Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 5

Tang Yu did not go down the mountain the way she came. Instead, she found a new direction, leading Jin Ye on a winding path through the forest.

Along the way, she checked Jin Ye’s large backpack. She found that besides her own supplies that had been picked up, the bag also contained a change of clothes and a small pot. It seemed Jin Ye’s group didn’t have a fixed residence and were constantly on the move.

Additionally, the bag contained some medicine and basic tools like a wrench, all neatly organized. Every bit of space in the backpack was utilized. Tang Yu briefly looked through it and still took some time to put everything back as it was.

Tang Yu glanced at Jin Ye with admiration. This little follower’s wilderness survival skills must be very strong. It was a pity she had already lost consciousness and turned into a zombie; otherwise, Tang Yu would have latched onto a powerful ally.

After walking downhill for a few hours, the two arrived at a canyon where a turbulent river rushed through, cutting the mountain in two. Tang Yu looked at the green mountain on the other side. The river was too wide and the current too swift to cross by human power alone. She gave up on crossing, sat on a large rock to rest, and contemplated her next move.

To be honest, Tang Yu didn’t have many ideas. The game had no designated main quest, and the basic objective on the electronic screen was simply “Survive.” Moreover, there had been no new prompts so far; it seemed she needed to trigger something herself.

She switched to the points screen for another look. She was still 10 points away from unlocking a skill. How was she supposed to get those 10 points? So far, all the humans she had encountered were in groups. Going in alone was a bit too risky.

After thinking for a while, Tang Yu suddenly noticed that Jin Ye had been staring at the opposite bank of the river for a long time without moving. Puzzled, she walked over to Jin Ye and waved a hand in front of her eyes, but Jin Ye remained motionless.

Tang Yu followed Jin Ye’s gaze and discovered a glint of light on the mountainside across the river, as if reflected by some metal. Tang Yu let out a soft “Huh?”, took a few steps forward, and looked again from a different angle. Only then did she notice what seemed to be a building hidden by the trees.

Interesting. Tang Yu’s curiosity was piqued. Jin Ye had already become an NPC, but she was still exhibiting unusual behavior. It must have something to do with that building; there had to be some connection between them. Tang Yu’s mind raced. If there were people in the building, she could try to get the remaining points. So, she quickly made a decision.

Tang Yu started walking upstream along the river. As expected, the riverbed upstream would be narrower, making it easier for them to cross. She took a few steps but didn’t hear the familiar footsteps behind her. Puzzled, Tang Yu looked back and saw Jin Ye still standing in the same spot, maintaining her posture of looking at the opposite bank.

Tang Yu had no choice but to turn back. She chuckled, “What are you doing? Playing the waiting wife rock?” As expected, there was no response. She grunted twice in frustration, then had to grab Jin Ye’s wrist and forcibly drag her away.

The riverbed upstream did indeed become much narrower. There was even a bridge made from a fallen tree trunk. The log had obvious chopping marks, indicating that humans were active in this area year-round. They would have to proceed with caution.

After crossing to the other side on the log bridge, the two quickly made their way to the mountainside. Tang Yu hid in a thicket of bushes and observed what was ahead. To her surprise, it wasn’t just one house. Five or six single-story buildings with identical exteriors were scattered across the hillside, enclosed by a wire mesh fence and wooden frames. Two able-bodied men were on patrol.

This was actually a survivor camp of considerable size.

The object reflecting the light was a metal pole erected in front of the houses. The top seemed to be for tying a flag, but it now stood bare, having lost its original purpose.

Tang Yu observed for a while and lost confidence in launching a direct assault. If they could afford to send people out on patrol, the camp must have a significant number of people. Alerting one person meant alerting the entire camp. She decided to retreat to the riverbank first and then make a plan.

But as she retreated, Tang Yu discovered someone passing by behind them. Fortunately, the two of them were hidden in bushes as tall as a person, and the passerby didn’t notice them.

