vehicles of the troublemaking players. Then, she climbed onto the roof of her car and jumped onto the hood of their wrecked vehicle. These players had just triggered the Zombie King alert and, before they could even run, were sent out of the game by Tang Yu.

Sometimes, Xiao Li and Jin Ye would also stop their truck to join the fight. Whenever this happened, Jian Che would lean against the car door, roll down the window, and watch.

She determined that these three “big sisters” were even more formidable than Qi Jie, especially the Zombie King named Tang Yu. When Tang Yu swung her blade, the muscles on her bare arms were knotted and powerful. Each slash carried a fierce wind, yet her movements were controlled and precise, without a single wasted motion.

This was the kind of prowess that could only be honed through countless battles.

Jian Che leaned against the glass window, her young face showing little emotion, but a subtle light shimmered in her eyes. In her dozen or so years of life, she had seen too many men who possessed oppressive power. From ancient times to the present, what was mostly praised was the strength and self-reliance of men; female role models were rarely promoted.

And yet, there were so many decisive and self-reliant women.

Watching Tang Yu’s figure, Jian Che’s heart surged with emotion. Encountering a woman who could be called a role model during her formative years had a profound impact on her state of mind.

Xiao Li Jie had said the camp was full of “aunties” like this. Although they didn’t possess great martial strength, they were all self-reliant, ordinary, and kind. This made Jian Che look forward to life in the camp.

Tang Yu stood on the shattered car hood and tossed aside the corpse she was holding. The body fell through the broken windshield, landing back in the driver’s seat, motionless.

She stood up and looked back at the parked truck behind her. A small face was pressed against the window, watching her silently.

It seemed Jian Che and Qi Jinyin hadn’t been caught in the crossfire, and Jin Ye and Xiao Li had also finished their battles. Tang Yu felt relieved, jumped off the car, and returned to the driver’s cabin of the modified vehicle.

By the time they drove back to the reservoir, stopping and starting along the way, the sky had already darkened, approaching dusk.

After confirming no one was following them, they carefully drove the vehicles up to the camp along the dirt road they had previously laid.

From a distance, they saw Granny Mei and a group of people carrying hoes, walking along the ridges of the fields. They were laughing and talking as they headed toward the village, likely having just finished their day’s work.

Seeing three unfamiliar vehicles driving up the dirt road, they alertly put down their hoes and drew the melee weapons they carried. The youngest girl quickly ran toward the village to sound the alarm.

Their reactions were swift and their roles were clear, as if they had rehearsed it.

It wasn’t until Tang Yu leaned out, waved, and shouted that everyone relaxed and burst into laughter. One of the aunties yelled, “Xiao Tang is back!” Her loud voice carried on the wind to the village entrance.

A lamp had been left on at the village entrance. It was already lit, casting a warm glow that blended with the orange-red sunset.

It seemed the supplies they had found earlier had been put to use; the village now had electricity.

Hearing the auntie’s call, it wasn’t long before several people pushed open the wooden fence and stood at the end of the dirt road, gazing into the distance.

Some of them were still wearing aprons, wiping their hands on them. Others had just finished their day’s work and were wiping away sweat with towels. They stood together in twos and threes, talking and laughing. The warm yellow light shone on them, complementing the surrounding woods and farmland, looking just like a rustic oil painting.

This was the scene that greeted Tang Yu. Her heart instantly relaxed, as if she had been gently placed on a cloud. It was a light, comfortable feeling she couldn’t experience anywhere else.

They parked the vehicles in the open space at the village entrance, carefully helped Qi Jinyin out, and joined the aunties who had come to greet them.

It was noisy deep in the mountains. As soon as night fell, the surroundings filled with the chirping of insects. And as the weather grew hotter, cicadas on some unknown tree clamored all day long, not stopping even after dark.

Amidst this noise, Tang Yu noticed the changes in the village. Lu Lu had told her before that she wanted to add a wooden fence around the village, complete with an electric wire fence. In the five or six days they had been away, both the wooden fence and the electric fence had been erected. The entire camp looked brand new, and its security had been greatly enhanced.

The electric fence had only two gates, one at the head and one at the tail of the village, just wide enough for a single vehicle to pass through. This made it easy to defend and also easy to escape from.

In addition, the potato sprouts in the nearby fields were also growing well. If you looked at these crops every day, you wouldn’t notice how fast they were shooting up. But coming back after a few days, you would see they grew extremely quickly.

These bean plants had a short growth cycle and a high yield. In just over a month, they would be able to eat the vegetables they had grown themselves.

The aunties first settled Jian Che and Qi Jinyin in, and only then did they go to move the supplies together.

The scrap metal junk from the truck was a treasure in the aunties’ eyes. Auntie Pang led the inventory, exclaiming in amazement from time to time. Lu Lu stood to the side with a small notebook, recording the supplies. She categorized and noted down what each item was for and where it should be stored.

