Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 33

The night grew deeper. Tang Yu and Qianqian’s mother stayed in the bathroom, not daring to make any rash moves. Before Jin Ye returned with information, it would be very difficult for the two of them to escape on their own.

During this time, Lan Jie and her subordinates came in to check twice. The black cat would always jump onto the ventilation window the moment footsteps approached, hiding its form.

Tang Yu had considered taking the opportunity to touch Lan Jie. However, in a safe environment, Lan Jie rarely activated her precognition ability. Moreover, Tang Yu had determined that there were no signs when Lan Jie activated her ability, making it difficult to judge her state.

Jin Ye and Xiao Li had set out at dusk to find the god-woman. They had left Qianqian in Granny Mei’s care.

Tang Yu wanted Jin Ye to inquire with the Huang god-woman whether the story about the medicinal primer was true or just the god-woman’s trickery, and also what would happen to the primer. This way, she could predict how the players would treat Qianqian and her mother.

Tang Yu had also entertained the thought of using Qianqian and her mother to complete the mission. But the more time she spent with Huang Qianqian, the more she felt that the fate of these NPCs was controlled and restricted by the game, which was very tragic. She couldn’t bring herself to do it.

In the latter half of the night, Jin Ye sent a shocking message to the group chat.

“The Huang god-woman is dead.”

“She wasn’t at her residence, but in the ancestral hall.”

“On the wall of the ancestral hall, someone wrote a message in bl00d. I’ll send you a picture.”

Jin Ye sent a photo.

In the dim ancestral hall, the swollen corpse of an old woman was in a bizarre crawling position, one hand reaching for the brick wall, her fingertips still stained with bl00d. Judging by the strange attire, it was the Huang god-woman. On the brick wall in front of her, a line of words was written:

“The Li mother and daughter are evil spirits. If they are not made into medicine soon, no one in the village will survive. I can no longer resist the evil aura and can only place my hope in the people of Huang Village to avenge me! Avenge me!”

The bloody characters were crooked and misshapen, looking particularly frightening in the firelight.

Tang Yu took out a pen and paper and asked Qianqian’s mother, “Is your surname Li?”

Qianqian’s mother replied, “Yes, I was originally from Li Village and married into this one.”

Xiao Li reported the situation at the scene in the group chat: “There are many chaotic footprints on the ancestral hall floor. I’m afraid quite a few people have been here. The bloodstains on the wall are also dry, some have even seeped into the bricks. Some time has passed since the incident.”

Xiao Li then lamented, “So scary, it’s terrifying.”

Jin Ye sent another photo. It was of a wooden bucket hidden behind the ancestral tablets. The bucket was filled with a large amount of dark, coagulated bl00d.

“What the hell is that???” Tang Yu asked in the group chat.

Several minutes passed with no response, and Tang Yu’s heart clenched.

Just as she was about to press them again, Jin Ye sent a message back.

“Scared me to death. Turns out it’s pig’s bl00d. There’s a piglet’s corpse hidden under the table,” Jin Ye replied. “Want me to send you a picture?”

“No, thank you,” Tang Yu declined.

Xiao Li complained in the group chat: “I thought she was actually brave enough to write in her own bl00d. Turns out it was all just trickery!”

After learning it was pig’s bl00d, they weren’t as scared anymore. They searched around the ancestral hall and the god-woman’s residence once more, then notified Tang Yu that they were preparing to return.

In the photo Jin Ye sent back, the god-woman’s residence was wreathed in smoke, with piles of various strange talismans and ritual instruments. It was impossible to tell which school of thought they belonged to.

When they saw a Bodhisattva statue and even a holy grail in the pile of ritual instruments, they concluded that this so-called god-woman was just a fraud. Who would mix Taoist, Buddhist, and other religious items together!

Tang Yu asked Qianqian’s mother, “Did you have any conflicts with the Huang god-woman?”

Qianqian’s mother shook her head blankly. She couldn’t recall doing anything to provoke the Huang god-woman, but upon reflection, it seemed the woman had never treated her kindly.

Why such an absurd god-woman would harbor so much malice toward Qianqian and her mother was something none of them could figure out, and with her dead, there was no way to confirm it.