It was a skinny young man carrying two rabbits, quietly humming an unknown tune. He looked about eighteen. Probably because he was close to the camp, he was completely relaxed, with his guard down entirely.

A sharp glint appeared in Tang Yu’s eyes. This was a perfect opportunity.

He had already walked past the bushes. Tang Yu quietly slipped out, hunched over, and quickly yet lightly appeared behind him, drawing Startling Dragon. The moment the man sensed something was wrong, Tang Yu’s Startling Dragon was already at his neck from behind. With a soft tear, it slit his throat without making a sound.

Tang Yu thought for a moment, covered the man’s neck with her hand, and dragged him in front of the bushes. She whispered to Jin Ye, “Before he’s completely dead, bite him.”

Jin Ye: ?

Tang Yu continued to mutter under her breath, “I took you as a follower so you could do some work. Hurry up and help me bite someone.” Regardless of whether Jin Ye could understand, she lifted the boy’s arm to Jin Ye’s face.

After spending this time together, Tang Yu was certain that Jin Ye was different from other zombies. Tang Yu guessed it was because she had bitten her. Now, by asking Jin Ye to bite someone, she wanted to verify if her follower biting someone else would also cause this kind of mutation.

Although Jin Ye had been acting differently from other zombies and rarely attacked on her own initiative, she was a zombie after all. Faced with the flesh presented before her, despite a hesitant look on her face, she couldn’t resist the temptation and took a bite.

A moment later, a “ding” sound came from Tang Yu’s wrist. The boy had been successfully assimilated. But unlike Jin Ye, as soon as he saw people in the distant camp, he bared his teeth and brandished his claws, looking ready to pounce. Bl00d was still trickling from his neck, making the scene quite horrifying.

Startled, Tang Yu clamped a hand over his mouth. She had no choice but to grab him and drag him away from the camp. Only when the houses were far out of sight did this player finally quiet down.

Only then did Tang Yu have a chance to look at the information on her electronic screen. The eliminated player’s name was Jian Wu, and her points had successfully accumulated to 100. It seemed that zombies assimilated by her follower could also earn her points. Tang Yu was ecstatic. If she recruited more underlings, wouldn’t she make a huge profit in the future!

Her other basic data hadn’t changed, but the newly unlocked basic skill section made Tang Yu frown. A few large words were written there: “Basic Skill One: Form Alliance.”

There was no other information besides that.

Literally, it meant finding teammates. But as for how to form an alliance or under what conditions, the game gave no explanation at all. Tang Yu could feel the game’s malice towards her.

She glanced at Jin Ye, who had been following beside her, and suddenly noticed a change in her expression. The other woman was staring at her with a puzzled look.

“Huh?” Tang Yu was equally puzzled. Upon closer inspection, Jin Ye’s face was still expressionless, but Tang Yu found that she could actually read her emotions. Could this be the effect of “Form Alliance”?

Tang Yu couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch Jin Ye’s cheek, wanting to see what the trick was. As a result, Jin Ye let out a low growl. Tang Yu froze on the spot, because she clearly understood that Jin Ye had said: “Don’t touch me.”

“Ah, this…” Tang Yu sheepishly withdrew her hand. After a moment’s thought, she tested the waters on the verge of getting hit: “Little follower, have you gained sentience?”

Jin Ye shot her a look, wiped the remaining bl00d from the corner of her mouth in disgust, and then turned back to look toward the camp, which was no longer visible.

Seeing this, Tang Yu dropped her playful attitude and went to check on Jian Wu’s condition. If zombies could communicate with each other in an allied state, then logically, Jian Wu should also be allied with her. But right now, he remained expressionless, showing no emotion.

Tang Yu asked, “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

When Jian Wu saw her, his eyes finally showed some life. He gave Tang Yu a resentful look and, after a long pause, said, “Let me be. My hand slipped.”

Tang Yu: “Huh? What do you mean? I don’t get it.”

