Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 20

“Zombies can trigger abilities too?” Tang Yu was a bit surprised.

“Yes, just like the Zombie King has ‘Berserk’.”

“So, the price for getting an ability is to eat this disgusting thing?” Tang Yu recalled Jin Ye saying that every ability came with a corresponding price.

“Well, it’s not impossible.”

Tang Yu couldn’t help but gulp. That was a steep price to pay.

But this was her first time triggering a special mission. If she missed this opportunity, she had no idea when the next one would be triggered.

An ability… she really wanted one, even though she didn’t know what kind she would get.

Tang Yu was hesitant, but the Zombie King had grown impatient. It took a step forward, its mycelia nearly touching the tip of her nose.

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the eerie standoff.

Two bullets whizzed past Tang Yu at an angle, striking the Zombie King’s outstretched palm. In an instant, all the mycelia retracted into its hand, vanishing from sight.

The zombies and humans present were all startled, their gazes snapping in unison toward the spiral staircase.

In the faint light, only four dark figures could be seen leaping up from the stairs, the leader still holding a shooting stance.

Some players had arrived.

With the negotiation with the Zombie King interrupted, Tang Yu didn’t bother to see who the newcomers were. She grabbed Jin Ye and Xiao Li and bolted up the stairs.

A player immediately blocked the way down. Seeing that path was cut off, Tang Yu instantly turned around and ran up the spiral staircase toward the spire.

Running toward the top of the tower wasn’t a good choice at this moment, but the circumstances were unique. Staying in this tiny room was even more dangerous.

Just from that brief glimpse, Tang Yu could tell that the newcomers were highly skilled. The four of them worked together seamlessly, capable of both offense and defense. They weren’t like ordinary rookie players.

Besides, anyone who could wait patiently until now to enter the church had to be a formidable character.

Tang Yu scrambled nimbly up the stairs, glancing back just before leaving the platform.

The player in the lead was locked in combat with the Zombie King. In an instant, bullets flew everywhere on the cramped platform. The Zombie King was clearly being held in check; the agile movements it had displayed against Tang Yu now seemed incredibly clumsy before this player.

So it turned out that what Jin Ye had said about the Zombie King being physically weak was true—at least, for an expert.

In that very instant, the Zombie King and the player switched positions, and the faint light filtering through the clock face illuminated the player’s face.

Tang Yu’s pupils abruptly dilated, and she gasped.

She recognized her in that single glance. This person… wasn’t it that damn Song Lengzhu?

Tang Yu fled in a flash, breaking into a frantic sprint toward the spire.

She should have realized it sooner. For an event as major as killing the Zombie King, how could Song Lengzhu not come to Y-City?

Perhaps this person had discovered her long ago and had been tailing them all along, planning to catch them like fish in a barrel.

After all, she had been so conspicuous in Brother Hu’s vehicle; she might have been spotted long ago by a hidden Song Lengzhu.

A wave of belated fear washed over Tang Yu, and a bone-chilling dread of Song Lengzhu began to take root in her.

Song Lengzhu was the real hunter, the one lying in wait all along.

Tang Yu quickly reached the top of the spiral staircase, which ended at an even smaller platform. A large bell hung overhead, and aside from the space it occupied, there was only enough room for three or four people to stand.

Aside from four support pillars, the platform was open on all sides, with only waist-high wooden railings for protection.

Tang Yu glanced down over the railing. The ground was about five stories below.

It wasn’t terribly high, but they didn’t have the Zombie King’s physique. A fall from here could easily be fatal.

Tang Yu hissed. Ever since meeting Song Lengzhu, she seemed to always be jumping off buildings.

“Grab onto the ledges of the building and try to slide down.” Tang Yu put her hands on the railing, about to flip over. “No time, we have to run…”

Before she could finish her sentence, hurried footsteps echoed from the staircase behind her.

“So fast?!” Tang Yu’s heart pounded with fear, but she glanced back and saw that the one charging up wasn’t Song Lengzhu, but the Zombie King.

The Zombie King seemed to have been forced to the rooftop. It was still trying to lunge downward but was shot in the chest at close range. Like a cat toying with a mouse, Song Lengzhu hadn’t delivered a fatal blow, instead blasting several large holes through its cardiopulmonary region.

The immense impact sent the Zombie King staggering back two steps, right onto the small platform.

For a moment, eight individuals were crammed onto the tiny platform.

Tang Yu: …

“Run!” Tang Yu swung a leg over the railing and vaulted out, not forgetting to call to her companions. Jin Ye and Xiao Li immediately followed, vaulting over the side that faced the church dome.

But just then, the Zombie King shot out a hand and grabbed Tang Yu’s arm. It was hard to tell if it was seeking help or trying to take someone down with it before it died.

“Sh1t!” Tang Yu couldn’t help but curse. She had no choice but to release her grip on the wall, intending to use her own momentum to drop down.

As she fell, the Zombie King’s nails dug deep into Tang Yu’s flesh. Pulled off-balance by her weight, and already weakened by multiple gunshot wounds and exhaustion, the Zombie King crashed through the railing and tumbled down along with her.

Nearby, Jin Ye knew this was bad. She quickly freed a hand to grab Tang Yu but caught only air.

This sudden turn of events startled even Song Lengzhu. She immediately leaned over the railing and fired several more shots at the two falling figures.

Whether she had killed them or not was now entirely up to luck.