But one thing was certain: the threat to Qianqian and her mother now came not only from the players, but also from the people of Huang Village they lived with.

Tang Yu didn’t know if the minds of the natives in this relatively developed city were closed-minded or enlightened, or whether they believed in such superstitions. But she was sure that when a strange illness broke out and no one could find a solution, many people would adopt a “better safe than sorry” attitude and place their hopes in metaphysics.

“What happened to the Huang god-woman?” Qianqian’s mother suddenly wrote. From Tang Yu’s questions, she guessed that the other’s companions must have found out some news.

Tang Yu briefly wrote down what had happened. Although she had downplayed the Huang god-woman’s malice, Qianqian’s mother was still badly frightened.

The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. Her tears wouldn’t stop, and a look of helplessness instantly took over her face. She murmured to herself, “What should I do? How can I protect Qianqian…”

Tang Yu had never seen such a sense of powerlessness in a player. It was the vulnerability that ordinary people involuntarily revealed when facing a predicament they couldn’t solve.

Tang Yu’s grip on the pen tightened and tightened. Finally, she wrote on the paper: “Don’t be afraid. We will do our best to stop this.”

Tang Yu didn’t make her promise too grand. After all, with her current abilities, she could barely scrape by and survive herself.

But she had clearly stated her stance.

She didn’t know if this sentence had triggered something, but Tang Yu heard the system’s notification sound in her mind.

Below the current mission “Find the Life-Saving Medicine,” two new lines of text appeared.

“Villager Favorability reached 3. Mission information unlocked.”

“Information 1: Medicinal Primer Usage: Bring the putrid flesh of a deceased patient into contact with the wound of a person of pure yin or pure yang. After one hour, pour the fresh bl00d of the pure yin or pure yang person into the well. Let it stand for 72 hours. The well water will naturally become the antidote. Distribute it to all villagers for consumption.”

“Information 2: Your team has chosen a stance: Protect the Li mother and daughter. Mission Content: Successfully prevent the aforementioned event from happening.”

Tang Yu read the information about the medicinal primer back and forth twice. A strange feeling rose from within her. Such an antidote had no scientific basis. Could it really exist?

It was a pity Professor Zhou wasn’t around; otherwise, they would have definitely asked this real doctor.

However, Tang Yu finally understood how the players would treat Qianqian and her mother. As long as they could interrupt one step of the process, there was a chance of success.

Tang Yu decided that after rescuing Qianqian’s mother, they would secretly take her and leave Huang Village, returning to their own camp together.

This way, they wouldn’t have to engage in a direct confrontation, and they would also complete the mission—killing two birds with one stone.

Now, the only remaining problem was how to escape.

In the latter half of the night, Jin Ye and Xiao Li returned to the building next door. They had also brought Qianqian back. If she had been left with Granny Mei, the old woman and the child would have been defenseless in the face of danger.

They waited until daytime the next day. The bald man opened the door once to check on the hostage’s condition, and Tang Yu took the opportunity to slip out of the bathroom with her pen and paper.

In the afternoon, Lan Jie sent two of her subordinates to check on the old well. They were stationed far away now and had to go stake it out from time to time to avoid missing any information.

With that, only Lan Jie and the bald brute were left in the room.

If not now, when? It was the perfect time to run.

Tang Yu signaled Jin Ye and Xiao Li in the next room. There were three of them in total. Although their abilities couldn’t compare, they had a slight advantage in numbers. Two to distract, one to rescue—it was just enough.

First, Tang Yu confirmed Lan Jie’s status. The woman was holding up her wrist, looking as if she were in a daze—she was definitely checking the game panel. Perhaps because there had been no activity for a whole day and night, Lan Jie was a bit lax at the moment and hadn’t diverted her attention to activate her ability.

Tang Yu felt relieved. While Lan Jie wasn’t paying attention, she tore off a slip of paper and tossed it not far from the bald brute.

The slip of paper appeared out of thin air. The ever-watchful bald brute obviously noticed it and immediately raised his gun, walking toward the paper.

