Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 116

Li Luo didn’t ask about the truck full of zombies, nor did she inquire about Tang Yu being a D-Class Zombie King. She seemed to genuinely harbor no hostility toward Tang Yu, concealing any unnecessary curiosity.

After a brief exchange with Xiao Li, she got into her car, settling back into the rear seat. One of the men drove the vehicle steadily, maneuvering around the truck parked in the middle of the road and continuing forward.

Tang Yu and her companions had no choice but to return to their driver’s cabin, following the white sedan from a safe distance of one hundred meters.

The scene felt familiar. When Tang Yu and Li Luo first met, Li Luo had also led the way while they followed behind.

Li Luo had no intention of stopping; she seemed prepared to drive through the night. Consequently, Tang Yu’s group had to cancel their original plan to make camp. They took turns driving, trailing behind her.

Xiao Li grumbled from the driver’s seat, “This Li Luo is so strange. She’s obviously heading to Songming City, so why did she initially say she was following us out of curiosity? Aren’t those two different stories?”

Jin Ye guessed, “Perhaps her goal was to guide us to Songming City. It was just a coincidence that our routes aligned, so she kept following us.”

“Is there something special about Songming City?”

“I don’t know. It’s so far away; we’ve never been active in that area.”

Tang Yu clutched her blade, her gaze fixed on the taillights of the car ahead through the windshield.

Initially, she had chosen Songming City as their destination simply because it was a provincial capital, a major first-tier city like Xinzhou. Tang Yu felt the chances of encountering a special room were higher there.

But now, learning that Song Lengzhu was there and had contacted Li Luo, the location had become somewhat suspicious.

Tang Yu calculated the time. They had rested at the camp for five or six days. If Song Lengzhu had left Xinzhou at the same time and headed straight for Songming City, she would have likely been in the city for three or four days already.

Could Song Lengzhu be on another mission? And did she need help, which was why she called Li Luo?

Was it a dangerous situation? Or some other difficulty? Why did she have to call on Li Luo specifically?

The more she thought about it, the more a sense of indignation welled up in Tang Yu. Li Luo’s strength could indeed be of help to Song Lengzhu, but she, Tang Yu, was no slouch either. When she arrived in Songming City, she was determined to see who would be helping whom.

Li Luo leaned back in her seat and sent the message. A reply came back quickly.

In the ally column were three words—Song Lengzhu.

“Miss Song, I’ve delivered the message. Is our deal considered complete?”

“Not yet. Bring her safely inside the high walls. The deal is complete when I meet her successfully.”

“No problem. By the way, how did you know she would pass through A-City?”

“I calculated it. The details are inconvenient to disclose.”

“Afraid I’ll harm her? You’re quite thoughtful, Miss Song. She brought a truck full of zombies. Should I explain the situation to her beforehand?”

“A truck full of zombies?” Song Lengzhu seemed a little surprised as well.

“Yes, and those zombies seem to obey her commands.” Li Luo revealed a gentle smile and, after a moment’s thought, added another line: “Your zombie friend is growing faster than I imagined. No wonder she piqued your interest. Even I’m getting curious.”

“Don’t get any ideas about her.” The text on the panel was cold, betraying no emotion.

Immediately after, Song Lengzhu sent another message: “Explain the situation to her before entering the city. Don’t bring the zombies into the city.”

“I’m only responsible for relaying the message. What she does is her own choice.”

“Mm.”

Li Luo put away her panel, her head lowered in a faint smile. She seemed to be musing to herself, “This obscure young lady… she’s really hiding her talents.”

In the latter half of the night, Tang Yu took over as the driver, driving until dawn.

At some point, a thick fog had rolled in. Perhaps it was a climatic effect of the high altitude. Mist rose from the mountains on both sides, swirling around the treetops and connecting with the low-hanging clouds.

In the distance, snow-white mountain peaks appeared and disappeared in the fog. The summer heat had failed to reach these towering summits, where unmelted snow could still be seen.

Visibility on the road became extremely low, the morning light unable to pierce the thick fog. Tang Yu concentrated on driving. The mountain road lacked guardrails, and a single mistake could send them tumbling into the ravine below.

Just as abandoned single-story houses began to appear on both sides of the road, Tang Yu suddenly saw the taillights of the car ahead flash once before the white sedan came to a stop.

Tang Yu drove up behind the car and rolled down her window to look ahead. The dry, cold air instantly flooded the cabin, making even Tang Yu, who was wearing a windbreaker, hiss.

Li Luo leaned out of her window and said, “Songming City is just ahead. A heads-up, the situation in the city is special. You’d best leave your truck of zombies here.”

Tang Yu frowned slightly. Her zombie army could double their combat power. How could she just leave them here? They would be completely useless. How could that be acceptable?

Xiao Li poked her head out of the rear window. “Why? What’s so special about it?”

These three were very vigilant; it seemed she wouldn’t get anywhere without a clear explanation. So, Li Luo explained, “Because the entire Songming City is a player camp. Most players active in the west are stationed here. If you bring them, you’ll be shot to pieces before you even get near the city walls.”

“What?” Xiao Li was incredulous. “Then why did you bring us here?”

Tang Yu also frowned. She didn’t know where Li Luo got this information. If the whole of Songming City was a player camp, then wouldn’t she, a Zombie King, be walking to her death by going there alone? This was completely unexpected. She even began to suspect that Li Luo had led her into a wolf’s den to trap a turtle in a jar.

But on second thought, it seemed strange. If Li Luo truly meant her harm, she wouldn’t have told her this in advance. Li Luo could have just led her to the city’s edge and directly cooperated with other players to eliminate her.