Jian Wu seemed to recall something sad. With a mournful expression, he started talking nonstop: “After you eliminated me, an interface popped up asking if I wanted to stay in the game as a zombie. By the way, this is a new feature, right? I’ve never heard of this option before.”

He paused, then continued to ramble and complain, “But the price for staying is that all your points are wiped, and your body and habits become like a zombie’s. Of course I was going to choose no! But I accidentally touched the wrong option. Why doesn’t this stupid game have a second confirmation!”

Tang Yu frowned, looking at him strangely. “Is being a zombie that bad?”

Jian Wu choked, “What do you think? Were you a volunteer zombie or something?”

Tang Yu scratched her head. “Not exactly. I was a zombie when I came in.” She then asked, “It’s just your points getting wiped. Why are you so upset?”

Hearing her reply, Jian Wu’s pupils contracted in shock. He gave her another puzzled look and said, “Did you enter the game without learning anything about it? The points here can be exchanged for real cash at a 1 to 50 ratio. They’re very valuable. I had several hundred.”

Tang Yu was amazed. This was something she truly didn’t know. She had no memories and hadn’t joined the game voluntarily.

From Jian Wu’s words, Tang Yu extracted some information. It seemed the game had added a new feature for balance. If human players chose to remain in the game after being eliminated, they would become zombies like Jian Wu and Jin Ye, able to communicate and form alliances, even though their communication sounded like mere whimpers to outsiders.

What if a player chose no? Would they just become a mindless NPC? She thought of Du Xiao again, but there was no way to confirm it now.

Tang Yu looked back at Jin Ye and asked, “Did you choose to stay voluntarily?”

“Yes.” Jin Ye didn’t hide it.

“Why?”

Jin Ye pointed in the direction of the camp and said, “The person I’m looking for might be there.”

A curious look on her face, Tang Yu leaned closer to Jin Ye and asked, “What person?”

Jin Ye shot her a look and said, “You’re really nosy.”

“Yes, I am.” Tang Yu admitted it without batting an eye, then continued to press, “I can see you’re very concerned about that camp. Tell me what’s going on. I’ll help you find the person.”

Jin Ye hesitated for a moment before saying, “Our previous team had four people. There was one more, the younger sister of the guy whose clothes you stripped off. A seventeen-year-old girl. We originally only operated in the mountains around that area.”

Jin Ye pointed to the rolling mountain range in the distance and continued, “But not long ago, the little girl went missing without a trace. We tracked her all the way here.” Jin Ye took two torn strips of cloth from her pocket. They had a light-colored bamboo leaf pattern and looked like they were cut from the same piece of fabric.

“These are fragments of her clothes. I just found one of them on a branch by the riverbank. It’s very likely connected to this camp.”

“You think she’s still alive?” Tang Yu asked.

“Of course. She must be alive,” Jin Ye answered with certainty.

Jian Wu, having calmed down, also came over. He thought for a moment and said, “The little girl you’re talking about, does she have blonde hair?”

Hearing this, Jin Ye stared intently at Jian Wu and nodded. “You’ve seen her?”

“I heard the cook mention it. Said they captured a prisoner from another team and plan to use her as bait to capture a Zombie King.”

“What Zombie King?” Tang Yu cut in.

“A super zombie that appeared in the next city recently. It seems to have evolved. Our camp’s vanguard fought with it. They say it can control other zombies in battle, but I’ve never seen it. I’m in the logistics team.”

“How many people are in your camp?” Tang Yu continued to press.

“What for? You want me to betray my camp? Don’t even think about getting information out of me. There are only two of you, you definitely can’t win.” Jian Wu looked smug.

Tang Yu rapped Jian Wu on the head. “Get your position straight. You’re a zombie now. You’re not on the same side as the camp anymore.”

Hearing this, Jian Wu’s face turned beet red, but he couldn’t think of a reason to refute her.

Tang Yu added, “It’s okay. Just tell us the truth. We won’t kill anyone, we’re only here to save someone.”