Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 138

Six helicopters rose directly above Songming City. The roaring sound they made caused the citizens to turn their heads and discuss it endlessly. Tang Yu followed the tutorial to switch the mode to autopilot. The parameters were already set, so she only needed to control the direction.

Among the newly recruited members, one NPC turned out to be a female soldier who had served in the military, and coincidentally, she was a pilot. So, the others didn’t have to fumble in the dark. They even received some simple training, and with the game’s instructions, it was just enough.

So, Tang Yu, Xiao Li, Jin Ye, Catherine, plus another player and the female soldier—a total of six people—each piloted a helicopter. At high noon, with the sun hanging high in the sky, they left Songming City with supplies and the other members.

Jian Che and Zhou Zhou remained in the city, continuing their grand research project.

What would have originally taken a day and a night by car now took less than half a day. The helicopters flew past A-City and into the mountains, hiding their presence among the undulating mountain ranges.

The roar of the helicopters was too loud. To prevent exposing the camp, they landed in an open area far from the reservoir. Then, Qi Jinyin and Fu Mengqing drove a truck to pick them up.

The road to the village had been repaired again and was now much smoother. Even the large truck previously used to transport iron blocks didn’t seem to find it narrow.

Piles of weapons were moved back to the village, causing the aunties to exclaim in amazement repeatedly.

“My goodness, I never thought I’d get to touch one of these things one day.” Auntie Pang held a grenade launcher, playing with it. The aunties in front of her hurriedly scattered, afraid she might accidentally fire it and blow up the village.

Lu Lu was beaming with joy: “There are so many weapons! Enough for everyone to have one, no problem. And bulletproof vests too! Tang Yu, you guys are too much!”

Tang Yu and the other two were surrounded, receiving everyone’s enthusiastic praise.

Furthermore, there were the thirty-two new members. To welcome them, the aunties specially organized a bonfire party. It was lively with laughter and cheerful chatter, and everyone got to know each other in one evening.

After the last member was added to the camp group, the camp’s level shot up from level two to level four. With enough weapons and enough manpower, the scale of “A Close and Loving Family” had grown considerably. If someone wanted to attack this place, they might not necessarily succeed.

The new members were divided into groups that very night. In addition to the original five groups, a new guard team was formed. It was led by three players with abilities and the female soldier, responsible for the camp’s defensive construction and teaching other members how to use the new weapons and combat skills.

These players had various basic skills, which perfectly filled the camp’s manpower gaps. Some were skilled at identifying objects, others were good at socializing. All of them took on different tasks according to the strategy Tang Yu had initially established, where everyone had their own role.

On the night she returned to the village, Tang Yu also paid a visit to the blacksmith’s residence, requesting to have the Tang Dao fused into the Startling Dragon to improve its precision. The blacksmith held the Tang Dao with both hands, looking at Tang Yu with a strange expression. Where did this person get so many treasures?

Coincidentally, the forging period was exactly three days, so Tang Yu planned to pick it up on the day she was leaving.

The three days in the camp were bustling with activity. Tang Yu worked with great vigor. Besides her work in the food ingredients group, she also had to deal with the interpersonal issues of the new members. These newcomers outnumbered the original members and brought with them the habits of their old camps. Once the numbers went up, it was easy for new cliques and habits to form, impacting the originally harmonious atmosphere of the camp.

Everyone was friendly and had no ill intentions, but regardless, when there are more people, friction is bound to arise. Even something as simple as different farming methods could cause some rifts.

Therefore, Tang Yu and Jin Ye paid special attention to the integration of the newcomers. But managing a community was much harder than fighting. The camp’s “Unity” and “Affection” stats fluctuated several times, dropping from 99 and 100 to around 80. Tang Yu could only console herself: more people, more problems. It’s normal.

This was indeed normal, but Tang Yu couldn’t help but start thinking about the arrangements for after she left. The date she had given Song Lengzhu was in three days. After three days, she would have to meet up with Song Lengzhu to search for the whereabouts of the other Chaos.

Tang Yu calculated in her head. Once she, Jin Ye, and Xiao Li left, the only ones who could manage the overall situation in the village would be Lu Lu and Qi Jinyin. That was far from enough. If a conflict arose, those two wouldn’t be able to suppress the new players. It would probably take about half a month for the situation to stabilize.

But Tang Yu couldn’t wait. Even without Song Lengzhu, she had to consider the growth rate of Chaos. It wanted to kill her, and if she did nothing, she would easily be put in a passive position.

Tang Yu told Jin Ye and Xiao Li about her worries. Xiao Li clapped her hands. “That’s easy. Jin Ye and I will stay behind.”

“Huh? You have the heart to let me fight alone, face life-and-death situations, and be all by myself?” Tang Yu tilted her head.

“Tang Yu, you’re a big girl now,” Xiao Li said earnestly.

Tang Yu: …

Jin Ye smiled and patted Tang Yu’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. Xiao Qi mentioned to Xiao Li that Song Lengzhu will be moving with you, so it’s fine if we don’t tag along.”

Xiao Li winked frantically at Jin Ye. “Exactly! Song Lengzhu is much more reliable than us.”

Tang Yu: …

Jin Ye smiled gently. “It’s not just for that reason. Since you’re going to look for Chaos, Zhou Zhou and Jian Che should go with you. With me and Xiao Li managing the village, everyone can perform their duties and make the best use of their talents. This arrangement is very appropriate.”

