Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 139

At lunchtime, Xiao Li came to find Tang Yu, her eyes red. “Song Lengzhu is looking for you.”

“Looking… looking for me for what?” Tang Yu subconsciously shrank back. Xiao Li looked utterly listless; her eyes were puffy and she had dark circles from a sleepless night. She had probably cried a lot, looking even more like a zombie than Tang Yu did.

Sigh. It seemed their conversation this morning hadn’t gone smoothly. Had they argued again?

Tang Yu leaned back, and over Xiao Li’s shoulder, she saw Jin Ye standing in the distance, holding two unpeeled hard-boiled eggs. They were probably for Xiao Li to soothe her eyes, but Xiao Li was ignoring her, so Jin Ye just stood there silently behind her.

Hiss. Tang Yu sighed inwardly. A calm and steady woman eight years older than Xiao Li was completely under the thumb of the younger one.

Is this love? The bitterness of love is truly bitter.

Xiao Li thumped Tang Yu on the head with her fist. “I’m talking to you. Listen up.”

“Okay, okay.” Tang Yu immediately sat up straight. An angry Xiao Li was not to be trifled with, she had learned that much.

“Song Lengzhu asked me to tell you to prepare sweat-wicking, breathable clothes. You need to bring both light clothing and cold-weather gear. If you have any sunblock or mosquito repellent supplies… Fvck, this is so annoying.” Xiao Li suddenly swore as she was relaying the message. Tang Yu was taken aback, certain that the last sentence was Xiao Li’s own addition, not part of Song Lengzhu’s message.

Tang Yu could understand her anger. Because the distance was too great, the walkie-talkies were useless. Forced to act as a messenger, Xiao Li was incredibly frustrated. To be troubled by love and still have to watch her teammates being all lovey-dovey was just too cruel. The more detailed Song Lengzhu’s instructions were, the more annoyed she became. If the system panel wasn’t private, she wouldn’t have bothered to read it out word for word.

“Is… is there more?” Tang Yu sat obediently, occasionally glancing at Xiao Li, prepared to be beaten up.

“She said to hurry back.” Xiao Li dropped the sentence, turned, and left. She couldn’t even be bothered to eat; she was already full from anger, so why eat?

Tang Yu didn’t dare to breathe loudly. Only after Xiao Li and Jin Ye were far away did she relax her shoulders. It seemed those two would be at odds for a while longer. It was a good thing they weren’t going on this long trip. In their current distraught and absent-minded state, forget about uniting against enemies; it would be good enough if they didn’t act on impulse.

Tang Yu quickly finished her meal and went back to her room to pack. She prepared everything Song Lengzhu had mentioned, one by one, and also brought a tool belt and rope, making sure she was fully prepared.

Just as she finished tidying her bed, Xiao Li came over, carrying her bedding.

“Tang Yu, I want to switch beds with you,” Xiao Li said, as if it were perfectly justified.

“Huh?” Tang Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized that Xiao Li and Jin Ye were currently sharing a room. In this situation, they probably couldn’t live together anymore.

Tang Yu didn’t mind at all. She quickly grabbed her bedding and headed for Jin Ye’s room, calling back over her shoulder as she went, “Make yourself at home, please do.”

Lu Lu, who had just entered the room, looked confused. “What’s going on?” Tang Yu winked at Lu Lu. “Good luck, my friend.”

When lovers fight, bystanders suffer. Lu Lu was probably in for a tough month. Tang Yu, gloating, slipped out of the room and put her bedroll in Jin Ye’s room.

Jin Ye was sitting on the edge of the bed, peeling an egg. Seeing Tang Yu come in, she held it out and said with a wry smile, “Want an egg?”

It seemed the egg hadn’t been delivered. She had also witnessed the person she liked pack up her things and move out right in front of her. Jin Ye looked quite pitiful right now.

But it would be a waste not to eat the egg. Tang Yu put her things down, took the egg, and took a bite, mumbling, “Did the talk fall through again?”

“I said we should go back to being friends, and she seemed to get even angrier,” Jin Ye said with a wry smile, starting to peel the other egg. “What else am I supposed to do?”

“I think she hasn’t faced her own feelings yet.” Tang Yu was suddenly an expert. Her cheeks were puffed out. “Just give her some time.”

Tang Yu held half an egg, walking out as she spoke. The light at the doorway was suddenly half-blocked by a figure. Xiao Li stood at the door with her hands on her hips, roaring angrily, “Tang Yu, that’s my egg! Spit it out!”

