Surviving the Game as a Zombie - Chapter 72

On the morning of the tenth day, Tang Yu received a message from Li Chengjian. Her weapon was ready and she could pick it up anytime.

Coincidentally, Zhou Zhou needed to go to the Old Blind Man’s residence to perform the second surgery on the two pythons, and Fu Mengqing wanted to visit Xingyue. So, they all agreed to travel together, which allowed Tang Yu to hitch a ride on a monkey.

The three of them walked deep into the back mountains for a long time before they saw troops of monkeys active in the woods, but they were all small monkeys, unable to carry people. Zhou Zhou let out a loud whistle. A small monkey heard it, chattered twice, and then plunged into the forest and disappeared.

The three waited for a long while. Zhou Zhou explained that the little monkey had gone to inform the monkey king. Sure enough, not long after, three large monkeys arrived before Zhou Zhou.

Tang Yu teased, “Your beast-taming skills aren’t half bad.”

Zhou Zhou said, “This isn’t my ability. The monkey troop only comes to carry us because the Old Blind Man gave them orders. If you want to talk about real beast-taming skills, you should see Xingyue.”

Over the past ten days, Zhou Zhou had traveled back and forth between the two locations, and she had witnessed Xingyue’s transformation with her own eyes.

Her interest piqued, Tang Yu decided to go see Xingyue before picking up her weapon. It had only been ten days since they left the great tomb. Had this little sister of hers become so formidable already?

Riding on the monkeys, the three of them traveled for the better part of a day before being brought to the Old Blind Man’s bamboo house.

Neither the Old Blind Man nor the tiger was there; only Xingyue and the two pythons were in the yard.

When Tang Yu arrived, she saw Xingyue standing before the golden-eyed giant snake, her arms wrapped affectionately around its neck. The giant snake flicked its forked tongue from time to time, its tail coiled in a circle, enclosing Xingyue in the center.

Tang Yu watched in amazement. Even as the snake king and queen’s semi-savior, she wouldn’t dare get so close to them without any defenses. With the snake’s mouth above her and its body coiled around her, a slight squeeze from the python would be enough to crush Xingyue at the waist.

But Xingyue acted as if nothing was wrong. She hugged the snake’s neck, then sat right down on its body, tilting her head up as if she were saying something.

It wasn’t until she heard the calls of the monkey troop behind her that Xingyue turned around, tilting her head in confusion. She couldn’t see, but she could sense that the newcomers were not a threat; otherwise, the snake king and queen would have already reacted.

“Xingyue.” Fu Mengqing called out, holding a lunchbox and stopping three meters away from the snake. “I brought some roasted chicken. Come and have a taste.”

“Okay,” Xingyue answered sweetly, hopping off the snake’s body and feeling her way in Fu Mengqing’s direction.

Tang Yu asked, “Where’s the Old Blind Man? Did he go out with the tiger?”

“Master went out to get wine, and Little Tiger went to play in the mountains.” Xingyue led the three of them into the bamboo house. She took the lunchbox and sniffed it; the chicken had grown cold, but it was still very fragrant. Since it was already past noon and the mealtime had passed, she decided to save the roasted chicken for dinner.

Tang Yu asked, puzzled, “Get wine?”

“Master said someone delivers him wine and supplies regularly. He’s gone to the city outskirts for the exchange now. He should bring back a lot of things.”

Tang Yu figured it must be Song Lengzhu fulfilling her promise.

After observing for a while, Tang Yu noticed that Xingyue had adapted very well. She was already adept at knowing where things were placed and what paths to take to avoid bumping into tables and chairs. Everything was familiar to her.

The Old Blind Man’s bamboo house had two rooms. The one in the back was given to Xingyue, and at the moment, some mischievous little monkeys were playing inside. Fu Mengqing visited often, so she shared the room with Xingyue.

Zhou Zhou poked her head in and asked Xingyue, “How are your skills coming along?”

Xingyue smiled faintly. “Master says I’m very talented. In another month or so, I’ll be able to walk freely through the mountain forest.”

They chatted and laughed, then walked out of the house together. Zhou Zhou approached the two giant snakes with her small leather case. The two snakes hissed and actually retreated half a meter in unison.

Xingyue laughed. “They say they’re afraid of you. Removing the iron anchors last time was too painful, and it left a very deep impression on them.”

Zhou Zhou said, “There’s no helping it. Regular anesthetics don’t work on them, so they just have to endure it.”

“Wait, wait.” Tang Yu interrupted their conversation. “What do you mean, ‘they say’? Xingyue, you can hear them talk?”

Xingyue explained, “It’s not really talking. It’s a way animals convey information to each other. It’s very difficult to capture, but once you establish a connection with them, it becomes very easy to understand.”

It’s not easy at all, Tang Yu thought. What normal person could do that?

Tang Yu asked again, “Can they understand you when you speak?”

“They can. Xiao Jin and Xiao Hong are naturally intelligent, so they’re easier to communicate with than other animals. But…” A hint of pride appeared on Xingyue’s face. “I established communication with them even faster than Master did.”

