Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 14

Just before she closed the door, Tang Yu heard Brother Hu telling his men he was going for a smoke and that they should stay put.

Although the gas station was abandoned, open flames were still prohibited. Brother Hu and his three underlings walked a little farther away, stopping right on the nearby curb.

Tang Yu looked away and shut the door with a bang. The latch was broken, so Tang Yu left it ajar. Then, she pulled Jin Ye aside, and they began whispering to each other.

Xiao Li casually surveyed the room. She knew Tang Yu and Jin Ye were discussing something. After hearing so many groans and moans throughout their journey, she had grown accustomed to it.

If there was anything important, Jin Ye would convey the key points to her through brief writing or hand gestures.

Xiao Li was used to this kind of communication, but the other girl’s face was filled with terror.

These two… they don’t seem normal at all, do they?

The break room wasn’t large, containing only a folding bed and a row of lockers. Most of the lockers had been forced open and were empty. A small window for an exhaust fan was set in the wall. The light inside was weak, and the lightbulb had long since burned out.

Xiao Li patted the folding bed, motioning for the girl to sit. She asked, “I’m Xiao Li. What’s your name?”

The girl wore a yellow top and white shorts, her hair tied in a ponytail, looking as if she were dressed for an outing. She had delicate features, but her face was currently a mask of panic.

“Lu… Lu Lu.” The girl glanced from Tang Yu and Jin Ye to Xiao Li, finally unable to hold back. “Um, are your companions… a little strange?”

“They are strange. They’re zombies,” Xiao Li whispered in Lu Lu’s ear.

“What?!” Lu Lu leaped up in fright, ready to bolt for the door.

Xiao Li burst out laughing, doubling over. She grabbed Lu Lu’s wrist and said, “Don’t worry, they’re still conscious.”

Lu Lu looked like she was about to cry. Worry? Of course I’m worried! Who wouldn’t be, sharing a room with zombies?

Just then, as if on cue, Tang Yu and Jin Ye both turned their heads to look at Lu Lu, though it was unclear what they had been discussing.

Lu Lu flinched, instinctively taking two steps back to hide behind Xiao Li.

Jin Ye walked over to Xiao Li and made a series of gestures, then wrote a few keywords on Xiao Li’s palm. Through a combination of gestures and guesswork, Xiao Li understood what she meant.

She turned to Lu Lu and lowered her voice. “You know Brother Hu is dangerous, right?”

Lu Lu shook her head. She was a complete novice, new to the game and unfamiliar with its newly established order. She was simply afraid of Brother Hu’s ruthless nature.

“He’s not a good person. He must have gotten away with his evil deeds before, which is why he’s grown so brazen. He’ll probably use extreme methods to make us submit to him completely—violence? Or verbal intimidation? Either way, he’ll try to make us too scared to resist.” Xiao Li gestured toward Lu Lu, making her point clear. She and Jin Ye had been in the game for over a year and understood the reality of this world—a game that encouraged violence. Xiao Li continued, “In a bit, I need you to play along with me. We’ll put on a little show for him. Don’t worry, they’ll protect you.”

Lu Lu couldn’t process this suggestion quickly, but there was no time for her to dwell on it. Shortly after Xiao Li finished speaking, a knock sounded at the door.

Tang Yu pulled Jin Ye back into a corner. They stood motionless like two wooden statues, only their eyes showing.

After two knocks, the ajar door was pushed open. The person outside clearly had no intention of waiting for permission to enter, making the knocking seem rather hypocritical.

Brother Hu’s burly frame leaned against the doorframe, a bottle of water in his hand. He sized up the four of them and said with a smile, “You’re all new members of our camp now. I’m here to properly explain the rules to you.”

After speaking, he turned to his men behind him. “No matter what you hear, don’t come in.” The men outside acknowledged his order. This was a common occurrence. Even new male members were beaten until they submitted. Brother Hu’s strategy for managing the camp was violence.

Lu Lu’s companion stood silently among the crowd. Having entered the tiger’s den, they knew nothing good awaited them.

Tang Yu narrowed her eyes. The statement was a clear warning to the four new arrivals: No one is coming to save you.

As the door closed, the light was cut off. The only illumination left in the room was the daylight filtering through the small window.

Seemingly afraid that Tang Yu and the others might try to escape, Brother Hu deliberately dragged a locker in front of the door.