Tang Yu let out a yelp and immediately bolted, not forgetting to call out, “Jin Ye, Xiao Li, I’m leaving the camp in your hands!”

Before leaving the camp, Tang Yu first went to Li Chengjian to retrieve Startling Dragon. The weapon’s appearance hadn’t changed much, but the blade and the barbs near the hilt were sharper. Its attack power, having merged with the stats of the Tang dao, had risen sharply from +50% to +65%.

When she picked up the blade, the blacksmith said, half in amazement and half with emotion, “I dare say, there’s no better cold weapon than this in the entire game!”

Tang Yu was extremely satisfied. She was getting more and more used to this blade. Long-term use had made her familiar with every part of it. Her slashes, lifts, chops, and thrusts were all precise. When she swung the blade, it was full of power yet not clumsy, instead moving freely, smoothly, and nimbly.

But the blacksmith’s words reminded her that top-tier treasures often attract conflict. The blacksmith, whose professional ethics were relatively strict, hadn’t thought of keeping it for himself, but there was no guarantee others wouldn’t have malicious ideas. Tang Yu added Startling Dragon to the target list of her “Material Search” so she could find it in an emergency.

Taking advantage of the daylight, the well-prepared Tang Yu returned to Songming City.

Jian Che’s “decryption” work was still ongoing. “Decryption” was the word Jian Che used. She said that the zombie language Tang Yu used was actually the common language encrypted by the system. Once this encryption method was cracked, she would be able to communicate normally with others. After all, what they were speaking was, in fact, the same language system as ordinary people.

Tang Yu asked Jian Che about her progress. Jian Che replied confidently, “Give me two more days.”

This news made Tang Yu very happy. The progress was far beyond her expectations. She had originally thought it would take at least a month or two to be able to “speak human,” but Jian Che had shortened that timeline to within half a month.

The Jian Che before her was changing. Having not seen her for three days, Tang Yu could clearly sense it. She was like a seedling planted in the fields by the aunties, greedily absorbing nutrients and growing vigorously, showing tenacious vitality through each round of correction and strangulation.

And the source of these nutrients was the computer taken from the Anchor Point. Unlike an ordinary computer, this one carried partial system information. To Jian Che, it was the key to a new world and her personal library of learning resources.

Zhou Zhou’s research was also progressing delightfully. She had a new idea and fused Tang Yu’s serum with Jin Ye’s. The serums of two zombie players shouldn’t have had much of a reaction, but she had somehow processed them and managed to create a new hybrid zombie serum. Zombies injected with this serum could also be controlled by Jin Ye, though not as effectively as with Tang Yu’s ability. However, with the help of control devices, it was more than enough.

The hybrid zombie serum was completed even earlier than Jian Che’s research results, finished on the very night Tang Yu returned to Songming City. The next day, Zhou Zhou immediately took a dozen zombies implanted with controllers back to the deep mountain camp for Jin Ye to test. The test results were very satisfactory. The “A Close and Loving Family” camp now had a well-secured zombie army controlled by Jin Ye, so there was no need to worry even when Tang Yu was away.

As for the zombie army in Songming City, since Tang Yu hadn’t yet found a trustworthy zombie player, she didn’t use this hybrid serum. However, she gave the master controller to Li Luo, letting her take charge for now while she slowly looked for a suitable candidate.

Good news came one after another. Under the cover of night, Tang Yu slipped into Song Lengzhu’s small courtyard again to sync up on the news and discuss their upcoming plans.

The topographical map they’d picked up from the stationery store was spread out on the table. Using Songming City as a reference point on the map, Tang Yu and Song Lengzhu discovered that the area north of the city was a vast mountain range with a high altitude.

Song Lengzhu held a red marker, its tip pointing to the northwestern region. “I’ve made inquiries. This area is a desert plateau.”

The terrain of the desert plateau was extremely complex. As the altitude rose, canyons, Gobi deserts, and snow-capped mountains coexisted in the same area. It was also desolate and uninhabited, completely different from any map they had explored so far.

Song Lengzhu said, “Only one player in the city has been to that region. There are no signs of human life there, and very few zombies. The Anchor Point is likely not inside a building. What we’ll be facing is the challenge of nature.”