Fu Mengqing patted Xingyue’s head. “Xingyue is amazing.”

Tang Yu was stunned. This girl really had some skills.

But did the two great snake king and queen know that Xingyue was calling them Xiao Jin and Xiao Hong?

It made them sound a whole lot less imposing!

Zhou Zhou took out a palm-sized scalpel, carefully sterilized it, and asked Xingyue to help soothe the two giant snakes. It was difficult to maintain a sterile environment here, so they wouldn’t be too demanding.

Xingyue stroked the snakes’ bodies, making a strange hissing sound with her mouth. In just a moment, the two giant snakes lowered their previously raised heads, uncoiled their bodies, and lay flat on the ground.

Only two iron anchors remained on their bodies. The previous surgical wounds were wrapped in gauze. The gauze was very clean; it seemed Xingyue changed it for them often.

Now, it was time to remove the remaining two chunks of iron.

The opportunity was rare, so Tang Yu couldn’t help but stay and watch a little longer.

Zhou Zhou crouched in front of a snake, its massive body almost level with her line of sight. Her blade cut along the edge of the iron anchor, as if the tool in her hand wasn’t a scalpel but a butcher’s boning knife. Every time the blade sliced, the two giant snakes trembled, and Xingyue continuously soothed them, guiding their emotions.

Snake bl00d soon gushed out, exactly as Zhou Zhou had described—like a fountain. As zombies, Fu Mengqing and Tang Yu stood far back, not wanting to be overstimulated by the strong scent of bl00d.

But Zhou Zhou wasn’t so lucky. She was splattered with snake bl00d, with streaks of it even running down her face and head. Yet Zhou Zhou didn’t even blink. This was a complete departure from her usual smiling demeanor. While working, Zhou Zhou’s face was stern, her concentration fixed entirely on the knife in her hand, as if the entire world consisted of only herself and the target before her.

Seemingly accustomed to performing surgery without an assistant, Zhou Zhou’s movements were very busy. She constantly switched the tools in her hand, dazzling Tang Yu. But she wasn’t in a state of panic; her actions were swift and decisive, knowing what step to take next almost without thinking.

This was the first time Tang Yu had seen Zhou Zhou in her work state. For some reason, a sense of respect welled up in Tang Yu’s heart. People who achieved the pinnacle in their own fields truly had a way of deeply impressing those around them.

Tang Yu and Fu Mengqing stood to one side, not daring to breathe loudly, let alone step forward to wipe the bl00d dripping down Zhou Zhou’s face. By the time they came to their senses, Zhou Zhou had pulled half an iron anchor out from the other side.

A bloody hole the size of a bowl was left on the snake’s body. Zhou Zhou carefully cleaned the scorched, necrotic flesh around it to allow new flesh to grow back.

When she was nearly finished, Zhou Zhou sprinkled a large amount of hemostatic powder as if it were free, then carefully wrapped the wound with a bandage, which was quickly dyed bl00d-red.

Only then did Tang Yu find her breath again.

Removing one iron anchor had taken a considerable amount of time. Tang Yu glanced at the sky; it was time to head to the blacksmith’s, or she wouldn’t make it back to the village.

After bidding farewell to the others, Tang Yu rode a monkey alone to find Li Chengjian. This time, they were just picking up the weapons and leaving, so there was no need for much conversation, and thus no need to trouble Zhou Zhou with interpreting.

Besides, Zhou Zhou was busy.

Tang Yu quickly met up with Li Chengjian. His leg injury was healing quite well. Although not fully recovered, he could still walk.

When the blacksmith saw Li Chengjian, he was puzzled that the person beside him was different from last time, but he didn’t ask much. By nature, he seemed to be an extremely taciturn man.

Tang Yu obtained the weapons smoothly.

The moment Startling Dragon was in her hand, Tang Yu’s heart settled considerably. She drew the blade and examined it for a moment. The military knife hadn’t been altered in any way; the hilt was still a simple, unadorned black, and the silver blade had been restored to its smooth state, showing no trace of its previously curled edge.

The weight and texture in her hand were exactly the same as before. Tang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. This blacksmith’s skills were truly not bad; at least Startling Dragon was restored to its original state.

She didn’t open the game panel on the spot to confirm Startling Dragon’s information, afraid that her expression might reveal too much to an outsider. She planned to examine it more closely on the way back home.

To Tang Yu’s surprise, besides Startling Dragon, the eight iron chains and the bronze sword had been forged into twenty melee weapons. Since Tang Yu hadn’t provided any specific material for the hilts, many of the weapons had their blades and hilts forged from the iron chains, creating a seamless, well-balanced whole. All the weapons were entirely black. The blacksmith had added some gold trim as inlay, which made them look surprisingly beautiful.

Among the twenty weapons, there were five swords, five curved sabers, and ten exquisitely crafted small daggers. These were all small weapons that didn’t require much material, which was why so many could be made.

As for the blacksmith’s own payment, it was forged into a three-meter-long greatsword. It was exquisitely made and had probably become the blacksmith’s masterpiece, hung in the very center of the storeroom.

Good grief. Judging by the amount of material used, he really took a hefty commission.