“Alright, I’m convinced.” Tang Yu grabbed Jin Ye’s hand. “My dear Jin Ye, I’m counting on you.” She then looked at Xiao Li. “You two had better not be planning to ditch me for a honeymoon.”

Xiao Li chased after Tang Yu, trying to kick her. “What honeymoon? What nonsense are you talking about? I think you’re the one who’s going on a honeymoon!”

The two of them chased each other around Jin Ye. Jin Ye frowned slightly, tilted her head to look at Xiao Li, and asked, “A honeymoon… is that not allowed?”

The two who were chasing each other froze in place, both turning their heads. “Huh?”

…

Late at night, after silently thinking about Song Lengzhu for a while, Tang Yu finally remembered the events of the day. Lying in bed, she secretly sent a private message to Jin Ye: “Fess up. How far have you and Xiao Li progressed?”

She calculated, wondering what kind of congratulatory gift she should prepare.

But Jin Ye only replied with three words: “It’s hopeless.”

Tang Yu’s heart skipped a beat. After Jin Ye’s direct question today, she had been dragged away by the corner of her shirt by Xiao Li. The two had talked for a long time, so how could it be hopeless by nightfall? Tang Yu tried hard to recall, then suddenly realized that the two of them really didn’t seem to have spoken during dinner.

“No way? What happened?”

“She rejected my confession.” Jin Ye’s words were stating a fact, but they seemed full of misery.

“Did she give a reason?” Tang Yu didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Jin Ye replied: “She said… it’s fine just like this.”

So she had been rejected. Tang Yu felt flustered. Jin Ye seemed to be in no mood to reply to her, becoming much more taciturn. Tang Yu decided to get Jin Ye to come out for some night air: “If you need a hug, I’ll come find you.”

After a long time, Jin Ye finally replied: “Come out. I’m on the back hill.”

Tang Yu stood below a newly built house. By the light, she saw a dark figure sitting on the eaves. The figure was motionless, looking utterly dejected. Who could it be but Jin Ye? She used Instantaneous Movement to zip up to Jin Ye’s side, and the two of them sat side by side.

Jin Ye seemed to have been sitting there for a long time. Her clothes were damp with dew. She buried her head in her arms, neither speaking nor making any sound.

Sigh. Tang Yu turned sideways and hugged Jin Ye’s shoulders, patting her slowly. She had never seen Jin Ye like this before. Her good sister was always so calm; no one in the camp was more emotionally stable than her. But now, she was like an eggplant hit by frost, completely wilted.

After hugging for a while, Jin Ye slowly raised her head and called Tang Yu’s name: “Tang Yu.”

Her voice was hoarse, as if she had been crying.

“I’m here!” Tang Yu responded immediately, then pulled her hand back to take out the tissues she had in her pocket and timely offered them to Jin Ye.

Jin Ye looked up at the tissues and forced an ugly smile. There were no tear tracks on her face; she probably hadn’t cried. But her eyes were clearly bloodshot, and she looked exhausted.

Tang Yu didn’t know how things had turned out this way. Just this afternoon, everyone had been laughing and joking around. The bitterness of love was truly tormenting.

Jin Ye propped up her head, her gaze passing over several rooftops to land on a lit courtyard. That was the small courtyard where they lived.

Jin Ye spoke up abruptly, “Xiao Li said I can’t play a game for a lifetime. But she wants to stay in the game for a lifetime.”

“But I can. If she wants to stay here, I can stay here for a lifetime,” Jin Ye muttered to herself, propping up her forehead crookedly. The short hair on her forehead was a complete mess from her rubbing it.

Tang Yu carefully smoothed Jin Ye’s hair. “You really are a person of your word. So you two argued?”

“We argued.” Jin Ye was very remorseful. “I was too hasty. I lost control of my emotions a bit. I shouldn’t have argued with her.”

“Did you scold her?” Tang Yu couldn’t imagine what Jin Ye was like when she argued.

“Not really. I just mentioned a couple of times that it wouldn’t matter if we couldn’t get out, and she got angry.”

“Xiao Li must care a lot about that.” Tang Yu sighed softly. The fact that Xiao Li never brought it up in front of others meant she cared about it all the more. With her personality, if she didn’t care, she would have been chattering about it long ago.

“Yeah,” Jin Ye said sullenly. “On second thought, maybe she’s considered more than I have.”

Tang Yu patted Jin Ye’s shoulder and said no more. She understood that this wasn’t the time to give advice. Jin Ye knew what Xiao Li was thinking better than she did. As a good friend, she just needed to accompany Jin Ye through this difficult night.

However long Jin Ye sat on the eaves, Tang Yu stayed with her. In the latter half of the night, when the fog was thick and the dew was heavy, Tang Yu thoughtfully brought a jacket and hot water to ensure the heartbroken Jin Ye wouldn’t get cold or thirsty.

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Tang Yu saw someone walk over below the eaves. A small figure looked up, her eyes terribly red and swollen. It looked like she hadn’t slept all night either.

“Are you two stone beasts on the eaves, protecting the peace of the land?! Get down here already!”

Xiao Li pursed her lips, not looking at Tang Yu, only staring at Jin Ye. Her red eyes made it unclear whether it was anger or resentment.

Tang Yu suddenly felt like a third wheel. She quickly stood up and yelled, “You two talk. I’m going to help Auntie Zhu with breakfast!”