Tang Yu rested her head on the table, tilting it to the side. They had experienced the challenges of nature in Ghost Valley, where every rock and blade of grass could cause harm. The desert plateau was probably a hundred times more treacherous. What was worse, the area was so vast. If there were no landmark buildings, how long would it take them to find the Anchor Point?

At this thought, an idea suddenly struck Tang Yu. She wrote down three words: “Wait for me,” then disappeared from the small courtyard and reappeared at the entrance of the special room.

Tang Yu tried to register the entire room into her “Material Search.” There certainly wouldn’t be a room like this on the plateau, but some aspects of the Anchor Points might be common. Tang Yu could only pray that this skill could recognize such commonalities and be useful in finding the next Anchor Point.

After returning to the courtyard, the two discussed some climate-related issues. It was possible for both extreme cold and extreme heat to occur in this place. They couldn’t imagine to what extent, so they could only prepare as many supplies as possible.

Song Lengzhu tapped the tip of her pen twice. “However, traveling light is best. We don’t have enough manpower to carry a lot of things.”

Tang Yu tilted her head. “Hmm?”

They had quite a few people. Xiao Qi, the twins, plus Zhou Zhou and Jian Che, that made eight people.

Song Lengzhu glanced at her sideways. “I’m not bringing anyone.”

Tang Yu’s mouth formed an “O,” her eyes filled with shock. Why?

Song Lengzhu pulled back her hand, propped up her chin, and looked at Tang Yu’s expression with amusement. “Fang Yiming has appeared in the northeastern sea region. I’m sending Xiao Qi and the twins to keep an eye on him.”

At the sudden mention of Fang Yiming, Tang Yu paused for a moment before remembering who he was. They hadn’t run into each other since their confrontation in the library. She had almost forgotten about him.

But why was Song Lengzhu paying so much attention to him? What kind of grudge required chasing him a thousand miles?

Tang Yu’s little brain spun a few times, and she suddenly thought of something else. In that case, Song Lengzhu had important business to attend to. It would definitely be more reliable for her to tail the person herself than to send Xiao Qi, yet Song Lengzhu still chose to go to the northwest with her.

Ooh, does she like me too? The dazed Tang Yu made a wild, imaginative judgment.

“What are you thinking about, smiling so happily?” Song Lengzhu tilted her head slightly, tapping Tang Yu’s forehead with the end of her pen.

“Nothing,” Tang Yu stammered, shaking her head and pulling her thoughts back.

In that case, the team would only have four people. It really wouldn’t be good to bring too many things.

Speaking of numbers, Tang Yu remembered she hadn’t informed Zhou Zhou and Jian Che about this yet. She immediately asked Zhou Zhou in the camp group chat. Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhou flatly refused Tang Yu’s proposal.

“A plateau?! There are no hospitals on a plateau, right? No zombies either? Then what would I go there for? Tang Yu, you go by yourself. Be good, I’m busy.”

“You won’t go even if Jian Che is going?”

“Jian Che is going? Then you take good care of her.”

Tang Yu gritted her teeth. Zhou Zhou was becoming more and more “old and crafty.” Except for that time in Ghost Valley when Zhou Zhou took pity on Fu Xingyue and agreed to go out and look for her, now, only bribery could move her.

Damn it. This week, Zhou Zhou was all about the profit.

Tang Yu looked up and gave Song Lengzhu an awkward, toothy grin. Haha, well, this is great. Now we have even fewer people.

Song Lengzhu knew from her expression that she’d been rebuffed. “Professor Zhou isn’t going?”

Tang Yu shook her head, her face looking mournful.

“Oh,” Song Lengzhu drew out the sound, her eyebrows raising slightly. “Isn’t that even better?”

“Huh? Is it?” Tang Yu rested her chin on her hands, leaning on the table. Logically, in such an environment, the more people the better. They could look out for each other, have company, and carry more supplies.

“Going it alone has its advantages. Our movements will be more flexible,” Song Lengzhu said. “Besides, don’t you have zombie friends? Pick a few able-bodied ones without injuries to carry things.”

That was… feasible.

Tang Yu took the note. “But Jian Che has to go.” In case Chaos started being passive-aggressive at the next Anchor Point, they needed someone who could handle it.

Song Lengzhu narrowed her eyes and nodded. “Very good.”

Just then, Jian Che’s figure appeared outside the fence at the courtyard gate. She moved closer to the railing and saw the two people in the yard.

“Tang Yu,” Jian Che called out softly, waving at her. “I’ve successfully decrypted it.”