However, it was a win-win transaction, so Tang Yu didn’t fuss over it. Twenty weapons were already far more than she had imagined.

These weapons didn’t come with sheaths, making them difficult to carry. The blacksmith thought for a moment and gave Tang Yu twenty simple iron sheaths and a snakeskin bag for free. In exchange, he wanted to maintain a long-term business relationship with her.

Tang Yu didn’t refuse, making Li Chengjian the middleman and entrusting future weapon transactions to him.

The three of them then parted ways.

Tang Yu carried a sack slung over her shoulder, looking for all the world like a thief returning from a successful haul.

This stuff was incredibly heavy. When she was moving the iron chains with Zhou Zhou and the others, it hadn’t seemed like much, but now, carrying it all by herself was exhausting. The monkey carrying Tang Yu was just as tired and had tried to ditch her and run off on its own several times.

If she had known, she would have waited for Zhou Zhou. She had a feeling Zhou Zhou would have been happy to carry things.

Tang Yu walked for a stretch and then rested. Standing in the mountain forest, she opened the game panel to check Startling Dragon’s status.

The description for Startling Dragon was still short.

“Weapon: Military Knife ‘Startling Dragon’. This blade is incomparably sharp and can cut through anything. Attack Power +30%.”

Tang Yu’s temples throbbed violently. She remembered that Startling Dragon’s attack bonus used to be only 5%. In one go, it had increased by another 25%.

As someone who frequently used melee weapons, Tang Yu knew all too well how different a 30% value was. Take cutting a tree, for example. If the tool had no bonus, it would be like using a regular saw on a tree; you could cut it down with effort. But with the bonus, it was like attaching an electric motor to the saw.

Moreover, Startling Dragon’s base value was much higher than a saw’s to begin with.

Someone who didn’t often use melee weapons might not be able to tell the difference, but for Tang Yu, who was accustomed to using blades, this change was like a gift from the gods.

She excitedly swung the knife a few times in the forest. The blade sliced through a tree trunk as thick as a bowl as if it were cutting tofu, and the tree fell with a crash.

Awesome. So awesome.

Tang Yu felt that exhilarating, clean satisfaction after just a few practice swings. She hurriedly sent a message to Zhou Zhou: “Zhou Zhou, don’t throw away those iron anchors you removed. Keep them, keep them for me! They’re treasures!”

Once a person gets excited, they’re filled with motivation. Tang Yu hoisted the sack, climbed onto the monkey’s back, and waved her hand grandly. “Let’s go!”

A world where only the monkey suffered was achieved.

It was already dark when she returned to the village. Tang Yu spread the weapons out in the yard for the aunties to choose for themselves.

Except for Xingyue, who temporarily had no weapon and didn’t need one, even the youngest, Huang Qianqian, could have her own little knife.

At first, the aunties were a bit intimidated by these sharp implements. It wasn’t until Jin Ye took the lead and chose a sword that the aunties livened up and began to carefully make their selections.

The designs of these swords, daggers, and sabers were all relatively simple and grand. It was clear the blacksmith had put some thought into them, avoiding complicated, flashy, and impractical eye-catching designs. Every single one was simple, but upon closer inspection, one could see the beauty in their lines.

Jin Ye chose a low-key, unadorned sword. The blade was thin with a groove down its center, and it was very light when picked up. She was accustomed to using guns and also used daggers frequently, so it was unexpected that she would choose such a weapon.

Tang Yu took a closer look and actually felt that the sword suited Jin Ye quite well. Jin Ye had always been calm and low-key, and holding the sword gave her a reassuring, heroic air.

Xiao Li, on the other hand, chose a single-edged dagger. It was likely mixed with bronze, giving it a dark golden hue. The other side of the blade was fashioned into a reverse barb, and it had a bl00d groove. It looked less threatening, but in reality, its killing power was immense.

Because these weapons had just been created and hadn’t been named yet, the game prompted Jin Ye and Xiao Li to name their weapons. Hearing this, Tang Yu got excited and suggested many terrible names, like “Super Sword” and “Gonna Cut You,” just a bunch of awful names.

In the end, Jin Ye’s sword was named Ink Rhyme, and Xiao Li’s dagger was called Azure Frost. Hearing this, Tang Yu clutched her head and exclaimed that it was killing her.

After everyone had joyfully finished choosing, Tang Yu cleared her throat and made a concluding statement for Xiao Li to translate for the aunties: “These weapons won’t be counted as public supplies. After you’ve chosen, keep them as your own private property. But be careful when using them. I will also teach you all some melee weapon techniques.”

Li Xishi asked, “Will we still learn to use guns?”

“Yes, we’ll learn both. Everyone should pay attention to which type of combat you’re more skilled in. If the day comes when the aunties are truly needed to defend the camp, you won’t be caught helpless.”

Aunty Zhu laughed. “Alright, I like using a knife.” She swung the curved saber downwards a few times, looking just like she was chopping vegetables.

What was left for Zhou Zhou and Fu Mengqing was a dagger and a sword, which Tang Yu kept for them for the time being.