Tang Yu was slightly taken aback. The locker was heavy, yet Brother Hu had moved it with a single hand, which meant his strength was abnormal.

Good thing I didn’t plan on a direct confrontation.

Their original plan had been to assimilate Lu Lu first, then take out Brother Hu together. However, Lu Lu might not choose to stay in the game, and turning her into a mindless zombie would be a liability. So, they had changed their strategy.

Seeing that all four women in the room were docile, with no fear on their faces, Brother Hu was a little surprised. Still, he said fiercely, “Give me your weapons.”

Tang Yu and Jin Ye obediently handed over the Startling Dragon and the submachine gun before retreating to their corner. Lu Lu also surrendered her gun.

Xiao Li held up her empty hands. “My weapon was taken by someone else. I just escaped.”

Brother Hu sized her up. She had nothing on her but a backpack.

Brother Hu tossed the weapons and the three backpacks into a large, empty locker. He slapped the door, and it locked automatically. Then he turned back to face the women.

Suppressing her disgust, Xiao Li smiled sweetly. “Brother Hu, please, have a seat.”

This caught Brother Hu off guard. He had expected them to scream and flee, or at least tremble in fear. But why did they seem almost… eager?

He set down his water bottle, sat on the folding bed, and casually pulled Lu Lu toward him, curious to see what game they were playing.

His arm clamped around Lu Lu like an iron vise, squeezing so tightly that her arm ached.

Lu Lu let out a soft cry, her face contorting as she struggled. But Xiao Li’s earlier words came back to her. Suppressing her revulsion, she forced a smile. “Brother Hu, you need to be a little more patient with us newcomers.”

Tang Yu gagged internally.

Brother Hu paused, loosening his grip slightly. “I didn’t expect you all to be so sensible.” He beckoned to Tang Yu and Jin Ye, motioning for them to come closer.

Xiao Li feigned embarrassment. “Brother Hu, their faces are hideous. It’s better if they don’t come over.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? From now on, you’re all part of our camp, aren’t you?”

Tang Yu’s gaze fell on Brother Hu’s waist. His weapon was a fully automatic sidearm. When fired, it produced a deafening roar like a shotgun but could fire continuously. Tang Yu had witnessed its power before.

I have to find a way to get him to remove that gun.

Tang Yu pulled down the brim of her hat and obediently walked toward Brother Hu. Jin Ye reluctantly followed.

With the four new members gathered around him, Brother Hu quickly grew complacent. To think he could conquer four women without resorting to force—he had never experienced such treatment before.

Tang Yu secretly shot Lu Lu a look. Standing closest, Lu Lu understood and covertly reached for Brother Hu’s waist.

But Brother Hu caught Lu Lu’s hand as it reached for the gun. “Hey, you can’t just touch my gun.”

So, he does have some awareness about him.

Tang Yu’s heart sank. It seemed they wouldn’t be able to get the gun off him.

Lu Lu’s expression turned awkward, and she sullenly withdrew her hand. “I meant, you should take off your jacket. It’s pretty hot.”

“Fine.” Brother Hu didn’t object.

At that moment, Tang Yu pulled Xiao Li and Jin Ye forward, posturing as if they were going to massage his shoulders and legs to show their loyalty.

Brother Hu accepted their advances without hesitation. He possessed extraordinary strength, and with such an absolute power advantage, he paid little mind to a few novices.

He spread his arms, leaving himself wide open and completely unguarded.

The moment Tang Yu’s hand touched Brother Hu’s neck, her fingernails shot out. At the same time, Jin Ye grabbed the jacket Brother Hu had taken off and smothered his head with it, while Xiao Li and Lu Lu seized his arms from either side.

Brother Hu sensed something was wrong and tried to stand up.

Tang Yu could clearly feel an instantaneous change in Brother Hu’s muscles. The hand she had on his throat felt like it was gripping an iron plate; it was too hard to be skin.

As Brother Hu struggled, a powerful force resisted Tang Yu. With that much strength, he would soon break free from the four of them.

Damn it, a direct fight really isn’t going to work.

Tang Yu shook her head at Jin Ye, who also looked troubled. The man’s ability was likely something akin to impenetrable skin.

No wonder he was so fearless. It was an incredibly overpowered ability.

Tang Yu considered making a grab for the gun but stopped herself. The moment she touched it, her intentions would be exposed.

It was hard to say if the gun could even penetrate Brother Hu’s skin.