A harvest always brought joy, and everyone was beaming with delight. Auntie Pang stood on the pile of junk and gave Tang Yu, Jin Ye, and Xiao Li a thumbs-up. “You girls are so capable!” Auntie Pang couldn’t think of any other words of praise, so she complimented them directly.

The compressed iron blocks in the other truck, however, couldn’t be used directly. Everyone decided to set them aside for now and figure out a way to melt them down and cast them into other things later.

By the time they had huffed and puffed their way through organizing the supplies, the sky had completely darkened. Zombie figures began to appear in the surroundings, so everyone finally left the trucks and went into the village.

Auntie Zhu, along with Tang Yu and Xiao Li, set up a large round table with pots and bowls. The courtyard used for gatherings had been fitted with light bulbs. They were of an old-fashioned design, emitting a white glow. These bulbs were very versatile and much more practical than fluorescent tubes for an outdoor setting.

“Come, come, time to eat,” Auntie Zhu called out, bringing dishes to the table. Their new kitchen was set up nearby, making it very convenient to go in and out.

Except for Qi Jinyin, the aunties sat down in twos and threes. Their gazes naturally fell on Jian Che. This new member didn’t smile much; her face looked a bit childish, but her eyes were already very steady.

Auntie Zhu held a large ladle and served soup to everyone. She softened her voice and asked Jian Che, “Little girl, what’s your name?”

“Jian Che.”

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

“You’re at the age where you’re still growing. Eat more.” Auntie Zhu didn’t ask any more questions and ladled a full scoop of soup for her.

The soup was made with dried mushrooms and wild pheasant, with some carrots added. A thin layer of oil floated on the creamy yellow broth. Before the bowl was even passed to her, the rich aroma wafted into Jian Che’s nose.

It smelled so good. Jian Che stared at the bowl, unable to look away. She knew it was a bit impolite, but the steaming chunks of chicken were just too eye-catching.

Ever since her parents passed away, she hadn’t had a single proper meal. Qi Jie didn’t know how to cook either, so they ate things like canned food and crackers. Jian Che had thought she would have to spend the rest of her days like this.

Who would have thought that such good days were still possible?

She reached out and steadily took the wooden bowl from Auntie Zhu. She took a small sip first, and only then did she remember to say thank you.

“Thank you.” Her eyes, veiled by the steam, grew moist.

“You’re welcome. Eat slowly, we have plenty of food in our camp.” Auntie Zhu wiped her hands on her apron and sat down next to Jian Che to eat.

As if by tacit understanding, no one pried with questions. They all ate their food, chatting about the work to be done the next day, and occasionally saying a few words to Jian Che.

Noticing that Jian Che wasn’t very talkative, the aunties didn’t force the young girl to socialize, but secretly moved the tastiest dishes in front of her.

During the meal, Jian Che secretly glanced at Tang Yu. Tang Yu was talking about something with Xiao Li and Jin Ye. Their expressions were relaxed, and they all had smiles on their faces, but their speed of eating was not slow at all. Their bowls, piled high with rice like little mountains, were leveled in the blink of an eye.

The spread on the table was lavish: fresh stir-fried wild vegetables, braised crucian carp, pan-fried flatbread, dry pot potatoes, cold-dressed bean sprouts, and stewed chicken soup. The dishes were divided into two sets; the food and utensils for the few zombies were kept separate. But everyone sat together, with no obvious dividing line.

So comfortable. Jian Che finally believed that everything Xiao Li had said was true. This scene was even more comfortable than she had imagined.

Jian Che relaxed her shoulders and finally picked up her chopsticks to eat. The rice in her bowl was distinct, plump, and full-grained. She could easily smell the steaming aroma. Jian Che no longer held back and, along with some wild vegetables, shoveled a large mouthful of rice into her mouth.

It’s delicious, just like my mom’s cooking.

“Ah,” Tang Yu said, picking up some food with her chopsticks, and looked over at Zhou Zhou. “Zhou Zhou, Qi Jinyin’s injuries, do you think you can treat them?”

“I won’t,” Zhou Zhou replied without looking up. “But I can give her some anti-inflammatory and debridement medicine. I’ve checked her condition. Her injuries are no longer life-threatening, and her internal organs are self-repairing. With your zombie constitution, a month or so of rest should be enough.”

“So heartless,” Tang Yu grumbled.

Xiao Li leaned past Jin Ye toward Tang Yu and whispered, “It’s fine. She just won’t do it herself, but the medicine she gives is very effective. I’ve experienced it.”

Zhou Zhou narrowed her eyes at Xiao Li. “You’re too loud. I heard that~”

“I didn’t expect Professor Zhou to have such good hearing despite being nearsighted,” Xiao Li sat up straight and teased with a grin.

“You’d better be careful when you sleep tonight. I might just stick you with a needle.”

“I’m not scared. Jin Ye will protect me, right, Jin Ye?” Xiao Li looked at the person next to her who was picking up food.

“Mhm,” Jin Ye replied, her expression unchanged.

I can’t take it anymore. Tang Yu quickly moved away from Xiao Li and Jin Ye. Those two were so exasperating.