“I can get you into the city, but that doesn’t mean I can get the zombies in. There are too many. Showing up so brazenly will look like you’re trying to attack the city.” Li Luo responded with great patience, showing no sign of annoyance. “Leaving them outside might have unexpected uses.”

Xiao Li hesitated. “Hold on, let us discuss this.”

She pulled her head back in and asked Tang Yu, “If Songming City is a player camp, should we still go? It’s not like we have to, right?”

“Indeed,” Jin Ye said with a grave expression. “We have no compelling reason to enter the city. If what Li Luo says is true, and it’s full of players—we don’t know their numbers—we’ll be at a great disadvantage without the help of the living corpses. We might as well check out the smaller towns nearby.”

Tang Yu looked troubled. Just as she was about to respond, she heard Li Luo add, “Oh, right. I heard some people in Songming City are also researching zombies. They should be very welcoming of a Zombie King’s surrender.”

“Who said we’re going to surrender?” Xiao Li said indignantly.

“A feigned surrender is also an option. After that, it’s up to you how you play it,” Li Luo said calmly. “Don’t worry, for today and tomorrow, I will absolutely guarantee your safety.”

Xiao Li drew back and looked at her teammates. “Why do I feel like there’s a hidden meaning in everything Li Luo says? Is she hinting at something? What does she mean by ‘feigned surrender’?”

A glint flashed in Tang Yu’s eyes. “Could she… be suggesting we pretend to be weak to catch them off guard?”

Today’s fog was impenetrably thick. The guards on duty on the high wall yawned with impatience. The visibility through their binoculars was greatly reduced; they could only see about ten meters ahead.

The wide road leading into the city was filled with spiked barricades. Several armored vehicles were lined up, blocking the entrance to Songming City completely. Two soldiers holding submachine guns patrolled near the armored vehicles, ready to trigger a city-wide alert at any sign of trouble.

The barricades, armored vehicles, high walls, and large arsenal were all precious assets left by the former government. In the first two months after Songming City fell, local officials had urgently constructed a protective wall, enclosing the city’s core, and had moved all military forces to the city gate. Thanks to these measures, Songming City became the last city in the country to fall.

But while the high walls and iron defenses could block external zombies, they couldn’t stop a sudden internal outbreak. A single small wound had led to the entire city’s destruction. Coupled with the civilians’ complete inability to protect themselves, this place had once become ruins.

It wasn’t until a group of outsiders occupied it, re-established the cannon platforms, and built a new order that Songming City regained its vitality.

The guard on the watchtower yawned repeatedly. He had been on duty all night and hadn’t seen so much as a bat. He was both bored and sleepy. It was now time for the shift change. He stood up, picked up his binoculars for a casual glance, intending to finish up and head back to the barracks for a long sleep.

But that one glance revealed something extraordinary. He immediately straightened up, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

Through the lens, six dark figures broke through the thick fog, walking confidently on the asphalt road. They were dressed in black pants and shirts, their steps steady. They looked nothing like refugees who had been chased here by zombies, but rather like people heading straight for a target. This abnormal scene set off alarm bells in the guard’s mind.

“We have a situation!” The guard pressed the alarm bell on the watchtower. Instantly, a piercing siren blared across the city gate.

Dozens of black gun muzzles instantly aimed at the asphalt road by the gate. The patrolling soldiers immediately jumped into the armored vehicles, assuming an attack posture.

The six people, however, were not intimidated by this display and continued walking toward the gate, their pace unwavering. They had weapons hanging on them but were not holding them.

“Who goes there!” A dark-faced man in combat gear, holding a gun, walked out of the city gate and stood before the six people.

Only then did he see that the arrivals were four women and two men. Two of the men and two of the women carried backpacks. The remaining two women stood at the back, empty-handed. They kept their heads down, standing quietly, the brims of their windbreakers obscuring most of their faces.

The woman in the lead was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Her appearance was not outstanding, but she possessed an inexplicable affability. She smiled and said politely, “Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Lin Zhongqi.”

The dark-faced man was taken aback and subconsciously reached for the earpiece in his ear.

Their conversation was transmitted via radio to a room on the city wall. A middle-aged man stood up, left the room, and walked down to the base of the wall.

The middle-aged man, carrying a Tang dao on his back, pushed the dark-faced man aside. He looked past the leading woman and stared directly at the two people with their heads down at the back.

“D-Class Zombie Kings?” His voice was calm. He raised his wrist to look at it, then lowered it again. “This is a rarity. What are you doing here?”

On the high wall behind him, dozens of gun muzzles quietly shifted their aim to the two women at the very back.

The leading woman said with a smile, “Oh? Didn’t Mr. Lin inform you? I brought them here to do business.”

The man with the Tang dao raised an eyebrow. “What business? I haven’t heard anything.”

“The business Song Lengzhu discussed with your leader. I don’t know the specific details. I’m just here to deliver them.”

The man with the Tang dao looked puzzled. He turned to the side, opened his game panel, and seemed to be asking something. Two minutes later, he turned back with a smile, his tone becoming very polite. “I see. In that case, you are honored guests. Please.”

He made a welcoming gesture. The guns on the wall were instantly withdrawn, and the soldiers moved a barricade to create a small opening.

“My name is Lou Yan. May I ask your name?”

“Li Luo.”

“Ah, so it’s Miss Li.” Lou Yan’s expression turned strange for a moment. He quickly stepped aside, his bow becoming even deeper.

“You know me?” Li Luo stopped and looked at Lou Yan.

“I’ve heard a little, after all, the Li family…”

“Alright, I understand.” Li Luo cut Lou Yan off. She glanced back at the docile zombies behind her, a smile playing on her lips. “I’ll have to trouble Mr. Lou to lead the way.”

“Of course, this way please.”