Tang Yu tightened her grip on Brother Hu’s neck, and Jin Ye pressed the jacket down more firmly. Xiao Li quickly played along, whispering, “Hey, don’t move, don’t move. We might look skinny, but one of us has a mind-control ability. You’ll be fine if you stay still, but if you move, you’re done for. See? Doesn’t your head feel fuzzy right now?”

Brother Hu’s breathing grew ragged as he gasped for air through the fabric. He couldn’t tell if Xiao Li was bluffing, but his head was indeed growing fuzzy, and he was struggling to breathe.

He had witnessed mind control before. It wasn’t a physical ability. No matter how tough he was, he couldn’t escape a killing intent that could be unleashed with a single thought.

Seeing that Brother Hu was indeed cowed, Tang Yu’s eyes darted to the water bottle beside the bed. She freed a hand, grabbed the bottle, twisted off the loose cap, pressed it against the T-shirt covering his mouth, and forced the remaining half-bottle of water down his throat.

The intense sensation of suffocation and choking on water hit him. Brother Hu finally realized something was wrong and began to struggle violently.

But it was too late. He had been deprived of oxygen for too long. Now, his head was spinning, and he couldn’t muster any strength.

His flailing legs banged against the metal locker doors, making loud thumping sounds, but his men outside didn’t rush in.

He had ordered it himself. One of his underlings even muttered in a low voice, “The boss is really laying it on thick this time.”

The four women held Brother Hu’s body down tightly. Just as he was about to breathe his last, his right hand suddenly surged with strength, breaking free from Xiao Li’s grasp. His flailing hand caught the back of Tang Yu’s hand, and for a moment, Tang Yu felt a dull pain as if her hand were caught in an iron clamp.

Thanks to a zombie’s dulled sense of pain, Tang Yu’s grip didn’t loosen in the slightest. Five seconds later, the pressure vanished completely. Brother Hu was no longer moving.

Jin Ye kept the jacket over his head for another moment before finally pulling it away. His lifeless face was frozen in an expression of terror—an expression that, in the past, had only ever appeared on the faces of the weak he had tormented.

Who knows how long this guy had been committing evil in the game.

Tang Yu stood up, took Brother Hu’s gun, examined it for a moment, and then handed it to Xiao Li. They all needed weapons to protect themselves.

A delayed, dull ache spread from the hand Brother Hu had grabbed. Tang Yu lifted it for a look and hissed in pain.

Four finger marks were imprinted on the back of her hand, and thin lines of bl00d were beginning to well up.

Tang Yu was speechless. She, a zombie, had been scratched by a human.

The game’s notification sound chimed in right on cue. Tang Yu pulled up her interface and saw that Brother Hu had been eliminated. He hadn’t been infected; his death was due to external force, so he hadn’t turned into a zombie but had become an ordinary corpse.

Tang Yu rubbed the wound. A tingling itch spread from the injury up toward her chest, making her uncomfortable. She shook her wrist, trying to ignore the faint sensation.

As for the gang of underlings outside, Tang Yu wasn’t in a hurry to deal with them. Brother Hu’s corpse still had its uses. They planned to continue pretending to be human for half a day more.

Lu Lu, still shaken, gasped for breath off to the side. Since entering the game, she hadn’t managed to kill a single zombie, but she had just helped kill a player.

Compared to her, the others in the room seemed much calmer. Lu Lu decided right then and there that she would stick with these three strange people.

Her original teammates were completely unreliable, and she couldn’t survive on her own. Lu Lu looked at the others and asked tentatively, “Can I stick with you guys?”

Jin Ye shook her head. “Her stamina can’t keep up. Coming with us would be a death sentence.”

Tang Yu, on the other hand, was quite willing. She didn’t mind expanding her team, but Lu Lu’s stamina was low, and she still had the mindset of a novice. They couldn’t be responsible for protecting her while also hunting for the Zombie King.

Tang Yu blinked. “How about this? We let her find a safe place to hole up for now. After we finish our mission, she can come be my follower.”

Jin Ye shot her a look. “Why are you so obsessed with recruiting followers?”

“There’s strength in numbers,” Tang Yu replied, her expression unchanging.

Seeing them whispering to each other, Lu Lu looked completely lost. She turned to Xiao Li, apparently expecting her to act as a translator.

Xiao Li couldn’t understand a word of what Tang Yu and Jin Ye were saying, so she took a wild guess. “They’re asking if you want to become a zombie.”