She put down her bowl, ladled a new portion of food from the pot, and walked toward Qi Jinyin’s room. “I’m going to take care of the patient.”

Seeing this, Jian Che also put down her bowl and wanted to follow.

Tang Yu quickly shook her head, signaling for her to eat more.

Jian Che wouldn’t give up. She said in a low voice, “I’m full. Auntie Zhu’s cooking is delicious.”

She had polished off two large bowls in a short time.

Alright then. Tang Yu didn’t stop her anymore. The little girl had a good relationship with Qi Jinyin and was probably worried about her.

Qi Jinyin and Jian Che’s room was in the same courtyard as Zhou Zhou’s place. The roof had partially collapsed and the room had been abandoned, but Auntie Pang had repaired it in the last few days, making it just right for them to live in.

Tang Yu had originally wanted to arrange another room for Jian Che. After all, she was an NPC and Qi Jinyin was a zombie, so living together would be inconvenient. But Jian Che was worried. She wanted to look after Qi Jinyin, at least until her injuries healed, to repay her for saving her life.

Quite loyal. Tang Yu really liked this composed little girl.

Qi Jinyin was half-reclining on a bamboo bed, resting. Jian Che took the bowl from Tang Yu’s hands and fed Qi Jinyin the soup spoonful by spoonful. Tang Yu, happy to be idle, went to look at the medicine Zhou Zhou had brought over, which was on the bedside table.

“Oh, right.” Tang Yu remembered something. She turned her head and asked Qi Jinyin, “The notebook I used to communicate with you before, did I leave it at the library or did you take it?”

Communicating with players using pen and paper would definitely leave a trace. For example, Tang Yu had kept the notepad she used to communicate with Song Lengzhu with her at all times.

“I took it with me. It’s in my backpack.” Qi Jinyin pointed to an ordinary backpack in the corner. “It’s a notepad, but there’s not much in it.”

“You actually kept it?” Tang Yu was pleasantly surprised.

“As a memento.” Qi Jinyin also had a smile on her face. “Besides, it’s not something you can just throw away. I was afraid someone with ill intentions might find it… Sorry, I tend to overthink things sometimes.”

“Overthinking is a good thing.” Tang Yu handed the backpack to Qi Jinyin. Qi Jinyin propped herself up, rummaged through it for a moment, and pulled a yellow notepad from the innermost compartment.

Tang Yu took it and sat at the foot of the bed, flipping through it page by page.

The notepad only contained Tang Yu’s responses. And because writing was troublesome, she often only wrote down keywords, making it difficult to infer the context of their conversations.

But judging from the content, it was mostly related to daily life, such as where to find certain supplies, how long she would be out, and so on.

Regarding the interstellar content, the conversation Qi Jinyin had recounted earlier was all there was. Tang Yu didn’t find any other useful information.

Tang Yu flipped through the scattered notes on the notepad one by one. She discovered that her relationship with Qi Jinyin had been quite good; she would sometimes ask about her injuries and things like that.

However, it hadn’t reached the point of confiding in each other. After all, they had only known each other for two weeks. This meant their conversations remained superficial, barely touching on any core information. Even the matter of the special room wasn’t mentioned on paper.

However, a keyword on one of the pages caught Tang Yu’s attention. It was just a single, simple word—

“Chaos.”

The previous page listed food items, and then this strange word appeared on the next. Flipping further, it was back to daily conversations.

Tang Yu let out a sound of surprise, stood up, and handed the notepad to Qi Jinyin. “This word, do you remember what it was about?”

Qi Jinyin swallowed the soup in her mouth and thought for a long time. “I don’t really remember. Our chats back then were all fragmented, so there’s not much I recall.”

True, who would remember something they said seven or eight months ago? Tang Yu withdrew her hand, feeling a bit regretful.

However, Jian Che, who had glanced at it from the side, repeated, “Chaos?”

NPCs and zombies couldn’t communicate, so Jian Che couldn’t understand Tang Yu and Qi Jinyin’s conversation and hadn’t interjected. Her sudden utterance must mean she recognized the word.

Tang Yu’s face lit up. She pointed to the notepad and showed it to Jian Che, then drew a question mark in the air with her fingertip.

“Chaos? That’s the name of a primordial deity in Western mythology, the god of chaos. It’s often seen as the origin and essence of the world.” Jian Che said as she thought. She had been exposed to a wide range of extracurricular knowledge during her school days and had learned a bit about Western mythology.

But both Qi Jinyin and Tang Yu indicated they had never heard of it. Not many interstellar people knew these ancient myths and legends anymore.

“The beginning of the world?” Tang Yu furrowed her brow, completely baffled. Why would she have written such a word? Could it have been a note she took while reading miscellaneous books in the library?

She didn’t think of herself as such a studious person.

Tang Yu tore the page from the notepad, folded it neatly, and put it in her pocket.

This word probably wasn’t written casually, but she didn’t know what it meant. Tang Yu decided to keep the note with her for now.