Just as he moved away from the bathroom door, a loud crash came from the window. Two figures tumbled to the ground, then quickly got up and opened fire.

The bald brute immediately turned to attack. Jin Ye rushed forward to block his assault, while Xiao Li fired a few shots to break the bathroom lock, then went in to pull Qianqian’s mother out.

The moment the fight broke out, Lan Jie had already turned and acted. She had just fired one shot when she felt a rush of air behind her neck. A pair of hands brushed against her skin, grazing her neck. Startled, Lan Jie spun around and fired.

“Song Lengzhu, you really did send someone to stea—” Lan Jie’s words caught in her throat, because the person who appeared before her wasn’t the invisible Xiao Qi, but a zombie.

A zombie!

A strange expression appeared on Lan Jie’s gentle face.

The knife Tang Yu raised just happened to block Lan Jie’s first bullet. Ever since she learned that the blade of Startling Dragon was extremely sturdy, she had intentionally used it as a shield.

Lan Jie suddenly turned and shouted to the bald brute, “Guard the window! They’re going to climb out!”

The brute stopped tangling with Jin Ye, his massive body blocking the shattered glass window.

Damn it, their move was predicted.

Less than 30 seconds had passed since they broke in, and their escape route was already blocked.

While Lan Jie was activating her ability, Tang Yu reached for her face, wanting to copy it. “Gimme that.”

Lan Jie tilted her head, pressing the muzzle of her gun against Tang Yu’s throat, clearly having predicted Tang Yu’s move.

With a flash, Tang Yu vanished.

Lan Jie watched her surroundings warily. She could predict where Tang Yu would appear next, so she was already prepared to shoot.

Tang Yu indeed appeared behind her. Just as Lan Jie was about to fire, Tang Yu vanished again with a flash.

On the other side, Jin Ye tried to lure the brute away, but he listened to Lan Jie’s words and stood firmly at the window, as steady as a mountain.

By now, Xiao Li had helped Qianqian’s mother out of the bathroom. With the escape route blocked, she had no choice but to open fire to help relieve the pressure on Jin Ye.

Tang Yu flickered in and out of sight, all her attacks blocked. After three attempts, she stopped appearing and instead flashed to the doorway, opening the door.

Lan Jie froze for a moment. She had been constantly predicting Tang Yu’s reappearance, but she hadn’t expected her to stop attacking and go open the door instead. She hadn’t been paying attention to the door!

In that moment of hesitation, Jin Ye started running for the door.

The brute reflexively left the windowsill, preparing to block the door.

Lan Jie was about to warn the brute not to move, but it was too late. The brute had already been lured away by Jin Ye. Xiao Li seized the opportunity and pushed Qianqian’s mother onto the windowsill.

Lan Jie gritted her teeth in anger. She had actually been outsmarted with a feint by a bunch of zombie-like creatures. She didn’t have time to investigate the zombie’s identity and raised her gun, aiming at Xiao Li’s back.

As the bullet left the chamber, Xiao Li was urging Qianqian’s mother, “Jump! Qianqian is in the room across.”

The arm’s-length gap between the buildings was nothing for experienced fighters like Jin Ye and Tang Yu, but for an ordinary person, it presented a psychological barrier. Qianqian’s mother hesitated for a second.

They didn’t notice that the bullet was already hurtling through the air.

At that moment, hearing Xiao Li mention her daughter, Qianqian’s mother leaped toward the opposite windowsill without a second thought.

At the same time, a crisp metallic sound rang out behind Xiao Li. Tang Yu, who had appeared behind Xiao Li at some unknown point, rapidly swung her knife, creating a blur of steel that blocked Lan Jie’s attack.

Xiao Li leaped onto the windowsill and, under Tang Yu’s cover, quickly left the room.

Tang Yu and Jin Ye tangled with Lan Jie and the brute for a while longer. It was clear they couldn’t harm them, so they focused only on obstructing them without actively attacking. When the time was right, the two of them darted out through the open door and fled quickly.

Lan Jie’s gaze darkened. They gave up on pursuing Tang Yu and Jin Ye, leaped onto the windowsill, and followed the path Xiao Li had taken in pursuit.